Picture Perfect

by Lexie Davis

  A Total-e-bound Publication

  www.total-e-bound.com

  Picture Perfect

  ISBN # 978-1-906590-17-8

  ©Copyright Lexie Davis 2008

  Cover Art by Anne Cain ©Copyright February 2008

  Edited by Michele Paulin

  Total-e-bound books

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Total-e-bound eBooks.

  Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Total-e-bound eBooks. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.

  The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.

  Published in 2008 by Total-e-bound eBooks 1 The Corner, Faldingworth Road

  , Spridlington, Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, LN8 2DE, UK.

  Warning: This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers. This story has been rated Total-e-burning.

  PICTURE PERFECT

  Lexie Davis

  Dedication

  To Brenda

  Trademarks Acknowledgement

  The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmark mentioned in this work of fiction:

  GQ: Advance Magazine Publishers Inc.

  Chapter One

  Some men had it. Some didn’t. Amanda Petersen watched as Preston Miller slid his soaked white tee up his flat abs, trying to tease the camera as she’d instructed.

  Note to self: Kill Kiki tomorrow.

  The fifth annual charity calendar for Cancer Cure was coming up and Kiki Long headed the fundraising council. Upon taking the position, she’d manipulated her friendship with Amanda and coerced her into doing the entire photo shoot for free. And the models she’d assigned weren’t something to be desired.

  This year’s theme was Red Hot Firemen. And so far, Amanda had only seen the red and firemen portion of that theme. Hot had yet to grace her presence.

  Preston grinned, nodding his head as if what he offered belonged on the cover of GQ. In her humble opinion, what he offered didn’t belong in the local newspaper Chronicles of Hope much less the annual charity calendar everyone for miles supported.

  Okay, that was harsh, but this was Preston. The same Preston she’d grown up with who loved to annoy her as much as tease her about dating him. He wasn’t exactly model material even if he did have a decent face.

  But then again Hope, Texas didn’t have much to offer. The ladies around usually grew up with the men who now acted more like brothers than lovers. And the lovers they did have burned them to the point that they thought all men in Hope were scum. Half of Amanda’s past lovers had only made homeruns because her need was high and there was nothing else to do in this town. And having nothing to do, she’d developed this hobby and discovered a talent for photography.

  Take the good with the bad.

  “You want me, Mandy, admit it.” Preston licked his lips suggestively. “You know I can make you scream your throat raw.”

  Amanda clicked the shutter closed, finished with her shots. “Not in this lifetime, Miller. Hell has a better chance of freezing over.”

  Preston dropped his shirt, disappointed. “You say that now, but you’ll be the one wanking when you’re all alone tonight.”

  Amanda turned, rolling her eyes. “Who says I’ll be alone tonight?”

  Amanda checked the list of models. The only one she lacked was chief fire fighter, Bradley Thomas, and her panties creamed at the very sight of his name. Six foot four of nothing but a gorgeous, hard, muscle-bound man, Brad’s job fit him perfectly. Amanda couldn’t help picturing his strong arms wrapped around her, protective and sheltering as he pulled her to safety.

  Two years ago, Amanda’s house had caught fire and Brad had rescued her. The quiet type, he’d modestly claimed to be doing his job, but she knew he’d saved her life. To this day, she still reminisced about him seeing her in her lavender panty set when he barged in her room and woke her from her exhausted state. He’d grabbed her robe, wrapped her in it and carried her outside, cradled in his arms.

  Amanda sighed, taking the film from her camera and reloading it. Super-shy Brad had only spoken a friendly “hello” to her since then, and it frustrated her more than words could proclaim. She liked him and he barely noticed her.

  “Oh, I don’t know, Amanda,” Preston said, dragging her from her thoughts. “Perhaps, the fact that in this town everyone knows you can’t take a crap without the gossip chain finding out. And to the best of my knowledge, you haven’t dated anyone for three years.”

  He came up behind her, lightly touching her elbow as he reached across her to grab his belongings. “My dick would fall off if I went without sex that long.”

  She scowled writing Preston’s name on the film. “How do you know how long I’ve gone without sex? I could have just as many booty calls as you.”

  He grinned before leaning towards her and pressing a chaste kiss on her cheek. “If that was the case, honey, you wouldn’t be able to walk.”

  Amanda snorted, deciding to leave that one alone. Preston, she supposed, was okay in the looks department. His blond hair was a bit shaggy for her taste but the ladies seemed to like it. Blue eyes were his best feature, while his height and muscle tone fit that of a runner. He wasn’t ugly, but he didn’t strike her interest either.

  “Well, babe, you know where I’m at if you want a—uh—‘booty call’ as you put it.” He grinned mischievously. “Kelly’s supposed to be over but three’s always fun. I always say ‘the more the merrier’.”

  Amanda elbowed him in the ribs. “You’re perverted, you know that?”

  After Preston left, Amanda cleaned up the set, exchanging the current backdrop of blues and whites to a black and grey one. Brad wasn’t due for another fifteen minutes but the studio needed to be perfect.

  Just as she began setting up the lights, thunder boomed and lightning crinkled across the sky. Rain pounded against the windows, sounding more like hail than actual water droplets. A storm couldn’t have come at a worse time. She jumped at sound of the thunderclap, cutting her finger on a sharp little pin protruding from a light pole.

  “Shit,” Amanda said pulling her finger back. Red droplets of blood pebbled against her skin as she cursed again and swiped it against her jeans.

  “Need some help?” A voice dark and rich sounded close by, startling her. She whipped around, knocking the light to the floor, the bulb busting in the process. Glass shattered flying across the room.

  “Uh, sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” Brad stepped closer, cautiously as if he expected her to come at him fists raised.

  As if.

  “No. You didn’t.” Amanda whirled around looking at the mess on the floor. “I mean you did, but it’s no big deal.”

  She rubbed her head, willing her racing heart to slow. Her breath hitched as she breathed in the spicy, male scent of his cologne, the scent alone plunging her hormones into overdrive.

  Brad remained quiet waiting for her to make the next move.

  “Uh, you’re a bit early and I was just setting up. It’ll take a few more minutes since I broke this bulb, so make yourself comfortable.” She casually turned and pointed to the leather couch near the door.
“I promise it won’t take long.”

  “Take your time.” He glanced around the studio. It occurred to her that in the years he’d lived in Hope and worked as fire chief, he’d never stepped a foot inside her studio. “Do you need my help with anything?” he asked.

  She immediately thought of several fantasies he could help her with, but somehow she doubted that’s what he meant. “Uh, if you could put this light on the pole for me I’d appreciate it.”

  He nodded coming towards her. For the first time since he’d entered the studio, she realised his fireman’s uniform was plastered against his skin from the rain, moulded to every contour of his body. He wore his camel-coloured jumpsuit with the red suspenders and tight white tee. He’d even donned the rubber boots to make the picture complete.

  He took the light from her hand, briefly skimming his fingers against hers. Sparks of electricity seemed to fly from the point of contact, heating her body in all the right places. No, this is wrong. You can’t lust after a client. Very unprofessional, very dishonourable and most importantly very unlike me.

  He reached across her nearly pressing his chest against her face as he fixed the light she needed to take the pictures. His scent fused in her brain, branding her forever with the delicious flavour that was all him. How she’d ever make it through this photo shoot was a mystery.

  Once he fixed it, his arm dropped but didn’t step back. “Is this okay?”

  Amanda took five deep breaths before she replied, and even then could only nod. She didn’t trust her voice to tell him anything.

  “Need anything else?”

  She shook her head again staring into his deep gray eyes with depths she wanted to swim in. This man was walking sex on a stick, and her body ached for his touch. She wanted his hands roaming every inch of her, teasing as much as pleasing.

  Her mind wandered back to when she had been in his arms, wrapped in the security he offered. He’d shielded her from the flames, letting his body take the brunt of the attack. And once they’d made it outside, he’d sat her down away from the gathering crowd, offering her water and oxygen. He hadn’t left until he’d been satisfied she was fine, and even then he’d gone back inside to salvage what he could of her personal memorabilia.

  Saving her family photo album and the quilt her mother had given her as a child meant the most. Not to mention her life. She hadn’t even realised the house had caught fire since she’d come in at midnight exhausted from working three jobs. She couldn’t thank him enough.

  “Uh,” he swallowed visibly moving his eyes away from her. “I tried talking Kiki out of volunteering me for this, but she said it was all in the name of charity. Plus, I’m chief so I have to be in the calendar.”

  His eyes met hers again, and Amanda shifted uncomfortably. “You’re actually supposed to be on the cover.”

  He grinned. “Right. You won't make me look bad, will you?”

  “As if.” She licked her lips. “Let me go get a bulb and we’ll get started.”

  Finding her moment for escape, Amanda snuck into the back storage room to catch her breath and attempt to get her hormones under control. The lights flickered as she searched for a bulb. The quicker she got through this shoot the better off they’d be all the way around.

  Finding what she needed she returned to the front studio room, suppressing her smile as she saw Brad take a seat on the offered stool. “Is this where you want me?”

  Chapter Two

  Brad Thomas would have never agreed to this torture if he’d known what would be in store for him. Though professional, Amanda had him stripped down to his pants, suspenders hanging in circles at his sides and his tee lying on the floor. Granted the white fabric had been plastered against his chest from the rain, but he didn’t think the entire female population of Texas needed to get off on seeing his bare skin. Amanda however…

  “Okay, hold the axe like you’re going to splinter a door or something,” she instructed from behind the camera. “Great. Only a few more shots and your torture is over.”

  She clicked away using two rolls of film as she posed and instructed him. The only thing keeping him from walking out the door was the money raised by this fundraiser to help find a cure for cancer. Well, that and the pretty lady taking his picture and making him hard with every little move she made.

  When she leaned forward, her breasts pressed together giving him sight of her voluptuous cleavage, and his mouth watered. She’d been so vulnerable that night when he’d found her sleeping in her burning house. Her body had lain against the soft sheets of her bed, innocent and frail while the world around her exploded into flames. He’d been on the job five months and had his fair share of rescues, but he still remembered what her breasts had felt like against him, how her body felt when he’d carried her away from her burning house.

  The skimpy panty set had done little to hide her dark nipples and was so sheer he had seen the sweet crease between her thighs. He’d bet anything she was smooth beneath her sinful lingerie and his cock stirred at the thought. He really didn’t need to add an erection to his current predicament. Brad shifted uncomfortably in his position, forcing himself to think about anything but the sexy Amanda snapping away behind her camera.

  What she’d promised would be only a few more shots turned into four rolls total. Why the hell she needed so many damn pictures was beyond him. Afterward she instructed him to put his clothing back on, though he figured the wet tee had better remain on the floor.

  “Uh, I hope you don’t mind, but I’d like to stay a while, let the rain clear up some before I attempt driving in this mess.” He glanced out the windows at the swaying tree limbs. It was near seven-thirty and completely dark outside.

  “It’s no problem.” Amanda smiled as she marked the rolls of film with his name. “I live upstairs so when I get this place cleaned up, we can go up there and wait out the storm.”

  Brad knew going to her apartment would be hazardous on many levels. After her house had burned down she’d used the insurance money to buy this apartment building, creating her own studio on the bottom floors and her personal apartment on top. He assumed it was a cosy little set-up—convenient and comfortable.

  He studied her profile for a moment. As far as Brad knew, a girl like Amanda didn’t go for workaholic guys like him. And being in her world proved as much. From what he knew about her, what he’d seen when she went out with Kiki and a couple of their friends, Preston would be more her type. A guy simply out to have a good time, one who would rather do his chick of the week instead of his job. Brad knew it was purely judgmental on his part, but nevertheless it was his observation.

  He and Amanda simply didn’t mix.

  “Okay. If you’ll take the light down, I’ll get the backdrop and then we’re all set.” She glanced around the studio. “The other stuff can stay where it’s at.”

  Before he moved an inch, the light flickered and the electricity went out, plunging them into complete darkness. Thunder clapped around them, flashes of lightning filling the dark sky. Amanda let out a startled gasp and reached for Brad. Instinctively, he wrapped her soft body in his arms, protecting her and comforting her from her fears.

  Big mistake.

  Her breasts pressed against his chest, the softness anything but subtle. Brad held in a moan as she gripped his waistband and pulled him closer. His cock pressed against her stomach, her warm breath fanning against his naked chest. He wanted her right now. Fuck it all.

  “Uh, Brad,” she whispered, brushing her lips against him when she talked. “I don’t normally clasp onto men like this but I have a slight fear of the dark.”

  Her hands clenched his sides, her nails biting into his flesh. He rubbed her back allowing his fingers to linger. They might not be perfect together, but there was nothing wrong with having a little fun. Brad breathed in the scent of her perfume and a groan escaped him. Yeah, nothing wrong at all.

  Brad reached down to the pocket of his pants and pulled out a flashlight and flicked
it on to illuminate the dark studio. “Do you have any candles or oil lamps or something that will give us light?”

  “Upstairs.”

  He peeled her arms from his waist and waited for her to lead him upstairs. He knew the building well, since it had been a popular apartment complex years prior to Amanda buying the place. But Brad let her take the lead and the flashlight, leading him up the narrow stairwell in the back

  Once inside her apartment, Amanda lit every candle in sight. The place was small by comparison to a normal two-bedroom apartment, but surprisingly enough suited her. Furniture was minimal, just a couch and recliner with a small TV in the corner of the room. The kitchen reminded him of a closet, only big enough for the necessary appliances and maybe one or two cabinets for storage. Off to his right was the hall that led to the bathroom and the bedrooms.

  By the time Amanda finished lighting the candles, the room had an eerie presence to it. Candlelight danced along the wall, modifying the shadows that filled the darkened space.

  “I know you probably think I’m weird or something for having this many candles.” She stuffed a lighter in a nearby drawer. “I swear this isn’t how the fire started last time. I just have a fear of the dark, you know. A stupid childish fear that I’ve had since I was young and I’ve never really gotten over it.”

  She handed him the flashlight and he returned it to his side pocket. Brad grabbed her shoulders pulling her to him again. She trembled, something he figured she didn’t want him to notice but she felt too damn good in his arms. He pulled her tighter. “Shh. It’s fine. You’re fine.”

  His hands slid to her neck, moving to up to cup her cheeks. A woman’s skin always amazed him. He loved the silky softness underneath his fingertips and Amanda’s was no different. He also loved the sweet fragrance that was her alone and couldn’t wait to sample the delicious taste. He wanted Amanda, had always wanted Amanda.