Light Me Up

by Isabel Sharpe

  Shhh, breathe, Melissa. She picked up the bakery bag she’d dropped, and put it on the counter next to Gretchen’s flowers. Then she set her gym bag down, stood in Mountain Pose and closed her eyes, forced her rigid shoulders to relax and took in a long, slow breath, letting it out the same way. She did it again and again—thank goodness he was taking a long time to find his stupid brochures—until she felt centered and stronger, and calm. Well...calmer.

  Too soon to panic. Angela and Bonnie, both seemingly nice people, had obviously recognized Melissa from the pictures, and they hadn’t looked anything more than surprised and intrigued by her presence. Neither of them had warned her away. In fact Angela must have been trying to send her down the hall to Jack. Maybe he just wanted pictures of someone doing yoga and figured out that Melissa practiced alone after class. She could have been a tree or a rock or a building that caught his artistic eye. The easiest explanation was often the right one. She’d confront him. Any creepy vibes and she’d go straight to the police.

  “Sorry, had to open a new box. First I had to find a new box. Here’s the brochure.” Jack stepped into the room, did a double take behind him and shut the door firmly.

  Yeah, too late, buddy.

  “You know, I just remembered what I came in for.” In spite of her struggle to sustain peaceful breathing, Melissa’s voice came out high and harsh. “I’m looking for pictures of a woman.”

  His expression became wary. “Okay.”

  “More specifically, I’m interested in pictures of a woman doing yoga.”

  “Uh...” Jack began to look hunted.

  “In fact, I’m looking for pictures of a woman doing yoga in Cal Anderson Park.” Melissa pointed to the door he’d just closed. “About my height. And weight. With my coloring. And clothes.”

  “Uhhh...” He put his hands over his face, dragged them down and peeked at her over the tips of his fingers, his expression one of contrition. “I guess you saw them.”

  “I guess I did.”

  He swore under his breath.

  “Busted?”

  “I was going to explain over coffee.” He sent her an I’ve-been-a-bad-boy look that he must know was adorable. She would remain unmoved until he proved himself innocent. And maybe even after that. “This must be a shock, Melissa.”

  “A shock?” She faked surprise. “No, no, not at all. Happens all the time. People spy on me and take pictures, oh, twice a week at least.”

  “No, it’s not...” He shook his head, the hint of an embarrassed smile curving his masculine lips. “See, you were there and then I was, and then I, uh...”

  Melissa scowled. Why did jerks always come in such fabulous packages? Her boss, Barbara, called them baby pools. Warm, inviting and totally shallow. Dive in and you’d get brain damage. Even her mother had warned her, one of the precious rounds of maternal advice she’d given Melissa before she died: really good-looking men—actually, Mom had said people—came first on their own priority lists, and thought they should come first on everyone else’s, too. “And then you what?”

  “See, I was thinking you’d be...” He scratched his head. “That is, I was hoping you’d be...”

  “I’d be what?” If he didn’t explain soon she was going to hurl her gym bag at his head.

  “Oh, man.” He held up both hands. “Can we start over?”

  “Why did you take photos of me? Are you stalking me? Did someone hire you?” Melissa’s voice cracked. The possibilities were awful.

  “No. No.” His look of genuine concern caused a small bit of her anger to slip away, which made it easier to appear in control. “My interest was purely artistic. I swear.”

  Hmm. The simplest explanation... “Why didn’t you ask my permission?”

  “Honestly, I was going to.”

  “When were you going to?”

  “Today, over coffee. Before that...” He wrinkled his nose apologetically. Another adorable-yet-masculine expression. He must practice in front of a mirror. “Thing is, the day I decided to approach you was the day you disappeared.”

  “Well.” Melissa smacked her hand on the counter, uncomfortably aware he could be telling the truth. She’d stopped going to yoga for a few months because of her injury. But she wasn’t ready to let him off the hook yet. “How’s that for timing?”

  “This isn’t as bad as it seems.”

  Melissa arched an eyebrow. “How would you know how bad it seems?”

  “I’m guessing you feel violated, vulnerable and afraid.” He leaned both palms on the counter, which emphasized the broad sweep of his shoulders and back. His eyes were sincere, gaze unwavering.

  Damn, he was good. Yes, she felt violated, vulnerable and afraid, and with her guard down on all three counts, he was creating an atmosphere of concerned intimacy.

  Good thing she was on to him.

  “Someone could have noticed you every day the way I did, watched you the same way I did.” His voice was low, earnest. “But photography is a deliberate and permanent act, which is much more threatening.”

  Melissa had nothing to say. He’d nailed exactly how bad it was. “Why were you photographing me?”

  Jack pushed back from the counter. “The camera loves you. You were irresistible to me.”

  He spoke matter-of-factly, photographer discussing his subject, whereas Melissa had to hold herself statue-still and beg her circulatory system not to turn her face scarlet. “You could have asked.”

  “You might have told me to get lost.”

  “Yes.” She folded her arms over her chest, wanting to appear tougher than she was feeling now that the worst of her outrage had abated. The way he looked at her, as if he could read her mind and see her naked at the same time, was making it very hard to feel she had the upper hand, which she damn well deserved in this situation. “But I would have liked the chance to choose. And to know what you wanted the pictures for.”

  “I show at the Unko Gallery.” He reached for the pile of brochures he’d brought out and handed her one. “I was experimenting, working on a new idea, a way of photographing women. You had the look I wanted.”

  Melissa opened the brochure, wishing she could ask what look that was, but not willing to betray her interest. Was she the embodiment of every female fantasy he’d ever had? Or was she yet another trend-following Western capitalist pretending to understand yoga? Or was it something else entirely that only he could envision, and which she might not want to hear? Given some of the more disturbing shots in the shop, his ideas might not be that flattering.

  Jack was indeed listed in the brochure, alongside a few prominently placed photographs, more of those odd, powerful images. Impressive. Melissa wasn’t exactly an art maven, but even she’d heard of the Unko Gallery. Gretchen had taken her there once for a friend’s opening party.

  “Come have coffee with me, Melissa. Angela makes a really good cup.”

  “I just had one.” She offered him back the brochure.

  “Have one more?” He waved at her to keep the pamphlet. “Angela will chaperone.”

  “So I don’t look like anyone you went to college with.”

  “Nope.” He came out from behind the counter, broader, taller and closer without the protective barrier, leaving Melissa no idea what to do with her hands. “She and Bonnie must have recognized you from your pictures.”

  Melissa picked up her flowers and bakery bag. So far, she hadn’t detected any creepy vibes, and she might have to entertain the fact that Jack was telling the truth. “You showed the photos around.”

  “I was excited about you.” He still spoke offhandedly, but the eyes watching her were alert and focused.

  Melissa glared at him suspiciously, again pleading with her blush mechanism for mercy. “Excited how?”

  “Artistically. Of course.” He grinned in a way that made it extremely difficult not to grin back. “Have coffee with me? A quick cup. I’d like to talk over what I hope to do with the pictures.”

  “Blackmail me?”
/>   He laughed. “Not blackmail you. I promise.”

  “I need to get to work.” Even she could hear her lack of conviction. Work would still be there half an hour from now. Melissa was always early, always thoroughly prepared to tackle her day. She was admittedly intrigued by this man and his work, and she wanted to see if he’d be open to negotiating a legitimate deal so she could afford him for Gretchen’s wedding.

  She and her sister hadn’t grown up poor, but they hadn’t been well off, either. Her father had imploded after their mom died; any ambition he might have had to get his PhD or pursue a principal’s or administrative position had died with her. All he’d done since then was teach high school and watch TV. Melissa really wanted Gretchen to have a dream wedding, but without money growing on the family tree, it fell to her to make things happen, as it had so many times since her mom’s death.

  “One quick cup.” She hoisted her gym bag briskly. “In the bakery. With a table between us. And Mace if you have any.”

  “Won’t need it.” His smile reached his eyes instantly. “Angela’s better than Mace, she’s stronger and faster. But really, I’m harmless.”

  Melissa had definite doubts about that.

  They walked down the hall together and, in a moment worthy of farce, Melissa caught Bonnie doing a frantic double take at the sight of them, and then Angela doing the same when she and Jack came into the bakery.

  “Oh. Hi.” Angela glanced rapidly between them. “You two— Well. What can I get you?”

  “Just coffee.” Jack’s voice came over Melissa’s right shoulder; she was ridiculously conscious of his body close to hers. “This is Melissa.”

  “Yes.” Angela nodded uncomfortably. “We met.”

  Melissa beamed at her, unable to resist a little torture. “I’m the college-friend look-alike.”

  “Oh...yes.” She gestured desperately toward the other side of the shop. “Coffee’s over there, help yourself, on the house, let me know if you want anything else.”

  Jack was laughing, a deep chuckle that was frankly delicious. “Angela, it’s okay, she—”

  “Hey, Angela.” Bonnie sailed into the bakery and pretended to have just caught sight of them. “Oh! Hi, Jack. Hi, Melissa. Do you two know each other?”

  “Melissa has seen the pictures. We’re here to talk it out. Bonnie, go pot ferns. Angela, go bake a cake.”

  “Are you kidding me? Miss this conversation?” Bonnie sent Melissa a sly wink behind Jack’s back. “Dish up the muffins, Angela. Front-row seats for the showdown are available.”

  “No.” Jack took a threatening step toward Bonnie. “You are not staying—”

  “Ooh, good idea, Bonnie.” Angela threw Melissa a grin while Jack growled at Bonnie. “Chocolate chip, oatmeal cranberry, lemon blueberry...”

  “Over my dead body.”

  “If that’s necessary, sure, Jack.” Angela bent down and started picking out muffins. “You don’t mind if we’re here, do you, Melissa?”

  “Of course not.” Melissa suppressed a giggle. Nice to see Jack wasn’t always in control. It actually made him more appealing. “I’m happier in a crowd when I chat with my stalkers.”

  “Oh, me, too.” Bonnie plunked herself into a chair and patted the one beside her for Melissa, then pointed to the chair opposite and looked expectantly at Jack. “Sit.”

  Jack sat, glowering at all three of them. “Apparently I am outnumbered.”

  “Outnumbered, outclassed, outwitted and outmaneuvered.” Bonnie rested her elbows on the table and her head on laced fingers. “Now, Melissa. First of all, let us reassure you about Jack.”

  “Yes. We must.” Angela put a paper plate of divine-looking muffins on the table. “He might look and act like a complete creep—”

  “Hey.”

  “—but he’s a total sweetheart.”

  “And a very talented photographer,” Bonnie added.

  “I promise you are completely safe with him.” Angela sat down and beamed at Jack.

  “Absolutely.” Bonnie nodded vigorously. She and Angela exchanged glances. Their confidence slipped. “Well...pretty safe.”

  “Yeah...” Angela bit her lip. “I’d say more or less safe.”

  “If you have people around.”

  “Hired to protect you.”

  “Who are armed.”

  Jack brought his hand down on the table, enough to make the muffins jump. His lips twitched. “Stop. Now. You are not helping.”

  “Of course we’re helping.” Angela turned to Bonnie in concern. “Aren’t we?”

  “Well...” Bonnie looked troubled. “Now that I think about it, we might not be. Melissa?”

  “You are both helping. A lot.” Melissa nodded her most gracious thanks. “It was pretty frightening seeing those pictures, but now, hearing from both of you that Jack is probably a sociopath...well, I feel a lot better.”

  Angela and Bonnie burst out laughing. Jack put his head in his hands and groaned. Melissa gave in and cracked up with the women, and for a few seconds, felt a sweet glow of belonging. Which was silly, since she didn’t.

  “All righty, then.” Angela got up and pushed in her chair, smiling fondly at Jack. “Our work is done.”

  “We’re outta here.” Bonnie grabbed a blueberry muffin and kissed the top of Jack’s head. “You’ll do fine, Jack. Just be yourself. Or maybe...hmm. No, actually, if I were you I’d be someone else. Anyone, really.”

  “Yeah, thanks a hell of a lot. Both of you.”

  The women walked off giggling, Bonnie to her shop, Angela into the bakery kitchen, leaving silence and intimacy behind them.

  Melissa clasped her hand around her mug so she wouldn’t show her nervousness. “They are hilarious.”

  “Uh-huh.” Jack didn’t bother hiding his amusement. “And they knew exactly what they were doing.”

  “Trying to reassure me?”

  “Did it work?”

  Melissa shrugged. “Yes. I guess. Some.”

  “I’m glad to hear that, Melissa.”

  She moved uneasily. Something about Jack’s deep voice saying her name was way more intimate than it should be, and she felt her guard go up again.

  “How long have you known them?” Stupid question, but she needed words to break the tension.

  “Five of us bought the building together. All graduates of UW Seattle, a few years ago. We get along, which is good, because launching businesses is not a job for sissies.” He leaned back in the chair. “What do you do?”

  Melissa jerked back to the conversation, having been calculating his age. Twenty-six? With his smooth confidence, she would have put him a few years older. “I’m a human-resources specialist at the corporate headquarters of Au Bon Repas, the kitchen-supply store. We do business all over the world.”

  “Oh, yeah, Angela’s always drooling over your catalogs. You like what you do?”

  “It’s a good place to work, supportive and with a proactive corporate culture. Happy employees make our department’s job easier. And I have a great boss.” For some reason, though the phrases tumbled out in the usual way, they sounded stilted and overblown.

  “Nice.” He stretched his long legs to one side, hands folded across his tight abdomen. Her job recitation must have hit him as funny because he was smiling. Or maybe he was just thinking about how gorgeous he must look. She wished she could be totally immune. “What do you do for fun?”

  Urgh. Melissa hated that question. It sounded vaguely suggestive, as if guys were hoping she’d say, I like to get drunk, rip off my clothes and give blow jobs to strangers. Wanna go?

  “I’m pretty busy. I take a lot of classes. Dance and exercise and crafts classes, plus some courses at the university. I think if you’re not learning, improving and trying new things, you might as well be six feet under.” Melissa snapped her mouth shut. Again, she sounded robotic and puffed-up.

  He leaned across the table toward her. Melissa held herself still, though her protective instinct told her to pull back
. This close she could see the slight stubble around his jaw, the faint lines in his lips. She could tell herself he was an obvious player, bad news, not her type, anything she could think of, but the facts were simple: he was gorgeous and her body wanted to check his out. “I have something new you can try, Melissa.”

  Oh, lord. It took two attempts before she found her voice, and even then she only managed a tinge of cynicism. “Oh, really.”

  Jack folded his hands on the table, teasing charmer gone, an intensity in his gaze that sounded a loud you-could-be-in-trouble-here alarm. Usually it took Melissa time to overcome her reserve with men. Half an hour after meeting this guy she wanted to grab him and find out what his skin felt like. His hair. His mouth—

  Melissa, honey, get yourself under control. Her boss, Barbara, would know what to say to calm her down. Melissa could practically hear her voice. You shouldn’t need a man to feel good about yourself. You shouldn’t need a man at all.

  Exactly. Melissa hadn’t needed one since she’d started the process of finding herself, soon after graduation, and she didn’t need one now.

  “I saw you for the first time in April, practicing your poses after class. Immediately I knew I had to photograph you.”

  “Why?”

  “One, because you’re beautiful.” He spoke with a low, slightly husky voice, a bedroom voice, except that his expression was distant, as if he were imagining her as part of his art, which effectively negated any feeling of seduction. Perversely, that made his words even more seductive, and Melissa finally lost the fight with her blush machine. “But also, because your body looks like it’s part of nature when you’re posing. You have an inner light, an incredible serenity, as if nothing could rattle you.”

  Spell broken. Melissa barely managed to stifle a snort. Serenity? Oh, my God. If they heard him say that, her doctor and everyone she knew would never stop laughing. “Jack, I don’t think you quite have—”

  “I was right.” He blinked and resumed his focus on her. “My camera loves you. I captured everything about you that had already captured me.”