Behind His Lens (21 page)

She nods, losing herself in my dark commands. I knew she’d like it just like I do. I slowly reach down to
peel away the remnants of her bra, revealing the most beautiful pair of breasts I’ve ever seen. They’re firm and slightly larger than I’d expect for her small frame, and I know they’ll fill my hands perfectly. Her hard, erect nipples tease me, and I can’t help but reach out and feel their soft beauty. She arches into my hand as I drag my palm against her pink buds, kneading and twisting them.

“I want to taste these sweet nipples,” I demand gruffly.

She moans deep in her throat, and I wonder how long it’s been since a man spoke his dangerous thoughts aloud to her.

I cup each of her breasts, licking and sucking her tight buds,
spurred on by her cries. I can tell she wants to reach down and touch me, but she leaves her hands above her head like a good girl. I reward her with a teasing nip and then sweet licks. She cries out loudly, conveying a raw mixture of pleasure and pain.

“Do you like that, Angel? When I bite down and make you cry out?”

She nods, crooning under me, preparing herself for my next move. I can feel her wiggling, grinding her sweet spot against me— but she’s not getting her release tonight. This is meant to be a sampling. I want us both needy and hot tomorrow.

“You’re so receptive, sweet girl. Your breasts are divine, they beg to be touched and worshiped.”

I sit up and grasp them hard, hard enough to make her arch her back giving me even more.

“Do you see how they fill my hands? They were meant for me. They’re mine. Say it.”

I never stop massaging her breasts as I speak, and I can tell she’s so close to losing it that I’ll have to stop soon, but not until she answers me. I reach down and caress her nipples again, taking them between my teeth gently enough so that her soft cries fill every ounce of air in the hotel room.

“Say it,” I demand huskily.

“They’re yours. God, Jude. Yes.”

I pull back suddenly, shifting my weight off her and away from the bed.

“What? What are you doing?” she asks, with a soft, needy voice.

“It’s been thirty-one minutes. I promised I wouldn’t keep you later than
that.” I take a few deep breaths, knowing I’ll have to take a cold shower as soon as I get back to my room. But even that might not help. I don’t think any number of cold showers could pull the vision of her laying there, completely submissive for me. I know if I swept my hand beneath her yoga pants I’d feel such sweet wetness, but I can’t go there. I tug a hand through my hair and lean forward to pull her to a sitting position. As I kneel down in front of her, I have to force myself to keep my gaze above her neck.

I kiss her forehead, her cheeks, her neck, her collarbone
, and then I pull back and study her eyes. They’re so sweet and sad— sad because I’m leaving, but I know that if we keep going, we’ll never stop, and we both have to sleep or she’ll kill me in the morning.

“Tomorrow after the shoot, Charley. I promise to finish what we’ve started.” I bend down and kiss her gently before resting my forehead against hers.

“I hate you so much right now.”

“That’s not what your body is telling me.”

“It’s traitorous. It can’t be trusted when you’re around,” she narrows her eyes playfully.

I reach forward to whisper in her ear, wanting her to be as ready for tomorrow as I am. “I promise that the moment we’re alone, I’ll slide a finger into that sweet wetness of yours and find that one single part of you that makes you tick. That makes you crumble beneath my touch. I’ll tease you until you come apart before me and then I’ll do it all over again.”

She moans and a shiver of anticipation crashes through her. In a moment of boldness, she reaches out and clasps the sides of my face, bringing me toward her for one more heart-stopping kiss.

…

Charley

I uncurl my toes as the tingles fade from every inch of my body. Jude was arrogant to think that I couldn’t finish what he started. Just the image of his raw passion made it so a few fluid strokes brought me to shuttering ecstasy. But it was merely a temporary salve. I wanted his touch, his fingers in me. After having thirty minutes of the most sensual touch I’ve ever felt, every nerve ending feels bereft and naked. How can my body feel completely turned on and utterly stripped?

Rolling waves.
That’s the first noise that seeps through the fog as I lay spent on the luxurious bed. I watch the ocean through the thin sliding-glass door, listening to the water roll in and out like white noise.

Thoughts drift through me
: things I want to tell Jude, things I want to confess. Some are easy, like I wanted him to stay. I wanted him to sleep with me. Yet some are far more difficult. Some involve digging up buried skeletons and well-covered scars. I’ve never wanted to share them with another soul before, but everything about Jude rocks me to my core and I can’t help but feel my mask beginning to slip whenever I’m in his presence.

I know there comes a point when the baggage becomes too much and you have to cut your
losses and move on. But maybe if I keep my baggage tucked away until we’re back in New York, I can pretend that this is real life and get to enjoy it while it lasts. Because it will surely end like everything does in life, whether it’s today or in twenty years, it ends.

Charley

“Did I catch you on your lunch break?” I ask as soon as the call connects.

“Yes, but I don’t have long. Bennett and I have a date with a seclu
ded corner in about ten minutes,” Naomi states suggestively. I highly doubt she’s kidding.

“You hussy.”

“Tell me something I don’t know. How’s Hawaii? Have you gotten it on with any locals?”

“Half a dozen, but who’
s counting? But seriously, I don’t have long and I need your advice about something.”

“You need my advice about Jude,” she clarifie
s, seeing straight through my bullshit. “If we don’t have long, you’d better spill.”

“It’s creepy how good you are sometimes, but yes.”

“Have the models been throwing themselves at him?”

I huff out a breath, thinking of the bevy of girls he has to choose from while we’re here.

“Yes, but he doesn’t seem to care at all. In fact, yesterday he told me he wasn’t interested in any of them. He saved me a seat on the plane and then he brought me dinner last night.”

“
Of course he did,” she answers flatly. “Damn, he’s good.”

“And then after dinner he stuck around
and he made another move on me,” I ramble quickly.

“I’m not seeing the problem here?”

“I’m not ready for this, Naomi. I didn’t want any of this to happen and I still don’t think I do. What happens when we go back home?”

“Charley, slow down. What’s wrong with having a little fun in Hawaii? Jude doesn’t seem like the type to want a long-term thing, so maybe you’re both on the same page.”

“Yeah, that’s true.”

“
Do you want to have a fling with him in Hawaii?”

I think about her question for a moment even though my gut is screaming yes. Her nails click repetitively on her desk and I know she’s trying to hint at her impatience with me.

“Yes! Okay? Yes. I do,” I respond with angst.

I can practically hear her smile through the phone. “Then do it, and don’t worry about what happens after. I’ve got to go, Bennett just got to my office.”

“Okay, yeah I have to go to breakfast. Tell him I said hi, and I’ll try to listen to your advice.”

…

Our photo shoot is taking place right on the beach so the plush Hawaiian landscape will fill the background of each shot. At breakfast I learned that the hotel sent a crew out at the crack of dawn to block off a few yards of beach on either side of the set so that visitors would know to stay away. The setup feels very exclusive. Apparently the moment the barriers were placed, paparazzi and various beach goers started to gather round, clamoring for a good view of the shots. So, if it wasn’t enough to model in front of twenty people, I’ll now be doing it in front of a couple hundred. Lovely.

They hired ten models in total. Half of them are scheduled to shoot before me and half are scheduled for after, so by the time I’m finished with hair and makeup and wrapped in a short pink robe, the shoots already in full swing. My white bikini is strategically placed over the
important
areas; my hair is styled in big, beachy curls. They used gold and brown tones for my makeup, so I feel natural and glowing. I just pray the effect will last long enough for me to get a few good shots. Already, I feel my nerves starting to seep in.

“It was really easy. Ryan has a good vision for what he wants from each model, so it didn’t take as long as some other shoots I’
ve worked on,” Bella assures me as my sandals clap against the concrete steps toward the beach. Bella already finished for the day, so she offered to hangout with me until I have to start. I’m happy for the distraction because after last night, my entire body practically buzzes in anticipation of seeing Jude. I don’t have any idea where his head is today since he was already on set by the time I made it down for breakfast. Hopefully nothing has changed since last night because if I concentrate, I can still feel the lingering presence of his lips on my skin and each time it sends a surge of desire through my veins.

“That’s awesome,” I comment.
“He seems like a cool guy. I’ve worked with some interesting directors over the past two years. I hate when we start the day and no one seems to have a clue of how they want the shots to be laid out. It makes the whole process drag,” I add, brushing past a bright pink hydrangea plant that seems to be blooming in every direction.

“Yeah, you don’t have to worry about that with Ryan and Jude. They’re like the dynamic duo.”

I laugh, “I like the sound of that.”

After two more concrete steps
, the palm trees and lush island vegetation open up to reveal a white sand beach. Vibrant blue waters with white capped waves roll into view as salt dances in the air, no doubt leaving a thin layer of dew atop my fresh makeup. Definitely not a bad day at the office.

Just as soon as paradise is unveiled before us, the
moment is interrupted by the paparazzi’s snapping lenses and jarring camera flashes. I groan inwardly at the vultures peering over that thin line of orange tape. Then as if the entire scene wasn’t ludicrous enough, one overly-ambitious photographer spies Bella and I veering out from behind the line of palm trees and leans so far over the rope that his camera flashes into his face as he plummets to the sand in an awkward somersault. I clasp my hand over my mouth while Bella laughs hysterically. In all, the poor man has taken down nearly half the platoon of paparazzi before everyone’s righted themselves again.

With a sharp tongue,
Ryan huffs over to them and casts half of them away, threatening to call security and the local authorities. Thankfully, they’re clapping lenses die down somewhat after that. Having Jude’s lens trained on me in a few minutes will be
more
than enough.

Bella and I
take a seat in collapsible metal chairs near the crew area so that we don’t interrupt the current shots taking place even more. Bella reaches toward the table for a plate of fruit for us to share just as Ryan’s assistant smiles and waves. It’s her job to make sure I’ve arrived on time, and she looks relieved to see me on set a few minutes ahead of schedule. After she’s marked that I’m present, I let my eyes drift past her, toward Jude. I completely ignore the plate of pineapple and strawberries Bella shoves in front of my face because I’ve spied something much more tantalizing.

He’s completely focused on his work,
unaware of the calamity that just took place around him. He’s squatting low in the sand, knees bent, every sexy ounce of muscle balancing deftly on the balls of his feet. The elegant muscles in his back stretch beneath his shirt. He has no clue that I’ve arrived and I like it that way. I feel sneaky, watching him work like this.

He moves fluidly as he snaps pictures of the model on set
, as if his sole purpose in this life is to capture beauty in the precise moment in which it presents itself. I don’t know who the model is, but she has dirty blonde hair and the biggest boobs I’ve ever seen. I’m not kidding; I think they could potentially have their own time zone. She’s poised in the sand with her arms angled behind her head. Jude’s shooting her from every angle as her breasts practically spill out of her black string bikini, no doubt pulling every pair of male eyes into their gravitational pull.

“Any chance
that she’s married too?” I laugh bitterly, recalling Bella’s giant rock from the day before as I pull my gaze away from the set and fidget on my uncomfortable metal seat. Even though the island’s weather is warm and humid, I wrap my arms tightly around my robe trying to quell the unwelcome jealousy leaking from my heart.