Black & White (Picture Perfect #1) (3 page)

"I'd ask you to stop her from texting and emailing a million times a day, but I finally finished the photos today."

"Was she truly that bad?" Jerry asked, looking at me.

"Yes, but she's paying for my services."

Jerry's attention went to the bar, where Luke was talking to the bar's manager. "Excuse me, ladies. I think I have some business to attend to. Have a fun evening."

After a few dances and three refills of JP's, and well on our way towards a fourth, Jude looked at her watch for the eighth time. This had to have something to do with the mystery man and my unknown fate.

"Jude, why don't you just spill it? I hate surprises."

“Soon, Beth, I promise.” The mischievous grin on her lips was sickening.

The atmosphere of the bar was relaxing, just like the effects of the liquor. While signaling Sabrina for another round, Jude's face lit up. The sickening look in her eyes was one of puppy love, similar to a teenager who had just met their dream actor.

Turning in my seat, hoping beyond all hope, I looked through the crowd. There wasn't anyone or anything which looked that exciting. I was swamped with a sudden feeling of disappointment.

I was about to ask Jude if she had lost her mind when the lights disappeared. Rough, calloused hands slid over my eyes, blocking my vision. Thanks to her giggle, it was apparent this was part of Jude's surprise.

The unknown person leaned in, his musky scent settling on me. Goosebumps ran across my skin when a disconnected voice whispered in my ear, “Guess who, Beth?”

Chapter Two

Judith

Beth and I had known each other since we were four. It had been a day of extreme heat when each of our families decided to go to Vancouver Lake. The cool air and cooler water was the best way to survive the sun as it baked our bodies. It was a spot west of Vancouver, Washington, where we were both born. It seemed both nature and fate had worked in our favor.

I'd been playing in the sand, making a sand castle. Well, it wasn't sand really, but to a four year old it was wet and bondable. Beth had come running down the beach and fell on one of the towers I'd made. While seeing red in a fit of temper, a chunk of wet mud was sent flying in her direction, hitting her in the head. It stuck in her hair, sliding down her face. She was mad, very mad. When she called me a skinky-head, love blossomed immediately.

Beth became my best friend from day one. Thankfully, our families lived in the same neighborhood in Vancouver. We were two peas from the same pod, and where you found one of us, you naturally found the other.

We were in grade three when Beth's parents divorced, and we were both terrified of the consequences. Her mom had decided to move to Houston, Texas. It didn't seem right in her parents' eyes to separate a mother and daughter, so of course, Beth moved with her mom.

I saw Beth at Christmas, spring break and every summer. We were inseparable during those times. We wrote each other constantly and talked on the phone nightly, but our friendship really picked up again when Beth moved back to Vancouver after her mother's death. Things were a little different, since we were older and more mature, but we still loved each other.

It had been common knowledge for years that Beth had a natural talent for taking photos. She had sent so many nature photographs with her letters over the years and they were all so amazing. The incredible scenery, sunsets over the ocean, hell, even the photographs of snakes were interesting. Photography was like second nature to Beth, almost an extension of herself.

It was during that summer, after moving back to Vancouver, when Beth started taking shots of me. Beth had always been interested in nature shots, but she had a talented eye for portraits. The first photos she showed me, left me shell-shocked. I was way more beautiful than I'd ever thought possible. She had a way of capturing an emotion and letting the photograph speak for itself.

Posing for Beth had become an addiction. My parents loved the idea that I was finding something which interested me. My choices and interests in life had always been wishy-washy, but I had the looks to become a model, which brought Beth and I even closer together.

We worked every day of that summer, making a portfolio for each of us. Mine was for modeling and Beth's for photography. Everything changed after that, some money was made through small gigs. Both Beth and I were slowly making names for ourselves and achieving some success was what made us move to New York together. At least that's what I had told Beth. We had gotten lucky enough, though, to find the right people who made all our dreams come true.

But after a few years in the brutal world of modeling, we both wanted our simple lives back. So we worked hard towards this new goal, and eventually we were able to move back to Vancouver. We spent a few months living with our families, discussing options and deciding what we really wanted to do.

Which is where Huntley Studio came in. We wanted to be close to our families, but independence was something we had both become used to. Portland seemed to be the perfect choice for both of us. A different state, but just across the river from our roots. We bought a house and some realty property together, and opened the studio.

During all those years, there was one other thing Beth and I had shared. When Beth moved to Houston, her older brother, Wyatt, had stayed with her father. He was a few years older than us so it was easy for him to stay in Vancouver with a single father who had a full-time job. Our friendship grew as we'd shared the pain of having Beth move away with her Mom. And it had led to my surprise for Beth tonight.

Wyatt walked into JP's, a vision of perfection, and scanned the room till his eyes settled on Beth and I. His face lit up like a kid on Christmas morning. It was impossible to convince myself to look away, he was mesmerizing and I'd decided long ago he was completely my perfect man.

He side-stepped when Beth began to turn in her seat, he had a plan in mind and she wasn't going to blow it by spotting him too early. Losing track of him for a few seconds in the crowd, my heart skipped a beat when he reappeared and stepped up behind Beth.

His hands covered most of her face but leaving just enough to see her facial expression morph when he whispered in her ear. My laughter was uncontrollable as she reached up and wrapped her fingers around his hands.

Beth pulled his hands down from her face. Tears glistened in her wide eyes. She was overwhelmed with emotions like I'd been when Wyatt called saying he was coming home. Japan had been a dream come true for him, but for Beth and I, it had been emotional jail sentence.

Beth flew out of the booth, freezing in her tracks when she came face to face with her brother for the first time in a year. Her body  shuddered with shock. She reached up, putting her hands carefully against his face, cupping his cheeks. The scene was deeply emotional and very touching.

"Wyatt?" Her voice was barely more than a breath out of her mouth.

Wyatt was Beth's brother by blood, but he was everything to me - my brother, my friend, my obsession and my boyfriend. I had missed him so much. A year apart had only made me realize he was the man I wanted to be with. No other man would ever compare to him.

Scooting myself off the bench, I threw my arms around them both after Beth fell into Wyatt's outstretched arms. Beth's arm came back and wrapped itself around my waist. It was her silent way of thanking me.

Looking over Beth's head, my eyes met the heated gaze of the only man I had ever loved. His arms wrapped around both of us, he swung us around in a circle. The laughter was short lived, as Beth started to scream something about being suffocated in a bear hold.

She reached out and wrapped her tiny hand around Wyatt's wrist, pulling him into the booth beside her. He looked apologetically towards me.

When Beth and her mom moved to Houston, she'd made Wyatt promise to protect me like another sister. Our relationship had a brother/sister feel for many years, but we got slowly closer to one another, closer than either of us had ever imagined. We fell hard for each other, and as teenagers we thought we had it all, till Beth came back.

She didn't know about our relationship. We loved her, but Wyatt and I both thought it would be too weird between the three of us, if something happened to end our relationship. We didn't want to burden Beth with the knowledge while she was still reeling from her mother's death. It was at that point when we started to question ourselves and our relationship.

New York was my time to look for more, something which would take my focus off Wyatt, but upon our return to Vancouver, I was more determined to be with him than ever. Beth had seen me date many men, and being the protective sister she was, being involved with her brother wasn't something she would take lightly, even if I was her best friend. She would be skeptical about whether Wyatt was another catch and release, as she called the many men I'd dated. For now, Wyatt and I had agreed we would enjoy being together, without really being together, till we figured out a way to tell her. Looking at Wyatt across the table, I wondered, now that he was home, how we could possibly manage to keep up the charade of being only friends in front of Beth.

In an unladylike fashion, I drank down my current glass of JP and signaled for more. Pushing out of my seat, I reached out to Beth, asking her to come dance with me.

She looked at me skeptically for a second then slammed down the remainder of her drink. Pushing Wyatt out of the way, she took my hand, letting me lead her to the dance floor. As the music started, our bodies began to move in time with the beat. We danced together quite often, so the movements were well rehearsed. We floated around each other in a perfectly timed rhythm.

A shiver crawled up my spine as Wyatt's gaze burned into me. He pushed out of the booth and moved towards us as Beth and I continued our intimate tango For a short time, the world ceased to exist. I could die a happy woman at this moment; wrapped up in the love and happiness of my two favorite people.

Wyatt spun me around, enveloping me in his arms. The tempo of the music changed as our eyes met, the new song slow and sensual. He snaked his arms around my waist, pulling my body close to his. He twirled us around in a slow circle while my head naturally came to rest against his chest. My hummingbird heart skipped a beat when he ran his fingers tenderly through my hair.

We were the only two people who existed. The world disappeared, wrapping us in the love we had for each other. I tangled my arms around his neck, allowing Wyatt to lift me so our faces were close to one another. His musky scent assaulted me, leaving me breathless and aching with want. Everything about Wyatt spoke to my heart and soul - his strength, kindness and love.

His lips brushed lightly against mine, taking my breath away completely. His tongue darted out, licking my lower lip and seeking entrance. Pushing myself closer, I obliged and opened to welcome him. Our tongues met, neither battling, just enjoying the sensation of each other. Everything went silent around us as I ran my hands through his hair and over his face.

Wyatt held me against him with one arm, bringing his other hand up to cup my cheek. He pulled back, taking a much-needed breath as he kissed my nose, my forehead and then placed a small kiss on my lips again. We were both breathing heavily as our foreheads met, our eyes glued on one another.

Wyatt gently set me down on the floor as the song ended. Reality quickly set in, as I remembered we were in JP's, performing a PDA in front of other people.
Oh my god, in front of Beth!
My heart pounded against my ribcage.
What have I done?
Twisting my head, I tried to prepare myself for the worst. When I met Beth's gaze, there was a look of shock on her face.

Wyatt wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me towards Beth. Heaven was quickly disappearing and hell was flaming hotter with each step.

Tucking myself tighter into Wyatt's body, I hoped he would be the protector he'd always been. Being scared shitless wasn't an enjoyable feeling. Beth and I had always agreed honesty was the best policy, but right now, this was so far from the honesty we had always relied on.

Everything happened in one fluid motion. I swore it was orchestrated as Wyatt stepped away slightly and Beth flew at me. I braced myself for a verbal onslaught which never happened.

Beth's momentum forced me to take a step backwards. Her body crashed into mine while she jumped around in a circle, spinning me with her.

"About fucking time, woman!" Beth's laughter was matched by her movements. "I was wondering how long it would take for you to tell me!"

I followed Beth's jumps and spins robotically, completely shocked by her reaction. Words slipped from my mouth, “You knew?"

Beth stopped her bouncing and pulled back, still holding me within her grasp. "Of course I knew, Miss Thing. Hell, I've known for years."

My mouth opened and closed again, like a fish out of water struggling for oxygen.

"I wasn't happy at first but it was bound to happen. We're going to talk about a few things... later," Beth continued, before she smiled. "For now, it's a celebration and we're gonna party till I'm drop-dead drunk."

~~~~~~~~~~

Beth

It had been a few days since the homecoming, and I was still experiencing shell-shock over Wyatt; both from his coming home and the admission, finally, that he and Jude were together.

His return home had been a long time coming. Wyatt had always had the need to travel, when he won his last Taekwondo tournament it became a reality. He had a passion for the sport, so traveling to Japan and studying with some masters was a dream come true for him.

It was still unbelievable that Jude had known he was arriving for nearly a week and managed to keep the whole thing a secret. His return marked a new chapter in our lives.

My life was full of new chapters, starting with meeting Jude. My parents' divorce was next, the move to Houston, my mother's death and the return home to Vancouver. New York was another chapter, but one which really needed to stay in the past. As enjoyable as the city had truly been in the grand scheme of things, it wasn't me.

My life had been full of learning experiences, both good and bad. Realizing how quickly you could lose yourself in fame and fortune was one of the reasons I gave my family for coming home. Jude and I both knew it wasn't the full truth.
The past is the past. Leave it alone.

Turning my attention back to the computer, I decided the final adjustments to Mercedes' photos looked good - fake but good. Mercedes Clarke, a grade 'A' bitch and skank. She was nothing like her brother, Jerry, compassion and respect weren't in her nature. She considered herself a goddess to all men. They should fall at her feet and praise her for the attention she gave them. The problem with her, was that she was a Jude-wannabe. She didn't have natural beauty, she was totally fake and such a pretender.

Everything Jude had ever accomplished or did, Mercedes had to do it better. Jude had become a model so Mercedes wanted to be one, too. It was the reason for the photos. Jude had used me to do her photos, so of course, Mercedes had to have them, too. She was convinced that since Jude had made it huge in New York, having me take the same shots would make her famous too. You can't fake photographs and expect miracles. Sooner or later they will discover the real you.