Good Girl (5 page)

Kali wished she had someone she could
talk to. But she was on her own.

***

Kali was deliberately fifteen minutes late
for the meeting at Hunter’s studio. But when Hunter opened the door, his
surprise was evident. “Kali! I didn’t know you were coming tonight.”

“Neither did I. But what the boss says,
goes.”

Fran was nowhere to be seen. He should
have already arrived and explained that Kali was coming, paving the way for her
to slip in while the photography session was going on.

“I guess Fran is late, too,” she said.

“That’s fine. I’ve got nothing planned
for this evening.” Hunter grinned. “Or tomorrow evening either.”

So he
had
been putting Selina
off. “You know, you shouldn’t make Selina mad,” Kali told him. “She could make
things really tough on you.”

“She could try. I don’t like petty
dictators in the workplace. She’s not ordering me around.”

Kali assumed he was judging her for
knuckling under to Selina. “You only have to work with her for a couple of
months. I’m in it for the long haul. As long as I have a job at SunTech, I can
put up with Selina Stern.”

“I bet you can.”

She gave Hunter a quick look, wondering
if he was being sarcastic. But no, he was looking at her with admiration and
approval. It made her feel warm, and she was on the verge of flushing again.

Kali had deliberately dressed down for
this meeting, having run home first to change into jeans and a washed-out gray
T-shirt. It was funny because Hunter was wearing almost exactly the same
thing—a faded gray T-shirt and jeans—only his feet were bare. And very sexy,
now that she got a good look at him. He had nice neat feet, like his hands.

He noticed her appraisal. “I’ve got a
jacket I can put on for the photos, but it’s a little warm in here tonight.”

That wasn’t why she was looking at him,
but it would do for an excuse. Kali moved over to the windows that were
catching the slanted light. “Fran better get here soon.”

At that moment, the buzzer sounded.

Fran arrived with a whirl of energy and
motion, setting up lights and big white diffusers. He rapped out commands in
his blunt Norwegian-accented English, as he directed them both around. Kali was
a little worried at first, after seeing how Hunter had refused to bend to
Selina. But Hunter was smiling the whole time, comfortable in his own skin.

Once they started shooting, Fran was in
seventh heaven.

“Usually I photograph people in suits,
talking heads,” Fran said. “I wish I could work with more artists like you.
Yes, bend down more,” he said. “I want the shadow of the dial on your face.
Selina sent me a billion texts this afternoon. She wants this, she wants that…
why hire a professional if you can do it yourself?”

“Selina couldn’t make it this evening,”
Hunter said solemnly.

“That’s what she says. But this is
better. Can you adjust the screen, Kali? Yes, that way.” He titled his head at
Hunter, as if assessing the angles of his face. “Can you give a bad photograph,
Hunter? I don’t think so. Now come over here. I want a profile shot.”

“Selina said no profiles,” Kali quickly
put in.

“Just for me. That’s it, that’s good.
Now look this way… yes, there. Very good. That’s what we want. Sexy, with a bit
of glamour. But happy, approachable. Selina says you have to be happy.”

Hunter was down behind the sundial, the
slant of the shadow across his cheek. He looked right at Kali over Fran’s
shoulder. “If you want me to be sexy and happy, stop talking about Selina!”

Kali had to laugh. Fran was intent on
his work, firing off shots, talking a lot more than she was used to seeing. He
really had a rapport with Hunter. It seemed as if Hunter was able to create a
connection with anyone.

They moved from the sundial to the
bench. Hunter looked yummy sitting on the round balls with the sun casting nice
shadows, relaxed and talking to both of them.

“How long have you lived in the city?”
Kali asked Hunter.

“It’s been ten years, now,” he said. “I
moved here when I was nineteen. I had just finished my first commission, a
sculpture for a prayer garden in Wycoff Hospital in Philadelphia. I thought I
had it made. I was going to take over New York.”

Fran snorted. “Who isn’t? Why else do we
put up with so much pain?”

“I meet a lot of artists and musicians
living in Williamsburg.” Kali could have added that they all needed drastic
help. Many were living off their parents’ monthly check. She had no respect for
that. If she couldn’t make enough money to live, she’d be out working at a
Starbucks to support herself, likely somewhere upstate where rents were
cheaper.

“Aspiring artists,” Hunter corrected.
“There’s a lot of people who like the idea of being an artist, but who don’t
work. Fran’s a working artist. Now, with the SunTech contract, I’m another
one.”

“You’ve sold your work,” Kali said,
thinking of his resume. He’d had shows in galleries every couple of years, and
specialized in large art installations and public art.

“My last big piece was a pro-bono job
for the park in Bed-Sty. It’s not easy making it as an artist. But I couldn’t
do anything else.”

His passion was sexy as hell, but the
instability of it was scary to Kali. She knew first-hand how badly financial
chaos could affect a family. Her mom had worked at the same upstate college her
whole life, but her dad had blithely changed careers like he changed his
clothes. Whether they could afford to take a vacation depended on if he was
painting houses or directing plays at a local community theatre that year. She
had watched her mom struggle with bills as long as she could remember. Kali
would never, ever ask them for money. She had to do it on her own.

Stability was really attractive quality
in a man, one of most important things she looked for, which was probably why
she wasn’t attracted to many guys her own age. But she didn’t like dating older
men, either. She already had a dad—a wonderful, playful, engaging dad. She
wasn’t looking for a husband who would try to mold her or make her fit into his
life. That’s one reason she found it easy to turn down the guys she had met
since arriving in the city.

Remembering that helped to center her
mind for dealing with Hunter. He was just another man who wasn’t right for her,
even if she was attracted to him. He was a work colleague, nothing else. A fun,
sexy coworker.

It wasn’t long before Fran got the shots
he wanted. He clicked through the photos on his camera for both of them to see.
There were plenty of good images for Selina to choose from.

Kali helped Fran pack up and when his
phone buzzed, the photographer said, “That’s my car. It’s been real good, man.
Don’t forget to call me about the casting. If I’m free, I’d love to get that
shot you were talking about of the metal flowing into the mold.”

It took all three of them to carry
everything down for Fran. When Kali and Hunter were left standing in front of
the building, Hunter laughed. “I’m not going upstairs without you this time,
Ms. Jones. You might run off again.”

She had to smile. “Okay.”

They went upstairs talking about the
project and the next steps that needed to take place in order to demolish the
fountain. Hunter wanted to donate it somewhere, so they could generate more
publicity for “recycling” the fixture. But neither of them could come up with
any ideas of who might want such a monstrosity.

So Kali wasn’t expecting the abrupt turn
in the conversation.

“I know it was my fault you ran off last
week,” Hunter admitted.

She was standing near the screen that
hid his kitchen. He had already said that the platform on top of the bathroom
was where he slept. She was suddenly very aware she was in this man’s home, and
now the conversation had turned personal.

“I didn’t want to be a bother,” she
said. “I didn’t realize it would be so dangerous.”

“It’s not, not really. But I kicked up a
fuss running around looking for you. And those guys were looking for a wilding,
so I made myself a good target for them to harass.”

It made Kali feel better to know that he
didn’t blame her for it. “You handled it so well.”

Hunter shook his head. “Not as good as I
should have. And I shouldn’t have gotten kinky with you without knowing you,
especially in front of your boss. I didn’t realize what a ball-buster Selina
is.”

“I thought you were teasing me.”

“Yes. I thought you’d like it.” He
shrugged, admitting, “I really wanted to tell you,
bad girl
, for peeking
at me in reception. And then running away. That does seem to be your thing,
running away.”

Bad girl!
Kali couldn’t look at him. She knew her embarrassment was making her flush, but
there was nothing she could do about it. “It’s not appropriate,” she finally
managed to say.

“It is if you consent. That was my
mistake.”

“Who would agree to let you say…
that
.”

Hunter laughed. “Lots of girls.”

“No one I know.” But then she remembered
Brittany from college. Brittany had talked a lot about her freaky boyfriend and
the things they did. Once she told the girls that he had spanked her for
breaking his iPhone, and she laughed when she said breaking it was almost worth
it because then they had totally hot sex.

“I’m sure you know plenty of people who
do,” Hunter said. “Selina for one, but she’s on the giving end of things, not
the receiving, I can guarantee it. Haven’t you ever tried anything like that?”

Kali felt her eyes open wide. She wasn’t
sure if she was supposed to be having a conversation like this. He had moved
closer to her, as if drawn in by her flushed confusion. “Like what?”

“Getting tied up with a scarf during
sex? Blindfolded? French maid’s outfit?”

“No!”

He smiled again. “No hair pulling?”

She shook her head silently. It was like
she had no words at her command. Her mouth was open, she was breathing so fast.
But she was held by his eyes, unable to move.

Hunter took a step closer. “It’s one of
my favorite things, taking hold of a gorgeous woman by the back of her hair,
holding her and knowing she’s mine…” He put his hand around her, on her back.
She kept looking up at him.

“Just say no, and I’ll stop,” he said
very low.

She remembered the feel of his hand when
he had guided her on the subway, as they fled from the gang. He had touched her
back like this as they got off the train car, comforting and in control. Now it
raised goose bumps on her arms, remembering that and feeling him touch her so
deliberately.

His hand slid up to her neck, his
fingers curling around. He was right up against her now, their bodies touching
but not pressed together. Close enough for her to feel unbalanced. His other hand
went to her waist, steadying her.

He leaned in to whisper in her ear.
“Like this.”

He smoothed his hand higher on her neck,
then let his fingers clench deep into her hair, twining and tugging at her
scalp.

“Oh…,” she breathed. His cheek was close
to hers, his breath warm on her ear.

His fingers tightened in her hair,
pulling her head back. Her neck was exposed, open to him. She was trembling.
Not that she feared him, exactly, it was an instinctive reaction. Feeling so
vulnerable.

So she resisted, and he had to steadily
pull her head until she was looking straight up at the ceiling. His lips were
hot on her skin as he kissed her neck, high up, where it was most tender at her
throat.

His arms were so strong, holding her up,
holding her in place for him to consume. She couldn’t help struggling as the
sudden sensation was too much for her, too overwhelming. His lips pressed
against her neck, then down under her ear. She couldn’t see him, could only
feel him as he moaned in pleasure.

“Delicious!” he murmured in her ear.

His hips were against her, as he bent
her back further. She was pressing into him, the rigid bar of his hard-on
constrained by his jeans, rubbing against her.

She gasped, feeling a wave wash through
her that felt almost like climaxing. What was he doing to her? She writhed
against him, feeling how hard he was, how ready he was to take her.

But she couldn’t do anything about it,
she could only hold onto him as he held her in place, kissing her neck. She had
never felt so helpless or so turned on in her life.

Slowly his hand loosened, and she
suddenly realized how tightly he had been pulling her hair. It hurt. But it
didn’t feel too bad, not when every nerve was zinging and her body tingling
from head to toe.

As he pulled back, he was also breathing
fast, lingering near her, like he didn’t want to let her go.

Suddenly she realized how wet she was,
no denying that! Wet and ready to go. For the first time in her life, she
wasn’t thinking ahead, stuck in her head, questioning things and considering—
what’s
the best thing to do?
She wanted this man, and she wanted him now.