“Awesome, guys.” Nathan stepped around the open area, clicking madly. “Derrick, if you can reach the wall with your other arm—yeah, there. Perfect.”
A trickle of sweat rolled down the side of Melanie’s neck, and Derrick instinctively brushed his face against her. She arched, just the tiniest bit, but it was enough to press her tighter to his groin, and he groaned out his approval. The tips of her nipples were hard, stabbing the thin fabric of her bra. Her breathing sped up as he stared over her shoulder and planned exactly what he was going to do to her when this session was over.
Nathan strolled from side to side, clicking away merrily. Melanie wiggled for a second, her ass rubbing his dick in an innocent coincidence—or was it?
“You need something, sweetheart?” He whispered the words, letting the tip of his tongue brush the dangling lobe of her ear.
“Stop it.”
“You mean that?” He forced the side of his arm to her torso and adjusted his grip. The movement made him rub her nipple and she moaned.
“God, I’m going to explode.”
The secretive conversation was made even raunchier knowing Nathan watched them through the lens of the camera. They weren’t alone. Every nuance, every touch, Nathan was there, a silent observer.
Maybe it was a touch of possessiveness that made Derrick rock his hips, the minute motion mimicking what he wanted as soon as humanly possible.
“Change of position,” Nathan called.
Derrick scooped up Mel and hugged her close as he stepped away from the wall. He lowered her, letting their torsos rub together until her feet touched the floor.
Her bright eyes stared into his, a tiny smile quirking the corner of her mouth. “I will get my revenge,” she promised.
“Bring it on.”
They grinned at each other before turning to face Nathan.
Nathan strategically arranged himself behind a chair to hide his erection. The generic shots were turning out fine—not as spectacular as he hoped to see for his special project, but more than sufficient for the Rave articles. And after getting a glimpse of how Melanie reacted to Derrick… Well, even though Nathan longed to be the one making her respond, with a little direction the boyfriend could assist in capturing some potential award winners.
Over the years Nathan had learned how to pull a response from his models. It wasn’t the lighting or the framing of a shot that made it unique and mesmerizing. It was the emotion portrayed in the eyes, the faces. The tension of muscles under skin. The merest whisper of a frown or a bead of sweat—that’s what made people remember a photo days or even months later.
Sometimes he’d arrange to shoot the pictures at a location that pushed the project to that incredible next level. Returning a family to the site of their lost home, the burnt remains a backdrop for them facing the future, or a child walking past the hospital where they’d spent the past Christmas—Nathan sensed how to get what he wanted, but he only ever did it with the full consent of his models. It wasn’t about taking advantage of them, but working with them to prove they were capable of the next step.
Like Melanie—although he had to admit his emotions were more conflicted when it came to her. She oozed sensuality from every inch of her skin, scarred or not. When he’d planned this trip, all kinds of mental images of what they could do together had bombarded him. He’d wanted to be the one making that sheen of desire rise to her skin, wanted it to be him taking her home at the end of this session and playing sexual games until they were both sated.
But in the end, as long as the shot worked, he would settle for Derrick’s participation. At least for now. It was all about timing—the lights, the energy levels.
And like taking baby steps, it was time to move to the next stage. Nathan put down his camera and strode over to turn off the extra lights he’d brought into the gym. “I want to try something else, but you have to tell me if you’re comfortable with it.”
He sat in one of the folding chairs and dug a couple of water bottles from the cooler. Melanie and her sidekick accepted them, and Nathan waited. He wondered if Derrick was really as calm and peaceful a guy as he portrayed. If Nathan had made a miscall, this next move would get his ass wiped all over the dusty floor mats.
Only one way to know for sure. He pulled out a file folder.
“So far what I’ve been doing are basic shots for the feature article. I’ve just about finished them.”
“That quick?” Melanie wiped water from her mouth, and Nathan forced himself to stop staring at the perfect swell of her lower lip. The fact he was also imagining what those lips would look like wrapped around his cock had nothing to do with why he was here.
“I will need a few shots outdoors—and I hope you’ll be able to help us out there, Derrick.”
The dark-haired man nodded slowly. “There are a couple places I can lead you to that are less popular, yet good solid climbing walls. But, Nathan, you’re aware Melanie isn’t up to climbing anything technical yet, right?”
She stiffened in her chair. “I’m capable of doing what needs to be done.”
Derrick dropped a hand on her knee. “I agree. You are capable of anything you put your mind to, but I’m not belaying you up a technical route when he should be able to get the pictures he needs without pushing your boundaries. You’ve come a long way. That’s the goal, a little at a time.”
Hmm. Melanie sat back quietly and Nathan examined Derrick closer. Seems the guy wasn’t just brawn and no brains. Time to see how he’d react to this push.
“I agree. I can work with whatever you feel is appropriate. I don’t need a shot of Melanie dangling in midair against a huge backdrop. What I want is at the base, outdoors, creating another step in the big picture. I won’t push beyond what you feel comfortable with, okay, Mel?”
She nodded and he smiled at her.
“We’re got barely an hour left before you said the wall officially opens. The natural lighting is awesome right now with the sun coming in through the skylights. I’d love to take a few shots for that other project I mentioned.”
“The coffee-table book?”
Nathan pulled proofs from the file. Here’s where the shit was going to hit the fan—or not. “Again, only what you’re comfortable with, but here’re some sample shots I took last winter. It’s all about playing with the shadows and light. The human body is a work of art, and that’s what I’m trying to show.”
He passed over the pictures and held his breath.
Chapter Five
Sandbag: To underestimate a route’s difficulties.
Melanie’s eyes grew wide, but it was Derrick’s expression as he peeked over her shoulder that made Nathan the most hopeful. The boyfriend’s gaze shot up to meet Nathan’s, and there wasn’t anger in his eyes, but intense concentration.
“Holy cow, Nathan, you taking pictures for Penthouse or something?” The light joking in Melanie’s voice didn’t disguise her touch of interest. “Because I have to tell you upfront, there’s no way I’ve got the body for this.”
She had no idea, did she? “Mel, that’s bullshit, but that’s not the point. No, it’s not Penthouse, and I swear the intention is not to give teenage boys wet dreams. Think Greek statues, Renaissance painters—this is a celebration of the human body. But I want to show more. I also want to celebrate the human spirit, and that is where you are such a fantastic example.”
She rotated the eight-by-ten she held toward him. It was a shot he’d taken last winter of a female skier, lounging on an emergency blanket in the middle of a snowfield. The black and white proof made the contrasting textures even more stark.