“ARE YOU SURE this is the right place?” I shifted my phone to the other ear as I squinted up at the rust-colored brick of the warehouse my maps app had taken me to. It wasn’t that I hadn’t done photoshoots in the Meatpacking District before, even if it was rare; it was that the building looked completely unoccupied. Whatever businesses used to be on the ground floor were now shuttered except for a liquor store on the corner, and I didn’t see anyone coming and going out of there.
Mira, my agent, responded, but half of her words were cut out by the shit signal. I didn’t understand how that was possible anywhere in Manhattan, but here we were.
I glanced down at the address in my email again, checking it against where the map told me I was, and then lifted the phone back to my ear.
“Listen, you’re cutting out,” I said, heading to the main doors. “I’ll call you after the shoot.”
Without waiting for her broken response, I made my way inside, took one look at the peeling paint on the elevator, and took the stairs instead. No way was I taking a chance on that potential deathtrap when the shoot was only on the third floor.
The location was an interesting choice for the luxury brand I’d be modeling for today, but I’d been in crazier situations, and maybe they wanted to grit things up a little. Or maybe the exterior was made to throw people off from a hidden jewel inside.
It could happen.
I rapped on the door, and when it immediately opened, I was greeted by a dark-skinned male with a dazzling smile and the loudest outfit I’d seen since the last Betsey Johnson show. Fluorescent yellow flowers covered every inch of the suit he wore, and the rows of tight braids fell down almost to his waist.
“Hello there, handsome,” he said, stepping aside to usher me in. “Welcome to our little slice of paradise for the day.”
Slice of paradise? Umm… I frowned as I took in the wide-open interior of the place that didn’t look all that different to the exterior. The rust-colored bricks from outside had made their way in, though some looked ready to crumble, and the floors underfoot had a definite rustic appeal to them—if one considered being close to collapse appealing. I hesitated at the door, my life flashing before my eyes as I imagined my foot going through one of the floorboards.
“No need to be shy,” the man said when I continued to stand in his doorway. “Come in, come in.”
When he stepped away from the door and didn’t fall to his ultimate demise, I decided, what the hell. The paycheck from this shoot would be more than enough to cover any injuries I might sustain if the worst-case scenario happened, and if it didn’t, then I would have a nice payday coming my way.
“Did you find the place okay?” the man asked as I followed him inside and shut the door. “You’re a little late.”
I looked at my watch and realized I was running a few minutes late, but nothing to make a scene over. I’d had to get across town, after all, and traffic at this time was insane.
“Sorry about that.” And I was. If there was one thing I took seriously, it was my job, and I hated the fact I’d caused any kind of holdup. “I hope that didn’t put your schedule too far behind.”
“Oh, you’re fine.” He glanced over his shoulder as he walked past several people setting up the lighting equipment, waving a hand in their direction. “They’re still getting everything set up. I just wanted you and Sin to have a moment to get familiar with one another.”
Sin? Was that who I’d be shooting with today? I hadn’t been told all that much about the gig other than the fact that Onyx wanted me and what they were willing to pay. But I guess that kind of fell on me too, because after I heard the amount, I hadn’t bothered asking any more questions.
Something I probably should think about next time so I could prepare myself in advance by getting a tetanus shot.
“I have to say,” my guide said as we continued toward the middle of the room, where several people were gathered around a beautiful bed, “I was expecting someone a little more…buff. But I think you’ll do quite nicely. Good contrast and all.”
More buff? What was this guy talking about? They would have had my portfolio and known what I looked like. This wasn’t a blind date. If they wanted some muscled-up guy, they should’ve been more specific.
We came to a stop by the side of the bed, and the man gestured to it, waggling his brows. “What do you think? Gorgeous, isn’t it?”
I took in the enormous California king as he bent to smooth his hand across the luxurious-looking silk duvet. It was nice and all, but nothing compared to the bed back at my place in the prestigious Waldorf Astoria Towers Residences. Not that I was about to tell him that. He looked like he was going to orgasm from the reverent way he was stroking the material.
“It is,” I agreed, knowing the best way to have a shoot run smoothly was to play nice with the director. “So is the hair and makeup team ready for me?”
He tilted his head, giving me a peculiar look. “Uh, sure. I’ll take you back.”
As I followed him across the room, my eyes caught on a flash of white—a long robe covering the body of a man even taller than my six-one frame, and far broader. He ran his fingers through his shoulder-length dirty-blond hair, gathering it in his large hands as he tied it up. All of that was enough to catch my attention, but it wasn’t until he turned around that my breath caught in my throat.
Please tell me that’s Sin. I’d have no problem at all spending hours shooting with him, even though right about now my dick disagreed.
But damn. The man was gorgeous. Dark brows sat low over his piercing amber eyes, and the thick scruff along his jaw made me want to run my hands through it.
He looked up, and our gazes collided for only a moment before I heard the man leading me say, “Here we are. Anita will take care of getting you ready today.”
I reluctantly tore my eyes away, only to see a tiny setup consisting of a single folding chair and mirror. Hardly any makeup at all lined the counter, and I frowned.
The man clapped me on the shoulder, but before he walked off, I said, “Wait, what was your name?”
That bright white smile returned as he bowed. “Rafferty, your director extraordinaire. I’ll see you out there when you’re ready.”
Something about his name niggled the back of my mind, but I couldn’t place where I’d heard of him. I knew for a fact we hadn’t worked together; he wasn’t exactly a forgettable character.
“Have a seat.” Anita gestured toward the chair I wasn’t sure would hold my weight; then again, if Sin or whoever that guy in the robe was had managed it, I should be fine.
Anita ran her fingers through my hair, studying me in the mirror. “I think you look great as you are. We’ll just cut down the shine a bit.” She reached for the translucent powder and brushed a bit across my forehead, nose, and cheeks. “All right, stand up and get undressed and let’s see what we’re working with.”
Well, that was putting it bluntly. Apparently Anita wasn’t only the hair and makeup artist, but also the stylist? Not that she’d done a thing to my face, but if they wanted au naturel, I was fine with that. My weekly facials and ten-step nightly skincare routine ensured my complexion was a practically fucking perfect to paint on.
I unrolled the long sleeves of my dress shirt and unbuttoned the cuffs as I peeled off my shoes. It wasn’t until I was sliding my shirt off my arms that I realized I wasn’t exactly in a private corner to get naked. Not that I was ashamed of my body. Hours in the gym and a decent diet kept my lean frame toned to perfection for my job.
Hell, and if that sexy-as-fuck guy in the robe was still watching…
Without another thought, I unbuttoned my jeans, stripping down to my boxer briefs and carefully laying my clothes over the back of the folding chair.
Straightening, I waited as Anita ran her eyes over my body, not in a lecherous way, but looking for any imperfections she’d have to cover. She wouldn’t find any—except for one that would be hidden to any camera I posed in front of. Raising her hand, she motioned for me to turn, and as I did, I found myself looking for Mr. White Robe, but I didn’t see him anywhere.
“Not a blemish on you. Impressive.” Anita snapped her gum and reached for a white robe hanging nearby. “Lose the briefs.”
My brows rose slightly. I’d done plenty of nude shoots, and with this being for a new line of watches, I supposed they wanted to keep the focus on their product while showing a whole lotta skin.
Oh shit. That meant I’d be getting up close and personal with naked white robe guy. Fuck me, this day just got better than I’d imagined.
I stripped out of my briefs, adding them to my clothes pile, and put the robe on, tying it at the waist. Anita grabbed a bottle of oil and inclined her head for me to follow her, and it didn’t occur to me until we were halfway across the room that she hadn’t given me a pouch or flesh-colored thong to wear to cover…well, my dick.
The lighting crew finally had their gear up and running and were testing where it best hit the bed, while the guy with a reflector screen ran around trying to find the best possible position.
There was a huge chandelier over the bed that I hadn’t noticed before, and it shimmered and sparkled, adding to the difficulties of getting the best light. It was clear they were going for a classy, high-end kind of vibe with an element of grit. That way, it wouldn’t seem too out of reach for the middle class. I could see the appeal of that. Get as many eyes on a product as possible, and what better way to do that than with two naked men inviting you to join them?
Footsteps across the bed had me glancing up to the director coming out and chatting to—yes, thank you, Jesus—Mr. White Robe himself. He was nodding along, his eyes focused as Rafferty pointed to the bed and the plush pillows propped up against the ornate headboard.
Mr. White Robe looked at the headboard and said something that had Rafferty throwing his head back and laughing, and I caught a smirk under all that delicious scruff.
Damn. Today wasn’t going to be a hardship at all. At least, it wouldn’t be if I stopped thinking about how good that scruff would feel on my very naked body. I followed Anita to the end of the bed, more than ready to get to the introductions. Mr. White Robe leaned down and pushed his hand against the mattress.
What the hell was he doing? Testing to see how comfortable the thing was? Like it mattered? They could ask us to lie on these beat-up wood floors and we’d have to do it. Rafferty slowly smiled as Mr. White Robe straightened, and I frowned.
Who was this guy? Not to sound conceited, but I was a pretty big name in the industry, and our director had acted like I was some Joe Blow who’d walked off the street. Whereas he was fawning all over this guy like he was the next coming of Christ.
Not that I could blame him. Mr. White Robe had a commanding way about him, from his tall, built stature, to his confident swagger as he moved about the room in next to nothing.
Again, all things that people usually found admirable about me. But for some reason, it was this guy who had everyone’s attention.
He sure as hell had mine.
