The vague answers made me crazy, but I couldn’t give anything better.
“Well, was it just the environment at L and L that made you crazy, or was part of it the clothing and content?” Devin’s question didn’t quite make sense.
“What do you mean?” I thought about it for a second. “I’m not a prude, and I don’t mind lifestyle stuff no matter what the kink is, if that’s what you’re asking. I didn’t mind the clothes. It was Eli that I couldn’t handle.”
I wasn’t going to bash the company, even though someone should have reined him in, or the lingerie. It wasn’t something I’d ever dressed a sub up in before, but it was sexy and the photographs had been amazing.
Devin nodded, reassured. “I know a guy who’d like to have some boudoir photos done. Some just with the lingerie, but some with a bit of kink thrown in. I’m not sure exactly what he’s looking for, but he’s nervous about approaching more traditional photographers. Even the ones who offer boudoir-style shoots don’t really want to work with guys.”
Hmm. “You know weird people. You know that, right?”
One eyebrow went up. “I know you, don’t I?”
“See, that just made my point.” Smiling, I reached out to set my cup on the corner of his desk. “Sure, I’ll talk to him and see what he wants. I might need to find a space, unless his place would work.”
“Thanks. His husband is going to be deployed, he’s army I think, and the guy wants to give him one of those books for a present before he leaves.” Devin seemed relieved that I didn’t have an issue. “I told him you were the only photographer I knew who might do it. So I said I’d ask, but I haven’t promised him anything.”
“No, it’s fine.”
“Do you have any of those types of pictures I could show him? Something so he could see your style or how it would look? All he’s found online are either very straight female photos or stuff from porn shoots, and that’s not a realistic example of what they would look like.” Devin finally gave up on his coffee, setting it down on the desk.
“I don’t know. I’ll have to look.” The only ones I could think of were of my ex or Eli. “Do you think there’s a market for those kinds of photos? Not the women doing it for their guys on Valentine’s Day, but more fetish or lifestyle based?”
Taking pictures of bored housewives who wanted to feel a little bit naughty for twenty minutes had never appealed to me as a career path, but Devin’s idea felt different. Finding a date could be hard when a person was into the lifestyle in some way, and getting good photographs that reflected who they were had to be even harder. If the porn-style stuff was shoved aside, the options were probably vanilla or bad selfies.
Devin looked thoughtful but didn’t seem to know how to answer. “I’m not sure. It’s not something that gets brought up in conversation. I know there’s a big BDSM and kink community if you look a few hours out, but for pictures…I just don’t know how much business that would be, or how you could make a living on it.”
It was something to think about though.
“Dating profiles…” As I began to roll it around in my head, I started to think out loud. “There have been a lot of fetish articles in different mainstream media lately, so there has to be some kind of need for photos for them. And there have to be things I’m not thinking about.”
As the idea took root, it started to grow, and I knew it wasn't going to leave me alone. It’d take a while to figure it out, but considering the fact that I didn’t have a job, I had plenty of time to get the idea straight in my head and see if it was a viable option.
Only one downside came to mind right away…I needed a portfolio to show prospective clients. And looking at my two options, I was going to have to choose the lesser of two insane, bratty evils.
Eli.
Shit.
Chapter 10
Eli
“Eli, we need to talk to you.” Reece’s calm voice had me glancing up from the computer. I’d been going over financial reports that Preston had said I couldn’t put off any longer for over an hour, but I hadn’t been able to make any headway on them.
Possibly because my mind was going in a thousand different directions.
Looking around, I realized that I must have been in my own world for a while, because nearly everyone else had left for the day while I’d been staring at the screen. However, Reece, Preston, and Houston were standing around my computer, staring at me.
It took another second for my brain to catch up. “Talk about what?”
“Lots of things.” Houston’s dry answer made Reece shoot him a glare, but I wasn’t sure what they were talking about. But it was nice he wasn’t glaring daggers at me anymore. If all it took was two weeks to get over it, I’d have to say that the guy didn’t hold a grudge, which was good when dealing with me.
“What? I’ve got work to finish.” Glaring at the overly concerned expressions on their faces, I wanted to head in the opposite direction. Unfortunately, they had me backed into a corner. Literally. Glancing around, I realized I should have picked a different computer.
When I’d first sat down, the privacy at the back of the room was nice, but watching them, I felt like a trapped rabbit.
Reece seemed to be the spokesman for the group, so it didn’t surprise me when he sat down at the next computer and started speaking again. “We’re worried about you.”
