He was unprofessional.
He was annoying.
He thought he knew better about everything.
He had opinions on everything.
He wouldn’t shut up.
He was constantly turned on and loved to rub it in my face—well, not exactly rub. But the constant arousal and general level of desire coming from him was frustrating. How was I supposed to concentrate with his dick waving everywhere?
A certain level of professionalism should be expected in a workplace.
It didn’t matter what the hell they sold. None of the other guys I’d photographed had given me the same level of insanity. Some were more cautious than others and some seemed to have settled on Eli’s side things, but they’d all done their best to make the shoots go smoothly.
By the time I was ready to go, even I could feel my stress level rising. Heading out the door, I tried to take a deep breath, but all I could focus on was the impending drama. Even I had to admit the photos would turn out incredible, no matter what he was wearing, but I wasn’t sure if it was worth it.
The constant temptation and failure that the brat represented was too much.
****
“I’m not doing this with you today. Just take the goddamned picture like I tell you to so we can get this done. Some of us have better things to do than argue with your sorry ass all day!” Eli’s anger would have touched me more if he hadn’t been hard and naked.
Nearly naked.
Somehow the panties, stretched out with his erection straining the fabric, made it harder to take him seriously.
That was the only reason I could think of why the crazy shit popped out of my mouth. That, and he made me want to shout at him toput some fucking clothes on. “I’m sorry if you have a street corner to go prowl, but some of us have actual work. If you could get your dick under control and look more like a professional model and less like a hooker, we could’ve been done with this an hour ago!”
Eli’s heaving chest, flushed with frustration and anger, should have made the lingerie look even more absurd; instead, somehow the contrast made me want to stare at him. Continuing to take pictures, because that’s what I was there for, I couldn’t help trying to capture the unique look.
All while silently damning the man for looking so hot.
Why couldn’t brats be ugly? Hell, I’d even take plain. No, brats always had to have a fire inside them that pulled people in. Eli didn’t see the comparison as well as I did because he just started screeching at me again, stalking toward me with those long stocking-clad legs and the high heels making sharp sounds on the wood floor.
“We’ll be done with this when I say we are. It’s my blog, remember, asshole? My readers want to see the things I liked from the new line, and that’s what I’m going to show them.” He reached down and traced his fingers over his erection. “And I’m not going to hide what I like.”
The implied “unlike some people” was clear in his voice.
“Hiding and being a goddamned professional are two different things.” The camera was going crazy as I tried to capture every movement and flash of anger. I wasn’t hiding a damn thing. Just because I wouldn’t give in didn’t mean I was denying anything.
It really was too bad he wouldn’t let his face be on the site. He was an ass, but I knew the full pictures would be even better.
“Not in this business, baby. When there’s nothing to hide behind, you have to be honest with people!” He stalked across the set, glancing around for something to throw at me, more than likely. “Unlike some people with a stick up their ass who can’t manage to do their fucking job!”
“Well, I’ve done my fucking job for today! You have enough slutty pictures to post all over the internet if you want. This was supposed to have been a short shoot to see how the new clothes looked, not an excuse for you to prance around naked all day!” Storming over to the table where all my stuff was laid out, I set my camera down, trying to ignore the flood of emotion running through me.
“I don’t need an excuse around here to do that! It’s a goddamned fetish and lingerie company, moron!” Eli’s anger echoed throughout the room, making our audience pull in a breath.
They weren’t helping the situation.
I wasn’t sure if it was a quirk of the company, or just my luck, but everyone in the building would walk through the room at least once during a photo shoot. There was no concept of privacy or modesty. They changed clothes in front of one another, and Eli would run up to almost all of them stark naked and give them a hug.
It was enough to make anyone insane.
Packing everything up, I turned to give him another piece of my mind but stopped as Preston entered the studio. He came in once in a while, usually right before a shoot to point out something or give me a direction he was thinking about for the photos, but usually, he left the studio portion of the building alone.
“Eli, when you have a moment I need to see you.” Preston gave Eli a long look but didn’t say anything more before he started heading over for me.
