I didn’t know what I was expecting, but hejust scoffed and went back to his papers. “Don’t piss where you eat. No matterwho it is, that’s too close if he turns out to be nuts. You artsy types aren’tknown for picking the sanest people to fall for. You especially.”
“Hey, I haven’t dated in ages.”
“Yeah, but that last one was a doozy. Thescreamer who was so clingy? A guy who takes off his clothes for a living can’tbe that possessive.”
Choking on my laughter, I had to take aminute to catch my breath. “I’m not sure I’d describe his job that way.”
Stan gave me a look like I was insane. “Youseen that site?”
“No.” I wasn’t nosy by nature.
Turning back to his papers, Stan snorted. “Thenyou can’t say anything.”
I wasn’t sure if he was subtly daring me tocheck out the site or not, but I had a feeling I was going to be browsing theinternet later. Not that I was sure why. I’d always thought I was straight. Open-minded,maybe, but straight…at least until a cute little stalker had shown up.
Chapter 2
Lane
Watching them, I could never decide if Iwanted to blush or egg them on. It was always a toss-up that left me slightlyuncomfortable and partly turned on. Once Roman had come back to work and they’dstopped screaming at each other, the nervousness that had built faded, but Istill wasn’t sure what to do with them.
And that was probably why I was stillsingle.
It was basically what was happening withtattoo guy, as Eli called him. Even in daydreams, I could see myself flirtingwith him and just testing the waters to see where he fell. It was impossible tobe sure because he read more than he interacted with anyone. The default labelof straight was probably right, but something about him just kept me followinghim like a lost puppy.
He was the tattooed pied piper but hadn’t seemedto realize it, because I hadn’t been the only one who needed coffee everyMonday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons like clockwork. Not that he’d noticedat all.
“Lane?” Roman’s voice pulled me back toreality. A couple of months ago, having to remind me to pay attention would’vedriven him nuts, but after coming back to work, he’d just started sighing androlling his eyes at us. I was grateful for the change.
I gave him an apologetic smile and startedmoving again. “Sorry.”
He just nodded and went back to arguingwith Eli about something that sounded like hookers. I really didn’t want toknow, so I finished getting dressed and ignored them. Since the nightgown hadbeen my idea, dragging my feet wasn’t reasonable.
But it was going to look great…I just knewit.
I’d loved the nightgown from the first timeEli had shown it to me. Yeah, I was short enough that it was technically toolong to walk in, but it was going to be perfect for the photos. Unless Romanhated the idea…which was always possible.
As the silky fabric slid over my head anddown my body, I shivered. It felt beautiful and sexy, and I couldn’t resist theurge to find a mirror. They were right, it was too long. But something about theway I had to gather up the fabric to walk made me feel like an old-fashioned princess…justa half-dressed one with a cock.
I remembered telling my mother when I waslittle that I wanted to be a princess. She’d been slightly horrified, which ledto lectures and some awkward conversations about gender. She hadn’t been ableto understand that I didn’t want to be a woman—but who wanted to be the princewhen the princess got to wear such pretty clothes?
I wasn’t that tan, so sometimes whites andcreams made me look washed out, but this was perfect. It was just the right shade.I only hoped the camera would show it. Sometimes with photography, it wasweird. It looked great in person, but the camera just couldn’t capture it.
“See, I told you so.” Eli’s gloating voicemade me smile. “The pictures will look fabulous.”
Roman hesitantly agreed. “Maybe, as long ashe’s not standing.”
In the mirror, I could see Eli waving hishands dramatically. “Of course, don’t be ridiculous. He’s got to be kneeling,with the fabric pooled around him.”
Eli was dressed in a fairly demure lace bodysuitfor the next shots. But with the way he was pressed up against Roman’s back, Iknew Roman would be able to feel every bulge as Eli wiggled against him.
I watched as Eli leaned in and whisperedsomething in Roman’s ear. Roman nodded and his gaze heated. The way he lookedat me changed, and I knew he was envisioning something completely different. Occasionally,when he was taking photos something would click, and he’d want to changeeverything up. But as he watched me, I had a feeling that he was picturing anentirely different scene. One closer to what Eli had been describing earlier.
I’d seen some of the photos Roman had takenoutside of his work at Leashes and Lace. They were incredible, but I couldn’tsee myself in one of them. I loved the pictures he took at work, but his other oneshad a passion that I wasn’t sure I’d be able to show. In Eli’s shots,everything was stripped-down and vulnerable. There was a beauty I couldn’tbegin to describe, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to see myself fail at somethinglike that.
Roman was nodding absently, listeningintently to Eli’s words as he watched me in the mirror. “Yes…it would beperfect…”
Thankfully, before either man couldapproach me about the idea, Preston walked in the room and everything went backto normal. He looked fine at that moment, but he’d been distracted lately. Severaltimes in the past couple of weeks, I’d seen him walk into the room just toforget why he was there. Eli thought it was hilarious, but some of the models werestarting to worry. I was just trying to stay out of it, but I wasn’t nervous. Ihad a feeling I knew what was occupying his mind.
