—Autumn—
“What are you doing?” I questioned, caught off guard.
He unbuttoned his pants. “I’m getting ready for you.”
“Excuse me?” I jerked back. “Have you lost your mind? Do you actually think I’m going to have sex with you right now?”
There was a knock on the door.
“Come in,” he called out.
“Mr. Locke,” Erin greeted, walking in with a garment bag in her arms. “Here is the suit you requested.”
He nodded, unbuttoning his shirt.
I was grateful she’d interrupted us when she did, giving me a chance to calm down and see some sort of reason.
What I didn’t expect was Julian’s tense body catching my attention.
From his chiseled physique to every sleek muscle on his chest, arms, and back.
His abs contracted, highlighting his six-pack and the V right above his happy trail.
The man was almost thirty-five-years-old and looked better than he did when he was twenty-four. His back muscles flexed as he removed the dress shirt he was wearing to the black one Erin was taking out of the garment bag.
In the matter of a few seconds, I went from wanting to rip him to shreds, to watching him undress like he was my very own private peep show.
Erin just stood there, unmoving, and I couldn’t help but feel bothered that she didn’t leave the room. Simply waiting for him to take off his suit to hand him the one he was going to wear.
How often did she see him naked?
When he started taking off his slacks, my body moved in autopilot, snatching the garment bag from her hands.
“I got it from here, Erin. You can go.”
She nodded and left, and as soon as I turned around, Julian was grinning at me like a fucking fool. I never wanted to slap the smirk off his face more than I did at that moment.
“I don’t like green on women, but jealousy suits you, kid.”
“I’m not jealous.”
“No?”
“Not at all.”
“Care to elaborate on what that was then?”
“It’s unprofessional for you to change in front of her.”
“But not unprofessional for me to change in front of you?”
“No. I’ve already seen you naked.” My reply didn’t make any sense, but it was the only one I had.
“So has Erin.”
My jaw clenched, and he chuckled noticing it.
“Professionally, of course.” With that, he grabbed the garment bag out of my hand, beginning to undress again.
Since he was busy, I regarded him with fascination, trying to pretend like I wasn’t. Mentally chastising myself that I was falling for his antics. It wasn’t until he dropped his pants that my gaze flew to where I had no business looking.
Jesus.
It looked better than I remembered. His briefs perfectly hugged the curves of his cock, and my mind reminisced on what it felt like in my mouth and inside of me. My legs swayed, trembling a little. Thinking about all the times he’d stroked it in front of me while he was going down on me.
Wetness pooled in between my legs.
“Sweetheart, why don’t you just bend over since you’re staring right at him?”
I. Stopped. Breathing.
My lust-filled gaze shot to his amused expression, immediately washing away all the desire I was feeling for him.
However, his dick decided to make an appearance, jutting up and standing at attention.
Once again inciting the lust to course through my core at a speed I could no longer control or deny.
“What did you think was going to happen when you’re staring at my cock like you want to be fucked?”
I ripped the garment bag from his grasp and presented my back to him. I ignored his question and perfect dick as I walked to the corner of the room where there was a rack of clothing, and discarded his suit on the couch.
“I need to get dressed if I’m going to make your photoshoot. They’re waiting on me, and I don’t make a habit of being late to anything I commit to.”
“Oh. You commit to things? I wasn’t aware that you were capable of committing.
Anyway…” I continued as if he hadn’t said a word.
“Your photoshoot isn’t in a suit, Mr. Locke.
You’ve been on hundreds of magazine covers wearing a suit.
My stylist personally coordinated your outfits. I’m just getting it for you.”
After I faced him, he took one look at the Levi’s jeans, white t-shirt, black cowboy hat, and boots in my hands and argued, “I’m not wearing that.”
“Yes, you are.” Making my way back to him, I set his clothes on the couch, ordering, “Now get dressed.”
“Autumn, I won’t repeat myself.”
“Great.” I nodded. “Because I don’t want to hear your mouth anymore.”
There was another knock at the door. “Mr. Locke, are you ready?” a voice asked through the door.
I answered, “He’ll be out in five minutes.”
We were having a power struggle of who would win.
Me or him?
I should have known better…
He always won everything.
Especially when it concerned me.
—Julian—
Further drilling her point, she added, “This is what I meant by the world seeing the real you. This is what you used to wear, so this is what you’ll wear today.” She smiled, playing coy. “Okay?”
I took a deep breath, silently counting to three. “What did I tell you last night, kid? I don’t like to be taken by surprise, so the real question is, do I punish you now or later?”
She grabbed another vase, aiming it at me, and I cocked my head to the side, daring her to do it. She thought about it for a second before biting her lip and setting the vase back on the table.
“Good girl.”
“Touch me, and I’ll scream.”
“You already did that.” Using the situation to my advantage, I bartered, “If I wear that outfit for you, then you have to be in some of the photos with me.”
“Fuck. No.”
I walked toward my garment bag.
“Ugh!” She stomped her heel. “Why are you always this much of an asshole? Why can’t you just do what you’re told? You’re worse than a child.”
I stared at her, waiting.
“Fine. Alright? I’ll take some stupid pictures.”
“Great.” I got dressed while she called her stylist, telling her she needed a few pieces for the shoot.
I couldn’t believe I was doing this for her.
I hadn’t dressed like this since I’d left Texas.
I didn’t even own a pair of jeans, let alone a fucking t-shirt.
Once I was ready, I stared at the man in the full-length mirror, not recognizing who was staring back at me.
It was as if there was a stranger in my reflection, one I hadn’t seen in over a decade.
The knock on the door yanked my mind back to the present, and for the next two hours, I shot photo after photo after photo.
Saving the best for last.
Gesturing toward Autumn, I ordered, “Come here.”
She’d changed into a soft yellow floor-length dress, reminding me of all the times she’d dressed like that for me.
The annoyed expression on her face didn’t bother me in the least as I pulled her in between my legs since I was sitting on a stool.
Her hair was in a low bun with a clip, and I reached up and freed her long red locks.
Grateful she still wore it long, it was one of my favorite features about her appearance.
“I always loved your hair down.”
When my thumb began wiping the makeup off her cheek, she jerked back. “What are you doing?”
“Your freckles, I want to see them. Do you remember how much I used to love them?”
“Julian—”
“If you want the world to see me as who I used to be, then I get to show them what my favorite trait about you is.”
She narrowed her eyes, taking in what I disclosed. I could see the hesitation in her gaze, knowing I was the reason it was there to begin with. She used to look at me with nothing but love, but now it was somewhere between hate and lust.
“This was always my favorite color on you. Remember all the times you wore yellow for me?”
“No.”
If it were even possible, she was more stubborn than she used to be. I didn’t expect her to welcome me with open arms, I had my work cut out for me, and I was alright with that. If she thought she could get rid of me that easily, then she was in for one hell of a rude awakening.
I wasn’t going anywhere but back into her life where I belonged. At least we were headed in the right direction. The photographer snapped away, and Autumn was so entranced by the way I was looking at her, she didn’t notice. She was lost in my truths which were on full display for her.
When she was a child, she could always see right through me. As she got older, I had to hide myself from her, or she would have known how I felt before I was ready to tell her.
The truth was, I was never ready to tell her.
The longer I hid my emotions, the harder it was to push her away. I hated seeing her cry, it was one of the hardest things I had to endure, and I’d been through a lot of bullshit in my life. Her tears were my undoing—they were always my defeat.
With my thumb, I rubbed her lips in a back and forth motion, and her breathing hitched.
I wanted to kiss her.
Claim her.
Though not like this, in a fucking photoshoot of all places. I had to wait—it wasn’t the right time.
Would there ever be one?
“You’ve always been such a beautiful girl, Autumn, but now as a woman, you’re truly stunning.”
She swallowed hard, hearing the sincerity in my tone. She was captivated by my honest expression and the feel of my hands on her.
“What are you doing to me, Julian?”
“I’m loving you, kid.”
My statement broke the spell I had her in, and she shook her head. Glancing back at the photographer who was still snapping photos, she said, “You can’t use any of those pictures.”
“Autumn,” I coaxed in a stern voice when all of a sudden, a woman appeared out of nowhere, walking into the shoot.
“Julian, I saw your name on today’s itinerary. Of course, I had to come say hello.”
Our attention drifted to the woman in question, realizing all too quickly, who she was.
And when I used her…
To push Autumn away.