7. Emma
7
EMMA
“ J ust lift your leg a little higher for me…that’s it.”
This is where I am at peace. A camera in my hands, a model in front of me, and the gentle notes of smooth jazz filling the air. The outside world melts away and nothing else matters but the bubble I create for myself; and this studio does an excellent job of making sure each room is so secluded that you really are in your own little world.
My model does as I instruct, lifting her leg just an inch higher. Stepping forward, I grab the corner of the silk robe and drape it wider across her torso, then I turn down the light by one notch. At a glance, she’s naked with only the robe to cover her, but lowering the light creates enough shadows that she becomes an illusion. A beautiful, sexy shadow posed in just the right way that when I lean back and start taking pictures, it looks like the shadows are pouring off her like water.
“That’s it,” I encourage her as I snap. “You look absolutely beautiful. Just a few more.”
Straightening up, my eyes drop to the camera, and I run through a few of the pictures to make sure I get what I need. On camera, she looks dipped in ink—beautiful.
“Okay, I want to try one more thing. Are you up for that?”
“Oh sure!” Tina, my model shoots me a wide smile. “I haven’t been this relaxed on a shoot in years.”
“Well, I’m only an amateur but I love that, thank you.” Warmth tinges my cheeks as I approach her. “Is it alright if I touch you now?”
“Go ahead.” Her eyes glint in the low light, and her smile remains easy while I work around her. I lift one arm above her head, crooking her elbow and placing her hand behind her head. This elongates her body and creates a larger swell around her breast. Next, I drape her hair to one side and tuck it out of sight. Then, I lift one leg to create an arch and tuck her ankle against her opposite knee.
“Perfect, okay now just relax. Do you think you can give me a sultry look?”
“How sultry we talking?” Tina asks as I work the lights. “Do you want give me the last slice of cake and I’ll eat if off you or do you want something more like that’s the most delicious cock I’ve ever seen ?”
“Definitely the cock,” I laugh while I step back and raise my camera. “Ready?”
“Absolutely.”
Tina nails the look first time. With the new angle of the lights, her body is hidden by a softer shadow making the peak of her nipple and the rise of her mound much more prominent. With her face illuminated, she draws the eye line, and the rest of her body feels like a secret. I snap ten to fifteen pictures before I straighten up.
“Alright, that’s it! You’ve been an absolute pleasure, Tina. Is there anything I can get you?”
Tina sits up slowly and covers herself completely with the robe. “Alright? Dang, that hour went by so quickly.”
“I am efficient,” I tease with a smile.
“Could I get some water?”
“Absolutely. Wait here. I’ll be right back. You can get dressed now.”
Turning up the heater so the booth stays warm, I exit carefully so that no one can sneak a peek at my model and head for the break room. It’s always jarring to step out of a dark booth into the much brighter light of the studio, and as my eyes adjust, I don’t notice the man walking toward me until our elbows collide. The shock of the impact darts up my arm, and I lose all grip on my camera. My heart leaps into my throat as it slips from my grip, but before it hits the ground and shatters into a thousand pieces, a hand darts out and catches it.
“Sorry!” comes a smooth, deep voice. Another warm hand grasps my elbow, steadying me. “I wasn’t looking where I was going.”
My stranger is… gorgeous . Honey-warm brown eyes stand out from tanned skin, and a cheeky smile spreads through a dark beard that carries a few wisps of gray. Dark hair mingling with steel gray covers his head, and his eyes twinkle when his smile widens.
“Hi.”
Holy shit. He’s gorgeous. I take a breath, trying to find any words, and my senses are flooded with a mouthwatering citrus scent. There’s a hint of mandarin and something else I can’t place but God, he smells so fucking good.
“Hi,” I finally say. “I’m so sorry; I wasn’t looking where I was going either, so it’s all good.”
“My fault.” He places one hand on his chest where his fingertips brush the bottom edge of a silver portrait camera. “You’d think as photographers, we’d be much more attuned to our surroundings.” As he hands my camera back to me, he pauses and glances at the picture on the viewer. “Oh my God.”
“Sorry,” bursts out of me and I shove my hand over the viewer. “I don’t need to care about my surroundings because my pictures focus on people.”
“So I see.” A warm chuckle rises from his chest and I breathe deeply, growing utterly addicted to his scent. He moves my camera and taps the pad, scrolling to the next and then the next. Indignation rises that he dares to look at those without my permission, but a strong look of appreciation crosses his face, and my complaint dies in my throat.
“These are stunning.”
“I do have good taste in models.”
“Not just the models.” He brings my camera closer to his face. “The lighting, the composition. The positioning and the subtle way you work the shadows into accentuating the beauty of the body.” He lets out a long, low whistle. “You have a talented eye.”
For some reason, the compliment makes me preen and tingles shoot down my spine while I straighten up. “Thank you, that’s so kind of you. Do you shoot boudoir too?”
“Oh, no.” He shakes his head, then hands my camera back to me. “I do appreciate nature but more of the animal and plant side of things.” He holds my gaze and I find myself unable to look away. My mind races with a question, seeking any way to keep him talking to me just for a moment longer.
“I’m Emma, by the way.” Keeping my camera in one hand, I offer the other.
“Asher.” His palm slides against mine and a spark of electricity shoots up my forearm. It worms its way inside me, making my heart flutter, and when his warm, slightly rough fingers wrap around mine, my knees press together hard.
“Lovely to meet you, Asher.”
“Likewise.” He winks, then his gaze drops down my body and the corner of his mouth twitches upward. “You’re welcome to come and see what I shoot if you have the time. Only fair since I took a very rude glimpse into your own work.”
“Maybe I will,” I reply. My voice trembles slightly and warmth explodes through my cheeks.
Asher’s smile widens. “I look forward to it. Emma.”
He says my name like it’s important punctuation and butterflies explode through my stomach, followed by a curl of disappointment when his hand slides out of mine. Then he’s gone, striding away through the studio with a fantastic ass being hugged by a pair of light blue jeans.
Holy shit. How have I never seen him here before? I don’t know who he is, but he’s gorgeous and I want him.
Fuck. Ana’s right. I need to get laid.
The sensation of Asher’s palm against my own follows me through the studio as I collect water for my client and head back to her. She’s fully dressed by the time I return and remains in good spirits. As per the end of every shoot, we sit together and go through the pictures, which allows her to choose which ones she wants to keep, and which ones I can use for my portfolio. As an amateur, my rates are exceptionally low, but most models are very willing to give me pictures for my portfolio. The next hour passes in a blur of pictures and some subtle editing, but my thoughts linger on Asher through it all.
There’s a strange anxiety in my chest, an itch that makes me want to move and shake out all my limbs. What if he’s gone by the time I finish? What if I miss seeing him again? My handsome, flirty photographer man.
Tina finally leaves with a wide smile on her face, a generous tip in my pocket, and a promise to be back the next time I have an opening. It takes an agonizing twenty minutes to tidy up the studio, and then I wander the studio in search of Asher.
The voice in my head telling me to prepare for disappointment gets suitably squashed when I reach the far end of the studio. Through an ajar door, I spot that gorgeous backside. Asher crouches in front of a flower stand, where a mass of petals of all different shapes and colors rain down around a plushy dog. Given that animals are not allowed in this studio, his substitute is just as cute.
I slip inside and quietly close the door, then Asher becomes my complete focus. He moves like a wildcat, stretching and stepping around his display to capture the best angles. There’s a moment when he gets so low to the ground but somehow doesn’t go onto his knees and I’m in awe at his flexibility. From here, I can see his computer too, and with each snap of his camera, beautiful pictures flash up on the screen. The colors are incredibly vibrant, and the lighting is so soft from some angles that you can’t even tell the dog isn’t real. Asher works for a good few minutes then pauses and looks at me.
“Hi.”
“Hi.” I smile immediately, unable to keep it from my face.
“All done with your sexy, spicy shoots?”
“For now. I figured it was time to get more in tune with nature.” I perch on the edge of the desk, keeping one hand on the hem of my skirt to stop it from rising too high past my knee.
“Nature is where the beauty is,” Asher says softly. “You’d fit right in.”
Warmth spreads across my cheeks, pouring down my neck. He’s definitely flirting. I like this. I like this a lot.
“Well then, we’re both in the right place.”
“Indeed.” Asher’s smile turns into a smirk. Then he resumes his work but at a slower pace. “So, is it rude of me to ask why you shoot boudoir?”
“No,” I reply. “Unless you plan to judge me.”
“Not at all.”
“Well…” The answer balances on the tip of my tongue. I haven’t discussed my photography with someone else in a long time. Ana and Meghan make comments, sure, but there’s no one in my life who really understands the extent of my passion.
“I like making people feel beautiful. I think, these days, it’s far too easy to get caught up in comparing yourself to others or tangling into a nest of what you think you should look like or can look like. I like helping people see that they are beautiful. Painting them in a light that shows who they are without changing anything. It sounds corny, but I mean, I struggled with the same thing for years, and now I get to help other men and women embrace their bodies, regardless of size and shape.”
“Admirable,” Asher replies, finally stopping his work. “What I saw of your work is breathtaking.”
“Oh.” I scoff softly, waving one hand. “It’s nowhere near as good as it can be.”
“Well, now, you wouldn’t be comparing yourself to other photographers, would you?” He levels me with a warm stare and our eyes lock.
“Not exactly.” I tilt my head and fog creeps along the bottom of my glasses as my face warms. “What about you?”
“Well, in a gray world, I like to remind myself about the beauty of nature. That color is closer than you think.”
“Boring,” I tease. “You just have a thing for flowers.”
“Maybe.” Asher walks forward slowly, closing the distance between us but never breaking gaze. “I like beautiful things. I like appreciating beauty, capturing it in a way I can keep with me forever when the world feels a little too dark and gray.”
“Using technology to capture something that reminds you the world isn’t overrun with technology,” I smirk and my heart begins to flutter the closer he gets.
“Exactly.” Asher lifts his camera and takes a picture of me, sending a shockwave through my entire body. His gaze finally breaks from mine and he looks down at his camera. “Beautiful.”
“You’re taking pictures of me?” My teeth sink hard into my lower lip. “That means you owe me.”
“Oh really?” Asher glances up at me, his smile wide and easy. “How can I make it up to you?”
“How about you give me the camera and start taking your clothes off?”
Asher chuckles warmly, then his hand drops to his belt.