Chapter 4
4
M alcolm
My heart skips a beat. The idea of this gorgeous woman sharing her body with the world sends bile up my throat. Not because I oppose the adult sex worker occupation. Not at all.
Everyone has the right to do whatever they want. But not her.
I can’t imagine a bunch of men fawning over her because I want her for myself.
Emma is stunning. Fresh-faced, with freckles peppering her nose and cheeks and wavy red hair that’s not overly styled. Luminous green eyes.
“You’re having a career change?” I ask casually.
“Yes. Actually, I have many hidden talents, but for now, I’m opening an account to help pay the bills.”
“I see. If it’s work you want, I’m sure it’s an easy problem to solve.” I can find her a position in my investment firm, or Archer can do the same. Didn’t she work for his company? “I thought you were a receptionist.”
“My manager let me go. Front desk wasn’t my calling. So I’m taking advantage of a bad situation to recalculate my route.”
“Maybe I can help.” When I grew up, my mom always said I had rescuer’s syndrome. I brought way too many hurt animals home and adopted most of them. In relationships, this tendency never served me well. I thought I broke the pattern with my ex, who was extremely independent and self-reliant.
“Like with content?” She claps her hands together. “That’d be great. I don’t have a photographer lined up yet. But I don’t know how much experience you have.”
“With women? Tons. With taking pictures… Come here.”
I bring Emma to my office, where black and white pictures of places I visited, all nicely framed, fill the walls. She looks at them, fascinated, and a pang of pride weaves through me.
Photography has always been a hobby. I never profited from it, but I enjoy people’s admiration when they see my pictures. Seeing her lips part as her smart, sexy eyes drink in the images gives me an adrenaline boost.
“These are stunning. But I’m not half as pretty as anything in those pictures, and they’re more artsy than what I have in mind.”
“So you’re going for full-on porn?” I ask, my voice edgy.
She turns, tilting her head to the side as if to ensure she heard me correctly. “What? No. Topless first, then if I get enough subscribers, nude.”
A lump forms in my throat. “But you didn’t want men from the security company gawking at you?”
“Well, it’s different if I’m under a fake name on a profile online. No one I know from real life would see me. And the topless pics would be behind a paywall.”
I’d pay anything to change the course of this conversation. “All right. I guess I got a good deal by looking at you before you have a profile and make it big.”
She winks at me, but a shade of red spreads across her cheeks. “Yes. Hope you enjoyed it.”
I want to enjoy much more. But I have to leash that urgent need to kiss her, to take her against the wall and fuck her until we’re both trembling messes. “Why don’t we try it?”
“What?”
“Pose for me,” I say evenly.
She widens her eyes. “Like, right now?”
I nod like it’s no big deal. I want to see how far she’ll go. Or maybe, a little voice inside me warns, I want to see how far I’ll go. I can’t play with this woman. She’s nice but way too young, and she’s friends with Archer and Hazel. Archer is a good friend and my new neighbor. What am I doing? Though, if I’m honest, I haven’t felt this spark inside since my breakup. “Yes. I’ll get my camera.”
Emma waves me off. “But I look like crap.”
She couldn’t look bad if she tried. “No. You look like the girl next door. I can think of a magazine that made billions from girls like you.”
Nodding, she squints her eyes, probably thinking about my suggestion. “Where would we shoot?”
I know a perfect place. I surge to my feet and extend my hand to her. Excitement threads through me. Not only have I not felt this spark since my breakup, but knowledge deep in my gut also assures me I’ve never felt this excited about someone. “Come with me.”