Chapter 6
RILEY
We pull up to a pretty decrepit-looking warehouse, and if I didn’t know any better, I might be a bit concerned about getting murdered here. But any doubts I have are quickly relieved when Nathan St. James emerges from the old building to greet us, rusty metal doors clanging shut behind him.
Tall and wiry, with coiffed blond hair, a silver hoop in his left nostril, and a camera in hand, Nathan looks every bit the artist I imagined him to be.
His rumpled button-down shirt, skinny jeans, and combat boots give him a slightly disheveled, hipster look that works for him.
His sharp features and dark cobalt eyes make him seem almost ethereal.
“Riley Cunningham, so nice to finally meet you in person!” Nathan exclaims, reaching out to shake my hand.
His soft, British accent takes me by surprise, and I realize I’ve never heard his voice before.
“Thanks so much for agreeing to teach this old dog some new tricks.” He elbows Luke teasingly and waggles his eyebrows at his friend.
Luke rolls his eyes and shoves him back, and the whole exchange has a practiced feel, as if they’ve done this exact number at the start of every shoot they’ve worked on together. “You’re not that much younger than me, fucker.”
Nathan leads us inside and down a dark hallway to an open room with limewashed brick walls and oversized rectangular windows that give the space a stunning natural glow.
In the center of the room stands a massage table lined in soft linen sheets atop a large faux fur rug covering the chipped concrete floor.
The whole vibe is very industrial chic spa, and I can already see how Nathan is going to make the space come alive with beautiful angles and artistic lighting.
“You can both get undressed over there,” Nathan says, gesturing to the far corner of the room where there are curtains strung up like a department store fitting room. “Take your time, I have a few more test shots to do. Luke, start with your pants on. There’s a robe for Riley in the changing room.”
I’m suddenly frozen on the spot, excitement and nerves waging war in my head. This is really happening.
Luke must see the change in my demeanor, because he immediately reaches out and places a soft hand at the small of my back, gently guiding my feet forward. “You okay?” he asks under his breath as we make our way to the changing area.
I suck in a deep breath through my nose and let it out. “Yeah. Just got a little nervous there for a second. I don’t know why.”
He uses the hand resting on my back to pull me into his side unexpectedly then, squeezing me just enough to ground me. “You’re going to be great,” he whispers into my hair. “And if at any time you don’t feel comfortable, for any reason at all, you tell me and we stop immediately, okay?”
“Really, I’m fine, I—”
“Riley,” he says firmly, stopping me and turning me to face him. “Promise me you’ll tell me if you don’t like something we’re doing. Anything. I don’t care how into it I seem. I don’t care how far into the shoot we are. Your comfort and pleasure are my top priority, okay?”
His eyes are shining with sincerity and concern, his mouth pulled into a tight line. I smile at him reassuringly. “I promise. I’m ready for this.”
His gaze stays locked onto mine, searching for any uncertainty in my eyes.
After a moment, his features soften and he gives me a small smile before heading toward the changing area with his arm still wrapped around my waist. “There’s just the one space,” he says apologetically, pulling back to give me distance I don’t want. “Do you want to go first?”
I shake my head emphatically. “No, we can go together. No need for modesty now, right?”
Without waiting for a reply, I pull the curtain aside and step in.
There’s a bench against the wall with the robe laid out for me, and I pull my shirt over my head and toe my sneakers off.
I can hear a rustling of clothes as Luke removes his own shirt and the thump of each of his shoes as he pulls them off and tosses them to the floor, and even though he’s keeping his pants on for now, I’m fighting hard not to turn around and check out his gorgeous, muscled chest. Instead, I set to work on my belt with shaky hands, hooking my fingers into my underwear and pulling them down with my pants in one shot.
And if I bend a little too far over so that Luke gets a good look at my ass in the process… well, it can’t be helped, right?
I’m rewarded with a sharp intake of breath that feels like it sucked all the oxygen in the room up with it.
My hurried movements slow, and my cock begins to thicken as I carefully stand back up, still not allowing myself to turn and look at him.
Even though I can’t see it, I feel the way his gaze burns a path down my back and my ass, my body giving an involuntary shiver of pleasure as he gets his fill of me.
“Fuck…your body is beautiful, Riley.”
The words are barely above a whisper; reverent. I’m not sure he actually meant for me to hear them. My heart is pounding in my ears as I slowly reach for the robe and shrug it over my shoulders before finally turning to face him.
I’m met with the softest look I think anyone has ever given me, and I swear to God that my heart stops for a moment.
His eyes squeeze shut, and he drops his chin to his chest. I can see the outline of his cock, already fully hard and straining against his pants, and I’m in awe that just a glimpse of my naked back had such a strong effect on him.
Without bothering to tie the belt of the robe, I take a tentative step toward him and reach up to gently caress his lower lip with my thumb.
He shudders, and the little wrinkles at the corners of his eyes crease even deeper as he squeezes them more tightly shut.
“You’re allowed to look at me, Luke,” I say quietly.
“Actually, I really like it when you look at me.”
“Sorry,” he croaks, clearing his throat and shaking his head before finally meeting my eyes. “I, uh…I didn’t expect…I mean, it’s not usually…” He swallows hard while he searches for the right words. “I really like to look at you, too, Riley.”
My heart swells in my chest, and I beam up at him, biting down on my lower lip shyly. He meets my smile with one of his own, and that softness is back in his eyes again. It does something to me I’ve never felt before, and I wonder why on earth Luke Larson would look at me, of all people, like that.
“Should we head out there?” I ask, folding the opening of the robe across my body, not even attempting to hide the tent I’m pitching under there.
He nods, his gaze lingering on mine a moment more before he pulls the curtain behind him open and gestures for me to exit first. Projecting more confidence than I feel just yet, I hold my chin high and make my way over to the massage table, Luke’s reassuring presence at my back.
Nathan walks us through the major beats he wants to hit through the course of the shoot, but tells us that he wants us to pretend he isn’t there as much as possible and do what feels most natural to us.
“I’m going to start rolling, but take your time and try to relax.
I might call out some direction here and there, and that will be edited out in post-production. ”
I nod and glance over my shoulder at Luke, who nods encouragingly.
I take a deep breath and step up to the table, opening the front of my robe as Luke moves closer and gently places his hands on my shoulders.
Trailing the tip of his nose along the nape of my neck, he makes an obvious show of scenting me and begins to slowly rub my shoulders, gradually sliding the robe down and letting it flutter to the ground.
His breath is warm against the back of my neck, and goosebumps erupt across my skin in the wake of his touch.
I tilt my head back to his shoulder and search out his lips for a tender, chaste kiss.
He makes a soft, needy sound against my lips and lingers for just a moment before he takes hold of my hand and helps me up onto the table.
Getting comfortable face down, I take deep breaths and focus on slowly relaxing my muscles one at a time from the top of my head all the way down to my toes, like at the end of yoga.
As my muscles begin to slacken, I allow my mind and body to drift into that familiar state of tranquility.
I briefly register the sound of Luke slicking up his hands with oil, and then I’m floating.
Luke’s hands make contact with my back, gentle but firm as he slides them from my shoulders, down along my sides, and then back up again.
He repeats the motion a few times until my breaths are long and even, and any remaining nerves I had about this being my first shoot melt away along with all of the tension in my body as his hands work me over.
He makes another pass down my back, applying slight pressure along either side of my spine with his thumbs, and I groan in bliss.
I’m wondering now how I’ve lived twenty-four years without ever having a real massage.
Closing my eyes, I let myself sink into the movement of his hands. This is heaven.
I’m so relaxed that I barely register Luke’s whispered, “Don’t fall asleep on me, baby.”
Baby? Did he call me baby? A warm glow is radiating throughout my body as I let out a happy little purr at the term of endearment.