Kayla Perrin - Getting sexy - Obsession / Getting Some / Getting Even

“For one thing, college was ten years ago. We were both young. Far too young to be involved in such a serious relationship. You have to admit that.”

“But—” I interject.

“But…enough time has passed for us to mature and know what we really want. We’re in our thirties now, for God’s sake.”

“Once a cheater, always a cheater,” I mumble.

“Claudia,” Annelise says in a tone that indicates I should chill. “Can’t you try to be happy for Lishelle?”

“Yes, please.” Surprisingly, Lishelle isn’t annoyed as she looks at me. She’s still beaming, like a girl in love for the first time. “Just trust me. I know this is right.”

A ragged sigh escapes me. “Okay. I will.” It’s not like I can tell her what to do. “And if you’re happy, that’s what matters to me most. I just want you happy.”

“I know that.” Lishelle gives me a soft smile as she reaches for her drink.

“I guess we’ll be seeing him again,” I say, “if this is serious.”

“Next weekend. I’ve invited him to the charity ball for the Wishes Come True Foundation.”

“Ah.” I wag a finger at Lishelle. “Now I get it. Getting back together with Glenn was all about having a date for the charity ball. Smart.”

“I think she’s onto something,” Annelise agrees, laughing.

“Whatever!” Lishelle shakes her head. “Am I the only one who’s starving here? We haven’t even hit the buffet yet.”

“Sure, change the subject,” I tell her.

We all chuckle as we get up and head toward the buffet.

As I sit at the desk in my office, I stare at the wall clock, watching the second hand tick by. It’s five minutes after four, and I’m starting to feel like my next appointment isn’t coming. I wouldn’t be surprised. It’s been that kind of day. Two other appointments were no-shows. Potential wedding gigs. The most lucrative of the work I do.

“I can’t make a living like this,” I mutter.

Maybe I need to be doing more advertising. This year, my income has been taking a steady nosedive. The one saving grace is that I’m doing Claudia’s wedding, and her father is paying for a package that’s over ten thousand dollars.

Tick, tock, tick, tock…

The door chimes sing, startling me out of my boredom. Pushing my chair backward, I jump to my feet and force a smile on my face.

In walk a young man and woman, both dark-haired, holding hands and smiling from ear to ear. They can’t be older than twenty-one, twenty-two.

“You must be…” My voice trails off as another man, a Greek God, really, enters behind them. His eyes meet mine, and I feel a zap of raw, sexual desire. It overwhelms me. Leaves me momentarily speechless.

“Sebastian and Helen,” the first man says, moving toward me with his hand outstretched.

I step out from behind my desk. “Right.” I pump the man’s hand, then the woman’s. “So good to meet you both.”

My eyes wander to the man who suddenly has me remembering just how much of a woman I am. A woman with sexual needs not being met.

Earlier, Charles didn’t even notice me in the tight leather pants I bought on Samera’s advice. But this sexy stranger is noticing. And I tell you, it feels amazing.

I offer him a small smile as I say, “If you don’t mind giving me a second to deal with this happy couple—”

“Actually, I’m with the happy couple.”

“Oh.” A nervous laugh escapes me. “I see.”

“My older brother, Dominic,” Sebastian informs me. “He wanted to tag along.”

“No problem.” I glance quickly at Dominic again, and a slow breath oozes out of me when I see that he’s staring at me.

He looks sort of familiar, but from where?

I’m not exactly sure what I’m doing when I slip my left hand behind my back. No, that’s not true. I definitely know what I’m doing. I’m hiding my wedding ring. What I’m not sure of is why.

I clear my throat. “Please. Sit down.”

Sebastian and Helen don’t let go of each other, even as they sit side by side on separate chairs. Dominic stands, perusing the photos on the wall.

“When are you getting married?” I ask Sebastian and Helen.

“September twenty-third.”

I sit behind my desk and jot that information down. Then I go into describing the various packages I offer, starting with the least expensive. “All of the packages are detailed in this brochure,” I add when I’m finished, handing them a glossy full-color brochure that cost a small fortune to produce. “But don’t feel that these are set in stone. I’m willing to tailor a package specifically to your needs. You can use this as a guide and tell me what changes you’d like to make, if any.”

“You do all these photos?” Dominic asks, glancing at me over his shoulder.

Damn, he’s got a nice ass. Honestly, I can’t remember seeing a butt that looked so cute in a pair of Levi’s.

“Yes,” I answer. “I took all the photos.”

“I love this one,” Dominic goes on, fingering the silver frame of a black-and-white photo of a naked and sleeping baby.

“That’s one of my favorites,” I tell him, pleased.

A quick look at Sebastian and Helen and I see that they’re still evaluating the various packages. So my gaze wanders back to Dominic. He grins at me.

Now I know I’m desperate, because that simple and sexy grin has my vulva pulsing. I’m actually shocked. I don’t ever remember feeling this kind of immediate carnal attraction even in the early days with Charles.

And yes, he does look familiar. Where have I seen him before?

For the sake of my sanity, I have to look away from him. I shift uncomfortably in my seat as I face the young couple once again. “Do you have any questions?”

Helen shakes her head. “Not really. Obviously, you’ll do both black and white and color.”

“If you like.”

“Oh, I know,” Helen quickly says. “How much of a down payment do you need?”

“Depending on the package you choose—and you can change your mind anytime before the big day—I ask for twenty percent up front.”

I watch Sebastian’s and Helen’s faces for a reaction. Helen worries her bottom lip.

“Or you can give me ten percent when you secure the booking, if it’s easier, and the final ten percent thirty days before the wedding. Just let me know.” I pause. I hate when the couple isn’t saying much. I always feel as if I’ve lost them.

But, the last thing I want to do is pressure anyone. I don’t believe in the hard sell, though Charles says I should. He tells me all the time that I’d make more money if I were a bit tougher.

But that’s not me. “Take your time,” I tell Helen and Sebastian. “Look around the studio if you want. I have sample albums you can go through, as well. No pressure.”

“We’ll take a look around, but we already know we want you,” Helen says. “We’ve heard such great things about your work. And the photos you have displayed speak for themselves.”

Yes! But I keep my cool and say calmly, “Why, thank you.”

“We can’t leave a deposit right now, though,” she continues. “We’d like to figure out the package we’ll go with, then come back and leave a deposit.”

This is the point where some photographers get aggressive to try to secure the deal, by insisting that a client at least leave some money down. But I hate to scare anyone away, even though I know I might never see them again.

So I say, “Whenever’s convenient. Just give me a call.”

“Thanks so much,” Sebastian says. “It’ll be later this week, or early next week, when we can bring the deposit.”

“There’s always the chance that someone else might come in wanting me for the same date, so for now, I’ll mark your wedding date down. I’ll see you by next week?”