Getting Even (8 page)

A
s 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?”

“Yes,” Helen answers.

“I look forward to it. And congrats on your nuptials.” Sebastian and Helen get up and start for the door. I get up, too. Dominic, who’s still checking out my pictures, doesn’t even realize that his brother is ready to leave.

“Yo, Dom,” Sebastian calls out.

Dominic whirls around. “You ready?”

“Uh-huh.”

It’s like an invisible bat hits me hard when Dominic looks at me again. I can’t help wondering why he bothered to tag along with his brother for this visit.

“Did you have any questions?” I ask him. There’s a part of me—a big part—that doesn’t want him to leave yet.

He shakes his head. “None.”

“Okay.” So he’s Mr. Mysterious.

“I think Dom is bored and needs to get a life,” Sebastian tells me. He turns to Dom. “When was the last time you were on a date?”

So he’s single…

And you’re married. Don’t even let yourself go there.

Despite what I tell myself, I do my best to hide my ring as I see them all to the door. I know nothing will come of this, but at least I have someone to think about when I masturbate. Thinking about Charles usually doesn’t work for me anymore, because it’s hard to get off fantasizing about someone who doesn’t fucking want you.

Sebastian and Helen are unable to let go of each other, as if the very act of releasing hands for even a moment would be physically painful. I watch them, feeling a lump form in my throat as I reminisce about my courtship with Charles, how he was the same way, always touching me, always giving me soft kisses on the cheek.

Always letting me know I was loved.

I can’t stand thinking of Charles right now, so I let my gaze wander over Dominic’s tall, muscular frame.

He’s almost out the door when he turns back to smile at me. I smile, too, and wave.

And then he’s gone. The door clicks shut.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” I whirl around, close my eyes. Dominic and I barely spoke, yet the way he looked at me has left me feeling like his hands have caressed every inch of my body. My vagina is still pulsing, and my panties are wet.

Is this what Samera meant when she said that dressing sexy makes you feel more sexually alive? If so, then I’m amazed.

The sound of door chimes has me whipping around. There he is again, smiling that charming smile that makes me so hot.

I swallow. “Hi. Did you forget something?”

Dominic walks the few steps toward me. “Actually, I realized I couldn’t leave until I came back in to ask you something.”

My heart slams against my rib cage. What could he possibly want to ask me? Something personal? Of course he won’t ask something personal. He’s thought of something he didn’t ask about my services.

“I knew you’d think of something,” I joke.

He withdraws his wallet, takes out a card. He extends his hand, like he’s going to pass it to me, but instead asks, “Do you have a pen?”

“Yes.” I head to my desk, aware that my walk is different. Sexier. Liberated.

Even the way I stretch forward to reach for the pen, lifting one foot that’s in a cute sling-back as opposed to a comfortable flat shoe, is deliberately orchestrated to tease.

Really, what am I doing here?

I pass Dominic the pen.

“This is my card,” he tells me as he scribbles something on the back. “My office and cell numbers are on the front. And on the back is my home number.”

I scan the card as he passes it to me. “You’re an architect.”

“Yep.”

“Impressive.” Even more impressive, he’s given me every possible way to reach him.

“It’s all right. I work for myself. Have an office at my home. I’m not part of some big architectural firm. That way, I can set my own pace and do the projects I want.”

“I completely get you on that one.”

There’s a glint in his eye, one I haven’t seen in a long time but recognize immediately. It’s hunger. Lust. Lust for me.

“You don’t remember me, do you?”

I
knew
he looked familiar. “Should I? Have we met before?”

“Well, kind of. A couple of weeks ago. In a store not too far from here.” He chuckles softly. “A Little Naughty?”

Oh my God, I could die! The hottie when I was checking out. My face flames.

“No, no,” Dominic quickly says. “Don’t be embarrassed.”

“Too late.”

“I only mentioned it because I thought you…thought you might have remembered seeing me.”

I can’t meet his eyes. “You did look familiar. I couldn’t remember from where.”

“Please don’t feel bad. And I’d love it if you looked at me. You have the most incredible blue eyes.”

My pulse is in overdrive as I lift my gaze to his. “There,” he says. “I love those eyes.”

Butterflies tickle my stomach. But I don’t say anything. I don’t know what to say.

Dominic is the first one to speak. “Let me ask this before I lose my nerve. I’m hoping we can get together for coffee sometime.”

“Coffee?”

He nods. “Or dinner. Something else…”

Something else.
I’d be a moron not to know what he’s talking about.

Am I a moron for being attracted to him? Or worse, am I a dirty whore?

But how can I
not
be attracted to him? I’m so starved for sex from my husband that the first sexual interest in me from an attractive male has me turned on.

It’s only natural.

But I can’t cheat on Charles.

“I don’t know…”

“Don’t tell me no. Just think about it.”

Seriously, Dominic has a voice that could probably leave me shuddering in the bedroom. And he’s got such a warm smile. It’s hard to resist him.

“Okay,” I finally tell him. “I’ll think about it.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m not making any promises.” My left hand is still behind my back.

“That’s fine.”

Thankfully, Dominic turns and starts for the door. I don’t deny myself the pleasure of checking out every inch of his magnificent body.

I’m gonna burn in hell…

It’s incredible how you don’t lose the internal dialogue you were raised with, and my mother was always preaching fire and brimstone. While other parents read to their kids at bedtime, my mother lectured us on all the sin in the world. She made sure to tell us that if we messed up in any way—from stealing candy at a store to engaging in premarital sex—we were going to hell.

I remember her saying all the time that just thinking something inappropriate is in fact a sin. I guess by that standard, I’ve already committed adultery. What’s to stop me from doing the real deed?

At the door, Dominic looks at me over his shoulder. “You’re really beautiful. Just thought I’d tell you that.”

“Thank you.” I swallow again. He has no clue how badly I’d like to rip his clothes off and have sex with him right here on my desk.

At least I can do that in my fantasies.

Who cares if I’ll burn in hell?

I think about Dominic all the way home.

Mentally, I’ve already crossed the line with him, so I take it a step further. I imagine what it’d be like to have my soft breasts pressed against that hard chest of his. I think about what it’d be like to gaze into his eyes as I lay beneath him, his penis deep inside me. I dream of how he might taste, and how he’d moan with pleasure as I take him deep in my mouth.

The sexual images continue even as I pull into my driveway, and I don’t want them to stop. The moment I step into my house, I know what I’m going to do. What I
have
to do.

I go to my closet and dig out the last-minute purchase I made after my day of shopping for new clothes. The vibrator. It’s thick and long and lifelike, except that it’s blue.

Before now, I’ve been embarrassed to try it, but I’m looking forward to it now.

I strip off my leather pants and blouse and lie down on the bed in my bra and thong.

I turn the penis on and close my eyes. The gentle vibrations stimulate my breasts, and I imagine that Dominic’s hands are touching me. It’s so easy to get hot thinking about this man, and when I touch myself, I’m already wet.