“The eyes of the law see that as prostitution! The rule was one of those unwritten things you just do to skate the law with. Jeez.”
“Then unwrite it from your contract. Ms. Milan has the item as an add-on note. No, it isn’t written in the fine print, but your enforcer ensures you receive it. Plus, you did get naked many times for the art. The fee is owed to you for that alone. Now, you tell me how I should take that, chèrie? Hmm?
My shoulders slumped and my head fell down. Shit. It wasn’t his fault. He wasn’t doing anything wrong; he was following what he thought were the rules. It was official; I was an idiot.
At that point, he could have berated me, made me feel worse than I did, but he put his long, strong arms around me and held me while I wallowed in my own self-pity. It wasn’t the men that had me believing I was a whore. It was me. My own insecurities had crept up and wreaked havoc on my psyche.
“I’m sorry.”
“Shhh, it’s okay. I can imagine this is hard on you.”
Within the warmth of his arms I reasoned with myself. Told myself I knew what I was and what I wasn’t. No dollar bill, or misunderstanding, or even Millie would change that about me. I was a lot of things, a daughter, a sister, a friend, an actress of sorts, I was this man’s muse but I wasn’t a streetwalker, call girl, or a whore. A slut maybe, but not whore.
Comfortable with how I’d worked it out in my head, I kissed Alec with everything I had left in me. Once done, I leaned back, walked over to my spot on the floor and sprawled out. With a wicked gleam in my eyes I stuffed one of my hands into the space between my bra and breast. His tawny eyes twinkled against the bright lights as he watched me. I slid my other hand ever so slowly down my body. Alec scrambled up the ladder and grabbed his camera.
“Show me how selfish you can be with your sexy body, ma jolie.”
And I did. Closing my eyes I played my body as if he was touching me. Every move was made by his hands. Every sigh was for him, every moan swallowed by his lips.
My imagination did not fail to secure him the perfect picture.
Chapter 9
Hand-in-hand, Alec and I exited the warehouse. The sun shone bright, the wind blew against my hair, and the world opened up and greeted me. Hello world, I missed you.
“You realize this is the first time we’ve left the warehouse since I arrived, and I’m leaving in three days.”
Alec lifted my hand and placed a kiss on the top. “I didn’t, no, ma jolie. I’m sorry. I’ve been a terrible host.”
I laughed and swung his arm while we walked. “You had…”
“Much work to do,” we said in unison and then both chuckled.
“I am sorry chèrie. When I am focused, there is nothing but the work, food, sexual gratification and sleep.”
“The last of which you don’t get enough of,” I chastised. He didn’t. The man slept less than most insomniacs.
Holding his hand tighter, I turned to him. “So, where to?”
Alec had his hair back in his ever-present man bun. The sun made it look more red than brown and gold. Still incredible. He wore a thin, white, scooped necked thermal, and a pair of dark-wash jeans. A camera hung loosely around one shoulder. Alec Dubois was yummy. Manly, sexy, all that and a bag of the cheesiest potato chips. And I was the lucky girl that had his attention…for three more days.
“What do you want to do?” he asked.
I looked out over the Seattle streets and said the one thing any tourist would say. “Go to the Space Needle of course.”
He grinned. “Well that’s good. We have reservations there for dinner. For now, how about a surprise?”
“Sure.”
Alec hailed a cab and we were off. He gave a set of directions that meant nothing to me and I people-watched until our ride stopped. Alec paid the driver, got out and held the door for me. I stepped out and came to a standstill.
About twenty feet in front of me was a wooden sign with giant letters in a startling white that said “Zoo.” More specifically, “Woodland Park Zoo.”
“You’re taking me to the zoo?” I smiled wide.
“Why not? I haven’t been, and I’ve lived here for years.”
“No reason.” I lifted my hand and took his once more. “Let’s check out some animals.” I didn’t tell him that I’d never been to a zoo. Ever. That wasn’t a hot spot in Vegas and once my mother left, dad stopped doing family trips of any kind.
Turned out, I really enjoyed zoos. There was so much to see, hear, touch and explore.
“So far, what’s your favorite exhibit?” Alec asked while slinging an arm over my shoulder.
I shook my head. “So many to choose from. If I had to pick one I’d go with the Ocelots.”
“The feline?”