I smiled back before sliding into the dressing area, but I felt uneasy. Ellis was my agent. I was used to seeing him in that light, not the photographer one. I was worried it might affect my performance—that having him behind the flashing camera might make my poses stiff and unnatural.
Just a photo shoot. Just Ellis, I reminded myself, taking a deep breath. No big deal. None whatsoever. We were so used to working together, this would probably be a snap. Quickest photo shoot in the history of ever.
That was what I was convincing myself of as I scanned the dressing area for what I was supposed to wear.
There was nothing.
“Ellis?” I called from behind the curtains. “There’s nothing back here for me to change into. Did you just want me to go with the simple jeans, tank thing?” I started peeling out of my sweater, guessing so. “I’ll need to borrow a pair of heels from wardrobe though. Don’t think my sneakers are what you have in mind.”
I heard a few test shots fire. “It’s okay. You won’t need shoes for this shoot.”
That was a first. I’d take it though. I was used to shoving my feet into uncomfortable shoes that were usually two sizes too small. Barefoot for a photo shoot was like being told I’d be given a massage at the same time.
“So jeans and tank then? Hair in a ponytail?” I was already gathering my hair up, a twisty tie between my teeth, when Ellis cleared his throat.
“This is a nude photo shoot, Hayden. I’m keeping it simple for you. You can decide if you want your hair up or down.”
The twisty tie fell out of my mouth. “A . . .”
“Nude. You heard me right the first time. This company’s headquarters are in Paris. They view nudity differently than us Americans.” Ellis paused. “Trust me. I know what I’m doing.”
“Okey-dokey,” I replied, feeling the opposite of confident as I reached for the hem of my camisole.
Some models had staunch views on nudity, but I floated somewhere in the middle. I wasn’t so in love with the idea of it that I traipsed around my apartment in my birthday suit, but I wasn’t so against it I’d signed some moral code in my own blood, swearing I’d never get naked in front of a camera. This wasn’t Playboy. This was fashion. Tasteful nudity.
If that made any sense.
As I worked my jeans down my legs, I realized it wasn’t the fact I was doing a nude shoot that had me panicked—it was that I was doing the shoot with Ellis. Alone.
He was Ellis Lawson though. He’d probably seen thousands of naked women—in photos, in front of his camera, and beneath him in bed. He was probably so used to naked women, they were no different to him than the clothed ones.
That was what I told myself as I finished sliding out of my underwear and bra. I left the twisty tie on the floor. At least having my hair down provided some coverage.
“Are you ready?” My voice was high. Because I was nervous. Because I was about to emerge naked from a dressing room in front of my agent and his camera. They didn’t prepare Nebraska girls for this kind of a situation.
“I’ve been ready,” he replied, sounding like he was fighting off a yawn.
If nothing else, the fact that he was on the verge of a yawn when a woman was about to pose naked in front of him gave me the courage I needed to emerge from the dressing room.
He didn’t even glance my way as I shuffled across the room, fighting the instinct to cover my chest or my something else with my hands. “Where do you want me?”
He was messing with the dials of his camera, totally focused on that. “Up front. Start posing however you want—I’ll guide you from there if we’re not getting the right shot.”
My eyes flickered to my purse, where my phone was. Soren. Why was I thinking about him right now? Why did I want to call him and talk to him or have him come here to be with me right now? I was working. I was naked. This was exactly not the time to call him.
“What did you do last night after the party? You must have left early.” Ellis was still making some adjustments on his camera; he hadn’t once looked up.
“We just went back to the apartment. Sorry I left without saying good-bye. It was a good party.” I moved in front of all of the lights, feeling the heat of them breaking down on my skin. Talk about feeling exposed. Every light in the room was aimed my way.
“That boy. Your roommate?” Ellis finally looked up. His eyes strayed nowhere but mine. “He likes you.”
My throat moved as I swallowed. “Soren? No. He’s just protective. He looks after me.”
“He’s protective because he likes you. He looks after you for the same reason.”
Being naked, I wasn’t feeling at the height of my debating best. I elected to keep my mouth shut and hoped he’d get the shoot started.
“Have you slept with him?” Ellis’s gaze found me again, but this one strayed slightly.
“No.” I made a face to sell my disgust. “Definitely not.”
Ellis lifted the camera, so I could no longer see his eyes. He still could have been looking at my eyes. He could have just as easily as been zeroed in on my chest.
“He wants you. If you don’t feel the same, you might consider moving out. I’d hate to see him take advantage of the situation. If he ever tried forcing himself on you . . .”
“Soren would never do that.” My tone had a defensive edge. Why?
Ellis chuckled, the camera flash firing. I hadn’t been ready. “You might find men will do just about anything when it comes to serving the interests of their cocks, Hayden.”
Ellis’s blunt words lingered in my mind when the next flash fired. Crap. We weren’t going to get one good shot if I didn’t get my head right. “Can we please not talk about Soren anymore?”
“What would you like to talk about?” Ellis lowered the camera to inspect the images and made a few dial adjustments.
“Nothing,” I said, sitting on the floor and angling my body so my chest and nether region weren’t showing. “I just want to focus on the shoot.”
Ellis lifted the camera, firing another shot after crouching in front of me. “Works for me.”
He checked this image too, then scooted forward a few feet before taking another shot. He kept shooting as I made small adjustments to my face and neck.
“Why don’t you lie back?” he suggested a few shots later. “So it’s like you’re lying down in bed?”
Except I wasn’t in pajamas and I didn’t have blankets to cover me.
Rolling back, I stretched my spine across the floor, letting my legs swing to the side, bent and zippered shut. I hung my arms above my head, looking at the camera dead-on as Ellis appeared above me. There. European.
“Yes. Perfect.” He leaned over me, his camera firing as I held each pose for a few shots before making a small change to my face or hands. “They’re going to book you the minute they see these shots. You’re exactly what they’re looking for.”