Newly Exposed

My hand went up to his hair as I explored the new look. He really did look so good. After today, there was no way his life was going to be normal. Zia was going to get some amazing shots of him, and he thought people liked him now; they were going to go bat shit crazy with his new look.

  “Thanks, Solo.”

  We stood there awkwardly and stared at each other. I didn’t know what to say, which was odd, because I found talking to Adam was one of the easiest things I’ve ever done, but now he sort of intimidated me with his new look.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, as he kicked my shoe with his.

  “Nothing,” I turned to see if anything else needed to be taken care of, but I was extremely efficient earlier, and everything was set up and good to go.

  “Don’t lie to me,” he sidled up right behind me, so I could feel his breath on my neck.

  “It’s just…”

  “Alright, let’s get this done,” Zia said, as she walked into the room, looking down at her phone and breaking the little bubble Adam and I were in.

  Adam gave me an apologetic smile and squeezed my hand.

  “Where is this Axel guy?” Zia asked, looking around.

  “Right here,” Adam raised his hand like a nerd.

  Zia’s head snapped up, and the moment she made eye contact with Adam, a sexy grin spread across her face. I could see the inner workings of her mind taking him all in. It was what she did with all the models she worked with. She assessed them, and when that grin appeared on her face, I knew she was interested. My stomach bottomed out as I realized that Adam was fair game, and Zia was an extremely attractive woman with the ability to bring any model to his knees.

  Zia walked up to Adam and placed her hand on his chest, startling him from her abrasiveness. Her hands went to the hem of his shirt and she lifted it up and dragged it over his head, which he allowed her to do…I think more out of shock than anything. Well, and the fact that he worked for her. Zia’s eyes lit up once she got the full picture of the new Adam and the practically naked Adam.

  The need to punch Zia square in the cooch from taking Adam’s shirt off was overwhelming. He wasn’t mine, not the least bit mine, but I didn’t want anyone else touching him, that was for damn sure.

  “You clean up well,” she said, leaning in and looking at the earrings he had in. “Axel,” she hummed while testing out his new name. “Yes, you will do. Let’s hold off on the tattoos, because I kind of like what you have going on right now. I like it a lot, actually.”

  I watched as Zia’s hand traveled up Adam’s chest, exploring his body and every defined muscle he had. Adam was visibly uncomfortable and had no clue what to do, so I decided to step in, not just to save Adam, but because I couldn’t stand the sight of Zia touching him anymore.

  “Zia, your camera is ready if you want to get started. I wasn’t sure what you wanted Adam in…”

  “Briefs,” Zia said, looking directly into Adam’s eyes, who looked terrified.

  “Okay.” I turned to Adam and said, “Come with me; I’ll get you settled.”

  Adam nodded his head and followed me to the changing room. When I shut the door, Adam leaned against the wall and took a deep breath.

  “God, that was uncomfortable.”

  “Get used to it,” I said, digging around for some dark briefs. “When Zia sees something she likes, she goes for it, not caring what anyone else wants.” I turned and handed him a pair of briefs. “Here, put these on and then meet us outside.”

  I went to walk outside, but Adam grabbed my arm and stopped me. Taking a deep breath, I tried to calm my beating heart from the mere touch of his hand.

  “Hold up, Solo. Are you mad at me? You’re acting different.”

  “I’m not mad at you, Adam, but I have to do my job, so put on your briefs and meet me outside.”

  “I’m not interested in her, in the least. There is nothing about her that attracts me to even want to spend time with her if that’s what you’re worried about.”

  “Like I said, you don’t have to explain anything to me,” I held up my hands, as if I was washing them of the situation, and headed toward the door again. I was about to open it when it was slammed shut by Adam’s hand above my head. He whipped me around and pressed me up against the door by the hips with one hand as the other hand was up against the door next to my head. He leaned in and spoke directly into my eyes.

  “Listen closely, Solo, Zia and I apparently have something in common, because when I see something I want, I go after it as well, and I want you, more than anything. I want nothing more than to take you back to the house, into that giant bed of mine and explore every last inch of your body, and then afterwards hold you in my arms while stroking that beautiful hair of yours. I’m not interested in Zia or any of the other girls who post messages on my fan page. I want you and you alone, and I won’t settle until I have you in my arms as mine. Do you understand that?”

  I swallowed hard as the tingle that floated through my body tried to settle. A throbbing ache took place between my legs from the words coming out of his mouth, the proximity of his body, and the fresh soap scent radiating off of him. It was a deadly triple threat to my senses. I wanted him just as much, maybe even more.

  I nodded my head in understanding, which eased his body. He pulled away, but let his hand travel to my chin, where he gripped it with his thumb.

  “Tonight, we will be hanging out by the pool. Wear your bathing suit, because I plan on getting you wet, in more ways than one.”

  “Adam…”

  “Stop,” he bent down and pressed his lips gently, like a whisper, against mine, and my entire stomach flipped upside down. When he pulled away, he stroked my hair and said, “Stop denying your feelings and just accept them. I don’t care about your model phobia, because I’m different, and you know it. I see you for who you are, Solo, not the package you came in. So, don’t treat me like every other guy out there who only knows how to eye fuck you, because I see the nerdy beautiful girl you are and I want nothing more than to have you in my life.”

  My heart hammered against my chest from his confession. He was right; he was the only one who had really seen me for who I am and not what I look like. He was a rarity, and there was no way I could deny him anymore; I didn’t have the strength.

  “Don’t hurt me,” I squeaked out.

  His face softened from my request. He bent down and kissed my lips one last time before stepping away and looking down at the briefs.

  “I could never hurt you, Solo, you’re too damn precious to me.”

  I nodded my head and walked out of the room before I physically mauled the man. With the way he was talking to me, he was only asking for it.

  I busied myself on the set, making sure the lights were adjusted properly, and waited for Adam to come out. I hoped he wasn’t too nervous, because even though he was hot and just too damn sexy, Zia hated working with stiffs, and in a matter of seconds, she would cut off a photo shoot and fire a model just because the chemistry didn’t ignite within her in the first couple of seconds.

  “I can’t believe what a haircut can do for someone,” Zia said, as she took some test shots with her camera. “I mean, he always had the body, but that longer hair and that body of his didn’t match up. The fauxhawk was a good choice.”

  I wanted to tell her that his longer hair that curled out under his hat was perfect for him, but I wasn’t about to start a fight with my boss, so instead, I agreed.

  “Yes, his hair looks great.”

  “Tattoo, no tattoo. I can’t decide. What do you think?”

  “I think he should decide.”

  Zia laughed. “Oh, Solo, you’re going soft on me. When have we ever let the model decide?”

  She was right, before Adam, I was very opinionated when it came to the models and what they needed for their image, because frankly, I was the social media queen, and I could look at one guy, say what image he would fit into, and make it happen, but with Adam, it was different. He didn’t belong in any
kind of pre-designed slot. He was a special kind of guy that I didn’t want to expose to everyone; I wanted to keep him for myself.

  The door to the changing room creaked open and Adam popped out with a nervous look on his face; it was endearing and it made my heart leap out of my chest. I wanted to run up to him, place a kiss on his chest, and tell him it would be alright, but I knew that wouldn’t go over well with Zia, so I visibly took a deep breath to remind him to relax and smiled at him. He smiled back and walked to the center of the floor, where the shoot would be taking place.

  Taking her eyes off her camera, Zia looked up and scanned Adam from head to toe. A sly smile played on her face and she nodded.

  “Yup, you’re going to be the next big thing,” she stated. “Let’s get to work.”

  “Okay,” he said nervously, “What should I do?”

  “Just act normal. I want to play up this whole sensitive on the inside, hard on the outside thing you have going for you.” Zia started walking around Adam and taking pictures. With every snap of the light, he blinked and cringed.

  Anyone off the street would be able to see that Adam was obviously uncomfortable and wanted nothing more than to go put his clothes back on and get the hell out of the studio. I started to get nervous for him, because even though I wanted nothing more than for Adam to quit the modeling gig, I knew he needed the money, so I popped one of the plugs out of the outlet that connected to the wall, which turned off one of the lights. The minute Zia noticed the dim of the flash, she stopped and looked up at the lights.

  “Solo, what’s going on?”

  “Uh, not sure, maybe one of the bulbs is out. I’ll have to check it out and see.”

  Zia huffed, looked at her watch, and said, “I need to run to the bathroom real quick, and then I’ll be back. I have a shoot in an hour and I want to at least get a couple of shots of Axel before then. Please hurry up and fix it.”

  “Not a problem, Zia. Give me five minutes.”

  “Thanks, girl.” Zia set her camera down and then went off to the bathroom, while pulling her phone out of her back pocket.

  Adam rested his body against the wall and took a deep breath. He looked almost pained from how uncomfortable he was.

  “What the hell am I doing? I’m not good at this.”

  I plugged the light in really quick and then walked over to him. I pressed my hands against his chest and looked up into his eyes. His gaze softened and his hands landed on my hips.

  “You need to relax and just be yourself. Don’t pose, because that will be obvious, and Zia will hate it. Just stand there, shift side to side on your feet so your body moves, and then look out at the other wall across the studio, occasionally glance at the camera and keep that light in your eyes that you have now.”

  “That light is because of you,” he said, rubbing my hip bones.

  “I hate to say this, because I don’t want to encourage bad habits, but think about me. If you do those little steps, then Zia will direct you to lift your head a little, tilt ever so slightly, and so forth. Just remember, small movements and no posing.”

  “So I shouldn’t suck in my gut and flex my arms?”

  I laughed and shook my head. “No, that would be a bad idea, plus, you don’t have any gut to suck in.” I tapped his abs and he buckled over, over-exaggerating.

  “Ohhhh, ya got me. Man down,” he groaned out.

  “Shut up,” I laughed, pushing his shoulder. “You’re such a drama queen.”

  “Have to keep things ripe, muffin. No one likes moldy bread.”

  I rolled my eyes and walked back to my position.

  “That was a good one, you have to admit it. Throw me a bone here,” he tried to boost his ego.

  “That was lame,” I smiled back, just as Zia returned on set.

  “Okay, let’s get going.” She grabbed her camera and started back up again.

  Like a professional, Adam stood in place, shifted on his feet and looked at me with that light in his eyes that was reserved for me and me alone. I watched the flash bounce off his chest with every snap, and I couldn’t help but start to fall deeper for the man that turned my life into one big whirlwind.

  Zia was right; he was going to be the next big thing…it was only a matter of time before it happened.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Adam

  “Thanks for calling, Aunt Sarah. I’m glad her fever has gone down even more and she’s doing better. I was terrified there for a minute that we were headed down a really bad road.”

  “Me too, dear, but we are out of the woods now. The doctors are pleased with the way she’s been adjusting to the antibiotics. I just…”

  “What?” I asked, as I put on my flip flops and got ready to leave my room for my little pool gathering with Solo.

  “I’m afraid the new medication will bring on more costs.”

  “What did I tell you, Aunt Sarah? Don’t worry about that; I’ve got it covered, okay?”

  “Okay. Thank you for spending the last couple of days with us. I know you have a busy schedule.”

  “Anything for you two; you’re the two most important people in my life.”

  As I said those words, I spotted Solo out in the pool area wearing a cover up and sitting in the cabana we held each other in the other night. I thought about how my Aunt Sarah and my mom were important to me, but now that I’d met Solo, she was creeping her way up to the top of the list.

  “I love you, sweetie.”

  “I love you, too, Aunt Sarah. Give mom a kiss for me. I’ll be there tomorrow in the morning.”

  I hung up the phone and headed out to the pool area. All the guys were out on location shooting, so I had the house all to myself. It was nice not having to worry about running into someone while I was trying to catch a glimpse of Solo.

  The photo shoot today went so much better after Solo talked to me, which I was grateful for, because at first, I could sense I was boring Zia and I couldn’t lose this job, not after the scare I went through with my mom the other day. I still felt awkward taking pictures, but after Solo calmed me, I was able to escape into a happy place, where Solo and I were alone on a beach, and before I knew it, Zia was beyond happy with my performance and I was done.

  After I left the studio, I was able to get a good workout in, thanks to Anzel, take a shower, talk to my Aunt Sarah, and now I got to spend the rest of my day next to the girl who’s captured my heart.

  I practically ran to the cabana, because I couldn’t get to Solo fast enough, and once I peeked over the top, I was awarded with the most gorgeous girl I’ve ever seen, stretched out on the lounge waiting for me.

  “Hey, muffin,” I said, as I sat down on the edge and eyed the expanse of her tanned legs.

  “Hey,” she eyed my swim trunks and laughed. “Those are amazing.”

  I looked down at my American flag swim trunks that had the stars on one side and stripes on the other and was pleased that she was happy with my pick. I knew she would appreciate them.

  “Thanks, I thought you’d like them.”

  “Are those from the eighties?”

  “Nah, they still make them at Old Navy. Got them on discount.”

  “What a steal,” she smiled.

  I nodded at her cover up and said, “You going to swim in that thing?”

  “What if I did?” she sat up.

  “I would pout until you took it off.”

  “I see what your intentions were by having me come out here. You just want to check out my body.”

  “Duh,” I smiled at her, as she shook her head.

  Her eyes landed on the dog tags that hung from my neck and she picked them up, while looking at the name and running her hands over the cold metal.

  “Brandon James,” she read my father’s name. “Is that your dad?”

  I nodded, but didn’t say more, and she didn’t ask more; she accepted the fact that I didn’t want to talk about it, and that was one thing I loved about her. She never pushed me too far.

&n
bsp; She scooted to the edge of the lounge and stood up. I watched as she grabbed the hem of her cover up and pulled it straight over her body.

  My brain switched into slow motion as I watched the cover up be tossed to the side and her lithe, petite body come into view. I scanned from the tips of her toes, up her thin and toned legs to her tiny waist and her perfectly sized chest. She was drop dead, tent pitching gorgeous.

  “Hey, enough staring,” she snapped her fingers in front of my face and I readjusted in my seat.

  “Please, I saw the way you checked me out.”

  “Once again, it’s my job.”

  “Likely excuse,” I got up and hoped that I didn’t show too much of my excitement in my shorts. The stars and stripes could only do so much camouflaging.

  Her bathing suit was, thankfully, a bikini, so I was able to really get a good view of her body like I wanted, and I was surprised to see that it was neon pink, something I wasn’t expecting from her. After all her amazing graphic T-shirts, I guess I was just expecting to see her wearing some kind of eighties geometric print suit, but this little surprise was exactly what I liked about her. She was unpredictable and always kept me on my toes.

  “Are we going to swim?”

  “Yeah,” I cleared my throat.

  “Then let’s go.” She turned around and started to head to the pool, and that’s when I saw that her bottoms were a pair of cheeky bottoms that showed off a decent portion of her delectable ass. Instantly I went hard and I knew there was no way of stopping the feelings raging through my body; I was so fucking gone.

  She looked over her shoulder and gave me a wicked grin. That fucking vixen!

  I took off at a run, scooped her up in my arms, and jumped into the deep end of the pool as she screamed in my ear.

  Once we surfaced the water, Solo threw her wet hair back and eyed me with vengeance.

  “I got water up my nose,” she whined.

  “Poor muffin, you must be all soggy now. Let me kiss you back to health.”

  She held out her hand and said, “Don’t even think about it.”

  “Oh, yeah, what are you going to do about it?”