She smiled. “Maybe a little.”
Travis took her hand. “Come on, let’s go.”
It was mid-afternoon, and despite it being a holiday, the bar wasn’t too busy. He led Sydney through the establishment to the back where the deck was. When he spotted Barry, Dan, and Lilah, he waved.
They all smiled at him and Sydney, and Travis saw it as a positive sign that they were going to be open to meeting her.
“Hey, everyone, this is Sydney. Sydney, this is Barry, Lilah, and Dan. Dan and Lilah are married.”
Lilah wiggled her left ring finger.
“And Barry is hopelessly single.”
“Uh-uh-uh … I brought a date,” Barry corrected.
Travis looked around. “Is she invisible?”
“You think you’re funny, but she’s in the restroom.”
“Or she ran away,” Dan said. “Did either of you see a redhead running away when you came in?”
“You guys are dicks,” Barry said.
Travis looked over to see Sydney laughing, and he couldn’t help but smile.
“Let’s sit.” Travis left the seat next to Barry open, pulled out the next one for Sydney, and then sat next to Dan.
The server came over as soon as they were both seated. “What can I get for you?” he asked.
“I’ll have a beer.” Travis was taking a cheat day in the middle of his training for his next shoot. He looked over at Sydney. “Wine?” She always drank wine, so he figured it would be a yes.
“No … I think I’ll have a beer, too.”
His eyebrows rose. “Really?”
She held up her hands. “Yeah, this feels like a beer day.”
“Okay.” Travis turned back to the server. “Two beers.”
“And cheese curds,” Sydney said.
Travis turned to see that she had one of the menus on the table open. They’d only been here for a couple of minutes, and he loved that about her. He liked that she ate.
“Okay, two beers and cheese curds,” the attendant said. “Anyone else need a refill?”
Barry raised his glass.
The server jotted down Barry’s request and took off.
Two seconds later, a short redhead walked toward the table. This had to be Barry’s date.
“Hey, Alice. I’d like you to meet my friend Travis and his date, Sydney.”
“You’re the model?” she asked Travis as she took her seat. She had that look in her eyes that some women got, like he was an exciting new toy.
“I am.” Sometimes, he got annoyed that this was what people first thought of him.
Why did Barry have to tell her that?
“But he’s also a personal trainer,” Sydney said with a stern voice.
And Travis could’ve kissed her. He didn’t need her to stick up for him, but it sure was sweet.
“Oh. That’s … nice,” Alice said.
Sydney smiled as if she’d won a competition with the other woman. “It is nice.”
Travis threw his head back and laughed.
“I have to go use the ladies’ room,” Sydney said when they got to the next bar.
“Me, too,” Alice said.
Despite the rocky start, the two women had been getting along well for the rest of the afternoon.
As soon as they were out of sight, Lilah said, “Oh my God, I love her.”
Travis chuckled. “How does Dan feel about that?”
Dan shrugged. “Fine with me. She’s great.”
“Yeah, she’s a hundred times better than Christy, dude,” Barry said. “Where did you find her again?”
“At a book signing.”
“The very thing Christy didn’t want you to do,” Lilah said. “Is that like irony or something?”
“Beats the hell out of me,” Travis said. “But I’m glad you guys like her. I really like her, too.”
“How old is she?” Barry asked.
“Not that it’s any of your business, but she’s thirty-four.”
“You stud. An older woman,” Barry said and smacked him on the arm.
“Barry, we’re not in high school anymore. So she happens to be a few years older. Big deal.”
Lilah nodded her head. “Way to be mature about it, Travis.” She looked at Barry. “Sometimes, I don’t know why we keep you around.”
“It’s so you have someone to marry when Dan keels over.”
Lilah raised her brow. “I would never marry you. You’re lucky I’m your friend.”
“The woman has a point,” Dan said.
“You’re just siding with her because she’s your wife.”
Dan put his arm around Lilah. “Only a fool wouldn’t.”
“Hey, what’s going on?” Alice asked from behind them.
“We’re just talking about your date,” Lilah told Alice.
Travis put his arm around Sydney. “Everything go okay in there?”
She frowned and laughed. “Yeah, why?”
“Just making sure.” He raised his voice to the group. “Let’s go find a table, and we can tell Alice all the things wrong with Barry.”
“You guys are dicks.”
“They’re just jealous because you’re the best-looking,” Alice told her date.
A chorus of, “Ooh,” sounded through the group.
Barry grabbed Alice’s hand and kissed it. “You, milady, will be rewarded later.”
“Ew,” they all said at the same time.
“Did you have fun today?” Travis asked Sydney as they cuddled on the blanket in front of the river.
The sun had gone down, and they were waiting for the fireworks to start.
“I did. Thanks for bringing me.”
He kissed her on the head. “It was my pleasure.”
“Do you think they like me?”
“Does it matter what they think?”
“Well, they are your friends,” she pointed out.
Travis grinned. “Yeah, they like you.”
“Sweet. Because I like them, too.”
The next moment, a big burst of light went through the sky, and Travis held Sydney close as they watched the show.
The Uber driver pulled up to an old building in downtown Denver. “We’re here.”
I looked out the window. “This is it?”
“This is the address you gave, ma’am.”
“Ugh. Don’t call me ma’am. I’m not that old,” I said under my breath.
Travis laughed and opened his door while I got out on my side.
We met on the sidewalk.
“I’m excited. Are you excited?”
“I’m excited to eat again. The only good thing I’ve had to eat the last month and a half is your pussy. I’m buying dessert tonight, and I can’t wait.”
A couple passed us on the street, hearing Travis’s declaration. The woman’s eyes widened, and the man tried to stifle his laugh. My cheeks felt hot.
“Travis,” I said, putting my hand on his arm.
He looked at me. “What? I’m hungry.”
I laughed. He seriously didn’t even realize that the couple had heard what he said.
I shook my head. “Never mind. You deserve to eat all the dessert you want.”
We headed into the building, and it was as old inside as it was outside. It was a renovator’s dream. The floor was hardwood that had probably been there since the place opened, and the walls were made of brick.
There was a hallway on the right and stairs on the left.
“We’re supposed to go upstairs.” Travis pointed up.
“I’m glad you know.”
There was no one around to tell us where to go.
“Oftentimes, these things are informal. Professional but informal.”
After we walked up the stairs, there was another hallway and a door right in front of us. It was open, and there was music coming from the room. On the main level, I had thought it was Muzak, but now that
we’d reached the second floor, I saw a stereo in the corner, sending out the tunes.
“In here, I think,” Travis said.
The front area looked like a little reception area, but when I looked up at the ceiling, I could see none of the walls were attached. They were makeshift walls of a large, open space.
A silver fox of a man with a camera in his hand walked into the area and smiled. I froze in place. He strode over to us with a confidence that shone off of him. When he reached us, he and Travis clasped hands and pulled each other into a hug.
He slapped Travis on the back. “Good to see you.” The two separated as the man stroked his face where his beard would be if he had one. “I like the fur.”
Travis touched his short beard. “Oh, yeah. I wasn’t sure if you’d have me shave it off today.”
“I think we should keep it.” He tilted his head toward me. “Who’d you bring with you?”
“Sydney, I’d like you to meet Robert Hahn.”
I didn’t move. I couldn’t.
Travis chuckled. “Robert, this is Sydney. She’s a romance author and a huge fan of yours.”
Robert grinned at me and held out his hand.
I slowly raised mine to shake.
“Nice to meet you, Sydney.”
“Same here. I mean, it’s nice to meet you, too. Huge fan.” Idiot. Travis already said that.
“Come on through here, so you can meet everyone.”
We followed him into the next room, which had different things along the walls for various backgrounds. There was a metal wall, an old wooden barn door, and some of the exposed brick, to name a few. There was also another doorway that looked like it led to another picture-taking area.
There were several people standing around. A very handsome black man, who I thought I had seen on social media before, was the first person I noticed.
“Travis, have you met Leon?” Robert asked.
“No.” Travis held out his hand, and Leon took it. “How’s it going?”
“Good.” Leon smiled, and I noticed his eyes were a beautiful hazel color. “Nice to meet you.”
There were also two attractive women in the room, who stepped forward.
Robert held out his hand toward the woman closest to him. A tall, thin blonde. “This is Trish. And this is Michelle,” he said, pointing to a shorter, thinner Asian woman.
I smiled at them while Robert continued on, “If it’s okay with everyone, I’d like to take some single shots of each one of you and then couples shots with all of you. Maybe a few with threesome shots.” Robert smiled. “I have some requests from authors.”
His eyes darted toward me, and I held up my hands.
“Not me.” I laughed. “Not that I’m against those books. I have been known to read them. I just haven’t written one. Yet.”
“If you haven’t guessed, Sydney is a romance author. Maybe we’ll get her to purchase one of our photos.”
“I’ve actually bought two from you in the past.”
Robert grinned and held out his fist. “All right.”
I pounded my fist against his.
“You’ll have to show me your covers when you have a chance. Sometimes, my assistant gets behind on adding them to the website.”
“Will do,” I told him.
“Shall we get started?”
Everyone nodded.
“Sydney, you can take a seat over there. That’s where the girlfriends and boyfriends sit.” Robert pointed to the corner where another man was sitting. He smiled at me.
I looked over at Travis. I didn’t know if we were boyfriend/girlfriend yet, but he had no reaction to Robert calling me that.
“We’ll take standing shots first,” Robert continued as I went over and sat down on one of the chairs against the wall. “Then, we’ll move to the other room and do some shots of you all sitting and lying on furniture.”
I got comfortable as I watched Robert and the models do their magic. I was amazed at the number of pictures taken, and it showed how much work it took to get a good shot. It explained why over half the pictures on my phone were subpar.
When it was Travis’s turn, I couldn’t tear my eyes away. It was almost like he became a different person. He was totally in a zone, and he looked so hot that I thought my underwear was going to combust.
When Robert called Michelle over, Travis and she nodded their heads as Robert gave them directions. As soon as the camera went up, their bodies came together, and if I didn’t know any better, I would think they were a couple.
I could finally understand where Christy had been coming from, and I supposed I could see myself going down the same path as Travis’s ex, but I didn’t let myself do it. I saw what they were doing as art, and I knew he’d be in my bed tonight. I’d never been a person interested in paintings. But photographs were a different story. Whether it was scenery or people, I thought they were beautiful.
I also found it very hot, watching Travis pose with Michelle and then Trish. Trish stood in front of Travis and his bare torso, and he put his hand on her stomach, pushing her shirt up. His pinkie slipped underneath the waistband of her pants, and I felt a twinge in my gut.
But it wasn’t jealousy or an uneasy feeling. It felt like a cramp.
Uh-oh.
I grabbed my phone and pulled up my period app. It confirmed what I’d thought. My period wasn’t due for three more days. Being on the pill, I was a twenty-eight-day girl.
I looked around the room, trying to figure out how I was going to escape without having everyone’s eyes on me.
There was no way that was going to happen, so I did the only thing I could do. I quickly slipped out of the room. I walked down the hall and didn’t see a restroom. I was also beginning to feel like I was trespassing, the farther away I got from the studio. I should have asked where the bathroom was before I left the room.
I walked back down the hall and down the stairs. No one was around, and I debated on what to do. All the buildings outside were other businesses. Not a convenience store or gas station in sight.
I headed into the main-floor hallway, feeling like a full-fledged intruder now. I was, however, rewarded because at the end was a restroom.
“Finally,” I said out loud.
Once in the restroom, I discovered that I had indeed gotten an early visit from Aunt Flo.
“Really, body? You just had to do this today?”
I pictured my brain shrugging at me without a care in the world.
I had brought my purse with me when I fled the studio, but as I pawed through each pocket, my panic began to rise.
I always kept feminine products in my purse. Always. For reasons like this. Even though I was on a schedule, sometimes, I would forget. Plus, I could be out with friends, and they might need something. But I couldn’t find anything.
And the only other two women I had seen were the models upstairs. The thought of asking them if I could borrow a tampon sounded horrific. I did not want to have to pull them aside and ask them something so personal.
I went through my pockets again, as if something had changed in the last few minutes. I had cleaned out my purse before we left Minnesota, and for some reason, I must have forgotten to put my period stuff back.
Part of me wanted to cry.
I looked around, and there was a cupboard in front of me and under the sink. I was going to go from trespassing to snooping, but I was desperate.
I looked in the cupboard across from me, only to find cleaning supplies. My shoulders sank.
Next, I pulled open the door under the sink, keeping one eye closed because part of me didn’t want to see if it was empty of the thing I needed.
I gasped. Success.
“Whoever put tampons in here, thank you. And I owe you one.”
Travis was beginning to worry about Sydney. She had taken off in a hurry. He had tried to keep his eyes on the camera, but the few times he’d looked over at her, she’d se
emed to be fine. She’d actually appeared to be into his job.
But then she’d taken off. At the same moment he’d gotten very close to Trish.
A hot flash went through his body as the memory of Christy storming out of the photo shoot took over his brain. He couldn’t go through that again. Not in front of Robert Hahn.
Trish stepped away from him, and he realized he had zoned out.
“Why don’t we take a break? Go get some air,” Robert said.
Travis couldn’t get a read on the photographer’s face, and he was starting to get anxious about why she had left.
“Thanks,” he said and took off for the stairs so quickly that he didn’t even bother to put on a shirt.
When he reached the bottom, she was just coming from the end of the hall and looked up when she heard him. She looked like she might be guilty, and an uneasy feeling went through him.
“Hey,” she said.
“What happened to you?” He really liked Sydney, but he wasn’t going to beat around the bush.
She looked up behind him as the other models started coming down the stairs.
She blushed and stepped closer to him. “I don’t want to tell you here.”
He grabbed her hand to lead her upstairs. Whatever it was, she was embarrassed for others to hear.
He kept walking past the main area and past the area where they’d just been taking pictures to the third area that had a chair, a twin bed, and a couch.
He pulled them to the corner where it felt more private. “Okay, tell me what’s going on.”
Sydney put her hands on his chest. “Hey. You look really worried.” She reached up and smoothed her thumbs over his eyebrows. “It’s not a huge deal.” She dropped her hands and looked around. “I got my period,” she whispered. “And I wasn’t prepared,” she added in her normal voice. “I had to search this whole damn building for a restroom, and then I couldn’t find a stupid tampon in my purse.” She wrinkled her nose. “I’m not grossing you out, am I?”
Travis pulled her into his arms as relief overcame him. She hadn’t been jealous. She’d just gotten her period.
He started laughing.
Sydney pulled away. “What’s so funny?”
“I thought you were jealous and ran off.”
She frowned. “Uh … no. Watching you pose for pictures was hot. I just had to hightail it out of there before I ruined my clothes.” She stuck out her tongue. “Trust me; that wouldn’t have been pretty.”
Object of My Desire Page 17