by Meghan Quinn
Such a baby face, what I wouldn’t give to lick it
I think he just impregnated me from this picture
The last comment made me step back and look up at Solo. “Uh, these ladies are a little…”
“Excited,” she finished for me.
“Yeah, excited.”
“The pregnant one make you feel uneasy?”
“Yeah, rightfully so, right?”
She laughed and shook her head. “You should see some of the comments Gunner gets. They are insane, but he is a bit of a man-whore and loves them.”
“Not so sure I’m going to be okay with some of this attention.”
“You’ll get used to it, no worries.” Solo looked up at me, finally tearing her gaze away from her computer, and I smiled at the way her nose crinkled as she tried to think about what she was going to say next. “Are you ready for your rundown?”
“Bring it, muffin.”
Rolling her eyes, Solo spent the next hour going over my accounts, my email, my schedule, and future consultations, while also telling me what was expected of me every day.
I held my hand up at her and said, “Information overload, I don’t think I can remember all of this.”
“Don’t worry, I set your phone up so you’re reminded when to do everything. You’ll get the hang of it, and soon it will become like clockwork and you won’t need the reminders.”
“Are you training me…like a dog?”
“Works every time,” she smiled.
“Man, you have a giant set of lady balls,” I teased.
“I need them to work this job. It’s the reason why I handle the guys and Nolly handles the shoots more often, even though we work together; she organizes on set and I organize behind the scenes. She can easily be swayed by the guys, if you know what I mean.”
“Ah,” I said in understanding. “The guys were talking about her last night and some guy named Blaze. Wait, was that the guy she was looking for the other day during my casting?”
“Yup, she found him.” Solo shook her head with disappointment. “He’s going to end up crushing her. I can see it already. The guy is a player.”
“Yeah, I got that vibe from him.”
“See, how come you can see that, but she can’t?” Solo waved her hand in the air, as if to erase the conversation and said, “Let’s not go there. Let’s work on your first selfie for the ladies.”
“Selfie?”
Solo stopped typing and looked up at me. “You’re joking right?”
“I mean, I know what a selfie is, but why do I need to take one?”
Solo pinched the bridge of her nose before setting her hands on the table and looking me in the eyes. Those deep brown eyes gathered my attention and I couldn’t look away. She was so damn beautiful.
“Let me explain something to you.” She grabbed her computer, did a little bit of typing, and then turned it around to face me. Ty’s Facebook profile popped up. “See this?” she scrolled through his pictures and they were either pictures with a Teeg Model stamp on them or they were pictures of Ty in front of a mirror, holding his camera up and showing off some kind of muscles he had….excluding his calves. Shocker
“This is what you need to do. Now that you’ve signed with Teeg Models, you need to advertise the Teeg brand, and the Teeg brand is your body. You are required to take at least one picture a day of yourself, somewhere, and post it. It’s what keeps the ladies interacting and liking the Teeg brand. Sometimes, you will also be required to do video blogs as well, women love to hear the sexy voices of our guys, especially Levi.”
“Levi talks?” I asked.
“He does and he has the most delicious Australian accent ever.” Solo fanned herself, I didn’t like it one bit. She poked my shoulder and said, “Oooh, look at you getting all jealous. It’s cute.” She looked away, realizing what she said.
“You like that?” I teased, while squeezing her knee with my hand, which she swatted away quickly.
“Hands to yourself, Axel.”
I cringed. “Please, I can handle anyone else calling me that, but not you, Solo; please, don’t call me that.”
The plea in my voice must have gotten through to her because she nodded and then grabbed my phone.
“Let’s get this first selfie out there.”
She stood and grabbed me by the hand, a maneuver that I gladly let her do as she led me to a back room. Her soft hand fit perfectly with mine, and at that moment, all I wanted to do was pin her against the wall and see what else fit perfectly.
“Where are we going?” I asked, trying to clear the dirty thoughts from my head.
“To the bathroom, it’s time for a selfie tutorial.”
I shook my head. “This is so damn embarrassing.”
“Get used to it, you’re a piece of man meat to us now.”
Chapter Ten
Solo
Why did I feel it was necessary to hold his hand all the way to the bathroom? Probably because I was falling for the guy. From the minute he walked into the studio, I wanted nothing more than to curl up into his chest and let him take me away from this demanding job and get lost in each other.
After I set up his account and introduced him to the Teeg Model fan base, I knew his page was going to skyrocket, especially since I used his casting photo of him in just a pair of briefs. He had this innocent look about him with an edge that I’ve never seen before.
At first, I started reading the comments that were coming in on his Facebook page, and then after so many marriage proposals, I had to stop reading them. I was jealous; I was so fucking jealous and I hated it. The man would give himself over to me, he would be mine with a slight nod of my head and because of the fact that he was working for my company, that he technically belonged to Zia, I had to put my feelings aside and watch him get gawked at by every woman on the internet.
The worst thing was, he wasn’t affected by it all. Instead, he was more interested in staring at me while I typed away on my computer. I only knew this because I could feel his heated gaze rake my body. It was torture.
Last night, God, what a fucking perfect night. Lying next to him on my lounge chair, joking about our love for nerdy things was, hands down, one of the best nights I’ve had in a long time. He understood me and he liked me for it. Any other guy I’ve ever talked to approached me for my looks, and then when he found out about my likes, instantly turned away…that was if they even spent enough time to get to know me. It wasn’t like I was some weirdo who kept cut up pony hair from the local stables in my pillowcase; it was just the fact that I lived in a world where people were more self-involved than anything, and if it wasn’t about them, then they weren’t interested.
Adam was different, though; maybe it was because he was from a small town, who knew? Whatever it was, I adored being near him and looked forward to seeing him, even if it meant keeping my distance.
“Can we just get this over with?” Adam said with embarrassment. Another thing I liked about him…he wasn’t into flaunting his body, which surprised me, because every other model I came across had no trouble taking their shirt off, even the women. Adam should be one of those types, given the expanse of his muscular chest and his strong jaw that contrasted with his extremely beautiful eyes.
Taking my thoughts off of his body…for a second, I said, “Okay, here’s your phone. Just point in the mirror and pose.”
“I know how to take a picture,” Adam said, grabbing the phone. I stood to the side while he aimed the camera and snapped a picture of himself, fully clothed and just staring in the mirror. “There,” now what?”
“You can’t possibly use that as a picture.”
“You haven’t even seen it,” he said defensively. “I think I really captured the length of my eyelashes.” He batted his eyelashes at me for effect.
“You’re an idiot,” I laughed, as I grabbed his phone and looked at the picture. I held it up to him and said, “That is terrible.”
“What? Are you calling
me ugly?”
“No! Did those words ever cross my lips?”
“It’s not what you said, it’s how you said it,” Adam responded, while crossing his arms and leaning against the wall of the bathroom.
“God, you’re such a vagina. Come here.” I grabbed his arm and pulled him in close. “First of all, we need to do something with this hair.”
“What’s wrong with my hair?”
“I like your hair; it just needs to me tamed for the picture,” I admitted.
I ran my hands under the faucet to get them wet and started running them through his hair while standing on my tippy toes. He was a tall guy. The feel of his soft strands running between my fingers was a sensation that didn’t go unnoticed by either of us. His hands gripped my waist for support while I moved his locks around to give him a messy, but styled, look. When I finished and was pleased with my efforts, I reluctantly pulled away and so did Adam, but I could still feel the imprint of his hands on my hips. It was unmistakable.
“There,” I cleared my throat and turned to grab a towel to dry my hands and collect myself.
“Looks the same,” Adam said, looking in the mirror.
Turning around and placing my hands on my hips, I responded, “No, it doesn’t!”
Adam smiled and tapped my nose with his finger. “You’re too easy.”
“And you’re annoying,” I countered with a smile, because in fact, I thought he was too cute for his own good.
“What now, Obi Wan?” Adam said, holding his arms out. “Train me to be the Jedi model that is required to take on the evil empire: the internet.”
I laughed out loud and shook my head. “Oh, my God, could you get any cornier?”
“I can try if it makes you laugh like that.”
“Focus,” I said, pointing my fingers at his eyes. He nodded and stood straight. “Okay, so the key to a good selfie is usually showing off some kind of body part and flexing.”
“What kind of body parts?” he asked, crinkling his nose.
“Not that body part,” I laughed.
“Good, because that is saved only for my girl…and possibly a muffin.”
Ignoring his comment, I pointed to his shirt and said, “Now you can either be completely shirtless or tease the ladies by lifting your shirt up a little, like this.” I grabbed the hem of his shirt and brought it up to his pecs. I gulped as I took in the sinew flowing all over his ripped stomach. There were times in a girl’s life when she just had to sit back and thank the heavenly God for the male form, and right now, this was that moment. I’ve seen my fair share of models, but Adam was different. He was strong, but toned in a way that made him so damn sexy I didn’t know what to do with myself. There was not an ounce of fat on him and it showed by the way his hips cut into a sharp V and his abs rippled under the soft light of the studio bathroom.
I cleared my throat and said, “Um, yeah, just like this and then take a picture.”
I chanced a glance at Adam and his heated gaze met mine as I continued to hold his shirt up. I quickly let go of his clothing and stepped back to give us some space. The tension in the small room made it almost too hard to breathe. I could sense he wanted to say something, but he stopped himself, most likely from the multiple times I had already put him in his place.
“I think I can handle that,” he said, clearing his throat as well.
Pulling out his phone again, he pointed it at the mirror, gave me a look, and then lifted his shirt up a few inches.
“Higher,” I directed.
He looked over at me with a wicked gleam in his eye and said, “Can you show me?”
“You’re infuriating!” I stomped over behind him and grabbed his shirt from behind and lifted it up to the proper height. I looked over at him and said, “Here,” just as he snapped the picture. “Hey!” I said, trying to grab his phone away from him, but it was an impossible feat, since he was so much taller than me.
“I think I got the shot…isn’t that what they say?”
“I can’t be in the picture, Adam,” I said, still trying to grab the phone while climbing over his body.
“And, why not?”
“Because female fans won’t take well to your first picture of yourself being with another girl; it will give them the wrong impression.”
“What if that’s the impression I want to give?” Adam said, turning around and pinning me with his glare.
“Adam…”
“No, I’m not going to let you avoid this anymore. Just admit it, Solo, you like me. I can see it in your eyes, the way you look at me, the way chills run up your arms when I’m near you, breathing in that sweet fucking sent of yours.”
“I-I don’t,” I lied, as I backed up against the wall.
Adam closed in on me and planted his hand on the wall behind my head and leaned down, closing off any open space I had to myself. His eyes roamed my face, looking for any indication that I was lying, and I knew he found it by the way the corners of his mouth curved up and that panty melting dimple appeared.
His head dipped to my ear and he spoke quietly in that raspy and oh-so-sexy voice of his. “You’re a bad liar, muffin, but that’s okay. I got the picture I wanted today. I’ll keep chipping away at that wall of yours.”
“Y-you can’t use that photo,” I stuttered from his proximity.
“No, that photo is for me and no one else.” He turned quickly, lifted his shirt, smiled, and then took a picture like he’d been doing it for years. “That’s for the fans.”
He typed away on his phone and then looked up at me. “First post complete.” He leaned in again and ran his finger along my jaw, making a dull ache form in the pit of my stomach. I wanted this man, no, I needed this man like I needed to breathe. He was slowly winding his way into my life, and there was not much more denying I could put out there. I could only be so strong.
“I have my first consultation tonight?” I nodded my head and he continued. “Will you be there?”
“No, that’s more Zia’s thing.”
“Can you be there…please?”
“Adam…”
He grabbed my hands and brought them up to his lips to lightly kiss my knuckles. The feel of his lips on my skin sent my heart into a beating frenzy, so much that I thought it might just beat right out of my chest.
“Solo, I need you. It might be a pussy thing to say, but right now, I’m terrified. I took this job because I need it, more than anything, not because of the apparent fame or the adoring comments, but because I need the money for reasons I don’t want to get into right now. I’m out of my element, and I feel like I’m drowning when walking around in this new world by myself. You’re the one who makes it easier, and not just because you’re damn good at your job, but because I can count on you making me laugh, and I can count on you easing the knot that this new experience is creating. Will you please be there…for me?”
Well, how the fuck was I supposed to say no to that?
I nodded my head, eliciting a heart stopping smile from him, which was also full of relief. We both walked back out to the main room together, where our computers still rested, and the studio was empty. I packed everything up for him, and then handed him an envelope.
“What’s this?” he asked, looking at it with confusion. “A love note?”
“No, you dork, it’s your advance. Don’t spend it all in one place.”
Relief spread over his features while he looked down at the envelope, as if it was the key to all his problems. I didn’t know why he was so desperate for money, but by the look on his face, it seemed like I just bought him a couple more days of whatever kind of situation he was going through.
“Thank you,” he said with all sincerity. “I can’t tell you how much this made my day.” He looked down at his watch and said, “I have to go. Is your phone number in my new phone?”
“Of course,” I replied, while trying to gauge his urgency.
“Good, I’ll talk to you later, Solo. Thank you for your help and for
coming tonight.”
In one quick movement, he bent down and placed a kiss on my cheek before pulling away and taking off to the front door, leaving a blaze of heat encompassing my body.
My hand instinctively went to my cheek as I watched him walk away, observing that beautiful ass of his. There was no way I would be getting over him anytime soon.
Shaking the thoughts of Adam out of my head, or at least trying to, I grabbed my computer and went back to my desk to get some work done before Zia came in. I was just getting settled when the studio doors flew open and Zia charged toward me with her assistant at her side.
“Solo, where the hell is Nikko? He was supposed to meet me in the garden at nine this morning.”
Panic flew through my stomach as I quickly looked through my calendar, hoping I didn’t set up the boys’ schedules wrong and send them to different places. I was distracted by Adam, but not that distracted.
“One second,” I said, as I clicked through my computer. Nikko’s name popped up and he wasn’t supposed to be in the garden at all. He was actually coming in at noon for a studio shoot.
“Zia, he has a studio shoot for a book cover at noon. It’s a football-themed series. The author needs a few shots for book teasers and her cover.”
Zia pulled her phone out of her purse and looked through it. Once she saw the mistake, she shot a glare at her assistant and said, “Why does it say I have a garden shoot this morning?”
Her assistant stumbled around, trying to figure out what to say, while Zia bored holes into her little body.
“I-I don’t know, Ms. Teeg.”
“Save it, pack your things. If you can’t handle a simple schedule, then you can’t handle this job.”
The assistant didn’t even argue; she just nodded her head and walked away. Poor girl, she had no clue what she was getting herself into when she signed up for the job.
“Zia, was that necessary?” I asked.
“Yes, she was getting annoying anyway. Why don’t you just handle my schedule from now on?” Zia asked, flipping through her phone.