The Wall Street is starting to fill up on this early Saturday evening. We all laugh when we sit down and Pierce says we are like the movie Groundhog Day. We just repeat the same shit with the same people day in and day out. I thought the walk over was an indication of how the night was going to go. I thought that we would be explaining to our friends that we did have sex and we are just playing it by ear. How can one be so wrong? We walk in together, yet, he sat at the opposite end of Zoey and me. Pierce and Ty do the whole male bonding thing and now I am very sure that this is between us and no one else. My drink totally perks me up. I’m a firm believer in drinking to rid yourself of a hangover.
“I felt like shit all day dude.” This comes from Jaxon.
“Are you really bitching, Jaxon when Stella and I worked all day?”
“Yeah. I am.” We laugh and order some appetizers and a couple drinks, even though I am beat.
Jaxon comes over with two women, maybe all of twenty-one years old. Of course, the shorthaired brunette has no problem latching her eyes onto Ty and grinning as if she’s the grand prize winner. They giggle at everything the boys say. When Ty’s allotted girl pulls him to the bar and places her hands all over his chest, and touches his hair, I throw in the towel. I’ve fucked him and never touched his hair or chest. I know I sound like a total brat when it comes to seeing him with chicks, but I just don’t like it or want to watch it. It’s obvious it was a one night stand between us, but deep down…it hurts. I’d be lying to myself if I tried to make it more than it is. I throw some cash down and tell Zoey that I’m exhausted. I tell all who are at the table bye, and those who aren’t will not miss my presence.
Walking back to Ty’s, I get a text.
Ty: Why’d you leave?
I’m so not answering that.
Ty: Hello? You better text me when you get inside your car.
I don’t and when I get home, I make a quick ritual of getting ready for bed. My head hits the pillow and I shoot Zoey the ‘I got home safe’ text. Tomorrow is early rising.
THE ALERT OF A TEXT MESSAGE pulls me out of my deep sleep. It’s Sunday, and we have an early morning shoot with Jason Day and his band. I reach out of my cocoon of warmth for the phone and see the text is from Ty, and he’s barking out orders early. Today, he proclaims, is his day to provide coffee and breakfast. The text says to get moving and let him know when I’m ready to walk out. We are going to meet at the ultimate comfort food restaurant called, Shirley’s. My tummy growls just thinking about bacon and eggs in my very near future.
I shower, shave all my necessary parts, and blow out my hair. My makeup is a little heavier today, because at some point, I am putting on a dress. We are heading over to The Ellis’ after Jason’s session. Ty explained that they are neighbors of his Nan’s, and they are paying him an ass load of money for a wedding he’s shooting in Clearwater Beach. The urgency for the pre-wedding pictures is that the bride’s great-grandmother is in town. She’s very elderly, so they worry she won’t make it to the wedding.
I look like a super model today compared to the strung out scummer I was trying to imitate yesterday. Once dressed, I text Ty that I’m on my way. It’s going to be a hot morning, and we are shooting the band on Ty’s roof. So, I’m rocking my New York Football Giant V-neck t-shirt, and short, cut-off jeans shorts.
Ty watches every step I take as I walk to the restaurant. I get the typical, hey you, and he lets me in on our plans for today, which includes zipping through Jason’s session. Before we head over to The Ellis’. My breakfast is delicious and we are stuffed.
I try not to glower at him, thinking about how he kept his distance from me last night. I’m trying not to read too much into it. However, it’s become obvious that he would like to keep what happened on Friday night between us and us alone. I can understand. I don’t want our friends asking a million questions, especially the ones I do not have answers to. Maybe I want to glower, because, for me, I’m proud of Ty. I would claim him for a night or for so much more. These are the times that I know nothing will come of us. If I remember that, I can deal with everything that is Ty much better. It hurts, but I will do what I always do and push on.
At the studio, we huff it to the roof with all the equipment. Two different stations are set up. One is for the band’s group photo and another for individual shots. Just as we get in the studio and start to cool off, Jason and his band walk in. Jason looks great in his black jeans, black boots, and a simple grey, V-neck t-shirt. My eyes are drawn to his arms, both covered in tattoos. There are so many that one bleeds into another. I feel compelled to look at every detail. He whistles when he sees me and holds out his arms for a hug. I’m swept out of my obsession with his tats and go over to have him wrap his arms around my waist. He plants a soft lingering kiss on my cheek. “Damn girl, you look great today. You’re all kinds of sexy in those short shorts.” He looks over at Ty. “Dude, how do you get any work done with an assistant this freaking hot?” I make him release me and I return to Ty’s side.
“It’s rough, my man. She’s perfect, but I own this business. I can’t be known for drooling on my assistant instead of taking care of my clients.” There’s that word again. He said I was perfect many times Friday night. My heart warms as Ty looks down at me and his lips turn up into a smile. We get introductions over, and I don’t really need to ask what type of music this band plays. It’s metal, no doubt.
We head up to the roof and I stand back and watch the minds work for what type of look they want. Ty, Jason, and I, walk to the far end of the building where Ty leans down and gets in his bag. I’m about to lean down and help when Jason asks, “So, what’s up, girly? I gave you my number and you didn’t call me yesterday or last night,” He looks at me like he’s sad. Really?
“We worked all day yesterday, and to be honest that was all the energy I had. The hangover kicked my ass all day,” I try diversion.
“Okay, well today you don’t look hung over at all. You actually look amazing. So call me, and we can do dinner. We can go out or order in at my place.”
“Uh, yeah, we’ll see. I work seven days a week, Jason. It really doesn’t leave much social time, you know?” Jason looks at me with gentle eyes.
“Yeah, I understand, but I am easy…any day, night, or time. Okay?”
He’s adorable. He’s got that whole bad boy rocker thing going that I read about all the time and love. Nevertheless, you can see he’s really a genuinely nice guy. I smile and am about to answer back when I hear Ty say. “Stel, a little help here?” I look down to where Ty’s leaning over the bag and I see that he looks pissed. I have not seen this face he’s wearing before. I tell Jason okay, lean down, and apologize to Ty. He whispers, “Time…we have a lot to do, and not much of it. So, if you and Jason could keep the personal shit to a minimum that would be great.”
I’m shocked. I frown and shake my head yes, because I can’t speak. He quickly goes back to his equipment and I grab a camera, load it up, and place it around my neck.
We begin...Ty directs and I just follow any instruction given to me. Ty has never spoken to me like that and I’m having a hard time shaking off the hurt in my chest. Jason is being a pain in the ass flirting with me at every opportunity. Ty has to ask him to focus over and over. They laugh it off, but I know we are on a time crunch, so I stay as quiet as possible. We start to head over to the complete opposite end of the building for individual shots when Ty wraps his arm around my shoulder. He whispers in my ear, “Sorry, I did not mean to talk to you like that. I’m stressing today. Both of these clients are super important and it’s my fault that I booked them so close.” We stop and he cups my jaw and rubs his thumb lightly along my cheekbone. “Do you forgive me?”
His eyes plead with me to say yes. His touch seals the deal and I accept his apology. “Yes, you do know I would do anything to make today go smooth?” He nods yes. “Jason is your client. I’m just being nice.”
He grins and says, “Yeah, I know you would. Sorry again,
Stella. Jason just lays it on so fucking thick with you.” I dart my eyes over to Jason who is watching us closely. I take a step back, “Let’s get moving boss,” and we head over to the band. The individual shots look great. Ty is an absolute genius.
We walk over to pack up our second station and Jason follows. Ty and I lean down and my back is to Jason. “Ty, I actually play this coming Friday night. You all will have to come.”
“Yeah, man, that sounds like a plan.”
“I’ll tell you, this went real smooth dude, thank you.” Jason walks over to the side to look over at the fountain.
I hear him yell, “Hey, Stella? This guy is incredible at what he does. Is there anything he isn’t great at? I would love to find just one flaw.”
I look up and meet Ty’s sly smile, when he says quietly to me, “Yeah Stella, is there anything Ty doesn’t do good?” My face heats up and I know that we are thinking about the same thing. When it comes to sex, Ty is amazing!
I smirk, arch my eyebrow and whisper, “Maybe I should lie and tell him that you aren’t, you know, good with women.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“I don’t know, maybe I would.”
He mimics my face and says, “Really, because I didn’t get the feeling you thought my skills were lacking, especially the second time you came.”
My jaw drops to the floor. I guess I didn’t think he took notes, considering it was going to be one time only. In a very smart ass tone, I say, “But, Jason doesn’t need to know that.” He reaches my way and before I know it, he’s pinching my right nipple through my shirt. I yelp, which only makes him press it between his fingers a little harder. I know this is supposed to be playful punishment, but my other nipple is pissed it was not chosen.
“Say it,” he playfully growls at me. “Say it.” Our eyes are locked.
I am in love with this playful Ty. His face is childlike, and he is getting too much pleasure from torturing me. “Say what?” Two can play this game.
I squeak as a little more pressure is applied. He says matter-of-factly, “Tell Jason how good I am at everything.”
I say out loud, “No Jason, I haven’t found anything that Ty isn’t great at. Sorry to burst your bubble.” He lets go and I mouth ‘ouch’ while pressing my hand to my breast. He is so satisfied with himself that we both crack up laughing.
“I figured as much,” Jason replies. “Did I miss a joke?” He looks confused at our amusement.
“No, we almost fell on our asses,” Ty replies.
“You like that excuse, huh?”
“It works.”
We take the band down to the ground floor and say our goodbyes. Jason reiterates that I should call, and I brush him off as easily as possible. After they pull away, Ty yells, “Race you,” and jolts into the stairwell. I’m yelling at him about what a cheater he is the whole way up. He beats me to the top. We collect the rest of the equipment and ride the elevator back down to pack the Escalade. Back up to the studio, we go our separate ways to freshen up and change. It was a hot and humid shoot on the roof, so I take a quick shower to wash my body. I chose a little, black A-line dress. It has thick shoulder straps, and it fits snug around the breast with a decorative sash that ties right underneath my bra line. The bottom flows several inches above my knee.
I pad out of the bathroom and Ty stops in his tracks to admire my appearance. If I hang out with him too long, he might give me an actual ego. He is heart stopping in dark, denim jeans and a plaid button up. The shirt hugs his hard chest and I have to dart my eyes away from his backside as we step into the elevator to leave.
On the ride over to Bay Hill, which is a very upscale neighborhood in Orlando, Ty gives me instructions for the shoot. He also explains that his grandmother is a very nice woman, but be prepared that she has no filter on her mouth. The Ellis’ are her neighbors, so he guarantees I will be meeting her today. I’m not too worried, Ty does most of the talking with clients.
The neighborhood is an older one, but people like the location, so if the house doesn’t suit their needs, they tear down and rebuild. We are admitted into large iron gates at the back of the neighborhood. The houses are enormous and Ty laughs at my reaction. I grew up in about 2,500 square feet, not 25,000 square feet. I consider these as mansions.
A woman meets us at the Escalade and wraps Ty in an embrace. I assume that this is his grandmother, because the love she has for him is strong and obvious. I’m a bit shocked. I was expecting an elderly grandmother. This woman is maybe in her late fifties to early sixties. She is beyond put together with her blonde hair half pulled up in curly waves. Her makeup is perfect, and her slacks outfit must have cost a ton. I feel a bit worried now that I know I won’t be pacifying an old, crotchety lady, but having to speak to one of money who is beautiful and on her toes.
“Nan, this is, Stella, my new assistant.”
She extends her hand, “I’m Linda, very nice to meet you, Dear.” She looks me over. “I do hope that she’s up to Emily’s standards, grandson of mine. You must know, Stella, Emily was wonderful at being Ty’s right hand.”
“Nan, really, Stella’s doing amazing. She doesn’t have the photography background…but…uh…she’s really good at taking orders.” My eyes get wide and Ty’s shit eating grin is adorable.
We make small talk with her as we walk over to the lake. I set up as Ty is pulled by a million family members. Finally, the soon-to-be bride gets her much needed time. This is a very large family. Most are adults, so getting them organized takes a bit of work. I do some child wrangling, but ultimately, it was painless.
We pack up and Ty informs me that we are summoned to Nan’s for a catered lunch. Ty’s grandparents’ house is next door, but we have to drive to get over there. The house is enormous with pillars and windows that span high and wide.
We pull up and find the garage is open. I meet a dark haired man, who looks a lot like Ty, fiddling with an old Chevy Camaro. It’s Ty’s, Pop, and he is quite the looker for an older man. Linda calls us in for lunch. This house is made of money, inside and out. Lunch is pleasant, and Linda does most of the talking. She excuses herself once we are done eating to take a call.
Ty takes me up stairs to his old room. It looks like a master suite and not like the 10’ X 10’ room that I grew up in. We get into a conversation about his mother. It’s nice when he opens up to me about her.
“Elizabeth grew up here. Yet, she couldn’t wait to turn eighteen and move out.”
“Oh, yeah, I completely understand,” I say sarcastically. “You do understand that this huge house and the abundant amount of money is not normal living, right?” Ty chuckles, and I fire off another question. “What was it like growing up with so much money anyway?”
His answer is simple, “It’s all I’ve ever known.”
He explains Linda was strict with him. “She always preached safe sex and worried I’d become a parent too early like she and Elizabeth did. I’ll have you know, very few girls ever stepped into this very bedroom.” I giggle. “It’s true. The first girl was when I was a sophomore, and Nan and Pop left me for a week. Lacey was the other. She never really came here, I always went over to her house.” He tenses. I get the feeling by what little he says that Linda wasn’t overly impressed with her. “Now my friends were a very different story. All of them stayed here. Nan made sure they wanted for nothing.”
I get comfortable, take off my shoes, and start fiddling with all the stuff in his room. He lies down on his bed and answers all five million questions I throw his way. I pick up a football and throw it in his direction. Of course, he catches it.
His stare is intense, and we seem to have gone from light conversation to something deeper. “Come here, Stella,” He uses his pointer finger to motion me over. Sitting up, he swings both legs over the bed and scoots his ass to the end. I slowly pad over, not sure what he wants of me.
When I’m stock still in front of him, he says, “You look amazing in this dress.” His fingers rub at the he
m. My breath catches at the indirect contact, which makes him smirk from my at my expression. “My family really liked you today,” he whispers softly. “You’re very good at first impressions.” Ty grabs my waist and pulls me so I’m standing in between his wide open thighs. Gently, he pushes his nose in between my breasts and inhales. This sexual side of Ty is new territory for me, but this isn’t rocket science. I know where this is heading. I feel the tip of his nose skim up my chest, along my collarbone, and into the crook of my neck. The grip on my waist tightens as he pulls me even closer, and I feel his hot tongue slide up my neck to my ear lobe. I moan, and he whispers into my neck, “Shhhh, Stella. If you want this, you have to be quiet. Can you do that for me?” I really don’t know if I can. I lose all sensibility with this man, but I would die if he stops, so I lie.
“Uhhhmmm,” is all that comes out of my slack mouth.
“Good, yesterday was pure fucking torture not touching you all day.” He wanted to touch me yesterday? Those large hands slide away from my waist and skim their way to my calves. His face ends up in the apex of my thighs, where he nips my skin with his teeth.
“Ty,” I breathe out his name and grab his hair. I giggle inwardly that I’m not messing up his freshly fucked hair. It’s looked like that all day. He skims his fingertips up the back of my calves. The light touch lingers as he makes little swirls on the back of my knees. Goosebumps spread all over my body as his fingertips slide up under my dress. Splaying his hands on the back of my thighs, he slowly intensifies his touch. My panties flood with moisture. The feeling of his hands under my skirt drives me insane. Ty cups my backside and moves up to my waist. Every muscle in my tummy clenches at his skin touching mine. I finally release a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.
Ty watches every emotion that runs across my face. I blush under his intense stare. “Pull down your top, Stella.” My eyes shoot over to the door. “I locked it,” he reassures me. “Pull it down. I want to see those perfect tits of yours.” I unhook my hands from his hair and slowly slide the straps off, one shoulder at a time. I push my bra and bodice under my breast. A growl escapes the back of his throat. “You are so fucking sexy. Do you know that?” His tongue swirls lightly at my taut nipple. His breath is hot and it intensifies his light touch. He latches on and I moan, loudly. It’s overly sensitive because he just teased me by pinching it this morning. “Shhhh...”
Captured Secret (The Captured Series) Page 11