Behind the Lens

by Heather Dahlgren

  After I get home, I call Brinley and see if she wants to do something. She could tell I was upset about something and told me to head over to her house. I showered and took my time getting ready. I curled my hair, applied my makeup, and picked out an outfit to make myself feel sexy. I end up with a pair of skinny jeans, a black halter-top, and black heels. I look in the mirror and smile before grabbing my phone and purse off the counter and heading to Brinley’s.

  When I pull up, I see a few more cars here. I walk up to the door and let myself in. “Brin?” I close the door and head toward the living room.

  “Outside, Kallie.” I head out there and give Brinley a hug along with Nora, Jackie, and Ella. “Grab a drink, sit, and talk.” I tell them all about the guy from the beach, and being the supportive friends they are, they all tell me what a dickhead he is. After a few beers and bashing men, we are sitting around talking and laughing about our love lives or lack thereof.

  “Last night, I was at the bar, and this guy comes up to me. Hot, muscular, tattoos, just my kind of guy. He asks if he can buy me a drink, and we start talking. Every word out of his mouth made me want to become deaf. Is it too much to ask for a sexy guy that can actually hold a conversation?” We laugh at Nora but completely agree. Honestly, I can’t remember the last time I had a conversation with a guy where he seemed intelligent. Let me rephrase that, the last time I had a conversation with a guy that was available to me. Plenty of my models are extremely intelligent, but extremely off limits.

  “Enough of the pity, lack of good men talk. I say we rent a funny movie and get trashed.”

  “Brin, that’s the best offer I’ve had in months.” We all laugh and head to the living room to find a movie. Brin goes to the kitchen and comes back with a bottle of vodka and five glasses. Looks like I’m going to be spending the night. We go through all the movies on Netflix and finally settle on Step Brothers. Brin pours us all a shot and holds up her glass.

  “To the most beautiful women I know and am damn lucky to call friends.” We all raise our glasses and throw them back. I am definitely one lucky girl to be surrounded by such amazing friends who have my back no matter what. I throw myself into my work and don’t talk to anyone for sometimes weeks at a time, but they love me anyway.

  I wake up to the sun blinding me. I roll away from the window, but it’s useless; it’s so bright in here. I open my eyes and look at the clock. “Ugh.” It’s ten o’clock already. I need to get home and finish my edits. I have another busy week and that huge shoot this weekend, which I’m so excited about. Not only am I excited about working with Max, but also finally getting to work with Jax. You’d have to live under a rock not to know who he is. He is one of the most popular models right now, and I’m beyond excited to work with him.

  “Morning.” I turn my head and see Brinley sitting on the chair in the living room. Even when she first wakes up, she looks stunning. Bitch.

  “Morning.” I push myself up and face her. “Damn, I haven’t gotten that drunk in a long time.” She laughs and I shake my head.

  “Maybe you need to hang out more. Once every couple of weeks sucks, Kallie. I know you are busy with work, but I think you need to relax more often.” She’s right, I know she is, but photography is my life. I don’t know how to step back. “Stop over-thinking it.” I laugh and rest my head back.

  “You’re right, I do need to get out more, but I don’t know if I can do it.” She sits down next to me and rests her head back by mine.

  “You’ll never meet someone if you don’t get out, Kal. You can’t expect someone to just show up on your doorstep one day.” I stick my tongue out at her and she smiles. “Don’t you think if you take a break sometimes you might enjoy it more?”

  “Impossible. I live for this and you know that. I will promise to make more time for relaxing and going out. How about we plan a vacation in a few months? Me, you, and the girls.”

  “Now you’re talking. A girl’s vacation would be fucking awesome. How about in the meantime we go out to dinner Friday night? We have that shoot Saturday morning, so we’ll do an early dinner. Sound good?” I lean over and pull her in for a hug.

  “Sounds perfect. I do need to get home and get a few things done though. I will call you later. Thanks for last night.” She kisses my cheek and tells me she’ll talk to me later. I head home, and right as I walk in the door, my cell phone rings. I drop my purse and keys down on the counter as I answer it. “Hello?”

  “Kallie?” I walk to my office and turn the computer on.

  “Yes.”

  “Hi, this is Jax Burke.” Fuck, he is probably calling to cancel for the shoot. My palms start sweating at just the thought.

  “Hi, Jax, what’s up?” Please don’t say you can’t do it, please.

  “I was going through the list of clothing for this weekend and wanted to make sure there wasn’t anything else that I needed to bring.” I breathe a sigh of relief.

  “No, everything I sent you is all you need. If you have a favorite pair of shorts or boxers that you would like to bring, that is great too.” I hear a lighter and imagine him relaxing with a smoke. Damn, I haven’t had a cigarette since college and that was just when I was drunk. Maybe I should smoke to relax. What the hell is wrong with me? I’m not going to smoke. Focus on the phone call.

  “Okay, I just wanted to make sure.” I smile even though it is the strangest conversation.

  “Believe me, I’d let you know, but like I said, if you have anything you’d like to bring, I’m totally game for that also.”

  “Sounds good. I wanted to let you know I went onto your website and checked out your photos. They are amazing. You are truly talented.” My heart starts racing. I haven’t felt that happen in a long time, but I think it is just because this amazing model is complimenting my work.

  “Thank you, Jax, that means a lot to me. I am really looking forward to the shoot this weekend. I think it will be great.”

  “I completely agree. I am thrilled to be a part of it.” I giggle a little because it’s almost like we are talking in circles here. I’m not exactly sure what the point of this conversation is, but I’ll be honest, it’s nice to talk to someone new.

  “I have big plans so I hope everyone will be cool with all my ideas.” I hear someone talking to him, and I figure it must be Blake.

  “Everyone will love it, I’m sure. Alright, Blake is finally ready to head out to the beach. Thank you for clearing that up for me. I’ll see you Saturday.” We hang up and I sit there perplexed. What the hell was the point of that? I guess the guy likes to make sure he can bring his choice of clothing too. I shrug my shoulders and start editing the rest of my pictures.

  I can’t believe it is finally Saturday, the day of my big shoot. Brinley and I had dinner last night, and I was a bundle of nerves and excitement. I want everything to work out like I have pictured in my mind. It is four o’clock in the morning, and I’m showered, hair and makeup done, and sitting on the couch drinking a cup of coffee. I want to be on the beach in about a half hour since I told everyone to be there before sunrise. I finish off my coffee and go grab my gear. I have my camera and all my different lenses packed and ready to go. I carry it out, leaving it by the front door while I make myself a travel mug of coffee. Once I have that all done, I grab a hair tie because I know before long, I will want to keep my hair off my face. I look around to make sure I haven’t forgotten anything and head out to my Jeep Wrangler.

  I get to the spot on the beach that I asked everyone to meet me and put everything down. I look around at how still everything is. The only sound is the waves washing up on shore, and the only light is the full moon. It is so peaceful. I grab my camera out of the bag and snap a few photos of the moon and the way it is reflecting off the water. “Have you been here long?” I turn to see Brinley walking up with another two of my models, Melanie and Danielle.

  “No, I actually just got here myself.” They all give me a hug, and we talk for a few minutes about my plans.

/>   “The party can start. I am here.” I smile at Max as he hugs me tight. “Jax and Blake will be right here. They stopped for coffee, and Joey, Dan, and Ben pulled in behind me. Who else is coming?”

  “I have another new model, Lori, coming and Jack and Ruben.” I take a sip of my coffee as he nods his head. “Girls, you all know Max right?” They all come over and start talking. With every second that passes, I start getting nervous that everyone else is going to be late.

  “Relax, everyone will be here, and it will be perfect.” I smile at Brinley and she gives me a wink. I hear laughing and see everyone except Jax and Blake walking over to us. I breathe a small sigh of relief. They are all talking, and I’m starting to wonder how the hell I’m going to talk over all of them. I clear my throat to get ready to yell and Max looks at me. He lets out a loud-ass whistle, and they all shut up. He smiles as he holds his arm out indicating I have their attention.

  “Thank you all so much for being here. We are waiting on Jax and Blake, but I want to tell you the first shot since it is starting to get light out. I don’t want it perfect; I almost don’t want any organization. I want you all to get close to the water, but please don’t get wet yet. We have plenty of time for that later. I want you to all be goofing around, having fun. Guys, you can pick up a girl, girls you can piggyback on a guy, hell, guys you can piggyback, I don’t care. I want it to look fun and carefree.

  “What if I am on Max’s back and Brinley is on my back?” I can’t help but throw my head back and laugh at Joey’s question. Yes, this is definitely going to be a fun day.

  BLAKE AND I ARE RUSHING to get onto the beach. I told that asshole not to order breakfast, but he insisted, and now we are running late. This is not professional at all. “Blake, can you fucking keep up with me?” He is finishing off his breakfast sandwich and sipping his coffee. I roll my eyes and walk faster. I can see everyone on the beach listening to Kallie talk. Just as I am steps away from them, she throws her head back and starts laughing. I stop dead in my tracks. “No fucking way.” I just stand there looking at her. I can’t fucking believe it. Kallie is the mystical woman from in front of the club.

  “You’re telling me to hurry, and now you are standing here staring like a fucking idiot. Let’s go.” I snap out of it and walk over. “Sorry we are late, Jax had to eat breakfast. He’s so high maintenance.” I roll my eyes as everyone laughs.

  “You might be able to fool everyone else, Blake, but I sure as shit know who is the high maintenance one out of you two.” I nod my head at Max and walk over to introduce myself to Kallie. As soon as I am standing in front of her, I am fucking blown away. This woman is gorgeous, beyond gorgeous; she is stunning, flawless. She should be a model, not behind the lens. I smile at her and hold out my hand.

  “Hi, Kallie, I’m Jax. It is so great to finally meet you. I’m sorry Blake and I are late. He’s a fucking idiot sometimes.” She places her tiny hand in mine, and I swear to you I feel as if her hand belongs there, which is ridiculous. I think I’m just so taken back that the girl I saw outside the club is standing in front of me.

  “You’re not late. I only just told everyone what I had planned. Nothing I can’t catch you up with quickly. And it is a pleasure to finally meet you. I’m really looking forward to this shoot.” She gives me the most beautiful, genuine smile I’ve ever seen before turning to face everyone else. “Alright, I’m going to need you all down by the water because the sun will be rising shortly.” Everyone starts walking down, Blake included, but I stay behind still watching her. She bends over, with her hair curtaining her face, as she grabs her camera and a few different lenses. When she stands up, she jumps and I can’t help but chuckle.

  “Shit, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I thought you might need some help with your equipment, and maybe you could tell me what the plan is.” Once again, she gives me that smile as she places her camera around her neck.

  “Thanks, but I’m used to lugging my camera and lenses everywhere, believe me. I’m sorry I didn’t explain what I have planned.” She waves her hand for me to follow, and like a fucking dog chasing after its master, I do it. She explains to me her vision, and I can tell just how passionate she is in the two minutes it takes us to reach everyone. I really fucking like that.

  I join everyone in a whole pile of randomness, but in a weird way, it makes sense. We are all talking, joking, and laughing with each other for a few minutes. I turn to see what Kallie is doing, and she has gone from this smiling beautiful girl, to a serious yet confident photographer. I find it sexy as shit; it’s like she is in her own world, snapping photo after photo from all different angles. Never once telling us what to do, she just captures what is happening. I’m captivated by her. “Hey, Jax.” I turn to Blake and can’t help but laugh when I see Max on his back. Next thing I know, this beautiful woman runs at me, and I catch her, taking a few steps back to gain my balance. She laughs and I give her my half-smirk.

  “Hey, Jax, I’m Brinley. I’ve seen your work. You are amazing.” Definitely, a compliment I won’t ever get tired of hearing, especially coming from her, considering I’ve seen some of Max’s shoots with her. She’s extremely talented herself.

  “Nice to meet you, Brinley. I’ve seen yours too, stunning.” She winks at me, and I just happen to notice my hands are gripping her ass. This is when it gets hard, literally. I need to try to keep my mind focused on the shoot, not the beautiful woman I’m holding, touching, or kissing. Sometimes my cock has different plans, and that is a situation that I don’t like being in—on a shoot, that is.

  “Alright, listen up. You’ve all goofed off enough. I need you all as close as possible, but continue doing what you’re doing. I just need you all closer and looking at me. I want a few serious faces before we get some smiles.” Immediately, everyone shuts up and does exactly as we are told. Brinley is still in my arms, Max is still on Blake’s back, and the others are either holding someone or on someone’s back. Without further instruction, we all look at Kallie. Even though my hands are touching this sexy woman, my cock is focused on Kallie. Shit, this can’t be good. We have a long day of being around each other. I need to get my shit under control here. I take a few deep breaths through my nose and focus on the shoot and nothing else. I look at the camera, not the flawless woman behind it.

  I feel like we’ve been doing this group shoot forever when Kallie finally tells us excellent job and to follow her back up the beach. I put Brinley down, and she races off to Kallie. Interesting. I slowly start following them when I feel a slap on my back. “She’s great, isn’t she?” I look over at Max and grin.

  “From what I can tell, hell yes. She seems really devoted and confident. I like that.” He nods his head in agreement, as we reach the spot Kallie is waiting for us. We all stand around waiting to see what she has planned next.

  “First of all, those shots came out fucking amazing. I’m really pleased with them, so thank you all so much for humoring me with that. I’ve got a lot I want to get through today, so let’s get right back to it. I’ll start with the guys, since there are more of you. I want to do a few group shots and then individual. I want to do the group shots up here on the rocks. Do you think it’s possible for you guys to carefully climb up on the rocks? Spread out, I don’t want you on top of each other this time. When we are done, I’ll do another shoot down by the water before we do individual.” Once again, without another word, we all make our way up on the rocks. Once she has us move left or right, up or down, and tells some of us to stand, others to sit, and others to squat, she begins snapping again. She gets right up there in the rocks with us, and I find it so amazing that she is so invested in what she is doing. You can actually feel the enthusiasm, which honestly makes me more into the shoot. I can’t remember if I’ve ever felt this compelled to prove myself before, and it’s not because she is drop dead gorgeous, it’s because I want to be every bit as good as she is.

  We do several different shots on the rocks, some with our shirts, som
e without. Once she is satisfied, she instructs us to climb down and tells us to wait while she does the girls. Just watching, I can tell how great these photos are going to be. “Damn, Jax, I haven’t seen you stare at someone like that since . . . shit, I’ve never seen it. You think she’s hot, right?” I look over at Blake a little more pissed off than is necessary. I do think she is hot, but that’s not why I’m watching; well, it’s not the only reason I’m watching. It pisses me off that he suggests that or that possibly he is looking at her thinking she is hot.

  “Actually, asshole, I’m intrigued how she works. I’ve never worked with a photographer like her before, and don’t even tell me you have, because I know you haven’t.” He laughs and slaps my back.

  “Alright, brother, keep telling yourself that.” I simply raise my eyebrows and take a sip of my water. He holds up his hands and steps back. “I know that look. I’ll shut up.” I don’t even say anything because he’s right, he does know that look. I beat his ass once for trying to hook up with a close friend when we were in high school. He knows I’d do it again. He changes the subject to what we will have for lunch.

  “Fuck, Blake, you just ate breakfast two hours ago.” He shrugs his shoulders, looking at me like a man-child. “You’re an idiot. I don’t know. Maybe we can go grab a burger or something when it’s time, alright?” I turn from him to go talk with the other guys, and before I know it, Kallie is back calling each of us individually for shots. I’m glad I’m not the first to go. I want to get a feel for what she is doing, although she could very well have something different planned for each of us. What the fuck do I know?