Daniel gripped her hips tighter, almost to the point of bruising her, but the pain only complemented the pleasure he was giving her. He moved his hands farther, capturing her ass and pulling her tightly before he stood, turning to lay her on her back, forcing his cock deep into her. Grasping both of her wrists in one of his large palms, he lifted her arms above her head and held her while he pumped within her.
She loved his dominant act and pushed against his hand, testing her limits. Arching from the couch, she leveraged her body for the ultimate contact with hers. His pelvis stroked her clit as he drove inside her depths. Feeling the tightening in her cunt, she knew her peak approached.
Licking her lower lip, he captured it in his teeth, demanding she open her mouth for him. He kissed her deeply, and Kacey felt his need released after being caged for so long. Yet she felt him tremble above her, as if he still tried to rein in the little control he had left. The kiss continued as she felt his pace quicken and his body tighten, and she matched his stride, knowing they were both close to climax.
Crying out, she exploded beneath him, Daniel following suit, releasing within her while holding her tightly to him. When they were both ready to come up for air, he turned to his side, taking her with him, protecting her from the edge by drawing her close. He laid kisses all along her face as she drew imaginary circles on his arm with her finger.
Sighing, she looked up into his face, a half smile twisting her lips. “I had forgotten how well you do that.”
“I’m not going to let you forget again.” Daniel kissed her forehead, hugging her tightly to him. “I wonder if the masseur is still waiting outside for his things?”
Chapter Fourteen
Apollo clasped Eros on his shoulder as they walked down the hallway, away from the office, a wide smile on his face. “You were right, yet again.”
“Uncle, I have been doing this for a very, very long time. I know people better than they know themselves sometimes.”
“And no wonder you are always so happy. There is something to this matchmaking. It is good for the soul.”
Black smoke filled the office, grasping both men in its clutches, tightening its grip on them while pulling them down. Eros attempted to fight the fog but ended up more entwined. He gave up so he could ready himself for whatever lay at the end of the blackness.
Punching a hole through the ground, both he and Apollo were pulled asunder and deposited before the Altar of Hades. Slamming both men to the ground with force, the smoke receded, and both men stood quickly, never knowing what to expect from the King of the Underworld.
“I grow tired of the both of you.” Standing in the center of the dais, Hades loomed over the pair, a giant of a man nearing ten feet tall. Layers of grayed fabric covered his bulk, his face haggard and worn.
Apollo, always the smartass of the bunch, bowed deeply at the waist. “Well, hellloooo to you, too, Hades.” Straightening, Apollo plastered the fakest smile across his lips that Eros had ever seen. “And my, Uncle, you are looking positively gray and abysmal, which, if I remember correctly, is the new look for winter”—Eros saw an odd look cross Apollo’s face and the look was gone in an instant—“this season. You are going to win best dressed award this year. I can feel it in my bones.”
“Silence!” The walls shook with Hades’ bellow. “You fools have no idea what you are playing with, do you?”
Eros stepped closer to Hades, peeking around to see that his wife, Persephone, sat behind him. “We fools are trying to prevent you from killing us all.”
“The Earth is no longer necessary. They are all just greedy, lustful, vicious maggots who do not deserve the gifts of the gods. Why allow them to contaminate Gaia any longer. Let us be done with them. And in one spot, here in the Underworld, I can watch over them all and ensure they are adequately tortured for the havoc they have wreaked aboveground.”
“So, by killing love, the Earth turns cold, and the spring never comes….”
“No spring?” Persephone stood, the incredulity apparent in her voice.
“Wife, we will speak later on this matter.” Turning back to the pair, Hades stood before them. His eyes looked like burning embers, standing out in the gray pallor of his face.
“Like I was saying, Earth turns cold, the spring never comes, and the Earth dies, along with its inhabitants. Do you not realize that if Gaia dies, so does your domain under it?”
“You are wrong. The Underworld is eternal, as is Mt. Olympus.”
Eros stepped closer still, having to raise his face to the other god. “You forget I am Primordial. I came before you all. Gaia is tied to both Mt. Olympus and the Underworld. If there is no world above, there can be nothing below it. Darkness will reign.”
“Darkness?”
“It will all slip away into nothingness. The Darkness will be all that is left.”
“Erebus. Damn him.”
“I thought Erebus was helping you.”
“Not hardly. It is the other way around. He suggested this whole plan.” Hades shrunk until he was the same height as Eros and looked him in the eye. “I love my wife, even if she cannot stand to be here. So I gathered other gods and goddesses close to my bosom in hopes that I could keep my love with me at all times. I cannot bear it when she leaves me for the spring.”
“Do you know what Erebus’s next move was?”
“Not exactly. Something about a jaded woman.”
“Winter, Eros.” Apollo clapped Eros on the shoulder. “We must find our winter.”
“What?”
“I think I know what the Oracle was speaking of. All three of our women have had Immortal blood. Kami was the youthfulness of spring. Kendall was the hearty summer. And Kacey was the autumn. We now need our winter.”
* * * *
Half-nude, writhing bodies swirled together under the bright overhead lights, arms and legs entangled through the half dozen men and women moving on the studio floor. All muscled for rank, trying to outshine the others, trying to be the one. The epic battle for superiority, all of them alien to the others, none of them feeding off the others’ energy.
Kat Marks lay on her stomach, shooting shot after shot as her assistant stood behind her ready and at her beck and call. Moving back to her knees, Kat threw the expensive camera at the young man and bolted to her feet.
“This is a group shot. If you don’t understand the dynamics of a group shot, then you need to get the fuck off my studio floor and stop wasting my time. To be in the moment, you need to feel the energy of the body next to you, instead of fighting against it, and let me feel it through my lens.”
Grabbing the camera back from Jorge, she began to focus on the group once more. “Yes, better, better. Dominic, I know you prefer a hard cock, but do you think you can pretend to be interested in the half-naked girl beside you? I promise she won’t bite you.”
But if you get in her way one more time she might rip your head off.
Clicking away for the better part of an hour, Kat continued barking commands and demands but finally pulled back, frustrated that the group just wasn’t getting it. She had a few shots that might work, and she would be up all night scouring through the film, looking for something she could use. It was too late to get another group in as she had to have something to the magazine in a day and a half. Too frustrated with this whole job, she wasn’t going to worry about seeking out another set of six pain-in-the-ass, young models.
I need to start shooting landscapes and give up on the anorexic set.
Handing her camera over to Jorge, she sighed, looking at the hopeful faces below her awash in an ethereal glow from the studio lighting. Young and dumb, their appearances seemed almost angelic from this vantage point, relaxed and at ease. “Yes! Don’t you guys move an inch or change your expression. Camera!”
Taking the shot, she finally had “it,” clicking off a few more just to ensure she did indeed have the perfect shot. Sighing and relaxing as she once again handed her equipment over, she looked down into the
group and smiled.
“I think I finally got what I needed, but word to the wise, you all need to learn how to work with other energies on set. Cutthroat competition was not the theme of the shoot.” As she saw tears forming in one of the young people’s eyes, she grimaced and shook her head. “And thicken up that skin. This industry will chew you and spit you out in a heartbeat. Now get out of my studio!”
Spinning, she stalked off set and into her office, Jorge fast on her heels. “Kat, would you like a punching bag to get some of that frustration out?”
Dropping into her favorite cushy leather chair, she relaxed every muscle in her body and just took up space for a minute, letting the afternoon shoot ease from her bones and into the soft cushions below her. “Jorge, are they getting younger, or am I just too damned old?”
“Considering the last time I gave you an honest answer to that question I nearly got my ass served to me on a silver platter, I think I will plead the Fifth, mi amiga.” Smiling at her from across the office as he put away her cameras and lens, he snickered. “Better yet, I will throw your answer back at you, quote, ‘Forty-seven is not old. I am at the height of my professional career, and I have half my life ahead of me,’ end quote.”
“I sure as heck hope you are enjoying yourself with your little air-quoting dancing fingers.” Rolling her eyes, she glared at him as he snickered. “And by the way, I am forty-eight now.” She felt more like sixty-eight after this afternoon.
“Whatever, it’s still not the tweens and twenty-somethings that most of those little gilipollas are.”
“I’m old enough to be every one of their mothers. When the hell did that happen?”
“While you were out there snapping pictures.” Jorge walked over to his desk situated across from hers. “Don’t forget, you have that special shoot tonight, and I will be AWOL.”
Leaning her head back, Kat closed her eyes, thinking about Jorge’s date tonight. “You really are going to go out with that schmuck?”
“That schmuck is an award-winning photojournalist who has traveled the world twice. He has great stories, an even better body, and he is f-i-n-e, fine. And if he liquors me up tonight, he just might get lucky, so hell yes, I am going on this date tonight. It is time for Prince Charming to come to my rescue.”
“Prince Charming? Give me a break.” Kat stood up from her chair, stretching as she rounded her desk, and moved into her desk chair. Looking over her assistant, she smiled, knowing she loved him like a nephew. The man was gorgeous—from the top of his shiny black hair, to his glistening jade eyes, to the tips of his black painted toenails—and had been one of those young models who had been smart enough to know that pretty looks only stayed for but so long. When she had shot him, he was bright, asked tons of good questions, and made her laugh the entire time.
So, by the third time she had the privilege to shoot him, she asked him to stay for the next model and handed him the camera for the last ten shots. His pure, natural talent had made her ask him if he wanted to spend some more time in her studio. Five years later, he was nearly ready to venture out on his own. Kat would miss his company if he ever left her, as he was the closest thing she had to a relationship with the opposite sex. Shaking her head, she realized how stupid it was to be getting all emotional about her assistant.
“Send the film to my laptop so I can start searching for a winner.”
Jorge stepped closer to ensure the wireless connection from the camera quickly sent the data. “You are so jaded, Kat. There are people in this world that find the real thing every day. It wouldn’t hurt for you to get out more, try the dating scene, and have a little fun. You aren’t going to find love stuck in this studio.” Snickering under his breath one more time, he turned away from her. “Wouldn’t hurt for you to get laid, either.”
“I heard that.”
“I wanted you to.”
“Jorge, give me a break. I am too old to find love now. I have my career and my friends to keep me busy.”
Pulling his chair around to sit beside her and look at the shots, he snorted. “You mean the friends that only want to be around you because you are Ms. Katherine Marks, photographer extraordinaire? Puh-leeze. You need something more substantial than the old whores that circle around you at every party you go to.”
“Old whores? Wow, tell me how you really feel.” Kat never looked up from the film she was perusing, knowing that a lot of what Jorge said was, in fact, the truth. She did have a lot of hangers-on hoping to share some of her limelight and potentially meet some of her celebrity clients. She was sick of the cloying crowds and the fake industry parties she was constantly invited to. The pace was extreme, and it was starting to weigh her down.
Perhaps she needed a vacation. Some time away from the lights and the glitter, back to nature, back to her photographic roots. How wonderful that sounded, and she decided that she would look through her calendar and see if she could get Jorge to juggle some things around and open her up to some much-needed time off.
“I worry about you being so alone. You need someone to make you happy. In the five years I have worked here, you have never been on a date, and I suspect that it started before that. So, how long has it been, Kat? Six years? Seven? No, wait, a decade?”
Looking up from the images on her desk, she glared at Jorge. “It has not been a decade.” Or has it? Let’s see, that smarmy guy that I was set up with for a blind date was the last one, and that was what, five, maybe six years ago? “I had a date just before you started working for me.”
“Five years, Kat, is a very, very long time to be in hibernation. It’s,well, no offense, but it’s sad.”
“Is this beat-down-Kat day? Did I not get the memo?” Kat wanted to kick Jorge out of the office. He was not making this day get any better.
“I love you, Kat. Behind that tough exterior lies a heart that needs attention, and I am going to keep nagging you like I am your madre until you do something about it.” Respect and love shone through the jade gaze staring into her, and she found she couldn’t be mad, not with the earnestness of his statement.
Softening her expression, she turned back to her film. “I wouldn’t even know where to begin.”
“You’d be amazed. Once you open yourself up for what could be, love just might come knocking at your door.”
“Save me the Prince Charming shit, will you?”
* * * *
Eros watched the entertaining banter between the woman and her assistant, immediately liking the tough-broad act and her out-and-proud employee. Love came in many forms, and it always touched him to see the loving that occurred between good, close friends. It may not be the love that he needed to make the spring come forth, but it was equally strong.
“Are you sure this is the one?” Apollo stood at his side. “She looks too young to be the winter.”
“No, I’m not sure, but she sure fits the bill for being the jaded woman. And you said yourself that she has a touch of Immortal blood in her veins.” Eros looked at Kat. Her wispy, ash-blonde hair pulled up in a floppy ponytail near the crown of her head gave her the aura of a much younger woman, carefree and fun. To look at her, one would never suspect she was over the age of thirty-five. Tall and lean, she took care of her body and skin, and it showed in the smooth porcelain features and athlete’s frame. It was no wonder the woman had started her own career in photography as a model herself. “Five years? I couldn’t imagine not have sex for five days, let alone years.”
“I wonder what happened to her to make her turn her back on love.” Apollo looked rather wistfully at the woman. “So, what do you have planned for her? Do you need me to assist in any facet of the sexual healing she needs? I would not object to giving that stunning woman all the love and care she needed…for the night.”
“You are such a whore, Uncle.” Eros laughed as Apollo pretended to be shocked at his statement. “No, I think this one will only require us to keep whatever Erebus has in mind at bay. She must fulfill her fate. And her fate com
es for her tonight.”
Chapter Fifteen
Two hours later, Kat’s studio was as quiet as a church as she retouched and edited the photo she had finally chosen to be the right fit. Tired, she rubbed her hands along her face, wondering if her appointment tonight would be quickly over so she could grab some takeout and go home to her comfy couch and DVR player. She never should have booked such a late shoot, especially knowing Jorge had other plans, but her agent had begged her to take part as the shoot was for charity.
The local Police Officers Benevolent Society was having a single-man auction for Valentine’s Day, and they needed photos to put into next month’s City Life Magazine to drum up excitement and then, of course, the auction program itself. So, she was back to shooting beefcake, like she had started out her career. At least it was for a good cause.
Kat had the first two tonight, and the rest would be shot throughout the following week. As police officers and EMTs, their shift work made them difficult to schedule for the shoots, but since it was for the community, she did her best to accommodate.
A buzzing told her that her appointment was there, and she lifted from the office chair, walking through the old, refurbished warehouse that was her studio. Looking at her watch, she realized the men were a little early, so perhaps that comfy couch in her nice, warm penthouse could come even sooner. She loved the sound of her feet clicking on the concrete as she moved through the ten-thousand-foot space. Twenty-foot ceilings and a double rolling door allowed her to bring in all kinds of fun accessories for her shoots.
Reaching the outer door, she unchained the aluminum door and rolled one side away to allow her clients in, along with a blast of arctic air. The heating bill for the studio was going to break her this winter. Hell, winter wasn’t even here yet.
AllsFair Page 13