by Love Journey
So after some self-reflection and reevaluation, he had decided to free up some of his time, and finally live a semi-normal life. He wanted to hang out with friends, relax, and make music. And if he happened to meet a special someone along the way he would love to fall in love.
Relationships were hard for him. All he seemed to run across were gold diggers and industry rats. Sadly, women always seemed to come with an agenda - money, and fame. Years ago, he had fallen for a user, and her indiscretions had nearly ended his career. Getting his heart broken and feeling betrayed hurt his creativity and career motivation. He slipped into a depressed slump after finding out that the girl he loved had slept with half the Korean music industry. He had just been another “come up” for her.
So after that experience, he vowed to never be a victim again, and for quite a few years, he played the field.
Pretty girls were his weakness and one night stands became his new claim to fame. Daniel’s reputation was the industry player and pretty boy pussy slayer. He took what he wanted, left them satisfied and moved on. But turning thirty had brought him healing and a calmer look on life. It was time for a change.
And that’s how he had come to team up with Blue.
CHAPTER 4
Diamond was a contract photographer for Blue Strategies, a full-service public relations agency specializing in celebrity and event-driven press in the music industry. They were well known for providing high-quality services and creating exciting PR campaigns. After working with Blue, celebrities became leaders on the music scene. They guaranteed professionalism, energy, and fresh ideas. Their clients included a long list of up and coming musicians from around the world.
Blue offered first-class marketing assistance, special event planning, premium social media management, and world-class celebrity endorsements. They employed the industry’s top stylists, makeup artists, journalists, photographers, videographers, editors, and event planners. Whatever a celebrity needed to build their social media - Blue provided.
So it was no surprise when Daniel Kim’s team reached out to Blue to help promote his new album with a series of summer events. They wanted a full behind the scenes PR team including personal stylist, hair and makeup, location management, and most importantly they needed a personal photographer with him every step of the way.
He had a full schedule of photo shoots, videos, interviews, club appearances, and a red carpet premiere lined up for his one month trip to New York and he wanted only the best.
And that’s how he met Diamond.
CHAPTER 5
The hotel conference room was the perfect place to hold a large team meeting. The room was intimate yet spacious, and the floor to ceiling windows created an inviting atmosphere. The cherry wood conference table ran the length of the room, an array of flowers, pastries, and high-end glass water bottles down the center.
At exactly nine, Team Blue and Team Daniel filed into the brightly lit conference room to have breakfast, make introductions, and make sure everyone was on the same page. On one side of the conference table sat the public relations team and on the other were Daniel and his people.
One minute he was biting into a muffin and the next he was frozen in place. Because when she walked into the room time stood still.
Holy shit! That’s her?
He sat up straight as her confident steps brought her to a seat directly in front of him – up close and personal.
Uhhhhhhhhhhhh
Another woman, with a black business suit, slicked-back bun, and glasses, stood and clinked her fork against her glass to get everyone’s attention. After everyone settled down, she began. “Good morning. My name is Denim Montgomery, and I’m your public relations representative with Blue Strategies. Please allow me to introduce my team…”
Thank God for dark sunglasses - because damn!
His imagination was running wild. From his vantage point behind the dark lenses, he couldn’t help but stare at the honey-hued woman sitting across from him. She wore a white V-necked sleeveless belted jumpsuit, and her reddish-brown hair was pulled into a cute messy bun on top of her head. He was fascinated at the fact that she only wore eyeliner and pale pink lip gloss on her lips. But more breathtaking was the way the sun brightened when she smiled.
Oh my god, she’s beautiful.
His breath caught in his throat as she stood to introduce herself. Rising out of chair, she blessed then all with the full vision of her curvy frame. Good God! She’s juicy! This woman was stacked. Round breasts, full hips, and thick thighs. She’s got curves for days. Damn, I bet she’d feel soft in my arms.
Looking directly at him with a professional smile she said, “Hello, my name is Diamond, and I will be your personal photographer. I look forward to being a part of your behind the scenes PR team. My job is to capture a different side of you through my lens and help to create the image that you want to present to the world. I will be with you day and night at every event leading up to the premiere. If there is anything specific that you’re looking for, please don’t hesitate to ask. I’ll make it happen.”
Gulp. Day and night huh? Well, there goes my 60 days of celibacy.
He felt an elbow in his side and heard someone next to him clear their throat. Quickly, he closed his mouth. Giving her an acknowledging nod, he sat up straighter in his chair and tried to look professional. She noticed the small gesture and blushed before taking her seat.
Two more people spoke after Diamond, but he didn’t hear a word. He was distracted by the sound of his racing heart beating hard against his rib cage. To prevent anyone from noticing that his hands were trembling, he removed them from the table top and placed them in his lap. What the hell is wrong with me? Why do I feel nervous? I’m hiring them, not the other way around. He stole another glance in her direction. That’s why.
He looked to the right again when Denim stood again. “Well, that ends all of the introductions. Do you have any questions for me or the team, Mr. Kim?”
“As a matter of fact, I would like to go over a few details with…” He motioned toward Diamond.
“You can call me Diamond,” she responded with a smile.
“Ah, would that be Mrs. or Ms.?”
The entire room was silent, and everyone was focused on her for a response. She cleared her throat and nervously shifted in her seat before responding, “Ms.”
A predatory smile lit up his face as he removed his sunglasses, leaned forward, and looked her directly in the eye, “Perfect,” he said leaning forward. “Ms. Diamond, would you care to join me after this meeting for a little one-on-one so we can discuss my photography preferences? There are certain positions… I mean angles that bring out the best in me. And since we will be spending a lot of time together we should probably get to know each other better, right?”
She met his gaze head-on. “As you wish, Mr. Kim.” I accept the challenge.
“Oh, please call me Daniel.”
CHAPTER 6
DIAMOND
A hot tub?
The invitation to get wet was completely unexpected. When he asked her to meet him in his hotel suite after the morning meeting, she hadn’t expected this, so she collected some equipment and took the elevator up to his penthouse suite. She was used to meeting in hotel rooms and never had a problem conducting business there but wasn’t sure how to interpret Daniel’s request to join him in the huge hot tub in the middle of the living of his hotel suite.
Daniel gave a lopsided grin. “Care to join me? I don’t get many chances to relax so I thought we could talk and soak our muscles at the same time.”
“I uh… I’m not prepared.”
“Please don’t get the wrong idea. It’s just that I have been in dance practice every day for two weeks preparing for this video and I’m sore. No one’s here so feel free to skinny dip if you like.”
“Um…thanks but no thanks. That would be very unprofessional.”
“Suit yourself. But if you change your mind I have some extra shirts and sho
rts that might fit you. You’re more than welcome.”
Not want to offend her new client and start off on a bad footing she came up with an idea. “That’s okay.” She reached down and started to roll her pants up to her thighs. “If you don’t mind I’ll just sit right here on the edge and put my feet in.” See that’s a great compromise. No harm no foul. Crisis averted.
He just shrugged and walked toward the hot tub while pulling his shirt over his head.
His tattoos were a beautiful collage of personal art and covered half of his upper torso and right arm. Back facing her, muscles rippling under his skin like a predatory feline, he stepped into the hot tub.
“Mmm. That feels good.” He closed his eyes and slid down into the bubbling water. He sat back and placed his hands along the rim of the tub.
Gulp. She couldn’t help but stare. He was lean, fit, and exotic in a way. Daniel had these beautiful eyes that slanted down at the outer corner. His skin was a smooth creamy white, and his lips were full enough to nip between her teeth. Mmm. She could tell that he worked out regularly because the man had an out-of-this-world six pack. The kind that made a woman want to slowly run her fingers over its tight waves of muscle.
Wave after delicious wave after delicious wave after…
Someone cleared their throat and pulled her out of her enticing daydream of wet rippling abs suddenly. Quickly she closed her parted lips and tore her gaze from the tempting half-naked man in the hot tub. “Excuse me. I uh…” she was having trouble putting together a coherent thought. “Bathroom… I….” she fumbled with the camera in her hand. “I’ll be right back.” She ran to the bathroom and shut the door.
Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit!
DANIEL
The truth is… I’m glad she left the room because I was sporting a major erection under this water.
Daniel could feel the huge smile on his face as he laid back once again into the relaxing water. The look on her face had been priceless. So she isn’t immune to my charms. In her daze, her lips had parted, and he had almost come up out of the water after her. She had looked like she needed to be kissed when she pulled her lower lip between her teeth and all he could think about was tasting her sweet lips. But now was not the time. It was just too soon.
But damn if she didn’t intrigue him. After noticing her in the hotel lobby and finding out later that she was going to be working closely with him, he had decided to take his time and pursue her cautiously. The last thing he wanted to do was create a tense working relationship over the first few weeks by sleeping with his personal photographer. Not yet at least. Because he knew from the moment, she sat down across the table from him that she was going to be different.
The bathroom door opened and she came out barefoot with her shoes in hand. “I just wanted to wash my feet a little before joining you.” Mmm hmm. With her pant legs still rolled around her thighs, she walked over to the hot tub and sat on the opposite edge before swinging her legs around. She was directly in front of him, but oh so far away it seemed. I’ll fix that in a few minutes. I have to take it easy with this one.
“So tell me about yourself, Diamond,” he said stretching out in the water.
“Well, I’ve worked with Blue for seven years, and I have a degree in …”
“No, no, no… I mean the real Diamond. Your likes and dislikes. What makes you happy?”
Her brows pulled together. “Oh, well… I like photography. I always have and capturing a mysterious side of people through the lens of my camera excites me. What about you?” she asked looking up at him.
He smiled. “I like making music. So I guess that means we’re both doing what we love to do, huh?”
“I guess it does.” She visibly relaxed and lifted one foot out of the water rolling her ankle before dipping it back below the surface.
French manicured toes. I like.
“My turn again.” He sat up straight and lowered his hands under the moving water. “Where do you live?”
“Right now I’m staying in Chicago, but I travel so much the world is my oyster.”
“Same here.”
“Well, I know you live in California and have a close network of family and friends. I also know you have worked really hard to build your business and brand. I also know that you’re a certified ladies’ man. All that is in the news.” they both laughed. “But I guess I would like to know what you do in your free time? What does Daniel Kim do to unwind?” she tilted her head to the side and looked at him quizzically.
“Great question. I like… I like… Well, hell I’m not sure what I like anymore outside of singing and dancing. It’s been so long since I had any free time I don’t know what it’s like. Today is the first day I’ve a few hours to myself in a very long time, but tomorrow we’ll be back at it again. So I guess I would have to say eating and sleeping is what I wish I could do more of.”
“Aww Daniel. That’s sad.”
He shrugged. “It is what it is. I have a lot of people depending on me, so I do what needs to be done. What about you?”
“I like to eat out.”
He mouth dropped open, and then a big-ass smile spread across his face. “For real?” he wagged his eyebrows. “Me too! I never would have pegged you as bisexual though…”
“Nasty… At restaurants! I like to eat out at restaurants!” she screamed with laughter as she flicked water in his direction with her fingertips. “You’re so nasty. I should’ve known your mind would be in the gutter.”
The fake look of surprise correlated perfectly with the clenched hand pressed against his chest. “Who me? Hey, I take offense to that…not!” He chuckled as he moved to the center of the hot tub and floated on his back above the water. “You’re right. I’m nasty as fuck, but I can guarantee you that I’ll be the best you ever had. I don’t disappoint.”
“Is that right?” She raised an eyebrow. I knew it was coming.
While he was floating in in the water, the current had pushed him further in her direction. Without warning, he went underwater and then stood up slowly two feet directly in front of her. The water stopped at his waist and dripped down his toned chest. He took one hand and ran it through his shiny black hair as he locked eyes with her and bit his bottom lip. He knew he looked damn good.
Then he leaned towards her, placed his hands on either side of her hips with his face stopping inches from her own. Eye to eye she met his challenge with a raised brow.
“Diamond, I’ll ruin you for other men. Just say the word. I’ve been imagining sucking on your lips all day.”
He held his place, waited for her to make a move, and breathed in her vanilla scent. Most women came easily. All he needed was a touch of her hand, and he was going to wrap her legs around his waist and give her the best ride of her life. It had been two months since he’d felt a woman in his arms and he was aching for some hot wet pussy. He watched her eyes glance at his lips and rise back up. The corner of his mouth lifted into a half grin. You know you want to kiss me. Here I am, come get me. His fingers flexed ready to scoop her up.
“Daniel?” she whispered.
“Yes?”
“The word…” she took a deep breath and blew her peppermint breath against his lips. “The word is - no.”
The smiled dropped from his mouth as all his hot fantasies deflated like a balloon. Playing hard to get? No problem. I’m a patient man.
“You sure?” he asked as he broke eye contact and shrugged. “Your loss.”
“Probably, but it’s for the best.”
He carefully fell back into the water. “Really? How so?”
“Daniel, I’m a professional and so are you. I want both of us to have a positive experience while we work together, and throwing sex into the mix is a big no-no in my book. I don’t sleep with clients - ever. You’re cute and all, but I’m not interested in a one night stand with anyone - no matter how good you are, ha. So I hope that clears the air and we can return to a healthy professional working relationship.” She added
insult to injury by sticking out her hand for him to shake.
He laughed and took her hand in a firm grip. Before letting it go, he made her a promise. “Challenge accepted.”
She shook her head and swung her legs out of the water and over the side in order to stand. “No, no, no. That was not a challenge, sir. That was a fact.” Grabbing a towel off the stack next to the edge she bent over to dry her legs. “I’m your personal photographer, and I work hard. My job is to fade into the background and capture your beauty through the lens of my camera. So getting back on track, is there anything you don’t want me to do in these next two weeks?”
“As a matter of fact, there is… I would like it if you wouldn’t bend over in wet cream pants that I can see through and show me a thong I can’t pull off with my teeth.” he laughed.
She stood up quickly and threw her hands across her backside. “Daniel!”
He just shrugged innocently and sat back in the water. “You might see me naked a couple of times, just keep those pictures to yourself.”
She laughed, picked up the camera she brought, and turned to snap a picture of him in the hot tub. “I’ll see you tomorrow for the early morning photo shoot.”
“Mmm hmm.”
DIAMOND
Damn, that was close!
Diamond hadn’t thought about her pants becoming transparent. Oh well. She hurried down the hall to the elevator. That one-on-one meeting with Daniel taught her two things. First, Daniel was big trouble. And second, it had been way too long since the last time she had sex.
When Daniel had moved in close enough to kiss the temperature in the room had shot up to two hundred degrees. It had been a very long time since someone almost made her forget herself.
She hadn’t dated much in the last couple of years. The few dates she had been on had felt more like either business dinners or charity cases. She hadn’t found that special person who made her want to throw caution to the wind and take a chance on love. She hadn’t even had the faintest interest in a man until now - but Daniel broke through her defenses somehow. There was something about him that took her breath away and left her unable to think clearly.