Arranged(58)

He grinned. “Of course.” I wasn’t surprised by his enthusiasm. All models loved selfies. He moved in behind me, peeking his head around my shoulder while I held the phone. We took a few smiling, a few with silly faces.

I glanced sideways at his very close face. “Do you mind doing one where you kiss my cheek? I think it’d be cute.”

He didn’t hesitate to accommodate me. I made a kissy face at the camera while he laid pecks on my cheek.

“Will you send those to me?” he asked me when we pulled away. “I want to post, too.”

The photographer was calling us back into position, but I told him that I would as soon as I could.

I studied the images critically on our next break. The funny thing about Tommy being the model they hired was that at first glance, he resembled my husband. He was olive-skinned, with black hair, broad shoulders, and a stubbled jaw. I didn’t think that was a coincidence. The client clearly wanted to cash in on my headline-grabbing marriage.

But in the selfies, there was no way to mistake that he was very much not Calder.

I found the best shot for my purposes and toyed with the lighting. Perfect. He was hugging me from behind while he nuzzled into me, and I blew a kiss to the camera. I’d angled the camera high so you could see his naked shoulders, and it looked like his hand was spread over my bare tummy.

I posted it. On its own the picture could have easily been seen as innocent. Just a snapshot of some very chummy co-workers. It needed the right caption.

Spent the day with an old friend of mine. #reunitedanditfeelssogood #imissedhim #ilovemyjob

I put my phone away and went back to work with an added lightness to my step. For some reason, the very idea that something I did might rile my husband put me in a downright chipper mood.

We were getting close to finishing up. The photographer just wanted a few more varying oddball shots, and we’d been working so long that we were all getting a bit silly.

“We should kiss just to see if her head will actually explode,” Tommy joked. He was referring to Asha the Dour, of course.

I felt my nose wrinkle up. I studied his smiling face, skeptical.

“Not a real kiss, just a little almost lip on lip contact. More about to kiss than actual kissing, ya know? Gerard would be thrilled,” he said, referring to our long-suffering photographer who’d been through several levels of hell dealing with Asha throughout the shoot. “Let’s throw him a bone.”

“He has earned it, poor guy.” Even as we spoke, Asha was laying into him, telling him that he’d had more than enough time to get the shot.

“C’mon,” Tommy cajoled. “Let’s see how almost kissing close we can get before she hits me over the head with something.”

I laughed and made as though to kiss him. Our lips were a breath away. He dipped me a little and my head fell back. He laid one on me. It was a cursory thing. Our lips barely even made contact before we pulled away, still laughing.

I lightly slapped his shoulder. “That was a dirty trick,” I muttered.

He grinned, shrugging. “I misjudged the distance, sorry.” He was clearly, unabashedly lying and it made me laugh. I knew it was all harmless and fun.

And of course that’s the first thing Calder saw when he walked in the door. Me in another man’s arms, enjoying myself.

I glanced up, saw him, and froze. He’d come. It had actually worked. One post and he hadn’t just called. He’d shown up. And I knew with one look that I might have bitten off more than I could chew.

Shit. Had he seen Tommy’s prank of a kiss?

Calder was frozen too. And as I watched, rage lit his eyes, traveling through his face like fire down a detonation cord.

I straightened, glancing at Tommy. He’d noticed my husband’s entrance, as well.

“Uh oh,” he said simply.

Yeah. Uh oh. My eyes swung to Asha. Her arms were folded across her chest, a smug expression painted on her face. It was the happiest I’d ever seen her. Figured.

Gerard cleared his throat. “We’re good here, guys.

“Should I stay or run?” Tommy asked me gamely. “Which would piss him off less?”

“Run,” I said quietly and succinctly.

Tommy didn’t hesitate. “Always a pleasure. Catch you at the next show.” He hugged me briefly, kissed the top of my head, and took off.

I watched Calder watch him leave. His nostrils flared like a dog’s catching a strange scent.

He was clearly struggling not to either A. Confront the other man. Or B. Outright attack him. It looked like it was a close thing. I was very relieved when it became apparent that he was going to restrain himself from doing either.

I approached him with no small amount of trepidation. I stopped about three tense feet away.

He watched me with cold eyes, not making a move to close the gap between us.

“Calder! What a pleasant surprise!” I said with a big, bright, fake smile. “What brings you to this neck of the woods?”

His eyes ran up and down me with a strange combination of hostility, detachment, and pure sex. “Can’t you guess?” he drawled.

I blinked. Well, that was direct. “Excuse me for a minute,” I told him in lieu of an answer. I indicated my outfit. “I need to change. These aren’t my clothes.” I went to change in the dressing room that Asha had insisted upon.