Behind His Lens(9)

He drags his fingers along his bottom lip and I study his gesture intently, losing myself in the beguiling sight. My lips part and I hear myself exhale softly as a wave of light-headedness hits me. His lips look just supple enough that I wish I could feel them on every inch of my body.

“Listen carefully, Charley,” Jude begins, but then he waits until I offer a delicate nod before continuing. He wants all of my attention and I’m more than happy to give it to him. My body still faces away from him, but I’m twisting my neck to look over my shoulder with an arched back. The pose makes me feel alluring and I let the sensation wash over me as he stares me down.

“I want you to keep your gaze on me. Never look away as I instruct you on exactly what to do. Understand?” His voice is hard and stern, as if he’s dealing with a child.

I mash my lips together, feeling my heartbeat pound against my chest.

“Charley, do you understand?” he asks again, more demanding this time. I chance a glance toward his blue eyes. They look like a summer sky—infinite and full of possibilities.


“Yes,” I stutter, surprised by the desire laced through my voice. Can he tell?

My entire body stands motionless as he turns back to the studio’s partition. “Switch the music, Jon. Put on that Charlie Mars CD I brought. “Nothing but the Rain” should be one of the first tracks.”

A moment later, a soft melody fills the studio. It’s captivating and I find myself having to press a hand to my belly as a heady mixture of nerves and excitement floods my veins.

“Don’t move your head, Charley,” he commands as our eyes lock together once again. The pure intensity radiating off of him makes me glance down. It’s as if I’ll go blind if I gaze into his blue irises long enough. “Reach up with your left hand and tuck your pointer finger under your right dress strap— like you’re about to push it off.”

I do as he says, fingering the silky material until it begins to inch off my delicate shoulder.

“Good, keep looking at me,” he goads gently, and I hear his camera begin to click. His expression is hidden behind his lens once again, but I want to know what he sees. I want to know if this is affecting him the way it’s affecting me.

“Arch your back gently and push the strap all the way off your shoulder.” His voice is as steady, as if he’s asking me to clap my hands rather than strip off my clothing.

The silky material causes goose bumps to rise across my skin as it slips down lower on my arm. I can’t help but glance down at the naked flesh. It’s completely erotic moving for him like this. Knowing he’s telling me to pull the strap of my dress down.

“Good. Hold it.” The camera clicks in a quick succession. Each snap seems to be synchronized with the hurried rate of my heart. Click, click, click.

“We’re going to move to the other strap now, but stop in the middle with your back to me,” I start to follow his instructions and he continues giving orders. “Close your eyes and tilt your head as if you’re in the throes of passion, Charley.” The way my name cascades off his tongue makes it so I barely have to pretend. As I twist my body, the gown’s strap falls down farther and I slide into the new pose with unbridled passion.

My back arches even more and I lace my fingers through my hair, elongating my neck for the camera.

“How beautiful, Charley,” Mrs. Hart comments, and I feel a blush tinge my cheeks. I’m glad I’m not facing them right now. This show isn’t for her, and if I think about her watching it’ll be harder to let go and hit the poses naturally.

Jude doesn’t respond to Mrs. Hart. Instead, he clicks away through the shots with a professional cadence.

“You need to remove the other strap now, Charley. Do it just the way you did it before, but I want you to bite down on your lip and make eye-contact with the camera while you do it.”

His words make my legs feel like Jell-O, but I take a deep breath and force myself to turn toward him again. He’s standing up now, leaning on his right leg and angling the camera so that it hits me slightly from above.

He must be six or seven feet away from me, but it feels like a hemisphere. My eyes lock onto his face and I watch his brow furrow intently as I push down the other strap. I take my sweet time, reveling in this fierce vixen I’m pretending to be.

She would bite her bright red lips seductively just as I’m pretending to do. She would narrow her eyes invitingly on the man she’s about to go to bed with. I imagine we’ve just come home from some fancy fundraiser. He’s wanted me for months and tonight we’ll finally have each other. The thin strap slides down my arm and soon my entire back is exposed as the top half of the dress folds down over my hips in the front.