Emerge (Evolve Series #1)(39)

talked; your wit, your sarcasm, and the innocent but curious sparkle in your eye...I don’t know, I just found myself dying to hear

what you’d say next.” He takes a deep breath, like a witness would when their testimony is finally over. “Oh and then the

princess pajamas; I can’t remember ever seeing anything cuter in my life.”

We both laugh at that. “Dane, I...”

“Don’t be nervous, Laney, I just want to spend time with you. I want to get to know you.” He leans over the table on his elbows,

bringing his face closer to mine. “There’s something great about you, the way I feel when you’re in a room. I want to see if my

instincts are right about you, and those tell me that any kind of time with you is worth spending.”

“Okay, we’ll spend time together. I’d like to get to know you, too.” I offer him a tentative smile and take another bite so I

don’t have to talk anymore.

He leans back in his chair, folding his hands behind his head and crossing one leg over his knee. “Best news I’ve heard all day,

” he coyly replies.



MK Studios is the sign on the building we pull up to and I turn to Dane. “What is this place?”

“It’s our first stop on Laney Day.” His lips curve up a bit hesitant of a full smile; he’s nervous.

“Breakfast was our first stop, and an excellent one at that.”

“I stand corrected; this is stop two, come on.” He comes around to open my door, extending his hand to me.

The receptionist greets him immediately. “Mr. Kendrick, so good to see you.”

Mr. Kendrick? He’s like twentyish years old.

“Thank you, Angela. I believe Paul is expecting us.

This is Laney Walker.”

“Of course, come on back.”

Come on back? Who is expecting me for what?

Breathe, Laney, breathe. I agreed to let him make the plans, and I agreed to go with him today in the first place, so time to man

up.

Paul is a fascinating man, definitely same-sex oriented, and apparently he loves me and I’m his darling. I love the way he says

both, incessantly. It becomes clear very quickly that I’m here for a photo shoot, and I suddenly feel nauseous. Surely this isn’t

a normal first date, well, this isn’t a date, but this is as intimidating of an event as it gets...Dane is a “go big or go home”

guy apparently.

“Dane,” I lean to him and whisper. “What the hell?! I can’t do this! Why would I do this? If you think I’m putting on some

lingerie and posing, I’m gonna run out of here...and I’ll be nixing the whole ‘spend time together thing,’ you perv.”

He rubs water from his eyes he’s laughing so hard. “Oh Disney, never quit talking, please.” He catches his breath. “I already

know you well enough to know lingerie would never be an option, and while I’m confident you’d look fabulous,” he winks, “I

wouldn’t orchestrate for other people to see you in it.”

Oh Lord, good answer; I feel heated, and oddly flattered.

“I want you to see how beautiful you are, accomplished perfectly with clothes on. Now go with Paul and I’ll wait here.”

I start to slowly drag my feet in the direction of Paul.

“And Laney!”

I turn back to look at him. The little sneak.

“Have fun.”

Paul puts me in a silky, flowing dress of beautiful light green with a cream overlay. I argue with him a bit about it being a dress

because I don’t do dresses, but he assures me that he does this for a living and I look marvelous. “I think Mr. Dane wants you to

see what he sees. Let me bring that out for you. Trust me.”

I go with it; might as well make the most of the experience, this is something I’d never have thought of myself.

When Paul’s crew is done, my hair is down and curled and my feet are bare with a dark red polish on my toes. My makeup is light

except around my eyes, where it’s heavy and smoky.

Paul pulls me to a backdrop of sheer white and places me on a dark chaise. Then he aims a fan at me from far away. This is the real

deal. I feel a bit like Cleopatra or Elizabeth Taylor.

“Look up, left, at me, no smile, sultry, pout, look away, right arm back, left ankle in, arched back, shoulder down, look down and

over,” Paul drills out commands, jumping around me like Tigger.

I’m more than a bit overwhelmed. I ask him to stop a few times so I can calm myself, but finally he says we’re done and that I

did well.

Dane ambles over to me. “How was that?” “Actually, it was really fun once I got used to it.

“Thank you so much.”

“You’re more than welcome. I’ll look at the shots while you get changed. I think he got some really nice ones.”

I swallow heavily. “You watched?”

“Every second. You did amazing. Did it feel good, Laney?”

If I discount away my anxiety and take it at face value, yeah, it did. “It did,” I finally answer.

“Well then, stop two is a success.” His cocky grin is brilliant.

When I’m changed, Paul calls me over to look at the shots on the monitor. I’m pretty sure my jaw hits the floor; I love them. I