Play With Me(8)

Including sex for photographic purposes.

Nerves fluttered in her stomach at the thought of being taken by Murphy while Chase captured the pictures. A quick twinge of guilt caught her off guard, which she quickly pushed away. Good girls weren’t supposed to be this excited about the cold, clinical way these acts were portrayed in black and white. This wasn’t a date, nor was it a romance, she reminded herself. She had something to prove to herself, and she wanted to do something different. Something so far outside her comfort zone she’d never want to go back. She didn’t want to be the good girl anymore. It was time to be the bad girl.

She hastily picked up a pen she’d left lying on the nightstand, and signed across the dotted line.

Fuck it.

If she couldn’t take a chance with someone like Chase, she never would. He’d maintained a strange distance between them most of the time, yet she still got to know him. She trusted him not to hurt her. At least physically.

She planned to go in guarding her heart and prayed she wouldn’t regret it.

*

Precisely at nine a.m. sharp, Eve swiped her employee card through the security pad on the back door of the building that housed the photo studio. Both Chase’s and Murphy’s cars were already in the parking lot. She’d carefully chosen one of the most conservative business suits she owned, along with the most outrageous pair of four-inch heels she possessed.

Underneath said outfit was a completely different story. After the first few weeks of working at Altered Ego, she’d begun to change how she dressed underneath her plain skirts and blouses. She’d been determined to feel sexy despite her size and ordered all new lingerie. On days she felt particularly scandalous, she would wear no panties underneath her skirt and a thin lace bra that did little to hide her hard nipples poking underneath.

Today was not one of those days.

She’d picked matching black lace panties and bra. Chase had given her no indication of when the shoot would begin if she accepted, so she’d decided to come prepared just in case. At the front entrance, she grasped the handle on the frosted glass door and pulled it open. Eve half expected Chase and Murphy to be standing in the lobby waiting for her. Instead the hum of the aquarium in the corner greeted her along with the scent of freshly brewed coffee.

Mmm. A super shot of caffeine sounded like the perfect way to start her day. No messages sat on her desk, and everything remained exactly as she’d left it the afternoon before. Eve dropped her bag and the folder on her desk and headed in the direction of the small kitchen. She hadn’t gotten three feet away when the intercom buzzed.

“Eve, did you bring the Smith folder with you this morning?” The tone of Chase’s question told her nothing. She wasn’t surprised. He probably excelled at card games with that damned poker face of his.

She rushed as fast as she could on four-inch heels back to her desk, depressed the intercom button, and spoke. “Yes, sir, it’s here on my desk.”

“Could you please bring it in?”

“Of course.” Oh boy, here we go. He hadn’t even let her get her morning coffee before she had to face him with her answer. Eve scooped up the folder and headed for Chase’s office. No doubt he and Murphy would be waiting and Chase would have told him everything about their conversation from the night before.

Outside his door, she plastered on her hopeful smile and entered his space. Chase didn’t look up from his computer, nor did he greet her in any way. She waited a few seconds, unsure how to proceed.

“I’ve got the file here for you. I—”

“Good.” He interrupted. “Just leave it there in my box.”

Shocked by his disinterest, Eve dropped the file, turned, and walked out the door. After everything she’d put herself through in anticipation of seeing him this morning, the letdown of being summarily dismissed crippled her.

Coffee forgotten, she fell into her chair and stared at her computer screen. Why hadn’t he said anything? He didn’t even ask if she’d signed the agreement. And where the hell was Murphy? She’d already noticed that his office was empty this morning and had assumed he’d be waiting with Chase. She poked her head over the partition and stared in the direction of the studio. Sure enough the door was closed tight and the busy light was on. She leafed through the appointment book to see what was scheduled, only to find they had nothing until eleven o’clock this morning.

So why then was Murphy shut in the studio and Chase sitting in his office staring at the screen? She had half a mind to head into the dressing room and take a peek, but the chance of getting caught was too great. Certainly her boss would not be pleased if he discovered her spying on a session.

Hours passed as Eve went about her morning routine. Answering calls and sorting through e-mails as well as what was delivered by the mailman. Every time Eve moved, the lace of her bra rubbed across her nipples until they’d gone beyond sensitive to wildly aroused. Constant images of Chase and Murphy surrounding her flooded her mind. Simply every move, every thought kept her continuously on edge until she thought she’d go mad.

She’d glance at the clock and squirm endlessly in her chair, the wait excruciating. She’d expected Chase to give her a hard time this morning, to try and talk her out of the job. Them ignoring her had never crossed her mind. It served as a stark reminder that this was simply a job. Not a date. Not a love affair. A job that she’d signed a contract to do.