The Exposure (6 page)

As he spoke, she felt transformed. With his words wrapping themselves around her, she became something beyond herself. She was more than a model, more than a woman; she was a muse. Greater still, for those few short moments in time, she became
his
muse. And the shocking part was, she didn't want to be anyone else.

She didn't want the session to end either, because she knew once it did, she'd go right back to being plain Meagan Bishop.

“Lift your head, but keep your eyes closed,” he spoke softer. She hoped she was getting to him, even if it was only a little bit. It seemed only fair. “Tilt your head back, just a bit. Part your lips. Slightly.”

Following his direction was effortless. The muse in her pictured how she looked and was pleased.

“That's it.” His voice was rougher. He was definitely bothered by her. The side of her that was plain Meagan Bishop smiled. “Keep your eyes closed and move slowly.”

Freed by his words, she moved slowly and seductively. The muse became an enchantress. Luke didn't speak, but she heard the faint clicks of his camera and his footsteps as he moved around her. For a few moments, it was as if they moved in unison as one: her, Luke, and his camera.

It was one of the most sensual things she'd ever experienced and she wasn't going to examine it or try to figure it out. She freed herself of any inhibitions and just let her body move along
with the feeling, wishing whatever magic they created could last forever.

But, of course, it couldn't and much too soon, she heard Luke's heavy sigh. “That's enough for today.”

Was it her imagination or did he sound as if he didn't want it to end either?

As if she could somehow delay the inevitable, she took her time opening her eyes. She scanned the room for Luke, desperate to know if he felt something, too, or if it was only in her mind. But when she found him, his back was to her.

She wondered if he was hiding.

“Should I get dressed?” she asked, surprised at how husky her voice sounded.

“Yes, that's fine.”

She waited for several long seconds to see if he'd turn around so she could find some sort of hint in his expression about how he felt. But he never did and she decided to leave before the quiet moment turned awkward.

Once she'd changed back into her clothes and hung up the beautiful gown, she slowly made her way into the hallway. He must have heard her, because he called, “I'm in the kitchen.”

Following the sound of his voice, she met him in the house's expansive kitchen. Luke stood, looking out the back window, turning only when she entered the room. He nodded at the table where two water bottles sat.

“I got you some water,” he said. His expression was veiled and she couldn't help it—it pissed her off.

“Do you typically provide aftercare for your photography sessions?”

It was the wrong thing to say; she knew it as soon as the words came out of her mouth. He moved to stand in front of her.

Hell, she'd forgotten how tall he was.

“I thought you might be thirsty,” he said. “It has nothing to do with aftercare. If it were aftercare, you would be in my arms, both of us basking in the joint pleasure we'd experienced. I'd be stroking your hair, telling you how much you pleased me and turned me on. I might even kiss you. Run my lips across your shoulders, taste your skin, enjoy the hint of salt that remained.” He picked up a bottle of water and gave it to her. “This is merely water. However, if you'd like to experience my aftercare, we can look for a mutually beneficial time to further explore what would be involved.”

And just like that, he'd thrown the gauntlet down in the most matter-of-fact way possible.

“I think we'd better stick to photography,” she managed to get out.

He nodded and took a sip of his water. “Consider it a standing offer.”

She was fresh out of snappy comebacks. Probably because the photography session had her wondering what a BDSM session would be like with this older Luke. She had a feeling it would be nothing like what she had experienced with the younger Luke and
that
was nothing short of spectacular.

*   *   *

L
uke breathed a sigh of relief as Meagan's car pulled out of the driveway. The photography session had been a lot more intense than he'd bargained for. Meagan obviously thought so too, or else she wouldn't have made the comment she did about aftercare.

Damn, but he didn't remember things being so fiery with
her the last shoot they did. Then again, maybe they had been. After all, they'd spent the following weekend in bed.

He took a big sip of his water. No, there was no way in hell the chemistry between them had been so palpable fifteen years ago. No way had she played to the camera all those years ago the way she had today. He'd known she'd look incredible in the silk and lace he bought for her, but he had no idea she'd become the very embodiment of every fantasy he ever had.

Fuck, just thinking about it made him hard.

He was going to spend a lot of time in a cold shower if today was any indication of how future sessions would go. What he needed to do was to get his mind on something other than Meagan Bishop and how she looked wrapped in the tiny bit of almost nothing.

His phone vibrated on the counter where he'd left it and he gladly went to answer it. Finally, he could talk about something that wasn't Meagan.

Except it was the gentleman behind the book, Rick Campbell, and Luke knew he'd be calling for an update. He had to admit, he'd been surprised when Rick approached him about the project. Apparently, Rick had been at his latest club's grand opening and had been captivated by the pictures Luke had decorated with. Rick called him the next day to inquire about them and when he found that Luke was the photographer, he brought up the book.

The book itself was to be published by a small press that specialized in nonfiction coffee-table books. Luke had been tempted to snicker at the thought of a BDSM book being considered a coffee-table book, but Rick had been completely serious.

“Hello, Rick,” he said with a smile. “How's it going?”

“Great. I'm calling to see if the session went as expected.”

“It did. Ms. Bishop is everything I told you about and more. Definitely the right model for the job.”

“Then I'm glad she agreed to work with you. Would you be able to send over a few shots from today?”

“Of course. She just left, so give me a few hours to go through what I have and pick some out to send.”

Rick agreed and after they disconnected, Luke sat the phone back down with a groan. Looked as if he wasn't going to get a break from Meagan after all. Instead, he was going to spend the evening with images of her barely covered body.

First things first, though, he decided. And the first thing up was an ice-cold shower to show his body who was boss. As he walked past the bedroom Meagan had changed in, he saw the skimpy gown hanging where she'd left it.

First thing up was a
longer-than-long
ice-cold shower.

Later that night, he stood in his New Jersey club, just a few minutes from his home in Princeton, and hoped the sights and sounds would help keep his mind off Meagan. So far it wasn't helping. He wasn't sure why. It was a Saturday night and the place was crowded. From the looks of it, everyone was having a great time. He smiled and nodded at a few people, but didn't stay in one place long enough to strike up a conversation, because he didn't feel like sitting around and talking. He felt restless and unsettled.

Which he partially blamed on Meagan and partially on himself. After all, he was the one who'd picked out that damn gown. But it was all her fault she looked so damn good in it.

He thought about finding a willing submissive and escaping off to a private room. He'd never played at his own club, but that didn't mean he couldn't.

Maybe a nice long, hard session was just what he needed to clear his head. He walked toward the check-in desk, planning to look through the submissive list to see who'd showed up alone tonight, when a soft, seductive laugh had him changing his direction. He knew better, but for some reason it sounded like Meagan.

In all likelihood, it wasn't her, but rather his mind conjuring her up because she was so heavily on his mind. The sound was coming from a nearby lounge area. He made his way toward it as quickly as possible and came to a full stop.

Damn it all to hell and back. It was Meagan.

She didn't see him and he almost smiled. He couldn't wait to make his presence known. But as he grew closer, he saw who she was talking with and froze.

A man who went by the name “Master V”; a man who was removed from the membership roll. He'd been dishonest to Meagan months ago the night Abby was almost assaulted. Though many things bothered Luke about the man, at the moment two held the top position in his head: why was Meagan talking with that asshole?

Regret, anger, and jealousy boiled inside him, but they all dimmed in comparison to his second question:
What the hell was Master V doing in his club?

Both Meagan and Master V heard him approach at the same time and turned. Meagan looked surprised, but Master V just looked smug.

“How did you get in?” Luke asked, seeing no reason for pleasantries.

The so-called “Master” answered with a confident “I just gave them my name.”

Luke stepped closer, the
just-what-are-you-going-to-do-about-it
expression on the other guy pissing him off more with every second. “What name would that be?”

Meagan stepped in between the two men. “Luke, you're being rude.”

Luke held up his hand. “Meagan, this is none of your business. Stay out of it.”

“What do you mean it's none of my business? It was my conversation you interrupted.”

Standing slightly behind her, Master V simply snorted in enjoyment. Was he enjoying a scene he had orchestrated?

“Meagan,” Luke said. “I'm telling you one more time—”

“Do you need help, Boss?” The head of his security team appeared at his side.

Luke didn't move his eyes from the couple in front of him. “Find out what name
Master V
used to get in tonight.”

He'd given explicit instructions that the so-called Master V was not to be allowed in his club. He knew for a fact his employees would not let him in. It only made sense the man used a different name to get into the club.

He was mad at himself now. Somehow there was a loophole in his database that allowed members to be listed more than once, under different names. It was his mistake and he'd own up to it.

“Excuse me?” Meagan said.

But before he could fix the security issue, though, he had to deal with Meagan. He turned to his security lead. “I'll let you take care of him. I'll handle her.”

“You'll handle me? Handle me?” Her voice was filled with ire. “What the—”

“Enough.” Luke stepped closer to Meagan as Master V was
led away by security. Luke took her wrist and held it up, his thumb stroking the red bracelet there. “Unless it's escaped your attention, you're here as a submissive tonight and you are being disrespectful to me, not only as a Dom, but also as the club owner. Not for the first time, either, I'll remind you.”

She jerked her hand out of his, put both on her hips, and tipped her head. “And?”

“And since the Dom you were with is no longer here, your discipline falls to me.”

Understanding swept across her face and she went pale. “I loathe you. I don't even know why I come here. Every time I show up, you follow me around just waiting for me to mess up. It's like you're looking for a reason to get your hands on my ass.”

“Why do you come here?” he asked. “I can remember at least five times you swore you'd never come back and yet you still show up.”

“There was nothing on TV tonight.”

He could almost laugh at her thin attempt at bravado. Almost, but he wouldn't; he had an image to protect and he didn't want the other submissives to get any ideas. “You'd think with as much trouble as you're in, you'd be just a bit more respectful.”

“I don't see the point. You're going to do what you're going to do anyway. Might as well let you know how I really feel.”

“Still with the backtalk, sweetheart?” he asked. “It's like you're looking for a reason for me to get my hands on your ass.” She opened her mouth to object to his slight restatement of her words, but his next words stopped her from doing more. “And trust me, by the time we're finished, everyone in here will have no doubt about how you really feel.”

For the first time he could ever remember, Meagan looked
unsure of what to do or say next. No worries, he told himself. For the next however long it took, she didn't have to concern herself with what to do or say. He would be the one to direct her. And it started with one word.

He narrowed his eyes at her. “Kneel.”

*   *   *

M
eagan kept her eyes on Luke as she went to her knees. She recognized she was in enough trouble without disobeying him more, but she wanted him to see her eyes. To feel her anger.

Though, truly, she really had only herself to blame. She
had
been disrespectful to Luke. Many times. And with her display tonight, she'd basically pushed him into a corner until he had no choice other than to do what he did. She did know better, but damn it, it was as though his very presence egged her on.

Unless he was right and she really just wanted his hands on her.

She didn't feel like walking down that path at the moment.

When she made it back to her apartment after the photography session, she'd been surprised to find her earlier restlessness had dissipated, leaving her calm and at ease. It was as if she'd spent the last few hours in an actual scene instead of merely being photographed.