Angelic

I arrived early Thursday afternoon. I was thrilled when I received the email from Richard hiring me to shoot this wedding. The minute I heard about the wedding, I took advantage of my connection to Richard to secure the assignment.

It’s been a bit of a struggle this past year getting things running at a profit. After years of traveling the world, it was time for me to come home to Tranquility.

This assignment could put my small photography business on the map.

I’d had some success with small weddings since I opened my shop. There was a lot of competition out there. It wasn’t like in the beginning when you had to learn how to process film. With the digital age, everyone who owned a camera was claiming to be a professional photographer.

I wanted to get away from weddings and family photos and do more selected sittings. I’d always been intrigued with the popularity of boudoir and burlesques. Unfortunately, until I could bank a few more bucks for the expensive equipment required to set up that kind of shop, weddings, babies and pets were it.

Mackenzie showed me to my room at the South Side Inn. It was supposed to be a bed and breakfast. It didn’t look like any bed and breakfast I had ever seen at any of my other assignments.

It projected an image of a bed and breakfast for the rich and famous. The cost, however, was equal to any family oriented resort. I was going to enjoy all that came with the place for the weekend. It was their grand opening, and it was starting with what should have been the wedding of the century.

Instead, Richard and Mackenzie decided on a small family only wedding.

Richard did not want his wedding to Mackenzie to turn into a media circus like many other celebrity weddings often do. Finding out billionaire man whore Richard Van de Graaf Jr was getting married caused an international frenzy.

You could hear the collective heartbreak of all the single women in the world.

The only non family members attending were part of the wedding party. They, along with family, were going to be staying at the bed and breakfast on the north side. I would be sharing the South Side Inn with the staff from the Public Relations firm hired to promote the island.

I had done my homework and did some online research of who I would be sharing my accommodations with. Some of these firms liked to be territorial and I needed them to understand that as official wedding photographer, on the wedding day they better not get in my way.

My size had me at a disadvantage. People had a hard time taking someone who barely came to most people’s shoulders seriously as an adult. It didn’t help that I dressed like a teenage boy most of the time, except when I was on a job. I prided myself on how well I cleaned up when I was in my professional mode.

Today, I didn’t need to be in professional mode. I would be alone at the bed and breakfast until Friday. Then I would pull out my professional clothes and face the staff from the PR firm.

Would the owner present himself? It made sense. He was part of that elusive circle of friends from the boarding school we all attended. Aleksander’s appearance was expected, he and Richard were best friends from the beginning.

Would Jackson Naile be overseeing the campaign to promote the island personally?

I put away my stuff, taking care to hang the sultry blue dress I would be wearing for the wedding. It cost me more than I spent on my entire wardrobe.

It draped low in the back. I loved the way it hung on my body. The quarter length sleeve hid my muscular arms and a single tattoo that covered a scar.

A reminder to never give up.

The sales lady was helpful in assisting me with finding the correct bustier to wear underneath so the straps did not show. I’d often been complimented on my sexy back. I would have to put my best foot forward, or in this case, my best back if I followed through on my plan to attempt to seduce Jackson.

Not that it would be hard. He was a notorious Womanizer. I doubt he would bring a date. I had not seen him in years. Would he remember me?

I decided to take a nap.

Some chattering woke me.

Must be the staff stocking the fridge for tomorrow's guests. They were not expecting anyone this early and I assured Mackenzie I did not need any pampering and could cook for myself tonight providing there was food in the fridge.

I headed to the well equipped kitchen and started dinner. With my lasagna almost ready, I lowered the temperature of the oven.

I began pulling equipment out of my bag. I wanted to get some shots of the sun setting from the top of the lighthouse. If I could get some really good shots, I may be able to sell them to Jackson’s firm as part of the PR campaign. I would take advantage of any personal contact I could exploit at this time.

I turned around and almost dropped my most prized possession. My very expensive Nikon F1050.

There he was, Jackson Naile, standing in my kitchen. Well not mine exactly, but what I thought would be mine alone when I arrived.

“You scared the hell out of me, Jackson, what the fuck?” Not the most graceful greeting. The look in his eyes told me he had no idea who I was. Better rectify this right away.

“Angelic Brooks, I went to Brentwood, ring a bell?”

“We went to Brentwood together?” He had that womanizing smirk I’d seen in the tabloids.

I wanted to slap it off his face.

Or kiss it off.

Of course he would automatically assume I was one of his many conquests. In a way, I guess I was. Not in the way he was thinking at this moment.

“No, we went to Brentwood at the same time, we did not go to Brentwood together.” The confusion on his face amused me. He had no clue what I was hinting at. “We were not in the same class.”

“Were you a Junior when I was a Senior?”

Was he really that clueless? The tabloids were notorious for reporting his misadventures. They often hinted at his lack of intelligence. I guess when you were a Billionaire, you didn’t need to worry about whether you were smart or not.

“No, I was in a different “class.” I air quoted the word class. “We didn’t run in the same circle.” The lights were finally coming on.

“Scholarship student?”

I just couldn’t help myself, I teasingly stood on my tip toes and patted the side of his face. “See, you’re not as dumb as the tabloids say after all.”

Big mistake. The fire ran from my fingertips straight to my toes and my brain remembered.

It remembered that one stolen kiss many years ago. A kiss that still burned my lips when I thought about it.

I immediately turned so he couldn’t see me blush. I was embarrassed that I allowed that kiss to happen. A kiss that to this day, he did not remember. He could not remember.

“Something smells really good.”

That was what got his attention, my lasagna. My mother always said the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach. Holy shit, did I want to get to his heart. Was I secretly hoping he would show up early like I did?

“The staff arrives tomorrow so I made dinner. There’s enough for two if you would like to join me?” I just invited Jackson Naile to join me for dinner. Fucking Jackson Naile was standing in my kitchen at my mercy if he wanted dinner.

I heard him snicker. “That’s a first, I’m not usually at anyone’s mercy.”

Did he read my freaking mind? “You’re not at my mercy, there’s plenty of food in the fridge. You can simply make something for yourself.” I was not going to let him know that my panties were melting with every minute he stood behind me.

I wondered if he was watching me as I tried to be leisurely about my actions. I didn’t want him to know how nervous he made me. How aroused he was making me.

He was fucking Jackson Naile. If I turned around and flung myself into his arms, by reputation, I knew he would carry me to his bed and fuck me beyond my limits.

Did I want him to?

Hell yes, I wanted him to.

I put the lasagna on the counter and took out two plates. “Yes or no?”

“Yes,” he smiled and my panties were soaked. I felt the need to stand and eat over the sink so I didn't leave any trace of my arousal on the chair.

The one he was pulling out for me like a gentlemen. I took the seat and hoped my sweats were absorbent enough to remove any traces my body had to his closeness.

He was hotter than I remembered from school. His jawline was more mature, and his high sculpted cheekbones would be the envy of every male model. His polo shirt snug against his chest and the short sleeves showed off his muscular arms.

The very arms I wanted him to use to carry my petite body up the stairs and to his bed.

His slacks did nothing to reveal what lay underneath. For that, I would have to use my imagination. It wouldn’t take much. Pictures of him had been in circulation over the internet for years.

It wasn’t that I’d been stalking him, it was more that I’d been torturing myself for never coming forward. For never taking the chance to come clean.

I needed to eat and get away from him before I propped myself on the counter and begged him to take me right here, right now. It was the first time in a long time that I thought about begging for anything.

I tried not to make eye contact. I knew the minute I looked into those piercing blue eyes I would never get him out of my head. Those beautiful ice blue eyes from long ago. Those full captivating lips I could still feel against mine.

I'd had sexual encounters in the past. I have even had hot sex with sexy men I’d picked up at weddings. Wedding one night stands were the best. Everyone was drunk and looking for a hookup to forget the fact that they had not found the one. But I have never had such a burning desire to be taken, to be claimed, to be ruined by anyone, except him.

He was filling the time with mundane chatter. I knew he was trying to be charming. Putting on his womanizing charm. Then it hit me, I looked like a sixteen year old boy. There was absolutely nothing sexy about what I was wearing.

He was simply being polite because I fed him. Maybe he was hoping if he was nice to me, I would make him breakfast before the staff arrived in the morning.

I needed to get out of here with my pride intact.

“I’ll clean this up when I get back from taking pictures of the sunset.” I was sure this was something far too romantic for a man like Jackson Naile. If you looked up Hit it and Quit it on the internet, there would be a picture of Jackson.

The phrase, do you want to get nailed, was coined especially for him, for his reputation.

“Don’t climb the lighthouse unless you announce yourself. I almost walked in, or rather walked up, on Richard and Mackenzie.” His glare was teasing, waiting for me to blush. I didn’t give him the satisfaction.

“Thanks for the warning,” I picked up my camera, placed my unruly curls under my hat and headed out. “There’s plenty of beautiful trails, and I am sure the sun looks equally amazing setting over the ocean from any viewpoint.”

“Hold up, you shouldn’t be roaming around at night by yourself.”

What kind of bullshit story was that? “I’m sure I’ll be fine. We are on a secluded island with Richard’s family. I’m quite capable of taking care of myself,” I scoffed.

“What about the wild animals that might be lurking about?” There was something sinister in his eyes, his penetrating ice blue gaze stared through me.

“Wild animals?” Nobody said anything about wild animals. We were on an island, with wooded areas. Why wouldn’t I have been told about any dangers of wild animals?