What are all these people doing here?

Malik stood at the entrance to the photo studio, observing the frenetic activity. A photographer and his assistant calibrated the cameras while two more people worked on lighting the faux living room with a burgundy Chesterfield sofa and the wall of art behind it. This was quite a production, and he rolled his neck, decidedly uncomfortable but remembering what was at stake.

He caught sight of Lindsay and was struck speechless. She sat before a mirror, eyes closed, as a makeup artist brushed her face with loose powder. She wore a long-sleeved white dress whose hem landed halfway up her crossed thighs. She paired the outfit with red heels and hoop earrings. She looked exquisite.

Malik breathed heavily through his nose and reminded himself the shoot was a one-time thing. He walked over as the makeup artist finished and left Lindsay alone.

“Hey, you made it,” she said in a breathy voice that sounded relieved. She licked her already moist lips that were covered in dark red lipstick.

“You doubted me?”

“You never know. You weren’t exactly excited about doing the shoot. You look nice.” She stood, taking in the black shirt, black jacket, and tan slacks.

As if he’d had a choice. She’d told him what to wear and not-so-subtly hinted that he needed to trim his hair and beard.

He skimmed the outline of her body, admiring the way the soft fabric hugged her hips and showed off her pretty thighs—that he wanted to spread wide. He stepped close. “You don’t look so bad yourself. Real sweet,” he murmured.

Truthfully, nothing about Lindsay appeared to be sweet. Not even her perfume. The aromatic scent filled his nostrils and conjured fantasies of sweat-drenched sheets and husky moans. He smoothed a hand over the curve in her lower back and stopped right above her round behind. He couldn’t seem to help himself.

She laughed shakily and edged away. “Slow down. The performance doesn’t start yet.”

“I want to make sure I give off the right vibe. After all, we are madly in love.”

She cleared her throat. “Take it easy, okay? By the way, this is the ring you bought me.” Surreptitiously, she showed him her left hand and the rock on her finger.

“Nice.”

“You have good taste.”

He glanced around the studio. “There are more people here than I expected. This doesn’t look like a simple little photo shoot that might appear in one or two magazines.”

“It doesn’t?” Lindsay studied her red nails.

“Lindsay,” Malik said between tight lips. He stood directly in front of her and blocked out everyone else present. “What didn’t you tell me?”

“Five hundred dollars. Five hundred freaking dollars. Does it matter?”

“Yes, it does matter. Where will these photos be shared?”

“You can’t back out now.”

“Oh, so you think I’ll back out after you tell me the truth?”

She glanced around his body to make sure no one was paying attention to them. “So maybe I told a little white lie.”

“How many white lies are there? Because I’m fairly certain your publisher and publicist didn’t just get a crazy idea that you have a fiancé. They got it from you.”

“I may have mentioned on my podcast that I was engaged. I didn’t expect that when I signed the book deal they’d actually want to meet my future husband.”

“You’re crazy, you know that?”

“I’m not. I’m doing what I need to do.”

Malik touched a hand to his head to ease the tension headache that suddenly made an appearance. “Back to this shoot. Where will the photos end up?”

“First, promise me you won’t leave.”

Malik closed his eyes and counted to ten. “Lindsay.”

“Please.”

He opened his eyes and saw genuine worry in her face, and her pleading expression poked at the sympathetic part of him. She didn’t come across as the confident I-got-my-shit-together Lindsay in that moment. She seemed fearful that everything she’d worked for might blow up in her face, and despite being misled, he didn’t want to be responsible for making her dream fall apart.

“I promise not to leave.”

“Thank you.” She pressed her hands to her chest and heaved a sigh of relief. “The online version of Essence.”

“Essence? As in the magazine that has millions of readers?”

She winced. “Yes. Also, the online version of Cosmopolitan and other online women-focused magazines, but those are the biggest.”

“Tell me you’re kidding.”

“I’m not, but remember what you promised. You’re still in, right?”

Malik stared into her hazel eyes, clouded with worry. He should walk out and leave her to face the fallout on her own. He’d figure out another way to pay his bills. He glanced over his shoulder at everyone getting ready for the shoot and made a decision he knew he’d regret—partly out of pity for her and partly because he needed the cash.

“I’m still in,” he muttered.

“Yes! I promise you won’t regret it, and as soon as we’re finished, we can go to the ATM and I’ll get the money for you. I promise.”

His eyes settled on Lindsay.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked.

“You’re a professional liar.”

“Ouch. That’s harsh.”

“Is it?”

“Let me tell you a truth that you probably already know. Success doesn’t come from hard work alone. Sometimes you have to get a little creative to get ahead.” She smiled broadly. “Now breathe. Relax. Remember you’re my man and this is a happy occasion.”

Malik stepped closer and bent his head, looking directly into her eyes. “Be thankful I’m here. Anything else, you’re pushing it.”

“Duly noted,” she said, batting her long lashes at him.

Insanely, he wanted to kiss her right then. Her lips looked extra moist and enticing, and her perfume and husky voice tempted him to get closer.

Her gaze drifted past him, and she waved at a thin, wiry man with dark hair wearing a pair of pink retro glasses. The man smiled and waved her over.

“That’s Hal, my publicist. It’s show time.” Lindsay smoothed her hands down her hips and did a little wiggle before she marched across the room toward Hal.

Malik followed behind, his gaze lowered to the way the thin fabric hugged her ample behind. There wasn’t a line in sight. She either wore a thong or no panties. Either prospect made his dick jump, and he could barely tear his eyes away from the pendulum swing of her hips. One hour. He only had to survive one hour in her presence.

“You look magnificent,” Hal said as he and Lindsay exchanged air kisses. After she made the introductions, Hal added, “We finally get to meet the mysterious fiancé. You have no social media, and there’s not a single photo of you on Lindsay’s accounts. You’re quite the mystery man.” He extended his hand and Malik shook it.

“I like to keep to myself.”

“He’s an introvert,” Lindsay whispered, as if disclosing he had cancer.

“Oh dear. How ever did the two of you get together? Talk about opposites attract!”

Both Hal and Lindsay had a good laugh while Malik simply smiled.

Lindsay wrapped an arm around his and pressed her scented body against him. “He’s such a homebody, I have to practically drag him kicking and screaming out of the house. But there’s one good thing I have to say about dating a quiet man. Because of him, we’ve kept our relationship low-key, and I think it was for the best, you know? It allowed our love to grow without any pressure from outside forces.”

Hal lowered his voice to a conspiratorial level. “Good for you. People share too much of their personal business online. We’ve got to protect our relationships.”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

“Especially when you find the right person.”

Lindsay nodded in agreement. “Absolutely.”

“So when’s the big day?”

“We haven’t picked a date yet, but it’ll be next year for sure.” She looked up at Malik. “We’re both so busy with work and everything, aren’t we, sweetums?”

Malik gritted his teeth. Sweetums? Really. That was the best endearment she could come up with? “The sooner the better, love bump.” Her smile wavered at the edges. “Hal, to be honest, I’m ready to get married now. I want to get started on those five kids we agreed on.”

“Five. Wow.” Hal’s eyes widened.

Lindsay’s smile tightened. “Well, we didn’t settle on a firm number.”

“Yeah, we did. Don’t you remember? You said four, I said six, then we compromised on five.”

Lindsay gave a little laugh. “Anyway, like I said, we’re both busy, so planning a wedding is on the back burner for now.”

“What kind of work do you do?” Hal asked.

“I’m a metal sculptor. I mostly work with steel and aluminum, but I have a love of copper, too.”

“Metal sculpting. Now that isn’t something you hear very often.”

“He’s really good. He has a workshop full of pieces,” Lindsay said, talking with her hands.

“Do you have a website?”

Malik opened his mouth to answer, but Lindsay spoke over him. “He’s working on it. Soon as it’s up and running, I’ll send you the link.”

Hal chuckled. “Do you know how lucky you are to have such a supportive fiancée?”

“You don’t have to tell me. I know exactly what kind of woman I have.”

Lindsay squeezed his arm and grinned at Hal. “Isn’t he wonderful? I swear, I’m the lucky one.”

“Hal, Lindsay, we’re all set.” The photographer, an older man with spiky black hair and dressed in all black, called to them from across the room.

“Let’s do this,” Hal said.

Lindsay glanced at Malik one last time, and they headed over to the sofa and the shoot began.

For almost an hour, the photographer took photos of them in various poses. He concentrated on Lindsay’s engagement ring in a few shots. In others he had the couple face each other in front of the furniture, holding hands and staring into each other’s eyes.

When they sat on the sofa and Malik put his arm around her, he noticed how perfectly she fit in the crook of his arm. Another pose consisted of Lindsay standing in front of him with one hand on her hip and Malik seated, an arm stretched across the back of the Chesterfied, both of them staring into the camera.

The last pose was the most dangerous, when Malik stood behind Lindsay and wrapped his arms around her waist. He tried his darnedest to keep his body in check, but his lower appendage raised its head with her bottom cushioned against his pelvis, and he knew she felt the protrusion when she gasped and stiffened for a moment. Thankful for the jacket that hid the manifestation of his horniness, Malik sighed with relief at the end of the hour when the photographer said they were finished.

“Can you spare a few extra minutes, Ansel? I have an idea,” Hal said.

“I could squeeze in a few more. What did you have in mind?”

“How about a photo with them kissing? After all, this book is about dating, and we’ve got Lindsay the Sexy Diva in the studio. What do you think?” Hal’s eyes swept the room.

Lindsay glanced quickly at Malik before looking away. “Is that really necessary? I mean—”

“I think it’s a great idea. You two have a lot of chemistry. I’m game if you are.” Ansel shrugged.

“Great! Come on, Lindsay. You don’t mind, do you, Malik?” Hal asked.

“You don’t have to do this,” Lindsay murmured from the side of her mouth.

Malik looked at her sideways. “I don’t mind. I’ll do it if you will.”

She flashed a smile at Hal and turned on the charm. “All right, you’ve twisted my arm. A quick one.”

She took a deep breath and faced Malik.

“You’re not nervous, are you?” he asked, soft enough so no one else could hear.

“No. Are you?”

“Not at all.” Dangerous though it was, he wanted to feel the softness of her lips and reacquaint himself with the voluptuous curves of her body.

“Let’s get this over with,” she said in a low voice that was huskier than usual.

Malik looped an arm around her waist, bent his head, and skimmed her mouth. The kiss was gentle and quick, but the urge to demand more gripped him with talon-like strength and tightened his throat.

“One more time,” the photographer called.

Lindsay laughed uneasily and cast a glance up at Malik, but he didn’t have the urge to laugh. He was too consumed with the faint impression her mouth had left and the way her body angled into his.

Her brownish-green eyes darkened, and she tilted up her lips. With his other hand at the back of her neck, Malik drew Lindsay tight against his length and fused their mouths together.

This time there was no skimming. He opened his mouth over hers and went gunning for her tongue. When the tips touched, electricity tore up his spine.

“Great, great,” he heard Ansel murmur as the camera lens opened and closed repeatedly.

Malik squeezed Lindsay’s left ass cheek and she moaned, tilting her head back and letting him advance further. Her arms slid around his neck, and his brain flatlined. Nothing else existed in the room besides this warm, vibrant woman. He felt everything—the crush of her double D’s, her soft belly, and the fullness of her bottom in his hand.

“Perfect. Got it,” Ansel said.

It had been so long since Malik experienced such a surge of hunger, he didn’t stop—literally couldn’t. Since he didn’t, Lindsay didn’t, either. His calloused fingers fastened tighter around the circumference of her neck, and he angled his head to the right, deepening the kiss.

Only afterward, when Lindsay finally pulled back, her breath fanning his mouth as they stared into each other’s eyes, did he realize how dangerously close he’d come to fucking her in a roomful of people.