Chapter 2

Michael

The woman sitting in front of me was one of the most stunning I’d ever seen. That was saying a lot considering I owned a modeling agency, but she stood out amid the made-up faces I’d seen over the last ten years. Delila had little make up on but what there was made her gray eyes pop. They were wide and painfully innocent, making me want to corrupt her as soon as possible. She had an edge to her. She was everything I didn’t know I wanted after all this time.

I didn’t date at work. Well, I didn’t date at work any longer. I slept with women that came through the doors and always made a point to tell them it was nothing serious. It didn’t always work out and ended a great working relationship with the best assistant I ever had.

I forced myself back into the present and leaned back. I’d read her resume and knew that she had talent. I just needed to know more.

“Tell me about yourself,” I started the conversation as she widened her eyes. I watched as she handed me the thick folder that was on her lap, thanking her as I placed it on my desk.

“My name is Delila, but you know that. I have been a lover of photography my entire life. I was on the paper and yearbook in high school and began a freelance career five years ago. I have shot weddings, family portraits, maternity pictures and everything in between.” She pointed to the folder. “I have included some of them inside of the portfolio. That should give you an idea of my style.”

I opened it and flipped through the shots. They were of a generic nature but the way she captured people made me take pause. There was nothing artificial about their smiles or expressions. Some of them weren’t even posed, but the pictures were incredible. I saw the examples that she’d named and stopped when I came to a sultry shot of a couple wrapped together in a bed. They were clothed just enough to cover the important things, but the shots were incredibly sexy. There were a few others that were similar, and I felt my body react to the image of her in one of these outfits, these poses.

“You’ve shot boudoir?” I questioned as she flushed a faint pink. Delila nodded. “They’re…stunning.”

“Thank you.” She smiled and looked down as I kept looking through the portfolio. This girl was talented. I considered the various styles of poses that we used here and knew that Delila would add a lot to the agency. The only problem was that I was attracted to her. I thought that over for a moment. Once hired, I wouldn’t see a lot of Delila. I worked more on the numbers in here and backed away from the action soon after taking this place over from my father. I was only thirty-five and doing quite well for myself. I didn’t need to oversee every part of the company.

“I think that you’d be a fine addition to our team.” She beamed at me as I looked at her. “Are you open to long hours and late nights? We shoot at all times of the day in a lot of places. There’s a bit of travel involved sometimes.” Her eyes lit up, and I set the folder down. “You will be rewarded for the work, both in pay and benefits.”

“That sounds amazing. I am open to all of that.” I smiled at her willingness, wondering how far that might go. “It sounds so fun.”

“I can have you start next week. They can get your paperwork together over the week.” I told her as she clutched her hands in her lap. “We’ll start you in local jobs to get a feel for everything.”

“Thank you. I appreciate this so much.” Her enthusiasm bubbled over and she was so genuine that I felt something deep inside of my body. I felt nothing these days. I worked a lot and obsessed over the financial end of the business. I used to be more hands on in more ways than one. The only social life I had was meeting friends for dinner and drinks and some social events for the business. At this point, it was all robotic. I was missing something in my life.

“You’ll be good for this place,” I murmured as I stared into her shimmering eyes.

“How so?”

“You’re so refreshing.” I was stunned at my honesty and reached for my cold coffee to take a sip, distracting myself from the way I was acting. “I can set up an appointment with HR to get all of that out of the way this week, clearing you to start on Monday. We’ll have you stand in on some shoots and see how it goes. How does that sound?”

“Perfect. Thank you.” She was a grateful girl and my mind flashed over some ways to have her show me how much. I set up a time in a couple of days for her to meet with Rachel, going over her salary and benefits briefly. She was thrilled, and I wondered how much she made on her own. When she left, I stood and walked her to the door of my office. I asked if she could get out of here fine as I stared into her eyes, seeing a complex woman inside of them. Fuck. It was sexy after spending so much time with some if the vapid models we worked with.

“I think I’ll be fine. Thank you again.” She offered me her hand, and I shook it, feeling the heat pass between us. I wanted to yank her into my office and kiss her senseless. I held on a beat longer than needed, letting go as she licked her full lower lip with a slow movement of her tongue. There was a dark pink stain coating her lips, and I felt my cock harden at the idea of having those lips wrapped around me.

“Get home safe,” I told her with a serious expression, watching her walk away. Her curves looked delicious in that tight skirt and I let my eyes drift down over her legs.

When she was out of sight, I refreshed my coffee and looked into my new employee. It was probably wrong on many levels but fuck it. I needed to know more. Delila was twenty-seven years old and lived several blocks from the office. It wasn’t the safest area, and I looked at her apartment building online. It was old and just three stories and I suspected the units were tiny. I knew that she could upgrade a bit with this job depending on her situation.

Would she?

I sent Rachel the appointment time for Delila, keeping it short. She had been flirting with me for the three years that she worked here. I found her in lingerie in my office during a Christmas party. She was damn lucky that nobody else saw her, but she was drunk and horny. I doubted that she’d care. I told her never to pull that shit again and kept my distance now.

I left work at a decent hour after my friends invited me to a bar that night. I never drank a lot, but I did choose to take a random redhead back to her place and fuck her as I imagined her to be Delila. She moaned and begged for more, even clawing my back as I drove myself hard inside of her.

I finished off in the condom, rolling away from her to tie it off and slip it into my pocket. I always wrapped it in tissue and did this since many women might be desperate enough to use them to trap me. I was rich and good-looking, and I could have any woman that I wanted.

I just couldn’t touch the one that I wanted the most.

I told the woman good night and dressed to leave. She protested as I buttoned my shirt, asking me to stay the night. I smirked at her, knowing that I never stayed the night. The one relationship I attempted in college was exhausting and when she ended up fucking my frat brother at a party, I threw in the towel. I was done with women as anything more than a warm body.

My parents split up for the same reason. I had little faith in love as I watched my father date one woman after the other, only giving my mom support money. There was a part of me that was concerned I’d be the same way if I attempted anything close to marriage growing up. When it happened to me first, I shut down that part of me. My mom told me to settle down with someone every time we spoke, but I laughed that off, reminding her how well that worked out for her. I knew that she was over it by this time. I also knew that she didn’t let anyone in too much.