AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Sine
I changed my mind, Mr. Wexler. I’m sorry. I acted a fool, taking that challenge seriously. I don’t think this is appropriate.
Every possible excuse raced through my mind, some so ridiculous that they were laughable, but plenty would have worked. I’d only known Alix for a week, but I knew he’d let it go if I asked. And a part of me desperately wanted to ask because this was certainly far out of my comfort zone.
But another, louder, part wanted to give it a try. It was this side of me that had always pushed me to do the crazy things. Climbing into the church rafters during Mass. Running into the pasture and scaring the sheep. Throwing a mud pie at Mr. Fitzpatrick when he was hitting his dog. Taking out goalie Liam O’Leary’s feet during a football match because he’d called Donald a foul name.
None of those had been good ideas, and I was fairly certain that this one ranked up there as one of the dumbest, but when Alix asked if I was chickening out, I knew I couldn’t back down.
I took a slow breath as I lowered my zipper. Every inch of my skin felt like it was on fire. I’d taken my clothes off in front of guys before, but those times had been rushed, and they’d been taking off their own too, not standing in front of me fully clothed, watching. I let the dress drop, then stepped out of it. Neither Alix nor I said anything as I picked it up and hung it on a nearby hook.
His gaze ran down my body and back up again as I tried not to fidget. My bra and panties matched, but they were exactly what I’d told him. Pale green cotton. Nothing special. Certainly not like the finery to which he was accustomed.
“We’ll start simple,” he said, looking away from me. He gestured toward the floor where he’d spread a blanket. “Lie down.”
Hoping he couldn’t hear my heart thudding against my ribcage, I slipped my shoes off and went over to the blanket. I sat down, then realized that I didn’t know how he wanted me to lay. A professional model certainly would’ve known what to do, but all I could do was sit there mutely and try to decide if I should lie on my back, my side, or my stomach.
“Sine.” His voice was surprisingly gentle. “Relax. I promise, this won’t hurt a bit.”
I looked up to see him smiling at me. My stomach did a little flip and I frowned. His expression immediately sobered, misunderstanding the reason for my change in expression. I didn’t intend to correct him, however. It was embarrassing enough that I’d had a flash of attraction. I didn’t want to explain it.
“You don’t have to do this.”
This was it. My out. He wouldn’t tease me about it, and I knew he wouldn’t hold it against me either. But I would. I’d know that I had backed off from this when I’d never backed away from anything.
“How do you want me?”
Heat flooded my face as I realized how my question sounded, but I refused to take it back.
Alix’s eyes darkened for a moment, then cleared. “On your back.”
“You’re the boss,” I said as I laid down, telling myself that I didn’t look as awkward as I felt.
“Arms above your head.”
I complied, letting out another breath. Maybe this wasn’t as awful as all that. He didn’t expect me to come up with ideas of my own. All I had to do was follow his directions. Normally, I’d balk at being told what to do, but I was so far out of my depth here that it actually eased my nerves rather than aggravating them.
“I’m going to restrain your wrists now.”
I kept my eyes on the ceiling, but couldn’t stop the shiver that ran over me as his fingertips brushed my skin. I felt something against my wrists, but not metal handcuffs as I’d anticipated. Cloth. Something soft and cool. Silk most likely. It took only a minute or two, and then he was walking back to where he’d set up his camera.
Music was playing in the background, so we weren’t in total silence, but I had to bite my bottom lip to keep from chattering just to ease the nerves that had reappeared the moment he went behind his camera.
“Relax.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Would you like to take my place and see how well you’re able to relax?”
He laughed, and it wasn’t sort of polite laugh one gave to acknowledge something intended to be amusing. He actually thought my comment was funny.
“Where’s your favorite place to go?”
“What do you mean?”
“If you could go anywhere for one day to relax, where would you go?”
“The sea,” I answered automatically. “Not the coast here, but back in Ireland. The smell of salt on the air. The crash of water against the rocks.”
I wasn’t even aware that my muscles were no longer tense until I heard the faint clicking of the camera. I kept going, describing the place I’d once considered my refuge. I didn’t stop until he came over to me again.
