Dirty Shots (16 page)

“No, no,” she interrupted. “Of course there isn’t.” She smiled; she couldn’t help herself. He’d told her she was the only one. “Anyway, I spend all my time with you. I don’t have time to meet anyone else.”

He became rough, playful, grabbing her, dragging her back down to the couch so his body was hovered above hers. “And that’s just the way I plan on keeping things.”

Even as he kissed her, she couldn’t stop smiling.

***

S
he opened her eyes to
soft, morning light and the shape of a man standing, his broad back to her, in the corner of the room. He bent to tug on a pair of sneakers, and she smiled, taking the moment to admire the taut curves of his ass beneath the running shorts.

“I hope you’re not leaving me.”

He turned at the sound of her voice, a smile on his chiseled face. Just the sight made her heart flutter, her stomach doing a not-unpleasant flip-flop.

“It’s six thirty,” he told her, striding across the room to pause at the edge of the bed. “I need to get to the gym.”

She returned the smile and tugged back the covers, exposing the now cooling side of the bed he’d only just vacated. “I can give you a workout.”

He bent, his hand raking through her blonde hair, tightening in the base, at the nape of her neck, to force her face to his as he kissed her on the mouth. He released her and straightened.

“It’s Friday,” he said. “I have to go to the gym on Friday.”

She sighed and rolled to her back. “And Saturday, and Monday, and Wednesday, I know.” Anya couldn’t hide the combination of disappointment and annoyance in her voice. She knew it was important to Eric to keep to his much regimented schedule, but after last night, with the important decision she’d made for him, and the admission that they were exclusive to each other, she thought he might have broken his routine to spend more time with her.

“My world revolves around you, Anya—work and play. It’s important for me to keep some other focus in my life.”

He’d only hinted so far about what he referred to as his ‘dark time,’ but when Anya had tried to dig deeper, he’d simply brushed her off, saying it wasn’t something he liked to talk about. But she saw it in his eyes, that lingering darkness, a strange melancholy mixed with fear. She wished she could reach inside him and take it away, but she couldn’t. In the meantime all she could do was be there for him and hope one day he would open up to her.

Eric bent and kissed her again. “Make yourself at home. I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”

Anya wrinkled her nose. “I have to go to class.”

“Really? You can’t miss it just this once?”

She wriggled up to sitting. “No, I can’t. My work is important to me, too, Eric. I may not be successful like you, but I hope to be one day. If I don’t even bother turning up to class, I can hardly consider myself to be serious about art.”

He straightened and stepped away from her, his hands held up in a position of surrender. Her heart sank, the atmosphere between them changing as she realized her sharp words had been too much. She didn’t want to mess this up between them.

He’d turned away from her, and she panicked, worried she was losing him. She threw back the bedcovers and swung her legs from the bed. The cool air of the room kissed her skin, causing her nipples to crinkle and harden. She stood, naked, feeling the ache between her thighs, the stickiness left by the mixture of her juices and his cum. A couple of steps across the thick carpet brought her to stand behind him. He paused in combing his wet hair, sensing her there. She was so small compared to him, the top of her head barely reaching between his shoulder blades. She leaned against him, pressing her cheek against his back, and reached around to cup his cock above the soft material of his workout pants. Instantly, she felt him harden, his dick jerking against her touch. He exhaled, a slow, measured breath, and his whole body relaxed.

“I’ll come back as soon as class is over,” she said. “Then we can continue where we left off.”

She went to pull away, but he reached down and placed his hand over hers, stilling her. The pressure of his fingers made her increase her grip around his erection. He began to move her hand with his, running up and down the length of him. He was so hard, the head almost poking above the waistband of his pants. He let out a groan. “What are you doing to me, Anya?”

She smiled against his shirt. “You’re not far off doing something to yourself.”

He firmly removed her hand from his groin, and she felt herself wilt in disappointment, but it didn’t last long. Before she had the chance to register what was happening, he’d grabbed her by the hips and spun her around, the mirror image of the position they’d just been in. He propelled her forward into the bed, his erection grinding into the small of her back, just where her spine met the top of her buttocks. She let out an ‘oh’ of surprise and moved with him until the front of her legs hit the side of the bed she’d just vacated. His flat palm pressed against the middle of her back, forcing her to bend at the waist. To keep her balance, she placed her own palms on the bed, so she was bent over. Excitement and arousal raced through her in equal measures, making her whole body tremble in anticipation. Her pussy tightened, and she felt her cream lubricate her folds, slipping from her. She was naked, and the shape of his cock pressed against her, wetting the front of his pants with her arousal.

He moved back, cool air hitting her wet, heated flesh. She sensed, rather than saw, his adjustment to free his erection. And then he was back again, the smooth head of his cock pushing between her labia and sinking in deep.

Anya groaned, her hands fisting in the already rumpled sheets on the bed, bracing herself as he thrust. Her pussy was still swollen and a little sore from the sex they’d had the night before, but Eric wasn’t gentle with her. His hard length pounded her engorged flesh, their hips smacking together with the satisfying slap of flesh against flesh. His fingers dug into her hips, helping to increase her momentum as he fucked her fast and hard.

“Oh, God, Eric.”

Her orgasm hit, her inner muscles pulsating hard against his cock as the waves of pleasure powered through her body. He gave another couple of thrusts and then held himself deep within her, groaning as he did so. She could feel his cock jerking inside her as he came.

Eric exhaled a breath and then bent over her body from behind and planted a kiss on her shoulder. His softening dick slipped from her body, warm semen dribbling down the inside of her thighs. 

Eric vanished into the bathroom and then reemerged, after, she assumed, cleaning himself up. “Shut the door on your way out,” he told her. “I’ll see you later.”

Anya climbed back onto the bed, pulling the bedcovers up around her naked, sticky, slightly sore body. Mixed emotions filled her. While she’d enjoyed her orgasm, now that she was left alone she couldn’t help but feel a little bereft and used.

Would he ever put her first?

A
nya sat through her classes
with little enthusiasm. Her thoughts were occupied by everything Eric Rutherford, from the exhibition that would happen in a week’s time, to telling her parents about the photo shoots, to the way they fucked. When her classes were finished, she resisted the urge to head straight back over to Eric’s apartment. She didn’t want to appear to be the kind of over-eager woman who had no life of her own. Letting him wonder where she was for a few hours wouldn’t do him any harm.

Instead, she went back to her room. She had a mountain of laundry she needed to do anyway, and an essay she needed to catch up on.

Anya’s phone rang. She checked her cell before she answered, and her heart sank. It was her mother’s number.

“Hi, Mom.”

“Hey, sweetie. How are you? Just checking you’re still good to see your father and me next weekend.”

“Yeah, I am, Mom. I’m looking forward to seeing you.”

“We’re looking forward to seeing you, too. We miss our baby-girl when she’s so far away.”

Anya took a breath. “Listen, Mom, there’s something I need to talk to you about.”

Her mother fell silent for a moment. “What’s wrong? Has something happened?”

“Nothing’s wrong. I just need to speak to you about something.”

“Can’t you tell me on the phone?”

“Not really. I’d rather tell you face to face. And there’s someone I want you and Dad to meet.”

Her tone changed. “Well that sounds intriguing. We can always come to the city earlier than the weekend if you really need us. There are a couple of smaller artists’ exhibitions happening over the week that your father and I were considering coming to see.” Anya inwardly cringed at the idea of them coming to exhibitions, though she knew the ones her mother was talking about were too soon to be Eric’s. “The only reason we didn’t was because we didn’t want you to feel like we were trying to smother you, or keep an eye on you. We know you’re a good girl, Anya. It’s not like you need us hovering over your shoulder twenty-four-seven.”

Anya put her forehead in her palm, rubbing at her temples. “You know I wouldn’t feel like you were watching over me. It would be lovely to spend an extra few days with you.”

They might be the last you’ll want to spend with me.

“Okay, that’s what we’ll do, then, and we’ll book a restaurant for tomorrow night, shall we? You can introduce us to this new person you want us to meet.”

“You don’t have to book a restaurant, Mom. We can come meet you at the hotel.”

“Don’t be silly. It’ll be our treat.” She paused. “But you’re sure there’s nothing wrong? You’re healthy?”

“I’m fine, Mom. I promise.”

“Good. I’ll call you when we get into the city.”

“Okay. Love you.”

“Love you, too, sweetie.”

Anya hung up and let out a sigh which originated from the bottom of her lungs. She felt sick at the idea of the conversation which loomed in her immediate future. The idea of it occurring in a public place was even worse. Perhaps she could put off telling them until the meal was over and they’d walked back to the hotel? But she didn’t think she’d be able to eat a mouthful knowing what she was about to tell them. Plus, her mother was like a dog with a bone. She’d want to know what Anya wanted to talk to them about. Maybe she could pretend it was her relationship with Eric she’d wanted to talk to them about? She sighed again and lowered her head to join her other hand. Pressure weighed heavily on her shoulders, crushing her. This might be the last time her mom spoke to her without a cold tone to her voice.

Sudden tears filled her eyes, and she blinked them away.

The door opened, and Nadine walked in. She pulled up short as soon as she saw her roommate’s tears, and then hurried over to her. “Anya, honey. What’s wrong? Has that new guy of yours done something?”

Nadine sat down beside her on the bed and put an arm around Anya’s shoulders.

Anya shook her head and sniffed. “It’s not him, not really. It’s something I chose to do.”

“What are you talking about? You’re being cryptic.”

“Sorry.” She wiped her eyes. “I guess you might find out soon anyway.”

Nadine shook her head in bemusement. “Find out what?”

“The guy I’ve been seeing is Eric Rutherford.” She waited for a reaction, but Nadine was majoring in English and had no connection to the art world. Her expression remained blank.

“He’s a photographer—a very successful photographer—and I’ve been doing some modeling for him.”

“Anya!” She received an elbow in the ribs. “That’s awesome. You go, girl!” Then she must have realized her reaction was inappropriate to Anya’s tears. “So what’s the problem?”

Her cheeks heated. “The photographs are a little on the sexy side.”

Her friend’s dark, perfectly plucked eyebrows shot up her forehead. “You’ve been doing topless shoots?”

“Not exactly. It’s erotic photography.”

She frowned. “Erotic? But not topless?”

Anya sighed. How was she going to explain this to someone who clearly had no experience with the genre? “The photographs are intimate. He likes to use props to create a scene, like with ropes or handcuffs, or toys.”

She gasped. “Anya!”

“Stop saying that!”

“I just never expected it of you.” A twinkle appeared in her eye. “It sounds like fun.” Then her face grew serious again. “So why the tears? He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

“No, of course not. He’s not like that. He’s completely respectful.” Just the thought of Eric made her heart sing. “The problem is that he’s having an exhibition of the photographs at the Blanc Art Space in a week, and my parents are going to be around.”

“Oh, shit. But aren’t your folks really strict?”

“Yeah, that’s the reason I’m upset. They’ll probably disown me when they find out.”

“Why would they find out? Can’t you just distract them with something else? Buy them tickets to a show they haven’t seen, and make sure they’re nowhere near the exhibition.”

She gave a weak smile. “It’s a great idea, but even if they don’t make it to the exhibition, they’ll find out about it. My parents are art critics, and run in those circles. The work Eric’s been doing is completely different from anything he’s ever done before, and it’s likely to stir up a shit-storm in the art world. It’ll be everywhere, especially because Eric is refusing to sell any of the shots. It’ll only make them more desirable.”

Nadine was looking at her in a completely new way. “Holy shit, Anya! How can you have been doing all of this and not tell me?”

She shrugged. “It wasn’t something I could just drop into a conversation.”

“And what about this Eric? Are you sleeping with him as well?”

Anya blushed. “It’s more than that. We have something special. A connection. He wants to meet my parents when I go to tell them about the exhibition.”

“You’re actually going to tell them?”

“I have no choice. I’m seriously considering erotic art as my future, so they’re going to need to know at some point.”

“Wow, Anya. I don’t know what to say.”

Anya gave a half-smile. “Just wish me luck, I guess.”

Her friend enveloped her in a hug and squeezed her tight. “Good luck, sweetie. Sounds like you’re going to need it.”