Soul Chance (22 page)
Aidan Marks.
He still looked the same, carried himself in the same self-assured manner that had drawn her to him when they’d first met, almost five years ago. She’d been impressed by his drive and talent, unable to resist a dinner date when he’d asked her out. In retrospect, she’d been a little star-struck when the up-and-coming photographer had taken an interest in her. Dinner had led to a weekend spent mostly in bed. Terrah could admit to herself now that she’d been bowled over by the older man’s attention. She hadn’t allowed her heart to get involved with their little fling, but she hadn’t forgotten him, either.
Terrah watched Aidan work, captivated by his ability to get the models to give him the shots he wanted. Learning he was going to be the photographer for the photo shoot had been a surprise. She hadn’t known exactly what to say to him when she’d planned to say hello. Thankfully, there hadn’t been any time to approach him beforehand and she hadn’t seen him on the set when she’d been doing the makeup. Terrah was certain he’d long forgotten about their little tryst that had taken place many years ago.
Since then he’d become one of the most critically acclaimed photographers in the business, jet-setting all over the world, working with the most promising models. Whether he remembered Terrah or not, landing her current job with him was a huge accomplishment. Just adding his name to her list of clients was going to open even more doors for her in the future.
She’d been in the business eight years, and it hadn’t been an easy road to get to the level she was now. The constant rejections, criticisms and the effort needed to continually prove she was the best at her craft had forced her to grow a thick skin. She took pride in every modeling gig she acquired, maintained her cool in the craziest and most stressful environments and had earned a solid professional reputation.
Her line of work required self-confidence, stamina and the patience of Job. The hours were ridiculously long, the clients could be just as outrageous, and being around beautiful, stick-thin models day in and day out tested one’s insecurities daily. But Terrah knew the modeling world inside and out. She saw the models refusing to eat anything but rabbit food, and those were the
sane
diets. The standards for models became more demanding every year, and many stressed over staying on top by being the thinnest. Terrah had witnessed the meltdowns of fatigued models and knew how isolating being in the business could be for many of the girls.
Most people didn’t have a clue about all the insanity behind the perfect pictures presented to the mass media. Modeling could be a cut-throat, sometimes
ugly
business, but Terrah respected the process and the people involved.
“
You
did an amazing job! I love the colors you used.”
Terrah turned to Ginny, a production assistant she’d worked with before, and smiled. “Thanks. I think the colors I chose complement Jocelyn’s dress perfectly.”
Ginny nodded, staring at the models. “She looks incredible and I
love
that gown. I’d have to eat nothing but celery sticks for six months to make that swathe of material look good.”
Terrah watched Ginny bite into a celery stick. She hated celery. Even the smell of it bothered her.
“Want some?”
Ginny offered her a plastic baggie filled with the one vegetable Terrah couldn’t stomach.
“No, thanks.”
“What does that chick eat? She’s so freakin’ thin.”
Terrah shrugged. She’d learned to be comfortable with her own body, which wasn’t always easy, especially being a size twelve around single digit-wearing females. Her voluptuous curves stood out all the time on set, in a sea of skinny models.
But skinny didn’t mean happy
.
She couldn’t count how many times she’d listened to a size zero waif lamenting about her body. Body image reigned supreme in the lives of the women and men she helped look even more flawless, and Terrah often wondered if the price of perfection was too high. She understood perfection didn’t exist, and yet it was her job to help make damn sure it appeared to.
“God, he’s hot,” Ginny said wistfully as she continued to munch. She looked at Terrah when she didn’t respond. “Don’t you think Nick Tasso is hot?”
“Like fire.”
Ginny snickered as Terrah stared ahead.
Nick commanded the camera. He knew exactly which way to angle his face and body. Terrah stared at Jocelyn and Nick posing. Both of them looked flawless, happy—in love, even, despite what she’d seen transpire between them earlier—as Aidan captured their every move on film. Anyone looking at the supermodels now would believe in the magic of romance. For a fleeting moment, Terrah wished she were still a believer.
* * * *
Nick gritted his teeth as Jocelyn continued to whine. He wanted to keep things civil between them, but she was trying his patience. The photo shoot was over and he was ready to get out from underneath the bright lights.
“I’d hoped you’d call me when you got back to New York.”
“I thought we both agreed that night was just that.
One
night.”
“We did agree, but… I…”
Usually the perfect picture of confidence, Jocelyn now seemed unsure of herself as she fumbled with her words.
“I thought maybe we could have dinner together?”
“Jocelyn, that’s not a good idea.”
Nick took one look at the disappointment in Jocelyn’s eyes and regretted sleeping with her all over again. An evening out with her and some other models over a month ago had led to drinks, a serious lapse in judgment and the flirtatious blonde ending up in his hotel room.
“Why? What’s wrong with having dinner with a friend?”
She was pushing it with the whole ‘friend’ thing. They worked together well, but they were far from what Nick called friends. The thought of eating with Jocelyn…correction—of
him
eating while she picked over her food—was totally unappealing. They had nothing to talk about besides modeling and he didn’t want to talk shop over a meal. As far as he was concerned they had nothing in common and not an ounce of real chemistry. Even their brief sexual encounter, at least for Nick, had been boring.
Jocelyn just wasn’t his type. When he held a woman in his arms he wanted to feel more than bones. He was drawn to women with hourglass figures…full breasts, small waists, hips he could grip and juicy, spankable asses…like the sexy makeup artist with the smooth cocoa skin and the luscious curves.
Terrah.
He’d heard one of the guys on the production crew say her name.
“Nick?”
“What was that?”
He took off his tux jacket as he focused his attention back on Jocelyn.
“What do you think?”
“Think about…?”
“Dinner?”
“Dinner’s not going to work for me.”
Jocelyn blinked as she frowned, obviously surprised by his response.
“Look, I’m jet-lagged and I’m ready to get out of this tux.”
“Sure, okay.” Jocelyn averted her eyes from his.
“Great. Are we good?”
She flicked him one of her cool stares and nodded. “Of course. I’m sure I’ll see you around. Goodnight.”
“‘Night,” Nick said as Jocelyn walked past him. He blew out a breath before he exited the stage to change.
That
had been awkward as hell.
He scanned the studio for Terrah and spotted her in the back by the makeup chair. She stood out, looking vibrant and sexy in the yellow dress she was wearing. The lemon chiffon hue complemented her gorgeous brown skin. An Empire-style bodice accentuated her full breasts while also highlighting her small waistline and the womanly curve of her hips.
Terrah was his type, all day and all night long.
He wanted to put his hands all over her body. Nick’s gaze fell on her strappy sandals and he scoped the shapely line of her legs as she bent over to pick up a makeup sponge off the floor. His cock stirred at the sight of her rounded bottom outlined in the dress. The seductive sway and rhythm of her hips and ass mesmerized him as she started to walk toward the door.
Nick picked up his pace.
No way was he letting her leave the building without asking her out first.
About the Author
Nichelle Gregory has been in love with books and writing since middle school. An avid reader, Nichelle used to hide all of her romance novels under the bed from her parents, who didn’t approve of her reading material!
A lover of the arts, she enjoys anything that embraces the creative nature within us all. Passionate about bringing books to life, Nichelle has narrated over a hundred tales found on Audible. She has penned twenty-three erotically charged books, eighteen of which are for
Totally Bound
, including
Ample Delights
,
Soul Sweet
and
Talk Sexy
. Her kinky short,
Bound To Lie
, was included in the 2015 edition of
Best Bondage Erotica
.
Nichelle enjoys creating stories that feature diverse characters with sexy alpha heroes falling for smart, gorgeous heroines! Bringing believable characters to life that thrill and excite her readers is a challenge that continues to push Nichelle. Adventurous connoisseurs of erotic fiction wanted!
Email:
[email protected]
Nichelle loves to hear from readers. You can find her contact information, website and author biography at
http://www.totallybound.com
.
Also by Nichelle Gregory
Djinn Brotherhood: As You Wish
Djinn Brotherhood: As You Desire
Souls Entwined: Soul Temptation
What’s Her Secret?: Ashes to Flames
