His tension slackens, and he props his hands on his hips, giving me a baffled look. “Man, never in a million years did I expect it would happen. I owe it to you, so I want you to help me with this. I’ll pay you, of course. Name the price.”
I mirror his stance, placing my hands on my hips. “I get that this is probably a romantic gesture in your head, but is Celeste okay with it? Having someone in your face with a camera while you’re fucking isn’t necessarily a turn-on for everyone. My regular couple are exhibitionists, so they actually get off on it.”
I don’t add that either James or Sequoia will tip me with a blowjob at the end of the session. As much as his offer is the thing of fantasies, if Leo’s serious about this, I’m expecting a day of pure torture. I’m not saying no though. I must be a goddamn masochist.
His lips curl into a sly smile. “Turns out she has a kinky streak. She’s into the idea or I wouldn’t have asked.”
My eyebrows twitch with interest, but I school my features again and clear my throat. I dip my chin and regard him more intently. “And you’re cool with me being in your business like that? It’s invasive. I don’t just stand back with the camera on a tripod. I’m not going to just wait for the right moment and hope I get a good shot. I’ll be moving around the two of you with a camera the entire time. I also want the option to include some in my portfolio if you agree to it, and that means a lot more than face shots. You’ll wind up with hundreds of options to choose from, to do what you will with.”
We haven’t said word one to each other about my confession, so I hope the subtext is clear. If he has a problem with a bi man checking out his assets while he fucks his girlfriend, he needs to tell me now.
He darts his eyes to the floor and rakes his fingers through his curls. They bounce back like they have a mind of their own, and my hand itches to touch them just once. He’s as tense as he was at the start of the conversation when he looks at me again, making a point to look me directly in the eyes despite his obvious discomfort.
“I owe you an apology for that night. You surprised me, but it isn’t like you actually did anything wrong. I was an asshole to a good friend. Hell, you might be my only friend outside of Toni and her brothers. And after what you did for me . . . I’m going to have a tough time ever repaying that favor.”
I swallow and nod, accepting his apology even as I die a little inside.
“Friends don’t keep score,” I say in a gruff tone, and I’m shocked when he closes the distance between us and hauls me into his arms in a fierce embrace. I hug him back, clenching my teeth against the onslaught of emotion that his simple act of affection draws forth.
I push away before my body can catch up to the realization that it’s pressed against him, and I turn to hide the state of my wet eyes. “You want a beer while I pull out a contract and we talk schedules? Speaking of which, I still owe you for the photo shoot from before, so we can call it even if you want.”
“That works. As for the schedule, what about tomorrow? You usually do photo shoots on Sundays, if I remember right.”
My neck prickles with a combination of dread and excitement, and I have to tamp down that feeling as I turn to hand him a beer. He settles on one of the mismatched barstools across the kitchen counter and tilts the bottle back, taking a long swallow as if he’s parched.
I’m distracted by the ripple of his throat muscles and force myself to look at my beer as I pop the cap off and take a swig. “Tomorrow’s great. We’ll have pretty good light if you show up between two and three, when the sun’s at the right angle to come through the windows.” The goddamn sun is the last thing on my mind. I’m already picturing the pair of them naked on my bed again, but this time I’ll be there with my camera.
“Then it’s set,” he says.
I lean both elbows on the bar and give him a once-over, tilting the mouth of the bottle toward him. “So, this new look have anything to do with Celeste, or is it all about her dad?”
He glances down at the expensive tailored shirt and laughs. “I guess I’ve gone corporate. It’s fucking crazy, isn’t it? I spend as much time sitting in an office or being chauffeured to meetings as I used to spend slinging drugs for La Valla.”
“No word about Gustavo? Rumor has it he’s alive.”
Leo shakes his head. “He’d have to have a pretty strong fucking constitution to survive, if Amador took him. I saw the man take a bullet to the gut. But stranger things have happened.”
I grimace at the sense of dread that settles over me. The less chance Gustavo has of coming back from the dead to come after J.J., the better, but hearing rumors that he’s alive puts me on edge. I still need to be cautious with Leo too. He’s Arturo’s right hand now. Inviting him and Celeste into my place is risky as long as J.J. keeps running those guns. The last thing I need is Arturo getting wind of my brother’s dealings with the cartels. It isn’t exactly a secret that Papá Flores hates it when they do business in his territory.
