Sitting at the desk, Christian studied his schedule and groaned, holding his head in his hands. “David,” he said without looking up, “please reschedule the session to this afternoon. Hopefully I’ll feel more human by then.” Lifting his gaze, he saw David’s disapproving look, mixed with something he didn’t quite understand but also didn’t have the energy to figure out right now.
“Of course,” David answered softly before picking up the phone. Christian heard him quietly reschedule the appointment for two in the afternoon before returning the phone to its cradle. “You shouldn’t do that to yourself,” David told him with surprising gentleness, and Christian heard him walk behind him. Then hands settled on his shoulders and began to move, massaging his muscles and instantly making the worst of his headache begin to fade. It took about two minutes for the throbbing to subside and for the warmth in David’s hands to soak through his shirt and into his skin. David’s hands felt good, and Christian let his head fall back as he let his mind float on a calm sea. It had been a long time since he’d been touched without sex being involved, and Christian was afraid to move for fear David would pull away, so he sat as still as he could and silently willed David not to stop.
He lost track of how long he sat like that, eyes closed, body relaxed, David’s talented hands on his shoulders, but he immediately missed the touch and the care when David stopped. He missed being touch in such a simple way. There was no sex involved, and nothing approaching anything intimate, but it felt special to Christian. “Do you want to look at the photographs from yesterday?” Christian nodded, immediately regretting it, but forced his eyes open, and once the room stopped spinning moved away to give David access to the computer. “I got almost everything sorted and catalogued, but there are some I wasn’t sure about. Can we start with those? And then you can look at the various groups,” David explained, and he began to click through folders until he came to the ones he was questioning.
“Trash,” Christian said about the first one, and David moved it away before bringing up another. “Sultry,” Christian said when he saw the next one. David catalogued that one as well. When he brought up the next one, Christian stopped short. With all the cameras positioned for the session yesterday, it was inevitable that there would be pictures of himself, but this one had caught him at what must have been the height of Stavros’s passion, because Christian could see it reflected in his expression. “Trash,” Christian said, trying to cover his own emotions. He hated pictures of himself and never kept any of them. David knew that, and yet he’d made sure he saw it. Christian wanted to ask him why, but when he peeked at David, his expression gave nothing away as he moved the picture to trash.
Once the pictures had been sorted, David set up the first folder to play like a slideshow, and Christian reviewed each one, calling out the ones he wanted for articles, the next book, or to add to his new website. When they got to the folder that contained the photos of passion, Christian was floored by how well they turned out. He remembered Stavros being responsive, but the expression on his face was powerful, and Christian heard David’s breathing become shallower and faster. The pictures were of Stavros’s face and chest, but what was happening was readily apparent and extremely powerful. “These are some of the best I’ve ever done,” Christian said softly. He hadn’t meant to actually say it out loud, and he heard David agree, equally softly.
“I wish you hadn’t fucked him to get it,” David said. Christian’s temper rose, and he turned to his assistant ready to lay into him for judging him. He even had his mouth open, the words on the tip of his tongue, but David’s expression stopped him cold. David wasn’t accusing him or even chastising him. His expression was sad, confused, and Christian thought he saw disappointment. Christian stared with his mouth open like a fish’s before turning back to the computer, anger just below the surface. Christian seethed in near silence as the pictures continued to move on the screen. He grunted his responses, and David took them down.
Once the folder was complete, David brought up the next. “I need to get things set up for today,” he explained before standing up and moving away from the computer, leaving the pad on the desk. Christian continued working as he watched David move in the studio, pulling out the notes Christian had made for this shoot. He watched David strip the bedding before breaking it down and putting it with the other props and equipment. Christian continued his work while pretending not to watch David. Every time David looked his way, Christian would return his attention to the computer.
Christian went back to work, viewing almost all the pictures from the previous day, refining his notes. Once he was done, he looked around the studio to see how David was progressing. David had gotten nearly everything set up for the shoot and was bent over, positioning Christian’s camera in just the right place. Without thinking, Christian opened the desk drawer and pulled out a small camera, snapping one picture of David and then another. He’d never noticed how attractive David was. He moved with a grace that so many people lacked. As he worked, he made almost no sound at all, each movement deliberate and practiced. Christian took another picture of David in profile and then lowered the camera as David looked his way. Christian placed the camera back in the drawer, walking to the setup as David turned on the lights. “Looks very good,” Christian commented as he moved around the setup. “The model has really light skin and blond, almost white hair. So I think we could add some pillows for a bit of color,” Christian thought out loud before looking to the corner. “Maybe we’ll see how it goes,” he added, changing his mind as his vision shifted in his head. “Bring over the black rope and leather, nothing with buckles, just black.” David began to move away, and Christian called him back. “Before you go, stand there. I want to check the lighting.” David slipped off his shoes and stood in the middle of the setting draped all in black. Christian looked through his camera and took a few pictures before activating the remote cameras. David didn’t move or change expression, but Christian was having fun anyway. David’s pouty expression was adorable, and he began losing himself in the moment. It usually took a while for him to really get into a photo session, but with David it was almost instantaneous.
“I’m not one of your models, Christian,” David said, and Christian snapped out of his reverie, setting his camera aside. “Is the lighting okay?” David asked with a raised eyebrow, and without waiting for an answer left the area, walking to the closet where the various props were kept, returning with the things Christian had requested. “If you don’t mind, I would rather not be here for the session. I have things I need to get, including the supplies so I can print the photographs you requested.” David checked his watch before walking toward the door. “I’ll be right back with lunch.” David hurried out, and Christian heard the studio door close behind him.