Picture Me Sexy (3 page)

“This is a fantastic place you've got here,” she said. She'd strolled to the bank of floor-to-ceiling paned-glass windows and gazed at the old downtown Memphis skyline. “Did you do all the renovations yourself?”

“Most of them,” Sam replied. “I did the majority of the cosmetic work, the painting and the floors, but I contracted out the plumbing and rewiring.” He shrugged, rubbed the back of his neck. “I apologize for the mess the building is in. When the owner saw how well my loft turned out, he decided to renovate the entire building.” Sam offered her a smile. “Things are chaotic right now, but it'll be nice when the work is completed.”

She turned to face him and that sense of déjà vu slammed into him once more. She nodded succinctly. “Without a doubt. Your loft is lovely.”

Irritated with his reaction to her, Sam redoubled his efforts to remain professional and merely nodded.
You've got a lot riding on this, Martelli,
Sam told himself.
Don't screw it up.
“So, are you ready to get started?”

She didn't look ready, Sam noted. In fact, she looked miserable. Indecision vibrated off her tight frame and she tortured that full bottom lip with her teeth. But just when he thought she'd decided against the session, she turned, pulled in a bolstering breath, then smiled and said, “Not ready…but determined.”

He could see that, Sam thought, unreasonably impressed. Delaney Walker had moxie, a trait Sam found both equally attractive and appealing. He nodded, pleased. “Good. If you'll follow me, Ms. Walker—”

She snorted indelicately. “Call me Delaney. You're about to see me half-naked. I hardly think we need to stand on formality.”

Sam felt his lips slide into a grin. “Fine. Delaney, it is then. I'm Sam, by the way. The dressing room is down the hall, first door on the left. Go change and don't forget.”

She quirked a brow and her lips tucked into the shadow of a smile. “Forget what?”

Sam winked at her. “Men suck.”

D
ELANEY MADE HER WAY DOWN
the hall he had indicated and felt her muscles marginally relax. She'd needed that bracing thought and decided that, in addition to being one of the sexiest creatures God had ever thought about putting on this earth, clearly Sam Martelli was intuitive as well.

Undoubtedly he'd read about her recent humiliation in the paper, but rather than bringing it up, or embarrassing her by trying to comfort her, he'd instinctively known just what to say. She hoped he carried that keen perception into the studio with him, because she was going to need every single ounce of determination to get through this shoot. Just the idea of putting on some of the outfits she'd brought with her made her entire body clench with dread. Made her throat dry and her palms itch.

But those weaknesses made her every bit as determined to see this through. She stiffened. She would do this shoot. She would wear her lingerie. She
could
and she
would.
For reasons she couldn't explain, she'd attached a tremendous amount of importance to conquering her modesty, to making this
personal area of her life work. A new attitude without the actions to back it up was worthless.

Delaney found the dressing room and quietly let herself inside. The room was relatively small, but homey. An Oriental rug covered the dark hardwood floors. A small Duncan Phyfe sofa sat against one wall and a huge, heavily carved mahogany cheval mirror stood in the corner.

Rather than line the wall with hooks for hanging clothes, Sam had attached antique glass doorknobs. The novel idea drew a delighted smile. He'd done a phenomenal job blending the old with the new, and the resulting effect was warm and homey, yet eclectic and very romantic. She couldn't fault his taste and found herself genuinely intrigued by him. She suspected he was an estate sale/antique mall junkie like herself. Delaney's antebellum home was stuffed to the rafters with her finds as well. She couldn't drive past a junk store, yard sale, or antique mall without stopping.

She briefly wondered if a Mrs. Martelli were in the picture, but instinctively knew that wasn't the case. Of course, it could simply be wishful thinking on her part.

Irritation surged, which was ridiculous since she'd just recently decided to swear off men and possibly change her sexual preference. Honestly, what was wrong with her? She'd been given irrefutable proof—repeatedly—that men sucked. So what if he was possibly the sexiest man she'd ever seen? So
what if her nipples still tingled and she still felt the residual heat of that flash fire her body had undergone the moment she laid eyes on him? So what if her wayward sex still throbbed and the moisture hadn't fully returned to her mouth? Other parts of her anatomy were astonishingly wet.

Delaney angrily jerked off her clothes, slung them over the couch and ripped into her bag. She snagged a white cotton peasant gown pulled it over her head and donned the coordinating thong.

She was 0 for 2, dammit. She couldn't trust her own judgment when it came to men. Any man. Even that one, though it pained her to admit it. She didn't need to be wondering whether Mr. Sex out there had a wife or not. All she needed to concern herself with was whether or not he could take a good picture. If his reputation held true, then she should be pleased.

Delaney turned, caught sight of herself in the mirror and wilted like a cheap corsage. Every ounce of self-deprecating anger drained out of her as she stared miserably at the image displayed in the mirror. It was a lovely gown, trimmed with French lace and tiny satin ribbon and she'd even reluctantly admit that it looked lovely on her. The cut was loose, with blousy sleeves, and it hung to mid-thigh. Very romantic. The gown was so utterly feminine, so sweetly sexy, it would flatter any woman.

Still, just knowing that she wore nothing underneath but a pair of thonged panties and her birthday suit was enough to send her heart rate into an irreg
ular rhythm. The familiar weight of dread coalesced in her tummy. She shoved her hands through her hair, watched the long tresses fall over her breasts. Another defense mechanism, Delaney thought, disgusted.

Covering her body with clothes wasn't enough—she used her hair as well.

Oh, hell. Changing herself in theory sounded great, but could she pull it off in fact, as well? She bit her lip. Could she do this? Could she really do this?

A knock at the door startled her. “Delaney?” Sam called hesitantly. “You about ready in there?”

No, she wasn't ready by any stretch of the imagination…but like she'd told him, she was determined. Delaney pulled in a shuddering breath. “Yeah, coming right out.”

She squared her shoulders, opened the door and met Sam in the hall. Something about his tall, reassuring presence made her feel marginally better. He briefly appraised her outfit, but his gaze didn't linger on any particular area. She didn't know whether to be thankful or perturbed, and decided not to ponder the conundrum while half-naked in the hall.

“The peasant gown.” He nodded. “Nice choice. Follow me. The studio is this way.”

Delaney did as she was told and followed him down the hall. The corridor dead-ended into a huge open area. Where the other end of the loft had been partitioned by walls to make living quarters, this end
was one big, spectacular room with lots of space and light.

Several backdrops and props were sectioned along the walls. A bedroom scene, featuring a gorgeous king-size canopied bed with coordinating pieces. A sitting room scene with a beautiful French Rococo style chaise lounge. A bathroom scene, with an antique slipper tub, and another still that featured a gold low-backed sofa and various animal prints.

Sam didn't simply stop at getting the primary items to accentuate a scene—he saw to the details as well. Everything was rich with color and contrast, with candlelight, lamps, rugs and coordinating accessories. But most importantly, it was sexy and compelling. A thrill raced through her. She wanted to lie on that bed, that chaise, that couch, wanted to sink into that tub.

He'd obviously put a lot of thought, time and money into building this studio, Delaney thought, suitably impressed. In fact, his home studio looked considerably better than the few meager sets she had down at the
Chifferobe.
Visions of her models in this studio, decked out in various
Laney
creations began to traipse through her head.

“Is there any particular setting that draws you?” Sam asked in that smooth blues voice.

She laughed, shook her head and gestured to the room at large. “All of them do. This is incredible,” she said appreciatively. “Really incredible. Did you do this all yourself, or hire a decorator?” She knew
the answer before she asked the question—the entire loft had the same sensually cohesive feel about it—but wanted to be sure anyway.

He toyed with his camera and shook his head. “No decorator. My tastes tend to run to the eclectic.” He looked up at her and smiled, which resulted in a serious quiver below her navel. To her immeasurable chagrin, heat bolted up her spine. “I don't think a decorator would get it.”

Well, she most definitely got it and she loved it, recognized him as a kindred spirit of sorts. Her sensuality came through in her designs, his came through in his photography and decorating.

How refreshing to meet a man who seemed to take genuine pleasure and interest in surrounding himself with nice things. Even Roger—who'd possessed a great deal more class than most of the men of her acquaintance—had deferred to a decorator's judgment when furnishing his house. If he hadn't, the expensive Georgian home would undoubtedly be decorated with Elvis on velvet and bizarre sculptures made out of beer tabs.

“You've done a wonderful job,” Delaney finally told him. “It's truly remarkable. Enough old and new to make it interesting.”

“I like antiques. They have character.” He took one last cursory glance at his camera, deemed it ready and looked up. “So where do you want to start?” he asked again, clearly ready to set this shoot
in motion. “I don't mean to rush you, but we're losing natural light.”

Delaney nodded. “Right. I, uh…” She looked from scene to scene, and tried to make her up mind. She bit her bottom lip. “Well, with this gown, I think the chaise would work best. But I'm not the photographer. What do you think?”

“I agree. The peasant gown has a whimsical feel. It'll look good against the green fabric on the chaise.”

She
wouldn't look good on the chaise, but the gown would. Delaney ignored the prick of irritation and summoned a smile. She didn't necessarily want him to find her attractive, still… She was half-naked and he was a man—he was supposed to notice.

While his unimpressed attitude certainly wasn't doing her self-esteem any good, she could truthfully admit that the familiar claw of desperation brought on by her modesty wasn't rearing its ugly head. She supposed there was nothing to be modest about if a man wasn't interested.

“I'm going to put on a little mood music before we get started,” Sam said. “Do you mind?”

Still unreasonably perturbed, Delaney shook her head. “Not at all. Go ahead.” Whatever tripped his trigger. Evidently it wasn't her. Which was good, Delaney reminded herself again and resisted the urge to grind her teeth. Men were a no-no. Right? Right.

Nevertheless, she found her gaze inexplicably drawn to him. She liked the way he moved, unhur
ried yet purposeful. Sensual. If the man paid such close attention to detail when it came to his home and his profession, one could reasonably deduce that he'd be an equally meticulous lover. Slow and thorough, leisurely—

Otis Redding's “Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay” suddenly resonated from hidden speakers, derailing that unproductive line of thought. That smooth, smoky voice moved over her, pushed her lips into a late-blooming smile. Somehow the music choice suited Sam Martelli. He looked like the type who would appreciate Otis. He was a favorite of hers as well.

Sam tested the light around the chaise, and after a few adjustments, deemed it acceptable. “Okay. I'm ready when you are.”

Delaney made her way over to the set, acutely aware once more of how little she wore. So what if it had long sleeves and hit her just barely below mid-thigh? What difference did it make if she felt naked?

“I was right,” Sam said matter-of-factly. “The gown is perfect.”

Delaney felt her eyes narrow as another wave of annoyance surged through her. The gown again. Not her. She was proud of the damned gown—she'd designed it, after all—but honestly. Wasn't it his job to make her feel sexy?

She expelled a frustrated breath. “Where do you want me?”

Two beats passed as he tweaked his camera again
and when he answered his voice sounded a little strained. “Why don't you lie on the chaise? Pick a comfortable position. A pose that's natural to you.”

Delay arranged herself on the couch, propped her head up with her hand and curled her legs up close to her bottom. It was comfortable, but she didn't feel remotely sexy. In fact, she felt ridiculous.

Sam looked at her through his lens, then pulled the camera away from his face. A line knitted his brow. “Is there something wrong?”

“I, uh, don't feel sexy,” Delaney confessed. “I feel stupid.”

His lips curled into a lopsided grin. “You don't look stupid.”

“I don't look sexy either.”

Sam rubbed the back of his neck and winced. “Wrong, you
look
sexy, but you don't
feel
sexy and the two are hopelessly intertwined. I could try to remedy how you feel, but you're the most miserably modest woman I've ever seen and I'm not sure that what I could do for you would help. Any compliments I might give you would be genuine, but they're going to make you self-conscious. If you start worrying about what you're wearing—or not wearing—and how you look, then that's pretty much going to defeat the purpose. You don't have to look like a sex kitten, Delaney,” he said patiently. “All you have to do is smile. Okay?”

He was right. She was being ridiculous. “Okay.”

“Great.” Sam's face disappeared behind the cam
era once more and Delaney conjured the smile he'd asked for. “So, who are these pictures for, anyway?”

Delaney smothered a grunt and rolled her eyes. “My next lover.”

“Next?”

Delaney continued to smile, though she couldn't contain the edge to her voice. “Right. I'm sure you read the papers. My ex-fiancé and his new wife are currently on their way to Greece on a honeymoon that I paid for.”

Seemingly astonished, Sam lowered the camera. “You've got to be kidding.”

She snorted. “I wish.”

“Damn, that's cold. What a bastard.” Sam refocused, took a couple more shots.

“My sentiments exactly.”

He moved to the left a couple of feet, went down on one knee and fired off a few more shots. “It's guys like him that give men a bad rap.”

“I know. That's why I'm finished with them.” Delaney rolled over onto her back and crossed her legs. Strangely, talking to him made her feel less ridiculous and she began to marginally relax.

“With men?”

“Yep.” She twirled a strand of hair around her finger.

“So where does the next lover come in?” he asked, sounding faintly amused. Apparently he'd drawn the incorrect conclusion that she wasn't serious. Evidently he thought she was simply the typical
thwarted female making the typical empty threat to swear off men. Wrong. She was an adult woman who'd made a valid, life-altering decision.

She should probably enlighten him.

Delaney curled back onto her side and smiled wickedly. For the first time since they'd started this shoot, she actually felt sexy. She arched an innocent brow. “Who said that lover would be a man?”

The camera clattered to the floor and the blank slack-jawed look he gave her was utterly priceless.