Model Behavior Read online

  Ronnie’s nipples were hardwired to her clit, and the sensations Angelica was causing were driving her wild.

  Angelica released the nipple and kissed lower. Ronnie placed her hands on her shoulders, urging her on. When Angelica got comfortable between her legs, Ronnie thought she might self-combust.

  “You’re beautiful,” Angelica said. Her warm breath brushed over Ronnie, causing her to twitch.

  When she felt Angelica’s mouth on her, she groaned in delight. Angelica knew her way around a woman. That was for sure. Her tongue was in Ronnie and on her. She sucked her lips and delved deep inside. And then she finally moved to Ronnie’s rock hard clit. She sucked it between her lips and flicked it with her tongue. In no time, Ronnie was clenching the sheets as one orgasm after another racked her body.

  Angelica moved back up and cuddled against Ronnie. Ronnie hated this part. She knew she had to leave but didn’t want to hurt Angelica. She rolled over and propped herself up on an elbow.

  “Hey, Angelica. This has been a lot of fun, but I need to get going.”

  “Oh yeah. An early meeting?”

  “Actually, an early shoot. I’m a photographer.”

  “That’s okay. I mean, sure it would have been nice to have a sleepover and a repeat in the morning, but I understand. Thanks for the good time. Can you find your way out?”

  “Sure.”

  Ronnie dressed quickly, kissed Angelica, and left the way she’d come in.

  * * *

  Lana Ferguson woke early the morning after the dinner party. She lounged in bed for a few minutes replaying the party Ronnie Mannis had invited her to. It had been awkward and uncomfortable for everyone there. Or so she thought. The other guests had all been friends, and Lana felt like the odd woman out. She wondered again why Ronnie had invited her.

  She’d heard rumors of Ronnie’s womanizing ways, but had no intention of falling prey to her charms. Sure, she was attractive with her short, spiky dark hair and her piercing blue eyes. And her tall, lean body that seemed to move on its own when she snapped picture after picture of her models. Still. Lana wasn’t interested. She enjoyed being a model, but had hopes of turning that into a career in acting someday.

  She got out of bed and made some coffee, still puzzling over the dinner party. Had Ronnie thought that would get her into bed? Or was she just being nice because Lana was an up-and-coming model? It was hard to know with that one. At any rate, Lana was determined to keep a close eye on Ronnie Mannis.

  She made herself some breakfast of toast and eggs. She was one of the lucky ones who didn’t have to watch everything that went in her mouth. After breakfast, she took a nice long shower. If she was so determined to avoid Ronnie, why was she occupying her thoughts? Her whole shower she thought of nothing else.

  She toweled off and wrapped a blue fluffy towel around herself. She went to her dressing table and carefully did her hair and makeup. She wasn’t exactly sure what they would be shooting that morning, and they’d probably redo everything she was doing, but she’d be damned if she was going to out in public with no makeup on.

  When Lana pulled into the studio, the first thing she noticed was that Ronnie’s truck was already there. Whatever else they said about her, Ronnie was a professional. She was never late and was always spot-on in her photography. She knew just how to capture her models in such a way that was the most flattering and suited whatever the theme of the shoot. Speaking of shoots, she’d better get inside and find out what was on tap for the day.

  Ronnie was sitting in the little kitchen area sipping coffee.

  “Good morning,” Lana said.

  “Good morning. How are you today?”

  “I’m great. So, what’s this fun new shoot we’re doing this morning?”

  “We’re doing a fundraiser for the Rainbow Women’s Center this morning.”

  “What kind of fundraiser?”

  “They want a calendar of our most beautiful models posing like pinup girls.”

  “And they’re going to sell them? Seriously?”

  “Yep. Is that a problem for you?”

  “Not at all. I think it’s a real fun idea. And how fun to do a shoot like that.”

  “Good. Now, we’re gonna keep it clean. Just so you know.”

  “Oh, so no Bettie Page type photos?”

  “Right. But if you’re willing to show some skin, that’s great.”

  “I have no problem showing skin. Not for a good cause.”

  “Great. I’ve put some outfits in the dressing room. Choose one and come on out. Your hair looks great for this shoot, by the way.”

  Lana was glad she’d spent extra time curling her hair that morning. Excited, she went into the dressing room and picked out a red polka dot outfit. It had a short skirt and a halter top. She put it on and it fit perfectly. She checked herself out in the mirror. She liked what she saw. She stepped out of the room and went to the kitchen area.

  Ronnie raised her eyebrows.

  “Dang. You look amazing.”

  Lana felt herself blush. What was up with that? She was used to being told she looked good. It went with being a model.

  “Okay,” Ronnie said. “Get to makeup. We’ve got to get this done. I’ve got a lot more pinups to photograph today. But tell them not to get near your hair.”

  Lana sat patiently while the makeup artist worked her magic. Lana looked like something out of the forties or fifties when she was through. She wasn’t sure which, but she really liked her look. She walked back out to find Ronnie ready for the shoot.

  The background was of a grassy knoll with trees. There was a large ice chest in front of it.

  “Where do you want me?” Lana said.

  “We’ll start with you sitting on the ice chest. One leg bent, one sticking straight out.”

  Lana did as she was asked. Snap went the camera.

  “Head back. Good.”

  Snap.

  “Put your hand behind your head.”

  Snap.

  “Okay now stand up and put your hands on the ice chest. Stick your ass out. Good.”

  Snap.

  They did a few more poses, and Ronnie announced she had enough.

  “Are you sure?” Lana said. She was a perfectionist and wanted to be sure Ronnie got some good pictures. “May I see them?”

  “Sure. Come on over.”

  Lana crossed to where Ronnie stood. She stood on her tiptoes so she could see over her shoulder. Ronnie scrolled through the pictures. Satisfied, Lana moved away.

  “Looks good. Thanks.”

  “Thank you,” Ronnie said. “You were amazing. You’re free to go now.”

  Lana went back to the dressing room and changed back to her street clothes. She went to say good-bye to Ronnie as she left, but Ronnie was talking to another model already, so Lana just left.

  Chapter Two

  Ronnie pushed her creativity hard that day. She used interesting props and had the models in sexy, but not overly so, outfits. She felt like she was an old school photographer and could imagine taking pictures of the greats. She was bummed when the day ended and half the models had already been photographed. At least she had one more day of shooting for the project. She wanted it to be perfect.

  Perfect. Like Lana Ferguson. With her curly blond hair and cherubic face. And lips that begged to be kissed. Not every shoot had gone as smoothly as hers had that morning. She was a professional in every sense of the word. And apparently, off limits. Not that Ronnie had given up. She was simply regrouping. Her time would come. She knew it. Sure, Lana might mean forsaking all her one-night stands but she would be worth it. Ronnie knew it.

  She went to the kitchen area and popped open a beer. Whitney, the final model of the day, came out of the dressing room.

  “You have any wine?”

  “Sure. Have a seat.”

  Ronnie poured her a glass of wine.

  They sat together in a comfortable silence.

  “You’re very good at what you do, you kn
ow?” Whitney said.

  “Why thank you.”

  “Can I ask you a personal question?”

  “Sure.”

  “You’re surrounded by beautiful women all the time.”

  “That’s a question?”

  “No. My question is, why has nobody snatched you up yet?”

  Ronnie threw her head back and laughed. She took a sip of beer.

  “Maybe because no one’s been interested.”

  “Oh, don’t you feed me that bullshit, Ronnie Mannis. You’re gorgeous, you’re successful, you’re available.”

  “I don’t know about all that.” She allowed her mind to drift back to the real reason she was single. She’d been dumped. Hard. She had no intention of experiencing that pain again. Unless Lana…

  “Well, I do.”

  “I guess I’m married to my job. Though I suppose if truth be told, I’m about ready to settle down.”

  “Is that right?”

  “And you? Why are you single?” Ronnie said.

  “If I’m honest, I’d have to say because I enjoy playing the field too much.”

  Ronnie laughed again, this time almost spitting out a mouthful of beer.

  “Well, there you go. I like your honesty,” she said.

  “So is this what you do after work? You sit here by yourself and drink beer?”

  “I’m not by myself now, am I?”

  “You know what I mean, smartass.”

  “I usually have a beer as I wind down. But I don’t hang here too late, usually.”

  “So what are you doing after your beer tonight?” Whitney said.

  “I have no idea. Look through the pictures, I guess.”

  “Why don’t you do something fun?”

  “Like what?”

  “Like take me to dinner.”

  Ronnie was surprised at the offer but didn’t want to turn it down. She wondered where it might lead.

  “Okay. I suppose that can be arranged.”

  “Don’t sound too excited.”

  Ronnie laughed. Whitney had spunk. She liked that.

  “Where shall we go? I mean, being a model I’m guessing your choices of what to eat are limited.”

  “I have a great metabolism. I can eat anything.”

  She winked, and Ronnie felt the heat rising to her cheeks.

  “Well, I’m in the mood for a steak,” Ronnie said. “How does that sound?”

  “It sounds good. And if I change my mind, I’ll find something else on the menu.”

  “Right on. Well, let me just lock up and we can go.”

  She got everything from the last shoot put away and locked her camera in the safe. Then she walked over to the door.

  “You ready?”

  She watched Whitney gracefully stand and walk toward her. Ronnie’s pulse quickened. Whitney was gorgeous with a bob of dark hair and dark eyes. She had high cheek bones and full lips. Ronnie really hoped she’d be up for dessert. Because Ronnie wanted her in a big way.

  Once Ronnie had locked the door behind them, Whitney slipped her hand in hers.

  “So, are we taking two cars or can I ride with you?”

  “I think it would be best to take two cars.”

  Whitney pouted.

  “Why? Are we not on the same page here?”

  “Oh, yeah. I think we’re on the same page. I just think having both cars is a good idea.”

  She sighed heavily.

  “Okay. If you insist. I’ll follow you to the restaurant.”

  “Great.”

  Ronnie pulled into the steakhouse with Whitney right behind her. They parked next to each other and Whitney looped her arm through Ronnie’s elbow as they walked inside. It was a weeknight, so there was no wait for a table. They were seated and Ronnie ordered a bottle of wine for them.

  “So, is the steak here really that good?” Whitney looked around. The booths were logs covered in red material and there were pictures of cowboys and cattle on the wall. It was small, though, with only enough seats for maybe thirty people. “I’ve never heard of it.”

  “It’s the places you’ve never heard of that have the best food.”

  “Okay. I’m going to have to trust you. Because believe me, if I get food poisoning, you’ll never hear the end of it.”

  Ronnie laughed.

  “Fair enough.”

  They ordered their dinner, then chatted amicably while they waited for it to come.

  “So, where are you from, Whitney? Are you from Houston?”

  “No. I’m originally from Tallahassee.”

  “Wow. You don’t have much of an accent.”

  “Neither do you.”

  “Touché.”

  “What brought you to Houston?”

  “I’m going to the University of Houston. I’m studying to get my BFA in graphic arts with a minor in film study.”

  “Dang. You must be smart.” Ronnie regretted the words as soon as they were out.

  “Not all models are airheads, Ronnie.”

  “Yeah. I realized how that sounded as soon as I said it. I’m sorry.”

  “You’re forgiven. Especially if you pour me another glass of that delicious wine.”

  “Fair enough.”

  “And what about you, Ronnie? How did you end up as a photographer?”

  “I always knew I wanted to be a photographer. My degree is in digital photography.”

  “Where did you go to school?” Whitney said.

  “TCU.”

  “Did you always know you wanted to photograph beautiful women?”

  Ronnie laughed.

  “No. I just kind of lucked into that. It was the first job I got when I moved back to Houston. I enjoyed it and found I was good at it, so as soon as I could, I opened my own studio.”

  “Very nice.”

  Their dinner was served and they ate in comfortable silence. When they were through, they finished the bottle of wine and chatted some more. Finally, the wine was gone and it was time for Ronnie to make her move.

  “Tonight’s been fun,” she said.

  “Yes, it has.”

  “I really don’t want it to end.”

  “It really doesn’t have to then.”

  “No?” Ronnie arched an eyebrow.

  “Of course not. Why don’t you follow me back to my place?”

  Ronnie followed Whitney to an apartment not far from her own house downtown. She parked in a visitor’s spot and crossed the parking lot to where Whitney was waiting for her. Hand in hand, they walked to Whitney’s apartment. It was on the ground floor and nicely furnished for a college student’s apartment.

  “Nice place,” Ronnie said.

  “Thanks. I like it. Make yourself comfortable. I’ll go get us some more wine.”

  Ronnie sat on the couch in the living room. She kicked her shoes off and rested her feet on the coffee table. She sat up straight when Whitney came back. She handed Ronnie her wine glass, and Ronnie felt like an electric current had shot through her. Their fingers touched for a minute longer than necessary.

  Whitney sat next to Ronnie and looked at her over the top of her wine glass. Ronnie looked into her dark eyes and saw a desire there that matched her own. Why were they wasting time drinking wine? There was so much more Ronnie would rather be doing.

  “Are you okay?” Whitney said.

  “Yep. Are you?”

  “I’m fine. You just seem kind of antsy.”

  “Well, if I’m honest, there are other things I’d rather be doing than drinking wine.”

  “Patience, my dear. All in good time.”

  Ronnie fought the urge to gulp her wine down and be done with it. She took a sip.

  “This is really good.”

  “The agency pays me well.”

  “I’m happy to hear that. Because you’re a natural in front of the camera.”

  “And you work miracles with that camera of yours.”

  “You make it easy.”

  Whitney laughed.

 
“So we’re the mutual admiration society, huh?”

  “I guess so.”

  Ronnie moved closer to Whitney.

  “Patience. Remember?” Whitney said.

  “I’m being patient.” She took another sip of her wine. “As patient as I can be.”

  She pressed her leg into Whitney’s, and the heat made her boxers wet. She knew she was in for a good time. But could she wait for it?

  They sipped their wine, and Whitney seemed intent on keeping the conversation light.

  “I really like that calendar idea we shot today,” she said.

  Ronnie leaned back against the couch and took another sip of wine.

  “Yeah. It’s for a great cause, and so far, I think it’s going really well.”

  “How many models did you shoot today?”

  “Six. I’ll shoot the other six tomorrow.”

  “Sounds good.”

  They each had a swallow left of their wine. Ronnie finished hers and set her glass on the table. She looked at Whitney who swallowed hers and set her glass next to Ronnie’s.

  Ronnie placed her arm around Whitney and drew her close. Whitney smelled clean and fresh, and Ronnie buried her nose in her hair.

  “You smell amazing.”

  “Thank you. So do you. Whatever you’re wearing is subtle but woodsy. It suits you.”

  “Thank you.”

  Ronnie moved away and placed her finger under Whitney’s chin. When she was looking directly at her, Ronnie dropped her gaze to Whitney’s lips. Whitney parted them slightly, and Ronnie dipped her head to taste them. The kiss was brief, but it still made her heart race. She tried to pull back, but Whitney had her arms around her tight. She kissed Ronnie and ran her tongue along Ronnie’s lower lip. The move was dizzying, and Ronnie opened her mouth and welcomed Whitney inside.

  Their tongues tangoed in a dance of lust for what seemed an eternity. Ronnie was breathing heavily when the kiss ended. She needed Whitney and didn’t want to wait another minute.

  “Let’s go to your room,” Ronnie said.

  “Yeah. Like, now.” Whitney’s voice was deep and husky. She stood and offered her hand to Ronnie. Ronnie took it and allowed herself to be led down the hall to the small bedroom with a queen-sized bed that occupied most of it.