How to Love (23 page)

“Well,” he finally said to Carlos. “Let’s just make sure we stick to the plan then, right?”

“Right.”

They continued working, banging, smashing tiles, making a satisfyingly big mess. The story Jules had told last night had been related with cool detachment. She’d said it was in the past and she was over it, but Mike could read between the lines. Shit like that hurt, and it could hurt for a long time. “I’m surprised she even told us about her family,” he said to Carlos. “When we tried to ask about it before, we got nowhere.”

“I can understand why,” Carlos said. “It’s not real pleasant. She says she’s moved on.”

“D’you believe that?”

Carlos paused and looked at him. “You don’t?”

“Not really.” Despite her apparent acceptance of it and the fact that she’d moved on with her life, it had to mean more to her than she let on because of the fact that she didn’t tell people stuff like that easily. She kept a lot of herself hidden away. Unless you looked at her photographs.

Suddenly the one of the little girl sitting on the floor in a ballet outfit, putting her shoes on and looking up at someone with a tentative smile, such a look of need and a desire to please on her face, hit him like a fist to the gut. It was there in all her photographs, in some form, the grief, the loss, the longing, the loneliness. It made his insides tighten up, made his chest ache. It made him want her even more. Mike sat heavily on the closed toilet. He regarded Carlos.

“I want to go with her to that party.”

“Shut the fuck up. Why?”

“I want to meet the asshole that did such a number on her.”

Carlos smiled slowly. “Yeah.” Then he frowned. “But why do you get to go with her?”

Mike nodded. Fair question. “Fine. We’ll both go.”

“You say that as if Jules might actually allow it.”

Mike laughed. “Good point. But I think we can convince her.”

“You know, you’re an arrogant, cocky bastard sometimes.”

“But you love me anyway.”

Carlos pursed his lips, but his eyes gleamed.

“And I’m not all that cocky this time,” Mike confessed. “Like I said, she was going to dump my ass last night.” He
was
confident about Jules—to a point. He sensed she had growing feelings for him, and now he was pretty sure for Carlos too, even though she wouldn’t admit it. But there was always a chance he was wrong, and this was all going to come to a crashing halt.

“She wants to take naked pictures of me,” Carlos said with a smug smile, turning back to his task.

Mike laughed. “Told you.”

“Cocky bastard.”

Jules made a trip to the farmers’ market after leaving Carlos and Mike’s house, returned home to store away her purchases, some crusty bread, fruits and vegetables, and fresh flowers, two bouquets of multi-hued sunflowers all cheery and bright, one for home and one for the gallery. Then she headed to the gallery to check on the girls and do more work in Photoshop.

She felt good today, relieved to be over the confusion she’d felt since Friday night. Suddenly everything was clear. Mike and Carlos were a couple. She wasn’t sure why they hadn’t told her sooner, but realistically, if she’d known right away she probably wouldn’t have let herself be interested in Mike that way. She also laughed at herself for not realizing, but really there’d been no clue and they were both so hot and sexy and flirtatious with her, why would she have thought that?

She’d envied their relationship, even thinking they were just friends, their easy camaraderie, the way they understood each other. It was clear they
were
friends, as well as lovers, and she now admired that even more, along with that little nudge of envy. That was what that was, wasn’t it? Just a little harmless envy for something nice, a feeling that there was always someone there who had your back, no matter what. Not that she needed that. Or wanted that.

She entered the gallery with her flowers. “Hey, Min. How’s it going?”

“Good. Nice flowers.”

Jules grinned. “Aren’t they pretty? I have a vase in the back. Has it been busy?”

“Actually it has. Anna’s with a customer right now.”

A couple followed Jules into the gallery and she greeted them with a non-threatening smile. “Let us know if you have any questions,” she said. Then to Min, she added, “Be right back.”

She breezed through the gallery into her framing room where she found a sleek white vase for the flowers. She added water and dropped them in, tweaked the arrangement just a little, then returned out front. She set the vase on the front counter just as another customer walked in, a man. She caught Min’s eye and they smiled. Business was good.

She chatted with Min about her weekend until Anna returned with a photograph she’d just sold and she helped her wrap it up. She was about to head to her office when the man who’d come in approached her.

“Hi,” he said. “Is one of you the photographer?”

She smiled and lifted a hand. “That would be me. Jules Stockwood. What can I help you with?”

“There’s an image in the back room I’m interested in.”

“Absolutely.”

She followed him and he indicated the one he liked. “I’d like to take that.”

It was the first one of Mike she’d sold. “Awesome choice,” she said sincerely, lifting it down from the wall with care. “And brand new to the gallery.”

“It’s incredible,” he said. “Who’s the model?”

She smiled as she walked to the front. “Just a friend who did me a favor.”

“Is he interested in doing more modeling?”

Her eyes widened. “Um…you mean for someone other than me?” She stepped behind the counter and studied the man. Dressed in expensive casual clothes, a T-shirt and dark jeans with soft looking loafers, he had a nice smile. He wore his short dark hair brushed back from his forehead. The creases at the corners of his dark blue eyes said he had a few years on him. He had a confident, professional air about him. Was he a photographer too? Somehow she didn’t think so, but…

“Yeah,” he said.

“You know…” She gave a wry smile. “I don’t think he would. He wasn’t exactly thrilled with doing it for me.”

“And you?”

She blinked as Anna helped her with the picture and Min rang up the sale. The man handed over a platinum credit card. “Me?”

“Do you do other photography?”

“I do portraits. Some boudoir photography. And of course what you see here.” She swept out a hand. “My nudes are a more recent thing, but they’ve been really popular.”

“You have a good eye for them. Really fascinating stuff.”

“Thank you.”

“Do you have a card?”

“Of course.” She plucked a card from the stainless steel holder and handed it over.

He studied the card. “Oh, good. You have a website.”

“I sure do.” She smiled at him as he left with his picture and then made her way to her office to do more work, a warm feeling of satisfaction settling inside her. She had to get other images of Mike framed and up on the walls. And up on her website.

She could get Carlos to pose too. He hadn’t said no when she’d mentioned it. And then, like a lightning bolt, she was struck by inspiration. She’d get both of them to pose for her. Together! Oh man…she leaned back in her chair, her body buzzing with a flash of adrenaline. The things she could do with them. Her mind took off in a crazy, dizzying stream of images—in a bed, outside, in water…ohgod, ohgod, ohgod.

Excitement gripped her so tightly she almost couldn’t breathe, and she couldn’t wait to get home and tell them her idea.

Later that evening, when the three of them were once again in Carlos and Mike’s kitchen putting a meal together with their combined meager knowledge of cooking, she said to Carlos, “So, did you seriously agree to pose nude for me?”

“Sure I’ll do it.”

She smiled at him, looking up from the guacamole dip she was making from avocadoes, tomatoes and limes she’d bought at the market. “Thank you. You were much easier to convince than Mike.” She sent a sideways glance at him where he husked three ears of fresh corn.

“I’m easy,” Carlos said. He shaped ground beef into patties. “When do you want to do it?”

“Whenever you can,” she said.

He thought about that. “Maybe next weekend?”

“Sure.” She looked down at the bowl in her hands. “And…um…I was wondering…”

“What?” Carlos flicked a glance Mike’s way.

She took a deep breath. “I’d love to take pictures of both of you.”

“Well, sure,” Carlos said. Then he got what she meant. “Oh. Together.”

“Yes.” She bit her bottom lip.

Again, Carlos looked at Mike. Mike smiled slowly. “You want to take pictures of us together,” he repeated slowly. “I assume naked.”

She nodded, looking up at them through her eyelashes.

“Huh,” Mike said, setting down the cob of corn he held. He leaned one hip against the counter.

“It wasn’t so bad, was it?” she asked him in a rush. “I know you had your doubts, but it went fine. And the pictures turned out awesome. And it would be the same…I wouldn’t show your faces, if you’re not comfortable…you two are…” She came to a halt.

“We don’t keep our relationship a secret,” Carlos said. “Usually. But we don’t flaunt it either. We’re new here in town, but our other friends and the people who work for us all know about us.”

“Okay.” Her gaze went to Mike again.

“I’d still prefer not to have my face in them,” he said quietly. “But if you want us to do that for you, then you have to do something for us.”

“What?”

“We want to go with you to your stepmother’s birthday party.”

She drew back and frowned. “What? Why?”

Mike hitched a shoulder. “We want to meet your father. And be there for moral support for you.”

“I don’t need moral support. I can handle my family just fine on my own.” She shook her head. No way in hell was she dragging them into her dysfunctional family. She eyed him with unease, a tight feeling settling in her abdomen.

Mike lifted one eyebrow and waited. Carlos too said nothing for a long moment while she realized the implications of their pause. “Oh for…are you serious?” She set her hands on her hips and turned to face Mike directly.

“As a frayed climbing rope,” Mike said.

She stared at him. It was like he was blackmailing her. Except why on earth did he want to meet her family? It didn’t make sense. That tightness inside her intensified. Hell, she shouldn’t have told them all that stuff last night. What had she been thinking?

She hadn’t been thinking, she’d been all softened up by multiple orgasms and had felt…invulnerable. But now that fear came trickling back, like cold fingers down her spine. They did not need to know all that stuff about her, and she should have kept her damn mouth shut.

Carlos finished the burgers and moved to the sink to wash his hands. She turned to him. “You’d still do it, wouldn’t you?”

“Sure I’ll do it,” he said. “But I guess if you want both of us together, that’s the deal.”

“You agree to this?” she asked him.

He picked up a towel and moved closer to her until their bodies touched. He looked down at her. “Yeah.”

The fact that they were a team, that they supported each other, impressed her even as it annoyed her that they were united in this against her. She blew out a breath. “You guys.” She turned her eyes toward Mike, who’d also moved closer, now behind her, and pulled her hair aside. “I really don’t want you to meet my family.”

“Why not?” Mike asked, bending to kiss her neck. Warm shivers of delight spread over her body.

“Um…because. It’s not necessary. I told you that we don’t get along. You don’t need to be dragged into our dysfunction.”

“Are you worried what they’d think about you bringing two men with you?”

She licked her bottom lip. “Well. That is a little difficult to explain.” But then she pictured telling Candy and her father that she had two lovers, and it almost made her laugh out loud. Her lips curved. “Actually, that might be the best part of it all.”
 

Mike continued to nibble at her neck and shoulder with his lips. She sighed. Having a date for this party might actually be a good thing. It would keep her father from trying to pimp her out to some of his business colleagues, if that’s what his intent was. Having two dates…laughter bubbled inside her.

Mike dragged his tongue up toward her ear and she watched Carlos’s eyes darken.

“Hey,” she said, tipping her head to try to see Mike. “Are you trying to manipulate me with sex?”

Mike laughed and Carlos shook his head, smiling. “Where would you get such an idea?” Mike asked.

“Oh,” she sighed, her eyes closing as he nibbled her ear lobe. “I don’t know.”

“So we’re coming with you then?” Carlos said.

How could she fight them? She hated being held hostage, hated the fact that they would see how little her father thought of her, cursed herself for revealing so much. Now she was at their mercy. They knew too much about her. And she wanted those pictures, so badly. “Okay.”