Chapter 1
I stand and watch the coffee fill up the small mug, while umbrella lights flash from the side of me.
‘That’s good, baby,’ I hear Hugo tell the young model whom he’s shooting by the bar. ‘But try and use that feather duster a bit more. . . maybe tickle your breasts with it. . .’
The umbrella lights flash again in my peripheral vision, as I stir some sugar into the hot, black water, and as I put the canister back in the top cupboard I chance a glance at the tall and curvy model, who’s posing topless in front of the bar and is tickling herself with the feather duster, while laughing naughtily at the camera.
It’s a sight I’ve grown used to since I started working here a month ago. I know Hugo likes using different parts of the house to shoot his models, who do a number of erotic poses for him and his successful porn website. It’s not unusual to see sexual acts taking place, or topless men and women wondering around the house, but I still find myself biting my bottom lip as I watch her perfect breasts jiggle up and down, and I feel my sex throb when she idly trails the feather duster up the inside of her thighs. Working in a place like this when you’re bi-sexual means you’re always turned on, not just by such stunning looking women, but by the few handsome young men who work here too as models. Everywhere I look there is only beauty.
Even Hugo has caught my eye a few times, with his lithe and athletic figure and his beautiful, collar length hair, which is a mixture of blonde and brown. His eyes are a gorgeous blue colour, and there’s just the right amount of dark scruff on his rugged face. He’s always struck me as more of a model than a photographer, but he prefers to be behind the camera rather than in front of it.
He’s run his successful porn website for the past two years, having come up with the idea after looking through his countless issues of Playboy. He had told me, when I had first started working for him as his personal assistant, that he had felt he could go one step further and dedicate an entire website to nude photographs of male and female models, which visitors would have to pay a monthly subscription for. He just hadn’t expected it to take off like it did.
He takes all the photographs himself, as well as running the website itself. He’s a hard worker and dedicated to his work. But what amazes me the most is that he treats all his models with respect and admiration. He even treats me with the utmost respect, even though I’m just his assistant. He never talks down to me, or treats me like a slave. He’s always talkative, and always asks me how I am when I show up at the house for work. He’s not the kind of sleazy photographer, or even boss, you would expect. He’s experienced and professional, and never treats any of his models as sexual objects. Even during erotic shoots he retains his professional manner, and gives clear instruction as to what he wants from them. It’s no doubt why his porn website is so successful. He may charge his many loyal customers a lot of money to view the shots he takes, but the quality of the shots which they’re getting for their money is far higher than the amount they’re paying every month.
I patiently wait off to the side, with his mug of coffee in my hand, until he calls the shoot to an end. Only then do I walk over to him, as he praises Lily for her work, and as she heads for the dressing room I see her wink at me. I feel my cheeks flush a little as I give her an awkward smile. Though I had come out as bi-sexual a year ago, I’m still not used to flirting with other women yet.
As soon as she’s left, Hugo quickly turns his attention to me, and he flashes me a bright smile as I hand him his favourite mug.
‘Thanks,’ he says happily as he takes it from me and takes a sip, before a pleased expression appears on his face. ‘God. . . I needed that,’ he mutters as he takes another much longer sip. ‘Have I told you that you make the best coffee, Tara?’
I smile. ‘Yes, several times,’ I reply. ‘But I like hearing it.’
He continues to sip from his mug while giving me an appreciative look, before he sets it down on a nearby table, and I watch as he scrolls through the countless shots which he’s taken on his camera’s LCD screen. I find myself looking at them too, over his shoulder, and I’m not surprised to see that each one of them is perfectly framed and perfectly lit. Lily looks stunning in such low light, and she’s making perfect curves with her tanned body. It’s something I’m sure I could do myself if I was given the chance.
Having worked as a porn star four years ago I’m used to strangers seeing me naked, and though working in that kind of industry had meant having sex with guys on camera, I’m sure I would still make a perfect porn model. It was why I had applied for the modelling job that was going here three months ago. The moment I had seen the advert I had jumped at the chance to apply for it. I had wanted excitement, and I had known this job would satisfy my need to be naughty.
But when Hugo had seen me for the first time, he had told me I look far too innocent, and didn’t have the hunger he expects to see in new models. Plus he had wanted someone with modelling experience. I had told him how I used to work in the porn industry, but he in turn had told me he wasn’t looking for someone who can have sex on camera, and when he had said this I had just sat in my seat and nodded, while looking disappointingly down at the mug of tea in my hands, which he had made for me.
To this day I don’t know if he had taken pity on me when he had told me that he was looking for a personal assistant to help him to run the website, and that I would be perfect for the job. But I’m glad he had hired me. Though I’m not doing the job I long to do, I still get to work with him, and he’s a nice guy to work with. He’s a firm boss, but a considerate one, and he never makes any of us feel uncomfortable. Everything is strictly professional, and I know that we all enjoy working for him.
After scrolling through the countless shots of Lily, he finally hands me his camera and kindly asks me to hook it up to his laptop for him, while he takes a well-deserved break. I happily do as he says, before I see him sink down into a nearby chair and reach for his mug of black coffee, while rubbing his forearm across his tired looking eyes.
‘You all right?’ I ask him.
He glances up at me. ‘Yeah,’ he replies while flashing me a brief smile. ‘I just didn’t get much sleep last night. . . my date didn’t go as well as I had hoped.’ He rakes a hand through his hair before he meets my curious eyes. ‘Tell me, Tara. . . do I come on too strong?’
I blink at him as I carefully place his camera down on the desk, which is now hooked up with a USB lead, next to his open laptop. ‘No. . . not at all,’ I reply honestly.
‘Hmm,’ he mutters as he goes back to resting his head on top of the sofa.
‘Did she tell you that?’
‘Yeah. . . it was the first thing she brought up.’
I can’t help but chuckle as I tuck one side of my red hair behind my ear, and I hear him join me a second later as he downs half of his coffee.
‘How are things in your marriage?’ he asks me casually.
It’s not the first time he’s asked me about my marriage, but my heart starts to pound a little bit louder at the question.
‘Oh. . . uh, fine,’ I mutter as I awkwardly perch on the arm of his desk chair, only to see him give me a steady look, and I suddenly wonder if he’s about to finally see through my false facade.
I had told him the first day I had started this job that I was married and had a husband, even though it was a complete lie. I had wanted to impress him, even though I realise now I didn’t really need to.
But it’s a lie I stick to, even now, and if he does know I’m lying, he doesn’t point it out.
‘Good,’ he says instead. ‘From what you’ve told me about him, your husband seems like a great guy.’
‘He is,’ I mutter while forcing a smile onto my face, before I focus my attention on clearing away the several empty coffee mugs which litter his messy desk.
