Page 7 of Marc (Men of Forbidden Temptation #2)

MARC

Staring in the mirror in front of my chair, I see the way Staci’s staring at me. Lust mixed with a hint of jealousy swirls in her gaze that’s locked on me.

Her eyes narrow as Kat spends extra time rubbing oil all over my chest.

Of course, I’d much rather it be Staci rubbing me, but then that might lead to something else. Based on the way she kissed me last night, we have undeniable chemistry.

I’ve wanted to bend her over the arm of the couch here in the studio for a while now, since I started working here, and knowing how close we got last night only makes me want it more.

Fuck, now I’m getting a hard on.

I sit up straighter and discreetly reposition my erection.

To other models and Staci, it might appear that Kat is turning me on, but that is furthest from the truth .

Thankfully, she squirts ice cold oil on my back to cool my lust for Staci. Normally, I’d wish it was warm, but today, I’m glad it isn’t.

I chuckle. “Shit, that is cold.”

At least it helps keep my mind off my growing erection for Staci.

Kat laughs like it is the funniest thing. Hell, maybe she is a bit sadistic and actually enjoys it.

That wouldn’t surprise me- not in the slightest.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Adam walk up to Staci. “Where do you want me, boss?”

He seems cockier today, like he got laid last night. Maybe that’s why he left in a hurry yesterday.

I hear Staci reply, “In the middle. I’ll take some shots of just you and then other models can join in as they finish getting ready.”

Kat wipes her hands on the apron she is wearing around her waist and says, “Okay, you are all done and ready for your close up.”

“Thank you.” I grab my button up from the rack, throw it on while leaving the buttons unbuttoned, and head towards Staci and Adam.

Staci grins from ear to ear. “You flirting with the camera is making these photos perfect!”

“All for you.” Adam replies while giving her a wink.

What. The. Fuck.

Is he seriously flirting with her?

Anger and jealousy swell inside of me.

I shouldn’t be feeling this way since Staci isn’t really my girlfriend, but I feel protective of her. Especially after she poured her heart out to me last night.

Not to mention the forbidden kiss that kept me awake more than half the night.

Staci perks up and grins when she sees me standing off to the side. “Marc, perfect timing! Come join us.”

She waves me over like she’s been waiting for me all morning. It’s a huge boost to my ego.

I offer her a smile in return and join Adam on the fabric backdrop. After adjusting the collar to the button-up shirt, I tuck one hand into my shorts pocket to expose my oiled chest and abs.

Staci’s gaze locks onto my every move, like a hawk stalking its prey.

As Staci continuously snaps photos of the two of us, Adam leans in close to me and whispers, so only I can hear. “Staci is looking extra fine today. The way she tied the shirt at her hip has me daydreaming about that patch of exposed skin.”

His comment has me looking past the camera at her hip.

Sure enough, she has a small, tanned section of skin peeking out from under the tiny knot she has tied in my shirt.

I love seeing my shirt on her.

It’s like a secret only she and I know.

It feels kind of possessive, but fuck, I’ve never seen a woman wear my shirt before, and I have to admit that I fucking love it .

If I could, I’d have Staci in my shirt and in my house all the fucking time.

Not to mention, in my bed, too.

Damn it.

This is not helping me keep my feelings platonic. We only have a fake relationship. That’s what we decided.

Nothing more.

Nothing less.

I’m here to do a job and keep her safe until her douche of an ex-husband is finally history.

The kiss last night meant nothing.

Staci even said she just did it because she was curious.

She looks at me like she knows I was just checking her out.

Giving her a wink, I pose harder. I flex my muscles and seduce the camera. Well, I intend to seduce Staci, but since we aren’t alone, I have to seduce the camera.

“Great job, you two. That was hot! Everyone is going to want to buy those trunks. You will have wives buying them for their husbands in hopes they will look half as good as you two.”

Staci walks over to the computer to show us the collage of all the photos she just took.

I follow Adam over to Staci’s computer desk.

“Damn, you are great at what you do.” Adam praises as he places his hand on top of Staci’s. “If only I look that good in real life and not just in pictures. ”

Is he an idiot?

Or is he trying to piss me off?

Staci laughs and removes her hand from under Adam’s. “Thank you and those are all you. I haven’t touched them up.”

“I’m going to go shower and change. I’ll see you two on Monday.” Adam disappears, leaving Staci and I alone.

She turns her attention to me. “Before you leave, can I get a few of you by yourself?”

“Sure thing. I’m yours for as long as you need me.”

Double entendre and all.

The time seems to pass way too fast. Staci takes close to twenty photos of me shirtless.

Now, I could be making it up in my mind, but it seems like she always spends more time when it is just me.

Looking to the side towards the couches, I see there are a couple of other models ready to take my place- Kelly being one of them. It looks like Staci will be here for a while.

Disappointment takes over as I realize I have no reason to stay late today. If I go home, I will just be reminded of last night.

Following Staci back to her computer, I whisper to her, “Call me later.”

She gives me a slight nod before grinning. I don’t want to monopolize her time, but I do want to make sure she is safe.

Adam walks out of the shower as I walk into the one next to him. Not caring that the water is cooler than I prefer, I step under the stream and stretch my neck from side to side.

A very loud and satisfying crack echoes off the wall.

I squirt some of the body wash that Staci provides into the palm of my hand and wash off the oil. It takes two full washes to get it all off, but eventually I am oil free and smelling like the mango body wash.

If I take a longer than usual shower and spend a few extra minutes getting dressed, then Staci will be closer to getting off work.

What is wrong with me?

Why am I suddenly wanting to spend all my time with Staci?

Is it because I’m worried about her ex-husband showing up again or because we kissed last night?

Maybe it’s because we are in a fake relationship and I want to play the part.

I dry off and change into my gym clothes. It will be good to get in an extra workout and burn some of this emotion off.

Staci is still photographing Kelly when I come out of the shower.

“Lean back a hair and raise your chin.”

Kelly is lucky he got Staci as his first photographer because anyone else would say he’s a lost cause and never give him another chance.

He reminds me a lot of myself when I first got into bulking up. He needs to put on a good fifteen to twenty pounds of pure muscle if he wants to get more gigs.

I could offer to help, but I don’t think I’ll have much down time in the upcoming weeks with Staci’s ex-husband poking his nose around here.

If I knew Staci wouldn’t feel betrayed, I’d file a complaint to the police, but she’s an independent woman and I don’t want her to feel like I am making choices for her.

Especially if those choices make things with her ex-husband worse.

The only thing I can do is to hang around here as much as possible and to continue supporting her in any way that she will allow.

Turning around, I walk over to the racks of swim suits and hang up my swim trunks and the matching button-up shirt.

When Staci takes a break to look at Kelly’s pictures on her computer, she glances my way and waves.

“Bye, Marc. Enjoy your weekend.”

Am I not going to see Staci this weekend?

Does she have plans?

Confused by her statement, I give Kelly a small head nod and yell, “See you guys later.”

I wave bye to Kat and head out the back door to the parking lot.

Sitting in my car, I blast the air conditioning and wait for the hot air to turn cool as I debate if I really want to go to the gym right now.

I could help at Dad’s office .

He texted a couple of days ago saying he was making a list of things for me to repair.

But the gym will help burn the lust burning inside of me. Not to mention, it will help me maintain my form. After all, my fit body is my money maker right now.

If what Staci told me comes to fruition, then I will be busy with photoshoots in the future.

And hopefully Staci will be my solo photographer.

With the pros outnumbering the cons, I decide to stick to the plan. I back my car out of the parking spot and steer the car towards the other side of town where my preferred gym is.

Halfway to the gym, I see the all too familiar pickup truck of Staci’s ex-husband following close behind me.

Looking in the rear-view mirror, I watch as his hands tighten around his steering wheel. His eyes are narrowed on me like he wants a confrontation.

That is the last thing I should entertain, but it would be nice to give him a piece of my mind.

Especially with Staci not being around, he wouldn’t be able to intimidate her or try to coerce her to take him back.

A growl forms in my throat at the thought of her taking him back.

She deserves someone better than him.

I take a right turn, hoping it is just a coincidence that he is following me.

He turns right behind me .

It still could be a coincidence since this is the way to downtown.

Trying a different tactic, I slow down until the stoplight turns yellow. I take a left turn just as the light is turning red.

Staci’s ex-husband runs the red light to follow me down a one-way road.

It’s clear that he isn’t going to stop following me until I get to where I am going.

I don’t want him to know which gym I prefer or where I live, so I head towards Staci’s house. When he realizes where I am going, he pulls back until he is two car lengths behind me.

Parking on the curb in front of her house, I watch as her ex slowly drives past me and turns around in the cul-de-sac.

He parks two houses down across the street, rolls down his window, and turns off his truck.

Ignoring him, I get out and walk around my car to check Staci’s mail. I grab the handful of envelopes and sales flyers and make a mental note to give it to her later.

If this douche is going to keep violating the restraining order by coming around, then at least he will know that I come here, too.

I open the driver’s door and toss the mail onto my passenger seat, wondering what his next move will be.

Should I message Staci and let her know to be careful coming home since he is here?

Should I leave and see if he follows me ?

Or should I just confront him and see where things go?

The loud squeaking of his truck door opening causes the few birds nearby to stop chirping. He gets out of his rusty pickup truck and slams the door closed.

I guess I can stop wondering what his next move is going to be.

He stalks towards me with his lips in a tight, thin line, like a man on a mission to confront me.

My muscles twitch as my breathing gets deeper.

Let the games begin.