1 Chapter 1
“Come on, guys, work with me here. Keep his body misted. I need to see sweat.” Jeremy looked through the lens before dropping the camera to his side. “Jesus, Alan, could you look any more annoyed and pissed off? Even without a face shot, your body language says it all. Give me something that resembles the mood the client wants for their underwear. I’m talking sexy here.”
“Fuck you, Jeremy. I’d like to see you standing out here in the clam marshes in your underwear. My feet are numb. If you don’t hurry up, you’re going to need something larger than this sock to shove in my crotch to give them sexy. I’m shriveling up out here.”
“Then, give me something I can work with that’s presentable to the client.” Jeremy looked through the lens again. He moved the focus up and down Alan’s sculpted body, zooming in on his cold, erect tits and the dark brown circles that surrounded them. The brisk October air swept through the short brown hair that lay across Alan’s chest. Jeremy took longer than necessary for the shots - he couldn’t help himself. When it came to Alan, the entire world stood still.
“Alan, turn your hips to the left. Yeah, that’s it. Raise your arms. Excellent. Now cross them behind your neck. Mist his armpits, Chuck.” Alan focused the camera on the thick tangles of hair as they became matted down in his armpits. His groin ached. “Good, turn a bit more. No, the other way. I want tosee more of your crotch against the sunset Alan. Just a little bit more. Perfect.” Jeremy took a few additional pictures before putting the camera down. “Alright, that’s a wrap for today.”
Jeremy knelt from his crouched position. His knees sank into the cold, damp sand. He placed the camera in its case, before putting everything into the larger bag, which held his other equipment. Alan’s shadow swept by him as the man approached. Jeremy looked up. His eyes made contact with Alan’s crotch.
Dark brown hairs stuck out from the high-cut ribbed cotton fabric. Despite the chill in the air, the day’s sun left Alan’s crotch with a warm musky scent, which seeped out of the thin material and toyed with Jeremy’s emotions. Jeremy lowered his eyes down Alan’s thick muscled legs covered in the same short brown hair as the rest of his body. Alan’s feet were large, with tufts of hair on each knuckle of his manicured toes.
The sights and smells of Alan took Jeremy’s mind back to the night in Morocco, six months earlier, whenhe and Alan had fucked. He remembered tasting the ocean in Alan’s sweat and the sun-bleached sand as hesucked each one of Alan’s toes into his mouth. Alan’s baritone voice pulled Jeremy out of his thoughts.
“What I want to know is who in their right mind arranges an outdoor photo shoot in Provincetown in October?” Alan wrapped a white terrycloth robe around his body. “Hello, Jeremy? Where are you?”
“Nowhere.” Jeremy stood. “You know how this game works. Since you decided to leave the agency, we don’t get to pick the locations. Lucky for us, everyone still wants you.” Jeremy threw the heavy bags over his shoulder.
“Us you mean. They want us.”
Jeremy ignored Alan’s comment. “If the client wants to show off their fall line of underwear at Herring Cove beach, that’s where we go. We don’t have the luxury of saying no.”
“Sorry, I’m not blaming you. I’m just a bit cranky at the moment.” Alan placed his arm around Jeremy’s shoulders as they left the beach and walked down Bradford Street. “How about an early dinner?”
“Sure.”
“Great, let me take a shower and get cleaned up. How does Mexican sound? I know you love Lorraine’s.”
“Wonderful, I could use a margarita—or two.” Jeremy wanted nothing more than to remain in Alan’s embrace, but the closeness wasn’t helping. He wanted Alan. In fact, he loved the man. Problem was Alan didn’t feel the same way. Jeremy pulled away instead.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“Come on, Jeremy. Ever since we arrived in Provincetown you’ve been quiet and withdrawn.”
“I’ve been busy planning the photoshoot.”
“Don’t give me a bullshit line like that. These location shoots are a piece of cake for you. Everyone in the industry knows you’re the best.”
Jeremy stopped and turned toward Alan. “Why me?”
“Why you what?”
“Why did you hire me as your photographer?”
“I hired you because you’re the best in the business. I knew I would need someone with your credentials if I left the agency and went out on my own. Besides, we’ve worked together before, and I liked what I saw.”
Jeremy turned and began walking the few remaining blocks to their bed and breakfast. Then without thinking, he brought it up. “The night in Morocco…”
“Is that what this is about?” Alan reached out and touched Jeremy’s arm. “Look, Morocco was our first big break after I left the agency. We had too much to drink that night. We were celebrating and gotcarried away. The celebration continued into my bedroom. It was an amazing night.” Alan smiled. “You don’t regret it, do you?”
“No, of course not…” Jeremy cut off the words before he said too much. “No, I just wondered…you know…” he struggled for the right words. He never found them.
