“I’m supposed to meet some friends for lunch uptown, so I brought a change of clothes,” Justin answered cautiously before opening the bag. It contained a pair of dress pants and a neatly folded light blue shirt.
“Perfect. When we’re done with what you’re wearing, we’ll have you change into those.” Christian led Justin to the setup. “I want you to have fun in front of the camera.” Christian’s creative juices were flowing in a torrent. “After a while, we’ll probably move to different locations in the building.” Christian picked up his camera and began shooting. “What do you like to do for fun?” Christian asked, and Justin began talking, energy flowing off of him as his nervousness abated and excitement built, showing on his face and in his body.
“I love playing tennis,” Justin said.
“Show me your best serve,” Christian said, peering through the camera as Justin threw an imaginary ball and jumped into the air. “Wonderful, return a volley—show me your backhand,” Christian kept Justin moving, and soon he was talking and moving on his own, telling Christian a story that the photographer captured in images. Setting down the camera, Christian motioned David over. “What do you think?” David grinned and nodded. “Let’s pull the curtains from in front of the windows and move to the corner,” Christian told David, and David hurried to make the changes. Christian watched as David stretched and moved, captivating him for a few seconds. Without thinking, Christian lifted his camera and snapped a few pictures before directing Justin where he wanted him.
After working for an hour, he had Justin change clothes. “Stay barefoot and don’t button your shirt. I want you to imagine you’re getting ready for a date with the love of your life.” They played around with that look for a while before Christian had Justin take off his shirt. The pictures were going to be fantastic, and as he was finishing up, Christian got an image of David shirtless, getting ready for a date with him. Energy coursed through Christian as he worked, but unlike most of the shoots he’d done, this time there was something different. He could almost feel David as he moved through the studio. Christian couldn’t see him, but he could feel him.
At the end of the session, Christian said goodbye to Justin and thanked him for coming. After taking care of some final business, Justin left, and Christian hung around waiting for David to download the photographs, standing behind him as he worked at the computer.
“How come you’re still here?” David asked after stopping what he was doing, swiveling in the desk chair. “You usually disappear into the apartment.”
Christian shrugged as he thought about what David had said. After a shoot, he usually felt drained, but now he felt revitalized and energetic. “Let’s see what we have,” Christian said, rather than answering the question, mainly because he wasn’t sure what was going on.
David called up the photos, and they began to play on the screen. “These are amazing,” David said softly as the computer moved through the images. “Some of the best you’ve ever taken.”
Christian swallowed as he looked over David’s shoulder. “Do you really think so?”
“Yes. Look at the movement and the action, the fun. They have a very different feel from the rest of your work, but they work amazingly well. You can almost hear him laughing. They’re joyful.” David stopped the pictures at one of Justin with his shirt open, looking intensely at the camera. “That’s as hot a picture as any you’ve taken of naked men writhing on the bed, and it’s only his face and chest. It makes you wonder about what he’s looking at and what’s captured his attention.”
Christian had to agree, and as David started the pictures again, one of the shots he’d snapped of David showed on the screen, and Christian heard David gasp. The shot was gorgeous, and Christian reached to the computer, stopping the image. David looked like he was wresting with the heavy drapery, the fabric winding around his body, encircling him almost like a lover. His shirt had ridden up and there was a small gap between his shirt and pants, just enough for a tantalizing glimpse of skin. “That’s amazing,” Christian commented under his breath.
“Delete it,” David commanded without turning around.
“No. That’s the best picture I’ve ever taken,” Christian said. “Look at the way the drapes move around you, and the intense concentration on your face. You’re completely innocent and unaware of how attractive you look. I just want to lift that shirt just a little more and feel how soft and warm that skin is.” Christian continued looking at the picture, getting lost in it.I want to knowwhat he’s thinking, why he looks so intense, and what’s just out of reach that he’s standing on his tiptoes like a dancer “Christian, I’m not a model,” David protested.
“Maybe not, but you take a fantastic picture,” Christian countered, and David swiveled in the chair, his eyes pleading.
“I don’t want the world to see how plain and ordinary I am.”
Christian swiveled David’s chair around. “Who said you were plain? Your alcoholic father?” Christian asked, jumping to a conclusion that David’s tight jaw told him was correct. “He was wrong. You have an expressive face with huge eyes.” Christian’s voice softened on its own. “You have a gorgeous smile that lights up a room, so whoever said you were plain was full of shit!” Christian was probably a little harsh, and his voice a little loud, but he didn’t care. Christian leaned closer. “You’re an amazing man, David, and anyone who tells you different doesn’t know their head from a hole in the ground.”
David smiled, and Christian watched as he blinked furiously. “You’ve had my attention almost since the day you walked into this studio for an interview.”
“You like me?” David asked, and Christian nodded. “But you never did anything or said anything.”
“You’re my assistant, and I thought I needed to keep a distance. Look what I do for a living. I take pictures of naked men, and sometimes,” Christian swallowed, “I would fuck them to get the pictures I wanted. What could I offer you?” Christian took a single deep breath, “I only had one rule, and that was not to get involved with the people who worked for me.” Christian moved close enough that he could feel David’s breath on his lips. “And I’m about to break that rule unless you tell me to stop.” Christian waited, and then brought his face closer to David’s.