Taming Naia (10 page)

“I’m starving,” Naia said, stepping into a pair of panties. It was almost eight o’clock.

“We’ll eat soon,” he said, buttoning his shirt.

“What do
I
wear?” she asked when he was finished.

“You look lovely as you are,” he said, eyeing her as she stood in black lace panties and high-heeled black pumps.

“Very funny,” she said.

He walked to the closet and returned a moment later carrying a dark red silk dress.

“Nice,” she said when he held it up for her. She ran her fingers over the smooth silk.

He took it off the hanger and slipped it over her head. It was a loose-fitting dress that tied at the back of her neck. It fit tightly over her chest and hung free down to just above her knees. It was pretty and simple and the color set off her pale skin and dark hair beautifully.

“Ready?”

“Where are we going?” she asked as he led her out of the house.

“We’re meeting my stepbrother for dinner. He’s a photographer actually and he’s going to take some shots for the club,” he said as they climbed into the car.

“I didn’t know you had a stepbrother,” Naia said. “Is this Jake, your younger brother? I had assumed he was a blood relation.”

“Jake is my brother by blood. Tonight you’ll meet Luke. He’s my age and although we have no blood connection, I consider him as much a brother as Jake. His mother married my father when they were both widowed. Luke and I were both fifteen at the time.”

“Wow, what was that like?” she asked.

“Hard at first, but we found some middle ground.”

“Are you close?”

“Reasonably.”

“What kind of photographs does he take that he’s doing something for the club?”

“Use your imagination then take it a hundred steps further,” he said, giving her an idea what to expect. “His photographs are collecting an almost cult following and I want to use them for the club.”

“Do we get to watch the shoot?”

“Yep,” he said and turned into the parking lot of the building. “Oh, and Naia,” he said, pulling into a spot and killing the engine. “Remember, you’re here with me. I’d better not see you eyeing my brother.”

* * *

Luke Roark had a posh apartment on the top floor of a building downtown. His photographs were artistic and erotic and wholly unique, pure art in Liam’s eyes. He concentrated heavily on fetish photography, which, in the wrong photographer’s hands, could quickly turn into pornography. But he was proud of his stepbrother’s work; it was impeccable. His taste was specific and his models were both professional women as well as real people from all over the world. He was exact in what he wanted and demanded a great deal from both himself and his models.

Liam glanced over at Naia.

“Are you ready?” he asked.

“I think so. I’m curious about your brother.”

“I’m curious what you’ll think of him. He had a rough start in life but he’s done well. I’m proud of him and hope you like him. No need to be nervous.”

“I’m not nervous,” she defended.

“You’ve never been a good liar,” he noted.

She dropped it.

* * *

They rode the elevator in silence until they reached the penthouse. “Wow, it smells good here,” she said, inhaling deeply as her stomach growled.

“That would be Grace,” Liam said, ringing the doorbell. “She’s an incredible cook.”

Before Naia had a chance to ask who Grace was, an older woman opened the door.

“Liam,” she said, reaching for him as he wrapped her in an affectionate hug. “It’s so nice to see you,” she said, standing back and looking him over. “I haven’t seen you in too long.”

“I’ve missed you and your cooking,” Liam said, releasing her and returning to Naia’s side.

“You’re getting skinny,” she said, looking him over. “Who’s this?” she asked, her kindly gaze falling on Naia.

“This is Naia,” he said. “Naia, this is Grace. She’s the best cook on two continents and is hopelessly devoted to my brother, even though I’ve tried to steal her away a few times.”

Grace laughed, holding out her hand to Naia.

“Two continents?” Naia took Grace’s warm hand.

“Luke was born in London and splits his time between the states and London,” Liam clarified.

“Nice to meet you, Naia. And as for that comment, Liam,” she said, turning to Liam. “If I weren’t here to watch over that boy, he’d get himself into some serious trouble. Wish he’d find a nice girl like you and settle down already,” she said, nodding toward Naia.

Liam put an arm around Naia. “Sorry, Grace. This one’s taken.”

“I can see that. Come inside, he’s out on the balcony waiting for you.”

Really?
Naia wondered. She could see that?

They followed the housekeeper to the balcony where Luke lounged on a chair drinking a glass of wine listening to soft opera music.
Madame Butterfly
. And it was at her favorite part.

“Liam!” he stood and walked over to them. If Liam hadn’t told her he was British, she’d have guessed it the moment he said a word. And even though he called out Liam’s name, his eyes immediately swept Naia from head to toe and she knew exactly why Liam had made that comment about eyeing him earlier. Luke was gorgeous, tall and dark with the sexy blue eyes that told her just how much he appreciated her looks. She blushed.

Liam’s face told her he caught it. Well, he didn’t have anything to worry about. Luke may be gorgeous, wealthy, and British, but her heart belonged to Liam, not to mention her body.

“This is Naia White, once a student of mine who has come back into my life,” Liam said. “Naia, this is my stepbrother, Luke Roark.”

He kissed her on both cheeks, holding her hands all the while, filling his eyes with the sight of her.

“I’m so happy to meet one of Liam’s brothers,” she said, a little overwhelmed at being between these two big, beautiful men.

“Come, we’ll sit outside and have a drink,” Luke said, leading Naia out but speaking to Liam.

* * *

Luke poured two glasses of wine as they took a seat. The air was warm and the night dark. Stars glowed overhead and a breeze just lifted the hair off Naia’s shoulders as she sipped her wine.

This was different than she had expected. Actually, she wasn’t sure what she had expected, but she felt comfortable. It was remarkable actually just how comfortable she was feeling with everything these days.

She looked around. The wraparound balcony offered an unbeatable view of the city while ensuring privacy. An elegant table was set for the three of them and a tray of appetizers lay on the coffee table. But she was too nervous to eat, very aware of the men she sat between. Liam’s fingers tickled the skin at the back of her neck, reminding everyone to whom she belonged even as Luke’s eyes devoured her. She didn’t feel uncomfortable under his gaze, just the opposite. She liked him right away and wanted him to like her.

“Would you like to see my work, Naia?” he asked, startling her out of her musings.

“I’d love to,” she said.

“I have only a small gallery here, but I’d be honored to show you,” he said, standing and extending a hand to her.

She turned to Liam who remained seated. “Go ahead,” he said, smiling. “Luke,” he added as they walked away. Luke turned. “She’s mine.”

“So possessive,” Luke said as he led her inside.

Everything in the apartment seemed to be either black, white, or gray. Elegant wall sconces lit the way through the living room and down the hall.

“This is my work space as well as a small exhibition area,” he said, opening a door and stepping aside for her to enter. She did and her eyes took a moment to adjust to the lighting. It was brighter than the other rooms and the space itself quite large. The area where he worked was clearly marked with a plain white backdrop, several stacks of thick, old books, likely props, a bed with iron head and footboard, his cameras, and lighting. But what caught and held Naia’s attention were the photographs that hung along the walls. They were black and white photographs almost entirely of women and one man: Luke Roark. She walked closer to the first, noticing that he hung back, feeling his eyes on her as she studied his work.

In most of the photos, the women wore black corsets with garters, stockings, and extremely high heels. But it wasn’t the provocative dress that struck her. Nor was it that the women exposed their bare sex to the man in the photos. No, she thought as she wandered from picture to picture, it wasn’t those things at all. It was the artistic quality of the photographs. The fact that even though these were fetish photos depicting women in a submissive role, some even being prepared or waiting for punishment, they didn’t come across as dirty. Just the opposite. They were some of the most beautifully erotic photographs she’d ever seen.

The images were magnificent. One contained a single woman naked but for a fishnet body stocking and high heels. She sat on a stool, legs spread wide, with her back to the camera, her hands clasped behind her back, bound in soft, thick ribbon.

The next was another woman who wore a corset with the breasts cut out, thigh-high stockings and nothing else. She was posed squatting against a wall, eyes closed, knees spread wide as she balanced on her hands and the balls of her feet. Her bare sex was exposed with a mirror set at an angle to display anything the eye couldn’t see from the vantage point of the photographer.

The next, and Naia’s favorite, contained two models. One was the same beautiful woman from the previous photo, on her knees, her legs spread wide, her ass high in the air as her shoulders and face rested on the rich Persian carpet. Behind her stood the photographer himself, dressed in an old-fashioned suit, less the jacket, holding a riding crop ready to strike her upturned bottom. In his other hand he held the thin leather leash that was attached to the collar around her neck.

Arousal warmed her body as she took in the rest of the photos. “They’re… incredible,” she said, unable to take her eyes from them. She wanted to spend hours in this room studying each photograph, the detail in every scene, the raw emotion in Luke’s eyes as he modeled for his own photographs.

“Thank you, Naia. If my brother would allow it, I’d love nothing more than to add you to my library of beauties someday.”

If Liam would allow it.
Naia turned, her heartbeat increasing sharply. “I make my own decisions,” she said. “Liam doesn’t dictate what I can and cannot do.”

One side of his mouth went up into a wicked, taunting grin. “Really?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“What’s going on?” Liam walked in and came directly to Naia’s side, his hand closing possessively around the back of her neck.

“Nothing, brother,” Luke said. “I was just explaining about the beauty in allowing yourself to be utterly and completely seen and wondering if she’d be interested in posing for me.”

Naia could see from the look on Luke’s face that he was purposely provoking Liam.

“The only person she’ll take her clothes off for will be me, Luke. Understood?”

“Relax, will you. I was joking.” Luke laughed it off, absolutely unaffected by Liam. In fact, he was the one person Naia had ever found to be unaffected when Liam spoke.

“Right,” Liam said, dropping it.

“Dinner’s ready,” Grace said from the doorway, her expression a little tense.

* * *

Contrary to what Naia expected, dinner was a subdued, two-course affair of roasted fish and potatoes followed by Grace’s specialty, crème caramel. She didn’t know how but Naia ate two servings of the rich dessert, determined to take up running or do some other form of exercise as soon as she got home.

Liam and Luke had an easy rhythm together and, from what she could see, liked each other very much. Luke’s invitation intrigued her but Liam’s reaction and the possessive way he was handling her tonight took her aback. She liked it, absolutely and without a doubt, but was Luke’s comment more true than she even knew?

The doorbell rang.

“Right on time,” Luke said, checking his watch. “Shall we make our way to the studio? We’ll begin straight away.”

Luke went ahead to greet the models as Liam helped Naia to her feet.

“What are you thinking about, Naia? You’re worlds away,” he said.

She smiled up at him. “Oh, it’s nothing. It’s just, the photographs are like nothing I’ve ever seen,” she lied as he took her hands.

“My brother needs to find a girlfriend. I’m sorry if you felt uncomfortable.”

“I’m not uncomfortable.”

“Good. Let’s go watch the shoot,” he said.

With that, they walked into the studio where Luke stood with three of the most beautiful women Naia had ever seen. One brunette, one blonde, and one redhead all dressed in black corsets with the breasts cut out, garters holding up thigh-high black fishnet stockings, and high, high heels. Their figures were healthy, with well-rounded breasts and hips, strong thighs and arms, nothing like the too-skinny models of fashion magazines.

Liam led her to sit in one of the two chairs away from the set and they watched in silence as the shoot began. It was to be the redhead first. She was asked to kneel facing away from the camera and lean with her forearms on the stack of books. Her knees were spread wide and her back arched so her bottom was tilted upwards. Luke placed a mirror between her legs on the floor and she gazed over her shoulder at Luke, holding the posture for some time as he snapped several photos before repositioning her and asking the blonde to join. Although the two posed together, the photos weren’t of any sexual act but still highly erotic, so much so that Naia’s sex was already heating up. They were made to pose this way and that and again, the focus of his photography was the bare sex, the opened lips, the cleft between the buttocks. It was as if he celebrated the difference between each woman, seeing only beauty in this most sensual, most private part of the body. It was thrilling to watch.

Luke soon introduced more props into the photos in the form of a riding crop and a strap. Although none of the items were actually used on any of the girls, they were each made to bend over and spread their legs wide while the others stood behind with the tools of punishment at the ready. Naia liked these the best. The shot of the naked buttocks with the pussy of the girl that was bent over exposed and glistening turned her on immensely. A part of her wished Luke would truly use one of the instruments on the girls. She wanted to see welts rise on their perfect, unmarked backsides. The idea sent delicious shivers through her, making her wonder who this creature was that had awakened since walking back into Liam Roark’s life.