The Doctor's Fake Nanny(38)

He sat up straight, watching the pizza guy effortlessly twirl dough. He  kept his gaze blankly fixated on the man as he answered, "Well, I have  my photography, and that keeps me out and about. I also have a makeshift  studio set up in my loft and occasionally have clients over for  professional shoots. It sounds more glamorous than it really is, believe  me. I spend time making the images pop. Adjusting the lighting and  removing imperfections, stuff like that. I spend a lot of time on the  computer doing post-production work."

"That sounds very technical," Cassidy replied. "So you're a whiz at  computers. Meanwhile, I can barely get my mobile phone to work," she  chuckled. "We're at the opposite ends of that spectrum."

God, she thought. What does he see in me? I still don't understand that  $500.00 tip. Where does a photographer get $500.00 bills to throw around  so casually?

At the same time, she felt sparks ignite inside of her. Was it the tousled hair? His eyes? His overall good looks?

Tristan laughed. The surrounding evening lights made his eyes sparkle as  he tossed up his head at her joke. Even though he seemed casual, she  could feel him steal sideways glances. He looked at her face. He glanced  at her hair. He followed the movement of her hands when she spoke. As  Tristan and Cassidy went through the motions of a requisite night out,  an onlooker would conclude that they were two attractive people out on a  date. They ate more pizza and drank the remains of the soda. No one  around them was aware of the sexual tension that was mounting slowly  between them. It was there when he accidentally brushed his hand against  hers, or when she tilted her head in laughter, lips slightly parted.  His hand dropped casually to her thigh and she made no move to push it  away. Her breath quickened as a slight flush suffused her entire being.

A momentary silence that spoke volumes settled between them. He reached  out a knuckle and caressed the side of her cheek. She responded with a  languorous stretch of her body. Keep it casual, Cassidy, she thought,  but inside her body ached for more.

"Where do we go from here, Cassidy?" he asked.

She took a moment to process the question. It felt like she was standing  at some crossroad. One side was familiar and she could navigate the  twists and turns blindfolded. The other was unfamiliar and she might  lose her way. The adventure, however, could be worth the risk.

She chose the strange and new.

"Anywhere …  as long as it is with you," she responded with a smile.





Chapter Four




A heightened sense of excitement made Cassidy lose track of time and  space. She remembered fleeting images of the city flashing through the  car window before Tristan turned towards a quiet, residential  neighborhood. Cassidy was unsure where they were, but she was willing to  guess that it was a fashionable Upper East Side neighborhood. The extra  wide streets lined with century-old trees were empty of pedestrians,  but in front of the classic boutiques, art cinemas, and fine  restaurants, luxury vehicles lined the street.                       
       
           



       

They came to a stop in front of a squat building with classical designs  and an intricately carved cartouche decorating the elegant entrance.

"This is my parents' house … " he said with a discomfited look.

"What the fuck? Why did you bring me here?" she replied, shrinking lower into the leather seat of the BMW.

"They're away for the summer, no worries," he chuckled. "We have the  place all to ourselves," he assured her, slightly abashed by her  reaction.

Comforted that she wasn't running into anyone she wasn't ready to meet,  she allowed him to usher her in. The apartment had a quiet classiness  with walled paneling and marble floors. The furnishings were minimalist  and screamed understated elegance. She'd seen photos of these houses in  ‘Better Homes and Gardens.'

"My bedroom is this way … " Tristan said, studying her face for clues.

He opened the door to a spacious room that was bigger than her  apartment. It had a vaulted ceiling with walls of rough concrete and  bleached brick, giving the impression of a very masculine space.

"This is nice," Cassidy commented, eyeing the king-sized bed with pleated headboard.

"Tell that to my mom. She said I've turned it into a depot after I renovated it."

"I can imagine how that conversation went," Cassidy replied in amusement.

"Would you like some wine?" Tristan asked solicitously.

Cassidy nodded her head, expecting him to retrieve some from the  kitchen. Instead, he walked to a nearby wall where a fridge lay hidden  within its recess.

"You have a fridge in your bedroom wall?" Cassidy asked in mock disbelief.

"Err …  yeah. I need it to store some of my film negatives. Most of what I  shoot is digital, but every now and then I‘ll go old-school and shoot  with actual film," he explained. "It has a certain feel to it that  digital photography lacks. It's more of an art."

Cassidy caught sight of several photo prints hanging on the wall and  stepped towards them for a closer look. They were mostly 5 x 7 prints,  and she recognized some of the pictures as ones he showed her the night  they met at the coffee shop. She went through them one by one and  recalled how beautiful they were.

She came to a sudden stop in front of one photo in particular and  gasped. The façade was a familiar one. It was obviously the large plate  glass window of Ron's Good Beans Café where she worked, but what drew  her attention was the focus of the shot. Right in the middle of the  photograph, through the plate glass, she recognized her face.

"That's me," she exclaimed in surprise.

Tristan approached and handed her a glass of wine.

"Yup, that's you," he answered.

"Why …  why didn't you show it to me the night we met?"

"Because this one was shot with film, and I wasn't even sure how it  would develop," Tristan answered as he studied the photo closely. "I  wanted to try out my new telephoto lens and took that photo on a whim.  It's when I first noticed you."

"I don't look so bad, do I?" Cassidy giggled. "I think you actually managed to make me look, um, err …  interesting."

"You are the most self-deprecating person I know. You have no idea just  how beautiful you are," Tristan replied, locking his warm eyes onto  hers.

Cassidy swallowed hard. Not because she didn't believe him, but because  he was standing so close and staring at her so intently. She lowered her  head to avoid his gaze as his arms casually snaked around her waist.  Her breathing hitched when he placed a finger to her chin and raised her  face towards him again.

He kissed her gently as he lowered his moist lips against her own. It  was a kiss so sweet a sigh escaped through her lips. His five o'clock  shadow tickled her gently as she melted against his hard, firm body. It  was everything she'd expected it to be.

She was surprised at her own boldness as she opened her mouth and  allowed her tongue to taste him for the first time. The kiss deepened as  he cradled the back of her neck, her own arms pulling him even closer,  her breasts crushed against his chest.

The kiss ignited the sexual tension that had started back at the park.  He begun another round of devastating kisses, swinging the pendulum from  tender to savage and leaving her totally breathless.

His kisses had turned more urgent as he walked her backwards to the bed,  arms flailing wildly, and desperately removing pieces of clothing along  the way. He fondled her breasts against the cloth of her cotton top as  she began to unbutton his shirt. He shrugged the shirt away from him,  simultaneously reaching out for the hem of her blouse and yanking it off  her head.                       
       
           



       

She could feel the heat of his body radiating through the six pack abs  that were now in full display. She couldn't resist the temptation to run  her fingers through his chest hair as she inched closer to him once  more.

They stared at each other, grey-green meeting her dark golden brown, speaking volumes of the desire that sizzled between them.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked her huskily.

She nodded her head, never more sure of anything in her life. It was  really an unfair question to ask right now because her breasts were  squashed against his chest.

He caressed her shoulder, moving down the side of her arms then onto to her back, creating sensuous patterns with his fingers.

"You are so beautiful," he said as he kissed her mahogany skin.

She ran her knuckles over his jaw, relishing the feel of the rough  stubble and imagined them rubbing against her pussy. The thought sent a  thrill coursing through her body that eventually pooled in her groin.