Never again doubt my attraction to you.
Licking her lips, she thinks back to a few minutes earlier when he’d whispered those words to her. They’d kept kissing for a few more minutes until Maestro decided to mimic his master’s earlier splash into the pool, totally ruining the moment at hand. With a sigh, she pulls off her wet t-shirt and swimsuit in the pool cabana and reaches for a dry towel.
As she uses it to dry off her body and hair she can’t stop replaying that moment in her mind. He is an incredible kisser and she now definitely didn’t question his attraction to her, but she still feels hesitant to take the next step. She has no idea how many women he’s been with and it isn’t really something you casually bring up over dinner.
Hey JC, how many women have you slept with approximately?
More or less than 50?
No. She couldn’t picture herself asking him that. It would be awkward as well as disrespectful. She knows that he’s had more than one long term relationship but when single he must have taken advantage of that period in his life.
I mean, listen to his songs. If You Were My Girl. One Night Stand. 100 Ways.
She shakes her head as she pulls on the clothes she’d been wearing before changing and grabs her wet ones off of the floor. As she walks out of the cabana and starts walking toward the house, the one thought that had been nagging at the back of her mind finally comes forward in a real though.
What if I’m not good enough for him?
I’m not a virgin, but I can count on one hand how many men I’ve been with.
What if…I can’t please him enough?
She wrinkles her nose at her own thoughts and pulls open the patio door that lead into the kitchen. Looking around she doesn’t see him there so she walks over to the kitchen island and sees some papers scattered over it. It’s not her intention to sneak but once she is closer, she can tell that they are different pamphlets and booklets advertising different types of cameras and camera equipment.
What is this?
“I was hoping that I’d be down here faster than you so I could explain what those are.” She hears his voice behind her as he walks into the kitchen wearing a pair of dark jeans and a black t-shirt, his hair still a little damp.
“What are they?” She asks, looking through a few of the pamphlets. “I mean, I know what they are but why do you have them?”
He takes a seat on a stool in front of the island directly across from her. “Well, I have a few friends that are also into photography and they recommended this specialty store that sells professional cameras. I went over there this morning before going to the studio to have a talk with the manager and I was able to convince him to let you pick something and let you take it home right away.”
What? Just walk out of the store without paying for it?
“No. Uh uh, JC. Please don’t tell me you paid for anything. Please,” she pleads, her eyes searching his for confirmation. She really, really did not want him to have paid for or intend to pay for something that was completely hers. She does not want to be that girl.
She watches him as he smiles and shakes his head. “I wanted to Ari, I really did. You need the camera, I’ve got more money than I know what to do with and it would have been my pleasure to do that for you. But-“ He quiets her with a raised hand as she starts to argue. “I didn’t because I could tell that you would react this way.” He chuckles at her expression.
“You’re right. As I’ve mentioned before, your money and your connections are a product of your hard work. I don’t want you to feel like you have to use any of it because we’re…friend,” she finishes, unsure of what to call their relationship at this point.
“I considered offering you a loan so that you’d be able to pay me back when the insurance money came in but I decided against that too since I knew you wouldn’t agree either. So, if you’re willing this is how it would work: we leave here and I take you to the store, you pick a camera that you like and you sign a few papers. Basically you just confirm that you have an insurance claim in and that the money will be forthcoming.”
“And they’ll let me walk out just like that? With thousands of dollars of equipment and an IOU? I feel like there’s something missing in this story.”
She eyes him with an arched eyebrow and he chuckles. He crosses his arms over his chest and shakes his head.
“Fine. The documents will also contain my name and contact information as a…fall back.”
Her eyes widen and she’s already shaking her head when he gets up off of the stool and crosses to her. He rests his hands on her shoulders and looks her straight in the eye.
“You’re not using my money. I’m just letting you borrow my name for a few weeks. Ari, I want to do this for you. Please let me,” he says softly as he continues to watch her.
I’m not asking him for money. He’s not offering any money.
I’m going to get the insurance settlement so I won’t be owing him anything in the end.
It’s just his name.
His name that comforts the manager that they will get the money in either from me or from him.
She sighs and closes her eyes.
It would be easier to have a new camera. The old one will take forever to get used to again and her pictures won’t be the best quality she can promise a client.
“Please don’t think I’m a gold digger…” She whispers, shaking her head before looking into his eyes again. “I really don’t want to have your name in anything at all…but I think that arrangement would be acceptable. I promise you will never have to pay for anything regarding that stuff, I will get the settlement and clear everything up.”
“I’ve gone through all this trouble and anguish to figure out a way for you to accept any semblance of my money…I’m pretty sure you’re not a gold digger.”
He grins and leans forward to peck her lips softly. “Let’s go shopping?”
Might as well get it over with.
********************************************************
I’ve never had to work so hard to get a girl to take some of my money or hell, use my name.
JC smiles to himself as he runs a finger along a glass case full of different cameras. He thinks back to the times where his girlfriends would be clamoring after only a short time together for a credit card. You know, just in case of emergencies.
Yeah…cause shoes are apparently an emergency.
When he gets into a relationship he always wants a girl to feel like she belongs to him, that he can take care of her. He never had a habit of thinking twice when a girl would mention needing a little money or really liking something in a store. He had the money, why not use it? He always meant well, but they didn’t.
It’s like he's a professional at finding and falling for girls that take advantage of his giving nature and his soft heart. His Mom and the other guys would always be getting on his case about not realizing that he was being taken advantage of until it was too late. His heart would be broken and his wallet considerably lighter.
He looks around the store and finds her standing at another counter, signing some papers as the manager looks on. Once done, she reaches over and shakes the man’s hand before accepting the two large bags he hands her from behind the counter. JC rushes forward and grabs the bags from her hands with a smile.“Good to go?”
“Yeah, good to go.” She nods, turning to smile at the man behind the counter again. “Thanks again!”
He follows her out of the store and pops the trunk of his car to place the two bags into it.“Where to now? Dinner or your place first?”
“How about we go to my place first and then pick up dinner? Get some takeout and go home?” She suggests as they get into his car.
Home?
He can’t help himself but smile at her use of word. If she wants to go home, then he’ll take her home.
*****************************************************
Ari sits back on the couch and looks at the TV which is playing a rerun of The Big Bang Theory that she really isn’t paying attention to as she questions herself.
Should I show him?
Is he going to laugh?
She bites her lip and runs a hand through her hair.
“You okay?’ He asks her quietly and she feels him nudge her thigh with his.
“Yeah…I-I want to show you something.” She says as she gets up, deciding that she will show him.
He hasn’t laughed or belittled anything I’ve said or done so far.
She quickly makes her way back to her stuff which she’d left in the kitchen when they’d gotten back earlier. She pulls out a large and worn looking leather album, clutches it to her chest and walks back to the living room to take her seat next to him on the couch once more.
“Remember how I mentioned that Pat had asked me to do a small show at their gallery in a few weeks?” She asks and watches him nod. He reaches over and grabs the remote to turn off the TV, angling his body slightly so he is facing her and his eyes focus on hers. She feels a weight lift from her heart.
He’s giving me his undivided attention. He won’t make fun of me.
She takes a breath and continues, “Ever since I got into photography I’ve had a thing for taking pictures of people’s hands.”She pauses again, “I find that you can tell a lot about a person by their hands: what their day to day life is like, where they come from, what they do for work or for play. It fits my whole concept of being able to look at one thing and invite people to make up their own stories and scenarios.” She pulls the album away from her chest and places it in his lap, opening the front cover and pointing to the first picture.
“These are my father’s hands. You can see the strength in their size and their short fingers. You can see the nails are down to the quick, there are nicks and scars all over the skin. He’s a laborer and you can tell from his hands.” She turns the page and points to the next picture describing her mother’s hands and then lets him flip through the dozens of pictures, some black and white, some in color but all of them different and unique. She sits back and watches his face as he looks at them, trying to decipher what he thinks.
Does he think that it’s a waste of time? Is she the only one that sees the beauty and the stories behind the pictures?
When he finally lifts his eyes from her work she holds her breath as she waits for his reaction.
“These are…these are incredible.” He smiles as he leans forward and presses his lips to her gently. “Honey, how did you even have to think twice about having enough stuff to put on a show? This is it…this is what you should show.”
Her cheeks warm and she smiles shyly. “I don’t know,” she answers with a shrug. “I’ve never really showed anyone these other than my parents. They love them and I love them, but we are pretty partial. I didn’t know if anyone else would get it.”
“I get it.” He smiles, pulling her closer to his side and affectionately pressing his lips to the side of her neck.“I totally get it.”
“Does that mean you’ll let me take a picture of your hands?” She grins and reaches down to grab his hand. She turns it palm down into one of hers and using the other she runs the tip of a finger across the top of it, tracing the veins and fingers gently.
“Maybe,” he answers slowly. “I’d expect to be compensated accordingly though.”
“What kind of compensation are we talking about here?” She asks, a smile forming on her lips.
He grins smugly and leans forward again to press his lips against hers. “I’m sure we can work something out.”
