When I step in front of the camera, my mind momentarily goes blank, and I’m instantly self-conscious, though I try to talk myself out of it. This isn’t about me; it’s for the store.
I try to adopt poses that I think will best feature the clothing, but I’m not sure I know what I’m doing. Having Knox’s eyes on me isn’t helping.
“Any suggestions?” I ask him. “I wasn’t prepared to do this.”
“I mostly take nature and still shots, but I think I can give you some direction.”
He tells me which way to angle my body, suggests placement for my hands, and gradually I become more comfortable. These shots take longer than the first set, but I make it through the wardrobe changes in time for us to catch the golden hour, as Knox calls it.
The sky is beautiful when we head to the beach, the sun casting a warm glow on everything. We move quickly, setting up flat shots on the sand, some very close to the water so that the surf will be included in the frame.
Racing the setting sun, I’m not sure I remember all of the prop styling ideas I’d had in mind, but I think we get some good shots, and we manage to get all of the items done before the light changes too drastically.
“Let’s get more of you,” Knox says, when I start to pack up the clothing.
“I’m wearing my own clothes, silly, not the outfits I’m putting online.” I glance toward the horizon. “We don’t have time for me to do outfit changes. It will start to get dark soon.”
“I just want to get you. I could use practice photographing people.”
I want to say no, but Knox has done so much for me, that I can’t deny his simple request. It doesn’t feel simple though, as I stand in front of his lens and try not to be overcome by self-consciousness.
It was somewhat easier when I could focus on the clothing, but now it’s only him and me and his camera.
Not for the first time, I wonder what amount of practice dates and time spent with these men that it will take for me to stop being so nervous and embarrassed about everything. I’m tired of feeling this way, and I’m typically not an awkward person in any other area of my life.
Impatient with my own inhibitions, I give Knox a smile and walk along the water’s edge, stopping from time to time to put a hand on my hip, turn toward him, and try other positions that I think will photograph well.
He snaps away, offering encouraging words that make me feel beautiful. He keeps at it as the sun sinks lower, and eventually I sit down in the sand to watch the final, dying flame disappear on the horizon.
I hear a few more clicks, and then Knox comes to sit beside me. “That was fun. Can we do that again sometime?”
“Take product shots?” I tease. “Sure, as soon as I get new inventory.”
He wraps an arm around me and playfully pulls me close. “I meant, take pictures of you.” I laugh and squirm in his embrace. “You’re a natural, when you stop being self-conscious.”
When I stop moving, the energy around us shifts. His face is inches from mine, and he closes the gap, lightly trailing the tip of his nose along my cheek, until I turn toward him and he kisses me.
His lips brush softly against mine at first. When I respond, he deepens the kiss. There’s a different quality to it than when he kissed me in the living room with his brothers around us. It seems a natural continuation of the intimacy of the photos he was taking, and of our spending the day working closely together.
I shift toward him and wrap an arm around him, sliding my fingers over the broad muscles at the side of his chest. He cradles my head in his hand, and we spend several long, blissful moments, wrapped in an embrace, tasting each other, getting lost together.
When Knox gently sinks his teeth into my lower lip, I moan with desire – and then I yelp and jump away from him.
He’s instantly on his feet. “What’s the matter?”
“The water! It’s so cold!” A small wave had crashed in on me while we were kissing. Apparently, it missed Knox, but we both look down and see that the water line is moving up to where our impressions are marked in the sand.
“The tide’s coming in. C’mere.” He wraps his arm around me, pulling me close to counter the shiver running through me. After a moment of holding me against him, he rubs my bare arms several times with his warm hands before stepping away. “We’d better get going.”
The cold water did little to dampen my desire. I want to pull Knox down into the sand and have my way with him, but instead I follow his lead and we take all of the store materials and camera equipment up to the house.