Ropes and Lace | MM Romance

Chapter 3 - Look at Me

Elliot Frost is a work of art.

Coal-black hair, falling in subtle waves below his ears. Skin as white as powdered sugar, soft and delicate looking. Eyes green as fresh grass, glowing and intense. Straight button nose, high cheekbones, sharp chin with no trace of facial hair. Slightly thin lips, no lipstick or gloss, with a natural pink hue that's attractive, breaking with the rest of his paleness, though without looking strange or funny.

I surpass him by a few inches and while I'm stocky, with moderate muscle from my extended daily runs or hours spent at the gym, he's lean, compact. Yet, through the tight-fitting clothes he wears, ruby cotton shirt with long sleeves and dark blue jeans, exquisite curves are discernible in his hips and thighs. He's barefoot, his little toes with clean manicured nails, a gold ring on the pinky of his left foot.

I swallow thickly and a tingling impression spreads in my belly, my palms become slick with sweat and heat floods my chest because, during the short time I used to examine him, I notice uneasily that he did the same, his face empty of expression, betraying nothing at all. The nerves that had vanished reappear with greater force and I have to remind myself, not without recrimination, that this is a work-related matter.

Elliot specified it in the mail, in this morning's call as well, so I must wake up and act professional. When our gazes connect, he steps aside, gesturing with his head to let me in, which I do slowly, measuredly, accepting the spray of antibacterial gel he offers me. I grimace, because I've been through this in the lobby and my hands are so sticky I could climb the building as if I were Spider-Man.

"Uh, sorry I'm late," I add in a whisper, proud for having pronounced the words concisely.

"You're not here for a session, so I'll allow it," his gravelly voice affects me much more now that I have him in front of me. It's as if one half of my body is submerged in a glacier and the other in lava. It's disconcerting. "Just for today," I nod immediately, because I identified the discreet warning in his comment. "My studio is this way."

He leads and I follow him, absorbing the details of his apartment in the awkward silence. It's huge, sophisticated and impeccable, white walls with no visible stains and wide ceiling-to-floor windows covered by considerable ivory curtains and translucent fabric. The light brown marble floor is polished to perfection, the heel of my shoes echoing with every step I take. To the right, a living room, with milky velvet furniture, a coffee table in the center and the largest television I've ever seen, sitting on top of a rustic wood panel, with movies, books and CDs stacked inside. To the left is the kitchen, with a grayish-gold ceramic countertop, five metal stools with fluffy cream leather cushions surrounding it, a fancy six-chair dining table, state-of-the-art appliances, and a gigantic double refrigerator.

Elliot guides me down a hallway with four closed doors, heading for the one at the end. The studio is nothing like I imagined it to be, but it's adequate for the... work. The walls here are a cherry red and the furnishings consist of a massive bed with purple silk sheets, several pillows with plushie-like fabric, and tufted headboard. A modern sex chaise (or yoga, whatever) made of what I assume is glass, which makes me question its strength and stability.

Hanging motionless in one corner is a swing, with heavy chains, solid nylon straps and pads where the limbs are supposed to go. I feel a blush originate on my cheeks and neck as I notice the rack filled with towels, a plethora of dildos and ropes of different sizes, colors and thicknesses, as well as various containers of lubes. Oh, God. Repressing the urge to fan myself like an embarrassed damsel, I divert my attention to the photographic equipment.

There's an expensive desktop computer, three silver reflector umbrellas, a couple of flashes with diffusers, a stand with a microphone and a tripod with a Sony Alpha A6600 attached, with an 18-105 millimeter lens installed and multiple memory card slots. All the instruments are in excellent condition and the familiar excitement to manipulate them, to make them work for me, to learn their tricks and mechanisms for the first time is born in my heart, which beats in a rush, pumping blood with renewed enthusiasm.