The room I'm standing in is actually a studio. A photo studio. It's got everything you'd need for a photoshoot, but Victoria could tell more about this than I can.

It's a room with a lot of light and different cameras lie on the table by the wall. The room is also almost bare, only a minimal of furniture in it.

There's a big white linen coming down from the ceiling to the floor. "So you are actually taking pictures in your free time," I choose to comment.

"I am," Damien agrees with a nod, standing with his feet apart and with his hands in his pockets, not hiding that he's proud of this.

He leads me to another room, which should be a bathroom, but he's transformed it into a room for creating pictures - a darkroom. This room is completely dark without any natural light in it and with a red light illuminating the room.

I walk inside, looking at the pictures that are hanging from the string. It's the same woman on all of them in elegant poses, some of them even sexy. In some, she's dressed in a dress, there are some she's in jeans and a simple shirt, and then there are the ones she's only ... in her lingerie.

I raise my eyebrows at Damien. "You photograph women only?"

He looks at where I'm looking. "Yeah. Mostly."

"Models?" I ask.

That explains all the women parading out of his flat, too. But it doesn't explain him making out with them.

Damien nods. "Yes. Or trying to be. Some of them are already well-known or have a potential of becoming famous."

I look back at the pictures. I know close to nothing about the models. I only know Victoria and she's ... on another level. I don't think all models are like her, of course not, but she's really ruining their image of them for me in my head.

"And you sleep with all of them?" I decide on asking next, hoping I'm not over-stepping my boundaries. But I've seen him with them. And they don't only have a professional relationship.

I definitely don't make out with my co-workers, or even worse, my bosses.

"Come, Brooke, let's go out of this room," Damien avoids my question.

I purse my lips and go after him, my heels clicking.

"You're not going to answer my question? Don't worry, I won't judge." I wink at him, crossing my arms when chills suddenly run down my body at the look he gives me.

He gives me an indescribable look, a mixture of annoyance and discomfort. And I think that maybe I really did get too far with my question.

But Damien answers me, anyway. "With some of them I do, yes," he answers, avoiding my eyes now.

I process what he tells me. I already knew this, at least I suspected it and even expected this to be his answer. It's still a weird feeling, hearing him confirm my thoughts. "Thank you for showing me this. I think it's great, what you do, I mean. And even though I don't have much clue about photography or modelling, I suspect you're doing a good job."

Damien puts his hands in his pockets again, looking at me with an intense look and a wonder in his eyes. "I showed you this room with a purpose, actually."

He continues looking at me as I silently wait for him to elaborate. "I want to photograph you."

I almost choke on air. But I can't stop the laugh coming out of my mouth that bubbled in my throat. Have I actually heard correctly? "Me?" I ask. "But I'm not a model. Nor do I want to be one."

The thought alone is absurd to me. Me? A model? Please. I love food too much. And camera hates my face. And body for that matter.

Damien shakes his head as he steps closer to me, a dark look in his eyes now. "No, moro. I didn't mean it like that. I want to take pictures of you for my pleasure. And my eyes only, of course," he surprises me once again with his words.

I lift my eyebrows, so high they almost come up to my hairline. "Wait, do you want me to pose naked?" I ask suspiciously, narrowing my eyes.

A flame sparks in Damien's eyes as he bites his lip. And just by the look in his eyes I know he's imagining me posing for him. Naked. "I would be satisfied with some clothes on you. But if you agreed to be naked ..." He whistles lowly, wolfishly. "That would be more than I expected, in honesty, but something I hoped for."

I raise my hands up. "Oh, no. No, no. I'm not taking my clothes off for you." I get out of the room because I can't stand the way he's looking at me.

The idea he came out with is actually absurd. Outraging! Does he really expect I'm going to throw my clothes off and pose for him? A complete stranger? We've known each other for a week!

And I can be daring, but this is too much even for me. I have some respect for myself. Besides, I don't trust him enough to know he wouldn't sell the photos or published them somewhere public.

I can't be this careless. My brother is a well-known, highly respected man. It took years for him to build an image for himself. And it'd be too easy for me to destroy this for him, blemishing his image. It'd be a big scandal.

Damien comes out after me. "Brooke, don't be mad. Listen to me first, please."

I cross my arms on my chest and turn to look at him with a frown marking my face. "It's a no, Damien. I'm not planning to pose for you, in any way. Naked or not," I say adamantly, letting him know I'm not backing down from this.

"Alright. I'm sorry, it was just a suggestion. I didn't mean anything bad with it. I wanted to photograph you just for my enjoyment, I would never show these photos to anyone else if you didn't want to," Damien explains, his hot eyes seeping right through my soul.

What he says is weird but also sweet in a way. I still don't understand why he would even suggest this. "Why, Damien? Why would you even want to photograph me?"

Damien looks at me as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. "Because you're a beautiful woman, Brooke. You have that outstanding beauty in you and when you let it shine out of you, it's a spectacular sight." He shrugs his shoulders.

I stare at him with my mouth open and my eyes wide. "You can not be serious right now. Is this a joke?" I ask with pure disbelief.

No way did this man give me a compliment like that. The man who should be photographed and put on the wall so everyone could enjoy his beauty. No way did he say that when he sees beautiful women in different shapes and sizes and the most outstanding of them all.

Damien walks forward until he's standing right in front of me. "I wouldn't be joking about this matter, ever. Surely you have mirrors in your flat so you know how beautiful you really are," he says, smiling.

I shake my head at him. "Well, this is really a surprise," I choose to ignore his last statement. I don't have anything to say to that.

And if this was his plan to charm me and try to take me in his bed, it's really starting to work. Because this man is dangerous in his game. He knows what he's doing and he does it very well.

"Think about it, moro. The offer will await for you to tell me your final decision."

I press my lips together and grit my teeth when he lifts his hand and gazes my cheek with his knuckles, oh so softly, and so lightly I almost think I imagined it.

I inhale sharply and then take a step back from him to clear my mind. "Did you invite me to dinner only for this? To persuade me into letting you photograph me?"

Damien's eyes flare. "Brooke, no. Not at all. It wasn't like that," he assures. "I didn't plan for this to be more than a friendly dinner. I didn't want to come out with this suggestion tonight."

"Interesting," I choose to say after a few moments of silently staring at him. "Well, I think it's better I go now. It's getting a bit late, anyway."

Damien comes to me and touches my arm, stopping me from going. "I'm sorry if I offended you and I'll understand you need to think about it. But I also don't want you to be mad at me or stop going out with me after tonight. If you want to, we can forget about this and I promise to never bring it up again," he promises.

He looks so frightened of me rejecting him and really cutting him out of my life because of this. "I'll think about it. Who knows, maybe I'll decide to undress myself for you." I wink, teasing him.

I see a flame in his eyes at my words. "I hope that, too, Brooke. In more ways than just one," he says lowly, with a dark, dark suggestion we both know what he means.

Everything inside of my clenches in pure, primal need.

Damien suddenly steps forward, so close we're almost touching with our chests. He leans his face down close to me and I think for a moment he's going to kiss me. His smell is everyone around me, evolving around me.

I feel his mouth press on my cheek and let it linger there for a moment. I stop breathing altogether. And then his lips travel to my ear. "Sleep well, moro."

He steps back with a smile, letting his hand brush down the length of my arm, pausing for a second when our fingers touch at the end before he lets go completely.

That phrase again. That exactly same phrase he used two nights ago when we went out for the first time. And that word again. The one he said he likes to use it a lot. Well, screw it. If he calls everyone that, I don't think I want to hear it.

I open the door and look over my shoulder. "You too, friend," I say with a smile. I see a frown on his face before I close the door and head back down to my flat.

That went well. It was interesting, nothing like I imagined it would be. And that's what makes it so special.

When I come to my flat, I get my phone out and send a text to our group chat.

Me: Yo. Just came back from the dinner with Damien. That man is ... Jesus.

I don't have to wait for their replies.

Sam: ?? Tell me more!

Amy: How long before you sleep with him?

There's not any reply from Cory so I assume her night is going well. She went out on a date, too.

Me: He's sex on the legs. Literally. And full of surprises.

I don't comment on Amy's response. And for some reason, I also don't want to tell the girls about Damien's proposal to photograph me.

And I will think about it. I probably won't have the courage to get naked in front of the camera and the man behind it, but I catch myself wondering how he looks like doing something he loves. And I want him to show it to me. And for me.

Amy: You're being secretive today. What happened?

Sam: I still want to know if he's hung like it looks like he is

Me: Nothing, Amy, just sleepy and too lazy to type

Me: WTF, Sam. What gave you an impression that he's hung?

Sam: He just looks like a man with big ... you know. The way he carries himself ...

Sam: Not important. Even if he isn't I'd still do him. My God I would.

I just roll my eyes at her response. Thankfully, Cory comes and saves me from having to reply to that. My reply would probably be, I'd do him, too, Sam. So hard.

Cory: Date was a success! He's cute and nice but inappropriate at all the right times.

Amy: Sounds like a dream man!

Sam: You're not shagging him either? And I was getting excited to hear some hot stories from you .. b o r i n g

I chuckle at Sam's response. She's got such a dirty mind. I swear I'll have to look at what books she's reading one time.

Me: Yes girl, get it!!

I go take a shower, singing to myself the whole time. I'm in a really great mood tonight. And I can't deny Damien is the biggest reason for it.

That man is just something ... else. I don't know how much longer I'll be able to resist him.

And a part inside of me just knows there will be a day when he'll break me and I'll jump into his bed. If not for anything else, it'll be out of curiosity of how good he is in bed.

When I get back from the bathroom and check my phone, I see a few text messages from girls.

Cory: We have another date on Saturday. I might let him do me then ;)

Sam: NOW YOU'RE TALKING

Amy: You're all hopeless!

Cory: Oh, shut up, you. You'd do Brooke's brother if he even gave you the slightest attention.

Amy: Not even ashamed of it. But on the other hand, everyone would do Braden, so ... your point is invalid.

Sam: I feel like you're a nun in our group of friends. You know how everyone has a group of daring friends but then there's that one person who acts like a mother and tries to bring them on the right path.

Amy: Thanks?

Sam: Welcome!

I'm laughing out loud. Jesus, where did I even find these idiots?

But then there's also a text that makes my heart almost jump out of my chest.

Damien: My offer still stands, Gorgeous. You would look great in my camera objective.

Or rather my tits would, I think. I choose not to respond to that. Let the man sweat for a while.

*

Hello, guys. Here with yet another chapter! I hope you enjoyed it and I hope you like Brooke and Damien's story so far ;) It won't stay this beautiful lol.

If you want to read more, head to radish where I just posted chapter 20 today and I'm posting chapter 21 tomorrow. Also, if you want, check out my other story Melting the Ice, which is also posted on radish. Happy reading, babes!

If you've got any questions, just go to my ask.fm profile where you can ask questions anonimously. 

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