Fantasy Man, Inc. by Terescia Harvey

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When the man stepped through the door of the small studio, Janine breathed a sigh of relief. Finally.

"It's about time you got here. You're nearly half an hour late." Janine hurried across the small studio and started pulling out the props she'd just packed up.

He looked at her, apparently confused, before glancing casually at his watch. "I didn't realize you were expecting me."

His deep baritone smoothed across her frazzled nerves, and she glanced over at him. His fine clothing fit perfectly on his masculine form. His tie hung loose around his neck, his shoes gleamed, and he carried a jacket slung over his forearm.

Her jeans and t-shirt couldn't compete with his perfectly pressed pants and shirt. No telling whom he'd been posing for earlier today. He must have just come from a more upscale shoot.

"Well, hurry up," she said, thoroughly irritated that this gorgeous men's-wear model had delayed her shoot. "Take it all off." Then she jerked a pair of skimpy briefs from the bag of props and tossed them in his direction. He automatically reached up and caught them as they flew by his head.

Still, he didn't look all that enthused by the brilliant blue underwear. "I think there's been some kind of--"

"Didn't your agency tell you what kind of shoot this was?" Oh, she didn't have time for this. Although Fantasy Man Clothing's advertising department had given her use of their studio for four hours, she had too much to do today to spend more than a couple of those hours on this photography session.

"I'm here to--"

"Come on, either drop your pants and get those things on, or leave and quit wasting my time."

Janine bit the inside of her lip. Why did she have such a tendency to speak before thinking? If he left--

He didn't.

After an appraising sweep of his eyes over her feminine form, he shrugged. "Where do I change?"

She slung her arm in the direction of the miniscule changing room, hoping that he wouldn't notice her sudden breathlessness. "Over...there."

He disappeared behind the partition, then returned a few minutes later dressed only in the briefs. The sight of his hard masculine body set her pulse to fluttering wildly.

Her paperwork indicated the model's name was Donny, but the first time she called out to him, he didn't seem to hear her. After the third time, Donny finally caught on that she was talking to him.

The shoot lasted nearly two hours. Donny seemed inexperienced, leading Janine to wonder just how long he'd been modeling. It figured that the agency would send her a model who'd apparently only been at it a few weeks.

All things combined, she really should have realized that something wasn't quite right.

But she didn't.

Throughout the shoot, Donny kept his warm, interested gaze on her, and she found herself blushing constantly, almost like a teenager. They shared a few jokes, and Janine actually began to think about asking him out.

But she didn't trust her judgment in men anymore. Since her divorce four months ago, she'd only been on two dates.

Two hideous dates.

She'd all but given up on finding a nice guy with whom to share her free time.

As she readied Donny for the last shot, her hand lingered on his thigh. When he cleared his throat, she jerked her hand away from him, looking up guiltily.

With a wave of his hand, he indicated the short stepladder he was propped against. "Should I raise my leg to the next step?"

"No, no. You're fine."

She hurried back behind the camera, using the equipment to hide her heated face. God, she must look like a love-starved fool.

When the shoot ended and Donny left, Janine felt a strange letdown, something she was unaccustomed to feeling after what she considered a good photo session.

The next week flew by as Janine prepared the photographs of Donny for the advertising department of Fantasy Man Clothing, Inc. The photos were her audition for a permanent position as photographer for Fantasy Man's in-house advertising division.

She said a quick prayer as she mailed the photos; she really wanted this job. She was tired of freelancing. She'd only started because her ex-husband Jeffrey had wanted her to be able to travel with him on his international photo shoots.

A scant week later, she received a call from Fantasy Man. The woman's voice on the other end of the line was brisk and efficient as she said, "We'd like some additional photos if you wouldn't mind?"

Janine didn't hesitate. "Of course, I'd be happy to supply any extra pictures you'd like to see. Do you want previously shot photos or new ones?"

"We'd like another batch similar to the ones you sent this past week. We're sending you the same model. That okay?"

"That's excellent," Janine replied, more excited than she ought to be to have the chance to work with Donny again.

Two days later, she was back in Fantasy Man Clothing's photography studio, waiting impatiently for Donny to arrive.

When he strolled into the studio ten minutes late, he was once again dressed like the typical executive. He looked even better than she remembered.

As soon as he saw her, he smiled broadly.

The shoot went much smoother this time, and by the time she was snapping the final picture, she'd determined not to let Donny go without asking him on a date. The thought made her extremely nervous, and she ended up ruining the last frame.

"I..." she hesitated, then continued haltingly, "I wondered if...well...if you'd like to go out sometime." It was a struggle to keep her gaze locked on his face, but she managed not to look away. Barely.

His expression clouded, and for a moment Janine wished she'd kept her mouth shut. Then Donny smiled softly and said, "I was hoping you'd ask. In fact, I was just getting ready to make the first move if you didn't."

Janine grinned, relieved beyond measure by his words.

He frowned. "There's just one thing..."

Dread settled in Janine's belly. Oh, please don't let him be married, she prayed.

"I hope you don't change your mind when I tell you that my name's Mark, not Donny. Mark Robison."

Janine's breath caught. Mark Robison? The advertising director at Fantasy Man Clothing? Oh, no. "You mean--Oh, God. Why didn't you say something? I feel like such an idiot!"

"Don't. It was my fault. I should have told you as soon as I realized who you'd mistaken me for." He reached up and touched her arm. The surge of tension his gentle touch caused caught Janine by surprise. Her eyes widened and her gaze flew to his face.

The deepening blue of his eyes suggested that he felt the intense attraction too.

Suddenly something occurred to her. "Why did you come to the studio that day?"

"I dropped in to see how the newest prospective employee handled herself during a shoot. You were excellent. I almost hired you on the spot, but I decided that if I hired you before I saw your work, you'd think I was crazy. And I was afraid to confess my identity because I wanted to ask you out. I was worried you might feel pressured to say yes." He laughed wryly. "I got myself into a mess by not admitting who I was right off."

"Did you like the photos?" she asked, worried.

"They were spectacular. I don't think I've ever seen better."

Janine's embarrassment at having been caught acting like a tyrant at their first meeting was tempered by the glow of pride she felt at his praise. Jeffrey had never thought she was a good photographer even though she'd made just about as much money as he had.

He continued, "If I hadn't wanted another chance to see you before you discovered my identity, I would have had my assistant tell you over the phone that you were hired."

"I wouldn't take back my invitation to go out even if you didn't hire me."

Mark stared into her eyes. "Can I kiss you?"

She found herself breathing faster. "Yes," she whispered.

As his mouth covered hers in a much-anticipated exploration, Janine decided that maybe, just maybe, she would no longer have to spend her free time alone.

THE END

And they lived happily ever after...

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