Lust and Lies 04 - Pretty Maids in a Row

get to know. As if he sensed her thoughts, he glanced over at her and grinned.
    "I've got to tell you, Miz Carmichael, I was fascinated with your exhibition."
    Teri raised her eyebrows and ignored Selena's little snort. "Please call me Teri. You went by the gallery?"
    His grin slanted a bit. "I thought it might help if I had an idea of your style. The article in New York Weekly called you one of the most talented artists of the century."
    "She's also an excellent photographer," Selena added proudly, "Which is why she's never bothered to use outsiders before."
    Drew appeared not to have noticed the contempt in Selena's voice and simply told Teri, "As I said before, I welcome any advice you might have. Ann told me you could teach me a few things."
    "You must be better acquainted with her than she let on."
    He gave a small shrug. "We're cousins. She also told me to be on my best behavior because you were a very nice lady."
    Teri laughed and was very tempted to keep up the light banter. It felt so good to relax for a moment, but there was something about the way he was looking at her that set off a distant alarm in her mind. Instead of responding, she turned toward Selena. "I don't want you to pose. Just relax, sit, stand, walk around, examine things. Drew, since I'm not entirely sure what I'm looking for until I see it, how about if you just snap anything your eye finds interesting today?"
    Teri rolled her padded stool to a corner and sat down to watch the two of them. Ann had been right. Drew did impress her. He might not have done this sort of thing before, but his experience with a camera showed.
    Selena had dressed as Teri requested—with minimal coverage. She didn't want clothing in any of the shots and, although she knew Selena had no problem walking around nude for her, she didn't think that was best for this first shoot with a male photographer. So she was wearing extremely small shorts and a fitted tank top that didn't quite reach her navel. Since they were both a pale shade of pink, she practically looked naked anyway.
    She hadn't needed to be concerned about how the photographer would react to such a stunning and sexy beauty. The only time Drew looked at her was through his camera.
    Every so often Teri thought she saw Selena flash him a dirty look, but she figured Selena would come around if he continued to be a gentleman and she encouraged her to give the man a break. No sooner did that thought occur than Drew upset the calm.
    " Freeze ," he ordered Selena abruptly. She was professional enough to obey. "I apologize, but right there, with the light coming through that window... Do you see it, Miz, uh, Teri?"
    Teri stared at Selena but saw nothing unusual. "See what?"
    "C'mere. Quick." Without removing the camera strap from his neck, he held it away from his chest for Teri to look into.
    One moment she was concentrating on finding what he saw, and the next she was aware only of the man next to her. His hand rested lightly on her lower back and, as his head dipped to align his sight with hers, warm breath caressed her cheek. Swallowing hard, she forced herself not to jump away. It had been so long since any man, including Rico, had lit a spark within her. It had been even longer since a man looked at her the way Drew had when he was complimenting her work earlier. Curious. Interested. Attracted.
    And she had checked him out without realizing that was what she was doing. Good Lord. Another man was the last thing she needed. Allowing mindless hormones to screw up her life once was more than enough. She was thinking this would have to be a one-time hire when she saw what he had wanted to show her.
    Teri stepped away as smoothly as she could. "It looked like a laser beam was coming out of her eye. That was an incredible catch."
    His smile showed how much he appreciated her praise. "You could probably do something similar with computer graphics but—"
    "Not me. The computer and I are not friends. I'm very old-fashioned about my art."
    His smile went a little crooked as he met her gaze in a more personal way. "Aah, an old-fashioned girl, just—"
    " Ahem, " Selena cut in loudly. "Can I move yet?"
    "Oh, of course," Drew said quickly. "Sorry."
    Teri returned to her post as they got back to the shoot. She felt anxious, in a teenage girl twittery sort of way. Her thoughts went back to replacing Drew after today, but if what she just saw in his camera's eye was a sample of the shots he was getting, she wouldn't find