In Bed With The Boss Page 0,14
down with a bang, and Christian’s head turned slightly, but he said nothing. “I’m leaving for the night. The pictures are mostly catalogued.” David turned and walked toward the door, hoping Christian would say something, anything. But all David heard was the sound of Christian’s glass as he set it on the table.
David closed the apartment door behind him, thankful to be away as his throat closed. It hurt him to see Christian spending his nights drinking. He’d been doing that more and more. David had lost track of the number of times he’d thrown away empty bottles and brought Christian aspirin first thing in the morning, and it looked like he’d be doing it again tomorrow. Walking toward the studio exit, David turned, looking at the apartment door once again. He badly wanted to go back in there and ask Christian what was wrong, why he’d been drinking so much lately. But he couldn’t. Christian was his boss, and how he behaved was none of his business. Leaving the studio, he began the walk home. David’s phone rang when he was a few blocks away. “Hello,” he said tentatively, expecting a telemarketer.
“David, this is Reggie.” A smile spread across David’s face. “I hope it’s not too soon to call, but I was wondering if you’d like to have dinner with me tomorrow night.” He could hear the nervousness in Reggie’s voice.
“That would be great,” David answered excitedly. “Where can I meet you?” They settled on a restaurant, and before David knew it he was walking up the steps to his building. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“I can’t wait,” Reggie said before disconnecting, and David entered his building, anxious to tell Javier about his date.
* * * * Reggie’s and David’s entrees arrived, and some of David’s nervousness finally slipped away. “Christian is an amazing photographer,” David said before taking a bite of his chicken piccata. “He can pull things out of the models that they never knew they had.”
“Tell me about it,” Reggie said with a smile on his face and a slight blush. “I had no idea I could be that forceful, but during that session, he had me believing I was some sort of fierce warrior. I actually felt it during the session.” Reggie sipped from his water glass. “And the things I said.” Reggie’s cheeks turned ever redder. “Although you have to admit, he does have a bit of a reputation.”
David nodded as he took another bite. “He’s so talented, he doesn’t need to do some of the things he does to get his pictures,” David commented. “Look what he was able to do with you and…” David let his thought trail off and he looked down at the table. “I’m sorry. I’ve monopolized the conversation, and all we’ve talked about is Christian.” David sighed softly as he lifted his gaze and saw Reggie’s amazing blue eyes looking back at him.
“I understand. He’s a huge personality, and working with him must be exciting,” Reggie said before extending his hand, taking David’s in his. “You told me earlier that you were a photographer yourself.”
“I am. I do mostly outdoor subjects though.” David answered. “I love walking through the park snapping pictures of random faces. People are fascinating as they go through their everyday lives, and sometimes you capture that one shot, that one face that tells a complete story.” David sipped his water, nearly toppling the glass as he set it down in his excitement.
“Has he seen any of your work?” Reggie asked, and David shook his head. “Why not?”
“He’s never asked,” David answered. “Christian knows I’m a photographer too, because we talked about it during our interview, but he didn’t ask to see any then, and I doubt he’s remembered it.” He was fairly certain of that. Most of their conversations revolved around Christian or his work.
“Sometimes I wonder if he knows I exist as someone other than the guy who makes sure he can live his life and conduct his business,” David said with a touch of bitterness, and he saw Reggie’s eyes widen slightly. Thankfully, Reggie didn’t ask about it. “So did you always want to be a model?” David asked, changing the subject. “No,” Reggie answered between bites. “I wanted to be a fireman. My father was a firefighter here in New York. He was at the World Trade Center during nine-eleven. He carried a woman out of one of the towers and was about to go back in when the tower collapsed. He