the makeup chair, closed his eyes as a beautiful redhead waved a powder brush over his face.
“As much as it pained me,” Rico continued, “we rubbed a few of the items through the dirt to achieve the right look.” He tugged a white, beachy-looking shirt from the rack. Thin material with short sleeves and buttons up the front.
“Come.” Rico clapped once more. “Let’s get you dressed.”
Duke waited for the makeup artist to step back. Once she did, he rose from the chair and began unbuttoning his shirt.
“Just hand that to Darnell, she’ll hang it up for you,” Rico instructed.
Duke did as he said, handing his shirt to the redhead with an extended arm.
The undershirt went next as Duke, without delay, grabbed onto the bottom hem, tugged it over his head, and ripped it off his body. And what a perfect body it was. Tanned and toned perfection described the planes of his muscled chest. Rays of sunlight broke through spots overhead, creating shadows that enhanced those muscles even more.
Viv’s cheeks flushed with heat as Duke reached for his zipper next. Was he about to go for it right in front of everyone?
“There’s a changing station,” she blurted, a bit of panic edging her voice.
The sounds of the rainforest fell silent.
The photographer looked back and forth between Viv and Duke. Rico did the same, surprise etched on his face. Darnell shot her a glare.
The cluster of assistants waiting at the fringe tipped their head to see who’d spoken up.
Viv cleared her throat. “If…you want a changing station,” she added.
Duke straightened his posture and turned in place until he was facing her with that exposed chest, hands still gripping the sides of that top, now undone button of his shorts.
Viv gulped.
He squared a challenging look at her. “Do you want me to go behind the divider?”
Umm…What would someone who was only interested in Duke as a friend say?
With the gaze of the group still pasted on her, Viv shook her head no. And then changed it to a nod instead. “Yes. I think it’d be best.”
A slow, triumphant grin formed at Duke’s lips as he held her gaze. Or maybe pompous was a better word for it. Whatever it was, the expression had Viv wanting to backpedal as he made his way behind the dividing wall.
“I mean,” she blurted, “if you’d like to make your underwear one of the article’s focal points, then go for it. There are a lot of curious women out there. You can answer that classic boxers or briefs question without a single word.”
Duke, who was behind the divider now, shrugged. “Doesn’t really matter to me,” he said. “But to answer your question—it’s both. They’re boxer briefs.” The divider suddenly looked much shorter with him there. It barely made it to his chest.
“It wasn’t my question,” she assured, hating the protesting-too-much tone of her reply.
She dropped her gaze as she heard the unfastening of his zipper, and felt her face flush once more.
A swoosh here and a swish there, and suddenly Duke was lifting the pair toward Darnell over the dividing wall.
The face heat moved to the back of Viv’s neck next. She’d never had this type of an issue before. Not even when Tom the Bomb insisted on wearing a horrible pair of bright yellow speedo trunks for his final shoot.
Little miss Darnell, who was standing far too close for Viv’s liking, leaned closer as Duke pulled on the shorts. Another zip, a bit of fastening, and Duke stepped back into full view.
“There we go.” Rico motioned to Darnell. “Hand over the shirt, will you? And Duke, leave it unbuttoned unless Zee says otherwise, please.”
Darnell handed him the button up shirt, and Duke shrugged into it and pulled that brooding smolder he was famous for.
Rico threw his head back. “Yes. That looks perfect. We might want to give him a few dirt smears on his chest too.”
The redhead started to raise a hand, no doubt to volunteer for the job, but the photographer spoke up in reply.
“His chest will get dirty enough when we bring in the animals,” Zee said. “We’re ready?”
“Animals?” Duke said.
From somewhere among the group of assistants, a woman dressed in khaki from shirt to shorts stepped into the clearing with a sloth wrapped around her waist. An animal specialist, Viv gathered.
She watched, already entertained as Duke’s face lit up. “Hey, little buddy,” he said, putting his hands out palm up. “This is awesome. You going to join me for the picture, little guy,