feeling to overtake me like the warm tide and I felt Noah push hard into me twice and then shudder and collapse. I raised my arms and felt the sweat like a fine mist all over Noah’s back. I licked at the saltiness of his skin and he buried his face into the side of my neck.
Noah
I laid on top of her, breathing heavily. This was what I had fought for. Like Odysseus I had strung my bow and carried my love to the bed that I made her, the living olive tree at its base.
I slipped out of bed to dispose of the condom and pulled down the covers. I slid us both underneath, and she curled around me.
I ran my finger down her back, tracing the slight slope of the valley formed around her spine. I felt the sharp shape of her shoulder blades and marked the spot mentally. I would want to travel the path with my tongue.
Maybe other guys could give her nicer cars or more money, but no one would ever want her like I would. And no one would work to give her the same pleasure.
Chapter Fifteen
Grace
At Noah’s urging, I showed some of my pictures to the guys at the house, pictures that Lana and I had chosen for my portfolio, although I didn’t tell Noah that. The lavish praise from Noah and the guys infused me with new energy and confidence. Suddenly I wanted to take pictures everywhere and show them to everyone.
“Lana, who would I talk to in admissions to take pictures from Old Main’s bell tower?” Lana did her ten hours of service in the admissions office, which was housed in the oldest building on campus. It was a traditional brick building with two wings, but the original structure had a bell tower that would be the perfect place to take pictures of the students moving around on campus.
“Not sure, maybe the Provost?”
“Could you ask for me?”
“Sure. Gonna take some pictures up there?”
“Yeah, I think it would be a great setting.”
My phone beeped. Call me. Josh had texted. I rolled my eyes. Like he couldn’t call me. I dialed him anyway.
“What’s up, buttercup?” I chirped at him.
“Do you want to make some money?”
“Um sure, do I have to take off my clothes?” I asked to torture him.
“Ha ha. Very funny. Not,” Josh replied. “Look, the University PR folks were in here the other day and saw your photo, and they want to use it on some promotional material. They said that they would pay for it.”
“Wow, that’s cool,” No matter what Noah had said before, no one had offered me any money for my photos. “How much?”
“They said if you sold it to them outright, five Gs.”
I almost dropped the phone, “What? Did I hear you?”
“For real. I almost swallowed my gum when they told me, but apparently full-color prints like this easily could run in excess of five grand because you could charge a set fee and then only sell them usage licenses.”
“I didn’t know any of this.”
“No worries,” Josh said, utterly cheerful. “Nate and I talked with some girls over in the art department. We’ll handle it all for a cut of fifteen percent.”
“No way! You didn’t do anything.”
“I got you access to the press box for the game and free tickets.”
“Five percent,” I countered.
“Ten.”
“Five.”
“Fine, five percent, but next time we go out, you’re paying,” Josh conceded.
“Deal,” I hung up and gave a squeal.
“What is it?” Lana was standing over me, impatiently tapping her hand on the table.
“State is buying my photo and paying me a lot of money for it,” I felt dazed. “I think I need to go lie down.” I stumbled to my feet and lurched over to the sofa.
“Wow you must really feel faint if you’re lying on my sofa,” Lana snarked. She came over and sat on the chair. “Why are you so surprised? Your pictures have always been awesome.”
“I guess I thought when people said it could be a career, it was a joke.”
“Good thing you’re going to meet with Dr. Rossum.”
“No, I think I need to be a finance major. Josh was talking about licenses and set fees and stuff I had zero understanding of.” I felt dazed by it all.
“Nah, you’re the artist. You create. Someone else sells.” Lana looked at her fingers and nonchalantly added, “And you’ve got the perfect person to be able to do that.”
I already knew a finance major. A surge of adrenaline spiked through me. “I