To Fly Again Read online

  To Fly Again

  MATT SILVER smiled as he set up his studio, ensuring that everything was perfect for this particular photo session. He knew that today’s client wasn’t just one of his usual male models. Today’s client was Lucas Meyer.

  Lucas was a high-profile actor with some serious film roles to his credit. Though he’d never won an Oscar, he’d been nominated for several, as well as capturing two Golden Globes and numerous other awards. Matt had several of his films on DVD, but Lucas hadn’t had a starring role in over a year. Matt knew enough about Hollywood to know that might as well have been forever. Matt knew he was privileged to be doing the photo shoot, as Lucas had rarely appeared in front of a still camera beyond the covers for his movies.

  This photo shoot was hopefully going to revamp his acting career; at forty-four years old, he was looking for a new image to convince casting directors that he was still marketable as a leading man. So Matt knew that everything had to be ready, as these Hollywood types didn’t like to wait around. Matt stood behind his tripod, adjusting the angle of his camera so it would get the best shots possible of Lucas once he was ready to begin.

  The area was set, ready for the shoot: a large bed with crisp white linen made up one aspect of the mock room, alongside which was a real coal fire already ablaze in the hearth. Once the shoot started, Lucas would feel the chill of the studio. On the floor beside the fire was a white fake-fur rug, set there to offset the darkness of the floorboards and also to highlight the honeyed tones of Lucas’s flesh.

  Matt had taken one shot of the room to ensure his film was ready when he heard the soft knock on the studio door.

  Looking up from behind the camera, he called out for whomever it was to enter. He smiled brightly as the dark-haired actor walked into the studio. He could see already from looking at Lucas that he’d started his image transformation. His hair, which was usually shoulder-length when he didn’t have to change it for a role, had been recently colored to add highlights to the newly cropped length.

  Matt walked out from behind his camera and over to Lucas, offering his hand in greeting to the actor. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Meyer,” Matt said as Lucas shook his hand.

  “Please, call me Lucas. Mr. Meyer is my father. And believe me, the pleasure is all mine,” Lucas said, smiling in return as he looked the photographer up and down, clearly appreciating what he was seeing.

  “All right, I’m ready to begin whenever you are, Lucas,”

  Matt said. He felt himself blush when he caught Lucas’s eyes wandering the length of his body.

  “I’ve admired your work for a long time now, Mr. Silver. You truly have a way with the camera, which is why I trust you to make me a household name once more,” Lucas told him. His eyes lingered on Matt’s brown, tousled curls, and Matt could feel his blush deepening. He dropped his eyes back to his equipment, uncomfortable at the frank appraisal.

  “Please call me Matt; Mr. Silver always seems too formal, given my job,” Matt said and laughed a little, trying to shake off some of his nerves.

  “As you wish, Matt. So how do we proceed?” Lucas asked. He ran one hand through his short hair, stopping to gently massage his neck while his eyes scanned the studio.

  “To start with, I’m going to just take a few shots of you fully clothed in the set. Now, during the shoot, if there is anything at all that you are not comfortable with doing, just say and I’ll stop the shoot. All right?”

  “That sounds perfectly fine to me.”

  “All right. I think we need to draw some more attention to your eyes, Lucas, as they are truly a most spectacular shade of blue.” Matt watched Lucas while he made the suggestion, waiting to see if he was going to show any signs of the spoiled Hollywood-star lifestyle that so many of his clients often adopted.

  “What do you suggest?”

  “How about a touch of eyeliner? It’ll draw attention to your eyes. I don’t think anything else will be needed.” Matt watched Lucas closely as the actor walked beside him to the small makeup case that sat on a tabletop. He picked up the black eyeliner pencil without any fuss and leaned down to look in the mirror, then ran the pencil first over the edge of his top eyelid and then the bottom one, circling his eye with a black ring that instantly drew one’s eyes to his.

  The eyeliner had the desired effect, and Matt knew that no one out there would be able to look at Lucas in his present state without becoming lost in his gorgeous blue eyes.

  “What do you think?” Lucas asked after he lined his other eye and set the pencil down to look at Matt.

  “That’s perfect,” Matt said, swallowing hard at the stirring in his groin. “Now if you’re ready to begin, I’d like to take a few shots of you fully clothed and up close.”

  “As you wish. I trust your judgment, Matt.”

  Matt took a deep breath as he moved behind his tripod and bent to look through the camera lens at Lucas, whose body was encased in black leather from head to toe. The black biker jacket was zipped up, fully framing his face with his new, younger haircut.

  Matt knew that if he was affected in such a way, then the desired image change would be successful. No woman or homosexual man would be able to resist those soulful blue eyes and the body of a god encased in skintight leather.

  “How does it look, Matt?” Lucas asked. His voice was low, almost intimate in the way he said Matt’s name.

  “Absolutely beautiful,” was all Matt could say as he took the first shot of what he knew would be many.

  LUCAS smiled and moved slightly so that he was closer to the bed, all the while hearing the sound of the camera shutter as Matt continued to take photo after photo. When he reached the bed, he sat down before leaning back into the crisp pillows. The whiteness of the new linen was a stark contrast to the black leather that encased the actor’s body.

  Lucas brought one leg up to rest a booted foot firmly upon the bed while the other remained dangling over the edge. Exhaling with a sigh, he looked over at Matt behind the camera. He could feel the heat pool in his groin, knowing that the brown-haired photographer would see everything through the lens. Matt was stunning to look at, and he wasn’t even trying to impress. He was wearing sinfully tight jeans that hugged his body in all the right places, teamed with a simple white T-shirt that clung to his body. The T-shirt showed off Matt’s biceps, indicating that he worked out but wasn’t overly muscled.

  From his assumed position, Lucas knew that he was displaying his body in a most alluring way even though he was fully dressed. He heard the intake of breath from the young photographer when he reached down with one hand and brushed it against his groin, feeling the heat of his desire through the supple leather.

  Lucas’s cock hardened at the knowledge that the young man was enjoying the show. Lucas knew that the leather trousers highlighted everything he had; he liked the way they clung to his body, showing off his cock and balls as they pressed against the fabric. Lucas reached down and cupped himself through the leather to adjust himself into a more comfortable position and heard another sharp intake of breath from the younger man. “Do you like what your camera sees?” Lucas asked, arching his hips slightly off the bed while he stared intently at the camera.

  “Yes,” Matt said a little breathlessly, his head never lifting from the viewfinder. Lucas wet his lips and then slid a hand up his thigh while the steady click of the camera continued.

  “I’m glad you approve. You know, Matt, I only agreed to do this photo shoot because I knew you would be the photographer,” Lucas told him. He closed his eyes briefly and moved his hand a little higher up his leg, letting his thighs drift farther apart.

  “Jesus, Lucas, do you have any idea what you’re doing to me right now?” Matt said, looking up over the top of the camera. Lucas
couldn’t prevent the little smirk that appeared on his face.

  “I have an idea. So would you like me to start showing a little skin?”

  “However much you’re comfortable with. I can frame the shots to keep them suggestive but not show too much,” Matt answered. Lucas thought his voice sounded a little hoarse.

  “I’ve had to do nude scenes for films before,” he replied, shifting on the bed. “The camera doesn’t bother me, and we’re supposed to be proving that I still have what it takes as a leading man.”

  “Just pretend I’m not here and go with whatever feels natural to you,” Matt said. “I’ll let you know when I have to change the film.”

  “As you wish.” Lucas smiled as Matt lowered his head, a blush rising high on his cheekbones. “You know, someone should have suggested you take your clothes off for a spread. I know I’d definitely buy a copy with your face on the cover.”

  “Surely you jest?” Matt said incredulously.

  “No, I don’t. I’d pay a lot to see you naked.”

  “Lucas, please—I have a job to do, and at the moment you are making that hard to accomplish. Now, if you wish to discuss this matter further when we have finished, then I might be more inclined to your proposition, if that is indeed what it is.” Matt’s formality didn’t hide his reaction, making Lucas smile, certain that his desire showed in his eyes.

  “It is, and I will hold you to that,” Lucas said. He closed his eyes again and ran his palms down his leather-covered thighs.

  MATT took a deep breath and leaned down over his camera once more. He could feel his heart racing at the proposition the actor had just offered. When Matt looked through the camera lens, he bit his lower lip to stop the involuntary moan that tried to escape at the sight Lucas made. He had moved so he was now kneeling on the bed with his hands against the zipper of his biker jacket. Matt was sure not many people had ever seen the provocative look on Lucas’s face before. It was definitely one for the shoot.

  Lucas smiled and began to leisurely pull the zipper down to reveal his chest beneath. He had clearly come prepared to seduce both the camera and Matt himself. Matt’s heart hammered in his chest as he followed the trail of the zipper with his eyes, reflexively snapping picture after picture of Lucas unzipping the jacket in a painfully slow way.

  Lucas was teasing him, along with everyone else who would see these pictures, but Matt knew that he was the prime target of the seduction.

  “I know you’re watching me, Matt. I can hear that you’re breathing faster,” Lucas said.

  “Of course I’m watching you. How else do you suppose I take your picture?” Matt asked, although he knew that wasn’t what Lucas meant.

  “Do you react this way with all your clients?” Lucas pulled the zipper lower still, revealing more of his chest with its light covering of hair.

  Matt tried to keep his reserve, but Lucas seemed insistent on tormenting him as he revealed more of his honeyed flesh, toned abdominal muscles, and the trail of dark hair that led down his stomach and into the top of his leather trousers.

  “Matt, I asked you a question. Do you need me to repeat it?” Lucas said, the smirk returning to his face while he tugged the zipper free and let the jacket hang open. He leaned down so his hands rested against the bed, his back arched slightly, and he looked up at Matt with lust-filled eyes.

  “N-no.” Matt couldn’t help but lose his detachment when he saw the look in Lucas’s eyes directed at him.

  “No, you don’t need me to repeat it, or no, you don’t act this way around your other clients?” Lucas asked with amusement in his voice.

  “No, I heard you perfectly well, and no, I don’t do this with other clients,” Matt said, trying not to let Lucas know how much he was affecting him.

  “Ahh, so you reserve this reaction for just me. I’m honored.” Lucas lowered his head and arched his back further before sitting up and shrugging off his jacket, leaving his chest bare to Matt’s gaze.

  “Has anyone ever told you that you’re one hell of a cocky bastard?” Matt asked, though he couldn’t help but smile while he watched the way Lucas stretched. His whole body moved with a feline grace.

  “All the time.” Lucas laughed as he rolled onto his back and ran his hands over his chest, pausing to rub his nipples into hard peaks. “But you have to admit that I’m one hell of a sexy cocky bastard.” Lucas ran his hand down his stomach and slipped it into the top of his leather trousers.

  “You’ve got me there,” Matt told him, watching Lucas’s every move. “Hold it there a moment, I have to change the film.” Matt went to his camera bag and pulled out another roll of film with trembling hands. Taking it from its case, he removed the roll from the camera and put it into the case, then loaded the new film. He looked over his shoulder at Lucas once he’d attached the small label and written “LM 1” onto the first roll of film. Matt still used film because he loved the whole process of being able to see his pictures develop in his darkroom. Plus he loved the smell of the developer and the way the images slowly appeared before his very eyes. He’d found solace in the darkroom, as it was the only place his ex had never encroached upon. It was his and only his.

  Lucas had a contented look on his face as he lay perfectly still, waiting to be told he could move again. The actor’s gaze moved down Matt’s body, and Lucas grinned, making Matt wonder if he’d noticed the bulge that was growing steadily in his faded denim jeans. The intensity of Lucas’s eyes boring into his body made Matt blush, and he ran his hand nervously through his dark curls. He leaned down and readied his camera, hearing Lucas chuckle as he stretched on the bed.

  “You know, it’s quite a change for me to see a man so in touch with his sensitive side. I don’t often embarrass those I’m around. A blush coloring your cheeks is very becoming,” Lucas said as Matt started taking pictures again. “I wouldn’t mind seeing your ass colored from a swift smack either.”

  “Please shut up,” Matt growled, trying to hold on to his professional detachment. He was having a hard enough time already, and the last thing he needed was that sort of joke.

  “Oh, I’m sorry, have I hit a raw nerve there?” Lucas asked and looked up, obviously realizing his jest had upset Matt.

  “Just drop it, okay? I have no wish to discuss the matter.” Matt closed his eyes and tensed at the distant memory that passed through his mind and over his body.

  Matt cried out as he was shoved naked to his knees on the floor beside the fireplace. He trembled when he heard the cupboard open and then the sound of the contents being removed. He dared not look up, for he knew that he would be punished more for moving than he was going to be for his slip-up in the restaurant.

  “You will learn your place tonight, Matt,” the man growled as he captured Matt’s hands in his and dragged them painfully behind Matt’s back, fastening the handcuffs on so he couldn’t move. “You belong to me and no one else, do you understand me, Boy?”

  “Y-yes,” Matt whimpered as the hand on the back of his neck forced him down so his face was pressed against the carpet.

  The beating began then; a leather strap struck repeatedly against his buttocks, making him cry out as he squirmed, trying to free himself. But it was futile; he was pinned in place by the hand on his neck. When it was finally over, he had carpet burns on his knees and on his cheek from being held down as he tried to get away.

  “Look, Matt, I’m so sorry if I’ve upset you. I never meant to,” Lucas said when he caught the emotion in the plea to drop the discussion.

  “Can we just continue the shoot?”

  “Sure, and I really am sorry.” Lucas noticed the erection the young man had sported was now gone. Whatever it was about his jest had really upset him.

  Lucas moved so he was kneeling on the bed once more, bringing both his hands up to run through his hair. He took a calming breath, trying to ease his nervousness after upsetting Matt. Lucas stretched his arms out to his sides and arched his back, forcing his chest and hips forward as he took anothe
r deep breath.

  “That’s nice, Lucas. I think that’s a keeper shot also,”

  Matt told him as he continued to take pictures. Lucas’s head lolled backward, leaving his chest and throat exposed while his abdominal muscles clenched with his breathing.

  He lifted his head and brought his arms back to his chest and crossed them in front of it, splaying his hands out over his pectorals. He closed his eyes briefly and let his head fall forward as he played up to the camera, trying to keep the shoot in the forefront of his mind. He didn’t want to completely alienate the young photographer. He looked up at Matt through half-lowered lashes and saw that Matt was now standing over his camera, using the handheld trigger to snap his shots. Lucas could see the renewed interest in the young man’s eyes as he watched him with a smile on his face.

  “Are you sure you haven’t done this sort of photo shoot before?” Matt asked. Lucas uncurled his hands and brought one down his stomach. He ran it over the front of his leather trousers, teasing his half-hard cock into life once more.

  “I’ve never done this before. I’ve had lots of experience in front of movie cameras, but in films I can only ever do what I’m scripted to do. This is actually very freeing,” Lucas said.

  “I’m not a virgin to the camera’s focus, Matt; far from it. But I’ve never posed, as it were.”

  “Your manager has never suggested you do a calendar?”

  Matt seemed a bit surprised at how little Lucas was marketed apart from the DVDs of his movies.

  “No, she’s never even suggested it. She said I make enough from the movies to not bother with all the other crap. She thinks it’ll only cheapen me if I let the marketing of merchandise overtake my charms on screen, but when you get to be my age, there are always younger men trying for the same lead roles. I decided I needed to do something to show them I’m not quite over the hill yet,” Lucas told him, beginning to slowly tug down the zipper on his leather trousers.

  “I think she doesn’t know what she’s talking about. If you got yourself out there into the shops and on the internet with a calendar, then more people would look into your movies,” Matt insisted. He watched closely as Lucas rubbed his right nipple with one hand while unfastening his leathers with the other.