Page 27 of My Grape Crush
A low sound of concern hums in Dani’s throat. We’re sitting on a bench, clocking time out in the shade of a willow tree. “What is she talking about?”
Luca scratches his beard with the studious expression of avision forming. “I can shoot it long lens. Voyeuristic. Roman paparazzi style.”
“Careful,” Yvette warns, fanning herself under the covered daybed where she has permanently set up camp. “If this shoot gets any hotter, we will all go up in flames.”
Luca strides over to huddle with us. Intense. Moody. “I want the energy to feel forbidden,” he explains. “You believe you are alone, lost in time in the vineyard. Rhys, we have you sitting on a chair. Dani straddles you, a temptress with a cluster of grapes. Lust crackles. At any moment, you will rip clothes off each other. Think Romeo and Juliet. You must fuck or die.”
I burst out laughing while Dani asks in a stricken voice, “Fuck or die?”
“You know the feeling, darling.” Luca smiles encouragingly. “Dark magic. When the sexual tension is about to explode!”
His arms fling skyward, mimicking said explosion. Dani rises to her feet, swaying before I steady her.She looks very uncertain. And so incredibly beautiful.
“I don’t know if I can fake that,” she says as if talking to herself.
Me? This guy will not have to fake anything. If Luca wants sexual tension, I’ve got that in spades. My dick twitched earlier when Luca told us to embrace, and with resolve stronger than my lifetime of abandoned New Year’s resolutions combined, I gritted my teeth and hung in there.
I was this close to dying.
Luca squeezes her shoulder, doing what he does best: getting his way. But I can tell Dani impressed him by rolling with the punches. And for all her earlier protests, she owned it in front of the camera.
In a no-turning-back tone, Luca says, “Rhys is a pro. Use him as your guide.”
Dani and I drain a third bottle of rosé before Luca summons us to the vineyard. He fusses over the setup: me, ass on the chair Vigo dragged over from the pool deck. Dani, legs spread wide to straddle me.
Handing her a cluster of fat grapes, Luca reiterates the vision,“Dangle them over his mouth but deny him. You have all the power. Rhys, you strain to reach them. The grapes are a metaphor for her. You want to devour them!”
“Devour. Got it.” I swipe the sweat off my forehead. “Am I touching her?”
Luca strikes a thinking pose. “Maybe your hand on her ass to start, no?”
Dani makes a small scared sound. The peace that had settled over her during the first part of the shoot has come and gone. I can smell her sweet fragrance, the coconut scent of sunscreen, and a hint of my vanilla musk woven into both. My face feels like it's on fire, flushed from the heat.
“I’m cool if you’re cool,” I say, lying through my teeth.
Luca struts off to get into position. Dani arranges herself over me, painstakingly careful not to press against too much flesh. Her eyes find mine, jaw set as her brows knit together.
“Do you feel self-conscious at all?” she whispers. “This is like shooting aPlayboycenterfold.”
At a less intense time, I’d tell her she makes a fine Miss August. For now, I shrug it off like this is not borderline uncensored.
“Dani!” Luca shouts from afar. “Hold the grapes higher. Use your thumb and forefinger. Dangle them like your endless charm. You hold all the power. Make him desire you!”
“Oh my god,” she mumbles. “He is out of control.”
He and me both. With Dani so close, I can see droplets of sweat between her cleavage, the slick dampness above her glossy lips. Her entire body glistens from the shimmer cream Vigo slathered on, and it’s not even right how aroused I am. Luca takes forever, endlessly snapping, extending more than my torture.
“Yes!” Luca shouts. “You are in the throes of ecstasy. Arch into him, Dani. Use your power!”
Dani presses against me, stiff and awkward, erasing all the space. It takes one second of body contact before her eyes pop wide. A sharp intake of breath follows.She looks down at me, blinking fast, as if every flutter of her lashes can will my warmth and hardness away.
Full and vital, she was not expecting.
“Are you...?”
“Sorry.” I swallow hard and manage a smile. “Workplace hazard.”
“Don’t move,” Luca yells. “Tempt him, Dani. Seduce the helpless Rhys.”
