Page 81 of Elite Player
Jo doesn’t care about any of that.
In fact, I think most of the time she’s embarrassed by my status. She certainly does not seek out the spotlight and has all but run away the two times fans have stopped me for pictures and autographs while we’ve been together.
All she seems to want is me to give her sunflowers, which are becoming more difficult to find now that it’s December, play with her hair, which is my latest obsession, and run defense against her family. Although, ever since Granny’s party, they’ve pretty much left her alone, so I have the easiest job in the world.
“What can I do?” I ask, my eyes adjusting to the darkness as Jo puts on gloves to pour liquids into three different trays.
“Sit there and look pretty.”
I smack her ass. “You know I like it when you get an attitude.”
She sticks out her tongue at me, and I exhale a noisy breath. “Careful, Jojo. You’re wearing my sweatpants. It’ll only take a good yank to have them off.”
She finishes pouring and faces me with her hand on her hip. “Is that a threat?”
“I have excellent eyesight in the dark.”
She huffs a laugh. “According to you, is there anything you’re not good at?”
“Nope.”
“What about knitting?”
“Greatness takes time, Josephine.”
She snickers and pivots away from me, reaching onto a shelf that I think has her name on a small glow-in-the-dark tag. “What’s that?”
“The negatives. I came to develop them the other day.”
“So you rent this place out?”
She works with the negatives, studying them closely, putting them into a microscope-like machine as she explains the building is an art co-op. It holds all kinds of visual artists, writers, filmmakers, and even one dancer who teaches adults in a room down the hall. They all share the space and rooms for their needs. According to Jo, this is where she’s met her “weird art nerd” friends.
She eventually quiets, concentrating, so I stop asking her questions, happy to watch her work. In her element, I don’t think she even remembers I’m here because she startles a little when I ask, “What’s that for?”
“Developer. It brings out the image.” She lifts the paper, tilting it so I can see the faint shadows appearing. It’s magic, watching the image emerge from nothing.
I lean in, trying to make it out, but she playfully pushes me away. “Not yet. You’ll see when it’s done.”
I can’t help but steal a kiss, my hands finding her hips, but she tilts her head out of the way. When I whine, she eyes me. “I know what you’re doing.”
“What?”
“You’re trying to seduce me.”
“I’m always trying to seduce you.”
“Yeah, but you can’t here. If these chemicals spill, neither one of us will be happy.”
“I’m not touching them,” I say against the skin of her neck. She has her hair up in a messy bun on the top of her head, so I take advantage of the rare opportunity.
“But you’re distracting me.”
I lightly bite her neck. “Youare distracting me.”
“Nico.”
“Josephine.”
