Page 84 of My Secret Bandit

“Yep.”

I listened to the camera working, then the need to move felt too strong to ignore. Ankles raised up, back arched more and while one hand stayed glued above me the other gathered my hair into a mess of waviness.

“Yes, girl. Get into it,” Rose cheered. “You can lie down now.”

Sierra let the sheet fall, barely covering the exposed skin while Rose climbed a ladder next to the bed. She snapped a few pictures from that vantage point while I played with the jersey, inching it up against my torso or pulling at it.

A muffled “What the fuck is this?” caused me to break out in laughter as I pictured the strong, always cool Xander confused, pinching up barely there undergarments.

“I’m sorry,” I apologized to Rose once I got my laughter under control.

“Don’t be. These are perfect. I might need to use them for my website, if you’re okay with that?” she asked, her eyes moving from the screen of the camera to me.

“What?” No way she thought pictures of me were as stunning as the ones already decorating her page.

“Seriously. For someone who claims they’ve never done this before, these are…phew! Look.“ She stepped off the ladder and sat next to me on the bed, Sierra close behind her.

It took a second to register that the person I saw was me. Hair shiny and smooth behind me as I lay on my side, looking as happy and beautiful as I’d ever seen myself look before.

The beginning of Mateo’s name and number were on display as my eyes crinkled and my hand paused a couple inches from covering a huge smile stretching across pink lips, while the sheet tangled with my legs.

Suddenly I really liked the way I looked on camera.

Throughout the whole thing, Rose encouraged. Never letting me hide or close in around myself. She helped me find that fearless Jameson lingering in the darkness, just waiting for her shining moment.

Sierra said I’d be proud, that I’d unlocked this unseen portion of myself, and I didn’t really believe her. I thought she was saying things to make me feel comfortable, but she was right.

With each new sound of the shutter, I felt empowered.

I felt like, for the very first time, I took control of my body for me.

This may have started out as a gift for Mateo, but it turned out to be just as big a gift for myself.

“Wow,” Sierra said. “I love this.”

“Damn.” So engrossed in the picture none of us heard Xander emerge from the bathroom. “What? Curiosity wore me down.” He shrugged when three heads turned in unison to stare at him.

“Aren’t you supposed to be cleaning?” Sierra asked, shoving him away from the bed.

“All done.” His hands went up as he surrendered to her.

She walked past him into the bathroom to confirm if the room was, in fact, clean.

Once she came back, he smiled and dusted his shoulders free of nonexistent debris.

“What can I say? I’m quick like that.”

“That’s unfortunate,” Sierra muttered, her arms crossed over her chest, shaking her head.

“Don’t get it twisted, my tiny friend. I can slow things down when necessary.” He winked and patted her head.

Before Sierra could reply with something that was sure to be ego bruising and thoroughly entertaining, his phone rang.

“What’s up?” He paused. “Don’t know. I think it’s obvious I’m not calling the shots here.” Another pause. “Yeah. Hold on.” He passed the phone to me.

“Hello,” I answered with a whisper. Like a normal volume would alert Mateo to something amiss happening in his bedroom without his knowledge.

“Am I allowed to come inside?” Mateo’s voice filled my ears, leaving a tingle flooding over me.

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