Chelsea
My cheeks hurt from smiling so much. Part of it was down to how easy it was to spend time with Baal, but the rest was down to something else. I was getting a proper taste for the career I wanted to pursue, and I was loving every minute of it.
Baal leaned over the chair next to me. “So, how do you think that went?”
“Good, I think. I definitely didn’t expect Orion to be so free with his...” I trailed off, not sure what the protocol was when talking about a god’s private areas.
Baal chuckled. “You’ve seen nothing yet.”
“I don’t know whether you’re flirting with me, or warning me.”
“Definitely warning you,” he responded with a grin. “Though if you want me to flirt, that can be arranged.”
I bit my lip, trying to resist the urge to ask him to do just that. “Who’s next?”
“Kuaket.” An amused expression crossed his face. “If you think Orion was free, you’re in for a big surprise.”
“Dare I ask?”
“Kuaket is...”
“I’m what, Baal?”
I turned around at the sound of a woman’s voice to find a gorgeous dark-haired woman standing behind us in the oasis with nothing but a snake strategically draped around her.
I stared with wide eyes, unsure what to make of her.
Baal cleared his throat and shot me an apologetic glance.
“Well?” asked the woman I was reasonably sure was Kuaket.
“I was just going to say that you were a free spirit, Kua, and even you can’t deny that.”
She let out a laugh that filled the air. “You’ve never been a good liar, Baal.”
“I don’t need to be one,” he responded.
“Hmm, true. So where do you want me?”
“Where do you think would be best?” he asked. “This is just our base, but pretty much the whole oasis is at our disposal. Though it would probably be best if we stayed away from Bastet’s cattery.”
“Are you worried that my snake will make a snack out of one of her cats?” Kuaket asked with a chaotic smile on her face.
“Yes,” Baal responded bluntly.
“I’m shocked, everyone knows how good I am at handling snakes.” She reached out and touched his arm suggestively.
Jealousy reared up inside me at the way she was acting towards him, though I had no idea where it came from. He’d only admitted to being attracted to me, there was nothing else going on and I had no right to feel this way.
Baal stepped back. “I’m sure that’s true, even so, it’s probably best if we don’t tempt fate.”
“Oh well, your loss if you don’t want me to show you my charming abilities,” Kuaket said.
Baal grimaced. “How about you put your abilities to good use on that tree over there?” he asked, pointing towards a cut-off log that looked like it would be a good fit for Kuaket’s small form. I wondered if he’d picked it out in advance, or if he was just thinking on his feet.
She cocked her head to the side and studied the log. “You know, I think that will work.”
She sauntered over to it, swinging her hips back and forth with more exaggeration than was entirely necessary.
“Like this?” she asked, placing her hands on the top of the log and arching her back. One of her legs bent at the knee and slightly raised. Her snake barely seemed to register what was happening other than when she moved it into position so that it was covering everything she needed it to. It seemed as if she didn’t care who saw her while she was naked, but she did care about what showed on the photos. Then again, those could be Horus’ rules and not the ones made up by the chaotic goddess in front of us.
“Looking good,” Baal confirmed. “If you lean your head back, it’ll be absolutely perfect.” He lifted his camera and looked through the lens, nodding and giving me the thumbs up to start doing my thing.
I stepped into position and lifted my own camera, starting by taking some test shots.
“Okay, Kua, you’re good to move, but make sure you do it slowly or we won’t be able to use the photos,” Baal said.
“Got it,” Kuaket responded, starting to do precisely as she was instructed, much to my surprise.
There was no denying that the poses she was striking would be considered sexy, but Baal didn’t seem bothered by it. If anything, he was completely oblivious to the naked woman in front of us other than as a subject of his photographs.
“How about something a little more risqué?” Kuaket called, dropping her shoulder so more of her was exposed.
She didn’t even really seem to be paying much attention to us and appeared as if lost in a world of her own.
“Has she always been like this?” I asked quietly.
Baal glanced at the goddess and grimaced. “Oh yes. If anything, she’s gotten calmer with age.”
“I dread to think what she was like when she was younger then.”
He chuckled. “Trust me, whatever you’re imagining, it was ten times worse. She has a twin brother too.”
“Is he taking part in the calendar?”
“No. He had his heart broken a couple of hundred years ago and he hasn’t been around much since. I can’t see Kuk ever taking part in something like this.”
I nodded and lifted my camera. Even from this distance, the goddess in front of us radiated beauty and it was hard not to compare myself to her.
The snap of a camera shutter caught my attention and I looked over at Baal to find his camera pointed right at me.
“You’re supposed to be shooting Kuaket,” I reminded him.
“I know, but I saw a much more beautiful subject that needed capturing.”
My heart fluttered unbidden and all kinds of conflicting feelings rose up inside me. “I’m hardly more beautiful than she is,” I murmured.
“Maybe not to some people, but you are to me.”
My breathing hitched and I stared into the god’s eyes, able to see the depth of the truth in his words lingering there. He believed what he was saying, and that made it hard for me to doubt it.
I cleared my throat and turned my attention back to shooting Kuaket. Despite all of the chaotic vibes she was putting off, there was no doubt that she was a photogenic subject. Or that she knew exactly what she needed to do in order to be the right fit for the calendar. No doubt this wasn’t the first time she’d taken naked photos.
I moved closer and went down on my knees so I could get a better angle, losing myself in the art of what we were doing and completely forgetting any lingering feelings of jealousy. I was still in a little disbelief that Baal thought I was the right person for this job, but I was going to make the most of it regardless. He was putting his faith in me to get the right shots.
This wasn’t even about the potential portfolio I’d have at the end, but about doing a good job.
I looked over my shoulder to check that I was doing things right to find Baal standing there with a satisfied expression on his face while he watched me. I smiled at him, trying not to get too lost in the way it felt to have a moment like this. There would be so much more both of us needed before this could even start to become something real, but this was a good start. Or I hoped it was.
“Do you want Kua in a different position?” Baal asked me.
“Erm...what do you think?” I stood up and let my camera rest against my chest. Well, Baal’s camera. I didn’t own anything anywhere near as good as this.
“I think we could do with some others, that way we can pick the right shots to go along with the others.”
I nodded.
“Kua, can we do some seated shots?” he called out to the goddess.
She hopped down from the log she was standing on, seemingly completely oblivious to the fact she was naked with a giant snake wrapped around her neck. “I could go into the water,” she said.
Baal nodded. “That might be good.”
“I’ll get myself comfortable. It’s a shame there’s no one around to join me.” She sighed dramatically and headed off to the shore of the lake.
“And this is why they have appointments one at once,” Baal muttered.
“What would happen if they didn’t?” I asked, a little curious.
“With some of them? Nothing. They have far more sense than that. For others...” He glanced at the goddess making herself comfortable in the water and not caring at all what was on display. “Let’s just say we wouldn’t be able to publish the photos as art.”
I snorted. “Sex can be art.”
“Maybe not the best for a calendar that’s supposed to be for an animal sanctuary,” he pointed out. “Anyway, we need to be done with Kuaket in about half an hour before we have to prepare for Raphael to arrive.”
“The angel?”
He nodded. “I should really show you the list of who’s involved so you’re prepared.”
“That might not be for the best, I think I might end up too starstruck to be of any use to you.”
“You’re doing just fine so far,” he assured me.
“I’m glad you think so, but I’m definitely questioning if I’m qualified to do this.”
“You are,” he said firmly.
“We’ll see when you look at my photographs later.”
“I know we will.” The way he smiled at me made it seem as if he firmly believed what he was saying, and that there was no doubt in his mind that the photos I was taking would be worthy of the project they were supposed to appear in. I was touched by the fact he thought that, and it made me even more determined to make sure it was true.