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A Photographer's Dilemma (Traveler and I)

He paused when she said that he shouldn't be walking the forest at night, all kinds of thoughts of scary creatures and big foot type of monsters jumping to his mind. Her smile and the way she touched his arm didn't hurt either. "Uhm... okay. If you're sure that I'm not intruding."

He was wearing his camera on his shoulder, like another appendage, so when she asked him if he was able to look at his pictures he shook his head. "But if you have a computer we can take a look," he offered, setting his camera down on her table. He watched the way the small bites of chocolate slid between her lips and disappeared. As she chewed her jaws moved in the most interesting way. Scott realized that he was staring and he pulled his gaze away.

"It's always interesting in the palace, but I don't know how much I can share. Privacy disclosure and all that." He smiled at her as she nudged his shoulder. She was awfully playful that evening. "Why don't you just go in the palace? I mean... you work for them, right? You're allowed free rein, aren't you?" He watched her as she picked up her wine glass and then offered him something to drink.

Scott cleared his throat. It suddenly felt a little bit... dangerous... here. "I suppose wine would be nice."

He looked around at her cottage, noting the personal touches she had added. What kind of a woman was Rose? "So, am I right in assuming that you're on a kind of vacation? That you're hiding out from your employers so that they don't shorten it?" He accepted the glass and thanked her before taking a sip.
 
She smiled and nodded her head, "Of course. Don't want you risking your job with the historian." She teased and shook her head accepting his decision. She cut herself off from drinking because she felt it all going to her head. The last thing she needed was a scandal of any sort. And she wanted to get to know the American; not just physically. Although he was very handsome.

"I do work for the palace. I do work for the palace. The preservation of the family history, which does allow me free rein of the palace. I just had to get a vacation. That family is difficult and sometimes they are just...annoying. If I go back there now I will be immediately put to work. The Queen wants everything done on her time and I just had to get away from it for a little bit. It's been months since I climbed that mountain. Morning yoga wasn't even relaxing any more. I really love my job I just can't stand the people I work for some times."

She poured herself a glass of water and took a sip. "It feels so good to be out here and to greet the sun from the top of the cottage. To climb that mountain today. It was all just an eye opener about how busy I have been lately." She set her glass down and slowly turned her it against the countertop, "I do miss work though. I miss seeing the family interact and I feel like I am missing things that could be interesting to watch but I just need a couple more weeks to myself before I hand myself over to the Queen again."
 
Scott shook his head. "It's not really the job-risking part. It's the promise keeping part. You know... I promised to not divulge parts of their private lives, and even though you work for them, I just..." he shrugged. "I'm sorry. You seem really nice and I have no reason to not believe you, but I promised them that I'd keep as much of their lives private as I possibly could."

He took a sip of the wine. It was really good; dry and crisp, with an essence of pear and honey to it. It was also very strong. He took another sip and then set the glass down.

"I suppose it can seem that way. I have about forty days, give or take, before I have to leave." He smiled at her. "Hopefully we'll be able to explore together before I go." He chuckled when she said that sometimes she couldn't stand the people she worked for. "They seem alright to me, but... I'm more of an outsider I suppose. Today the twins really played me. They had a running bet about whether or not I'd address them properly when I first spoke to them. Needless to say, I failed." He blushed slightly and then took another drink of the wine. "I suppose it was harmless, but... it reminded me that there is really a barrier between people like them and people like us."

His eyes found Rose's as she leaned against the counter top. "If you're stressed I could work on you for a while."

"Your back. And neck. I meant work on you, as in working out the tension in your neck and shoulders and..." He took a nervous sip of his wine. He couldn't say anything right around her. "I've been told that I have good hands."
 
"Hopefully. I'll show you around the palace if I'm not too busy. I'm sure it will be easier to photograph if you know the history of the halls you are walking through." She smiled when he laughed. He had a deep hearty laugh. It was very cute it didn't fit his shy personality but she liked it. "Don't get me wrong I love them as a family. Sometimes I just want to get away." She aligned at the story about the twins. "That sounds like something they would do. They aren't doing it to put you down. They just like to watch people squirm." She rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"If you're stressed I could work on you for a while."

Her eyebrow popped up almost automatically. Then it turned into a frown when he started to trip over his words. Like a light bulb it dawned on her what he was saying. She laughed and took a small awkward sip of her water. "A massage, you mean. I.." It was dangerous territory. Let a strange man touch her when they were all alone in a cabin. Typically she would say no to such an advance but the wine made her say, "Sure. Let's test these hands of yours out."
 
Her laugh was delightful, like an unexpected gift. He nodded and set his glass down on the small table she used for dining. The cake had been forgotten. He was more interested in spending time with Rose then with any sweets. "You can either sit backwards on the chair and lean against the back or lay on your bed. Either way would work - it's just however you're more comfortable."

He didn't ask her for lotion because he assumed that she'd stay clothed. Scott rolled up his sleeves to his elbows, though; he didn't want anything to catch on her when he worked on her body. Once she decided how she wanted to get settled he'd begin to work.
 
"I'll go put on something a little better for the occasion." She told him and went to her bedroom. She took off the shirt she was wearing and put on a bandeau top. This way he didn't have to worry about straps getting in his way. She would let him I the bedroom but she didn't think it was a good idea right now. She came out of her bedroom and smiled at Scott, "If you are really good I might just keep you here."

"Why don't you sit on the couch and I'll sit on the floor between your legs. That way we can both be comfortable." She smiled at him and picked up a pillow from the couch. She set it on the floor and sat on it. She had to admit it was slightly awkward at first but soon she didn't care because his hands were like magic kneading her over stressed muscles.
 
Scott had to smile at her choice of attire. It wasn't every day that he saw those tops being worn, but she wore it well. He noted her lack of noticeable tan lines and momentarily wondered if she tanned in the nude. He supposed it would be a very international thing to do. He chuckled when she 'threatened' to keep him there if he was good.

He began working on her gently, letting her get used to his hands, but as her muscles relaxed he began to probe her deeper and began to trace the lines of tightness that went across her shoulders and down her back, working everything from the base of her skull to he base of her shoulder blades. His hands were well-trained and responsive to the ways her muscles twitched and the soft sounds that were drawn from her lips.

"Where is your favorite place on the island?" He asked her quietly. "I'd like to see the places that you love the most in this country." He had her nestled between his strong and lean legs. If she were to lean against him she would feel the tightness in his muscles and the hard lines of his limbs as he sat behind her.
 
She was amazed by how carefully his hands glided against her soft skin. It was like everything was calculated and had a precise movement and time to get to the next knot in her shoulders. She wondered if he would do a full body massage for her one day. Her eyes kids got heavy and she closed them in a relaxed state but was still awake, just slow to respond.

"Well this morning my favorite place was Widow's Peak. Right now my favorite place is between your thighs." She said with out thinking about it. "Watching the sunrise on top of the palace is a nice place to be for some peace and quiet. I like to do yoga and greet the sun." She leaned against Scott's thigh and sighed peacefully.

"If I want complete solitude then I go to Widow's Peak. And if I want to have some fun then I catch a ferry to the other island and I do some surfing or drinking or whatever else I want. It all depends on what I am in the mood for." She leaned back and smiled at Scott, "I think I am going to keep you around here." She teased and reached up to brush a piece of hair back. "I think you'll like it here." A corner of her mouth curled into a smile.
 
Scott let out a soft, surprised laugh when she said that her favorite place was between his thighs. The momentary image of her kneeling in the opposite direction hardened him, though, and sent shivers through his body. He cleared his throat and tried to think of baseball or something else equally unstimulating. It was difficult - now that she pointed out the intimate condition of their position he couldn't get it out of his head.

He felt her head resting against his firm thigh and it didn't help his concentration at all. He tried to keep his mind focused on his hands as he worked out her tension. "You surf?" He smiled. "I'd ike to do that with you. Maybe after I'm done with my assignment here? I don't think I'm allowed to leave the island unless it's with a member of the royal family, but I have a couple of days after my contract is up to explore." He brushed the hair away from her neck so that he could work closer to her skull. "I do like it here. I like the people." He looked down as she leaned back and looked at him.

Scott wanted to kiss her but something kept him back; they'd only known each other for a few days, and as far as he knew this culture was rather conservative. Would she slap him if he were to bend down and press his lips against hers?
 
"It's kind of hard to live on an Island and not surf." She teased. "Sebania has the best waves this time of year. On the west coast the winds are the strongest and create the biggest waves. So Hapi Beach is home to all surfers; it all depends on what part of the beach you are at." She smiled at him. "Then we will go surfing when your contract is up. It's beautiful over there. Perfect for snorkeling and surfing and diving. Maybe one of the family members will take you over there one day and you will get to see the beauty of that island."

She smiled when he said he liked it here. She was glad he did. 'I'm glad I have shown you the beauty of the island. There is so much more to see and do."

She looked at his muscular jaw and let her finger trail over the hard bone. "Thank you for the massage." She said softly. "I don't think you should walk back to the palace tonight. I don't want you to fall and break something. Stay here and leave at sunrise when you can see where you are going, okay?"
 
He had chuckled when she suggested that one of the family members would take him to the Island. "I doubt it, unless the twins want to make another wager about me." He ran his hands along the tops of her shoulders and worked down her arms as she talked. He liked spending time with her, even something as simple as this. She was easy o be with; pleasant and lovely, and obviously very intelligent. She wasn't shallow; he had enough of shallow women from his time in New York.

Her touch sent electrical shocks through his body. It was an intimate thing, to touch him along the lines of his face the way she did. It was intimate and familiar, and he liked it. He touched his bottom lip with the tip of his tongue as he considered her offer to stay. He would like to stay but he worried that it would get her in trouble. He mentally went over his contract in his mind; there was nothing in it that would necessarily get him fired, but....

"What about your employers?" he asked. "Would you get in some kind of trouble if they catch me sneaking out of here in the wee hours of the morning?" His hands trailed along the long curve of her neck as he asked her to validate her invitation. He wasn't expecting that she wanted him to sleep with her, but he was concerned that her friendship with him might cost her her job, and she seemed to love this job.
 
"Why would they care? As long as you are doing your job and as long as I am still on vacation we can do what we want." She smiled at him and poked the tip of his jaw. "If you don't feel comfortable I won't make you stay but I will drive you back to the palace. I know the trail better than you do." She smiled at him and sat up. She rested her hands on his and squeezed.

"It's up to you. You can stay here or you can go back to the palace. But first I want to see the pictures!" She went to the back of the cottage to get her Mac laptop and she came back out and sat next to Scott. She let him slide the memory card into the slot and waited for it to load up. She started with the first photo of the palace's great halls and then they switched to the queen and garden. Widow's peak, a few pictures of her and then the twins.

"They're amazing." She admired and continued to flip through them. She smiled at him and bumped him playfully. "These are truly amazing. You are doing my country justice and I want to show you so much more." She got to the last picture and she safely ejected the disk and gave it back to him. "I'm sure the queen will love them."
 
"Oh... No. I want to stay." Scott nodded at her. "I just don't want to be the reason you lose this job. You really like it; I don't want to take that from you." He brought out the memory stick and plugged it in for her. There were a myriad of pictures. He took at least three of every shot, making sure to get the nuances in. "Some of these of the family might be better if I edit them together," he said, pointing out the ones of dinner. "See, here she's squinting but there she looks good. I can blend them together and give the royal family what they're looking for."

He liked sitting next to her as they looked at the pictures. "Most of these are better because of the stories you told me. I was able to look for emotions that echoed the stories you shared." He looked at her and smiled. "Maybe if I do a good enough job the queen will invite me back, and then I can see you again."

The last part slipped out before he could stop it. "I mean... if you're not seeing anyone by then."
 
"Oh please I will never lose my job. I doubt they will ever find someone as dedicated to that place as I am." She understood why he took multiple photos of the family, "I like the way she looks squinting. She has a very realistic look to her. I know you're going to have to edit some of these but don't go too crazy with the photoshopping. Keep them as real as possible. I think your unedited work is very good. It shows them in a way people don't really get to see."

She smiled at his compliment, "I hope she does. She takes these pictures every year. I won't. Show you everything so when you do comeback we will always have something new to see." She smiled at him and bumped arms with him. She wondered what the odds of her not seeing someone would be. By then her mother would have a line of men waiting for her to pick one. She could only say no for so long before she was stuck having to choose.

She picked up his camera and took a picture of them together, "When you print that I want you to write on the back, 'I promise to return in a year so Rose can show me the rest of the island.' And then date it and frame it so you don't lose it."
 
Scott had chuckled at her photoshopping comment. "Oh, trust me. It will still be them, it will just be the es them that they can be. I'll leave in all the pimples and wrinkles." He was warmed by the way she treated him like a friend, too; the bump on his arm felt like they had known each other for all their lives, and were reminiscing.

"I will - I'll write that if you like, and do my best to keep that promise. If you ever get a chance to come to New York you can stay with me, to save money on the hotel. It's pretty expensive. I can return the favor you've shown me here and show you around. You'd like my friends, I think. They're all a little crazy in their own unique ways." He laughed. "You'd fit in perfectly."
 
"Oh so I'm crazy now?" She laughed and shook her head. "I think I'd like that very much. A trip to New York, sounds wonderful. I'd love to see broadway. Or the Rockette's. If you don't get to go to the other island this time I will take you. We will have a better time over there than we will over here. This is like the history island. That is the fun island." She smiled at Scott and laughed a little bit.

"I can't believe you called me crazy. I don't think I have been called crazy." Rose wrapped her arm around his waist and looked at the picture she just took with his camera. "And don't photoshop this one. We look fine." She said softly and smiled at him again.
 
"I mean crazy in only the best ways, of course," he teased her. She was so pretty when she laughed; her face lit up and her eyes sparkled like jewels. "Like... crazy-fun." He smiled at her when she said that they looked fine together, and he couldn't agree more. They seemed to match somehow; her European-Island tan and fine features and his rough-edged city strength. They complemented the other. "We go well together."

Scott leaned towards her and touched his fingers against her jawline as he kissed her. It seemed like the right thing to do - they were so close at that moment, so in-tune, that he couldn't fathom another response then to bush his lips over hers and then to kiss her in the quiet of her cottage.
 
"Of course that's what you meant." She said laughing. "Now you're just back pedaling." She nudged his shoulder and leaned against him.

The kiss was soft and explorative for the both of them. They were testing the waters but everything was so perfect so far there was no reason for this kiss to not be. She moved closer to him and ran her fingers through his hair. The kiss deepened slowly and soon their tongue were entwined in a seductive dance. As the kiss came to an end she slowly pulled back and smiled with her eyes closed. She gave him another soft kiss and let her fingers run down the back of his head to the nape of his neck.
 
It had only been two days. He had met her only yesterday, and he had 41 days left before his contract expired, but Scott already knew that he was going to miss the Islands and the enigmatic woman who brought them alive for him. He smiled at her and allowed his fingers to trail down her jaw to her neck and across her shoulders.

"No, now I definitely know you're as crazy as I am," he prodded. His grey-green eyes searched hers for some sign of what she might be expecting his visit in her cottage to entail. He knew what his heart was leaning towards, and as it beat rapidly in his chest he let out a soft groan of desire before kissing her again. This time his hands moved forward and he slid one behind her waist to draw her into himself, her soft, warm perfume intoxicating him in a way the wine never could.
 
Her arms moved around him and she leaned back tugging his body with hers while they kissed. It wasn't the biggest couch in the world and they would have to move to the couch or the bed if they wanted things to progress any faster. She was comfortable enough with him to take that step but she didn't want to rush him. She wasn't typically this fast when it came to men but there was something about Scott that made her enjoy his presence.

Her hand moved down and rested on his rib age while the kissed. Her other arm kept his chest pressed against hers. She sucked on his bottom lip and then resumed kissing him.
 
There were usually two ways that a make-out session could go. The soft, eager kisses could end in mutual agreement that it was time to go to bed - separate beds... or they could take this to a shared bed. As he kissed her and felt her hands running over his body he had small doubt that she might be as drawn to him as he was to her, but he was also concerned about being a one-night stand for her.

The problem was... he liked her.

Really liked her. As in, he wanted to see her every day he was here and make plans to come back and see her after his assignment was over. He wanted to show her all his favorite places in New York and introduce her to his friends. And all this after only knowing her for two days. There was something about Rose that sung to his soul.

At a point in their kissing where it was natural to take a breath and pause, Scott reached up and caressed Rose's cheek. He looked at her intently, trying to read her thoughts through those lovely orbs of hers, and then he smiled. "I... should go to sleep..." His look was longing but gentle. He wanted to hold her in his arms, but he thought that she might think it was odd that he'd want to hold her but wasn't ready to have sex with her yet. "We should go to sleep."
 
Rose smiled at Scott when he rubbed her cheek. "Sleep?" She asked to make sure she heard him right. She looked at his lips and rubbed hers together. "After one more kiss?" She asked softly and ran her thumb along the lines of his soft bottom lip. She initiated the next kiss since she asked for it and when that one broke she sighed peacefully. "Okay. We can sleep now." She ruffled his hair and kissed his forehead. She didn't want to move from this position but she let him up.

She lead him to her bedroom and turned on the light. She had a few suitcases in the corner and clothes scattered around the floor. She kicked them out of the way and pulled the covers back on the bed. "Join me?" She smiled at him and out her hair up in a bun on the top of her head so it wouldn't smother him when they did go to sleep.

"Sorry about the mess. I wasn't expecting company. Tomorrow I will clean up more than the front room. If you come back tomorrow, that is." She turned on her side table light and turned off the main room light.

"It's a full but I'm pretty sure we will fit. We just have to snuggle." She winked at him and crawled into her bed.
 
Ah... fuck.

She was inviting him to sleep in her bed. To snuggle. "Forget sleep," he said, walking forward and unbuttoning his shirt. He saw the playful way that she winked at him right before she crawled into the bed. Somehow during their make-out session he must have bumped his head, because there was no way that a woman like Rose would be inviting him, a nobody photographer, into her bed after only two days... but here she was. And there he was.

He slid into the bed next to her, bare-chested and with an equally mischievous smile on his lips, and then reached over her and pulled her into a kiss. He'd be a fool to play the chaste, shy foreigner at this point in their night. She was being bold and left no doubt to what she was hoping for, at least to his reasoning, and there was no way he could deny how strongly he was attracted to her or how much he wanted to be with her at that moment.
 
The kiss was a welcome surprise, in fact his entire demeanor change was a welcome surprise. She kiss ed him back matching his passion and hunger. She couldn't help that her body was responding to his moves. A small piece of her knew it wasn't right though. She couldn't go through with it right now. He didn't even know her. She felt bad cutting the cord right now but she couldn't go through with it no matter how much her body wanted him.

"Scott." She whispered to get his attention. "Sleep. We should get some sleep tonight." She bit the tip of her tongue and waited for a reaction. It would either be completely understanding or he would call her a tease. She hoped he understood, in time he would understand. She just needed to get to know him a little better.

"I like you. I want you, trust me. A few more glasses of wine and I would be naked right now but...you don't know who I am. I don't know who you are. We have a few weeks, or so. Let's get to know each other and when the time is right we will definitely be doing his again and going all the way. Just not right now."
 
Her immediate return of his passion ignited in him the desire to be with her, absolutely, one hundred percent 'with' her. He ached for her and his hands ran over her body as he entangled his legs with her. His heart had begun to pound, pumping blood to places where it was needed in response to his increasing lust, and as the blood rushed away from his brain he could feel even more strongly the pull of the wine he had drank.

"Scott," she whispered. He pulled back enough to look at her, thinking at first that she was going to tell him where she kept her condoms or ask him to help her with her bra... but she did neither of these things. Instead she told him, in a very sweet and kind way, "NO". Or maybe it was a "Not yet", but either way, it wasn't going to happen.

"Oh." His voice felt very small. He blinked a few times to clear the haze that had threatened to cloud his vision. "Oh... I... I'm sorry. I thought..."

Well, it was obvious what he thought, wasn't it? He thought that they were going to, and they weren't. "Of course." He licked his bottom lip self-consciously and laid down next to her, one arm tucked under the pillow and the other at his side as he looked at her. "I guess you're right. I don't even know your last name, or when your birthday is..." He smiled and his eyes were already growing sleepy from the abrupt change in his adrenaline and endorphin levels. "We should take our time."
 
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