Chapter 2

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COLTON

A week later…

It wasridiculous that something like this would earn money for charity – and Colton didn't know what these women had paid, but obviously, things were not going to go how he had once hoped. No, he hoped it would be a quick photograph taken from a few angles and then submitted to whatever printer was making the calendars. Maybe they would get a picture of the team or something else that made them look heroic or noble.

"But noooo…." Colton muttered under his breath, horrified, as he watched Lance posing with some woman who looked positively starry-eyed. The woman who bid on his own photo shoot, Mrs. Kendall, was no help whatsoever.

"Aren't firefighter calendars supposed to have naked buff chests, swinging a bunch of dangling hoses, or puppies running around them? What kind of photo shoot is this? I want what I paid for…" the old woman said rambunctiously, causing the photographer to laugh nervously where she stood in the distance beside the fire chief.

To his horror, Lance obviously agreed with the statement. The other firefighter yanked off his suspenders, removed his T-shirt, and then put his suspenders back on without any hesitation.

"BABY OIL! Grease that body, ya' hottie!" Mrs. Kendall hollered – and Colton slapped his forehead in dismay. ‘Starry-eyed' just went ‘supernova' on the current woman's face… and that woman, Blythe, had a crush and Colton was willing to bet money on it. She was looking at Lance Cortes like he hung the moon.

And Lance was utterly clueless.

Someone supplied baby oil and Colton had no clue as to where it came from, but sure enough – the man was slathering it all over his chest. Mrs. Kendall and some other woman named Willow were fanning themselves nearby.

"Oh heavens… this is not what I imagined," Willow whispered as Alec Beckett cursed bluntly, sharing a knowing look with Colton – who shook his head.

Yup. They were completely screwed.

"Me neither, honey," Mrs. Kendall guffawed before hollering even more encouragement. "This is for charity, remember? Put some ‘Oomph' into it! Hug her to you, Cortes! Woman, make that blouse gape or splash some water on you. We need to know you can see down to her belly button, young man!"

"This isn't a porno, Mrs. Kendall!" Alec snapped – and then glanced at his ‘buyer' who was fanning herself even more ardently, before gesturing at the couple in the distance. "Are you expecting that, too?"

"Not expecting…" Willow said sheepishly, looking away.

"Oh mercy," Colton muttered under his breath as poor Alec's eyes nearly popped out of his head.

"She's wishing for it, you young strapping buck! I know you've got it in you, Alec Beckett. Your daddy was a loose cannon back in my day," Mrs. Kendall encouraged, yelling again at Lance. "C'mon, Cortes, I want this photo to look like the front of a romance book from the seventies. Let's see some skin, young man. Woman, where's your cleavage? Get right on in there, ya hot little stud. Pretend like you've just been roofied, and now she's holding out on you. Young woman – act like you're about to faint, would ya – and let that hot piece of meat hold onto you, lady!"

"Oh my gosh!" both men yelped and looked at Mrs. Kendall in horror. "Would you just stop?!" Colton added. "Lance…"

Alec was suddenly slapping Colton on the arm frantically as the two of them stared in shock at the couple posing and waiting for their picture to be taken. Lance Cortes had the woman in his arms, bent backward, with a firehose now coiled around the two of them, and looked like he was about to kiss her.

"I'm not doing that!" Colton said bluntly, looking at Mrs. Kendall, who wagged her eyebrows at him mischievously.

"You'll do whatever I say, Handsome," she crooned. "I paid dearly for you, and I'm gonna frame our picture."

"Good luck, brother," Alec said, slapping him on the shoulder and laughing. Apparently, each of them was taking two photos for the calendar, then one as a team, and then one of just the ladies sitting in the fire truck.

"Fischer!" Chief Carpenter called out. "You're up."

"C'mon, Handsome…" Mrs. Kendall grinned, yanking him forward by the arm. He saw several of them look at him with pity and hesitantly took off his shirt.

"I cannot believe I'm doing this," he muttered and felt someone touch his shoulder – Mrs. Kendall. He looked at the old woman, who spoke in a hushed voice to him, away from everyone, giving him a knowing smile.

"I'm not that bad, and you are a little young for me, pumpkin. Heck, you are younger than my own son. Let's just pretend that I'm making some big stinking scene, and you can cuddle me in a hug."

Oh, thank heavens…

"I can do that."

"I had no idea you were shy, Colton Fischer. That's so sweet."

He wasn't about to correct her assumption of him. Instead, he stepped on the green ‘X' taped to the ground, and the woman stood in front of him. He put his arms around her gingerly, and she nodded, looking utterly thrilled.

"Now, I want you to make a face like you've got to go to the bathroom."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Look pained or in distress. Pretend you've got the runs, and there is no commode within ten miles…"

"Okay, whatever you want. It's your photo."

"Yes, it is, Handsome," and moments later, his photo shoot was done. Colton glanced up to see the fire chief's grim expression and the photographer's. The woman was laughing wildly, wiping her eyes. He glanced at Alec, who was also chuckling, while Willow looked utterly horrified.

"What?"

"The photo… oh man…" Lance and Alec were both laughing hysterically and chuckling.

"What about it?"

"Can I see what it's going to look like?" Mrs. Kendall was asking the photographer. "Oh, I'm framing that thing and putting it in my bedroom!"

"Wait… what?!"

Colton marched over to look at the photographer's camera – and his mouth dropped open. Oh yes, it was a sweet, simple, innocent photo where it looked like he was hugging the old woman from behind, and if he closed his eyes, he could almost pretend it was his grandmother or something.

Except for her hand.

Her hand didn't touch him in the slightest, but what he didn't know was that Mrs. Kendall had put her hand directly in front of his pants, curled it, and in the photograph where he was making a face – it appeared like she had his genitals in a death grip for all time.

That photo would never disappear.

It would be in every calendar, in every home, in the county.

"See? I promised I wouldn't touch you," Mrs. Kendall said sweetly, actually patting Colton on the head like he was a toddler. "And I didn't, young man. Mama Ruthie keeps her promises to her good boy – and you were a very, very good boy, young man."

It was such an outrageous, unexpected moment that he looked at the woman and exchanged a glance before he burst out laughing.

"I appreciate you keeping your word… sorta."

"Of course, sweet boy. You're not my type. I like them a whole lot more rambunctious than you are. Gimme a hot man with a hidden ‘freak-on-a-leash' attitude… that will fire up this old girl's blood and make my toes curl. You're not it, young ‘un, and that's a real shame. You are more like a wet wipe – functional – and I might use ya once, but then I'm done."

"A wet wipe?" he chuckled, thoroughly amused, and saw her wink.

"Everyone needs a wet wipe every once in a while, though… I'm just not your girl. Now, am I?"

"No, ma'am – you really aren't," Colton laughed. "I don't currently have a girl, but despite that, you are a joy to talk to sometimes… and I mean it."

"You too, young man. Now, hush up. My Alec is getting ready to do his photo shots and I brought props for his. Hold on, and let me get my bag of goodies. Oh Alec? Mama Ruthie has some goodies she really wants to see you holding, sweetie pie!"

"Heaven help me…"

"Whoaaa… wait a second?!"

Alec's scream of horror would not be something he would forget, and Colton laughed for nearly an hour as the fire chief crossed himself several times.