Chapter Four

West

I knocked on the door to a house that could fit my house in it three times over. The place was open with lots of windows and inside, and I could already see the man I was looking for.

"Good morning. That was quick."

Not something you want to hear from an omega, but I knew what he meant. It had only taken me minutes to get here from my house. Oliver Creek was getting bigger by the month but everything was still a nice walk away. The smells enticed me. Coffee. Freshly baked bread. Smoked meats.

If only I could afford such luxuries.

"Good morning. I'm West. You must be Antoine?" I stuck my hand out to shake his but instead of returning the gesture, he put his hands up.

"I was painting. Let me wash up. I'm not trying to be rude."

While he scampered back inside, I drank him in. Lean but not too thin. He wore no shirt under those faded blue-jean overalls, not that I blamed him. It was the peak of summer, and Oliver Creek didn't escape the sun's glaring rays, though this spectacular design had to have AC. Not having it would be a crime. His hair was disheveled, and I found the entire getup adorable.

Shutting the door behind me, I gasped seeing the paintings. They were everywhere. Leaning against each other on the floor with white canvas laid underneath them. On tables. Poised on chairs. Every inch was covered with what I could only assume was his work.

The omega's talent shone through his art.

He'd captured everything from landscapes to beautiful skies and everything in between Earth and the heavens.

"You're amazing," I breathed, in awe of the genius that surrounded me. Antoine stood at the kitchen sink and turned, smiling at me over his shoulder. "Thank you, West." If I wasn't mistaken, a bit of a blush graced his cheeks.

Beautiful man, he was. I had come here in pursuit of changing his mind about the nude part, but now that I'd seen him and inhaled the sweet cinnamon in his scent, I had other ideas. My bear wanted to show off for this omega. Let him observe my body. Approve of it. Desire it.

Hell, I might strip down right here if he wanted a preview.

"Should we talk about the terms of this agreement?" Antoine said, drying his hands on a clean towel and then throwing it over his shoulder like a seasoned chef instead of a painter.

"Sure. Sounds great."

He gestured for me to sit at a large round table that held a few small paintings, paperwork, and a laptop. "West, I honestly didn't expect anyone to answer. Oliver Creek is a small town, and it takes a certain person to pose nude. Everyone is so self-conscious about their bodies these days and sees all their flaws, but as a painter, I see beauty in them all. Obviously, some more than others." That blush again.

My cock punched against the restraint of my jeans.

"I-I've modeled before. Not here and never for a painter but for photography."

Antoine nodded, scrunching his nose. "Would it be weird if I said I recognized you from one of those campaigns?"

My turn to blush. I looked at my feet, shaking my head. "Which one?"

"Some kind of underwear. Honestly, I couldn't tell you much about the brand or anything else. Here. It looked like this." He stretched his legs out and put one hand behind his head mimicking the pose from the ad.

"Ah," I chuckled. "Black thong. Versace men. That was a magazine ad."

"Yeah, that was it. The magazine was in a healer's office, and somewhere else?"

"A billboard?" Another chuckle, trying to hide my trepidation. Didn't know why I was this nervous. He'd seen me before in nothing more than underwear. Of course, so had a lot of other people. Somehow they didn't matter at all.

Maybe it was because he was so damned alluring. There was something about Antoine. He carried this I am who I am air about him. Self-assured but not in a cocky way. It was damned sexy.

"I haven't modeled recently. I might be bad at it. Fair warning."

"I doubt that seriously, West. Here's what I'm offering."

He pushed a piece of paper across the wooden table toward me. The sum Antoine was willing to pay was staggering. No way I would ever have expected this job to pay this much. Not for a sitting in this small town. It was, in fact, more than I'd gotten for any shoot, including the thong that made me famous—or at least part of me. Clearly he was talented, but from this number and the size of this house, the world knew it and had been purchasing his art. I'd had enough in my account not only to make that last payment but to live on while my business got started. This was not that much but enough. It would make it enough.

For this amount, I would serve him breakfast, lunch, and dinner nude for the next two weeks.

"Where do I sign?" I asked.

"Are you serious?" Antoine sat up straighter. "You're in? I thought this might not be enough considering…well, considering it's you."

"Nah." I shook my head. I wasn't that man anymore. I was but I wasn't. "This is perfect. When did you want me to start?" I tried not to sound overly eager. "Is tomorrow too soon?" he asked.

"Tomorrow is perfect."

I signed the contract, and we shook hands this time. When our skin touched, something electric flowed between us. Antoine cleared his throat and rubbed at the back of his neck, no longer meeting my gaze.

I had to be back at seven in the morning.

Last payment almost done, and I had met one of the most intriguing omegas of my life.