Blue Plaid

Honesty

In which Tyson has many things to say to Stella.

//

Hiking Cooper up at my side, I pursed my lips and furrowed my brow as I studied my surroundings, not entirely sure where to go. I'd typed the address Stella had given me into my phone's navigation system, but now that I was standing in the lobby of the photography company's studios holding Cooper in one arm and his bag of essentials in the other, I was still utterly confused.

Noticing a reception desk to my right, I hiked up the strap of Cooper's bag on my shoulder and strode purposefully towards it, stretching my lips into my friendliest smile when I came to a stop in front of the wooden counter. "Hi, I was wondering if you could tell me where I could find Stella St. Clare?"

The redhead on the other side of the counter looked completely unimpressed as she lifted one eyebrow and shifted her gaze between me and Cooper. "And you are?"

My lips parted to explain, but I was kept from having to do so when the blonde to my right stood and smiled brightly. "Tyson Kingsley. You're Stella's boyfriend."

"Yes," my eyebrows lifted in surprise that she knew that information just from seeing me. I glanced down at Cooper, adjusting him in my arms. "And this is Cooper, our son."

"I know," she grinned sheepishly as she walked around the counter, allowing the redhead to return to her work. "I saw a picture of the three of you in the celeb sightings section of a tabloid. You guys make a super cute family."

"Thanks," I blinked. Of course I knew paparazzi were generally around when Stella and I were in public, but it hadn't really occurred to me that all of those pictures that they took ended up in magazines that other people read. It was a bit surreal. "So, Stella?"

"Right this way," she nodded down the hall, her hand reaching down to grab the identification card clipped to one of the belt loops on her gray trousers. "Stella didn't mention that you guys were dropping by."

"That's because she doesn't know," I admitted, hoping my grand plan would pan out. "It's kind of a surprise."

Seeming to sense my concern, the girl reached out to squeeze my arm as we came to a stop outside a door at the end of hallway titled Studio 3 and she lifted her card to the scanner to unlock it, pushing the door open and gesturing for me to enter. "I'm sure she'll love it. Good luck."

Shooting her a grateful smile, I held Cooper close to my chest as we stepped into the studio, my heart pounding when I heard the door close behind us and realized there was no turning back. I wasn't entirely sure where to go, so I approached the best lit part of the photography studio, making sure I stayed behind the multitude of screens and lights and cameras, and stopping short at the sight of Stella in the center of it all.

She was topless, wearing tight dark wash jeans and black stilettos, pressed against the bare chest of a man with an impressive six pack, also wearing jeans, though his feet were bare. My eyes widened and I held my breath as I watched her drag a finger down his chest before tilting her head back and with twinkling eyes, leaning in again to take his lower lip between her teeth.

There was no reason for me to be jealous. This was Stella's job and I trusted her completely, but I still couldn't seem to squash the twisting knots in my stomach as I watched my girlfriend do similar things to a complete stranger as she'd often done to seduce me. The pangs in my gut subsided when the photographer yelled out that he'd gotten what he wanted and Stella immediately stepped away from her buff coworker, slipping into a silk robe that someone nearby offered and tying it at her waist as she thanked the photographer for his work.