The Photoshoot
Part Two

by Ranger and Rolf





Luke looked at him. Val almost laughed in sheer nervousness. He could almost see the smoke coming out of his ears.

"I didn't take a single step! Chill!"

Luke's hand transferred to his and from the way the bodyguard's fingers closed around his, Luke would break them before he let go. Val waved cheerfully to the press and followed him through the crowds, out of the front door where the airport staff were guarding the route to the car. Val got in, watched Luke slam and lock the door as he followed, and leaned to the window for one last wave as the car drove away. Then he lay back and looked at Luke.

"That was fun."

"Kiddo, you are asking more of my self control than is safe." Luke said grimly. "If I were you I would shut up and sit still."

Val lowered his eyelashes, giving Luke one of his little boy looks. "Are you cross with me Luke?"

"Cross doesn't even begin to touch it."

"But Luuuuuuke, Max called the press, so I HAD to put on a show."

"Quiet, kiddo." Luke said sternly, taking out some of his paperwork for the thirty minute ride to the lodge.

Val realised Luke was going to concentrate on his paperwork, and he began to work towards a tantrum. His breathing picked up, a sign that Luke recognised immediately.

"One word, one movement, and so help me I'll blister that butt of yours right here AND when we get to the lodge."

Val snorted in frustration and turned away from Luke, staring out the window at the passing scenery. So much for wonderful views, they seemed to be in an ugly part of town. Val had to work on a plan of action for arrival at the lodge. He did NOT want to be left alone with the gorilla.

Luke folded his papers the minute the car slowed down, glanced out at the lodge and held out a hand to Val in silence. Val hadn't even had time to consider refusing to get out of the car before those fingers once more locked around his and yanked him firmly onto the tarmac. SOMEONE had influenced this choice of venue: Val recognised it instantly. The genuine retreat of the rich and famous. No one rushing to take bags, no press within five miles, discreet and constant security. A real dive. He was towed in the front door and within seconds a key had been presented to Luke without any word to Val or hint of recognition. Luke led Val after him towards a broad an elegant stairway, refusing to let Val slip his grasp.

"Why don't you just buy me some God damned handcuffs?" Val demanded under his breath.

"Don't tempt me." Luke said just as softly.

"Who CHOSE this boring, low heeled little-"

"I'll give you three guesses." Luke paused outside a polished oak door and found the key.

"Gorilla, Gorilla, GORILLA!" Val said, again under his breath.

Luke opened the door, never letting go of Val's hand. He towed the youngster into the room and shut and locked the door behind him.

"This isn't very pretty. Matter of fact, it's pretty shi...ugly." Val actually caught himself about to curse, and thought twice about it.

"Well then, no need for you to strain yourself looking at it. There's a nice corner, right over there, put your nose in it." Luke said dryly, with an edge to his voice.

Val started to back pedal, not even realizing that he had left himself open for that remark. "Oh, so -"

Luke grabbed Val's upper arm and marched him, sputtering, over to the designated corner.

"Not a word, Quentin. Face that wall, shut your mouth and stand STILL."

"Still? You are so tight arsed do you know that? Can I breathe? Mind if I stand and breathe? Can I stand like this?"

Luke turned his back on Val glowering at him and balancing on one foot. Val was into last-ditch mode now and would do or say anything. There was no point in taking it at face value. Dear Mr. Quentin was safe, he was in one place, he was unlikely to come to any harm, and he was hurting no one by keeping himself entertained in the corner. Luke drew several deep breaths and ignored him. The room had been designed with high security in mind. No routes led up or down from the windows, the room was a long way from any others with only one entry door to the two bedrooms and sitting room connected. And Val was right: it was small and plainly furnished. Val was too young and too jaded with opulence to recognise the extreme good taste exercised in the plainness of the decor.

Luke dealt with the several cases already delivered to the room, changed out of clothes he felt like he'd been wearing for several years and flopped full length down on the bed for a minute. He could hear Val next door, doing the huffing and flouncing that meant he felt he had been cornered for an unnatural and brutal length of time. He glanced at his watch. M.r Quentin had been examining the paint work for nearly eight minutes. As far as Luke was concerned, he could get used to that corner for the rest of the day: the journey had been a living nightmare. Once he started to think about it, the sheer audacity of it began to hit him. Luke's lips twitched and his strained temper flowed into something a lot more controlled, amused and far more certain. He looked at his watch again.

Val was thoroughly bored with the corner. He felt like he had been standing there for hours upon end. When contemplating possible punishment, the corner was the LAST place Val wanted to be. When faced with the corner AFTER punishment, he found a sort of comfort there, though wasn't any less bored. Luke was managing to ignore his not so subtle messages that he was ready to leave and it was irritating him more than he was initially. He knew better than turn away no matter HOW bored he got, that was one lesson that Luke had made a great impression upon him. He knew Luke was furious, knew that he had made a mockery of the issues that Luke took so seriously. And he knew that Luke would punish him for it, it was just a matter of when and how bad. So Val did the only thing he knew how to do absolutely to perfection (BESIDES being a brat) ......he began to sing. It was one of his favorite love songs, and he was a master at singing it. "I like the feel of your name on my lips, and I like the sound of your sweet gentle kiss, the way that your fingers run through my hair, and how your scent lingers even when you're not there..." He began slowly and quietly, and his melodious voice rose with each word, till he was fairly certain Luke could hear him.

"I am going to kill him." Luke thought, staring at the ceiling. "This is it. I am going to walk in there and throttle him, I swear it."

Val's beautiful voice lifted and grew, caressing each word he spoke in the way he did on stage that stopped Luke's breathing on some nights. There was a depth to each note that held the sound in the air with all the richness of an orchestra playing. Luke shut his eyes.

Quentin stop it. I am mad at you. I ought to break that little neck of yours.

Val leaned his head against the wall, soothed by the music as much as his intentions of distracting Luke, listening to how the sound reverberated against the surface. He hummed softly, following an instrumental break over it's delicate complexities, aware now that the whole room was still and attuned to the sound. Luke's rapid footsteps made him break off abruptly, his heart pounding. Luke was moving fast, the speed and dispatch of a very angry man. Val turned in self defense, alarmed by the grimness on Luke's face, aware he was about to find himself yanked face down across the knee of his furious bodyguard. Luke's hands grabbed Val's shoulders, Val felt his head jerked up and his mouth was covered with the hardest and most thorough kiss in his experience.

It left Val breathless, so totally in shock as to be absolutely speechless. His body tingled from the ends of his dark hair to the tips of his toes. It was almost as if an electric shock was being transmitted by the very touching of the lips.

Luke ended the kiss and took a step back, not letting go of Val's shoulders. He watched the play of emotions across Val's face as Val was taking in what happened. What he saw surprised and pleased him.

As soon as Luke ended the kiss, Val wanted to melt into a puddle on the floor. The electricity left his body and took with it every ounce of strength he thought he possessed. The adrenaline rush of thinking punishment was at hand, combined with the kiss left him giddy yet limp as a rag doll. He looked into the face of the gorilla, wanting an explanation, wanting affirmation that it wasn't a joke, that it meant as much to Luke as it did to him. The usually steely grey eyes held a different light, one that sent a tingling sensation through Val yet again. Then he noticed a glint of amusement growing in the eyes. He stiffened in anger, but before he could put into words what he wanted to say, Luke crushed his lips yet again, wiping away any thoughts of anger as Val was not a bystander the second time around. Val's arms slid independently around Luke's neck and fastened in a stranglehold, Luke nearly had to prise his wrists back to see his face when he finally came up for air. They stared at each other again for some time, then Luke smiled very faintly.

"Well Kitten. That's a new way of shutting you up."

Val grabbed him before he could back off. "So do it again."

Luke's hands tightened on his wrists, then slid up his arms to his shoulders, to his face.

"I shouldn't be doing this," Luke said almost under his breath, "I have got to be out of my head-"

Val's eyes flashed beneath his with the spitfire imperiousness mixed with the little boy face.

"Stop rabbiting McNeil and get on with it!"

The jibe had the effect Val hoped for. Luke growled but his weight pushed Val back against the wall, the two of them crushed at an awkward angle against the dignified plaster while they necked like teenagers. It was Val who moved them, barreling his full weight against Luke's chest to move them step by step through the open doorway into Luke's room, and Luke came to enough to kick the door shut behind them.



And I knew it, Luke thought, watching Val sometime later. Sprawled and sleepy and beyond any thought of being difficult or dramatic.

I always knew the way to bring you down. It just isn't something we can do at 2000 feet on a jet plane.

He ran a finger down Val's back and Val twitched, too comfortable to move.

"What?"

"Come here, you'll get cold."

Val moaned but rolled over and let Luke pull the covers over him. "Shouldn't we be going somewhere or doing something?"

"Not until tonight. Thought you'd need time to get over the flight."

Val grinned, eyes still closed. "And how right you were, Mr. McNeil."

Luke pulled him closer and dropped another kiss on his lips. "I told you to shut up."

"Make me." Val demanded. Luke shook his head.

"I knew I was out of my head."

"You're not. Forget it." Val wrapped himself around Luke, preventing the older man moving, and Luke felt him drift back into a comfortable doze. The kid was relaxed. Calm. And he damned well ought to be. Luke lay still, not wanting to disturb him, but not able to shake the nagging edge of guilt.

He laid still until he was sure Val was deeply slumbering, then slowly disentangled himself gently from beneath him. He pulled the covers back over Val and gently kissed his forehead. He gathered up the clothes that had been strewn around the room a few hours earlier and walked into the sitting room to get dressed closing the door softly behind him. He sat in a chair, his head cradled in his hands, silently cursing himself for the complexity he had just created within his working relationship with Val. There would be no denial of his feelings, he had always made that clear, though he had never acted upon them as he had done today. He had known since that first day he had met Val that it would be more than a job to him. He cared deeply for that boy, and would always do whatever it took to make sure no harm came to him. If that meant spanking that lovely round bottom 15 shades of red when the kid acted dangerously, he'd do it. And he made up his mind that should the kid deserve punishment, he'd take care of that business immediately, but privately.

There were going to be tough times ahead, and Luke was well aware of it. He was sure the record company wouldn't want it known that Val was in ANY sort of relationship, much less the one is was in now. He had to seem available to everyone, that was part of the selling job they did. Luke understood these things, but he was unsure whether Val would or not. Val had made his feelings perfectly clear just a few hours ago, but Luke remained unsure of whether Val truly meant them. Only time would tell.

Luke let Val sleep for another hour before deciding it was time to get him up and ready. They had a reception to attend, a meeting to discuss the next few days and what was expected of Val.

Val's immediate response to being woken was first to produce a cat like mew of pleading, then when Luke shook him again, to roll over and grab Luke in a way that risked them never making the reception at all. Luke fended him off, wondering just where the kid had learned this sort of expertise.

"Hey. There's no time. You need to get up and shower, there isn't long to the reception."

"There's long enough..." Val coaxed. Luke smiled but moved out of his reach, leaving Val to pout but roll to his feet and find his watch.

"Hey there's hours yet!"

"Not by the time you've eaten and decided what you're going to wear. And there's still some things I want to discuss with you about the journey out here."

Val's eyes went wide and then his lower lip slipped outwards, giving his already angel face a look of near irresistible pathos.

"You can't be serious!"

"Oh I can." Luke said candidly. "You may be gorgeous Quentin. You are still a brat and I still have a job to do. Go and shower."

"Luuuke!"

"Now." Luke said firmly, pointing. "Go on Kitten, move."

Val hesitated, not quite sure what he wanted or how to ask. Luke hesitated too, balancing on the brink of more confusion than he was sure he could cope with. Then he lifted Val's chin, kissed him firmly and gave him a push towards the bathroom.

"Shower."

Val took a few steps in the direction of the bathroom before turning around with a hot look under the lashes "Join me?"

"Go!"

Val proceeded into the bathroom and jumped in the shower. He sang the entire time he showered, enjoying the great acoustics of the bathroom walls. When he finished with the shower he brushed his teeth and shaved, then went to find Luke. He was certain he could talk Luke out of any punishment, especially since they had enjoyed such a lovely afternoon.

He found Luke with the phone glued to his ear. He went over to the well stocked bar, looking for something to quench his thirst. Luke looked up when he heard bottles rattling, to find Val with a beer about to be opened. "Just a moment." Luke put the call on hold. "Val, you'll probably have something to drink tonight, I don't think you need to get started this early. Find something else, please."

Val grumbled "Gorilla" but put the beer back, pulling out a mineral water instead.

Luke went back to the phone. "And the press will be there after the shoot tomorrow, right? One interview, an hour long at best? Thanks." Luke hung up.

"Who was that?"

"That was Max. He called to confirm an interview tomorrow immediately after the photoshoot. He has you blocked for an hour, then we'll take off and enjoy the rest of the evening."

"What IS there to do around here?"

"Plenty, kitten, plenty." Luke got up and put his hands on Val's shoulders. His loving look was replaced by something a little more stern than Val would have liked.

"We need to discuss your behavior this morning."

"We don't." Val assured him. "We really don't."

"We do, believe me. If you think I am ever going to swallow you acting like that in public or anywhere else-"

"I was stressed," Val said with charm and disarming ingenuity, "I was worried about the photoshoots and I didn't feel too good and you wouldn't believe how sorry I am-"

"You're right, I don't." Luke said bluntly. "You were headed for the brat of the year award from the moment you boarded the plane. Apart from making a total exhibition of yourself, being thoroughly rude and unpleasant to everyone concerned and putting yourself in serious danger from me breaking your neck, you put yourself into actively dangerous situations for no other reason than to annoy me. Didn't you?"

"Not exactly-" Val said uncertainly, not keen on the direction of this argument. Val shook his head.

"If you're going to find something dangerous to do every time something happens that you don't like, I am going to have to start laying down much tighter rules on where we go and how. If I can't trust you to behave in public, I can't possibly offer you any real protection. If one of the crowd today had been carrying a knife or handed you anything nasty, you'd got yourself into a place where I couldn't have helped you. And you did it for no other reason than to make me as mad as you could get me. Didn't you?"

Val opened his mouth. Luke looked at him. "Didn't you?"

"Noooo-" Val began to whine.

"THEN WHY?"

Val just looked at the floor, unable to come up with any way to logically get himself out of the corner Luke had just put him in.

"That's what I thought. Well kiddo, you managed to make me very angry today, and I suggest you never do that again, because from now on, you behave like that in public, and I'll punish you, in public."

Val's mouth dropped open in indignation. "You can't do that! People would talk, the...the record company wouldn't allow it!" Val was practically stuttering in indignation.

"I didn't say we'd be in front of anyone. But I'll be sure to find a quiet restroom or office, and I'll take care of business then and there. If you have to walk back out with a sore tail and tears in your eyes, you'll have to deal with it. I'm sure that anyone will be able to help me find a quiet place for our business, so remember that."

"B..b..but you -"

"I WILL. I will because I care deeply for you, and I won't allow you to put yourself in danger like that again. I will because I want you to be the best you can be. I will......because I think that is what is needed, like now." Luke captured Val's wrist and sat down on the bed, pulling Val across his knees.

There was never any point in arguing once Luke reached this point but logic had nothing to do with it. Val twisted, trying to get his bottom out of it's vulnerable position upturned over Luke's lap and failing miserably as Luke unbuttoned and pulled down his trousers, then his briefs.

"Luke this is ridiculous! One little flight- just a few hours! I was kidding! That was all, it was just a joke!"

"Then you need to think long and hard about your sense of humour kiddo." was all that Luke said before his familiar and hard hand landed hard on Val's bare bottom. Val yelped and squirmed to lever himself up off Luke's lap. It was a hopeless attempt and he knew it. Luke was unmoved and uninterested and the strength behind that smack reminded Val horribly of just how annoyed he had managed to get Luke this morning. By the time the second smack fell, still harder, Mr. Quentin was bitterly regretting ever having heard of bananas or gorillas, Bloody Marys or fans.

"Luke I'm sorry, really I'm sorry!"

"Sorry for what?" Luke demanded, pausing. Val bit at the air.

"For making you mad?"

The pause lasted long enough for Val to gather some hope. Then Luke's hand lifted and Val felt the first of a downpour of spanks that made him wail.

"Luuuuke!"

Luke never paused, just kept the hand falling, rapidly turning the white flesh to pink, then to a darker shade of red. He covered every inch of the wriggling and clenching bottom, making sure to hit every spot hard, and at least three times.

Val moved beyond recognizable language into the pleas and quickly beyond that to the moans and mewls of a well spanked young man. Nothing he did lessened the hand impacting on his backside, no matter how hard he tried to move. He sorely regretted making Luke mad at the airport.

Luke stopped, his hand stinging and hot. He was certain Val was very uncomfortable. He held on to Val, massaging his back while he calmed down some. When Val's heaving cries subsided into jerking breaths, he pulled Val up, then sat him back down in his lap.

Val moaned as his toasted backside made contact with Luke's leg. He threw his arms around Luke and sobbed into the neck as Luke held him tight.

Luke caressed the silky hair and whispered words of comfort into Val's ear until Val was mostly silent. "Why did I just spank you?"

Val remained quiet for a bit, trying to find the right words. "Because I put myself in danger?"

"Yes, kitten, because you put yourself in danger. Mostly that, but being a brat figured into it as well. You've got to learn that I mean I've had enough when I say I've had enough."

Luke heard a soft "gorilla" escape Val's lips and smiled in spite of himself. He easily picked Val up and stood him on his feet. He then got up and kissed Val lightly on the forehead, both thumbs wiping the tears from the cheeks. "Go get yourself cleaned up love, and get dressed. I'll order room service, and then we've got to leave."

The party was like the hotel: discreet, quiet, civilised, and to a young man used to far more dramatic parties, very boring. Max was in the lounge with a collection of suits that Luke recognised as from the advertising company, the alcopop manufacturers and from Orion, the record company. Luke saw the little collection of them as they came down the stairs and snatched a moment to grasp Val's hand and draw him out of sight into the hotel's dining room. Val's blue eyes lifted to him in surprise. Luke pushed the door to after them.

"Kitten listen to me a moment. Do you know what the regulations are in your contract about getting involved with people?"

Val frowned. "I'm not supposed to be photographed as part of a couple- something about it gets done in my own time and discreetly, but Orion's got no real control over that."

He was wrong, he was alarmingly naive and this was no time to scare him. Luke pushed his fingers through Val's hair, speaking gently.

"They won't be thrilled about you and I getting too close. It'll affect-"

"Affect the image, I know, but it's nothing to do with them."

"The image is their property, kitten, and it earns them a lot of money. Listen to me. This is no secret from anyone we like or anywhere we're safe from photographers or anyone who'll report back to Orion, but in public this is going to have to be a well kept secret. And I mean that. I won't endanger your career for love."

Val's eyes were very serious. Luke made his own tone still more serious.

"Don't EVER use it because you're annoyed with me or you want a fight. The day you make it a public display because you're having a tantrum, I'll swear to you now I'll take your pants down, turn you over my knee where ever it is we are and no matter who's watching, and I'll spank you until you're wailing. Got me?"

Val flushed and shifted slightly in front of him, still very aware of his well spanked bottom from just a few minutes ago. Luke made his eyes still sharper.

"Do you understand me?"

"Yeah." Val said softly. Luke hesitated, then slipped a hand around the nape of his neck and kissed him gently. It was still so new, and yet it came as easily as if they'd been lovers for months.

"Good boy. Come on then. Behave."

Val rolled his eyes at Luke, but managed a quiet "okay" before they headed towards the reception.

Everyone stood up and introductions were made, Luke disappearing into the background. Val felt a sense of loneliness when he realized Luke wasn't right there, holding his hand. He plastered on his smile and turned on the charm as best he could. He was handed a drink, offered a seat, and the meeting began in earnest.

The advertisers put on a brief presentation of the ads that they wanted to run, and the pictures that they wanted to achieve with Val. The three days of shooting were scheduled, Val being told where to be, what clothes he was going to be wearing, and how he was going to be posed.

Luke stood quietly against the wall in his normal pose, his arms crossed, his legs opened slightly. He observed the meeting, making sure that Val wasn't being asked to do anything untoward or too strenuous, as the "players" always tried to make last minute moves. He was pleased as Max actually put his foot down when the advertisers asked if Val could be shown without his shirt.

The meeting lasted about an hour, with drinks and friendly discussion for another hour after that. Val quickly became bored with the whole thing as there was no music, no photographers, no adoring fans. He searched for and found Luke, nearly camouflaged against the wall. His look of appeal was more than Luke could resist. No one else would have noticed where he was standing or even that he was there, no one looked twice when he approached the table and stooped quietly by Val.

"Phone call for you."

"Thank you." Val said with open relief and got up. "Excuse me gentlemen."

Luke followed him out into the hallway where Val grabbed his hand and towed him through the foyer and into the hotel garden.

"THANK you! I was about to fall asleep in there!"

"Just ten minutes," Luke warned, "I don't want Max changing the deal the minute I'm not listening."

"Max wouldn't let anyone go out of my best interests." Val said dismissively. Luke didn't argue.

"Do you need a drink?"

"Luke you saw what I was drinking in there-"

"I saw what you were putting away, yes, that's why I want to know if you want a real drink."

Luke expected the half smile and the flash of blue eyes: he didn't expect the arms flung around his neck which made him stagger slightly.

"You are such-"

Luke produced a realistic gorilla growl and swept Val off his feet, making him shriek and then laugh, struggling as Luke bit at his throat.

"Okay, Okay I give up! Get me a stupid drink!"

"The intelligence of fluids is beyond my control." Luke put him down and let him go. "Stay put."

Val grabbed him and snatched a kiss, only brief but enough to make them both fleetingly consider forgetting about the rest of the meeting. Luke pulled himself together with an effort and went inside. Val stretched like a cat in the sunshine. The glint of glass made him jump and whip around. After months of being followed by photographers, he recognised a lens when he saw it. The man on the other side of the hedge gave him a lazy smile.

"That looked interesting."

"Price." Val said with loathing. "I'll call security."

The man laughed. "Give me the exclusive and I won't sell that shot on the open market."

"You didn't see anything." Val spat back. "And you didn't get the picture, I'd have heard it."

"I'm sure I can get some evidence for my story. You're a good friend, Val. You're just about making my career for me."

Val opened his mouth, knowing Luke was out of earshot. "McNeil!"

Price drifted away, waving a hand. Val collapsed on a bench, shaken and furious. Luke jogged down the steps towards him carrying a bottle of water which Val accepted without a word. Luke pushed his chin up anxiously.

"Are you that tired Kitten?"

"No. Just hot out here." Val flipped the top of the bottle and drank deeply. Price was a swine. A dangerous swine. And suddenly he was a tremendous risk.

"I won't endanger your career for love." Val remembered Luke saying.

This was something he'd have to handle on his own. He wasn't about to lose what he just found because of that swine.

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