It’s fine

Marcus rubs the back of his neck. "Some of them were. The last ones weren't. I should've organized that folder better. That's on me."

Izzy looks up at him, her cheeks still warm. She takes a steadying breath. "Okay. I get it. I won't mention it again. But... you're still willing to help me with Joe's photos, right? I promise I'll forget what I saw."

Marcus meets her eyes, a hint of relief in his own. "Yeah, I'll still help. That was a mistake, not a thing. You're Joe's girlfriend, and I'm not gonna cross that line again."

Izzy nods, a small, uncertain smile tugging at her lips. "Good. Because I really want to make this work. Joe asked for steamier, and I'm not gonna let him down."

“Um… it might be better if we take this to the pool outside” Marcus adds on, cutting the tension like a knife.

Izzy blinks, still clutching the white bikini to her chest, the image from the laptop burned behind her eyes. She forces herself to breathe, then shakes her head slightly to clear the memory. The pool outside. She hadn't even thought about that.

"Wait, there's a pool out there?" she asks, glancing toward Marcus's window. Through the half-open blinds, she can see the faint glimmer of water in the late afternoon light. "I thought that was just a decorative thing. Joe never mentioned using it."

Marcus shuts the laptop fully and slides it aside, leaning back against his desk. His tone is casual, measured. "It's a real pool. Heated, too. The landlord maintains it year-round. And honestly, for what you want — the wet look, the clingy fabric, that natural sunlight hitting your skin — there's no better setup. Indoor lighting's good, but it's nothing compared to golden hour on the water."

She looks down at the bikini in her hands, running her thumb along the seam. The thought of wearing it, of standing in the shallow end with water lapping at her thighs, sends a little thrill through her chest. And after what she just saw on his screen, she wonders if he's thinking about something more than just photography.

"The neighbors," she says softly, a hint of concern in her voice. "Won't they see me in this? I don't want to make a scene."

Marcus shakes his head. "Backyard's fenced. High walls, hedges on top. No one's looking in. And it's just us." He pauses, a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes. "Unless that's a problem."

“Not at all, i’ll just quickly change and meet you there” Izzy responds. Still Flustured.