by Ford, Mia
“Sally, what’s going on with the shoot? Have the creative directors turned up yet?”
“I’ve just spoken to Michelle. She’s on the set, getting everything together. Do you have everything you need?”
“The clothes are all packed up?” She nods. “Great, and the props are already there. The photographer is there too, right? He went with the creative team?” Sally nods again. “Great, then I think we’re all…”
Ring, ring… ring, ring…
I stare at the phone in irritation, annoyed that it should interrupt me. I need to be a bit more on top of the planning while Lexi gets used to the place, so I have to check everything off.
“Hello? Hmm, oh right, okay. Well, that’s a shame, I hope you feel better soon. Goodbye.”
Sally looks up at me with reproachful eyes. “What is it?” I demand.
“It’s one of the models. She can’t make it today, she’s sick.”
“Okay.” I nod slowly. “Well, which one? Can we work without her?”
“Lola Rose.”
Fuck. She was going to be the main star of this shoot. It was a battle to get her actually. She’s very well-known, although notoriously hard to work with. I was half looking forward to and dreading this shoot in equal measures. Now though, I don’t know what we’re going to do without her.
“She’s small and curvy, not typical modelesque. Where am I going to find someone else that looks like her at this short notice? We’ve paid for everything, got it all set up, I need someone striking. I should have guessed that this would happen with Lola Rose. I should have planned a backup.”
“What about the new girl?” Sally asks, innocently enough.
“The new girl. Your PA. She’s petite and curvy. Striking too, why not ask her?”
My heart races at the mere idea. I know enough about models to know that Lexi would look great in a photograph. Her lack of experience might be hard to work with, but I’m sure we can figure it out.
“Yeah, that could be worth a try actually. I’ll have to ask her.”
“I think she’ll be good, Cooper.”
I don’t have time to work out if there are any double meanings to Sally’s words, I need to float this idea by Lexi to see how she feels about it. She might hate the idea, she might turn me down, I might have to beg.
“Lexi.” I grip onto her arm as soon as I see her, forgetting myself. We both leap back from each other as the electricity zings. This is why we normally have an unspoken no-touch rule, because as I feel this it’s damn near impossible to be around her. “Oh, sorry about that. Lexi, I have a favor to ask you.”
“Okay, sure, what is it?”
“One of the models can’t turn up to the photo shoot today and it’s a bit of an emergency one.”
“Oh no, do you want me to make some calls? See if I can find someone?”
“Actually…” A bit of heat creeps up my cheeks as I have to admit this. “I was hoping you would do it?”
“Me?” She clutches her hand to her chest in shock. “You want me to do it? Really?”
“Yeah. You’re the right size for the clothes, you have the right look for the line… look, I know this is a big task and I totally understand if you say no, you would just be doing me a massive favor.”
“Oh right.” She gulps, pondering her decision. “Well, sure. I’m intrigued. I’d like to give it a go. I can’t promise that I’ll be any good, I don’t have any experience in front of the camera.”
“That’s okay, the photographer will give you some tips to help you out.”
“Yeah, alright then, where do I need to be?”
“You’ll do it?” Relief floods me as she nods. “Well, I’m just about to drive the clothes to the set now, so you could always come with me if you want to? Unless you’d rather follow my car…”
We both know that it won’t be easy to be just me and her in the confines of a car; I have to give her a choice.
“No, I might as well come with you. It saves taking two cars.”
“Great, good, okay.” I’m saying too many words, I need to stop. “Are you ready to leave now?”
“I’ll just finish up these bits, then I’ll be there.”
“I’m going to get everything in the car, meet me in the parking lot?”
“Yep, will do.”
As she leaves, I see Adam giving me a bit of a look. He feels like I’m doing something naughty, even though I’m not. This isn’t me and Lexi sneaking out of work for an illicit affair, this is us doing work somewhere else. I didn’t even come up with the idea to make her one of the models, that was Sally’s brilliant suggestion, but I still feel like I’m definitely doing something wrong…
* * *
“So, where are we going exactly?” Lexi’s eye are fixed firmly forwards. I don’t think she can stand to look at me. “Where is this photo shoot happening? God, it feels weird to think of me being pictured.”
“I can’t believe that you’ve never been asked to model before. You have the right look for it.”
In my head, that sounded like quite a sensible, professional reply, but now the words are out there and I know I shouldn’t have said them. They’ve created a deep thickness in the air that wasn’t there before.
“Why are you attending the shoot anyway?” She breaks the silence. “Aren’t you too important?”
“I’m not too important for anything. It’s hard to keep tabs on everything, but I do what I can.”
“Yeah… you really aren’t anything like any boss I’ve ever had before.”
“No?” I dart a smile her way. “Better, I hope?”
“Oh, so much better. Too much better if anything. It’s really great to work for you.”
“I’m sure the part you enjoy is having Adam to talk to around the office.”
“Ooh, there it is again. That jealousy. You just can’t let it go, can you?”
I gulp. Through the teasing, she’s right. She’s so right it’s starting to become impossible to be around her. I don’t know what happens to me, but I lose all control of myself. Without even thinking, my hand reaches across and it touches Lexi’s leg. Nowhere major, just above the knee, but it’s enough to drive me wild. Usually, we both recoil from the electricity, so it’s nice to just embrace it for once. It doesn’t feel quite so shocking. It’s gorgeous.
“Is this okay?” I ask in a rasping tone. I don’t want to over step any mark here.
“Yes,” she replies in almost a whisper. “Yes, it’s fine.”
I fix my eyes on the road knowing that this is all kinds of wrong, but unable to move all the same. This is the closest that Lexi and I have been since I very first laid eyes on her and it feels too good to be wrong. Then she makes it even worse by resting her hand on top of mine, keeping me there. Her velvety skin brushes against mine, causing the heat pool in the pit of my stomach to bubble and sizzle. I don’t know what we’re doing here, I’m not sure what any of this means, if it means anything at all, but I don’t want to let this feeling go. It’s absolutely wonderful. Lexi and I are now fully trapped in our own little bubble, and when it’s just me and her, without prying eyes watching us, it feels like anything could happen.
Anything at all.
I dare a glance at her and she’s focused forwards as well, but I can see the ragged breaths bursting in her chest. Everything I’m experiencing, she’s feeling it too. Now it feels like it’s only a matter of time.
There’s no turning back now…
8
Lexi
My heart thumps wildly against my rib cage as we pull up at the super cool set for the modelling pictures. The setting is outside a barn and there’s an awesome old motorbike outside. I don’t quite understand the concept but then I’m not here to do that. I’m here to model… which is crazy. I don’t know how I’m supposed to make that happen. I’ve been told my whole life that I have a beautiful face, but still, this is something else.
“Are you okay?” Cooper finally peels his hand away fr
om my leg, easing the tension but immediately leaving me missing him. I don’t know what that was about but it felt really nice. “You’re going to be fine.”
“Hmmm, I hope so.” My head shakes nervously. “I’ll do my best anyway. It’s just going to be a bit weird. Ventry is one of the biggest fashion names in the world, I don’t know if I’ll be able to do it justice.”
“But remember Ventry is me. I’m the one who owns it, I’ve created it. That should make you less nervous.”
It really doesn’t. The one person I want to let down least in the world is him.
“Right, come on then. Let’s get this started before I change my mind.”
Cooper grabs my hand and squeezes it one last time, giving me a final burst of reassurance. I appreciate it, it feels nice, but to be honest, the butterflies aren’t going to help me.
We eventually step out of the car and make our way towards the rest of the people standing around. They all have very serious expressions on their faces which shows me what kind of a day this is going to be already.
“Who’s this?” an intense-looking woman snaps, pointing to me.
“This is Lexi. She’s standing in for Lola Rose who apparently couldn’t make it.”
She runs her eyes up and down me, not hiding her criticism at all. “Can she do it?”
“I think she’ll work. I’m not too worried.”
“Right, well give her the clothes then. I want to crack on. I don’t know how much daylight we have left.”
She stalks off leaving me completely bewildered. “Wow, that was really something.”
“Oh, don’t worry about Vic, she takes her job really seriously, don’t worry about her.”
“Don’t worry about her, yeah okay. Easier said than done.”
He touches the small of my back, almost as if he can’t keep his hands off me now. He’s touched me once, we broke through that shocking electrical barrier and now he can’t stop himself. We both know that this is teetering into something dangerous, but it seems like neither of us know how to stop.
“Come on then, let’s go and get the clothing out.”
“Who are those people over there?” I point to a crowd. “They are all really beautiful.”
“They’re all the other models.”
“Oh great. Well, now I’m really intimidated.”
“Why?”
“Erm… look at them. They are everything and I’m just normal looking.”
“Normal? Pfft. You really can’t see yourself, can you?”
His words are too much for me to handle, I can’t reply because they are making me feel all kinds of things. I need to have my head in the game if I’m going to succeed in this. I take the first outfit that I need to wear and I head into the portable changing room to get it on. It’s tight, dark, slightly grungy. The sort of thing that I chose to wear is somewhat that I normally wear, which I suppose helps. I drag it on then I ruffle my hair back, wishing I could see myself.
It’s time, I tell myself anxiously. Time to get out there and face this.
Much as I want to lock myself in here and hide away from the world, I can’t. I have to do this for Cooper. When I took on the job I promised him that I would do anything. Not that I thought it would include modelling, but I suppose it’s very flattering that he wants me to. He thinks I’m good-looking enough.
With one last deep breath, I shove the door open, and I let the sunlight stream in.
“You the office girl?” a frowny girl snaps. She pouts out her plump, possibly fake lips.
“Erm, yeah I think so. I’m the girl who works with Cooper anyway.”
“The model girl? I need you in the make-up chair.”
Ooh, I have to admit, that might be quite nice, being pampered by a team of experts. The less I look like my usual self, the easier it will be. I sit in the chair set aside for me and slide my eyes closed while she and another woman make me look much better. During that time, I try to center myself, to calm down before the big moment.
“Okay, you’re done,” she finally tells me. “If you wait over there, soon it’ll be your turn.”
“Right. Sure.”
I force myself to stand and I move over to where I’ve been sent to watch a couple of the other models at it. Immediately, I watch their every move, trying to work out how they’re being so sexy and professional. I need to take that all on board when it’s my time. I’m nowhere near in that league.
“Take that worried look off your face,” I hear Cooper whisper to me. “You’ll be fine.”
“I hope so. All of this is just making me more anxious. I don’t know if I can do that.”
“Just be yourself. Be yourself and I promise you that you’ll be fine.”
I smile up at him, trying to soak in some of his reassurance. I can see what he’s trying to do and I appreciate it a lot, but nothing will work. The only thing I can hope is that I’ll get up there and somehow it will become natural. I’ll just know what to do. It could happen, right? Maybe it’s my calling…
“Oh, just one last thing…” I stare up at him expectantly. “Your pictures are with a guy.”
“A guy? Are you serious?” I get a tight knot in my stomach. “What do I have to do?”
“You ready, Office Girl?”
“Oh God, this is me then.”
My steps are shaky as I step up to the set. It’s a shame, but it seems like the bike isn’t going to be in my pictures. That’s around the other side of the barn. I would have liked that, a bit of familiarity.
“Hey, I’m Ryker.” A beefy, muscly guy holds out my hand to shake. “I’ll be with you.”
“Right, yes.” I gulp and take his hand. “Well, I’m Lexi. Nice to meet you.”
“You haven’t done this before, have you?”
“No, but I promise you I’ll do my best.”
“Right, guys I want you there. Ryker, press Office Girl up against the barn as if you’re going to kiss her.”
I guess we’re diving in the deep end then! I allow Ryker to lead me to where we need to be and he leans in possessively like a bear. He puts his hand on my face but then moves it away because he realizes it’ll block the shot. He really knows what he’s doing, I hope some of that rubs off on me.
“Office Girl, you need to look like you’re really into this. This is like a snatched moment with someone that you aren’t allowed to be with and you’ve managed to find a little second.”
I nod, a little too frantically and I try my hardest to get into it, but it’s awkward to stare so intently into this guy’s eyes, pretending this is that moment just before the kiss happens when I don’t even know him.
“Office Girl, you’re stiff. It looks really awkward.”
“Yep. Okay.” I try to roll my shoulders down, to stop myself from looking like a freak, but I can’t.
“Come on, Office Girl, you need to get into this. You need to be sexier.”
Be sexier. Just what every woman wants to hear. Especially when I know that Cooper is watching.
“Put yourself in the situation, Office Girl, act out the character. Do whatever you need to do!”
I can’t let Cooper down, I have to do this for him, so if that means putting myself in that role, then I’ll do it. I try to imagine that this is a guy that I’m having an affair with. My husband and his wife are inside that barn and we just need to get this tiny little moment to ourselves. I try to roll my body into that position.
“No, Office Girl, that isn’t enough. It isn’t natural. We need to take a break.”
As Ryker breaks away from me I can see the disappointment rolling off of him. I don’t want to let him down either, he could have been a massive dick to me and he hasn’t been. I’m just a loser.
My eyes meet Cooper’s and all of a sudden, I feel it. I feel that illicit thrill. That’s where I’ve been going wrong, trying to picture myself with someone I don’t know. I have my inspiration right in front of me.
“Okay, let’s try again everyone. Let’s
get this done now.”
This time as Ryker grabs me, it isn’t him. It’s Cooper, and we’re sneaking a moment alone in the office. All the other staff members are in the other room and we don’t want to alert any of them to get a glimpse of us so we only have one tiny second of just us. His finger grazes my thigh, he inches up higher and higher.
“Yes, yes, yes, Office Girl. This is much better. Whatever you’re doing, keep it up. This is incredible.”
I arch my back, rolling my hips ever so slightly towards Ryker, getting a bit too excited. The idea of this actually happening has a deep and powerful buzzing at my core. He’s the wrong man, there are so many reasons I shouldn’t even breathe anywhere near him, but I just know it would be amazing.
“Yes, Office Girl, that’s great. Now, we need to move you around a bit.”
We move into the barn, the photographer positions me and a bale of hay with Ryker between my legs, and I cup my hands over his cheeks, this time taking control of the situation. Now that it isn’t him, it’s easy, I’m just acting out little snapshots of my deepest fantasy with the very man I would prefer to be with in the same room.
I’m pretty sure it isn’t just in my imagination that I can feel his piercing gaze, the sizzling chemistry, the burning flames flicking for me, licking all over my skin. I wonder what he’s thinking.
“Right, I’ve got the shot already. Now we need you rolling around in the hay.”
I accidently catch Cooper’s eyes and my mouth fills with saliva. A tingling of goosebumps pops up and down my arm; I want him to come over here to hold me, to touch me, to take these pictures with me. Ryker is an awesome alternative, but he’s not the real thing.
“Come on then.” I smile up at Ryker, spotting a bit of awe in his eyes. “Let’s get this done.”
We climb into the hay, my body bursting with excitement all over again, and get the pictures done. Confidence blooms, I feel it burst and explode, exploding everywhere. This is good, I need some confidence. It only highlights to me that leaving Trent and coming back here was absolutely the right thing to do.