by Olivia Harp
“That’s why you brought that other camera?”
“Just in case. But it’s not the same, Mister Bear.”
“How so?”
“Let’s just say that this one saves a picture on dual memory sticks and sends them to the cloud to prevent any kind of accident.”
She was proud of her business. She climbed from the very bottom and barring her dying in a freak accident, her clients would get their photos.
“Who are you?” Kashmir said, suddenly right next to Raiden with three other girls.
Kashmir was the loudest, meanest model in the region. She’d done some big name shows and was definitely on the rise.
She had never said anything to Cassie before, but the way she belittled her own friends —along with the staffers and everyone else— made Cassie squirm whenever she was around.
The group of models had their eyes fixed on Raiden like a bunch of hawks on their prey.
“You’re asking me?” Raiden said.
They all laughed the dumb, fake laugh they used to get advantage over men.
“Yes, silly, you! Who are you?” Kashmir said, grabbing Raiden’s arm.
Crap. Cassie’s belly fired up in jealousy, but what was she going to say? This man looked like a model himself.
“Raiden Waller, you?”
The group laughed out loud again.
“You don’t know who I am?” she said, rolling her eyes, “I’m Kashmir, silly.”
“Ask him, Kay,” said one of her friends.
“We’re looking for the makeup artists; you know where they are?”
“I’m sorry, wouldn’t know.”
“I think they’re on the ba—” said Cassie but Kashmir cut her off.
“Do you want to help us find them?” she asked Raiden, pulling herself closer to him, “maybe help us change?”
Cassie rolled her eyes so hard she practically turned into a slot machine.
“I’m sorry,” Raiden said, stepping back, “I don’t have much time to waste. But maybe my friend over there can help you.”
The technician sitting on the couch rose up nodding and smiling dumbly.
Kashmir's friends gasped, as if they’d just witnessed a car crash.
Cassie had to suppress a smile, she was beaming inside.
Kashmir’s eyes turned venomous. She tried to speak but no words came out. She turned around slowly, unable to believe what just happened and walked back to the sofa were the other girls waited for her.
Raiden turned to Cassie.
“Maybe you could ask your friends here?” he said.
“Ask them what?”
“For the makeup artists.”
Cassie was the shocked one now.
“Ray, those models already have their makeup on.”
“Really? So why—”
“They were flirting with you.”
“They were?”
“You didn’t notice? They wanted you to help them change?”
“I mean yeah but you know how these millennials are, I don’t know if that’s a thing with them.”
Cassie laughed.
“Well, you just ruined your chance.”
“Cassie, have I ever given you the impression that I’m into women like them?”
He stepped closer to her, his eyes had the same look he had the night they dated.
“No,” she whispered.
The girls continued talking out loud. Laughing stupidly, trying to get attention from everyone around.
“Kay,” one of her friends said, “look at him, he’s probably gay.”
Cassie didn’t say anything, she just sighed. Raiden shrugged.
“Come on, I’ll walk you out,” Cassie said grabbing him by the arm.
“I know,” Kashmir said loud enough for them to hear, “or stupid.”
They all giggled annoyingly.
Cassie sinked into her shoulders, feeling Raiden go tense, but not saying a word.
“What a fat bitch,” Kashmir said laughing like a hyena.
Raiden stopped in his tracks. Cassie turned to look at him, his face was red with anger, his forehead adorned with a thick vein. She’d never seen him like this.
She was almost sure he was going to explode, but he took a deep breath, calming himself down.
“Excuse me,” Raiden said to the group, his voice a strident hammer over the noise. They all stopped laughing. Cassie’s skin filled with goose bumps.
“You know we can hear you over here, right?” He asked in a nice way, but the tone made it pretty clear who was in charge. Made pretty clear that they were playing with a bomb.
“I asked you a question,” he repeated.
“Y-yes,” Kashmir said.
“Well, this person you just insulted is one of the best photographers on the country, did you know that?”
All of her friends were ready to bolt out of there, leaving her at the mercy of someone who could end her if he wanted to.
Raiden was just asking polite questions, but his contained fury was not something to mess around with.
“Well, did you?” he repeated.
Kashmir slowly shook her head, her worried eyes almost made Cassie feel bad for her. Almost.
“That’s fine. I’ll tell you who she is okay? She’s won seven National Photography awards, for both, fashion and art. Four of her pictures have gone up in the covers of GLAM, Soberbia, and Fame. You ever been in a cover?”
She didn’t move, she was about to cry.
“You haven’t? Not even in local mags?” he chuckled, “don’t worry, I’m sure you will, soon enough. Especially if she takes your picture. Now, remember this, you never let ego burn any bridges.”
Kashmir started to nod. She had an embarrassed smile, still a little bit afraid, but at least she wasn’t crapping her pants anymore.
“I’m sorry,” she said, looking at Cassie.
All her friends nodded.
Cassie smiled and gripped Raiden’s hand tighter this time.
“Don’t worry girls,” she said, “it’s all good. Now don’t cry! We don’t want to ruin your makeup!”
The group laughed in unison, the tension gone from the air.
Cassie took Raiden outside, beaming with pride.
***
As soon as they were outside, away of everyone’s eyes, Cassie jumped at Raiden and kissed him.
He laughed and kissed her back, his hard arms around her his tongue finding hers, his cock pressed against her.
“Thank you,” she said.
“You shouldn’t let them say shit like that, it’s not ain’t good for you.”
He pulled her hair back, his face serious.
The way he touched her turned her on even harder than before. She could feel her panties wet already.
A car approached so she had to step back.
“Models can be hard to work with,” she said, “but they’re just young, don’t take it too personal.”
He nodded, “I hope I didn’t fuck up your workplace or something.”
She shook her head, “nah, you were very polite. In a ticking bomb kind of way.”
“I tried to help defuse the situation.”
She giggled at that, then stopped, her face a question mark.
“Wait. How did you know all of that info about me? Are you a stalker or something?”
He shrugged.
“Yes. I’ve been a fan of yours since four years ago.”
Her smile faded away, her eyes started to fill with worry.
“I’m joking, girl.”
“Raiden!” she said slapping his arm, “you scared me! I mean...”
“I know, I know, you deserve it.”
“So, tell me!”
“My in-laws told me. Or whatever you call what they are now. Child’s grandparents?”
Obviously. They hired me, saw my website, they obviously know about my work.
“Hey, are you busy tonight?” She said changing the subject.
“Not really, why?”
“I can bring a plus one. To the runway show, I mean.”
“You’re asking me on a date?”
She nodded.
“All right,” he said shrugging.
Her mouth fell open.
“You don’t have to come if you don’t want to!”
“What? I said yes!”
“Yeah, reluctantly!”
“Girl, if I said yes it means I want to come.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, I’m not very expressive is all.”
“All right, it starts at six o’clock. I’ll meet you here then.”
“Perfect,” he said, and as she turned back to the building he spanked her.
“Hey!” she complained with a laugh, but Raiden was already walking away, his back to her, his hand waving good bye.
Chapter 13
Evening came and as Raiden arrived to the warehouse he almost couldn’t recognize it.
A projected image superimposed on the plain white building front transformed the facade into a dynamic palace.
The image “bricks” changed form, mutating the face of the building from post-modern to old styled English manorial.
The regular, run-of-the-mill edifice was completely changed into a multicolored, changing art piece.
People gathered at the entrance, cameras flashed every second, reporters interviewed the individuals going in.
Raiden left his SUV to the valet and walked to the side of the building, away from the music and chaos.
The parking lot was full of Jaguars, Mercedes-Benz and all kinds of high end vehicles. The lot illuminated by just a few, lonely street lamps. Cassie waited for him, next to the closed side door.
He had to keep his jaw from dropping. She wore a loose, golden dress that got tight in the right areas, her curled hair dropped down below her shoulders, bright red lipstick, big eyes shining in the dark.
He made himself take a deep breath.
“Good evening,” she said.
He gave her a hug and a peck on the cheek.
“Good evening, you look stunning.”
She smiled and took his hand, “follow me.”
Music hit him as soon as she opened the door, the long corridor ended at a junction, where dozens upon dozens of people walked in every direction.
“Fifteen minutes, everyone. Get ready,” a voice announced through a small speaker on the corner.
They got to the junction: to their right and left, male and female models dressed in the most extravagant clothes he ever saw. The girls wore loose garments with semi-transparent, long dress tails, guys wore a tighter attire; everyone had feathers or strange makeup.
“They’re doing some kind of bird-inspired event?”
“Good eye,” Cassie said, “Yeah, it’s nature themed, see that?”
She pointed at a room where artists finished up applying light green, blue and brown makeup to the talent.
Cassie pointed her camera at them and took some pictures.
“I love this chaos,” she said as she stepped ahead and turned right on the next corridor.
They walked right past the dressing rooms, models changed and finished putting on their pieces.
“Should we be here?” Raiden asked.
Cassie turned to him.
“Yeah, I’m just trying to find a way through this maze.”
“We’re lost?”
“No! The entranceway is packed, we need to find a shortcut to the main hall.”
Raiden laughed, we’re lost.
He took her hand and pointed ahead.
“Maybe through that door?”
“Good idea Mister Bear.”
The dull gray door had a sign “SILENCE” with a small “Mute” symbol on it. Cassie turned to Raiden and put her finger to her lips.
She opened the door and entered a dark, spacious room. Someone talked behind fake studio walls.
They were in the heart of the warehouse. Dozens of thick cables were laying on the floor. Cassie took great care in stepping over them, Raiden did the same. He didn’t want to disconnect something and ruin the show.
“Where’s the door?” Cassie whispered. He looked up but couldn’t see anything resembling one from their position.
“It’s probably on the other side of this,” he said pointing to the movable studio walls at their side.
“Okay, follow me,” Cassie said going over a bunch of cables, but her left heel got caught in them and she stumbled.
“Ow!” she yelled, Raiden tried to grab her but she had already fallen against the wall.
The wall trembled and started coming down, its upper corner dropping in to the center of the arrangement.
Someone screamed, then they saw what was happening: the main designer, Tony Zhen was being interviewed on TV.
“Oh, fuck!” Raiden yelled helping her back up.
“You!” a guard barked from somewhere, “stay right there!”
“Run for it!” Cassie shouted jumping like an Olympian over the undergrowth of cables.
The whole affair, silent five seconds ago, turned into the dramatic screaming and yelling of fashionistas.
They had to go back. Light flooded them from behind, the guards yelled “stop!” but they kept on running.
“Oh my, oh my, oh my!” Cassie was screaming.
She was about to fall again but Raiden grabbed her, helping her regain her balance at the last moment.
“They’re coming!” Cassie said with a face full of terror, as Raiden shut the door behind them.
“Over there!” Raiden replied pointing at another closed door.
They ran and opened it, a pair of bare chested guys were putting on weird, birdlike plumes on their heads. Their eyes locked with him, one was about to say something but Raiden closed the door and tried the next one, pulling Cassie with him, just in time to see the guards coming out the door they’d just came from.
Silence and darkness.
No one was there, at least that was something.
He could feel her heart close to him, beating faster than ever.
“They must have gone this way,” a guard said on the corridor.
Raiden’s eyes adjusted to the darkness and saw a small light switch on the wall.
He pressed it and a small, single bulb next to a wall mirror turned on.
An old couch laid against the wall, clothes and accessories piled up on the floor. The room was full of unused, discarded fabrics, hats, and even a mannequin, making it feel cramped and forgotten.
They were in a dressing room, but it was not fitted for the models. It was being used as a closet of sorts.
“Five minutes,” a voice said in another speaker, “positions, everyone!”
Radio chirping came from outside the door, a man’s voice urged “keep looking, we need to find...” then it faded as he walked away.
“They didn’t see us,” Raiden said.
“Lucky me, I ruined the whole thing.”
“I’m sure no one will mind; they’ll just edit the thing out.”
Cassie smiled, “you think?”
“I’m sure,” he said, trying hard not to think about what they could do here, trying hard to be a gentleman.
But his bear didn’t care.
It started growling inside, the soft purr coming out of him.
The floor vibrated beneath them, people were rushing everywhere around.
Cassie looked down at his pants and grinned.
“I never did repay you for bringing my camera back,” she said, slowly coming closer to him.
He got instantly hard.
“Well, you don’t have to, I was just—”
She softly caressed his manhood, her other arm pushing him back softly against the wall.
“A debt is a debt, Mister Bear.”
Holy fuck. He’d tried his best, but she was just too much.
She undid his pants and kissed him. He wanted her, bit her lower lip and found her soft, wet tongue waiting.
The voice on the speaker started counting backwards.
“Five...”
She pulled his member out of his pants with a wildness on her face.
“Four...”
Their eyes met, wild sensuality filling the air.
“Three...”
The room was filled with lust, the clapping outside started filtering inside. Cassie went on her knees.
“Two...”
He gasped as her lips grazed the tip of his cock.”
“One....”
A distorted guitar melody began playing a slow tune, deep bass and electronic drums followed.
He cried in pleasure as she slowly put his hard cock in her mouth, her wet appetite taking him in, her hot tongue a soft orgasmic caress on his shaft.
He knew now.
This woman would be the end of him.
He finally understood.
Chapter 14
The crowd roared as the models walked out on the runway stage. Clapping and photographing them every step of the way. The music made the walls inside the dressing room vibrate but nothing mattered.
Cassie had him again. It was his fault. He turned her on like this, made her do crazy things. The adrenaline rush only made it worse. She didn’t even care about being caught.
The warm taste of his cock filled her, her right hand grabbed his ass, as she sucked and jerked him with her other.
He moaned loudly, then moaned again. Her panties got wetter and wetter with each of his cries.
They were noisy but it didn’t matter. A thousand correspondents took pictures of the best looking models in the region just behind this room.
But she had the hottest man in the country all for herself.
He put his hand on her cheek as she kept on sucking him, licking his shaved sex and then going from the tip of the rod to the base, even tasting his ballsack, making him squirm.
She put his cock in her mouth again and tasted his precum.
“Oh God,” he said, “oh God, how...”
She rolled her tongue around his cockhead and a soft growl came out of his lips.
Her panties were soaked, the small room barely had space for the two of them, they’d have to make the best of it.
“No,” he whispered, “no, not yet.”
“What—?” she said, looking up as he pulled her to him, kissing her deeply.