All Strings Attached

by Miss Merikan

  He could cry with joy when he was finally done with the girl and didn’t even mind that she went off without giving him a ‘thank you.’ His only consolation was seeing her stumble on the way to the place where photos were being taken. He hoped she’d break her ankle in those ridiculously high heels.

  The producer was back to taunt him about not being fast enough, but she finally went off, and he walked to the entrance of the tent to get his next client.

  Relief rushed through him at the sight of Andrea. She looked like the human equivalent of a Valentine’s Day cupcake in her red Lolita dress with pink hearts spattered all over as if Cupid himself threw up on the fabric. There were even little glittery hearts dangling from the ribbons of her frilly bonnet. Her handbag was a pink leather heart that matched the platform shoes with heart-shaped holes in the design. Knee-high socks with the same glittery hearts attached at the lacy top finished off the look along with the pink, curly wig.

  “Where did you lose your date?” he asked as she walked over and entered the tent.

  “He’s in the bag,” she said, patting the long shoulder bag that looked like it could contain a musical instrument. Or a machine gun. “How’s it going?” she asked as they entered the chaotic mess that was the mobile makeup studio.

  Gavin groaned and pointed her to the chair. “Shit, but let’s talk about the interesting stuff. You cut up a guy, and you’ve got his arm in that bag? Can I borrow it? I could use an extra hand right now.” He sighed, happy he could spill his stress to someone.

  Andrea scowled and punched his arm. “Is my shoulder not good enough anymore now that you’re fucking someone?”

  “It will be if you snap it off and give it to me. Though we won’t be a match. As Anna would say, I’m a Coconut White, and you’d be a what? Brownie Cupcake?” He snorted, but didn’t waste his time, already looking for the right foundation in his case.

  Andrea dropped into the chair in front of him and rolled her eyes. “Yum. You’re lucky you compared yourself to food as well. I’m more like Limited Edition Dark Tan than Chocolate, and you better remember it.” She dipped the tip of her finger in an open pot of glitter.

  “Hey! Don’t do that! Anna told me doll skin tones have all sorts of stupid names, how am I supposed to know?” Gavin pulled it away from her. “And your ‘Limited Edition Dark Tan’ skin tone is gonna give me ulcers,” he groaned.

  “Because? Something wrong with my skin tone?” snorted Andrea and kicked his shin. “Do you even have a match in there?”

  He was fortunate that he’d done Andrea’s makeup before, so he just needed to find the foundation he’d used for her. It wouldn’t be a problem in different circumstances, but he could almost sense the manager breathing down his neck. “And don’t kick me, or I’ll draw a penis on your forehead. Aren’t Lolitas supposed to be cute or something?”

  “You are such a racist, Gavin. You’d never say that to a white or Asian Lolita.”

  Gavin groaned. “I’m not racist. I hate everyone equally. An equal opportunity kind of hater. Today, the fact that people have any skin on their faces pisses me off. And look!” he smiled when he found the right shade. “Here we go.” He had to put the tube in his mouth to unscrew it.

  “I want hearts on my mouth.” Andrea grinned at him. “So where’s your Valentine date, ‘cause mine’s right next to me.” She patted the bag.

  Gavin smiled right back. He was going to have fun with her makeup. Finally, a customer who would appreciate his efforts. “I’m working, as you can see. I don’t do Valentines. My soul is too black for that.”

  “Yeah, like dark chocolate with a pink raspberry center,” she said, watching him as he prepared everything and retrieved the makeup remover.

  “No pink in me. Better tell me about your date,” Gavin asked as he started cleaning the old makeup off her face. He was getting all excited about using bolder shades, and he ran all the tutorial videos in his memory.

  She snorted. “He’s hard as a rock and equally cold. And his cock’s smaller than my fake nail so, you know, it’s gonna be a chaste date.” She was forced to close her eyes when Gavin started applying the makeup remover, but that didn’t stop her from talking. “So how’s it going with Anna?”

  “You brought your doll-boy to a Valentine’s shoot? Really?” Gavin shook his head. “As for Anna ... Yeah, it’s all right. We meet up every other day.” He made it sound casual, but actually, almost every night after work, he rushed to glam himself up and visit her, even if only for an hour or two. They had a lot of fun, and it turned out she didn’t talk about dolls all the time. They even went out together a few times.

  All the kinky craziness was yet to develop though since they had time to go into that once they got to know each other better. From the day Anna hinted at what she was into, he researched the stuff to make sure he’d get it right. He wasn’t yet sure how he would feel roleplaying, but he wanted to see her panties wet with lust, so he would go the extra mile and find out. For now, he enjoyed the lingerie he was occasionally finding in his stuff on the way home.

  “Oh, cool, maybe now that you’re about to change your relationship statuses on Facebook I could ask her for a free faceup for the doll.”

  “I’m not ‘changing my status.’” He bristled up and had to take a deep breath to calm down. “We’re just dating, okay? And I won’t be asking for freebies unless it’s blowjobs we’re talking about.”

  “Yeah, well, I don’t have a dick, so that wouldn’t work.” Andrea smiled against Gavin’s hands.

  “Sucks to be you.” He laughed. “So ... do you know anything about this Dan guy?” he asked casually, hoping she’d have some insider info. The more he visited Anna, the more annoyed he was getting with her roommate. Always asking stupid questions to undermine Gavin and showing off his fucking doll stuff. Gavin assumed it was as dick-flaunting as Dan could get. So Dan was a high-end product photographer and owned an amazing house. So what? That was no big deal. What annoyed Gavin though was that Anna didn’t seem to notice Dan hovering around her like a vulture.

  “He’s a photographer and very active in the fandom. He does photos of loli tea parties sometimes. Why?” Andrea relaxed into the chair.

  “I mean like ... did they ever date?” Gavin started putting on the foundation with a brush.

  “Oh ... Ohhh,” muttered Andrea, squinting at Gavin. “So that’s what it is about.”

  Gavin groaned. It’s not that he was jealous, since Anna didn’t seem to be interested in Dan at all, but he did feel uneasy about the fact that they lived together. “I’m just asking. It’s no big deal. What do I care, anyway?”

  “If you don’t care, we might talk about my new shoes,” said Andrea with a wide grin. He could see she was teasing him, but it didn’t make it any better.

  “Or we might talk about Dan before I get to the lipstick and you’ll have to shut it.”

  “Just tell me you’re jealous. Please, do it for me?” Andrea batted her eyelashes. “It’s like the key to my now-sealed lips.”

  Gavin took a deep breath, pretending he was looking for an eye shadow. “I just see the way this creep looks at her.”

  “Yeah, he keeps crowding her. You should make your move if you don’t want to miss out.” She patted his shoulder.

  “Close your eyes. I just ... I don’t know. I like meeting up with her. I don’t want it to stop,” he confessed, surprised himself at the ease with which it passed through his mouth. It didn’t mean that he wanted a full-on relationship, but ... it wasn’t like he was seeing anyone else either.

  Andrea sighed. “Basically, Anna’s convinced she and Dan are just close friends, but everyone else knows what’s going on. I kinda feel sad for Dan, but he’s not really her type.”

  “Yeah? You think she’s more into skinny makeup artists with a face full of acne?” He laughed, but it was far from funny. He’d never show Anna his face without makeup.

  “You don’t have acne anymore. It’s just scars, come on.” Andrea op
ened one eye while he was applying eye shadow base on her other eyelid.

  “There’s still spots and shit. But yeah, I’m gonna keep an eye on this Dan guy. They play around with dolls together so, you know, solid competition there.”

  “They have a doll couple together. I bet Dan would love to make the story erotic because that could potentially lead to stuff, but Anna hates doll erotica. She thinks it gives the hobby a bad name.”

  Gavin frowned. “An erotic photo story with those dolls? What the hell? Maybe I should get one of them and have it nail one of Anna’s, just to be on the safe side?” He laughed at the sole idea.

  “There are models with exchangeable cocks. Do all their resin pussies—” Andrea started when someone shouted too loudly, but then she gave Gavin a brilliant smile.

  “The Lolita community would not approve of your foul language, my dear.” He grinned, but the lazy chatting was over when the manager came over with her fake champagne and more impatience.

  Andrea chased her away more effectively than Gavin could in his position, and they went on with the makeup. It’d been the only pleasant hour of this hellhole of a day.

  When Gavin was finally off, no one explicitly told him, but it was clear that he wouldn’t be hired again. In the end, two of the models originally appointed to him had to be taken over by other artists, and he was so ashamed he didn’t even want to talk to anyone as he was leaving the white and red tent of plastic love.

  He put on a scarf before walking out from the hot shopping center and into the street. Was this really it? Was he a washed-up makeup artist before he’d even achieved anything in his career? Was he now destined to do clown makeup and face painting at kids’ parties? He scowled at the sole idea and reached into his bag to get change for the bus ready when someone knocked on his back. Apparently, he deserved as much respect as a door.

  He turned around with a groan. “What?” But his frown dispersed when he looked at the familiar rabbit-eared hoodie and a pair of smiling brown eyes.

  “Surprise,” said Anna, taking hold of his hand. “I barely recognized you.”

  Gavin reached for his glasses, unsure what to do. He felt like Superman caught in the office as Clark Kent. “Oh hey ... I ... yeah, had to dress down for work.”

  But Anna didn’t seem disappointed. She stepped closer, raising her face. “Happy Valentine’s Day!”

  Cold sweat beaded on Gavin’s back. “Yeah, uh, you too.” He didn’t plan this! This was a disaster. “Were you in the area, or something?”

  Anna shook her head with that brilliant smile. “No, Andrea told me where you worked today, so I came over to take you out on a date. Ready?” She wiggled her eyebrows.

  No? “I ... this is ...” He looked around the street, but no one was there to hand him a spare chocolate box. “Yeah, sure, I’m just surprised.”

  “That’s the idea.” Anna pulled him along the street, and the ball of nerves in Gavin’s stomach only tightened, close to becoming the supernova of stress. Hadn’t this day been enough of a failure already? But what if he refused? Anna would go home to Dan. They might have a Valentine’s Day photo shoot. Would that be the day their dolls did it?

  “So what’s happening?”

  “You’ll see. It’s no fun if you know everything, Mister hipster.” Anna grinned at Gavin. “You look good in glasses.”

  Gavin wanted to say he had the black-rimmed glasses before they got popular but realized it would be the most stereotypically hipster thing he could say. “Oh, thanks. I prefer the lenses, but see better in these.”

  “I imagine they are more comfortable at work. How did it go, by the way?”

  “Cool. Incredibly busy, but I like the rush. Makes you feel like there’s a lot to do. Like you’re facing a challenge.” He gave Anna his smile number five. The last thing he wanted was for her to realize just how much of a failure he was. He would get back into more freelancing jobs soon, and Anna would see him succeed.

  “That’s amazing. Andrea sent me a picture of her makeup. You are so talented!” Anna snaked her arm around Gavin’s as they walked past the crowd gathered in restaurants and cafés decorated for the occasion. “I mean, I knew that because of your own makeup, but that was something else.”

  Gavin smiled. Hearing this was all the praise his broken spirit needed. “Yeah, I had fun with her. I got to put these tiny hearts on the side of her face. Her boyfriend was cute as well, but she didn’t let me do his makeup.” Andrea’s dollfie had a matching outfit and seeing the photographer’s face when she walked in front of the background with the doll on her arm was priceless.

  “Yeah, he’s super cute,” said Anna, as if the doll were a real guy. She smiled at an elderly lady who nodded back as she walked past them. It was as if Anna were a pink ray of sunshine, radiating warmth even in the February gloom.

  “She slapped my hand when I even pretended I wanted to paint a heart on his face. Her eyes almost popped out.” Gavin laughed. “What do you paint them with then?”

  Anna’s eyes glinted. “Acrylic paints and dry pastel mostly, but you need to use a special spray to protect the resin and then seal the faceup. I could show you, if you like.”

  “Maybe someday. I have this MAC spray to seal my makeup, is it similar?”

  “As top coat, but when you apply it to a clean head, it’s more like a base for nail polish.”

  It only now occurred to Gavin just how much effort went into painting those dolls. He remembered Fiona standing in her display cabinet, and he had to admit her face was a work of art. So precise and detailed, all the tiny eyelashes and beauty spots in place.

  “Does Dan do it as well?”

  “No, I do all of his dolls. This way I get to do faceups of boys as well, because I only collect girls.”

  Gavin had to admit that the weight of Anna’s arm on his felt good, so did talking to her after such an exhausting day. It was as if all his troubles were lifted off his shoulders and tossed into the corner. Apart from the lack of even the smallest present. But in Anna’s eyes, Gavin seemed to be the most amazing boyfriend, not a disabled cock-up, who couldn’t even do people’s makeup on time.

  “So ... Have your dolls done it?”

  Anna blinked. “What?”

  “You know.” Gavin nudged her with his elbow. “In that photo story. Had they had sex yet? Andrea told me it’s a thing.”

  “Oh. My. God.” Redness colored Anna’s cheeks, but she wouldn’t stop smiling. “Come on, I’m not gonna simulate sex with my roommate. That would be weird.”

  “It would be, right?” Gavin quickly picked that up. “You’d never date Dan, would you?”

  Anna frowned at him. “Err—why? He’s a friend.”

  “‘Cause I just kinda feel he’s close to you, so yeah, just checking.”

  Anna smiled at him and looked ahead, tightening the grip she had on Gavin’s arm. They were approaching the riverside, and Gavin wondered whether Anna was inviting him over for dinner.

  Gavin took a deep breath of the cool air and leaned down to give Anna a kiss. It was nice to have someone to be close to. Someone who didn’t just sneak around with you after concerts but actually cared enough to ask how his day was. Anna was melting Gavin’s defenses faster than any girl before her. She was just so easy to talk to, so honest about what she thought. It was ... refreshing.

  Anna leaned into him, actually stumbling a bit when she got to her toes while walking. Her lips were so smooth, sincere, inviting as they smiled against Gavin’s. “Ready for the ride of your life, Prince of Darkness?”

  For a split second, Gavin imagined Anna riding his dick on a park bench, but he knew that wouldn’t be the case. There were way too many people around. “Hm?”

  She gave him a sly smile. “Do you know the area? There’s a certain attraction around here ...”

  “The London Eye? That would be a very slow ‘ride of my life.’ Unless you’re planning to suck me off in a see-through cabin over the city.” Gavin raised his eyebrows with a
smirk.

  Anna bit her lip, lowering her gaze in the cutest way possible. Her cheeks were already pink from the cold, but now they darkened. “That would have been quite a show. We’d be rewarded with a free trip to the police station after that.”

  “Are you saying people wouldn’t enjoy themselves?” Gavin teased and slid out of Anna’s embrace to put an arm over her shoulders. He loved how affectionate she was. He didn’t even know just how much he missed this kind of contact before meeting her. Anna was so short as well, and it made him feel more like the man.

  Anna leaned into him, playing with a button on Gavin’s vest. “Who wouldn’t enjoy looking at your cock?”

  “Weirdos.” Gavin grinned as they walked along the Thames.

  “My thoughts exactly,” said Anna, pulling him along until they turned into the next street, and Gavin saw the familiar red neon.

  “Really? The London Dungeon?” Gavin snorted. “Have you made a reservation? I bet it’s packed on Valentine’s.”

  “Duh! Two weeks ago. Have you been there yet?” asked Anna.

  “Never got round to it, no.” Gavin rustled the back of Anna’s hair. She was beyond sweet. He kept thinking of her as ‘girl’ even though it was Anna who was four years older than him and actually had a nice place to live. And a successful career. It was just the way she looked and acted, all enthusiastic and baby-faced.

  “Cool, me neither. I’m so happy you didn’t have other plans.”

  “All my other girlfriends are out of town,” Gavin said matter-of-factly.

  “So are mine. All my evenings have been sort-of booked recently,” said Anna, her eyes raising to meet Gavin’s gaze

  Gavin pulled her closer and kissed the top of the pink head. “I suppose it’s just us then.”

  Anna’s arms circled his waist as she leaned further into Gavin, but then she grinned at him with a new shine to her eyes. “There will be no distractions as we run from Jack the Ripper.”

  “But who will take care of Fiona if we die?” Gavin gasped as they took their place at the end of the queue.