Makin’ the Cut

by Rennie Rivera

  “I’ll see you tonight, baby doll. Maybe after the banquet you’ll let me hold you.”

  She looks into my eyes. “I’d like that.”

  I place a soft kiss upon her forehead, holding her hand until the very last second. She’s the breath of change I’ve been waiting for. We’ll be the best of friends and a power couple. Me a CEO, and her a fashion designer. I can see it now.

  But for now, we must focus on the competition. I walk out and get in the car waiting for me. The quicker I get home and pack the quicker I can get back to her.

  15

  Savannah

  Time to check in. I’m a train wreck of nerves. I feel like I’m going to have a panic attack as I wait in line for my turn to sign in and get my room keys. I know he’s up there, I can feel him. I need to act natural, the last thing we need is everyone staring and gossiping. Although, I’m sure we were seen together at graduation.

  Fuck, I really need to stop worrying so much about what others think. I mean come on, he isn’t a judge, has no say in who enters or who wins. Of course, I’m not going to just run up and make out with him in front of everyone. I’ll play it cool for now. Then maybe slowly start showing little signs of PDA.

  “Hi, welcome to Makin’ the Cut! Name and number?” the woman at the table asks.

  “Thank you I’m so excited to be here. I’m Savannah Johnson, number seventeen, but you can call me Savy.” I reply.

  I glance up at her as Lukah walks our way, smiling, and winks at me.

  “Wait, you’re Savy?” she inquires while looking between Lukah and I. “The Savy?”

  Lukah laughs while replying, “Yes, Izzy, this is the Savy. Savy, this is Isabelle Grant, my Sofia.”

  I smile at her. “Hi, nice to meet you. I’ve heard so much about you.”

  She shakes my hand, “Oh girl, I’m so excited to meet you. Let’s have a drink later after the banquet and talk. Here are your keys, you’ll be in suite 515. Hmmm, look at that, you’re right down the hall from me. Go ahead and get settled. The dinner meeting as you know is at seven thirty pm. It’s casual dress and please be sure you and your assistant remember to bring something to take notes on!”

  “Thank you. I look forward to it. And drinks sound great. See you soon.” I take my keys from her while winking at him.

  Lukah just smiles.

  I head upstairs, texting Sofia to let her know our suite number and telling her to hurry. We need to unpack and get ready for the dinner meeting. She replies quickly saying she is almost here. I feel giddy with excitement and nerves. I’ve been dreaming almost my whole life of an opportunity like this, a chance to show the world my designs.

  The elevator dings, signaling I’ve arrived at my floor. Before I realize what’s happening, Lukah grabs my hand, dragging me out into the hall.

  Shoving me against the wall he says, “I don’t know how it’s possible, but in just the short time we’ve been apart, I’ve missed you.” Then he plunges his tongue into my mouth when I gasp.

  I kiss him back quickly before I pull away nervously. “Lukah, we can’t make out in the hall. Come on, let’s get inside my suite.”

  As I look around making sure no one saw us, I drag him down the hall to my door. Swiping my key, we step inside, stopping in complete shock. This suite’s absolutely breathtaking.

  “Do you like it?” he asks as he wraps his arms around me.

  “It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before. This is too much, baby. Do all the suites look like this?” I reply while looking around.

  “This is my suite, our suite. Sofia has her own room on one side of the suite and ours is on the opposite. I gave up my suite so that I could share with you. If that’s okay. If not, I can stay in the spare room in Izzy’s suite.” He says.

  I take a step away and turns to face him. Stunned, I’m absolutely stunned.

  “Of course, it’s okay. I mean when the models are here, and I’m working you may need to go down and hang out in her suite. You’re quite distracting, and I’m here to win a competition. But I absolutely love the idea. I was thinking while standing in line that I need to stop worrying over what others think. So what if they catch on to us and our relationship? Like you said, you have no say in who wins or who enters so who cares who knows?”

  He stares at me for a few minutes before stepping forward and grabbing my hands. “Relationship? Is that what this is? And before you freak out, no I’m not freaking out. It’s what I want between us. But I just want to be sure it is what you want too.”

  I look up into his eyes. “Yes. I mean, let’s call this what it is. A relationship. I’m not capable of keeping it casual. I don’t do one-night stands. Sure, friends with benefits sounds good, but I’m a commitment kind of girl.”

  He kisses me softly. “Then a commitment you shall have.”

  Knock. Knock. Knock.

  “Savy, it’s me. Open up,” Fia yells through the door.

  I step back. “She’s gonna freak out when we tell her we’re a couple.”

  Once I open the door, Fia comes in, followed by Rhen pushing a cart with all our luggage and stuff on it.

  “Rhen, how the hell did she rope you into bringing everything in?” I ask while laughing at him.

  “Sex. She promised sexual favors if I did this. And of course, I’d have done it without them, but they sweeten the deal,” he replies laughing. Suddenly he notices Lukah. “Hey man, I didn’t know you were here. What’s up?”

  “Savy and I were just discussing our arrangement and she came to a decision. I’m glad you’re both here so we can share it with you,” Lukah answers.

  Looking between us, Rhen asks, “Okay, what is it?”

  Stepping next to Lukah, linking our hands, I speak up. “We’re a couple. Not a casual thing, not booty call friends. I decided that I need to not fight it and just follow my gut. He’s gonna be staying here with me at night and will be with his assistant while I work so he isn’t distracting me.”

  Sofia squeals. “Yay! I’m so happy for you. So, since Lukah will be spending the night, can Rhen?”

  “Of course. There’s no rules as to who can stay with you. We only ask that you sign a nondisclosure to protect the contestants,” Lukah says.

  Rhen responds, “Absolutely. We understand respecting privacy. Well some of us do. Cough, Fia, cough.”

  I start laughing. “No, Fia respects privacy, just not mine. It’s a sister thing.”

  Fia puts her hands on her hips. “Bitch, your business is my business. But outside of our circle I’ll not disrespect your privacy. I’m good with signing the nondisclosure document. I won’t do anything to jeopardize what you’ve worked so hard for!”

  I walk over and give her a hug. “I love you. Thank you.”

  The guys are unloading the cart while Sofia and I move the bags to appropriate rooms. All my sewing stuff and sketch pads and whatnot are put on the table that seems to serve as the dining area. We all agree that it’s a great work area because of the size of the table.

  Lukah kisses my temple. “It’s 7:15, baby doll, I need to head down and help Izzy. I’ll see you all down there. Rhen, I’ll add you to the assistant roster. Besides, the more help the better. I can actually use help with music and stuff for the shows. That’s if you don’t mind being a DJ too?”

  Rhen nods. “Sounds good. Anything I can do to help! Plus, it gives me a front row seat to the show where I can see my lil’ sis in action. I’m gonna head home to pack a bag and get a few things. I’ll ride down with you. Ladies, I’ll meet you back here after your meeting.”

  I nod and start moving. “See you down there, baby. Oh, here Bubba, take the spare key. Fi and I’ll be together, so we don’t need it.”

  Fia and I change, grab a couple of note pads, and then head down to the dinner meeting. I have a good feeling about all of this.

  Exiting the elevator, Fia grabs my hand. “Here we go. It all starts now.”

  “Yes, it does indeed. I’m so ecstatic to be here. Let’s find
a table and get our seats. Do you want to take notes, or should I?”

  “Let’s both take notes so this way if either of us miss something, one of us is liable to get it. Plus, I’ll record the important stuff too.”

  We find a table and settle in. Once they announce we could go make our plates, we did so and quickly returned to our seats. I’m so glad she is here with me. I’d be a nervous wreck if I had to endure this alone. I don’t know anyone else besides Lukah and Izzy. My anxiety level is through the roof. My phone dings, signaling a message. I was going to ignore it, but something in my gut says to check it.

  Lukah: You look delicious

  I feel as though my face is on fire. I look around in hopes no one notices my blushing.

  Me: Thank you ;)

  Lukah: Damn, I can’t wait to taste you again. My cock’s hard just thinking about your sweet nectar

  I look up and spot him staring at me with a devilish grin on his face. Shaking my head, I rub my thighs together, hoping the friction will calm me down a little.

  Me: You’re killing me. What if I told you that tonight I just want to fall asleep in your arms?

  Lukah: Baby doll, just being able to be near you is enough for me. I’m simply telling you my thought process at the moment.

  Me: Oh, I see. Well we’ll have to discuss these thoughts later while in bed. I can’t wait to hear all your dirty little thoughts. But for now, time to give your speech.

  Lukah: Mmm I’ll try my best. You’re just a bit distracting in that tank top and yoga pants. You’ll be the death of me with the things you do to me.

  I notice Isabelle smacking him and laugh.

  Me: Busted. Lol. Now behave yourself

  I see him smile than start to type. My phone chimes again.

  Lukah: Ok, ok. I’ll do my best. If I don’t, Izzy’ll have my head. Lol. Talk to you after the meeting. Xoxoxo

  Fia looks over at me and smiles. “Lover boy miss you already?”

  I feel my cheeks flaming. “Something like that.”

  “It’s cute. Gavin never gushed over you like this. I love seeing that smile on your face.”

  My phone chimes again. I feel myself smile bigger as I pick it up, but it fades when I read the message:

  Unknown: Does Richie Rich know he’s sleeping with a stripper whore? If you want to keep it that way, meet me tomorrow at noon at the hotel bar.

  I gasp, placing my hand over my mouth. From the corner of my eye I can see Lukah get up and start towards me. I shake my head. Not now, I mouth to him, stopping him in his tracks. I see him look at Fi, she nods and takes my phone.

  She reads the message, before growling. “Who the fuck? Sis, ignore this person. We’ll handle it after the meeting. Right now, I need you to focus. I’m keeping your phone for now.”

  She gets up, putting my phone in her pocket as she walks over to Lukah and whispers something to him. He looks up at me and then nods. He winks at me and walks toward the front of the room.

  Fia comes back, sitting down next to me. “He’s worried about you. I told him it was nothing to worry about right now, but that we needed to talk after this. Sis, time to come clean with him and shut this asshole, whoever it is, down. I have a feeling they’re wanting money.”

  “You’re right. I just wanted him to know the real me before I revealed Kalesi to him. But this’ll prove if he’s around to stay no matter what. I just hope he doesn’t run.

  16

  Lukah

  “Welcome, ladies and gentlemen. Congratulations on making it through preliminaries. But now the hard work starts. My name is Isabelle Grant, and I’m one of the main contacts you’ll have in this event. My boss and friend, Lukah Jacobs, is the man behind the idea that created this competition.”

  I raise my hand and wave out to the crowd.

  Izzy continues. “A panel of judges were selected by our board members and they’re who you’ll need to impress. Lukah and I are merely here to encourage, assist, and supervise things. Lukah likes to be hands-on with all his projects. So, you’ll be seeing a lot of us.”

  I notice some of the female contestants staring at me with hunger in their eyes, a look I’m used to. But I can’t keep my gaze from landing on the only contestant that matters in my eyes, Savy.

  “We’ve randomly assigned three models to each of you. Also included in your envelopes will be your competition day, time, and position in the show that day. I expect you all to bring your “A” game. From what I hear, these judges are very meticulous when deciding the winners. I’ll turn things over to Lukah and let him give the good news,” Izzy finishes her speech.

  I almost completely miss my que, because I’m distracted by what’s going on with Savy. She looks as though she’s seen a ghost. Sofia assures me it’s nothing concerning us. She told me we’ll get answers after the meeting. So now I need to make sure I hit all the key points, important facts, and give them exactly what they need to know, before we adjourn for the night. Okay, show time.

  “Well good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to ‘Makin’ the Cut.’ You all have what it takes to be great, otherwise the judges wouldn’t have chosen you. Now it’s time to show them how great you can be! Time to step out of your comfort zones and think outside the box.”

  Looking out over the crowd, I’m pleased with the turnout for this event. I go about explaining everything in detail so that the contestants know exactly what it is they signed up for. I also let them know some of the benefits of being contestants in the show.

  “We do invite you to stay to show support to the remaining contestants after the first and second rounds. In this industry we need to have each other’s back, as you never know whom you may partner up with down the road. So, with that said, let me give you the rules.”

  I go about giving all the details in a quick manner, still more concerned about Savy than the event at this moment. I promised her I would keep our personal life separate from the competition, so I try to keep reminding myself of that as I explain the rules as well as telling them all about the prizes. There are gasps, lots of clapping and whistling in celebration of the prizes. Damn, I need to wrap this up so I can get to Savy and make sure she’s okay.

  “Okay, so it’s already been an exciting and informative first night. I thank you all for your time and patience. We’ll go ahead and adjourn for tonight. Just a reminder that the breakfast buffet will be available at nine a.m. It’ll have a coffee and juice bar as well for those of you unable to function without your morning coffee. Don’t forget to see Isabelle before leaving. Goodnight all.”

  I watch as Savy gets up and immediately leaves the room. Fia makes her way towards me with a look of murder on her face.

  But before she can say anything, I snap at her. “Okay, what the fuck is going on. Where’s Savy going? Is she okay?” Anger and worry surge through my veins.

  Fia holds her hands up, looking around as though we’re being watched. “Down killer, she went to the room. I’m going to head up and calm her down. Rhen brought wine so maybe a glass will help calm her a little. When you’re done down here, come up so she can talk to you. I’ll leave your key with Izzy.”

  I nod. “Okay I’ll be there as soon as we’re done here. Please tell me she isn’t having second thoughts. I don’t want to lose her.”

  Fia looks at me with a sadness in her eyes I’d not seen before. “It’s her that’s worried about losing you. This may be a deal breaker for you, with your reputation and image. Please promise me you’ll walk into this with an open mind?”

  I nod. “No matter what it is, we can get through it together. Go head up, she needs you. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  She nods.

  I suddenly remember drinks with Izzy. “Wait, should I tell Izzy drinks another night?”

  Sofia replies, “No, bring her too. She may want to be privy to this information. See you up there.”

  I run my fingers through my thick curly auburn hair, trying to calm myself down. This better not be about
that scumbag Gavin. I’ll end him. After a few minutes, I walk over to where Izzy is and sit next to her at the table. I help her hand out the envelopes, shaking hands with the contestants and personal assistants. I refuse to let anything jeopardize her in this competition or our relationship. I’ll fight for us, fight for her.

  * * *

  SAVANNAH

  I wish I knew who this was. Maybe Momma will know. I dial her as I ride the elevator up to my suite.

  “Hey, baby girl, how’s it going?” she answers the phone.

  “Hi, Momma, it’s fantastic. But I got a really strange and creepy text at the start of the meeting, so I’m a bit off. Like if it hadn’t been for me recording and dating the man in charge, I’d have no idea as to what’s going on. Oh yeah, Lukah and I or I decided that I’m done fighting you guys and fate. Lukah and I are a couple officially now.”

  “Oh baby, that’s great news. I know you’re scared of being hurt, but in order to find love you have to put yourself out there. But let’s talk about this text,” she states.

  “It was an unknown number. They threatened to tell Richie Rich, as they referred to him, that I’m a stripper whore by night. Momma, I’ve never fucked any of my customers. Who would tell such an awful lie? I don’t bother with anyone.” Tears roll down my face as I try to understand why someone would threaten me like this.

  Momma replies, “Baby, some people are just ugly inside and out. Try to calm down.”

  I start to shake in anger. “Do you think this could be Sammy? Do you think she found out Gavin came to me begging for me back today? Do you think what he said was a lie? Why Momma, why me?”

  “What the fuck?” she yells into the phone, “No, stop. Baby. You don’t need to worry, this isn’t Sammy. She wouldn’t be stupid enough to try this. She knows Fia would hunt her down. I think I know who it is and if this is who I think it is, they just want some money.”