Decadent Delicacy
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- Posted: Sun, 01 Nov 2009 09:23:22 +0000
She gasped as the water filled her lungs and a scream that wouldn’t be heard ripped from her throat. Grabbing at her throat and chest, she clawed her fingers across her skin. Her eyes bugled and she gulped again; water. Mouthfuls of salty sea water that made her eyes bulge a little more and her arms began to flail wildly. I’m going to die, she thought desperately. This is it. Almost resigned to the fact she let the pain overwhelm her as she mentally slipped into oblivion.
Her body tensed and she bolted upright, her fingers curling around her throat in assurance as she did so. She panted, a cold shiver rippling down her spine as she shook her head, willing away the nightmare that had now haunted her since she was a child. With a heavy sigh, she let herself fall against the pillows and let out a disgusted snort as her sheets were damp and tangled with sweat. She’d been tossing and turning again. Mildly, she wondered if she’d cried out again.
Her feet hit the lush carpet with a soft thump and she moved around the room restlessly, pacing as she had many a night before, her flaming hair cascading down her silk robe in contrast to the ink black material. Skimming her fingers through the flaming mane, she flounced from her room and into the kitchen where she could fix herself a hot drink.
The sound of ceramic smashing against her polished wooden floor pulled her back from sleep and a curse escaped her lips before she could pull it back as she leant down to gather the broken pieces of mug. She allowed herself some pity. She was exhausted. She hadn’t been sleeping well for over a month now and sleeping pills hadn’t helped.
“For god’s sake, Beth, Pull yourself together.”
Standing up she dumped the mug’s pieces unceremoniously into the kitchen tidy bag and pulled another from a hook above the jug. Dumping two heaped teaspoons into it she poured the hot water and let the scent of the chocolaty drink soothe her jagged nerves.
“You’re Beth Gordon. Successful. Beautiful and... Crazy.” She muttered as she plonked the mug atop then bench and let her fingers rub at her temples.
It was late and she was arguing with herself. Tipping the remains of the hot drink down the drain, she padded back to her room, stripped her sheet, let her robe puddle at her feet on the floor and flopped back onto the bed, letting herself sink into the coffin her mattress was creating around her. Flipping onto her stomach, she dragged a pillow to her, scrunching it into a tight ball before allowing her head to fall atop of it. Minutes later, she had returned to her restless sleep.
The alarm blared and Beth groaned. Rolling luxuriously in the warmth of her bed she stretched and let her hand fall on the alarm clock beside her bed, fiddling until it was silenced. Her lips parted in a yawn and her body arched as she flexed each limb. Despite the early morning blunder, she felt surprisingly rested. In one swift movement, the covers were flipped back and she was moving to the bathroom, her slight figure graceful and shamelessly nude.
The dial was turned and ice cold water rained over her body and she shook her head before turning the dial so that the water warmed. She mentally went over her schedule as she lathered and rinsed, planned her evening as she soaped and finally she led her head tip back and cleared her mind of all thoughts as the water ran over her in slick rivulets’.
She felt all tension release and her shoulders slump in relaxation. As a reflex, she reached out and turning off the water stepped out and towelled off. Pots lined her bathroom counter, perfumes, creams and lotions, make-up scattered as well as sticking out hazardly from a pale peach bag. With a whispered oath, she cleared away the rumble from the morning befores mission of disguising dark under eye bags and plucking her hair dryer from its hook on the wall, blasted her hair with a gust of hot air.
With hair curled and primped, Beth started on her face slather various creams over her skin before pencilling her lower lids, darkening her lashes. Her routine was perfected to an art. Beth ran on routines and structure. If things were disorganised, Beth was the one to fix it, ensuring organisation and routine. Her briefcase was packed the night before as a rule. All work that needed to be completed at home was done so before her gym work out and after her workout was a dinner that had been tossed in the microwave and nuked. Life was dull. She needed spice and refused to admit it.
Dressed in a soft silk skirt, blouse and jacket, Beth sauntered from her apartment and into the streets of Mayfair with an elegant, feline jaunt. Cars and buses bustled on the streets beside her but as Beth inhaled the stale air, she knew that walking the one kilometre to her office would be worth it. Setting off at a brisk pace, she watched the people around her with subtlety and curiousness.
She wondered idly when the mother with 5 children at her feet ever got a moment to herself or whether the irate business man yelling into his mobile phone had remembered to kiss his wife goodbye that morning. She wondered what had held up the scrawny young girl that chased after the bus with a vengeance, her long blonde hair fanning out behind her. She also wondered whether the well-built sexy builder who’d winked at her had a girl lapping up his attention at home or whether the woman with the 5 energetic kids would fantasize about his rangy body that night in the shower.
With a slight smirk, Beth wandered into the Starbucks that she liked to think of as her own. Her cockney had faded as she’d made her way higher in her world of glitz, glamour and fashion and only when she was raging did the accent assail her. Her greeting was drowned by the sound of the grounder but her wave was returned and Mikayla, Beth’s personal favourite barista returned it with a wide smile.
“Caramel Macchiato?” Mikayla yelled over the din.
“You betcha.”
“Any dishes out there?” Her grin was infectious; Beth decided as she nodded, her face pulled tight in a mock grimace.
“Sexy builders, lawyers in tight slacks. I’m weak at the knees, love.”
Mikayla threw back her head and laughed as she moved to the coffee machine and moved around with practiced ease. Her movements were fluent and graceful and she talked as she moved, her dark eyes lighting when she laughed.
“Beth, darling, you’re going to lose me to one of them fancy, rich lawyers one day. Just you watch.” Mikayala watched Beth as she leant against the bar of the coffee house. She was perfection, she thought with affection. She was everything Mikayla wished she could be and more. She was successful, surrounded by gorgeous men, gifted, beautiful and full of life. “Anything in the books today?” A smirk crossed the young girl’s features and Beth raised an eyebrow.
“Well actually, I’m meeting our new photographer today. He’ll be replacing Marty. His name’s Guy. Very prominent. Probably a pain in the a** to work with.” Beth smiled and curled her hand around the mug of steaming coffee that had been plopped down in front of her. Lifting it to her lips she sniffed at the scent wafting from the Styrofoam mug.
“Absolutely perfect,” she murmured before taking a sip. “I’ll tell you all about Guy tomorrow, love. Gotta run!” A careless glance over her shoulder and a loose wave as she left the coffee shop and ventured out into the throngs of hurrying office workers.
Sipping non-chalantly at her coffee, Beth felt the gust of cool air as the doors to the tower building whooshed open before her and swallowed her up. The lift would take her to the 14th floor where her office was situated and she was almost guaranteed to be greeted with a litany of complaints from the new photographer who had a 6.30am shoot that had started an hour ago. Leaning against the rail, she let a heavy sigh escape her lips as she prepared herself mentally for the rampage.
Ding.
The doors yawned open and sedate chaos ensued. Beth glanced idly from desk to desk and hurried forward with her head down hoping that by some miracle no one would notice she’d arrived. Making it to her office, she flung the door open, closed it behind her and sunk into her office chair with a barely audible sound of relief. A knock on the door made her cringe and she glanced at it with apprehension. Crossing one leg smoothly over the other, she turned her frown into a smile and called out silkily.
“Coooome in.”
Guy Harding stalked into Beth’s office with a string of curses. He didn’t glance at his new director, only marched the room with panther-like grace. His temper had reached critical level and it was only an hour into his day. The lighting had failed, the model was a bimbo with no brain, the scene wasn’t right and what in gods earth was she wearing? He remained silent as he stalked, long fingers stretched across his forehead and rubbing at his temples as he tried to calm himself. This was not the way he had planned his first day to go.
Astonished, Beth sat silently watched as Guy paced her office. Her first thought was that he was devastatingly handsome with his shaggy, tousled blonde hair, those slate grey eyes and that long rangy looking body. You couldn’t find flaw in the way that he moved, fluid and effortlessly. Nor could one find fault with his fashion sense. Charcoal-grey slacks fell from his narrow hips and a white business shirt almost clung to his upper body. He was well built with broad shoulders, a tapering torso and just the slightest hint of abs. Her mouth almost watered as she watched him with open curiosity. Finally, when she could watch him no more without becoming dizzy, she spoke.
“Can I help you? Or would you prefer to pace my office all day.” A smile had settled on her features, her green eyes lighting with amusement as she spun on his heel and sauntered to her desk.
“Yes, you can damn well help me. Arrange some goddamned ******** order to be bought to this chaos. These working conditions are unsuitable.” He glared at her through the strands of hair that fell over his face.
Such an endearing face too, she thought mildly as her smile widened. Chaos, he called out there chaos. She suppressed the urge to snicker and the urge to brush the strands of hair from his eyes at the same time. His hands were splayed across the front of her tidy and organised desk. She noted the absent wedding ring and mentally whooped for joy.
“I assume you’re Guy, our new fashion photographer. Pleased to meet you, I’m Bethany Gordon, but Beth will do fine. Now about that chaos.” She emphasised the word chaos lightly as she leant back into her leather chair. She was tempted now to slip her feet out of her heels and rest them on her desk just to madden him further but denied herself the experience. “That chaos is sedate. This is nothing. Now, what seems to be the real problem?” Reaching out, she lifted her coffee to her lips and took a satisfying sip.
“Oh and please, do take a seat.” She gestured to one of the armchairs that sat before her mahogany desk; Cream with chocolate cushions.
Guy’s jaw almost dropped at her response. She was calm, cool. Too cool he decided as he flopped arrogantly into one of the chairs. He was still glaring at her as he mulled over his list of complaints. There were so many it was hard to decide which he should deal with. Perhaps his salary because he obviously wasn’t being paid enough if this is what she called sedate. He almost rolled his eyes as images of the near hysterical model he’d left in the studio.
A challenging look widened his eyes and he shrugged as though he had not a care in the world. An almost innocent smile spread across his face making him devishly handsome as he threw his arms out wide.
“Perhaps you should accompany me to the studio.” His tone was slightly sarcastic as he rose and began to lead the way.
With a reluctant puff, Beth forced herself out of the comfort of her swivel chair and strode quickly to reach and match Guy’s pace. Together they stepped out of the elevator into the studio on the 15th floor. He was right, this was plain bedlam. With all the finesse she could muster, she gave him a small smile and began to work her magic.
“What’re the technical problems?” She asked while she surveyed the room. The model she noted was in full-blown hysterics. Almost like a child she decided wryly imagining a toddler kicking and screaming on all fours in the middle of a supermarket. The lights were blown, three of the most expensive from what she could tell and the set-up looked. Well, disastrous. She moved deeper into the bright room and listened to Guy’s list of technical complaints. Lighting, sets, lenses. Lenses? She shook her head. Today was going to be extremely over budget.
“Marco. Get to the stock room and get Mr Harding here one x6 55watt fluro; daylight 1200 vertical, one 1000watt quartz halogen and one SL-150 cool light. And whatever you do, don’t drop them!” She watched as Marco hurried from the room then spun on Guy and launched into a semi-attack.
“Lenses? What’s bloody wrong with the lenses?” Fury lined her voice though it was obvious she had tried to hide it. She knew all too well that their camera lenses were of the finest quality and extremely expensive. She arched a brow as Guy smirked and walked away from her. A rip in one of the umbrellas caught her attention and she made a mental note to get another bought up as she followed Guy impatiently. She watched as he fondled the camera, his long fingers caressing it as though it were a lover. He turned to her with a faint smile.
“To get the shot I want, I need an AF-S DX Micro NIKKOR 85mm f/3.5G ED VR. And I need it now. I’ll leave that in your capable hands, shall I?” His smile turned into a smirk as he placed the camera back into its black carry case.
“In the meantime, I think I’ll go and get a coffee.” And with that he sauntered out of the room leaving Beth to snort loudly in disgust as she watched his back.
“a**-wipe,” she muttered under her breath. Snagging an assistant by the arm, she sent her off in search of the said lens and a new umbrella. And now to calm the model. Rolling her eyes she wandered over to the girl who sat sobbing in a chair in the corner of the room. This could not be the girl who she’d picked out of the line-up of portfolios who claimed the richest hair in all of Mayfair, the most luscious of lips. How had she not seen that she was all wrong for this shoot?
“Hey there Hun,” Beth murmured as she fell heavily into a seat beside her. She was already wary. She would have to dismiss this girl without hurting her already obviously frazzled nerves. She would probably have to pay out as well for the rolls of film that had already been wasted. Turning her head towards the girl, she let her fingers slip through the mass of fiery curls and rub at her scalp. “Gonna tell me what’s wrong?”
The model looked disastrous in the brightly coloured silk gown that flared at the hips into a mass of swirling fabric. It made her skin look grey and her hair dull. It even dulled her almond shaped, limpid brown eyes. Imperceptibly, she shook her head and studied the girl intently. She could most definitely work for something else the office had in mind, Beth decided. Something chic and elegant.
“He yells so much. Nothing I did was right. He said I was bland and boring.” A sob tore from the girl and Beth felt a trace of sympathy for her. Her hand reached out for the girls arm and rubbed in an almost maternal fashion.
“How about, we get someone more experienced to deal with this old grouch and find you someone who’s a bit tamer. Sound good?” Her warm smile was reassuring and she was genuine. She really did feel for the girl and she truly thought she could make a fantastic model out of her yet. She watched the girl nod and smile meekly. Pulling them both to a stand, she slipped her arm around her waist and led her back to the dressing room.
“Right-o love, let’s get you out of this dress and off home to clean up. I want you back here tomorrow in my office bright and early.” As she said this, Beth mentally re-arranged her schedule to fit the girl in. She had a few meetings with important clients and a fragrance launch party to attend that night. And now she was squeezing in sympathy castings. Carefully, she lifted the girl’s sleek chestnut hair from her back and unzipped the gown with practised ease. She watched it ripple sensuously and puddle. The near nude model stepped out and turned to face Beth with a small smile on her face.
“What time, Miss Gordon?” Beth smiled at the tameness of the girl. She was sweet, probably innocent and naive too.
“Beth is fine love and we’ll say 8am. How does that sound? Now, your name love?” The girl nodded, and Beth decided in the right outfits she would be sensational. Her hair was rich and naturally highlighted with a multitude of reds and browns, her eyes brown pools of depth. Yes, she would most definitely make a model.
“Sage Bridges”
“Alright Sage, you best get home and I’ll see you tomorrow. Bright and early now.” Beth closed the dressing room door behind her and was relieved to find that had gone much better than she had expected. Making her way through the studio she ensured all her orders were being carried out and then proceeded back to her office where she informed her secretary Mary of the slight change to her schedule. Then slipping back into her office she kicked off her heels and flopped back into her leather chair. It was going to be a long day.
Her body tensed and she bolted upright, her fingers curling around her throat in assurance as she did so. She panted, a cold shiver rippling down her spine as she shook her head, willing away the nightmare that had now haunted her since she was a child. With a heavy sigh, she let herself fall against the pillows and let out a disgusted snort as her sheets were damp and tangled with sweat. She’d been tossing and turning again. Mildly, she wondered if she’d cried out again.
Her feet hit the lush carpet with a soft thump and she moved around the room restlessly, pacing as she had many a night before, her flaming hair cascading down her silk robe in contrast to the ink black material. Skimming her fingers through the flaming mane, she flounced from her room and into the kitchen where she could fix herself a hot drink.
The sound of ceramic smashing against her polished wooden floor pulled her back from sleep and a curse escaped her lips before she could pull it back as she leant down to gather the broken pieces of mug. She allowed herself some pity. She was exhausted. She hadn’t been sleeping well for over a month now and sleeping pills hadn’t helped.
“For god’s sake, Beth, Pull yourself together.”
Standing up she dumped the mug’s pieces unceremoniously into the kitchen tidy bag and pulled another from a hook above the jug. Dumping two heaped teaspoons into it she poured the hot water and let the scent of the chocolaty drink soothe her jagged nerves.
“You’re Beth Gordon. Successful. Beautiful and... Crazy.” She muttered as she plonked the mug atop then bench and let her fingers rub at her temples.
It was late and she was arguing with herself. Tipping the remains of the hot drink down the drain, she padded back to her room, stripped her sheet, let her robe puddle at her feet on the floor and flopped back onto the bed, letting herself sink into the coffin her mattress was creating around her. Flipping onto her stomach, she dragged a pillow to her, scrunching it into a tight ball before allowing her head to fall atop of it. Minutes later, she had returned to her restless sleep.
The alarm blared and Beth groaned. Rolling luxuriously in the warmth of her bed she stretched and let her hand fall on the alarm clock beside her bed, fiddling until it was silenced. Her lips parted in a yawn and her body arched as she flexed each limb. Despite the early morning blunder, she felt surprisingly rested. In one swift movement, the covers were flipped back and she was moving to the bathroom, her slight figure graceful and shamelessly nude.
The dial was turned and ice cold water rained over her body and she shook her head before turning the dial so that the water warmed. She mentally went over her schedule as she lathered and rinsed, planned her evening as she soaped and finally she led her head tip back and cleared her mind of all thoughts as the water ran over her in slick rivulets’.
She felt all tension release and her shoulders slump in relaxation. As a reflex, she reached out and turning off the water stepped out and towelled off. Pots lined her bathroom counter, perfumes, creams and lotions, make-up scattered as well as sticking out hazardly from a pale peach bag. With a whispered oath, she cleared away the rumble from the morning befores mission of disguising dark under eye bags and plucking her hair dryer from its hook on the wall, blasted her hair with a gust of hot air.
With hair curled and primped, Beth started on her face slather various creams over her skin before pencilling her lower lids, darkening her lashes. Her routine was perfected to an art. Beth ran on routines and structure. If things were disorganised, Beth was the one to fix it, ensuring organisation and routine. Her briefcase was packed the night before as a rule. All work that needed to be completed at home was done so before her gym work out and after her workout was a dinner that had been tossed in the microwave and nuked. Life was dull. She needed spice and refused to admit it.
Dressed in a soft silk skirt, blouse and jacket, Beth sauntered from her apartment and into the streets of Mayfair with an elegant, feline jaunt. Cars and buses bustled on the streets beside her but as Beth inhaled the stale air, she knew that walking the one kilometre to her office would be worth it. Setting off at a brisk pace, she watched the people around her with subtlety and curiousness.
She wondered idly when the mother with 5 children at her feet ever got a moment to herself or whether the irate business man yelling into his mobile phone had remembered to kiss his wife goodbye that morning. She wondered what had held up the scrawny young girl that chased after the bus with a vengeance, her long blonde hair fanning out behind her. She also wondered whether the well-built sexy builder who’d winked at her had a girl lapping up his attention at home or whether the woman with the 5 energetic kids would fantasize about his rangy body that night in the shower.
With a slight smirk, Beth wandered into the Starbucks that she liked to think of as her own. Her cockney had faded as she’d made her way higher in her world of glitz, glamour and fashion and only when she was raging did the accent assail her. Her greeting was drowned by the sound of the grounder but her wave was returned and Mikayla, Beth’s personal favourite barista returned it with a wide smile.
“Caramel Macchiato?” Mikayla yelled over the din.
“You betcha.”
“Any dishes out there?” Her grin was infectious; Beth decided as she nodded, her face pulled tight in a mock grimace.
“Sexy builders, lawyers in tight slacks. I’m weak at the knees, love.”
Mikayla threw back her head and laughed as she moved to the coffee machine and moved around with practiced ease. Her movements were fluent and graceful and she talked as she moved, her dark eyes lighting when she laughed.
“Beth, darling, you’re going to lose me to one of them fancy, rich lawyers one day. Just you watch.” Mikayala watched Beth as she leant against the bar of the coffee house. She was perfection, she thought with affection. She was everything Mikayla wished she could be and more. She was successful, surrounded by gorgeous men, gifted, beautiful and full of life. “Anything in the books today?” A smirk crossed the young girl’s features and Beth raised an eyebrow.
“Well actually, I’m meeting our new photographer today. He’ll be replacing Marty. His name’s Guy. Very prominent. Probably a pain in the a** to work with.” Beth smiled and curled her hand around the mug of steaming coffee that had been plopped down in front of her. Lifting it to her lips she sniffed at the scent wafting from the Styrofoam mug.
“Absolutely perfect,” she murmured before taking a sip. “I’ll tell you all about Guy tomorrow, love. Gotta run!” A careless glance over her shoulder and a loose wave as she left the coffee shop and ventured out into the throngs of hurrying office workers.
Sipping non-chalantly at her coffee, Beth felt the gust of cool air as the doors to the tower building whooshed open before her and swallowed her up. The lift would take her to the 14th floor where her office was situated and she was almost guaranteed to be greeted with a litany of complaints from the new photographer who had a 6.30am shoot that had started an hour ago. Leaning against the rail, she let a heavy sigh escape her lips as she prepared herself mentally for the rampage.
Ding.
The doors yawned open and sedate chaos ensued. Beth glanced idly from desk to desk and hurried forward with her head down hoping that by some miracle no one would notice she’d arrived. Making it to her office, she flung the door open, closed it behind her and sunk into her office chair with a barely audible sound of relief. A knock on the door made her cringe and she glanced at it with apprehension. Crossing one leg smoothly over the other, she turned her frown into a smile and called out silkily.
“Coooome in.”
Guy Harding stalked into Beth’s office with a string of curses. He didn’t glance at his new director, only marched the room with panther-like grace. His temper had reached critical level and it was only an hour into his day. The lighting had failed, the model was a bimbo with no brain, the scene wasn’t right and what in gods earth was she wearing? He remained silent as he stalked, long fingers stretched across his forehead and rubbing at his temples as he tried to calm himself. This was not the way he had planned his first day to go.
Astonished, Beth sat silently watched as Guy paced her office. Her first thought was that he was devastatingly handsome with his shaggy, tousled blonde hair, those slate grey eyes and that long rangy looking body. You couldn’t find flaw in the way that he moved, fluid and effortlessly. Nor could one find fault with his fashion sense. Charcoal-grey slacks fell from his narrow hips and a white business shirt almost clung to his upper body. He was well built with broad shoulders, a tapering torso and just the slightest hint of abs. Her mouth almost watered as she watched him with open curiosity. Finally, when she could watch him no more without becoming dizzy, she spoke.
“Can I help you? Or would you prefer to pace my office all day.” A smile had settled on her features, her green eyes lighting with amusement as she spun on his heel and sauntered to her desk.
“Yes, you can damn well help me. Arrange some goddamned ******** order to be bought to this chaos. These working conditions are unsuitable.” He glared at her through the strands of hair that fell over his face.
Such an endearing face too, she thought mildly as her smile widened. Chaos, he called out there chaos. She suppressed the urge to snicker and the urge to brush the strands of hair from his eyes at the same time. His hands were splayed across the front of her tidy and organised desk. She noted the absent wedding ring and mentally whooped for joy.
“I assume you’re Guy, our new fashion photographer. Pleased to meet you, I’m Bethany Gordon, but Beth will do fine. Now about that chaos.” She emphasised the word chaos lightly as she leant back into her leather chair. She was tempted now to slip her feet out of her heels and rest them on her desk just to madden him further but denied herself the experience. “That chaos is sedate. This is nothing. Now, what seems to be the real problem?” Reaching out, she lifted her coffee to her lips and took a satisfying sip.
“Oh and please, do take a seat.” She gestured to one of the armchairs that sat before her mahogany desk; Cream with chocolate cushions.
Guy’s jaw almost dropped at her response. She was calm, cool. Too cool he decided as he flopped arrogantly into one of the chairs. He was still glaring at her as he mulled over his list of complaints. There were so many it was hard to decide which he should deal with. Perhaps his salary because he obviously wasn’t being paid enough if this is what she called sedate. He almost rolled his eyes as images of the near hysterical model he’d left in the studio.
A challenging look widened his eyes and he shrugged as though he had not a care in the world. An almost innocent smile spread across his face making him devishly handsome as he threw his arms out wide.
“Perhaps you should accompany me to the studio.” His tone was slightly sarcastic as he rose and began to lead the way.
With a reluctant puff, Beth forced herself out of the comfort of her swivel chair and strode quickly to reach and match Guy’s pace. Together they stepped out of the elevator into the studio on the 15th floor. He was right, this was plain bedlam. With all the finesse she could muster, she gave him a small smile and began to work her magic.
“What’re the technical problems?” She asked while she surveyed the room. The model she noted was in full-blown hysterics. Almost like a child she decided wryly imagining a toddler kicking and screaming on all fours in the middle of a supermarket. The lights were blown, three of the most expensive from what she could tell and the set-up looked. Well, disastrous. She moved deeper into the bright room and listened to Guy’s list of technical complaints. Lighting, sets, lenses. Lenses? She shook her head. Today was going to be extremely over budget.
“Marco. Get to the stock room and get Mr Harding here one x6 55watt fluro; daylight 1200 vertical, one 1000watt quartz halogen and one SL-150 cool light. And whatever you do, don’t drop them!” She watched as Marco hurried from the room then spun on Guy and launched into a semi-attack.
“Lenses? What’s bloody wrong with the lenses?” Fury lined her voice though it was obvious she had tried to hide it. She knew all too well that their camera lenses were of the finest quality and extremely expensive. She arched a brow as Guy smirked and walked away from her. A rip in one of the umbrellas caught her attention and she made a mental note to get another bought up as she followed Guy impatiently. She watched as he fondled the camera, his long fingers caressing it as though it were a lover. He turned to her with a faint smile.
“To get the shot I want, I need an AF-S DX Micro NIKKOR 85mm f/3.5G ED VR. And I need it now. I’ll leave that in your capable hands, shall I?” His smile turned into a smirk as he placed the camera back into its black carry case.
“In the meantime, I think I’ll go and get a coffee.” And with that he sauntered out of the room leaving Beth to snort loudly in disgust as she watched his back.
“a**-wipe,” she muttered under her breath. Snagging an assistant by the arm, she sent her off in search of the said lens and a new umbrella. And now to calm the model. Rolling her eyes she wandered over to the girl who sat sobbing in a chair in the corner of the room. This could not be the girl who she’d picked out of the line-up of portfolios who claimed the richest hair in all of Mayfair, the most luscious of lips. How had she not seen that she was all wrong for this shoot?
“Hey there Hun,” Beth murmured as she fell heavily into a seat beside her. She was already wary. She would have to dismiss this girl without hurting her already obviously frazzled nerves. She would probably have to pay out as well for the rolls of film that had already been wasted. Turning her head towards the girl, she let her fingers slip through the mass of fiery curls and rub at her scalp. “Gonna tell me what’s wrong?”
The model looked disastrous in the brightly coloured silk gown that flared at the hips into a mass of swirling fabric. It made her skin look grey and her hair dull. It even dulled her almond shaped, limpid brown eyes. Imperceptibly, she shook her head and studied the girl intently. She could most definitely work for something else the office had in mind, Beth decided. Something chic and elegant.
“He yells so much. Nothing I did was right. He said I was bland and boring.” A sob tore from the girl and Beth felt a trace of sympathy for her. Her hand reached out for the girls arm and rubbed in an almost maternal fashion.
“How about, we get someone more experienced to deal with this old grouch and find you someone who’s a bit tamer. Sound good?” Her warm smile was reassuring and she was genuine. She really did feel for the girl and she truly thought she could make a fantastic model out of her yet. She watched the girl nod and smile meekly. Pulling them both to a stand, she slipped her arm around her waist and led her back to the dressing room.
“Right-o love, let’s get you out of this dress and off home to clean up. I want you back here tomorrow in my office bright and early.” As she said this, Beth mentally re-arranged her schedule to fit the girl in. She had a few meetings with important clients and a fragrance launch party to attend that night. And now she was squeezing in sympathy castings. Carefully, she lifted the girl’s sleek chestnut hair from her back and unzipped the gown with practised ease. She watched it ripple sensuously and puddle. The near nude model stepped out and turned to face Beth with a small smile on her face.
“What time, Miss Gordon?” Beth smiled at the tameness of the girl. She was sweet, probably innocent and naive too.
“Beth is fine love and we’ll say 8am. How does that sound? Now, your name love?” The girl nodded, and Beth decided in the right outfits she would be sensational. Her hair was rich and naturally highlighted with a multitude of reds and browns, her eyes brown pools of depth. Yes, she would most definitely make a model.
“Sage Bridges”
“Alright Sage, you best get home and I’ll see you tomorrow. Bright and early now.” Beth closed the dressing room door behind her and was relieved to find that had gone much better than she had expected. Making her way through the studio she ensured all her orders were being carried out and then proceeded back to her office where she informed her secretary Mary of the slight change to her schedule. Then slipping back into her office she kicked off her heels and flopped back into her leather chair. It was going to be a long day.
