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 Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2018 10:22 am
Today was supposed to be just like any other shoot; Virell had been paying attention when the agent representing him mentioned that there were going to be a few other people at the shoot—not surprising, or anything particularly interesting—but he did mention that there was going to be a few new faces. A few new models had joined and Virell had nodded amicably but new people didn’t always mean anything.
They could be hand models, maternity models, foot models—things that didn’t necessarily compete with his position in this world. And his agent didn’t seem to feel the need to share more information, and Virell didn’t feel the need to ask for more.
He played on his phone for a bit while everyone else got set up, and while he was initially fine keeping to himself, he noticed that his agent was waving to someone and stood up as if to greet them. He crossed the distance between them—not too far that they were out of sight or earshot.
Naturally curious now, he lifted his eyes to follow the path his agent was taking to determine who he was waving to—and then, he froze.
A new face. A man.
A handsome, well-dressed man, who probably wasn’t there to model hands or feet with a face like that.
Something in his stomach churned and he recognized it quickly as unease. There was no point in getting ahead of himself, but he wasn’t going to pretend like this wasn’t at all the model that he had expected.
Women, sure. They were common. But men, that looked like that?
Virell tried not to look too interested; he wanted to sit up straight and leer at the man, but instead he was frozen, hunched over and both hands cradling his phone as he peered over the top of it to see just what was going on here.
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Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2018 10:25 am
Destiny City was a whole new animal, and honestly Eric was perhaps more than a little intimidated by all of it. Though, one thing he was sure that he understood pretty well was his job. Agents and contracts and jobs, the life of a model didn’t vary often...even if things seemed as though they were on a much larger scale out here. Pictures and smiles and nice bodies were all still the same, regardless of how much hustle and bustle and hoops you had to jump through to get noticed.
Eric always got noticed.
He was being led over to where a blond male sat and for a moment, Eric wasn’t quite sure how to react. Men that beautiful didn’t often show themselves…and the fact that it seemed as though they both had the same agent…well.
He didn’t mind that at all. If anything, it was an ideal situation.
When he reached the other male, Eric held out a hand and flashed an award winning grin. “Hey there. I’m Eric. I suppose…you’re the Virell that I keep hearing about, hm?” He hoped so. Quite a few of the other models had mentioned Virell when Eric had brought up who his agent was, and several of the ones who had mentioned Virell had issued warnings, but Eric brushed those aside as mere gossip, but he kind of wished they would have mentioned just how…attractive the male was.
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Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2018 10:36 am
Virell seemed interested when the pretty new face—Eric—approached him. When he knew him. That was either good or bad, but Virell smiled charmingly all the same. He wasn’t keen to let his guard down so easily; Eric might have been attractive, but that was no indication of if he was trustworthy or genuine.
In fact, it was probably the opposite.
He reached to accept the hand, pressed smile still on his face. He had too many questions and not enough answers but he wasn’t foolish enough to give all of that away right off the bat.
“I am, but only if the things you’ve heard have been good. Anything else you’ve heard is either slander or they’ve confused me for someone else. Which,” he used his free hand to tuck a stray bit of hair behind his ear as he kept his eyes fixated on Eric.
“Is understandably a fool’s mistake.”
He was in a league of his own and he knew it.
But, his smile softened as he shook Eric’s hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Meet, yes, that much was certain. Everything past that was completely unknown.
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Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2018 10:36 am
Eric laughed lightly, squeezing the hand and giving a firm shake before pulling away. “Well, some of it was good, I won’t lie…but I must say, they neglected to inform me of just how attractive you were, it’s a shame. If I had known…I might have striven to look better than my normal best.”
His eyes flitted up and down the blonde’s form and he gave a small, approving nod.
“So, we share an agent…I hope we get to work on at least one or two things together. Could you even imagine the appeal of having both of our faces and bodies representing a brand? I can’t even begin to think of the possibilities.”
Glancing back at their agent, Eric glanced at the bench that Virell sat on and sat next to him, stretching slightly. “Are you here about the ‘Supestar’ Ad? That’s what Frank brought me in to discuss. I’m pretty excited, this will be my first big shoot in the city if they decide to go with me.”
He had confidence, and didn’t seem worried about getting the gig, but still. He had the confidence that he would get it.
“Frank said they would have a decision before the day was up. I hope it’s soon.”
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Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2018 10:38 am
Virell was keenly aware of Eric’s eyes grazing over him; he didn’t mind or try to shy away in the slightest. Instead, he sat up a little straighter, brushing his long braid over and behind his shoulder.
He kept a pressed smile in place, as Eric spoke, as he sat next to him. Truthfully, he was still guarded, even if it was in his nature to flirt.
“I don’t know who you were talking to if they neglected to inform you of my attractiveness. That,” he shrugged, “Is undeniable, regardless of what other opinion they might have of me. You look fine, though. You have nothing to worry about.”
And neither did he.
Eric was attractive, and new and Virell had to mentally repeat that he had nothing to worry about just to try and force himself to believe it. He didn’t like that he has been blindsided like this but was trying not to let himself be irked. A bad mood during a time like this wasn’t going to help him further his career, not when he’d worked so hard to get here in the first place. He’d kissed a lot of a** and done a hell of a lot of work just to compete with the other pretty faces. He had this in the bag, it was all but guaranteed. No matter who Frank brought in.
He didn’t answer the question about why he was here; ultimately he knew it was obvious. Still, Eric’s insistence that they might work together was cute.
“Your first big shoot?” He prompted, thinking a little conversation might ease his nerves. “I haven’t seen you around at all. Have you been here for long?”
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Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2018 10:38 am
The male smiled and shook his head. “Not my first big shoot, my first big shot in Destiny City though, so. We’ll see. I was the top model with a much smaller agency back in Vermont, I moved here just over a week ago so. I’m still settling in. So far I like what I see of the place though. It’s interesting. Busy. I didn’t realize that a place could get like this if I’m going to be honest.”
Eric laughed, and a few locks of his wavy sherbet colored hair fell over his eyes. “What about you, Virell? Obviously this isn’t at all your first big shoot, but…how long have you been in the business? How old are you?”
There were more questions he wanted to ask, but he figured that they could wait. Honestly, this agency seemed so different than the one back home, and he wasn’t quite sure what the policy was with being friendly with the other models. Not that it would be official policy but…one could never be too careful, especially when Eric needed a big break here.
His apartment was a lot more expensive than the one back in Vermont, that was for sure.
“Are you nervous about the decision?”
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Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2018 10:52 am
Virell took the information in and wore a thin smile. It was polite, but he wasn’t making too much effort. He didn’t want to chase this guy away until he knew he was some sort of threat, but Virell wasn’t really in the mood for making friends or enemies right now. He just wanted to do his job and go home. He didn’t feel much these days, but he could tell already that he wasn’t feeling great.
Only the promise of him getting this ad was keeping him in good spirits.
He answered easily, “No, not at all. I’ve been working here for a while. I’ve got a lot of connections, and I’ve worked really hard to get to where I am.” Not a lie. He’d worked his a** off, there was no way he wasn’t going to get this job. A week and a half ago, Frank had practically said it, in that sneaky way he always seemed to do when he was hinting at something he didn’t have the right to say just yet.
But really, there was no competition. No matter where this new guy came from, no matter what his reputation was, no one could get in just like that.
Maybe in a few months, but for right now this was Virell’s stage, and he was going to own it.
“You should be careful asking for age. A lot of the models around here take it personally if you don’t automatically assume they’re eighteen. No matter how many years they’ve been working.”
Virell was as vain as any of the other models, but as long as no one guess he was older than his age, he wasn’t going to take offense. When he started looking older, he still knew how to wear his makeup, so he didn’t have anything to worry about.
But, he was young, and in his prime.
And there was no way he wasn’t going to get this ad.
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Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2018 6:08 pm
Eric laughed lightly, nodding. “Well, I hope that both of us get something out of this at least. If not Superstar, I know Frank mentioned there was another smaller ad that he was looking at. So, as long as I can make enough to pay the rent, I’ll be content.”
He chuckled again at the comment about ages. What stuck up people. Nobody stayed eighteen forever. The trick was you just had to look your best all the time. Besides. Nobody wanted a child modeling for a serious magazine. He knew for a fact that the best agencies wanted people who aged well. Like he had.
“I’ll be twenty five in a few days. I was just hoping that you were around my age, is all. But I guess that means that you’re only eighteen, hm? What a pity.”
Perhaps…if he could get his number…he would invite Virell out for drinks on his birthday, provided the male was over twenty one…though…that would involve a lot more schmoozing and he wasn’t sure there would be time before the announcement of who got the gig.
Frank looked as though he were about to come over and share the news, after all.
“Good luck, you know. May the most handsome man win this, yeah?” Eric winked and grinned at Virell, feeling his stomach do a small flip at how attractive the blonde really was.
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Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2018 7:47 pm
Virell let out a soft laugh, mostly forced. He felt empty inside still, but if he’d been at his best, he would have laughed. He would have said said something clever, something snarky. The smaller ad wasn’t worth his time. It wasn’t worth the money, it was about the opportunity. When he got the Superstar ad, it would open more doors for him than any other ad he’d taken on in the past year.
“Yeah. Happy early birthday,” Virell said, eyes vaguely on Frank.
Eric wasn’t wrong; the man raised a hand when he realized both of them were there. “Eric, Virell,” he called, gesturing rapidly. “Come into my office, I’m glad you both have met. I have some information, let me get your papers.”
Virell brightened; he felt the butterflies in his stomach, not from anxiety, but a bit of excitement. Something good could come of this. He could be happy again. One more step away from these stupid emotions, this stupid hang up over Nick.
Frank moved into his office, and Virell offered another polite smile to Eric. “This part isn’t scary,” he explained, gesturing for the man to walk with him. “He pulls out some paperwork with the scheduling information. It’s got the pay on it. You look at the dates, the pay, the contract details, you sign your name at the bottom. I don’t know if that’s how they did it where you’re from, but that’s how it is here. They’ll tell you if you need to bring anything, or if there’s anything to expect.”
Virell was in a nice mood, so he even held the door open for Eric before stepping in after him. There were two seats, so he let Eric choose first and he took the other.
Frank was on the other side of the desk, rifling through the papers. “Ordinarily I wouldn't have you both in here at the same time, but I figure we’re all responsible adults here. There’s been a lot of fuss over the new Superstar ad, and I know you were both interested in it. Unfortunately, there’s only going to to be one slot for it, and we had quite the discussion to get to this point.”
There were two stacks of papers, one in each hand. From the way he was holding them, Virell couldn’t see which was which.
But he already knew which one he was getting. He had connections. He hadn’t schmoozed for nothing, and he had a record.
This was his.
Frank held a stack out for each of the two.
Virell accepted his with a polite nod and lifted the papers so he could begin reading only, he froze.
At the top of the page was not the Superstar ad.
He reread the title again, and again, and then moved on to the details, thinking maybe he’d missed something.
The job expectations. The pay.
This was a joke. A novice job. This was something for a first timer, for someone inexperienced and just paving their way in the world.
He couldn’t speak for a moment, just stared at his own paper, lips pursed as the cogs slowly notched into place.
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Posted: Sat Sep 01, 2018 8:56 am
Eric listened as Virell explained what was going to happen next, held the door for him and even let him choose the first seat. They had all been wrong about him. He wasn’t a stuck up cutthroat, he was a beautiful charmer who…was kind.
He had a smile on his face, and had still been hoping to be given the Superstar Ad, though would be happy with anything. Two stacks of papers meant that they had both at least gotten jobs. Eric took his stack of papers with a quiet word of thanks and glanced over at Virell before looking at his pile, ready to congratulate the male, though paused when he saw that the blonde’s face was less than pleased.
Perhaps the pay wasn’t all he thought it would be?
Finally Eric glanced down at his own stack and his eyes widened. He had been chosen for the Superstar Ad. What a perfect ending to a pretty much perfect day.
He flitted through the papers, eyes lighting up when they landed on the pay that he would receive from this. What a great way to really jump start his career in Destiny City. Perhaps he would ask Virell out for drinks tonight, and perhaps he would even pay for the two of them.
A great evening with a good looking guy sounded pretty darn good too.
Quietly, he leaned over and smiled softly at Virell. "Congrats on the gig! Should we go and celebrate tonight?" His voice was a whisper, but he seemed earnest.
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Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2018 7:54 am
Eric probably wasn't trying to offend Virell, but the congratulations were as welcomed as any other name calling or jeering might have been. He kept his eyes on the paper for a few seconds and looked at whose name was printed on the intended recipient along with the offer, as if to confirm he hadn't been handed the wrong stack of paper, but it was sinking in that this was exactly what it looked like.
Virell was supposed to be the top pick, especially for things like this. He was the go-to model, he was the cream of the crop. In the entire agency, he knew he was one of their top earners--easily the best paid, most highly sought after male. There were some women who made more than him, but they had the unfair advantage of gullible men with pockets deep enough to match their unlimited libido.
This was an insult.
He did not respond to Eric; instead, his eyes looked up, at Frank. He could see the way the man was sitting, tense in his chair.
Virell was not a drama queen, at least, not when it came to accepting these offers. He'd taken nearly everything he'd ever been offered, eagerly making new connections, desperately working his way up.
He'd done shitty photo shoots with shittier pay with the shittiest people to work his way up to this point.
"You must be joking," Virell said, in a tone that indicated he knew this was not a joke, and was not a mistake. He didn't look at Eric, but continued, "This isn't what we discussed."
"Well," Frank said quickly, argument prepared, but obviously realizing it was inadequate. "Things happen, Virell."
"Things happen?" he challenged. "What could have possible happened in the past four days?"
"Well," Frank's eyes drifted to Eric for a split second; he tried to hide it, but Virell had caught it. "Nothing was set in stone, you know that."
"No," Virell's tone was colder, his voice louder. "But I've been working for this for months. Ever since they announced they were doing this campaign, I was the first person who asked about it. I was on you the day they had any information. Every recommendation you gave me, every shoot, every connection you wanted me to follow, I did everything you said to do. And--I'm sorry, what is this?" Virell held up the papers. "This is worse than even some of those stepping stones."
Frank was tapping his fingers on the desk, obviously not used to Virell in this state, but he had handled many eccentric models before so he wasn't completely flustered. "I said you'd have a chance, Virell. I never said the job was yours."
"Bullshit," he said, with more vehemence. "You said it was as good as mine. You said at this point I had no competition."
Frank's eyes went to Eric and he had the gall to offer him an apologetic look, that Virell could already translate in his mind. 'Sorry you have to see this drama, sorry you have to see him overreaction, sorry you have to see him.'
Virell wasn't having any of it, it just made him livid. He didn't turn to Eric, but he stood up and gestured to him. "He's new, Frank! He has no connections in this city. He just got in, and you're telling me he's better for this job than I am? I've worked with Aaron and Catherine, you know how finicky they can be. I didn't do fourteen godawful dinners with them, playing arm candy, so you could put me in this." He threw the paper down on desk, as if to emphasize how disgusted he was with the offer. "That's where he should be starting. Right where I did. You can't just pull him in and give him cream of the crop offers."
"Virell." Frank's voice wasn't quite reproachful, but he was trying to shut him up, and Virell just sucked in a breath through his nose and interrupted, "His first offer, Frank. Really? This job was mine, and you know it. There's no excuse for this. I did everything to get here, and you're just going to hand it off to the next pretty face that walks through the door? And you knew." His face soured. "You knew you weren't giving this to me, didn't you."
It was a flat accusation, and Frank's startled, uncomfortable expression told him everything he needed to know. "When I asked about it Thursday morning, when I came in for that shoot you begged me to do. You told me what I wanted to hear, didn't you?"
He laughed, a scathing, reproachful noise, when Frank couldn't immediately deny it. "I'm worth more than this and you know it," he said, gesturing towards the paper on the desk. "I haven't worked my a** off so you could give my shoots away like this. I don't care how popular they were somewhere else, you know how hard I worked for this!"
Frank almost looked sympathetic. "Virell," he said, as if he meant to give some sort of explanation. Instead, he just shrugged. "The offer's on the table. For him. You'll get another chance."
His lip twitched and he was visibly seething. He was red in the face, trembling. "Another chance?" he challenged.
Frank had the nerve to smile, like he thought they were on the same page. "If you keep working, keep pushing these connections--"
"Another chance?" Virell interrupted. "Why would I do any of that--so I can get another chance for you to give away? Who was I schmoozing for, me? The company? You? I did all that work so I could have this shot--not just so you could get it, so you could contract it to someone else. This isn't fair, and you know it! I spent months trying to get this! I beat out everyone else!"
Frank exhaled. "...Everyone else," he agreed. "...Except him. Now, really. I have to ask you to stop making a scene. You're really not making a good impression of us right now."
Frank didn't speak to him with the same respect, the same praise or careful wording he always did to build Virell up. He was speaking to him like he did the disobedient models, the trouble children--and not even the good ones.
Virell scoffed, but the noise was broken and exhausted and had only a fraction of his angry aggression. He was trembling and had to move to stand behind the chair. He gripped it so tightly his knuckles were white. He didn't look at Eric. He didn't look at Frank. His eyes were downcast on the offer on the table and he glared at it like looks alone could set it aflame. He opened his mouth.
Close it.
Opened it again.
Closed it.
There was nothing he could say. He had no voice; it was gripped too tightly by the molten anguish burning its way up his throat. He spun on his heels, quickly, pushing away from the chair. The movement caused the legs to grate against the floor--only a few inches, but it created an uncomfortable, shrieking metal noise.
That hadn't been intentional.
Slamming the door behind him had.
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Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2018 8:19 am
Eric’s joy at having been picked for the ad that he wanted had frozen when Virell first began his ranting accusations at Frank. The redhead’s smile fixed itself in place as he listened and a small pang of guilt began to gnaw at him as he really began to appreciate all that Virell had done to secure this job. And what had Eric done? Walked in like the baby Jesus and took over everything the blonde had worked for.
Still though. He kept quiet, kept his eyes down at his papers, looking at the amount of money he would be getting for the gig. And not only that. It would utterly skyrocket and solidify his career in this city. This was the big one, and everyone wanted it…and it was felt that he was good enough for it, so why should he care about someone else’s feelings?
It was a dog eat dog world…and Virell just hadn’t been good enough. Not this time, at least.
He couldn’t help but wince slightly at the noise that the chair made when Virell shoved it across the floor, and Eric jumped slightly at the sound of the door slamming behind him.
Finally he blew out a breath that he hadn’t quite realized he’d been holding and glanced up at Frank, his expression one of worry and slight concern.
“…Welcome to Destiny City I guess. Should I be worried about him coming at me with a switchblade, Frank? I’ve seen those crime dramas about jealous models…”
Not that he thought Virell would do that. No, he wanted to comfort the blonde. Wanted to refuse the job he’d been given. To claim that Virell did deserve it more but…that was stupid. He wouldn’t let his heart get in the way of this gig. Not now.
…He would think on it for a day or two first.
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Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2018 8:31 am
"Virell?" Frank laughed, a fake laugh, but a new smile appeared on his face. "No, he's harmless. He hasn't been on his A-Game recently, if you want to know the truth. This job can be hard, some times people just slip. It's unfortunate, but."
He reached across the desk and picked up the offer with Virell's name still on it. He looked over the top of the paper at Eric, and then placed the pages back down, facing him. Sliding the sheets over the desk, he said, "You know. Despite what he said, it's really not a bad offer, this one. I'm not going to call him and beg him to reconsider it, but if you'd like, it's yours. Comes with some nice perks, too--you like French cuisine? You model for them, you're set. Great discounts, care packages--all the time. They invite you to try new recipes. Little high on the calorie intake, but it's a nice treat every now and then. And, I mean--you are new in town. It would be great to build up some good connections. They're pretty prominent in the community. Lot of important people meet up here for their events. You should look into it, see if you're interested. Easy job. Look at the pay, for eight hours of work? --And potential for a role in the commercial a little closer to Christmas time. Really great exposure."
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Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2018 8:38 am
Eric took the second packet of papers, nodding absently. “Are you okay if I take these home and look them over before giving a definite answer, Frank? Call me old fashioned but I do always like to read the fine print. It’s something my agent back home taught me. But I have to say, who the hell can say no to free food?”
He grinned, winking at the man before continuing. “You’ll hear from me tomorrow, I think. I just want the time to really…figure out that they’re both right for me, not that I have any doubts but. You never know.”
Standing, Eric pushed his chair back, careful not to let the metal screech as it scraped the floor and held a hand out to Frank. “I appreciate all you’ve done for me so far, Frank. You’re a great agent, and I look forward to a long partnership.”
He could feel it though. He was almost sure that he would give up the Sueprstar Ad. He should never have been given it in the first place but…now wasn’t the time. Now wasn’t the place to tell Frank.
Thankfully, his last agent had taught him the best way to be tactful, and as he smiled brightly now, he knew that Frank wouldn’t suspect a thing.
His mind was wondering to Virell though, and he was worried about the blonde.
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Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2018 8:58 am
Frank laughed. "Today, tomorrow. You've got until Friday, so don't rush the decisions. I know you're new to things being done this way, so if you have any questions, you give me a call or drop by my office, all right?"
He joined Eric in standing and took his hand, giving it a firm shake. "You're a good kid, Eric. I look forward to working with you, too. You're going to be great around here, I just know it."
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