Realization sets in, and a smile pulls at her lips, but one hard look from me makes it drop quickly.
“He’s gay, sir.”
“He won’t be when he sees her.”
I find it completely unbelievable that there would be a man on earth who wouldn’t want her. I’d only seen a picture of her and I was obsessed.
Consumed.
Maybe I should just take the pictures myself. I debate the idea in my head.
“I can send everyone home and get something else set up.”
Fuck.
“Just start with the other girls. There are other girls doing the shoot, right?” I ask. I actually don’t know anything about the shoot now that I think about it. My mind has only been on the fact that Cali would be here.
“Yes, there are some right there.” She turns, pointing to the corner of the room. Sure enough, there are eight women standing there, all made up and wearing almost nothing. I hadn’t even noticed them, but they’re all looking at me and whispering. I’m sure they’re wondering who I am, or else they know who I am and are wondering what I’m doing here.
Great. That’s the last thing I need right now. I didn’t want to attract attention. Well, I only wanted to capture one person’s attention.
“Where is she?” I ask, pulling my eyes back to Lynn. I know she’s already here. Security told me when she left this morning, and I had a car bring her here.
“There was a problem with the lingerie.” Lynn looks around as if unsure how to word what she wants to say. “The bra. She was spilling over the top. They’re trying to fix it as we speak.”
I crush down the image of someone helping her into a bra. I take a deep breath.
Someone calls Lynn’s name, and she dashes back over to the set area to break up something between two of the models.
Taking a few more breaths, I try to get myself under control. She doesn’t even know who I am. I calm myself down and try to be cool and relaxed. I can do this. I can behave like a normal person instead of a caveman. I can’t let this be the first time she sees me, a fucking jealous nut case.
Then I see her step out from backstage.
Looks like I might not have a choice.
Chapter Four
Cali
I’m a busty girl, always have been. So when they put me in the skimpy lace bra, I knew it wasn’t going to work. I put it on, and not thirty seconds later, one of the seams started to tear.
In my defense, the product should have been made a bit stronger, but the design is good. One of the wardrobe ladies backstage is literally sewing me into it this time. I’m standing in the middle of the room in a pair of sheer black panties as the lace bra is being fixed.
Looking up, I see a group of models enter the room, all dressed in lingerie as well. I’m sure some women would be embarrassed by being so much bigger than the other girls, but I got over that a long time ago. I love my body and all my curves. They may not look appealing to some people, but I think I’m beautiful. I just wish I could find underwear and clothes that reflect that without having to have them altered.
“God, did you see him flexing his fists? I bet he’s so aggressive in bed.”
“I think he’s probably playing for the other team. He didn’t even notice me.”
I look over to where two of the models have sat down at the vanity in front of me to touch up their hair and make-up.
“Who?” I ask, not caring if they know I was listening. I’m a friendly person in general, and if I’m on a shoot with other girls, I try to make conversation.
One of the girls looks at me from her mirror and talks while she curls her hair. “Flynn Long.”
“Oh, the marketing guy?”
She raises an eyebrow at me and turns around in her chair. “No, he owns the company. He owns half of the companies in LA, but I guess he’s getting into lingerie now, too.”
The other girl turns around to look at me and leans back in her chair. “He’s got a stick up his ass about something. He didn’t seem happy to be here.”
“Looks like I’m gonna have to shake him out of his bad mood with all of this,” I joke, shaking my booty a little. The girls laugh, but the woman sewing up my bra makes a grunting sound. “Sorry,” I apologize and try to stay still.
I make small talk with the girls. This is the part of modeling I enjoy most. I like wearing clothes and taking pictures, but if I’m honest, half the clothes I wear never fit right, and it’s always a lot of work to make them look good. I can never slide something on and pose like the thinner girls. And I’m really trying to enjoy modeling while I can because I don’t have much time left in it. This industry is ever-changing, and the closer I get to twenty-five, the fewer calls for jobs I get. I’ve got some money saved up, but it’s not enough to do what I really want to. Starting my own clothing line has been my dream ever since I was a young girl and couldn’t find the clothes I wanted in my size. But it’s an expensive dream, and unfortunately, the plus-size modeling world isn’t booming like I’d hoped. Maybe when I get back to Atlanta I can look for a job. I have a degree in fashion design. Maybe I can find someone to hire me.