by Lewis, Anna
I just felt that in a more relaxed atmosphere, without all eyes upon us, she would let me in just that little bit more. She needed help to free herself from the self-conscious shell that she was currently in, and I really thought that I could do it. It had been such a long time since I actually wanted to get to know a woman like I did with Ellie. Maybe not since my fame as a designer took off.
I just hoped that my plan would work.
“Do you have a concept in mind?” Greg asked me, dragging me from my plotting mind. As I stared at him blankly, he rolled his eyes and elaborated. “For the photo shoot… next week, with all the back-up girls?”
Of course, that was something that I need to do too. “Of course,” I reassured him with a smile. “When have I ever let you down?”
That was one of the best things about me and Greg, there were a lot of things that could have broken up our friendship, but they never did. Running a business was stressful, and led to many arguments, but we never let that ruin us. I couldn’t have asked for a better man to start my company with.
“Never,” he grumbled in a joking manner. “I just want this photo shoot to go well. I think it’s really important for KM Styles, you know?”
“I know,” I ruffled up his hair, just to annoy him. “That’s why you’re making me do this, remember?”
Of course designing a new photo shoot wasn’t quite the chore that I was making out to be, but he didn’t need to know that much.
Chapter 7 – Ellie
As the photos from the campaign started to get leaked via social media, courtesy of KM Styles, interest in me grew. I always knew that celebrity was going to be a part and parcel of the job, but now that it was really happening I was finding it a little overwhelming. I guess I never expected it to happen so suddenly, for it to be so quick and so powerful… but that was what was to be expected if I was going to be pictured with Kyle Mercer.
People began to speculate about the nature of our relationship, suggesting that we had to be together due to the steamy nature of the photographs. That was a little hard to take too. I felt like I was having to defend myself over something that wasn’t even happening. It made it even more challenging when I couldn’t actually keep my humiliation inside, every time I was asked a question about him, because there was definitely an intense connection there… so that made me look guilty, even when I wasn’t.
There was one man in particular that was worse than any of the others. I couldn’t work out which gossip mag he worked for, but his interest in me seemed too great. I kept thinking that there had to be more interesting topics for him to tackle, but he didn’t leave me alone.
He didn’t act like the other photographers and members of the paparazzi either. They were quite forthcoming with their interest, whereas he would hide behind walls and parked cars, as if it was some sort of secret that he was watching me.
There was something about his creepy smile, his yellowing teeth, the few strands of greasy black hair that he had, plus his sunken eyes that made me feel a little sick.
On the day I walked into the KM Styles building, knowing that there would be a lot of other female models in there, he really freaked me out. I was simply walking along, lost in my own thoughts, wondering how I was going to act around all these new girls, when he jumped out from behind some bins and started taking my picture, camera flashing blindingly in my face.
I screamed loudly, but by the time I regained my vision, he was gone, and I was all alone. I ran inside and raced into the bathroom, needing desperately to calm myself down, but of course I wasn’t about to get a moment of peace… not when there were so many other girls around.
“…yeah, I heard this is going to be his biggest party yet, like, he’s going to go all out.”
“Really?” another, very intimidating girl squealed. “But the last one that he threw was incredible.”
As if they both sensed I was there at that moment, they spun around to face me at the same time. “Hey Red,” one of them called out, giving me a nickname when they didn’t even know me. “You’ll be there tonight, right? You’re the chick fronting this campaign, aren’t you? Kyle is probably throwing this party in your honor.”
“I… I…” I stammered, feeling like a small-town idiot. I’d never had many female friends or even acquaintances, and now I was faced with two far too beautiful, intimidating women and they were asking me to go out with them… at least, that was how I was interpreting it. I said, “I don’t know, I haven’t really thought about it.”
One of them stepped closer to me, pursing her lips. “You should come, it’ll be lots of fun, and it’ll help you get to know some of the others. The modeling circuit in New York is small, and some of them are real bitches. It’s best to get to know some so you have good people on your side. Talia and I… oh, I’m Katya by the way… we’re alright.”
“Totally,” said Talia.
Katya’s words seemed to make a lot of sense, so in the end I found myself actually nodding along. “Okay, that sounds good.”
“Plus, if it’s true what they are saying about you, and Kyle has his eye on you, then you are in for a real treat,” she turned back to the mirror and continued applying makeup. At that statement, my heart began to thunder in my chest.
“Oh, I don’t know about that…” I blushed. “I mean, there’s no way that I’m the prettiest girl in the room, not by a long shot…”
“Honey, modeling is barely about being pretty,” she told my wryly. “It’s half who you know, and half having an interesting look, and you do have that… your elfish features, your wide eyes, that button nose… yet somehow you make it sexy. I think you’re going to do just fine.”
I glanced at my reflection, trying to see myself through her eyes, but I couldn’t. All I could pick out was the annoying turn up at the end of my nose, the smattering of freckles that I hated across my cheeks, my ears that poked through my hair… I was never going to be perfect, or the prettiest, but if I was interesting then I would take that.
“Well, let’s get out there,” Talia finally spoke. “These damn photographs aren’t going to take themselves.”
She seemed jaded, cynical, like she was done with the modeling game… like she was someone who didn’t know how lucky she was. She didn’t seem like me. I’d worked so damn hard, fought off so many obstacles and even almost estranged my father. I knew I would never end up like Talia. I would never stop appreciating how awesome all of this was, no matter how many bad parts there were to it.
I glanced over to the girls, wondering if I should ask them about their experiences with the paparazzi, to see if it matched mine with that strange photographer, but before I got a chance we were all called out for the shoot. Things were busy, so I didn’t get a chance to ask them that day.
Chapter 8 – Kyle
The music was thumping loudly, the lights were flashing, and the decorations were set up nicely. Considering I’d only organized this party together a few days ago, it really was looking good. It was amazing how throwing money at something could magic up a miracle in even the shortest amount of time.
Ellie had to be here this time. I needed her to be. I’d organized all of this just for her, to be able to spend more time with her in a really relaxed, fun environment. We were growing closer slowly… far too slowly for my liking, and I hoped this would be the moment that fully ignited the fire. I’d been laying the groundwork for days, flirting with her in the most subtle way that I could, and I needed that to finally come to fruition.
I was growing impatient, I honestly wasn’t sure how much longer I could wait.
My eyes spotted her the moment she swayed in through the door. She was slightly hunched over, as if she weren’t quite comfortable being seen in her knee length dress, which was very modest compared to everybody else’s. She looked shy, quiet and unsure, which caused me to smile brightly to myself. She didn’t need to be dressed revealingly or be overtly sexual to catch my eye. She had a subtle allure that I never even realized
that I needed in my life.
Before anyone else could talk to her, I made my way through the crowd and greeted her with the glass of champagne that I’d been saving for a while now.
“Hey, how are you? I’m so glad that you’re here,” I said with a grin. She smiled back, clearly glad to have someone to talk to.
“Thank you for inviting me,” she said, politely. It suddenly seemed to hit her that I hadn't actually invited her. I’d just let everyone else do the work for me. “What you’ve done with the place is awesome.” I decided to have this one at the studio to make it much easier. It was a massive space anyway, so good to have a use for it.
“Thank you, I did it all myself… with just a bit of help from a whole bunch of party planners.” She laughed at that, a musical sound that made my heart skip a beat. I realized that the way to this girl’s heart was laughter, not making lewd remarks. She would be wooed this way, so that was what I would do.
***
By the time the first hour had flown by, we were both slightly inebriated. We were tipsy enough to move closer to one another, without fear of other people gossiping. The laughter thing was really working, and I could already feel us drifting away from the ‘friend zone’ and into something else.
“Did anyone ever tell you that you have the prettiest face that I have ever seen?” I told her honestly, not even using it as a line.
“No,” she chuckled loudly, tossing her head back and allowing her hair to spill down behind her. “But I have been told that I have elfish features. Does that count?”
“That’s adorable!” I joked, moving my head nearer to hers, slowly starting to work my way towards a kiss. “I can see what he was on about when he said that, whichever horrible ex-boyfriend that was.”
“One of the models said it,” she grinned happily, moving slightly closer to me. “She also said I look interesting.”
“You are interesting,” I said. My mouth was almost touching hers, and her breaths began coming out ragged, her breasts heaving. Her feelings for me were clear.
Our lips were so close to connecting that I could feel our breaths intermingling with one another. The anticipation was building, the moment growing, but just before I got my satisfaction, I felt a rough tap on my shoulder.
“Damn it,” I muttered to myself as I span around to see Greg there, staring expectantly at me. “Everything alright?” I asked him through gritted teeth. Could he not see what was going on here? I knew that he’d warned me against hooking up with Ellie before the photo shoot was done, but we were almost there, and it was crazy to cock block me when I was so near.
“There’s a call for you in your office. You need to take it, it’s important.”
I sighed deeply, hating that I was being torn away from Ellie at such a crucial moment, but maybe this was a call that I needed to take. I just couldn’t risk it. “Will you wait here?” I asked Ellie, who nodded quickly. “I won’t be long, I promise.”
Then I placed one chaste kiss on her cheek while lightly and discretely running my hand up her thigh as I did, just to give her something to remember me by.
We had one last lingering look, while I drank in everything about her cute, sexy appearance, committing her to memory while I forced myself away.
“This better be important,” I warned Greg crossly. “I mean it, I’m not impressed at being dragged away, Ellie was finally responding to me.”
“You know I wouldn’t do that to you if it weren’t,” he said, doing his best to reassure me. But it wasn’t working. There was something odd about Greg. Usually, he really wouldn’t drag me away from a girl unless it was important, but this time, my intuition told me that there was something else going on.
Chapter 9 – Ellie
A woman sidled up to me, almost the moment that Kyle left, dragging my eyes away from him. As I looked at the beautiful, curvaceous and very glamorous woman in front of me, I felt a little confused. This definitely wasn’t someone that I recognized, which shot my guard up… what if it was another member of the paparazzi?
“Hello,” she said.
“Erm… hi…” I turned fully to face her. “I’m Ellie,” I shook her hand and she gave me a kindly smile, one that had my heart instantly warming to her, even though I had no idea who she was.
“I’m Heather, but I don’t suppose you know that name, do you?” I shook my head at that one, unsure if I should know who she was. I couldn’t ever remember anyone ever mentioning her to me, but maybe I wasn’t listening.
I said, “No, Kyle doesn’t normally like to talk to me.”
She sighed deeply, shaking her head, leaving me suspended in mid-air. “I’m his wife.”
“His wife?!” I gasped in shock, barely able to breathe. I grabbed on to the bar behind me as my heart stop beating, just to keep me upright. “But… but…” He was married? But he had been flirting with me, we almost kissed for crying out loud! There was a definite promise in that whole goodbye just then, one that I thought could be headed somewhere.
How stupid of me, how naïve. I knew that I wasn’t street smart and that I didn’t have any real experience with men but this seemed manipulative. He was definitely coming on to me, knowing full well that he had his spouse at home… how sick was that? It didn’t even bear thinking about, I couldn’t even begin to work out why he would be so awful.
“Well, ex-wife, I mean we broke up a while ago,” she confirmed, but by that point I wasn’t feeling any better. I felt sick to my stomach and there wasn’t anything that could shake that. “But I saw you talking to him earlier, and I felt the intense need to tell you something.”
“W… what’s that?” I asked, curiosity getting the better of me.
“He isn’t what he seems, not at all,” she said desperately, gripping tightly onto my arm. “He’s a horrible, manipulative man with abusive tendencies.”
“Oh, I don’t think…” I stepped backwards, wanting to distance myself from this conversation. I had only just met Kyle, we hadn't even kissed. All of this was far too heavy for my liking. “I don’t know if you should be telling me all of this.”
“We were together for years,” she continued, totally ignoring me. “And he cheated on me the entire time, he controlled me too, turned me into a shell of my former self.”
“Okay yeah, thanks…” I needed to get the hell away now, before the tears streamed down my cheeks. “I have to…”
“I just need to warn you now, before you get in too deep. I can see that hope and love shining in your eyes. I want to tell you before he does to you what he did to me.” Her eyes were filled with such a sincerity that I couldn’t help but listen to her every word. “I want you to get out now, while you still can.”
I gulped down the massive, very confused, ball of emotion that was lodged in my throat, and I nodded quickly. “Okay, I understand,” I said. “Thank you for telling me. I think I’m just going to go.”
“That’s probably for the best,” she said. She smiled sweetly at me, making me grateful that she’d gained the courage to speak to me about it all. “Protect yourself. You deserve so much better.”
I grabbed hold of my bag and raced outside, a total confused mess. I felt idiotic, naïve, and awful for acting that way with Kyle for the whole world to see. They would all be laughing at me now, gossiping about what an idiot I was. I would have to face them all again. After all, the New York modeling scene was a small one after all…
As the fresh air hit my face, I noticed a very unwelcome, familiar face, peering at me from behind a car. Ugh, was he for real? Was my paparazzi stalker really here now, when all that I needed was to be alone?
“Are you kidding me?” I called out angrily, stalking towards him. “What is your problem? Why are you always here? Why won’t you just leave me alone? Find someone else to follow for goodness sake.”
He stood up, and opened and closed his mouth a few times, as if he had something that he wanted to say. I waited patiently to give him the opportunity to be honest with m
e, despite the fact that my insides were clawing at me.
But he didn’t answer me. He spun on his heels and he ran like lightning, leaving me with only more questions… no answers.
“Go to hell!” I screamed loudly, letting all my frustration out, and with that the tears finally began to fall freely. I felt alone and used and foolish. I felt defeated. I’d come to New York with such hopes and dreams, and they were all slowly being crushed. Maybe everyone back at home was right about me. Maybe I wasn’t cut out for this city after all.
I didn’t want to accept defeat, not when things were seemingly going so well for me, but it was clear now that my judgment was totally off. I had been wrong about my mental strength, wrong about the first man that I’d actually been considering letting in, and wrong about the public’s interest in me.
Maybe it was time to give up and go home with my tail between my legs, however humiliating that would be. I wasn’t sure that I had it in me to start all over again, to work from the bottom up. All I needed to do was get home and sleep this off, then tomorrow I would have some very serious decision making to do.
Chapter 10 – Kyle
“I don’t agree with you,” I argued with Greg. “The suppliers could have waited until tomorrow morning.” I couldn’t believe that he’s dragged me away from Ellie for that.
“But if you didn’t speak to them right now, they would have waited until Monday to send the new stuff, and I don’t believe that we could have waited that long… not with how popular the new line is going to be.” Greg was arguing back with me furiously, unable to see where I was coming from at all.
“Whatever,” I finally announced, shaking my head at him. “I’m getting back out to the party…”
“Wait,” Greg snapped, causing my focus to fall back to him. “Wait a minute, it’s about the girl.” I sighed deeply, already knowing the lecture I was about to get. “I do think you need to get away from her, just for now.”
