Model Behavior

by Claire Highton-Stevenson

  “Yeah? That’s cool for Gracie, such a sweet kid. I’m kind of hanging out myself too.” She dropped the hint and hoped that Olivia would pick up on it.

  “Iced latte for Hilary,” the barista shouted out and looked over in their direction. Olivia strolled toward the counter and picked up her drink.

  “Thank you.” She indicated the drink while taking a sip. Hilary smiled; the hint seemingly ignored, she took another sip of her own drink.

  “Fuck!” Hilary exclaimed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Shit, shit, shit!” Her eyes were screwed up closed and she was stamping a foot, clearly in distress.

  “Brain freeze?” Olivia asked, giggling at the display as Hilary nodded. “Here. You just need to warm…” She put her own drink down and rubbed her hands together, friction creating heat in her fingertips, and then placed her thumbs either side of Hilary’s nose, her fingers and palms wrapped around her cheeks as her thumbs moved back and forth from the bridge of her nose down and across under her eyes.

  It felt better, or was it that she was just this close to Olivia that meant it felt so much better? Her heartrate was certainly attentive to the idea that Olivia’s soft fingertips were caressing her skin.

  “Better?” Olivia asked.

  Unable to trust her own voice, Hilary just nodded, feeling bereft as the fingers moved away but Olivia didn’t.

  “So, shall we have lunch?” Olivia said, checking her watch. It was almost one p.m.

  Finally finding her voice, Hilary answered, “I’d love that.” She also loved the warm smile she received in return.

  “Great, I know a really good place in Beverly Hills.” Olivia saw the look of horror on Hilary’s face at the thought of Beverly Hills restaurants. “Oh, don’t worry, it’s the least pretentious place you’ll ever walk into, dead cheap and the portions are huge, in fact I think we might just need to share really. Unless you’re really hungry, then of course, have whatever you want. I am just saying they are very generous.” Olivia was rambling, trying to convince her friend that she wasn’t one of those stuck-up women who never moved from Rodeo Drive without a change of clothing and a chauffeur. “Sorry, I am rambling, aren’t I? Shall I drive?” And then she was off, walking out of Starbucks coffee in hand, so Hilary followed.

  A Porsche, the woman drove a Porsche. Hilary had never been in a Porsche before. “Wow, nice wheels, bit of an upgrade on the rental?” she gushed, but in that moment any idea of anything more than friendship with this woman just went out the window. There was no way Olivia would be interested in a pole dancer from Los Feliz.

  “Thanks, my Mom bought me it…it’s a little flashy for my liking, but…” She shrugged. “Gracie needs a safe vehicle, and well…” She smiled at the mention of Gracie. “Hop in, let’s eat. I am starving.”

  ~MB~

  The restaurant was reasonably busy with tables and chairs that lined the outside of the building. Red and white chequered cloths did little to improve the appearance. It was rustic, authentic, and Hilary liked it. Almost the entire sidewalk was filled with people enjoying lunch in the sunshine. The heatwave that had been going on for weeks now didn’t seem to be relenting any time soon.

  Olivia led them inside and found a small table near the back. Hilary waited for Olivia to decide which seat she preferred and then sat opposite and admired the view. It was a lot cooler inside, with the AC pushing out cool air. Hilary was a little grateful for it; maybe it would help hide the blush she was sure would come once Olivia started speaking.

  Their waitress appeared with menus and took their drinks order with a smile and such a cheerful disposition that it left Hilary beaming too.

  “Wow, she is happy.” Hilary giggled as she opened the menu.

  “I know, good for her,” Olivia agreed.

  While they both studied the options for lunch, Olivia took the opportunity to study Hilary a little more. She looked comfortably casual. She tried to think back to their meeting on the flight, but couldn’t really remember much about it other than she had thought that Hilary was very nice, but too chatty, and extremely attractive. Her mind had been elsewhere back then, but now it was a different matter. No longer did she harbour any feelings of love for Ava. Not after that last stunt.

  Hilary was very attractive, with green eyes when you expected blue, that sparkled with excitement and intrigue, and she seemed to always be smiling. She had perfect teeth and lips, not too thin, but kissable – yes, that’s what they were. Her bone structure was exquisite. Fine cheekbones and wide-set eyes gave her that innocent look, although Olivia had no doubt she was anything but. Innocent and naïve didn’t strut their stuff half-naked on a podium for money. She smiled internally once more at the image of Hilary gyrating above her. God, she was sexy.

  Overall, she was the typical Venice Beach babe. Bleached blonde hair that looked as though she had just dried off from a swim in the ocean hung loosely around her shoulders. She was tanned and wore clothes that had that hippy and free vibe: baggy harem pants and colourful tanks. She looked great, and she was looking at Olivia, looking at her.

  “Everything alright?” Hilary asked. A small smile turned the corners of her lips as Olivia fought to control the blush at being caught.

  “Yes, yes I am. Sorry, what were you saying?” Olivia answered quickly, which made Hilary giggle a little.

  “I said I think I’ll have the moussaka.” As she was speaking, the waitress appeared to see if they were ready.

  Flustered, Olivia opted for the Greek salad with grilled chicken, and Hilary decided she liked a flustered Olivia.

  ~MB~

  “So, this girl decided she wanted to put her dollars in his shorts, only she wasn’t quite tall enough to reach, and so he was trying to lean lower for her.” Hilary was laughing already before she continued. “And then just as she reached high enough to grab the band of this trunks, she slipped, and because he was holding onto the pole above his head, his shorts came down with her. Seriously, he has never made as much money as he did that night!” She laughed louder now, remembering the moment he had realised he was naked. “Management had to put security on him for the next three nights until all the fuss died down.”

  “Oh dear, he must have been so embarrassed.” Olivia laughed along with her, their meal finished, but they waited for another beer for Hilary and a white wine spritzer for Olivia.

  “I dunno, he acted like he was, but pretty sure he isn’t so shy.”

  “So, are you planning to continue dancing? I mean, is that what you want to do?” Olivia asked the question she had been thinking about for a while now.

  “For now, I guess yeah, it’s a job and I need to pay my bills. I’m…” She seemed self-conscious now, but continued. “I was thinking maybe I could get back into nursing. It was what I was doing before I went travelling.” She shrugged and bit her bottom lip between her teeth. It was the first time she had told anyone about her dream.

  “I don’t see why not, have you looked into it?” Olivia asked.

  Hilary enjoyed the way that Olivia seemed interested, taking her seriously. She had looked interested in her the night she found her dancing too. A lot of people looked interested then, and for wholly other reasons than this, but fleetingly, she had seen that look in Olivia’s eyes as she had gyrated for her. At that point, she was only dancing for Olivia. She had kept her eyes on her the entire time, and that was no different now. Olivia looked as though she thought Hilary was the most interesting person on the planet.

  “Yeah, I kind of signed up to a couple of courses that I need to take in order to get my certification up to date, and then I can start applying for jobs.” Her beer bottle was pretty interesting right now. Why did she feel so nervous? It wasn’t like her life mattered to Olivia.

  “Really? That’s really good, Hils.” Olivia hadn’t meant to shorten her name; it had just come out that way. She realised at once that it was a little more intimate than she had intended and internally winced at her mistake. Or was it a mistake? Did it
really matter so much? She liked Hilary, they could be friends, and maybe they already were?

  “I figure I can’t always rely on my looks.” Hilary blushed, her statement sounding conceited. “I mean, I won’t always be—”

  Olivia laughed. “Hilary, don’t be embarrassed about being gorgeous. It’s totally allowed.” Olivia took a sip from her drink but couldn’t look away from Hilary as she reddened.

  “You think I’m gorgeous?” she asked timidly.

  Olivia was used to dealing with beautiful women. It was her job to tell them they were “gorgeous,” “now,” or “the in thing.” She understood women and how their self-esteem would often prevent them from seeing their true beauty. “Yes, you have a slender body type that’s very well-defined, your bone structure is—”

  “My mother’s family were from Poland originally,” Hilary said as a way of explanation.

  “Well, wherever it’s from, you have cheekbones to die for, and well, you work out and it’s noticeable.”

  “Okay, okay.” Hilary laughed, placing her hand on the table. “Oh god, I really didn’t expect you to describe me so—”

  “Correctly?” Olivia smirked. “I’m sorry, it was my job.” She watched as Hilary looked a little perplexed. “I worked for a modelling agency; I was a booker.” Hilary still looked confused. “I had to find the right person for the right job, so I am very adept at taking in physical attributes, and—”

  “So, I could be a model?”

  “No.” She said it so matter-of-factly that it was almost insulting, and the look on Hilary’s face said she thought exactly that. “Oh, I didn’t mean—” Olivia took a quick breath and thought about how best to approach this. “I worked with a lot of models, and you’re better than that. Most models are selfish, egotists and that’s not you, Hilary.” She spoke earnestly. Of course her opinion on models was slightly skewed right now with Ava at the forefront of her mind whenever she thought about her old life, but it wouldn’t hurt to let Hilary know she was hot. “You are very attractive, but your figure is not designed to be a human hanger. It’s much more…what I mean is, you have something…just take my word for it, you’re gorgeous.”

  They sat in silence for a moment, and Olivia thought she had maybe gone too far and that after lunch Hilary would never speak to her again, but to her surprise, she was wrong about that.

  Hilary grinned. “So what about you?”

  “Me? How do you mean?”

  “You said you ‘worked for’ so I assume that was back in London? What are you going to do here? Now you’re home?” She took a swig from her bottle, forgoing the glass provided with it.

  “I have no idea. I applied for a few things, but so far no luck.” She grimaced. “I’ve had a few personal issues to deal with that have taken up far too much of my time. Plus, organising Gracie, so maybe it’s been a blessing that I didn’t find a job yet. My mom has been really great though. She’s always happy to take Gracie so that I can get out and try to find myself again.”

  “I am glad you came out today.” Hilary smiled, and Olivia relaxed a little more, reminding herself that this wasn’t Ava, that Hilary had been completely open and shown absolutely no sign of being anyone other than a decent, friendly human being who was just trying to engage with her as though she too were a perfectly normal and attractive human being. “Maybe we could do this again?” Hilary added hopefully.

  “I think I would like that.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Dad, what are you doing here?”

  Michael Palmer stood on the doorstep, smiling like he always did.

  “Well, I figured since I haven’t seen you for a week that I should check in on you. Everything okay?” he asked, as she stepped aside and made space for him to pass her into the apartment.

  “Yeah, I’m all good Pop. How did you get in?”

  The building had a security door that should have made it impossible for anyone who didn’t live in the building to get in. It was one of the many reasons she had picked this place.

  “The door was open. Someone had placed a block to hold it. I guess they must be moving in maybe.” He answered the question as he placed a small paper bag down on the counter. “So, burrito?”

  Security forgotten in an instant, her eyes lit up at the prospect of one of her favourite lunches.

  “Yes.” She leant up and kissed his cheek. “Thanks, Pop.”

  They both took a seat at the breakfast table as Michael opened the bag and pulled out two wrapped tortillas filled with all the familiar elements of the famous Mexican dish. Unwrapping the paper bit by bit to unveil the tasty lunch, they were both grinning.

  “You remembered my favourite place,” Hilary said, thinking back on all the times she had used Los Tacos.

  “It’s the best.”

  There was no need for any further communication, not until the last bite had been taken and savoured and the wrappers placed in the bin. Which took all of ten minutes, during which her phone chimed that a message had been received. She glanced at the mobile device and smiled when she saw who the message was from. It didn’t go unnoticed by her father.

  “Someone special?” he asked, jutting his chin at the phone to indicate what he meant.

  “Actually, I am not sure. I think I’d like her to be,” she said. Her dad was the only person she could be this honest with. “I don’t really know her that well yet, but she is really nice, and did I mention she is beautiful?”

  Michael laughed. “I didn’t imagine she would be anything less if my baby girl likes her.” He smiled and reached out a hand to take hers. “Does she know?”

  “Oh hell no.” She laughed nervously. “I don’t think she is interested, but she is fun, and I’d like to hang out with her. If that’s all she wants then I am cool with that too.”

  “Then do that. If she has any sense, she will see what a great girl you are.” He winked at his daughter. “You going to answer that?” He pushed the phone towards her.

  Hilary picked it up and pressed a few buttons to bring the text message up on the screen. She smiled shyly as she read it and then put the phone back down on the counter without replying to it.

  “Well?”

  “She wanted to know if I was free.”

  “And you are, go on. I came over for lunch, lunch is done.” He stood, grabbing his keys as he leaned in to kiss her cheek. “Go have some fun, kid.” Before she could answer, he was out the door and she was picking up her phone to reply.

  ~MB~

  Highland and Hollywood was as busy as it usually was, with mainly tourists wandering the streets outside, checking out the various attractions, while those inside wandered the various shops and dined in any one of the numerous restaurants and diners.

  It was hot as the sun beat down in the early part of the afternoon, and Hilary was glad to be out of it and in the air-conditioned mall. She waited patiently, having arrived earlier than the time they had agreed to meet, checking out the selection of Gelato and Sorbets on sale in Grom. She was so engrossed in deciding between mint chocolate chip and banana when two hands covered her eyes and a voice whispering close to her ear caused goosebumps to rush excitedly down her spine.

  “Guess who?” The voice was sultry and sexy, and Hilary was certain she might actually swoon if that had happened somewhere a little more intimate. She knew who it was, of course; that voice had been something she enjoyed listening to a lot.

  “Hmm, let me think, could it be the gorgeous, dark-haired beauty I am waiting for? Or just someone pretending to be her?” She heard a giggle from behind her as the hands moved away and she turned. Olivia stood smiling at her, all Beverly Hills casual as usual. She wondered just fleetingly why Olivia didn’t have any other Beverly Hills-type girlfriends to hang out with. Not that she minded; she enjoyed spending time with her and hoped it continued. Standing next to her was Gracie. The kid looked bored already.

  “Ha, what gave it away?” Olivia laughed and slipped her free arm through Hilary’s, tu
rning them away from the gelato and onwards to more important issues, like shopping.

  “You smell great. The perfume, it’s very you,” Hilary admitted.

  “Oh, thank you.”

  Hilary smiled at the tinge of pink that rose up Olivia’s neck and across her cheeks, then dropped down to her haunches. “Hey Gracie, how are you?”

  “Hello. Mummy says I have to find a dress for Nanna’s…for her party, but I don’t like dresses.”

  “Oh.” Hilary smiled as she looked up and caught Olivia’s reaction of rolled eyes. Then she leaned in and whispered, “Maybe we can show Mummy how cute you’d look in something else?”

  Gracie’s eyes went wide. Cupping her hand around her mouth, but still speaking just as loudly, she said, “Yes. I want…” She frowned as she considered it. “I don’t know what they are called, but…I know what they are.”

  “Okay, well if you see them, then you let me know.” She winked conspiratorially.

  Content with now having a partner in crime to gang up on her mother, Gracie smiled, while Hilary stood up, now eye to eye with Olivia.

  “I see she already has you wrapped around her little finger too.” Olivia laughed, and Hilary thought that it might be the cutest thing she had seen.

  Rather than mention it, she went with a more appropriate line. “So, your message said something about it being imperative that I help you make major decisions that couldn’t possibly be made by one person alone. And yet, you already have a great shopping partner I see.” Hilary smiled down at Gracie.

  “It’s a hugely important task and I think that you, as my friend, will tell me the truth, unlike this one, who will want me to wear something totally unacceptable.” They came to a stop near the escalators as Olivia looked around, searching for something.

  “Okay, I can do that.” Hilary had no doubts she could be as honest as Olivia expected. It wasn’t in her nature to lie anyway.

  “Great, so I need an outfit,” Olivia said, tugging her arm in the direction where she had seen the perfect shop. “And as you know, Gracie needs one too.”