Book 1: Temptation

 

Ellie

 

My heart thundered in my chest as I stood in line, waiting for my very first modeling audition ever. It felt all wrong, like I really didn’t belong, like my hair was wrong and my clothes didn’t fit right, but I didn’t allow any of that to show on my face. I kept my expression determined and stony. I got the sense that if any of these other girls could see how I was feeling, they would use that to get ahead of me. I knew the competition would be fierce, and that there was going to be some bitchiness. These girls were like vultures, just waiting for the chance to pick each other apart.

It had taken me a lot to get here. That was why I was a lot older than most of the other girls at twenty six years old. But I was proud of myself for finally working towards making my dreams come true.

I’d grown up in a very strict household, completely ruled by my father. My younger brother, my mother and I had been forced to succumb to his whims, to hide from his tempers, and to follow his rules. And unfortunately for me, he believed that women belonged in the kitchen, bearing children. He didn’t like it when people started to pay too much attention to me, because of the way that I looked. He especially didn’t like it when I told him that I wanted to make a career out of my face, and that all I desired was to be a model. In fact, he got terribly angry when I mentioned it.

For me, growing up in such a tightly run household, the freedom of modeling seemed very glamorous. I spent my teenage years practicing poses in the mirror, working towards a goal that I was certain I could make my dad come around to. I felt like I had what it took. I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but I was determined to give it my best and succeed.

Unfortunately, my dad wouldn’t back down, however hard I pleaded with him. I cried to him, wept at his side, begged him to just give me a chance, but he flatly refused no matter what. In the end, under pressure from my mother too, I felt compelled to follow the path that he’d set out for me, and I became a seamstress. He said that would give me just some of the skills that I needed to become a good wife. I just used it as a way to make money, to build my own life. I worked hard.

Now I was here, in New York, and I was about to finally reap the benefits of my years of patience and hard work. All I needed to do was pull off this photo shoot, beat out these very glamorous, much more experienced models than me, and get my very first job. It would only take one for me to kick start my career. This was all that I needed.

I took in a few deep breaths, trying to calm down my racing heart, trying to get myself into the right frame of mind, but I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t remember everything that I’d taught myself over the years, it was honestly as if my mind had gone completely blank.

And then the door to the studio burst open, and another one of the girls came flying from the room, tears streaming down her face.

“If you can’t stand the heat, get the fuck out of my kitchen,” the surly photographer growled behind her, fury on his expression. “I don’t need weaklings!”

I trembled at the scene. My heart pounded. Was I a weakling? Was I about to fall at the very first hurdle? I’d never imagined anything like this, when I first set my heart on being a model.

“Now, I need the next three girls in here. You need to get changed before you come through. Jazmyn Telford, Heidi Turner, and Ellie Wilkes.”

My skin went cold with fear. Oh God, oh no, there was no way that I could do this… but at the same time I had to. I hadn't come all this way just to quit now. I’d spent my entire life locked away in a bubble set for me by my father. Now it was the time to use my wings, to fly free, to finally be me.

I stepped into the dressing room, examining the leather outfit critically, wondering if it was going to fit my body at all. I knew that KM Styles was a fashion brand that was known for being out there, but this was something else. I knew that if I wanted to be a model, I would have to get used to wearing some crazy outfits from time to time, but I’d never worn anything like this. I couldn’t stop self-doubt from creeping in.

Just get dressed, I warned myself. You can worry about everything else after that.

I focused on the task. I tugged the clothes up my body. I felt the heat of embarrassment creeping in my skin, and hoped it would not show. I turned to glance at my reflection in the full length mirror behind me, I found a stranger looking back.

Gone was the shy girl in her skirt that was slightly too long, and her hair pinned back. In her place was a rock chick. I had a glimpse of cleavage showing under the best top. The leather trousers made my legs look really long, and made my butt look high and tight. It was strange to see myself dressed so far out of my comfort zone, but it was nice too. I had to admit I looked really good. Now I just had to find the right way to get these clothes to photograph well.

“Ellie Wilkes, will you hurry up?” a frustrated voice burst out behind me, shaking me from my thoughts as I tried my best to pose. “It’s your turn in a minute, and the boss won’t wait around forever. He’s in these pictures too, you know?

Everything took a different turn after that. Kyle Meyer was in the pictures? With me? He was a living legend in the fashion world, famous for his designs as well as for his crazy reputation. Determination took over me. I really needed this job. This was going to be major.

“I’m coming,” I replied, trying to keep the shakiness out of my voice. “I’m coming now.”

Here goes nothing…

 

***

Kyle

 

“Do you really think that it’s a good idea for me to be in these photographs?” I moaned to my business partner, Greg Fond. “I don’t feel like it’s working at all.”

“That’s because we haven’t found the right girl yet,” he insisted. “We need you in this photo shoot, it’ll grab so much attention. You are a celebrity in your own right now, and we need that boost.”

I guessed that we was right about one thing, I was pretty famous now, but it wasn’t always that way. Back when I was just starting out as a freshman at business school, I was just an ordinary guy. I’d always had a creative flair within me, but I didn’t have any idea about how to channel it. I met Greg at business school, and soon after the idea for the fashion line came. With his help, my career took on a very different path. I became a fashion designer.

Now I was more well-known and successful than all of them.  The only problem was, a lot of my infamy didn’t come from my clothing. It came from my partying lifestyle, and the well-known women whom I was always photographed with.

I wasn’t always that way, but that side of me was something I needed to escape from. More and more these days that side of my life was embarrassing to me.

Greg was right. This photo shoot was the most cost effective way to get the business where it needed to be. I was just going to have to suck it up. This was why he was the brains behind the operation, and I was the visionary.

“Plus, that pretty face needs to be seen on camera, don’t you think?” he teased, shoving me playfully. “And all these girls are aware that we’re holding a massive party later, so that’s something to look forward to.”

“Yeah okay, you’re right… send the next girl in.”

Jazmyn was sexy as hell with her long dark hair and beautiful caramel skin, but almost as soon as she walked into the studio, I could see there wasn’t any chemistry between us. She didn’t do anything for me. She was making it very obvious that she wanted me, though, pouting, giggling like a cat, and licking her lips. I made a few jibes, a few sexual comments to try and fire the pair of us up because the photos really needed to be sexy. This new clothing line was all about sexual fantasy and desire, and I really needed that to come across clearly. If it didn’t, then the photographs wouldn’t be worth much. They certainly wouldn’t be worth having me in them, especially if we were playing off my reputation. Jazmyn was trying hard, but it was no good. I knew the photos would be no good.

Luckily, the grumpy photographer seemed to have chilled after having a cigarette. He sent off Jazmyn without making her weep, like the last one.

Then Heidi came in, with her bleached blonde hair and gum popping between her obviously collagen-filled lips. For a hook up, a one night stand, this girl was absolutely perfect, but I could already tell that she wouldn’t be right for the line. I needed the natural, bed head, mussed up sexy type of girl… not someone afraid to break a nail.

Still, I had to pose with her, so I got right to it.

“Will you be at my party later?” I hissed into her ear, to which she nodded and giggled like crazy. “I will have to make sure to find you there.” I knew for a fact that those plump lips would at least look good wrapped around my cock. If she couldn’t be my model, I at least wanted something from her. “I’ll be the one with the filthy glint in my eye…”

“Next!” Greg interrupted us quickly, probably sensing what I was saying. He rolled his eyes at me, but all I did was smirk back. “This one is Ellie Wilkes.”

As I spun around to see her entering the room, I felt everything within me shift. The sweet, shy looking red haired girl with a heart shaped face and bright green eyes looked more phenomenal than she probably realized in my clothing. She had the exact right mixture of innocence and sensuality about her, which was what I’d wanted all along for this campaign.

This could be the one, I thought excitedly to myself. If I can just get her to come out of her shell, she might be the girl to front this clothing line. I just need to make it work.

Of course, if the chemistry wasn’t there, it would fall apart before it got started, but from the way she already had me intrigued I had a feeling that wouldn’t be the case. I didn’t normally care too much about women these days. That was an after effect of being ignored by every girl I ever liked until I got really rich, I suppose. Nowadays I only saw them for what I could get out of them. But there was something about this one that had me wanting to know more.

“Kyle Mercer,” I held my hand out for her to shake it, introducing myself far too formally. “It’s nice to meet you, Ellie Wilkes.”

As our skin connected, a fission of excitement burst through me, and a spark unlike anything I’d felt in a very long time. I had a feeling that this was going to be an extremely interesting selection of test shots, and I couldn’t wait to get started.

“H… hi, Mr. Mercer,” she answered tentatively, shyly not meeting my eye. “Erm… where do you need me to be?”

A smirk spread across my lips, but I didn’t speak the instant answer that came to my mind. I had a feeling that brashness wouldn’t work with this one. I didn’t want to put her off. I felt like she could be perfect for this shoot and for the company. I decided to put that first.

Anything else would have to come later on, once this was over.

 

***

Ellie

 

“Darling, you’ve been waiting for him all day and he’s just come home, come on, show me some of that,” said the photographer.

I tried to get into it, but this was new for me. Meanwhile, Kyle was standing much too close to me for my liking. I tried to edge my way away from him when I thought it was getting a little bit too unprofessional, but he would grind up against me once more. ‘Professional’ was a bit of a blurred meaning when I was dressed like this, but still there had to be limits. I wasn’t the most sexually experienced person on the planet, but I knew enough to sense that this was a little inappropriate.

“Is this your first time?” he said quietly into my ear. “At a photo shoot I mean?” This sent panic coursing right through me and my entire body froze. Was it really that obvious? Was I doing such a terrible job? “Oh no, no I didn’t mean it like that,” he chuckled, seeing my reaction. “I just meant… well, you seem really fresh.”

That was a strange statement, considering I was that much older than the other girls, and probably looked as much. I turned my body around to face him with confusion in my eyes. Of course that was the exact moment that he decided to move his mouth close to my neck, to simulate kissing it, and sending a tickling sensation running through my body.

I needed to get out of this situation, and now, but I couldn’t go… this was all I had.

“Stop thinking so much,” he whispered to me so that the horrible photographer couldn’t hear me. “Just feel. Allow your body to do all of the work for you.”

I didn’t take his advice, I continued to work with what I had, moving my legs into the position I’d seen in one magazine, placing my hand at the angle a lot of models I idolized adopted, freezing my face in the perfect expression… but still it didn’t seem to be enough.

“What is this?” the photographer eventually interjected. “Are you a robot or something?”

“You need to just relax,” Kyle turned to me, and said with a smile on his face. “I know it’s hard, but imagine that we’re somewhere else. Imagine that we’re on a date…” my heart fluttered at that statement, however much I didn’t want it to. “Imagine, I’m leaning in to kiss you…” Oh God, this was too much. I needed him to stop. “Imagine we’re in bed and I’m on top of you, you can feel the weight, the warmth of me,” there was a strange sensation of heat in my panties at that remark, one that I didn’t quite recognize. “You can feel me inside of you, moving in… and out…”

I couldn’t help myself anymore, an involuntary moan escaped past my throat and I slid my eyes shut as that image filled my mind. I might not have particularly liked this man; he was arrogant, had no respect for personal boundaries, and he seemed to love himself, but damn he was hot.

Kyle Meyer was sexy, rugged, manly, muscular, tall, overpowering… and it was fun to imagine what sex with him would be like, if only for a moment. But then I felt disgusted with myself, and angry with him. Another thought crossed my mind. I wanted to slap him.

“That’s it!” the photographer yelled, excitedly. “Whatever it is you’re doing, whatever you are thinking of, keep it going. This is perfect, it looks incredible on film.”

Of course that caused me to snap my eyes open in an embarrassed shock, as the blush filled me as I saw the happy, smug look that Kyle was giving me. This was what he’d wanted the entire time, to have me off balance and confused. But maybe it was a test, to see if I could hack it in the real world, to see if I was the right model for this campaign, which sent determination flowing through me.

I would do this, no matter what it took.

“No, girl…”

“Ellie,” I shot at the photographer confidently.

“Ellie, I want you to face Kyle, and to place a hand on his chest. Then I want you to stare deeply into his eyes, leaning in slightly as if you’re about to kiss him. This moment needs to be incredibly sensual, so keep whatever thought you had before in your mind.”

Oh God… how could I do that, how could I remember that thought whilst staring at him? That would be so damn embarrassing. Then again, if I wanted this job, then that’s what I needed to do.

“Yeah… of course, that’s fine…”

I got back into it, and the photographer snapped away. There was something happening between us. Kyle’s eyes were a deep brown, and they seemed to be swimming with humor, but the more I stared the more I began to see something else, something deep down, something that he didn’t like to share. That had me oddly intrigued, and maybe he could sense that.

Suddenly he said, “Hey, we’re throwing a party tonight, will you be there?”

I gulped, considering that idea before shaking my head no. This sex photo shoot was hard enough. I wasn’t sure that I could mentally handle a party too. Not only would the drink be far too tempting, and lower my barriers, but this man would be there too. I wasn’t sure if I could deal with that. I never wanted to be the sort of girl who slept to get to where I wanted to be. I had a feeling that if I allowed this man to, he could just about be able to sweep me off of my feet…

 

***

Kyle

 

There were beautiful women everywhere at this party, all of them looking for a good time, all of them my type, but somehow I still felt  uninspired. I scanned my eyes over the crowd noticing how hot every single one of them was, but none of them was the girl that I was looking for, and that was the problem. I wanted Ellie. I’d asked her to come, and she’d refused. Somehow I expected her to arrive anyway.

As we shot the photos, when I finally managed to get Ellie to relax, I realized there was something there between us. I knew that she felt it too because of the way that her body had reacted to me. That coy little firecracker might have thought that she could fool me with those sweet, innocent eyes of her, but I’d gazed into those eyes and I’d seen that there was something more to her. An animalistic side that was just begging to be set free. In all honesty, I had come to this party with the sole intention of doing that, but how could I if she wasn’t even here?

“Hey!” a peppy voice called out right next to me, dragging me out of my thoughts. “I brought you a drink.” I spun around to see a vaguely familiar blonde grinning up at me, but I couldn’t quite place her. “It’s me, Heidi, you… told me to meet you here, remember?”

Oh, of course, the overtly sexy blonde. It was hard to recognize her not wearing the outfit she’d had on in the shoot.

“Oh hi there, and thanks.” I took the glass from her and knocked the drink back quickly. “How are you?”

“Really excited to hear about the job,” she exclaimed, making my heart sink. She wasn’t going to like the fact that she had no chance in hell of getting it. “I would do just about anything to work with you.”

With that, she stepped closer to me and pressed her body up against mine, making things very easy for me. This was exactly the sort of woman who wouldn’t have looked at me twice in the days when I’d had I no money or power, yet here she was draped all over me. This was how it was all the time, this was how I ended up hanging around will all sorts of women… but sometimes I missed the chase, and after what I’d experienced with Ellie today, I missed the chemistry too.

However, Ellie wasn’t here, and this woman was, and I certainly didn’t want to spend the night alone, so I turned to face her and snapped right back into charming mode. I didn’t really need to, considering she was all ready to go, but it just felt right.

“Would you like to come back to my place?” I growled, pulling her in even nearer. “I’ve been thinking about you all day long.” Only a small lie, it wouldn’t hurt, would it? “Or…” I pretended to think about it for a second. “Why don’t we just go into the club manager’s office? I know him well and he won’t mind. I just don’t think that I can wait any longer…” I didn’t want her at my apartment because she might get too clingy, but there was no need to tell her that.

We crashed into the room, kissing furiously, but I didn’t forget to click the lock of the door behind me. I’d been walked in on more than once!

I slumped back on the chair, while she slowly stripped in front of me, swaying her hips seductively as she went, but rather than losing myself in the moment, I couldn’t help but wish that it was Ellie with me instead. I wished that it was her soft figure in front of me, her breasts bouncing as she danced. I wished it was her sliding to her knees…

Before I knew it, my cock was in Heidi’s mouth, and she was giving me a blow job that was so enthusiastic, it was as if she thought her entire career was resting upon it. I gripped onto the side of the chair, and I allowed my head to fall back and my eyes to slide shut. There I imagined that it was Ellie’s lips wrapped around my cock, her tongue flickering all over me, her throat that I was hitting the back of. I wanted it to be her. I wanted to corrupt her, I wanted to bring her out of her shell in the way that I knew I could, and that image alone brought me to the brink of pleasure much faster than I would normally.

Still, with my eyes shut, I ran my hands through Heidi’s hair, and I guided her to move in the way that I needed her to. As the pleasure exploded from me, I had to bite down really hard on my lip not to scream out Ellie’s name.

Hot damn, I was going to have to get some more time alone with Ellie, there was no doubt about that. I hadn't thought about someone for more than a few moments for years.

I wasn’t sure if Heidi was expecting something in return, but I turned her away, citing a need to conduct some business. Then I called Greg from where I was sitting, not wanting to go back out into the party, and told him that we needed to hire Ellie.

“Oh, I know,” he agreed with me. “Did you not see the pictures of you two together? They were electric. Nothing else even came close.”

At least I had some guaranteed alone with her now, while we posed for endless photographs. I could work my charm and magic and have her eating out of the palm of my hand in no time. I was sure of it.

With a smirk on my face, I called my driver to come and take me home. I didn’t need to be at the party any longer, not when I knew that my time with Ellie would come. I didn’t want to bother with anyone else.

 

***

Ellie

 

“Are you serious?” I gasped into the phone in shock, clutching my chest as I spoke. I couldn’t believe her words at all, I even had to pinch myself to check that I wasn’t dreaming, but no… a hot sting from the pinch radiated through my arm. “I can’t believe it, I don’t know what to say. This is incredible!”

“You need to be here on Monday, at eight AM on the dot, okay?” the bored-sounding receptionist continued, ignoring my excitement.

“Do I… need to bring anything with me?” I knew that I probably sounded like a newbie, but I was, and I didn’t want to make any silly errors. Now that I’d gotten so far, I needed to do everything else right.

“No. Don’t wear any make up and keep your hair natural. There will be people there to do all of that for you.”

“Right, thank you,” I finally answered, nodding as if this was a totally normal conversation. Inside, however, everything was dancing about like crazy. It was finally happening, after all these years I was finally able to prove my worth. To prove to myself and everyone around me that my dreams weren’t stupid and that I could do it.

Somehow, I’d managed to beat put dozens of other girls that on the outside looked like they had a lot more potential than me. That had to be worth something, right?

Of course, I wasn’t at all sure how I would cope working alongside Kyle, especially after that steamy test shoot. I would just have to find a way through it.

There was nothing to like about him anyway. He was arrogant and probably a really horrible person. I didn’t really like him, it was just the fact that I’d never been around someone so overtly sexual before, that was all. I would be fine as soon as I got used to him. That sensation that felt a little bit like chemistry would go soon enough and I would be able to focus on the task at hand.

I held my phone in my hand for a second, wondering who I could call to share the good news with. I wanted to call my mother, but I couldn’t in case my dad was around. Not when I’d been practically ostracized from the family just for moving away.

My mother wasn’t exactly supportive of what I wanted to do with my life, but she did want me to be happy. We’d had a long chat before I left for New York, during which I expressed absolutely everything to her and she seemed to understand… but of course she was stuck, she had no choice when it came to her opinions. My brother wouldn’t care, he liked my dad’s beliefs, so there was no point with worrying about him anyway.

I really did hope that when I finally managed to make a success of myself, my family members would all change their minds, but I didn’t hold out too much hope. I wasn’t sure if my dad would ever be able to see that his opinion wasn’t the only one. I hoped he would change his mind about me being a model.

Never mind, I was doing this now, I was achieving all that I wanted to, and I was doing it for me. This was a stepping stone into much bigger things. I stepped up and looked at myself, before practicing a few poses in the mirror, before remembering Kyle’s words:

“You need to just relax. I know it’s hard, but imagine that we’re somewhere else.”

Of course, he went on to say some very inappropriate things afterwards, but I was trying my best not to focus on that part. What he’s said had worked anyway. The photographer loved it.

. “Whatever it is you’re doing, whatever you are thinking of, keep it going. This is perfect, it looks incredible on film.”

Maybe all of my posing practice had been for nothing, maybe that hadn't helped to gear me up after all. If I looked my better when I relaxed, when I thought of ‘sexual things’, then maybe that was what I had to do. This seemed to be a very sexy campaign anyway, so it made a lot of sense.

Being around Kyle Meyer, thinking dirty thoughts as part of my job… how the hell would I ever be able to keep away from him? I definitely wasn’t the sort of one night stand girl that he seemed to be used to anyway, so maybe he wouldn’t be interested in me… but there was that look in his eye, one that said he wanted to devour me, and it made my heart beat faster. Maybe he wouldn’t care that I wasn’t his usual type. Maybe that was exactly what he liked about me…

 

***

Kyle

 

I swigged the water from the bottle quickly, keeping my eyes fixed on Ellie as she took a break too. Things were not going well, not at all.

Well, not the photo shoot. Apparently the photos looked absolutely incredible. But between Ellie and me personally, things were not going well. It didn’t matter what line I used, how far I amped up the charm; she remained aloof. She pretended that she was not interested in me, but I knew that she was. Her body gave her away. She just wouldn’t admit it.

“It’s going well,” Greg said blandly next to me, only seeing the work side of it. Honestly, it was as if he were totally immune to the internal dilemma that I was suffering. I ran my fingers through my dark hair, then stroked the little bit of stubble I had on my chin. “You guys look really good together, I definitely think this will grab public attention.”

“Yeah, I’m sure you’re right,” I replied, a little too grumpily. “She’s good at modeling, a real natural. I can’t believe this will be her debut.”

“What is with you?” Greg gasped, exaggeratedly. “Surely that’s a good thing, but you’re telling it to me like it’s the end of the world. Do you like this girl or something?” He only needed to look into my eyes to know the answer to that one. “Oh God,” he groaned. “You do. Well do you think that you can leave her alone until after we’ve finished the shoot? We don’t want another repeat performance of Kari Ann.”

I’d all but forgotten about that crazy broad. She’d been aggressively sexual with me on a photo shoot – not one that I was starring in that time, luckily – and I’d instantly caved and screwed her in the toilets, before sending her back out on set. She had been wild, digging her nails into me until the drew blood, screaming loudly, begging me to fuck her from behind, which I probably should have taken as a sign for what was about to come.

She followed me home that night, and insisted that I let her in, which I did very unwillingly. She then told me that she was moving in, and that I had to refer to her as my girlfriend from there on out. Of course I refused, which was when the really crazy side of her came out. She started stalking me, acting like a total brat on set when I wasn’t there, and in the end we had to not only fire her, but file for a restraining order too. Not my proudest moment, to say the least.

I hadn't learned my lesson though, I still acted in the same way. I’d just been lucky enough not to have anything similar happen to me.

I said, “Sure, whatever you say, Greg… although I don’t think it’s going to happen anyway.”

“Wow, there’s a woman in the world that can resist the charms of Kyle Myer?” He said this in a joking manner, but I could detect the hint of jealousy there. Greg had always been a little jealous about my success with women. He was just as wealthy, but they didn’t seem to show him anywhere near the same level of interest.

“Ha ha, very funny,” I said. “Maybe I’ll throw another party. She’s a little uptight. I think she might just need a little bit of booze to lighten her up.”

But even as I said those words, I knew that it wouldn’t be easy to convince her to come, not on my usual charm alone. She wasn’t very interested in what I had to say… or at least she didn’t admit it. So perhaps what I needed to do was throw a party that was so epic, everyone would be talking about it.

“Maybe we need some back-up models next week, to create some new scenes too,” I told Greg, with only one thought in my mind. “Maybe get some of the girls from the test shoot. Not Heidi though…” I didn’t want to see her again. Not after I’d rejected her once for modelling work, and not with Ellie around.

Anyway, when all the back-up models were here, I would whisper it among them and get them all excited for the party. Hopefully some of them wouldn’t be totally jealous of Ellie for being the star, and they would talk her into going to the party.

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.

 

***

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.

 

***

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.

 

***

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 me, 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.

 

***

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.”

“It won’t be like last time,” I held onto his shoulder, doing my best to reassure him. “I promise you, this is going to be okay.”

“I just care about this business,” he sighed sadly, shaking his head at me. “I’m worried about something affecting it. The pictures you took with Ellie are great, and the media are already really interested in them. I don’t want anything to wreck that.”

I did my best not to roll my eyes at that one. “Stop stressing, everything is going to be fine. Just trust me.”

When he didn’t answer me, I gave up and wandered back into the party, not wanting to deal with Greg’s crap. If I just ignored it, this would all blow over soon enough, that was the way it always went between us.

But my eyes quickly flicked over to the bar, I could see that Ellie was nowhere to be seen. Rather than being disappointed, I figured she was probably in the bathroom or something, so I went to get another drink instead.

“Yeah, a whiskey and a glass of champagne please,” I smiled at the bar tender. “Thanks.”

“Ooh, who’s the other drink for?” a woman beside me asked. I could hear her words, but the background noise was too loud for me to figure out who it was, so I turned and my eyes fixed with the last person I ever thought I would see again.

I looked up and down her body, recalling everything about her; the small scar on her stomach that she got when she was cliff diving as a teenager on holiday, the tattoo she got on her butt as a dare, the birth mark on her shoulder.... I could recall every single thing about this woman, which was exactly why I hated her.

“Heather, what the hell are you doing here?” I growled angrily at her, pumping my fists in temper. What was all this about? I hadn't seen Heather since we stood in the divorce courts all those years ago. 

I was hopelessly in love when I married this woman. I was sure we would last forever. It was during the time that I was struggling to make something of myself, when I didn’t have the money, so I knew that she loved me for who I was.

She stood by my side as the business grew, and that convinced me that we were meant to be. All I saw was a loving and devoted wife, someone who I could love at the end of every day, but it seemed that she didn’t feel the same way. One day when I came back early from a business trip I found her in bed with her personal trainer. It tore me apart from the inside out.

When we got divorced, I paid her off a lot to keep her away from my business because I wanted to keep it as only mine. She wanted her hands on it, but a few million sent her away, she agreed to keep away. That was the last that I’d seen of her. She left me heartbroken, hollow, devoid of any feelings. It had turned me into the bed-hopping person the media knew me as today.

“Are you surprised to see me?” she asked me, with that nasty, bitchy smirk playing on her lips. “It’s been far too long.”

“Not for me,” I replied coldly. “I couldn’t ever see you again and it would be too soon for me.”

“Oh don’t be like that,” she said teasingly, running her fingers up and down my arm, trying to manipulate me all over again. “I just want to talk.”

“Why don’t you just tell me why you’re here, so we can get it over with? I’ve been living quite an easy life without you in it, and I would much prefer to continue like that.” I couldn’t even stand to look at her anymore.

“Okay fine, be like that,” she stepped back and gave me a hard look. “I have come back to claim what’s rightfully mine.”

“And what’s that?” I folded my arms across my chest, growing angrier with each passing second. This was supposed to be a nice evening with Ellie, not a horrible reunion with my ex. What the hell had I done to deserve that?

“The business of course,” she giggled girlishly. “The money you gave me is gone,” she shrugged as if this meant nothing. “So now I want what you didn’t allow me to have last time. I want in on the business, and you might as well know now that I will not stop until I get it.”