Chapter 3

Delila

The meeting with HR made my head spin. There was so much paperwork to fill out and information needed. It made me miss freelancing and the ease of that. The woman was like a pixie and seemed to be more curious than normal. She was shrewd and her dark eyes flashed as she mentioned Michael. I knew that she wanted him. I wondered if they slept together. I was relieved when we were finished, and I was an official employee of the agency.

I was starting Monday. I walked to the elevator and glanced across the lobby to see Michael leaning against a window as he did something on his phone. He looked focused, and it aroused me as I took him in. I’d never known a man this into his success or sexy. I dated young guys my age, and it never seemed to work out. Michael was perfect. He slipped the phone into his pocket and glanced up, meeting my gaze. I blushed under his intense gaze as he searched my face before letting his eyes slide down my body.

I ran out of there, swearing to myself to learn some self-control. This was my employer and the man that was going to make it possible for me to get ahead. Between the pay and the contacts, it was any photographer’s dream job.

I headed home and read over the paperwork I’d been given. I would have hours that were all over the place, but the various locations were fascinating. I would be able to have a little fun when I wasn’t working and adding to my portfolio. I wasn’t sure if I would make friends or not since models had the reputation of being on the cold side. I also didn’t know if it was a good idea. I’d have to play it by ear.

I went home and looked through my clothes, separating the ones that I could use for work. I set aside leggings and comfortable slacks, adding some shirts that would work for a shoot. There wasn’t a dress code, but I planned to keep it professional when I was at work. I kept them in a different part of the tiny closet and walked into the living room, staring at the boxes piled up. I was going to miss Priscilla not living here.

She came home the following morning to have coffee with me. Jake worked today, and we made it a habit that we planned to keep. She sat beside me on the couch with her steaming mug of coffee, smiling as she asked about the job.

I told her about the perks and the pay. She was excited that I’d be okay living here alone. Priscilla actually cried when she told me about her plans to move over breakfast a month ago. I knew how happy she was when Jake proposed over dinner and that she loved him and that some tears were happy ones. I also knew that we’d miss each other. She was just a year and a half older than I was and my rock. When Mom left us and it was just Dad, it was Priscilla that stepped in to take care of me. She was too young for it but had a maternal nature. She always had. I didn’t know how to do it on my own, but we were big girls. We could handle it.

When she asked about my coworkers, I gave a small shrug. I explained that I only met the owner and spoke with some girls at the desk. I rolled my eyes when I told her how gorgeous they were, and Priscilla giggled. “It’s a modeling agency. What did you expect?” She reached over and took my hand in hers. “You know that includes you. You’re beautiful, Del.”

“I didn’t feel like it there.” I thought about Michael and how he was looking at me, unable to reason with myself why he was interested in me.

“Why are you blushing?” My sister asked as she raised her brow at me. I blinked, glancing at the rock on her finger before forcing myself to laugh.

“I’m not.” My voice was weaker than planned and she squeezed my hand until I cried out. “Stop it. I need that hand for work.”

“Why were you blushing?” She asked again, and I drew my lower lip between my teeth. My sister knew me well and lying about my new boss was going to be difficult.

“The guy that interviewed me was… gorgeous.” I finally admitted as her eyes lit up.

“And what happened?” She pressed as I ran my hands through my loose hair.

“He interviewed me. Then he hired me. End of story.” I deadpanned as she shook her head at me.

“Not the way you’re turning red. Tell me.” Priscilla was never going to stop.

“I don’t know. Maybe he was flirting with me a little, or he is just intense. I’m not sure.” I watched as Priscilla reached for her phone and tilted my head at her.

“What’s his name?” I sighed and told her, watching her tap something on the screen of her brand-new phone. Jake gave it to her. She stared down and her eyes glazed over as her lower lip dropped. “Holy shit. That man is gorgeous… and rich. Like rich rich.” She scrolled down after drooling at him for a moment and read something.

“He owns one of the most successful modeling agencies ever,” I reminded her as I leaned back. I wanted to see his face again but knew that it was better if I didn’t.

“Family money as well. He took it over when his dad retired, but it was even doing well back then.” She mused, and I nodded. That made sense.

“It doesn’t matter how attractive or wealthy he is. Michael is my boss.” I sipped my coffee again.

“I am sure there’s plenty of scandal that goes on there.” Her eyes were bright as she looked at me.

“Of course. I just won’t be a part of it.” I assured her as she set her phone down and reached for her mug.

Monday came fast. I showered and dressed to go in at nine where I would be observing. They wanted me to see every step of the process of a photo shoot and how to make it a good one. I wore stretchy black slacks, a loose green silk t-shirt and some flats that would be easy to move around in. I took the trains and nursed my travel mug of coffee as I watched the people going to their jobs. They were dressed all differently; from blue collar to the office. As many people were on the train, they all seemed to keep to themselves. I was no different, skimming the book on my phone as I kept track of the stops. I still had not adjusted to the subway yet and probably never would.

When I stepped from the car, I headed to the intersection to cross the street. It was packed today. I breathed in the air and let the busy vibe fill my body. When I entered the lobby of the building, the sound of voices surrounded me. I made my way to the elevator and joined several others, standing off to the side as the doors closed. I knew that I was supposed to go to the main desk and ask for Robert. He was the photographer that I was shadowing.

When he walked up to me, I couldn’t help but smile at the bright purple hair and black-rimmed glasses. “Delila?” He asked as I smiled and stood up. We shook hands, and he welcomed me to the team before leading me upstairs to the location of today’s shoot.

I was taken to hair and makeup where the gorgeous blonde woman was sitting in a chair. Her look was dark and sexy today and the teal color of her eyes popped with the smoky shadow and liner that she was wearing. Robert encouraged me to be vocal about what I wanted for the looks since I was the one taking the pictures. Nobody enjoyed repeating a shoot that went wrong.

He also took me to wardrobe and encouraged me to be equally involved in that. He often planned it ahead of time to make sure that things went smoothly.

From there, we went to the room that was commonly used as the studio. Today there was a flowing white cloth that blew in front of a window that was covered partially in black to make it appear darker. There were several backgrounds on the side, and I took it all in with a slow look.

This was the professional side of photography.

The model came in wearing a sleek, shimmery dress that clung to her subtle curves. She took her spot in front of the cloth and the fan blew her loose curls around as Robert knelt to the ground. He told her to start posing in different positions and I watched closely. This was much faster-more paced than the sessions I was used to. People were adjusting lights and adding fog as the woman cast sultry eyes to the camera, making looking sexy seem easy.

Robert called for a break in what seemed like five minutes. I glanced at my gear fit and realized it was actually forty-five minutes. He waved me over to see the shots on a computer and I was blown away. They were already beautiful but with a little editing, they’d be perfect. He took a few more shots over the next hour and I studied everything about them.

He told the model she did a great job and then rolled his head back slowly. “Take a half for lunch and meet me back here. We’ll work with the software.”

“Thank you. That was amazing.” I told him as he smiled at me. I headed towards the door and wondered where I could go in my allotted time. I jerked to a stop when I noticed Michael leaning against the door. He was watching me.

“How did you like it?” He asked as I smiled.

“Amazing.” He nodded and glanced back.

“You’re on lunch?” I nodded. “I know a place that’s close. Come.” He turned to walk towards the elevator, and I followed slowly. Was this a good idea? He led me into the car and pushed the button for the first floor before looking me over. “Robert is one of the best here. You’ll learn a lot from him.”

“Every step of the process is interesting. I’ve never been involved in hair or makeup before. That was done by people I knew but I didn’t show up until it was time for the pictures. This was on another level.” I marveled as he smiled at me.

“You’ll watch for a few days. I think you’ll be a good addition.” He assured me as the doors opened. We made our way across the lobby and I caught the glares from the first woman I spoke to here.

“Do you go to lunch with employees often?” I asked as he stared forward in thought.

“I don’t.” We walked to a small deli and ordered, sitting at a table to eat. Lunch was over too fast, and I looked at my watch.

“I need to get back. Thank you for showing me this place.” My eyes locked on his for a long moment and I took a long drink of my tea. “I’ll see you later.” I offered him a shy smile and walked through the front door to the curb. Once outside, I walked quickly back to work and hurried across the lobby to the elevator. I didn’t need to look at the desk to know the women were staring at me. I could feel their contempt through my back, making me shiver.

When we settled back into the office, Robert showed me the editing program that he and most of the photographers used. He took the original images and altered them to what you would see in a magazine, making them flawless. It would be up to the magazine to make the final decision, but we created a file to send to them before he glanced at his phone. “I have a night shoot for friends in Central Park. Would you like to assist?”

“I… what? Really?” I asked in shock as he shrugged.

“You have a good eye for this. I think you’d enjoy it. We could grab something for dinner first if you’d like.” With Michael, that invitation meant more than just a meal but with Robert, it was nothing more. I knew that he was gay or at least bi just from spending some time with him.

“I’d love that.” I replied quickly, and he tapped something into the phone. He saved the pictures on his small computer and tucked it into a messenger bag before standing up.