Picture Perfect Read Free Page B

impossible. My pussy was suddenly sensitive and swollen beneath my robe, and my nipples were so hard they hurt.

    Lisa waved a hand at me. “Simulated sex only , my dear. The penetration shots are purely optional.”

    Kurt and I looked at each other. “Penetration shots?” we said at the same time.

    She frowned. “Certainly. Remember I told you I wanted to do the close work in color? Some of these positions are more complicated than you’d think, and the reader has to know exactly what to do in order to achieve them.”

    “I am not doing this.” Kurt glared at me, looking like an angry abominable snowman in the vast white terrycloth robe. “And neither are you.”

    Despite the butterflies now doing loop-the-loops in my stomach, I bristled at his domineering tone. “I beg your pardon? I told you I have a right to choose my own shoots.”

    “Not in this case, I’ll drag you home over my shoulder if I have to,” he threatened.

    “Why, you --”

    “Ahem.” Lisa cleared her throat loudly, cutting off our argument before it could really get into full swing. “May I remind you both that you signed a contract?” she said in a steely voice. “And I promise, if you don’t follow through, I will see that neither of you works in this town or this industry again.”

    I knew she had the clout to back up her threat, and I further knew that word tends to spread fast when a model is difficult. Get a bad rep and it’s hard to get assignments -- even harder than usual with a hundred other models applying for the same shoot. And if you have someone as famous as Lisa McKenzie blackballing you, well, it doesn’t matter if you look like Cindy Crawford and Elle Macpherson rolled up in one, you might as well hang up your modeling hat and go work at Burger King. Clearly, some damage control was in order and fast.

    “Look,” I said appealingly. “I’m really sorry but my, uh, Kurt here just isn’t comfortable with this kind of work. He told you he’d never modeled before, and this is kind of throwing him in the deep end, you know?”

    Lisa nodded reluctantly. “Well, I guess I could see that. I assumed you both knew what you’d be getting into when you came to the call in the first place.”

    “That’s my fault,” I said humbly. “I should have read the requirements more thoroughly. It’s really terribly unprofessional of me and I have to apologize.”

    She nodded again and was about to speak when one of the techs ran up and whispered in her ear. She looked at him. “Really? In thirty minutes? All right, tell him to hang on and I’ll let you know.” She smiled at Kurt and me. “Well, it turns out that we do have an alternate male model who can be available shortly. So, Kurt, if you’re that uncomfortable, I’ll let you opt out. I’m afraid, however, that Melanie will have to stay. We still need a female model and as all the other applicants left, she is our only option. Also…” She cocked her head to one side, studying me. “The more I look at her, the more I like her. She has a vulnerable quality that I think readers will identify with.”

    I turned to Kurt. “Happy now?” I asked him. “Looks like you’re free to go.”

    He took a step toward me, crowding my personal space. “I’m not going anywhere without you.”

    “Well, I am not leaving,” I said, beginning to get mad. Then I decided to try a different tactic. “Look, Kurt,” I said in a low voice. “Try to see this from my point of view -- this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to work with a world-famous photographer. If she likes me, it could make my career. If she doesn’t, it could ruin it. You can leave with no problem -- you don’t model in the first place, so if you get blackballed, it won’t matter. But with me -- I really need this. I really want it. Please don’t mess it up.”

    He was still frowning like a thundercloud, but his piercing blue eyes softened a little. I didn’t often ask him “please” anything.