Page 6 of The Model

There was no way I was going to meet up with him. If I did, I’d probably punch him in the junk for bothering me so incessantly. Why did he need to get into an apartment he hadn’t been in for six months?

4

Ryder

4 Months Later

My legs shookas I stood from my squat. French music blared from the speakers of the gym as I worked out. The agency had hooked me up with gym passes in each country I hit, and I was thankful. Today was my day off, and I was grateful for it. I’d been flying for two days straight, and I needed to eat, sleep, and get my workout on. I hated hitting the gym super early in the morning or late at night, but I knew I had to keep my body in shape. If I slipped, so would all the offers coming at me. It was unreal that when I arrived in LA a year ago, I had a hundred dollars to my name, and now my bank account was…okay, I hadn’t turned into a millionaire or anything like that, but now I could stop sleeping on my friends’ couches and get my own apartment when I had time to settle down enough to look for one.

It was unbelievable that for the last four months, I’d been traveling almost non-stop. Everyone wanted me as the face of their products. It was unreal to see my face in magazines and all over the internet, and it all happened because one company took a chance on me. Once California Tomorrow’s magazine hit the stands, my phone never stopped ringing. I had an agent with a prominent modeling agency who was booking me non-stop. I barely had a moment to myself to appreciate how my career had blown up. Now I was in Paris for Men’s Fashion Week and going to walk for Giorgio Armani. I didn’t care about fashion, but I knew Armani and was astounded at the huge opportunity they were giving me.

Every time I thought about what started my career, I thought about Lexie. How could I not? She was so fucking sexy with the way she held the camera, her breathy voice as she called out positions, and I’d never forget her body with tattoos decorating her skin. The thought of her secret piercings made my dick hard every time I pictured them. Fucking her on the studio bed had been on a constant loop these last few months as I brought myself to release. I knew I’d likely never see her again except in my fantasies, and I was okay with that. I was too busy to even think about having a girlfriend or a steady fuck buddy. I hadn’t even been in the same time zone as her since that day.

After showering at the gym, I hit the streets of Paris to be a tourist. I was going to take advantage of my downtime to see the sights, knowing all of this could be taken away in the blink of an eye. When I first started getting jobs, I was intimidated by not being able to speak the languages of the countries I visited but quickly learned it wasn’t necessary. All the people I worked with spoke English except one, and they had a translator. Every meal was delivered to my room, making it easy to stay on track with what I needed to eat. I was lucky I found an agency that believed in me as much as they did and made my life easier, for the most part. It was daunting going to jobs when you didn’t know where you were going. Luckily, everyone who was in the Armani show was staying at the same hotel. Not that I talked to any of them. It was a competition, and they would happily take me out if they could. It was crazy, but I wasn’t going to let it change me.

I spent the day going to the Eiffel Tower, The Louvre, and the Notre-Dame Cathedral. I didn’t care that I looked like a silly tourist. I had gotten over that on my first overseas shoot. The only thing I wished was that I had someone to share it all with. When I decided to pursue a career in modeling, I had no idea how lonely it would be. Now that I had the life, I didn’t see it changing unless I dated a model and we were booked on the same jobs, which wasn’t likely. I knew I couldn’t be a model forever, and once my time was up, I’d find that special person who was meant for me. Still, it didn’t stop me from wishing I could share it with someone. None of the guys here wanted anything to do with me, and my crappy phone didn’t have an international plan, so I couldn’t even call my mom to tell her about it.

Heading back to the hotel, my shoulders were slumped with exhaustion and missing my friends and family. Once I got back to my room, I heated my boring dinner of chicken and vegetables and ate out on the balcony, watching everyone pass beneath me.

* * *

Cameras flashed from every direction,but I continued to look straight ahead as I made my way to the end of the runway. Hitting my mark, I counted to four and then turned back the way I came. The moment I disappeared behind the curtain, I couldn’t hide the smile that spread across my face. I’d done it. I’d walked my first runway show, and it was for none other than Giorgio Armani. I was flying high as I walked into the area where all the other models were in various stages of undress. Immediately, someone was ushering me back in line for the end of the show. It wasn’t like I was going to get lost in the room. There was only one exit; they had the other blocked off. I replayed each step, and each celebrity I saw that was lining the platform in my mind. This high that I was on made up for being lonely, some days barely sleeping, and getting up hours before the sun to get that magical shot.

Someone shoved me from behind, making me spin around and growl.

“Move,” he said something that sounded like a curse in French and pointed in front of me. The line I’d been standing in had moved while I’d been daydreaming. I jogged a few steps to catch up. There couldn’t be a hole when we walked back out, and I didn’t want to be the one who messed up the end of the show. If word got out that I couldn’t follow simple instructions, I’d never get another job. Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes. Ride the high, but don’t be a fuck up, man. You’ve got this.

I hated the rollercoaster of emotions this life put me on. It was another reason I wanted someone to talk to, someone to share all the amazing places I’d seen, but also someone who would understand the lows.

How did it seem, in a city as big as Paris, I was the only person alone?

5

Lexie

I satthe fan down on the stair and looked up the narrow staircase. I’d need to invest in another fan because this was going to be the last time I carried this one up two flights of stairs. Maybe I should hire someone to build a little storage area on the roof so I could house everything for outdoor shoots. It would be smart, but whoever said I was smart when it came to making my life easier?

Wiping the sweat from my forehead, I headed over to my desk to grab my camera. Everything was set up by the pool, and the models were getting oiled up. Raine was in heaven as she helped to slick down Tommy. He was cute, but he knew it and was a cocky asshole. Nova was arguing with her boyfriend on the phone, and I hoped it didn’t affect the shoot because it sounded like they were really going at it. She’d slipped into the dressing room for some privacy, but it wasn’t working since she kept yelling. I wanted to get away from it, so it didn’t affect my mood for the day. I was over men. I thought my ex-boyfriend had listened to me and decided to leave me alone, but yesterday he started calling and texting incessantly again. He was freaking out, insisting that we needed to meet up at the apartment. When I informed him that I’d moved, I thought he was going to explode going by the sounds on the other end on the line. That’s when I stopped answering his calls. Only it didn’t stop, and he’d been texting me almost hourly since yesterday. I had no idea what his problem was, but I wanted no part in it.

Nova came out of the dressing room in a huff. She was almost six feet tall without heels, and with the five inches stilettos she had on, she still walked like a gazelle. Her long brown hair flowed down her back, and I swear it looked like she had a wind machine on her as it blew out behind her. I loved working with her. She was gorgeous inside and out and fun to work with.

Nova strode to me with her long legs eating up the space between us and stopped with only inches separating us. With the look on her face, I thought she was going to yell at me. Not that she had any reason to, but still, she looked pissed. Either that or she was going to say she couldn’t do the shoot. The life of a model wasn’t easy on relationships. I understood that and tried to make the lives of the models I worked with as easy as possible. If they needed a break to make a call, I’d let them. I think it was one reason most models liked to work with me. I saw no reason in making the experience difficult for everyone involved. That’s not to say that I wasn’t a bitch sometimes. It was easy to be the nice photographer when we were working inside, but when a shot depended on the light outside and weather, we all had to suck it up and get it done in the short amount of time we had. We couldn’t reset the sun just because we didn’t get the shot. At least I had it easier than they did. I could wear whatever I wanted to be comfortable, unlike them. Most of the time, they froze their asses off to get the shots we needed, and I felt sorry for them. Somewhat. They usually made bank for those shoots, and I did everything I could to make them as comfortable as possible.

“I’m sorry you had to hear that.” Nova turned, looking toward the front of the building with her mouth turned down. “He doesn’t understand that I have to work and has been accusing me of cheating with every man I have a job with lately.”

Touching my hand to her arm, I smiled sadly at her. “I’m sorry, I know it can be hard. When was the last time you saw him?”

She tilted her head to the side and hummed. “Probably three weeks ago.”

“That’s a long time. He probably just misses you.” I had a feeling they’d be broken up by the next time I worked with her. He was always a problem, and I knew she could do better than him.

She chewed on the inside of her cheek as she looked toward the front of the building again. I looked around her to see what she was looking at. Was she worried he’d show up because there was nothing else back there except the front door and everyone else was up on the roof waiting for us? “Is it bad that I don’t miss him? All we do anymore is fight. Even the sex isn’t that great. You’d think with all the making up we do, it would be spectacular.”

“Maybe you should take a break?” I shrugged. I didn’t want to overstep, but it seemed like she wanted advice. “Or sit him down and talk to him and tell him how you’re feeling. I’m not the best at giving relationship advice. My last boyfriend…” I didn’t want to think about how I stayed with him for far too long. It wasn’t a healthy relationship, and when I found him with another woman, I should have been relieved. Instead, I almost spiraled.

“Men suck.” Nova sighed.

She had that right. I seemed to only attract the worst ones. It made me think of Ryder and how perfect he’d seemed. I wished I’d gotten his number but knew he was busy living his best life. I’d been following him, and he’d made it big in the last four months. I was proud of him and that my photos were the ones to break him into the spotlight. Well, my photos and his amazing looks.

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