Page 23 of All He Takes
He gripped her shoulder tighter, the soft skin underneath his fingertips.
"I need you to trust me," he said. "I need you to do this right."
"I--"
He gripped her shoulders even tighter, his fingers digging into her soft flesh.
"Let me help you," he said. "Let me show you how to pose."
He sat down on the couch beside her and arched his body into the perfect pose. She watched him with fear in her eyes. He looked at her, so she'd know he wasn't messing around here.
"Like this," he said. "You will try it again."
He stood up and walked back over to his position.
She did as he asked, and he watched as her face contorted with a smile he had never seen before. He snapped a quick photo, and the flash brightened the room for a moment. He watched as the print came out of the Polaroid and slowly processed. It was mediocre. If this woman couldn't deliver them, he'd go get another one.
He thought back to the last model he had photographed: a soft-spoken, but sexy woman who had been happy to pose for him (with a little encouragement, of course). She had been art compared to this one.
He remembered the last moment he saw her, before he slit her throat and did her final photoshoot. It was perfect. What had her name been again? Francesca? Something like that.
No matter. He had replaced her with this new model, but she was proving to be quite the disappointment. If she didn't get him a good photo soon, he'd have to get rid of her and find a new model even sooner than planned.
He might have to kill this one and get her out of his hair.
"Try again?" she asked.
He nodded, and she stood back up, and this time, managed to pose right. She even managed to get the right look for him.
He snapped a photo, and then another. The flash lit the room up for a moment, and the print slowly started to appear.
"Good," he said. "Switch feet."
He watched as she tried to switch her feet, but it was sloppy.
"No," he said, frustrated. "Just stay facing the camera. Switch from your left foot to your right."
He watched as she tried again and again, and each time, she was still screwing it up.
"This isn't working!" he yelled. "You're fucking it all up!"
"P-please, I'll try again!" she said.
He walked up to her and grabbed her by her chin.
"Listen to me," he said, "I'm not keeping you here to give me mediocre photos. You're going to do this right, or else."
He could see she was scared. He could tell she knew he wasn't kidding.
"I want you to show me you're worth my time," he said. "I want you to give me a reason to keep you around."
He grabbed her by her hair and pulled her head back, exposing her neck.
"I can't do this without you on my side," he said. "I need you to show me that you're trying. Show me that you can do this."
He let go of her hair, and she turned around to face him.
"Okay," she said. "I'll try again."
