“We’ve got Mason on the bed,” Theo read off a clipboard, pointing to the set that was rapidly being assembled. “He’s there with Brio—I mean, Molly.” His finger moved to me. “She’s in his lap, he’s kissing her neck, and then we have Kaz on the edge of the bed beside them, writing the lyrics for the song in blood on the floor…”
My eyes all but bulged out of their sockets. “Wait, what?”
Theo leveled me with a hard look that radiated impatience. “Molly, what are you still doing here? Wardrobe, now! Do we have the fake blood ready? Where is it?”
I didn’t get a chance to stutter out another word before Nora was dragging me away in the direction of the makeup tent. I shot a helpless look at Mason, who grimaced and shrugged in response. Beside him, Kaz stared at me with an apologetic expression.
This was a disaster. What was Trinity going to think when she saw the photos? I hoped to God the real model would appear quickly. Maybe she’d arrive and I’d be spared from being her stand-in.
Makeup and wardrobe made fast work of me. I felt as if I’d been tossed in the center of hurricane consisting of sponges, brushes, hair straighteners, and other devices meant to transform me at record speed.
“Gosh, what’s that on your neck?” one of the makeup artists asked, pointing at my fading bruises.
“I burned myself with a hair curler,” I said quickly. “Can you cover it up?”
She snorted. “Child’s play, honey.”
She wasn’t kidding. A few minutes later, I couldn’t see any hint of the discoloration.
Someone helped me take off my clothes before handing me a black lingerie set and tugging a silky slip over my head.
“You look hot,” one of the women said before shoving me in front of a mirror.
I gasped. I was half naked in a room of at least a dozen strangers. My thighs were on display, peeking through the slits in the slip dress, and my breasts were practically spilling out of the engineered push-up bra. This was ludicrous. I couldn’t go through with it.
“I can’t do this,” I whisper-yelled to Nora, who was already pulling me outside of the room. “Nora, seriously!”
She paused to give me a once-over. “What’s the problem? You look great.”
“It’s indecent,” I hissed. “I’m an assistant, not a lingerie model. How would you feel if Theo told you to get up on that stage?”
“Terrible. And then I’d suck it up and do it because I don’t want to be out of a job.” She pulled a robe off a hook by the door. “Here, put this on for now.”
I donned the robe, making sure to tuck everything I could inside. “How far away is Briony?” I asked, tying the belt in a tight knot.
“They’ve landed and waiting to disembark.” She held the door open and waved me through it. “We need to hurry. They’re waiting for you.”
And I was waiting for the ground to open up and swallow me whole, but something told me it wasn’t going to happen. As we made our way back to the set, I told myself to stay calm and keep it professional. Surely I could act like a professional even if I looked like I was on my way to work a corner.
My anxiety lowered when Nora and I finally made it back and neither Theo, nor the many assistants swirling around him, paid me any mind. Maybe I’d overreacted in the dressing room. I mean, I was just a temporary prop, right? Kaz and Mason were the real stars of the shoot.
Inhaling for courage, I stepped up on the elevated set and padded over to the guys. They stood with their bare backs turned to me, their eyes glued to their phones.
Hold up, when did their shirts come off?
I allowed myself two seconds to admire their muscular builds. Okay, maybe three. Then I cleared my throat to get their attention. “So it sounds like Briony might be a little while, but at least she’s on the ground.”
They turned at the sound of my voice, abandoning whatever they were doing. Kaz’s eyes widened.
“I shot a quick text to Trinity to let her know about the delay,” I continued, “but she—”
“Okay, we’re getting started,” Theo shouted, jogging over to us. “Mason, you’re on the bed. Molly, get undressed and climb onto him. Quickly!”
I swallowed, frantically undoing the knot of my belt before slipping the robe off.
“Holy fuck,” Mason said under his breath. His gaze met mine and then dropped lower, sending micro-currents of electricity across every inch of my skin. For a moment, the look on his face was pure hunger, then he caught himself and shot a guilty glance at Kaz.
But the singer was oblivious. He stepped closer to me, as if forgetting we were in a room full of other people, and dipped his mouth close to my ear. “Baby girl, you’re the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.”
