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Nicole was consulting with her clients, giving them last-minute pointers. With her experience in the field, she seemed to be interpreting her role as an agent and coach. It reminded him that she’d claimed one of her interests was helping people be at their best.
“Remember,” Nicole finished, “though the final decision belongs to someone else, you can make diplomatic suggestions. Don’t be a complainer about things that don’t make a difference, but it’s all right to say if something makes you uneasy. The most important thing is listening to the people around you.”
The photographer approached and she stepped away from the set that held fake snow and a winter backdrop.
“Some of what you told them didn’t mean much to me, but the last part sounded like sensible advice,” Jordan said. “Do models turn into prima donnas very often?”
“It’s an occupational hazard. After all, it seems as if you’re the center of attention, the focus of the world, when it’s actually the image or product that they want to sell. Nothing damages a career faster than to turn into someone nobody wants to work with. At the same time, I want to protect my clients from feeling as if they have to put up with any treatment to get ahead. It’s a delicate balance.”
The next hour passed slowly as the models posed, took one coat off in obvious relief, only to sigh as they put on another one. The photographer tried using a fan to make it cooler for them, but it blew the fake snow around too much.
Nicole helped a few times, unobtrusively, but other than that, she watched carefully and made notes. After an hour and a half, she waved goodbye to the photographer and models.
“We can leave now if you like,” she told Jordan.
“Do agents usually spend a lot of time on the set with their clients?” he asked as they drove back to the agency.
She hesitated, though he wasn’t sure if it was the traffic making her pause, or if she was formulating her answer.
“Not usually,” she said at length. “When you have a large number of clients, it isn’t even possible, though the previous owner of Moonlight Ventures made a valiant effort. But these were all first-timers and the photographer was also new to me. I like to have some confidence that the situation is okay for our clients.”
“None of them seemed the type who’d do anything inappropriate.”
“You can’t tell just by looking.” An expression of distaste twisted her soft lips before her face smoothed out again. “Besides, that isn’t the only hazard to a model. Improperly managed equipment, for example, can be dangerous.”
“I’m sure your clients are grateful that you watch out for their welfare,” Jordan said, making a mental note to ask more about how her experiences as a model were influencing her actions as an agent. He had a feeling there was a history. And now that he thought about it, he remembered one of her partners at the agency had been badly injured on a set.
“It’s my job to do as much as I can.”
“Did your agent do the same?” he asked, deciding to probe while the subject was open.
Another pause as she navigated a left turn at a busy intersection.
“They didn’t spend much time on location, but I had good agents. The one I had the longest retired three years before I did. While the woman who took over was competent, it made me think about what I appreciated most in an agent.”
“So that helped fuel your choice of a second career?”
“I hadn’t thought of it before, but I’m sure the contrasting styles were a factor.”
Jordan began envisioning the sort of situation where a young woman might be vulnerable. Scantily clad girls with men having power over their career? The potential for problems was distasteful, and he was too realistic to believe they never happened. The question of whether it had ever happened to Nicole disturbed him as well. It was probably because he knew her; for anyone else it was theoretical.
“You’ve been in a dark reverie,” Nicole commented as she parked in front of the agency several minutes later.
“I’ve been thinking about the potential risks to people in your former line of work, especially when men have power over a woman’s career. Did you experience any sexual harassment?”
