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"So, what's in the bag?" I can't help but pry with my question.
He removes the contents: a King Jr meal complete with a miniature toy. An audible giggle slips out from my lips even though I move my hand to quiet it.
BK shoves the items back into the paper sack, moving quickly toward a trash can near craft services. He tosses the bag in swiftly before moving back to his place next to the camera resting on the floor.
The entire crew is silent, all eyes locked on him. We all want to know what he will do next. Will he erupt or pretend it didn't bother him?
"Why are you all standing around? Back to work."
With his demand, everyone springs back into action, returning to their positions. I walk back to my designated chair, the sway in my hips full of fiery revenge. And I'm just getting started.
Thequietrumbleofvoices on set gets even lower when I step into the mix. I know they can feel the tension radiating off me and taking camp on my shoulders. Stanley’s voice reverberates in my mind:they don’t want negative vibes around their branding.Carter is challenging that status quo with her daily mishaps and bullshit.
Everything about her screams pain in the ass. Her annoying braids to the way her mossy brown eyes look like a forest on fire when she is up to mischief. I am not used to women challenging me like this, undermining my authority on set, and getting everyone around her to buy into it. She has the whole crew wrapped around her finger, and I want nothing more than to put her in her place. If I didn’t secretly love the way she messes with me, I would have done so by now.
Today’s shot list includes a male model which can either bring more tension or more heat. I am hoping for the latter. Lacey has been seriously eye fucking the camera, turning up the heat and practically making my lens fog up from her gaze alone. I am mostly immune to it. After the last model, I have sworn off their kind for good.
I already sent Carter to fetch my coffee preference for the day. Little does she know, as soon as she gets back, I will change my mind and want something different.
I never expected her to come on set with me.
And I definitely thought she was a dude.
And I sure as shit didn’t want her learning how to do what I can do.
If I let her in, if I mentor her, eventually the clients I work for will realize they can get a quality product without having to deal with my bullshit attitude. So for now, I will keep her too busy to observe much.
I am talking with Lacey when Carter comes running towards us. Her hair is knotted in her signature parallel braids, a black tank top partially covered by yet another oversized knit cardigan. The best part of her outfit has to be the skinny jeans, though. Hugging that ass I can’t help but watch leave every chance I get. Can’t blame a guy for sending that ass away to watch it sway.
She waits patiently while Lacey and I finish reviewing the shot list for the day and my mind drifts to her lips pursed in such a way that makes me want to kiss them. I take my coffee from her and my plan to change orders has vanished from my mind. I’m going to need her to stick around to be sure everything goes smoothly with the models.
I point her towards Adam’s old seat like I do every day and something stirs inside me with how obedient she is today. What the fuck is going on with me? I can’t seriously be thinking about her like this. She is a means to an end, a way to keep Ovis from canning my ass and ruining my rapport.
Yet last night I spent the better part of an hour stalking the shit out of her Instagram. For a chick on the internet, she doesn’t post enough pictures of herself. That was what I was digging for, hoping I could see her in a more natural lifestyle outside of the set.
Part of me also might have been checking for any hints of a significant other, but I didn’t find any of that either.
I don’t want to know her; I don’t want to want her. My fucking brain can’t tune her out. I know I am making our time on set miserable for her, but I can’t take any chances letting her in. Putting my walls down, opening myself up to someone who will run to the press the minute I screw things up. Hard pass.
Theo arrives on set, breaking my internal evaluation of the girl with the twisted hair. Lacey finishes up with her makeup retouches before joining his side. Out of earshot from the rest of the cast, I know I can be real with the couple about the expectations looming over us.
“Here’s the thing. I need to feel the heat, you two. I want to worry you’re going to start making out in front of my camera. Of course, that’s not what we want, so don’t actually do that, just make it seem like you might. They will decide the fate of this shoot and spread with how these come out. Make me feel it,” I finish, hoping my words are inspiring while also conveying the stakes.
Lacey replies with a silent nod while Theo looks like he might pass out. If it wasn’t for the makeup he is wearing to keep his face from getting washed out from the lighting, he would be pale as hell right now.
I back away from the duo and pick up my camera from where it rests on the warehouse floor. I take a few test shots, ensuring my lighting and layout are how they need to be before I signal for the cast to get ready. Carter hasn’t moved from her designated seat, watching quietly and mentally deciding how she can challenge me today. I know she wants my job, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to let her have it.
The talk I delivered helped Lacey channel the right vibe I was looking for. Theo, however, is without a doubt feeling the pressure. He is stiff and not in a good way. I don’t even think he has looked at Lacey once since I picked up the camera. Eyes blank, body hard, heat nonexistent.
The room that used to be filled with flashes from the camera is now stagnant and shadowed. I return my camera to its place and approach the couple once again. I try to keep my face neutral, knowing that all eyes are on me this time.
“Theo, what’s going on, man? Lacey is fucking gorgeous and standing here waiting for you to bring another layer to the shots, and you’re acting like it’s your first date or something. What do you need to get in the right mindset? Because we need to figure it out fast to avoid losing the day.”
Panic. All over his face. Lacey even puts her arm out to comfort him and I feel like I am dealing with elementary schoolers right now. You have a job to do. Why the fuck are you getting stage fright right now?
“Against the wall, Carter,” I called out to my assistant, her face almost turning as white as Theo’s. I don’t know what I am thinking this will do, but somehow in my mind, showing them what chemistry can look like will do the trick. And right now, Carter is the only person on site that can help with that.
She stands against the wall, a puzzled look on her face as I get into her personal space. I push my knee between her thighs without thinking. That’s a lie. I am thinking, but the thoughts racing around in my head are anything but kosher.
