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Soren barks out a few directions to his other assistants, but I know it’s useless. The lines around Soren’s mouth are deepening with his frown and I have a feeling he’s about to lose it completely. I should probably step in and do something, but I have no idea what.
I’ve never seen one of Soren’s photoshoots go like this. Sure, a shoot might start out slow, but then everyone gets into a groove and it’s a well-oiled machine.
“Is it always like this?”
Hayden’s whispered question against the shell of my ear has me jumping about a foot off the ground and letting out a yelp which catches everyone’s attention. I glare at him, but his smirk tells me he’s not at all bothered by the attention or my glare.
“Bristol,” Soren calls out and I wish I could flip Hayden off before I scurry toward my boss. When I’m close enough, he hisses, “This is a fucking disaster. She looks like a stuffed deer and not in a good way. There’s no elegance. There’s no class.”
I open and close my mouth like a fish, unsure of what exactly he wants me to do about his problem. “You’re not wrong,” I wince with my words.
Soren looks me up and down, taking in the sheer coverup I have on and the outline of the bathing suit I’m wearing underneath it. It’s the one I got from Melinda’s boutique before I came here. It’s a vintage design that does kind of amazing things for my curves, if I do say so myself.
“Svetlana,” Soren’s voice rings out, “take a walk, dear. I think you need to just take a walk down the beach and clear your head.”
She pouts, “What about the shoot? Aren’t we going to lose the light?”
He waves her off. “Don’t worry about it, I’ll do some test shots with Bristol here.”
I gasp, “You’ll be doing what now?”
“She’s not a model,” Svetlana protests and Soren’s head whips around and looks at the young woman who dares to question him.
“Yes,” a wicked smile that makes my stomach sink when I see it curls on Soren’s lips, “I think Bristol will be perfect for this. Look at her curves.” He grabs my hand and tugs me a little closer, using his hand to emphasize the shape of my waist like he’s a car salesman and my sticker price just dropped. “You know, curves are in now. Everyone has them.” His eyes move up and down Svetlana’s waiflike body. “Well, almost.”
Svetlana makes an outraged noise in the back of her throat and stomps off. I look over my shoulder at Hayden who is glaring at Soren and I’m not sure why. It’s not like I’m chomping at the bit to be a model or anything, it’s kind of my worst nightmare, but at the same time it’s nice that someone thinks I have the right look for it.
Soren fixes me with his gaze. “You’re going to do great,” he claps his hands together as best he can while still holding onto his camera. I must give him a wide-eyed look of horror because he huffs and rolls his eyes. “I’m serious. You’re perfect for this. Now, take off the coverup and go over,” he points to where Svetlana was just standing moments ago, “there.”
“Don’t I need to get my hair and make-up done or something?” It’s a weak protest and I know it.
“No, you’re perfect just as you are.”
Soren makes a shooing motion and when my feet don’t move fast enough, he gives me a little shove. It’s enough to get my feet moving. I’m sure my eyes are about to bug out of my head with this turn of events.
I can feel the glare coming from Svetlana, but she’s not the only one with heat seeking missiles for eyes. Hayden’s dark eyes aren’t much better, and I can’t get a read on why.
The moment I pull my coverup off, I feel self-conscious as hell.
“So much better,” Soren sighs and it does give me a boost of confidence.
I glance at Hayden to find him looking at me with heat and need in his eyes, but there are other emotions there as well.
I block everything else out and focus on what my boss is demanding I do. I’ve never been in front of the camera before, and my stomach is churning with nerves. I have no idea what I’m doing, but Soren gently glides me through different shots and moves me through a few locations on this little section of secluded paradise.
By the time the shoot is done, I feel a new confidence inside me. I don’t think I’ll be going out for modeling gigs or anything, but the little girl inside of me who always thought she was too big to be beautiful and was bullied because of my curves has found this therapeutic as hell.
“That’s a wrap,” Soren calls out while the sun sets behind us and I sag in relief. He comes rushing up to me and crushes me into as tight a hug as his lithe arms can muster. “You were the perfect muse for this shoot.” He eyes me up and down. “I don’t know why I haven’t thought of this sooner,” his tone makes it sound like he’s chastising himself.
I’m kind of grateful he’s never thought of this before. I don’t know if my heart will ever beat in the right rhythm again.
“I’m not a model and this is the only time I’m doing this,” I tell him firmly and shudder at the thought.
A girl can only handle so much.
Now I just need to help wrap all of this up and get everyone back to the resort. Then I can find out what the fuck is going on with Hayden and the grumpy vibe I’m getting off him. Of course, I hope that Svetlana doesn’t try to throw me overboard or make me walk the plank first.
I can practically feel the hatred coming off her as I slip my coverup back on and start to pack things up. I have a feeling the boat ride back to the marina is going to feel like it’s a lot longer than it is.
