Crystal (32 page)

Crystal felt her face burn with embarrassment as she fumbled for another card. ‘Take it off mine,’ Jez said, handing his card to the waiter.

‘No way,’ Crystal said, outraged. She always paid her way. ‘I can get it.’

‘It’s not a problem, Crystal; you can buy me dinner next time,’ Jez answered.

Crystal took a deep breath. ‘Actually, Jez, I probably can’t. I’m totally broke.’

‘Why didn’t you say?’ Tahlia said, looking concerned. ‘I’ll lend you some money, babe. You only have to ask.’

Crystal shook her head. ‘No, I’ve got to sort it out myself. I need to get some work but I haven’t got an agent and Dallas is hardly likely to do anything for me, is he?’

‘Have you thought about doing some modelling?’ Jez asked. ‘I reckon you could easily do some lad mag shots and that’s quite good money.’

Crystal pulled a face. ‘Yeah, and I bet I know exactly how they’d want me to be – a right slapper.’

‘You wouldn’t. Think of Angel – she never looks like that.’ Angel Summer was a top glamour model, a close friend he worked with. Jez was in full flow now. When he had an idea he was pretty much unstoppable. ‘I tell you what. Why don’t I speak to Angel’s agent, Carrie Rose, and see if she’ll meet you? She’s always looking for new clients.’

‘Why not? I’ve got nothing to lose.’

‘Well, at least I know why you haven’t been coming to me to have your hair done,’ Jez added. ‘I was beginning to think you’d found someone else.’

‘I’d never go to anyone else,’ Crystal said. ‘I’m sorry. I’m just trying to be really careful with money at the moment.’

‘Babe, you know I’d do that.’

‘Thanks, Jez,’ Crystal said gratefully, but knowing she would never ask Jez to do that.

Three days later she was sitting in the office of Carrie Rose, the legendary modelling agent who had been behind the careers of several famous glamour models including Angel Summer. Carrie was a straight-talking, hard-as-nails, fifty-something American with an addiction to plastic surgery, Botox, money, toyboys and coke, or so it was rumoured. According to Jez, she had once been enormously fat but ten years ago had had her stomach stapled and extensive plastic surgery to get rid of the excess skin. ‘If she gives you a hard time, just imagine her when she was fat,’ he advised her.

Carrie flipped through her publicity shots with a practised eye, drumming her perfectly manicured acrylic red nails on the glass table, and then delivered her damning verdict. ‘I wouldn’t usually take on a girl like you, Crystal, your boobs aren’t big enough.’ She pushed the portfolio away and took a sip of her fresh pomegranate juice, flicking back her long blonde highlighted hair extensions. She looked like mutton. Crystal had always thought that when women got to a certain age they should say goodbye to long hair. She did not have a good feeling about Carrie; however, she knew she couldn’t afford to be picky.

‘But I’ll probably be able to get you some glamour shoots off the back of you leaving the band. You’d have to do topless, of course.’

‘Would I really have to?’ Crystal asked, her heart sinking at the prospect.

‘Darling, in your situation you’ll be lucky to get any work at all, so I suggest you prepare to get your tits out. And if the modelling works out in the next few months you should get
a boob job. I can give you the name of my Harley Street surgeon. He’s done me and several of my girls, including Angel. It did her career no end of good. He’s absolutely the best and hardly leaves a scar.’

‘Thanks,’ Crystal muttered; then she quickly changed the subject, not wanting to discuss her assets – or, rather, her lack of them – with Carrie any more. ‘I’ve done some acting in the past as well. Is there any chance that you might be able to get me any auditions?’

Carrie sniffed dismissively – maybe it was just her coke nose, but she seemed to sniff a lot – then said, ‘Possibly, but I wouldn’t hold your breath. And before you go you’d better sign the contract. I take thirty per cent.’

Crystal was about to protest that it was way too high but Carrie simply said, ‘It’s that or I don’t represent you, Crystal.’

Crystal would love to have told her where she should shove her percentage, but unfortunately beggars couldn’t be choosers and Crystal had too many bills to pay so she was left with no choice but to sign.

A week later she was booked for her very first shoot. When she told Jake about it and confessed how worried she was, he reassured her, saying she’d find it a breeze. But he did express surprise that she wanted to model. ‘What about your singing career?’ he had asked, seeming puzzled.

‘It’s not going very well,’ she replied, trying to sound casual.

‘Something will come up,’ he told her. Crystal just about managed a smile, but the truth was her singing career was over and she wasn’t at all sure what she was letting herself in for by agreeing to model. She didn’t want to have any secrets from him but then what if he didn’t like the idea?
God, her life was complicated.

‘Okay, Crystal, now I want you naked on the Harley, but keep your boots on.’

Crystal stared at Vince, the photographer, in disbelief. She’d been posing for the last half-hour in a tiny gold bikini
in a variety of positions on the bike – straddling it, standing up on the pedals, lying on the saddle, perched on the handle bars – she’d never realised that glamour modelling would be such hard work or required such gymnastics. And all the while she knew that she would have to take her top off eventually but that was supposed to be all.

‘My agent said topless, but she didn’t mention anything about nudity,’ she answered.

‘Actually she agreed it with us.’

Crystal looked across the studio at the male journalist from the lad mag, a right cocky looking twenty-something, all flash in a designer suit. Gross. Crystal had no intention of getting her kit off in front of him.

‘It’s no big deal, baby, I’ll be shooting you from the side,’ Vince said, sounding bored.

Crystal raised her eyebrows at Danni and Jez as if to ask what the hell she was supposed to do. They shrugged. She decided to play for time.

‘Could you give me a few minutes?’

‘Whatever,’ Vince replied.
Miserable bastard
, Crystal thought,
he definitely hadn’t been to charm school
. She marched into the dressing room followed by Danni and Jez.

‘What the fuck!’ she exclaimed angrily. ‘Carrie never mentioned this.’

‘Just stay cool, Crystal; so long as you put your leg in the right position no one will see anything,’ Danni said calmly. ‘Jez and me will stand next to Vince and give you the thumbs up when you’re in a safe position.’

‘It’s just because you’re not used to glamour modelling,’ Jez replied breezily. ‘When you’ve seen as much tit and arse as Danni and me you get used to it.’

‘We’re talking about
my
tits and arse, thank you!’ Crystal shot back. ‘And I don’t want everyone getting an eyeful of my la-la! I’m calling Carrie.’

She didn’t hold out much hope that Carrie would back her up; knowing her, she’d probably say lie there and spread ’em. She was right to be pessimistic. As soon as Carrie had
heard her out she replied smoothly, ‘It really isn’t a big deal, Crystal, just be a good girl and do as Vince says.’

‘Well, it is a big deal for me,’ Crystal answered. ‘I thought topless was as far as it would go.’

Carrie laughed. ‘Darling, stop being such a baby. No one is going to be able to see your C U Next Tuesday. It will be very tasteful. Just think of the money. I find that makes most things bearable. Bye now.’

‘No luck?’ Danni asked as Crystal slung her phone down in disgust.

Crystal shook her head, ‘I shouldn’t have expected otherwise from the Cocaine Queen; she’s probably already snorted the percentage I’ve earnt her up her nose.’

‘It’ll be okay, Crystal. Just get it over and done with then Jez and me will take you out to celebrate your first shoot,’ Danni answered, holding out a white robe for her. Sighing, Crystal took off her bikini, put on the robe and walked back into the studio.

‘Everything okay now?’ Vince asked, sounding patronising.

‘Fine,’ Crystal snapped back. ‘But I’m not having an audience, so can
he
please leave.’ She pointed at the journalist, who looked pissed off, then sauntered out of the room. Crystal got on to the bike, slowly slipped off her robe and handed it back to Danni, trying to reveal as little as possible. She felt incredibly self-conscious. She knew there were models who were able to switch off and not think of anything but getting the pose right, shedding their inhibitions as easily as they shed their clothes. But all Crystal could think was that she was stark naked on a very large motorbike, in front of four other people.

Vince started barking out instructions. ‘Right then, Crystal, lean forward, hold on to the handlebars and look at the camera.’

Reluctantly Crystal did as she was told, checking with Danni that she wasn’t revealing more than she should. Danni gave her the thumbs up, but Vince shouted, ‘You’ve got to look more relaxed, babe, like you’re enjoying yourself. Come
on. What girl doesn’t like to have a big throbbing engine between her legs?’

‘Ha fucking ha,’ Crystal spat back. She took a deep breath and adopted the pose once again, this time remembering to look seductive as she stared into the camera.

‘Much better,’ Vince called back. ‘Hold it. Now stick your boobs out more, good, nice one.’

After what seemed like hours of posing on the bike, Crystal was finally able to put her robe back on, dismount and get ready for her final series of shots. This time she had to wear a tiny pair of denim shorts and a pair of thigh-high denim boots and the studio had been transformed to look like a seedy motel room. Vince asked Crystal to lie on the unmade bed.

‘I want you looking like you’ve just had sex,’ Vince demanded.

‘In this room? You’ve got to be kidding. I only shag in five-star hotels on Egyptian cotton,’ Crystal shot back.

‘You know what I mean; and I want you to unbutton your shorts and give us a flash of your tattoo,’ Vince continued.

‘Now that is where I draw the line,’ Crystal replied.

‘Oh come on, you’ve had your kit off, what’s the big deal?’

‘The answer’s no,’ Crystal answered and deliberately looked at her nails as if she was bored with the conversation.

She heard Vince mutter ‘fucking prima donna’ under his breath, but he knew he’d pushed his luck far enough and he didn’t ask again. For the rest of the shoot Crystal did as she was told, leaning seductively against the pillows, kneeling, lying on her front and towards the end she did actually begin to feel slightly more relaxed, but she definitely wasn’t a natural in front of the camera.

‘God, that was such hard work!’ she declared safely wrapped in her white towelling robe and back in the dressing room.

‘Well, considering you’ve never modelled before, you did really well,’ Jez answered. ‘And, God knows, Danni and me have seen enough shit models to know a good one.’

‘Yeah, you shouldn’t be looking so down, Crystal, you’re bound to get other work after these pictures come out,’ Danni added. But as Crystal took off her make-up and looked at herself in the mirror all she could think about was how much she missed singing – how, although by the end of the shoot she knew she’d done as good a job as she could, it didn’t come close to the high she got when she’d been on stage or recording in the studio. Singing was her passion, it was what she felt she was born to do.

‘Anyway, tomorrow night there can be no long faces, except mine, because I’m the one who’s going to be thirty,’ Jez said theatrically, putting his hand on his heart and sighing.

Crystal and Danni knew the drill. ‘You don’t look it,’ they said in unison.

‘How old?’ Jez demanded. Crystal and Danni looked at each other, neither remembering what Jez’s ideal age was supposed to be.

‘Twenty-five?’ Crystal said uncertainly.

‘How
very
dare you!’ Jez said in mock horror. ‘I’m twenty-four!’

‘Jez, you were twenty-four last year,’ Crystal said, trying not to laugh. ‘Don’t you think it’s time you grew up, just a little?’

Jez shook his head and said in all seriousness, ‘Rufus is twenty-one. He cannot, I repeat CANNOT, find out that I am thirty. No one wants to fuck grandpa.’

‘Haven’t you considered that he might find older men attractive? Jake’s thirty next month and he’s gorgeous,’ Danni put in.

‘He’s straight, so he doesn’t count,’ Jez muttered, picking up his hair dryer and putting it away in its leather case. ‘I thought at least I could depend on you two to back me up,’ he said sulkily. ‘You’re supposed to be my friends.’

Crystal let him sulk for a minute; it was just so funny seeing him bustle around the room in a huff, then she put him out of his misery, ‘Okay Jez, you can be twenty-four again.’

‘Thank you,’ Jez replied, the sulk forgotten. ‘Just make sure Rufus hears you say that.’

As soon as Crystal left the studio she was on the phone to Jake. ‘I’ve finished, can we meet?’

‘Crystal, I’m sorry, I’m still in Paris, I won’t finish until Thursday. The video’s taking much longer than we thought, because the lead singer is off his face ninety-nine per cent of the time.’

‘Oh,’ Crystal answered, disappointed that she wouldn’t be seeing him. She felt in need of reassurance that only he could give her, and she wanted to explain about the shoot. She had a feeling he wouldn’t approve of some of the shots.

‘Why don’t you fly out tomorrow and see me?’ Jake suggested.

‘I’d love to but it’s Jez’s thirtieth and he’d never forgive me if I missed it,’ she replied. She was telling the truth, that was the main reason, but she also knew she couldn’t afford to fly to Paris.

‘Well see you Thursday night, miss you.’

‘Miss you too,’ Crystal answered; wishing for the thousandth time that he’d said ‘love you’. Was he ever going to say those words to her? And if she said them to him would he run away?

Jez was holding his thirtieth/twenty-fourth at the Royale, a plush club frequented by the celeb crowd in Mayfair. Jez had been a hairdresser for years and worked with a number of stars, all of whom adored him, so when he hinted that he wanted his birthday at the Royale, the club owner jumped at the chance, knowing that he’d be guaranteed a host of celebs, from Angel to the WAGs, and they would attract some great publicity.