Etoile (The Mannequin Series) (11 page)

Fou
rteen

A young model hopeful and her mother gave Elodie quizzical looks as they sat across from her in the agency lobby the next morning. Why did that beautiful girl look so morose and unhappy? Were they not treating her well? Should they have gone to a different agency?

Scowling in the corner with a dark cloud hanging over her head, Elodie was waiting impatiently for her weekly check-in. With her sunglasses sliding down her nose as she gulped down a scalding hot Americano and puffed away on an electronic cigarette, she was the picture of depression. She took comfort as the bitter liquid left a burning trail down her throat, as it matched her acrid mood perfectly. Needless to say, rejection did not suit the girl well.

Her mind had been riddled with ambivalent thoughts on the entire twenty minute walk from James' apartment to hers just hours before. What had just happened? Was he just shy? Was she just slutty? Why didn't he want her? Had she turned him off?

Despite the fact that he had been very affectionate and still seemed quite enamored with her, she hadn't been able to shake herself of her negative fears. Of course, his announcement that he may be busy for the next couple of days only added to her mounting pessimism.

The classic escape trick. He hated her! She was sure of it. Would she ever see him again?

With a frustrated groan, Elodie finished her coffee and crumpled the cup in her hand. Pulling the hood of her Splendid sweatshirt over her head, she slumped further in her seat and took a long drag from her cigarette.

The mother across from her watched in bewilderment with a furrowed brow. Perhaps modelling wasn't the best choice for her impressionable daughter?

“Hey, sweetie!” Adam, her agent, called out in a singsong voice as he walked over to fetch her. Elodie grumbled a nonsensical greeting back as she took off her sunglasses and followed him to his station. Why was he in such a good mood?

“How are you, doll? So good to see you. Are you having a good morning? You look so good, by the way. Love the whole grunge thing you have going on,” he tittered as he started tapping away at his computer.

Elodie stared at him blankly and shrugged her shoulders. She was not in the mood for this uncharacteristic peppiness. Adam was usually a diva who sashayed about the office, delivering patronizing glances and snarky comments to everyone around him.

Something was up.

“So. Tell me everything. What did you do, my little superstar?” he said as he turned to look at her with a “tell me more” expression.

Giving him a perplexed look, she asked, “Huh? About what?”

“Sweetie, you just booked the Fall-slash-Winter Ero campaign. I thought that you must have known?” Adam enunciated the words for her while looking at her sympathetically, as if she were slightly dumb and a bit slow.

Confusion struck as she tried to think hard about it. Had she ever been to an Ero casting? Of course not. It was impossible. There was no way that she wouldn't have remembered. Starring in a campaign for the prestigious French fashion house was every young model's dream.

“How?” she sputtered out. “I never even had an audition. Are you sure it is me?”

Adam gave her a dismissive wave as he cackled cheerfully like they were old friends. Elodie felt uncomfortable.

“Oh, sweetie!” he began, “Don't be a downer. Of course it's for you! You must be doing something right if they wanted you so badly. They called this morning and specifically asked for your schedule over the next two weeks. Anywho, the shoot is going to be a-ma-zing. To die for. Margot told me that they're thinking either the French Alps or Provence! So major. And you get to go back to Paris!”

Elodie felt her head spinning as Adam rattled off details, such as the generous pay and the glamorous trip itinerary. Was this really happening? Maybe the karmic gods felt bad about the night before, after all.

“I am so happy for you. This is great! I always knew you had it in you,” Adam cooed as he pat her hand. Elodie resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she thought about how he had thrown her portfolio against the wall just two months prior, barking about how she was “just impossible”.

“So, you have a quick meeting and fitting with one of their stylists tomorrow at noon. Just to talk logistics and whatnot. Keep in mind to make a good impression! Let them know they made the right choice,” he continued as he printed out some papers for her.

She knew what he was hinting at as she had heard it a million times before. No eating, no drinking and definitely no partying until after her meeting.

Her spirits lifted slightly as she attempted to shift her attention from the James situation to her exciting new job. She would never have dreamed that she would one day be heading an Ero campaign. Ero! Just imagining the shoot made her want to skip all the way home.

Their ads were always over-the-top and magically whimsical, highlighting the architectural cuts of the very expensive clothing. She had never even had the opportunity to wear an Ero dress, let alone model one! They always had the most amazing designs, full of intricate details and elaborate beading. Her whole year's salary was probably the same amount as an outfit from the line.

How had the casting team even decided on using her? They usually settled on the it-girls and boys of the moment when it came to their high-profile shoots. Maybe she had caught a casting director's eye with one of her recent editorials?

Anyway, it didn't matter how. She was going to be an Ero Girl!

As Adam went over her other jobs and castings for the week, she absentmindedly nodded while imagining all of the things that she could buy with her earnings. She didn't need to seduce a man into buying her handbags anymore!

Seeing as how she was in a good mood, she let Adam give her a bear hug and air-kissed him goodbye. This could be my ticket to stardom, she thought to herself, unable to hide her maniacal grin as she pranced through the lobby and out of the agency.

Watching Elodie waltz past them with a radically different demeanor, the young girl and her mother exchanged looks. Was modelling as amazing as they had heard it was, or had the glum French girl's antidepressants just kicked in?

Fifteen

Fuck. Elodie nursed her pounding head as she slowly peeled her face off of the sofa cushion. What time was it?

After her roommates had heard about the Ero deal, they had insisted that they all go out to celebrate. Of course, their original plan of going out to a quiet wine bar had escalated into drinking champagne until four in the morning at a crowded French nightclub a few blocks away in Chinatown.

Utilizing every aching muscle in her body, Elodie lifted herself upright on the creaky futon. Hearing muffled moaning below her, she peered down to see Heddi and Jelena sprawled out on the ground together.

She looked around for any sort of liquid to quench her dry throat as she pulled her phone out of her bag. To her relief, it was only half past nine, which left her plenty of time to clean up before her big meeting.

The notifications that had popped up on her phone screen made her forget about the crick in her neck and her overwhelming thirst. She quickly opened her text messages to find two glorious sights for very sore eyes.

Just got out of the office. Miss you

What are you doing?

The first had been sent at 12:27 AM, with the second text following close behind at 1:03 AM. So James hadn't been avoiding her! He didn't hate her! He missed her! He wanted to know what she was doing!

Giddy with glee, she quickly sent back a reply.

sorry! didn't see until now. have big news! miss you too xx

With a big smile plastered on her face, she hummed on her way to the bathroom. She had been worried over nothing! They would still have their engagement party filled with pasta and olive oil cake! She was going to grow old and white-haired with an elderly James by her side!

While out with her roommates, she had tried her best to enjoy the evening, but anxiety over James had crept its way into her head. But now she could rest easy and stop over-analyzing the situation. They were fine. Everything was working out.

Following a quick shower, she styled her hair to perfection and rifled through her closet for a power outfit. She decided on a sleek, black Theyskens' Theory dress with her black Lanvin flats. After applying multiple layers of mascara to her lashes and a pale pink lip, Elodie checked her reflection in the mirror.

Perfect. Very Parisian chic, she thought to herself proudly. And there were no lingering signs of a hangover! They would have no reason to doubt that she was perfect for the job.

On her way out, she dragged the blanket from her bed and draped it over her slumbering friends, making a mental note to buy coconut waters per their probable demands on her way home. Her good mood was infectious, and she wanted to spread the joy to everyone around her.

On the cab ride up to the address in SoHo that Adam had given her, she checked her phone and saw that James had responded.

Are you busy tonight? Let me take you out for dinner and you can tell me all about it

With a happy sigh, she crafted an enthusiastic-but-not-desperate response and sent it after reading it over about twenty times. When the cab arrived at her destination, she handed the driver a generous tip and stepped out onto the sunny sidewalk. As she was a bit early, she treated herself to a soy latte from Starbucks that was the size of her face before making her way to the showroom.

A petite, rail-thin brunette with a headset greeted her and showed her to a long table in the back corner of the airy space. "Everyone else is running a bit late, but feel free to let me know if you need anything!" the girl chirped in a rehearsed voice as she made her way back to the front of the room.

Elodie took a seat and checked her phone again to see James' response that he would try to make it by ten that evening. She was floating on air. How could everything have fallen into place so perfectly?

While waiting for everyone else to arrive, she casually flipped through a lookbook for another designer while sipping on her latte. And, as she was reaching for another catalogue across the table, a familiar voice came from behind her that made her hand freeze in midair.

"You're one tough customer, did you know that?"

A feeling of dread washed over her as she gulped and slowly turned her head towards the source. But of course. It had all been too good to be true.

Damned Murphy's law, she cursed to herself.

None other than Tyler was standing a few feet before her with a smirk on his face. He was wearing a plain white James Perse tee shirt with his hands stuffed into the pockets of his skinny jeans. "Happy to see me?"

Elodie's eyes darted around the room as her face got hot. The showroom assistant, who had been glancing at Tyler longingly, locked eyes with her and quickly turned her attention to something far away. As he took the seat across from her, Elodie turned in his direction, all the while trying her best not to look him in the eye.

"So, you are in this campaign also?" she asked cautiously. Please say no, please say no.

Flashing her a cocky grin, he leaned in closer across the table. God, he was cute. "Who do you think recommended you for the job?"

Her eyes darted to his as they widened in surprise. "How?" she asked breathlessly.

"Didn't you know? I'm Olivier's muse, or whatever. Anyway, he wanted to book Caroline, but I told him that she's a fucking twit. So he asked me who I thought would be best, and I told him that you'd be perfect. I did good, huh?"

Of course. It all made sense. There was no way that the people at Ero would have blindly picked her without having met her before. Elodie was speechless.

"Plus, you weren't responding to me," he continued as he leaned back in his chair. "So how else was I supposed to get you to stop playing hard to get?"

"I was not playing hard to get..." she started to reply.

"Oh, come on. You and I both know that we have something. Stop teasing me," he interrupted her with a sneaky sparkle in his eye.

Before she could protest, a tiny blonde woman with baby bangs in a printed maxi dress flitted over. "Good! You're both here!" she called out as she threw her giant Goyard tote and Saint Laurent handbag onto the table. "So late! I'm so sorry! What time is it? Oh well, let's get going! I had to be somewhere else, like, ten minutes ago!"

She patted Tyler on the back and turned to Elodie to introduce herself. "You're Elodie? I'm Mia. You're so pretty! I love you! Okay, so, I'm just going to confirm all of your numbers!"

Whipping out a tape measure, she proceeded to take Elodie's measurements, which she jotted down on her own arm with the marker that she held in her mouth. "Ooh, I just love you! Perfect!"

This woman took one too many Adderalls, Elodie thought to herself as Mia continued to dart around her like a hyperactive forest sprite. Trying to keep up with her movements made Elodie's head hurt, so she decided to stare straight ahead.

By doing so, she caught Tyler's eye as he was watching the scene with a bemused expression. When he smiled at her, she shuddered and turned her eyes to the ground.

"Okay! All done! I think Margot wanted some photos of you two, though. So they can, like, plan the aesthetics, or whatever, you know? Go stand with Ty over there. I'll just snap them on my phone! It'll be super quick!" Mia continued to ramble on as she began to dig through her bags, her arms covered in thick black numbers.

Tyler put his arm around Elodie's shoulders, the familiar scent of his cologne hitting her like a ton of bricks. "You can at least try to contain your excitement," he joked as Mia tapped away on her phone.

Elodie shrugged his arm off and replied, "This is just work, okay?"

"Oh my god, just let me finish sending this e-mail. Like, one minute, okay?" Mia babbled, not even bothering to look up in their direction.

"You know, we're going to be in France for five days together. We could get a lot done in five days, you and me," Tyler whispered in her ear as his hand massaged her lower back. His breath prickled the side of her neck and sent an unwelcome shiver down her spine.

Thinking back on all of their intimate times together made her blush. He began to slowly move his hand lower until it lingered dangerously close to her ass. Her attraction to him was undeniable, but she willed herself to stay strong.

"I'm seeing someone," she firmly said after clearing her throat and inching away from his touch.

Unfazed, he put his arm around her again as Mia turned to them. "Whatever. I bet he can't make you scream like I can."

As Elodie opened her mouth to respond, Mia cut her off. "Talking doesn't make for pretty pictures, people!" she hissed as she positioned her phone's camera lens towards them. "Okay, try to pose, like, straight ahead first."

Tyler tightened his grip on Elodie's shoulder as Mia snapped a picture of them with blank expressions. "Ooh, I like that! So hot. Okay, so now, like, do shit that you think Margot would like so I don't get bitched at."

Elodie began to get hot and bothered as Tyler wrapped his arms around her from the back, cocking his head sideways and staring into Mia's phone lens. "Oh my god, love this!" she shrieked as she cheered him on. "More, more, more!"

It really is getting ridiculously warm in here, Elodie thought to herself as Tyler's scent and touch bombarded her senses. Couldn't the assistant crack open a window or something? Why was she just standing there?

With a small laugh, Tyler ran his hands down her arms and pushed his crotch into her ass, unbeknownst to anyone in the room but themselves. Elodie let out a surprised gasp as Mia continued to snap away. "Oh my god, I love her! You two look major together!"

"See, even she agrees," he murmured to her as she tried her best to stay perfectly still. Elodie could feel her stomach flutter as he held his generous bulge between her cheeks. Okay, maybe it was actually something more south than her stomach.

But it doesn't matter, she reminded herself as she tried to steady her heart. He's just trying to get to you. Don't give in, she screamed at her body. Think of James!

As Tyler slowly wrapped his arms across her waist, grasping her tightly against himself, Elodie could feel her body begin to disobey her commands. If she wasn't careful, she would be in dangerous territory.

She nervously broke away from his hold and swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. "That should be good, yes?" she asked Mia, trying her best to hide her impatience.

Mia shrugged her shoulders with a blank expression. "I guess so! Anyway, so good to meet you. So sorry, but I have to run. See you guys next time!"

The flighty girl grabbed her bags and gave air kisses to each of them before scuttling out of the showroom, leaving behind a cloud of Chanel perfume and frenzy.

Elodie began to follow suit, grabbing her bag and turning to Tyler. "So, I will see you in Paris on Friday, I suppose," she said in her best attempt at a cordial tone.

Tyler looked at her in amusement as she tried to turn on her heel and walk away. A firm hand grasped her wrist as he spun her around and into his arms.

"I can't stop thinking about you," he whispered into the air surrounding her ear in a barely audible voice. The vibrations from his husky voice tickled the tiny hairs on her skin. "You make me crazy. There's something that you do to me that I can't figure out."

Though she didn't want to admit it, Elodie knew that being around Tyler spurred something inexplicable inside of her as well.

"I... can't," she managed to say as she made a half-assed effort to break free from his grasp. She could feel the bulge from Tyler's dick pressed up against her lower body, causing her to tremble ever so slightly.

Their embrace was obscured from the showroom assistant's view by the scanty clothing rack behind Elodie's back. If the headset-clad girl was to take but one step to her right, their scandalous predicament would be discovered. The thrill of getting caught only added to the tangible tension in the air, as both held their breaths silently and stared into the other's eyes.