SHOOT: A Novel (5 page)

The following
morning, I got up bright and early to get ready and have a light breakfast
before heading over to Shoot High Fashion Modeling Agency for my interview. It took
me ages to find the outfit to wear, most of which was newly purchased, but I
felt decently confident in it as I walked into the lobby of the Art Deco
building. After all, they knew what my background was so it would be
unreasonable for them to expect a New York City caliber outfit from me, not
that I could have afforded one anyway.

Once again
overwhelmed by how gorgeous and ornate my surroundings were, I made the effort
not to stare in amazement and look too much like a tourist. My visit to Shoot
was on a professional basis and the last thing I wanted to do was look like I
was on vacation. I was already bound and determined not to blow the opportunity
of a lifetime.
 

Sonja came down to
greet me in the lobby when I arrived. It wasn’t until I saw her when I was
getting off the elevator that I suddenly felt a bit self-conscious about my
clothes. I had bought some new items, but everything paled in comparison to
what Sonja wore. I was instantly aware of the fact that I was wearing my
mother’s old camel colored pumps from the 80s because I didn’t own a pair of
heels and ran out of money to purchase some.

Back home they had
looked stylish in a vintage kind of way, but now they just looked like raggedy
hand-me-downs. Meanwhile, Sonja looked every bit as glamorous as she had at the
Farmer’s Market. I worriedly tugged at the loose strands of my hair thinking it
must have looked limp and boring in comparison to Sonja’s expensive blowout.
 

I had to shove all
those thoughts out of my mind or else I really would blow the interview and
this once-in-a-lifetime shot I had at moving to New York City would disappear
into thin air. That thought alone made my stomach churn. Sonja greeted me with
a warm hug and a smile, effectively calming me down some before being ushered into
the elevator.

“Shoot is located
on the 30
^th
and 31
^st
floors,” Sonja told me as I watched the
numbers light up one at a time. My breathing turned a little shallow as I leaned
back against the wall, hand curling around the bar. I’d never been so high up
in an elevator before. “The 30
^th
floor is all administration, while
the 31
^st
is where we prep, costume, and make-up in designated rooms.
We also have photography studios here.” Sonja turned to look at me right when
the elevator doors slid open.
 

As she led me to
her office, I couldn’t help but take in everything around me. The entrance had
a sleek, glass reception desk with nothing but a big, white wall behind it with
the word “
SHOOT
,” printed across it
in thick, black letters shadowed subtly in red. There were two doors on either
side that led to a hallway with more doors, save for a room that was a small
lunch or snack lounge. Sonja’s office was tucked in a corner. As soon as we walked
in I marched straight to the gigantic window that made up an entire wall.

It was a
magnificent view overlooking all of Manhattan. It was also the first time I had
ever been so high up in a building. I looked down at all the people scurrying
about on the sidewalks and I watched as the cars bustled about on the streets
below me. It was a bird’s eye view of everything. In that moment all I could
think about was the adventures and opportunities a city like New York had to
offer.

I never wanted to
leave.

“Wow,” I breathed
out, placing my hand on the surface of the glass in front of me. The view was
breathtaking.

“How do you like
it?” she asked, coming up to stand beside me and enjoy the view.

“I’ve never seen
anything like it, it’s amazing.” I took a few more minutes to look out over
Manhattan before turning to look at Sonja, “I’ve never even been this high up
in a building before.”

She chuckled,
“You’ll get used to it.”

That statement
alone was enough to make my heart jump up to my throat. Sonja was speaking as
if the job was already mine and the interview was merely a formality. Feeling
like the room was starting to spin, I didn’t hesitate to take a seat in front
of Sonja’s desk. The last thing I wanted was to fall over and embarrass myself.

“You should really
go to the Empire State Building,” Sonja recommended with a warm smile. “Now
that
is being high up. Besides, it’s a
famous landmark and a first timer in New York absolutely can’t miss it.” I
smiled and nodded in agreement.

Over and over
again, I had practiced how to speak based off movies I saw so I wouldn’t sound
so country. But now that the interview with Sonja had officially started, it
was too much for me to remember my ‘training’. With every question she asked, I
second-guessed my prepared answers.

Was my answer too
simple? Was it too hard to follow? Did I have anything relevant to say? Did I
come off dimwitted? Had I just given Sonja the impression I couldn’t handle
such a radical change? Did I come off like I was so desperate to move out of my
small town that I was willing to jump at anything? Was I showing too much
weakness? There were a million more questions zinging around inside my head.
Every time I opened my mouth, the wrong things seemed to come spilling out. I
couldn’t make out if I was self-conscious and nervous or if I was really
blowing it. After all, a job interview was an entirely new experience for me.
My only job before then was with the family business.

Toward the end of
the interview, Sonja put both elbows on the desk and leaned over towards me.
She narrowed her eyes as she continued to talk, making me even more rattled
than I already was.

“You have
the
look of the season.” Sonja said
after a brief pause.

 
My breath caught in my throat. I coughed into my
hand as quietly as possible before collecting myself and staring back at her.
Was the job really mine? It sounded like Sonja really had a lot of faith in how
far I could go, even as a newcomer handpicked from the countryside. “I’m
confident I can groom you to be a runway star by New York Fashion Week.”

My mouth went dry.
A ton of pressure dropped like a massive weight on my shoulders. There was a digital
countdown clock looming behind Sonja’s desk letting me know New York Fashion
Week wasn’t as far off as I would have liked. Maybe Sonja had too much faith in
me; or at least more faith in me than I had in myself. Still, there was no way
to deny it—this was the most exciting thing that had ever happened to me.

“Now there’s only
one thing, the most important thing,” Sonja informed me. I waited on bated
breath, hoping with all my might it was something I could do or answer
correctly. “Do you
want
to be a
model?”

I paused. It
wasn’t a career I had ever taken into consideration. It was so out of touch from
my reality that it wasn’t something to have ever crossed my mind. That didn’t
mean I didn’t want it. Now that it was so close I could taste it, I felt the
strongest yearning inside of me to take the leap.

I swallowed
against a dry throat.

“Yes.” I said with
a timid nod and a nervous smile.

With an approving laugh,
Sonja leaned back in her chair, “We’ll need to take some test shots in order to
go through the formal process of starting you off but you are
in
.”

After offering me
a bottle of water, Sonja led me to a hair and makeup studio on the 31
^st
floor. She introduced me to Carol, the hair and make-up stylist, and gave me a
simple black tank top and black jeans to wear. Despite how modest the garments
were it was quite clear they were from higher-end stores or designers. They
didn’t feel quite like the jeans and tanks I was use to wearing from the
clothing store back at home.

I was impressed at
how well both items fit me; as if Sonja had taken my measurements. Then again, it
was one of Sonja’s many areas of expertise. I stepped out of the changing room
and Carol took me over to a styling chair where she made some subtle changes to
my hair and make-up.

“You really are
gorgeous,” she commented as she ran her fingers through my chocolate brown
locks. “Such a natural beauty,” she added with a smile.

“That’s so sweet,
thank you.” I said with the warmest grin I could muster, trying my best to look
as natural as possible.

Sonja nodded in
agreement before leading me to a photography studio that was already set up for
us to get started. As soon as I walked into the room I was so stunned I
practically stopped in my tracks—not from all the studio cameras and lights,
but from
him.

He had on a plane
white t-shirt that clung to his muscles like saran wrap, a healthy head of
pleasantly disheveled jet black hair, and a cool air of confidence about him
that radiated across the room. I gulped and tried my hardest not to be obvious checking
him out.

I started to feel
nervous in an entirely new way when he turned to look at me. I wasn’t sure, but
for a moment I thought I saw him briefly taken aback as Sonja and I approached
him. He had been sitting on the stool, holding a camera, but he quickly stood
up to greet us.

“Brad,” Sonja
said, “This is Chloe. She’s our newest recruit.” His face lit up in a warm and
inviting grin.

“So you’re the
beauty I’m doing the test shoot for, huh?” Brad asked casually, taking a few
steps toward me and inspecting me closely from head to toe. I, at 5’9, knew he
had to be at least 6’ when he stood next to me.

“She’s the one,”
Sonja said. “Brad’s one of our best photographers so you’re in good hands,”
Sonja mentioned to me before stepping back and standing beside the stool Brad
had been sitting in.

In good hands
. I drew in a weak breath as I put a
double meaning to Sonja’s words.
 

My stomach was
tumbling with a sort of airy lightness as I stared at Brad’s face. His forest
green eyes looked me up and down as if I were some kind of beautiful statue. I
could feel my cheeks flushing a crimson red and hoped he wouldn’t notice; or at
least not care. He motioned for me to stand in the middle of the plain white
backdrop as he stood in front of the stool and stared at me for a couple of moments
in complete silence.

It felt awkward at
first, but knew I would have to get used to people studying me if I was going
to be a model. But having such a good looking man staring at me really made me
weak at the knees. Men like that didn’t exist in Iowa—anywhere in Iowa.
 
 

Brad moved the
stool he had been sitting on to the center of the room where I stood, the bright
studio lights illuminating the area.

“I know this is
your first photoshoot Chloe,” he said with a smile warming his face, “just sit
down in the stool like you would naturally.” I swallowed nervously. There was
something about the way he said my name that sent little tingles fluttering up
the back of my neck.

I sat and tried to
look as natural as possible, but felt as stiff as a board. Not even knowing how
I looked, I still assumed that wasn’t how I sat on a stool ‘naturally’. A knot
formed in my throat with the fear that modeling maybe wasn’t for me after all.
Just because Sonja had taken me on didn’t mean I was actually cut out for it. There
was so much uncertainty to everything.

I gulped nervously
as I heard the sound of the shutter on the camera start to click repeatedly.

“Now put your hand
on your knee and lean forward a little bit.” Brad asked without taking his eye
away from the camera for even a second. I did as he asked and it wasn’t until
after I held still for a few moments that I realized the pose accentuated my
cleavage. My heart started to race, but I didn’t feel uncomfortable. It was
exciting.

“Beautiful.” He
said, snapping a few more pictures. The camera continued to click even as he
spoke. “You’ll soon realize this is easy work.” I gave a polite smile. Even
though it was exciting, this seemed anything but easy. Brad briefly brought his
camera down and gave me a warm expression, “all you have to do is show up and
look like yourself. Easy-peasy.” He laughed.

I did my best to
look graceful and natural despite how uncomfortable and awkward I truly felt. As
we continued, however, I started to feel a bit relaxed under Brad’s guidance
and my intense self-doubt started to fade away little by little as my
excitement grew. The more it slipped away from me, the better I was able to
pose for the photos. I felt less stiff and started to loosen up.

“Already becoming
a natural,” he encouraged me as I giggled. He took a bunch of photos in quick
succession, “Very cute.” Sonja was quiet the entire time, just observing me. At
first it added pressure to the situation, but now Sonja had become part of the
background. I felt my cheeks burning again, but pretended not to have heard
Brad’s comment. Mindlessly I stroked my fingers through my long locks with a
coy expression on my face. Giving him new poses and expressions was starting to
be fun. Without asking I reached up and blew a kiss toward the camera.

“Oh, boy. There
she is!” Brad laughed as he clicked away. “Lovely,” he said before dropping the
camera away from his face and holding it at his side.

“You
are
good,” I complimented. I meant it. After
all, he had managed to get me loosened up and feel confident in a relatively
short amount of time. If he had managed to get me feeling comfortable, then
there wasn’t much doubt in my mind that he could produce a great photo. Sonja wasn’t
lying when she said I was in good hands—if only I actually
was
in his hands.

Brad walked up to me
and reached out with his free hand to physically position me in a different
pose, one I wouldn’t have thought of doing naturally. I felt chills erupt on my
skin under my tank as he gentle touched my hip. I loved to feel his touch. His
hands were strong and felt good as he delicately pushed and pulled me into
position.

I sucked in a deep
breath and that’s when I got a good whiff of him as he stood close—a woodsy
scent with a hint of lavender and spices. Whatever cologne he was wearing must
have been gifted to him by God himself. It would make any woman’s heart
flutter.

“Soon I won’t need
to touch you to get you into a new pose.” He said as he tugged my hip back a
little toward him.

All I could think
about was how much of a shame it would be if he never had to touch me again.
His forest green eyes locked onto mine as he gave me a quick smile. The moment our
eyes met my heart gave a little jump start. All I could think about was if he
felt the same thing.
 

As Brad stepped
back to take more pictures, it was obvious Sonja was scrutinizing my behavior,
but she seemed overall pleased with how things were going. Brad stepped forward
and positioned me in a different way, this time grabbing my leg just above my
knee to do so.

“Move your leg
just a smidgen to the right.” He said as he pulled my knee a little. I
shuddered. He looked at me curiously with a slight smirk, but said nothing. He
was just being a professional, I knew it, but his touch was stimulating and his
scent enveloped my entire world. He took a few more photos and had me stand up
to take a few last test shots before calling it a wrap.

“Thanks Chloe, you
did wonderful for a first time and I know they’ll turn out beautifully.” He
said with a tiny half smirk. I couldn’t be too sure, but it felt like he was
hinting at something with his subtle tone of voice.
 
 
 

After the photo
shoot for my test shots, I got dressed back into my own clothes and followed
Sonja back to her office. This time there was some hot tea waiting for us on
the coffee table centered between a couch and two armchairs. We sat down and
briefly discussed the photo shoot.

 
“You did quite well,” Sonja told me honestly,
but also gave me a couple notes to keep in mind for the future. “But before I
go on too much about the future, I do need to show the test shots to the other
scouts and get approval before you can officially be signed with us.” I hummed
in understanding, hot tea filling my mouth. It was delicious, but my mind was
focused on everything Sonja was saying. I felt the need to memorize every word
even if it was a silly attempt to do so. Not to mention, I had a hard time
tearing my mind away from thinking about Brad and the way he touched my body.

“Thank you so much
for the opportunity,” I finally spoke up. Even if I didn’t end up getting
signed, the entire experience had already been worth everything.

Sonja nodded and
responded with something I didn’t expect to hear, “The truth is I’m not too big
on waiting, especially not when I’ve hit the jackpot.” She took a sip of her
tea and leaned forward, eyes roving over my face and then my body. “I’ve told
you before and I’ll tell you again, I think you can really be something in this
industry.” She paused and tapped her finger on the saucer, “Would you be
willing to sign a preliminary contract now?”

I was stunned. Signing
a contract right there and then, even if it was preliminary, was no joking
matter. I hadn’t even gotten the chance to call home and discuss it with my
family. Sure it was ultimately my choice, but their thoughts still mattered a
lot to me. I hesitated for a moment, my thoughts fixated on my family and
especially my mother. She definitely wouldn’t approve. I felt conflicted; on
one hand the money would help them, but I would miss them terribly.

It was a huge,
scary, life-altering decision I was faced with. My mother might even end up angrier
than she ever had before. Would I be able to handle being so far away from
everyone and everything I knew? Would my family manage to be okay without me?
Who would bake the blueberry pies for the market?

Sonja sensed my
hesitation and slid the preliminary contract over to me. The only thing
standing in the way of making it official if I signed it was the scouts approving
my test shots and, considering how confident Sonja was, they would most likely
approve me. I glanced at the paper in front of me and saw the big dollar amount
for the signing bonus.

Never in my life
did I think I would see such a huge sum of money in my name, much less earned
all at once. I stopped and thought about everything before ultimately deciding
modeling was the best thing I could do for my family and for myself. I thought
back on how fun and exciting my first shoot had been despite my bout of unease
at the start of it. And I thought about Brad and the way my heart raced inside my
chest as I posed for him.

I swallowed
against a dry throat and reached for the pen Sonja had placed on the table. The
moment I scrawled my name above the line I let out a resounding sigh.

Everything was
about to change.