“Turn to the right” I all but demanded to my new client, Daniel Jones. We were in the midst of taking starter photos to send to one of the photographers of Wesley Models. There was absolutely no way I could say no to Laila after seeing his new and improved look. The young man definitely had it going on.

As he slowly turned to the other side of his lean handsome figure, I began to have yet another hard time keeping my inappropriate attraction to myself. It was clear that he hadn’t taken notice of my lingering stares and that was perfect. I needed it to stay like that. He was too damn young and was far from the type of guy I would even approach.

I cleared my throat and snapped the last photo. Daniel was sporting one of those bad-boy-just-out-of-bed kind of hairstyles and it fit him perfectly. His raven black hair was straight and he had these soft bangs that swept across his forehead, giving him a youthful appearance. Laila went ahead of herself and took him shopping for a whole new wardrobe. He seemed to have a liking for the darker shades of clothing. The only items he really purchased were grey, black, and white cotton t-shirts and v-necks, dark fitted jeans, and one black leather jacket.

In front of me, he was only dressed in a pair of dark wash jeans and nothing else. I kept having to remind myself to breathe because he was so breathtaking. Out of all the models I’ve taken in and molded into high profile celebrities, he was on the list of most interesting. I’d never seen someone with such piercing blue eyes. Every time he looked at me, I felt like he was looking straight through me and into my soul. It was hard for me to not think about my past when it came to Daniel.

Hell, it was hard for me to put the past behind me in general. Ever since the situation with Jerome, I have not been back into the dating scene. Of course Laila’s been trying her fucking hardest to set me up with men, but those dates never went far. It would always end in some sort of fight because either my inner feminist busted out or I found something (even if it was just something small) about them and decided that the date needed to end.

It’s been nearly seventeen years since I’ve..

You know…

Done the do. Had sex. Shit, my pussy practically has cobwebs hanging around somewhere in there. I know you’re wondering what happened with the Gonorrhea thing. I took the recommended antibiotics to rid myself of it, but I still felt unsafe. I was scared that I could possibly pass the infection on to another person. The “cure” was only recommended, not guaranteed. Once I started to climb my way to the top of Wesley Models, I stopped thinking about finding a man to settle down with. Most men were scared to date me by that point anyway.

Of course I have times where I get lonely and I feel like a piece of my heart is missing, but I’ve given up on finding my soul mate a long time ago. My expiration date has passed. I’m not saying I’ve been hit with hot flashes and infertility, but I have no need to look anymore. No one wants me and I don’t blame them. I’m a bitch and I have honorably accepted that title. Getting what needs to be done will never be finished unless I have my strong, independent personality. I do not need some man to come along and mess everything up.

Fucking around with Jerome’s good-for-nothing ass seriously screwed me up; so much that I have yet to tell my one and only best friend about it. I only told Laila about certain aspects of my life because there was just some things people didn’t need to know.

“Am I done for the day?” Daniel asked. He looked at me with curious eyes; almost like a lost puppy.

I carefully placed the overly expensive Nikon camera on the nearest table and walked towards him. “Not entirely. I have a lot of paperwork for you to read and sign. After that, you will be sent to Edith so she can get your measurements. How tall did you say you were again?”

“Six foot even.”

“Good. Put your shirt back on and I’ll give you a tour of the building.” I paused for a second as he picked his charcoal grey shirt up and quickly pulled it over his head. “It is essential that you become familiar with the head of each department.”

All he did was nod. It was very unusual for me to have to deal with an aspiring model who barely spoke a word. I was so used to chatty, not to mention..bratty newcomers who thought they knew a little something about the fashion/modeling world.

“You don’t talk much, do you?” I couldn’t help but to ask.

Daniel smiled, actually showing his teeth this time around. They were nothing short of flawless. Unless I was trippin, every single one of his teeth were perfectly aligned and pearly white. Now how in the hell could a homeless man have such immaculate teeth?  His canines were a little longer than normal, but it added a sort of sex appeal to his smile.

“I’m gonna take that as a no” I murmured. “Follow me.”

Daniel

I nodded my head and trailed behind her like a naïve little schoolboy. It didn’t help that I was being punished with having to inhale the lovely smell of heated vanilla and cinnamon. The sight of her curvaceous backside was a plus. Terri was simply elegant from head to toe.

Her dark brown shoulder-length hair was parted in the middle with loose curls flowing freely past her ears. Because of her unblemished face, I couldn’t get a clear read to what her actual age was. If I had to give a blind guess without considering her career position, I’d say she’s got to be no older than thirty-three. She had a cute little button nose with a broad tip and a pair of beautiful brown eyes. They were thin and almond shaped. Her high cheekbones added to her natural beauty. I glanced down at her choice of shoes and grinned. A women in a pair of stilettos was one of my many weaknesses.

They were the Louboutin brand. I could tell by the color of deep red on the bottom of the shoes. My eyes traveled up past her long, smooth legs and landed on her toned figure. Terri was slim, but not too slim. She was just fine. It was clear that she worked out on the regular. Her knee-length black and white polka dot pencil skirt caught me off guard; being that it didn’t match her cold personality. A solid black blouse was tucked into it.

All I know is that I want to know more about her. Laila always tells me little details about how secretive and mysterious Terri is, but I didn’t buy that. She has more depth to her and I am going to make it my mission to break through to her.

Speaking of Laila, staying with her has been the experience of a lifetime. She has so much personality that I find it hard not to connect with her. She accepts the fact that I am a man of few words and it makes it easier to talk to her. Whenever she has the chance, she will get me to sit down in the living room and we’d exchange something about our lives.  I soon found out about her wealth and stardom. It warmed my heart to see her so humble.

Every day I will wake up with a heap of gratefulness and endless gratitude. She playfully yells at me every time I thank her for taking me in. Apparently I’ve said it one time too many. Since her apartment is a one bedroom, my designated sleeping area is the comfy futon in the living room. At first, she offered to let me sleep in her bed while she sleeps on the futon, but I couldn’t take her up on that offer. She was already being an angel to me.

Terri would call her up at least once a day to see if I haven’t murdered her yet…and I guess that’s understandable----

“Hey, are you listening?”

I blinked back into reality at the sound of Terri’s voice. “Y-yes. Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize” she squinted. “This is our main foyer. Through here, you are able to get to everyone’s office. You don’t spend much time in here, only in the beginning, but it’s nice to know your way around.”

I stepped beside her and continued to listen to her talk. Her voice was more on the higher-pitched side but it was in no way annoying. I liked how smooth and articulate she voiced her thoughts. When we first met, I took time to admire her smile. It was obvious that she was a hygiene freak when it came to her teeth. Her full lips looked so soft and welcoming…

Dude, slow your roll.

“Any questions so far?”

I stopped walking and looked down at her. “Yes. Um, wh-what exactly is your job?”

“Laila didn’t go over this with you?” She sighed and continued to hastily walk towards our destination when I shook my head. “What the hell do the two of you talk about then?”

“Uh-“ I started to follow her again.

“Never mind. I don’t want to know. I’m a modeling agent. Aside from you, I have three more models. They’re currently out of the country doing a few shows so I have a little bit of extra time on my hands. In fewer words, I essentially manage every single part of your life. Until we can hook you up with the dietitian, I will even manage what you eat from now on. You will not do anything until you get my consent, go that?”

“Yes ma’am”

“Don’t call me that” Terri snapped. “Please. Just don’t. I’m not your mother.”

“S-sorry.”

She looked up at me and shook her head. “We have a lot to work on. Listen, Edith’s office is right there. Go in and tell her that you need your measurements. After that, bring them to me and we can get through the paperwork.”

“Okay.”

Terri

While I waited for him to finish up with getting his measurements, I sat in my office and typed away on my laptop. Before signing models, us agents had to go through the same amount of shit parents have to go through before adopting a kid. I prided myself on being so organized and systematical. Starting models off is something I can do with a blindfold on. It came so easy to me. George the CEO promised me a management position if I followed his orders on getting this so-called “new type of model”.

Daniel is definitely out of the ordinary…

A knock on the door made me shoot my head up and look towards it. “Come in!” I shouted.

The door opened and in walked my most worrisome co-worker, Alonzo Lopez. He is fairly new to the company, only being here for a year. His job is just like mines, but he’s not that great. I think they only hired the man so that they wouldn’t get in trouble for primarily hiring female agents.

Alonzo, a middle-aged, Puerto Rican man, never wanted to admit that he had it bad for me…but everyone knew it. If I were attracted to him, maybe I’d give him a chance but the attraction has not blossomed on my behalf. I mean, he’s fairly good-looking, with his light brown eyes, golden skin, and baldhead. He’s right along the lines of my “type”. But his personality needs work. Alonzo is way too talkative, needy, and so damn arrogant. He thinks the world revolves around him and he relishes in the fact that these models are begging for him to sign them.

“Hey baby” he smiled and closed the door behind him.

I scowled and got back to what I was previously doing. “Go away.”

“Ah, why are you always such a Debbie Downer? You know I’m never going to stop bugging you until you loosen up.”

“Please go away?”

“Go out with me tonight.”

“No.”

“Terri…”

“Alonzo…” I matched his babyish tone.

“What have I ever done to you?” He walked closer to my desk and leaned in closer to my face. I caught a whiff of his overbearing Calvin Klein cologne and almost started to cough. “Huh?”

“If you don’t get out of my face, I will slap the shit out of you.”

“I love it when you get bitchy like that” Alonzo winked. “Turns me on.”

He does this shit to irk the hell out of me…

“Oh my god…” I sighed. “I don’t have time to deal with you today. What do you want?”

He chuckled, backed away, and sat down in one of the leather chairs. “Have you found your model yet?”

“Why?”

“Because you’re always ahead of the game and everyone’s talking about who you’ve chosen.”

“Who I choose to work with is nobody’s damn business.”

“I saw him, Terri. He’s got a lot of potential. Let me have him.”

“What? No!”

“Why? I’m sure you won’t miss him. I have a very promising young lady waiting to be signed. Actually, I have two. Two for the price of one.”

“Get out of my office with this foolishness, Alonzo! I’m not playing with you.”

“I’m not playing either. I’m so serious right now.”

“Why do you want my model so bad all of a sudden? He’s a normal kid.”

“Far from normal…and you know exactly what I mean. The word going around is that he’s not even a model. Why would you risk something like this, Terri? The girls I have are well trained and they hardly need any coaching. You definitely can’t beat this deal. “

I groaned and threw my head back in frustration. Why did he have to come to me with this? He had me actually thinking about giving my client up. I thought about all of the training and coaching Daniel has to go through…which means there will be a delay in getting him to shows and in advertisements.

“So what do you say?”

It took me a moment to gather my thoughts. “I’ll think about it.”

“That’s good enough for me.”

“Yeah whatever. Get out…and this is the last time I’m going to ask you.”

Alonzo grinned and gave me one last wink before exiting my office. Asshole.

Daniel

“So how was your day?” Laila beamed. We were sitting across from each other at the kitchen table, eating dinner. It comprised of seasoned baked chicken, broccoli, and red potatoes.

I looked down at the green ceramic plate and frowned. The food smelled and looked so delicious. Mouthwatering.

“It went okay” I grumbled.

“What’s wrong? Not hungry?”

“I don’t know if I’m supposed to be eating this”

“What? Why not? You’ve been eating everything else I’ve cooked so far. Not to mention the In-n-Out you completely devoured last night.”

I looked up at her and gave her a half-smile. “Terri said that I shouldn’t be eating anything she doesn’t approve of.”

“Is Terri your mother?”

“No...but-“

“Okay then. Eat.”

I looked back down at my plate and sighed. “I…I don’t know.”

“Oh for God’s sake…” she groaned. I watched her jump up from the table and dash over to her iPhone. Laila picked it up from the marble countertop and commanded Siri to call Terri. Her long red hair was pulled up into a messy bun on the top of her head and she wore a hot pink camisole with a pair of low riding sweatpants on, revealing a small bit of her tanned skin. Laila happened to be more voluptuous than Terri, but she was also in shape. She had an hourglass figure.

“Are you seriously controlling what he eats?” She pressed a button to put her on speaker.

“Huh? What are you talking about?” Terri asked.

Laila looked at me and shook her head. “Daniel is scared to eat because you have some weird rule about him eating whatever you tell him to eat.”

“Oh yeah. Shit, I forgot to create a meal plan. What’s he trying to eat?”

“Nothing unhealthy. Just some chicken, broccoli, and potatoes.”

“He can eat it. Make sure you tell him to start doing the workouts I gave him.”

I nodded my head and started to eat the food. Laila hung the phone up after talking to Terri for a little while longer and wishing her a good night.

She sat back down in her chair and began to sip on a glass of iced tea. “Are you two getting along well?”

“I guess you can say that.” I shrugged after swallowing a mouthful of potatoes. “She still doesn’t like me.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Her gestures and looks of disgust pretty much gives it away.”

“Oh stop it. Terri has a hard time expressing her feelings so she always gives people that face. Trust me on this. If she signed you, she obviously thinks you’re a cool person.”

A minute or two of silence passed before I said something else. “May I ask you something?”

“Anything. What’s up?”

“How…uh, how have her past relationships been?”

“Meaning with people in general…or with significant others…?”

“Both” I avoided eye contact as I cut into the chicken and stuffed it into my mouth.

She was looking at me with her eyebrow cocked up. I could feel it.  “Well…if you must know…” she started. “She gets along with her models fairly well. They all love her and thank her for their success. In terms of co-workers, she’s had some trouble. Everyone at Wesley’s Models is nosey. They all know so much about each other’s lives and then you have Terri. She’s a closed book who won’t even let us know her favorite color. When it comes to previous boyfriends, I have absolutely no idea. She will not tell me anything about her past.”

“Do you know why she’s like that?”

“Nope. And I try not to ask because she gets really irritated and fussy whenever it comes up.”

“Damn.”

“Yeah.”

“So she’s never opened up to anyone, you say?”

“I’m her best friend and that’s all I know about her. I tried talking to her parents, but she won’t tell me where they live. It’s always a dead end when I talk to her. Why do you ask though?”

“Just wondering. I mean, she seems so sad.”

“Sad? More like angry.”

“No…seriously. When I look into her eyes, it’s almost like she’s begging for someone to hear her out.”

“Daniel, listen to me. I try talking to her but it gets nowhere. She doesn’t trust anyone. Not even me.”

“That must hurt because you’re the closest thing she’s got and she’s the closet thing you’ve got. Friendships should be based on trust.”

She grinned at me with a wide smile. “Listen to you being all therapist-like.”

“There’s got to be more to her…” I blushed. “And I intend on finding out what’s behind that tough exterior she puts on.”