He turned to look at his two models. “Well,” Arlo said as he waved a hand in the air toward them. “Do something inspiring.”
On cue, the two models began to strike some of their well-rehearsed models poses.
“No, no, no,” Arlo said, shaking his head. “This is going to be a different type of shoot, that’s the entire point. Your regular cookie-cutter poses won’t work for this.”
“Can I make a suggestion?” I asked as I stood up from the table.
“Of course.”
I walked over to Cai and Kerynne.
Kerynne was stunningly beautiful, and she had an esoteric beauty that struck me with a perfect inspiration. She had long, black hair that reached down to her thighs, dark eyes, and the boniest and angular features that almost resembled that of a delicate bird. I immediately thought about all the ways in which her hair could be wrapped and braided into cool configurations.
“Kerynne,” I said as she turned her nose up at the fact that I was coming close to her. She was going to have to get used to it since I’d be dressing her naked ass behind the scenes. “Can you pose in a sort of dark and mysterious beauty sort of way, something more hauntingly mystifying that makes the audience wonder what you’re thinking beneath the clothes?”
“I can pose in any sort of way. It’s a natural talent I have,” she said as Cai started to laugh in the background.
“I bet you can,” he chuckled.
Arlo hushed him, and Kerynne started to show some positions that actually encompassed the feel I was trying to convey to her perfectly. She wasn’t wrong; she was good at her job.
“Okay, my turn,” Cai said as he shoved her out of the way to stand in front of me. “What do you want me to do?”
Cai’s look was almost completely the opposite of Kerynne’s. He had an androgynous appearance that lent itself well to nearly any role I wanted to put him in, and I had a perfect idea. He had short, platinum blond hair that I was sure the hairstylist could get a few tipped spikes out of. He also had the most piercing blue eyes that seemed almost ethereal.
“For you,” I said as he shifted from hip to hip in front of me as if he were some kind of courting mantis. I want you to channel a sort of boyish woodland prince aesthetic.”
“Stand back and be amazed,” Cai sneered over his shoulder at Kerynne.
Sure enough, he nailed it, right down to the arrogantly regal expression on his face. He looked like a very pissed-off fairy prince. This was going to be so much fun!
I took a few photos of them on my cell phone to remember their features and the color pallet of their complexions. I didn’t expect for Cai and Kerynne to suddenly launch into a series of poses that would make me blush, but apparently, they were very comfortable with each other. Their coupled poses were actually pretty stunning and gave me even more ideas to play with when I saw their bodies wrapped around each other like sexy contortionists.
By the time we were done, the two models seemed to have at least loosened up enough to be enjoying themselves, and I had plenty of reference pictures and ideas. Arlo gave me some general suggestions as far as the overall aesthetic feel of the runway show, which made it seem a lot like a “walk through the dark woods” sort of thing; and then everyone got ready to leave, and I would have a few hours to sketch out my ideas to bring to him.
“Hey, you want to go for Indian food tonight?” Arlo asked on his way out the workshop door.
“Ewe, are you two dating?” Kerynne scowled.
Cai turned his head in curiosity.
“No,” Arlo answered. “We’re just good friends.”
Kerynne seemed satisfied with the answer, so she yanked Cai’s hand, and the two of them walked out.
“Are they dating?” I asked Arlo after they had gone.
“No,” he laughed. “Kerynne only dates wealthy men, not models. And Cai—well, I’m not really sure what Cai does.”
“Interesting people,” I giggled.
“Told you,” he said with a grin. “But, how do you think they’ll do for the new line?”
“Honestly, I think they’ll be perfect,” I answered.
“Awesome! That’s what I was hoping you’d say. Okay, I’m going to leave you to your creative genius so you can get all your ideas down on paper for us to chat about over dinner tonight. Indian food?”
“Yeah, sounds good,” I said. “Pick me up at seven?”
Arlo nodded and gave me a kiss on the side of my cheek. I always liked it when he did that. He would lean over and always reach down to gently touch or hold my wrist when he gave me a small kiss on the side of my face. The kiss was always the perfect length, not too short to seem rushed and impersonal, and not too long to make it seem like more than what it was—a kiss between friends.
After Arlo left, I got started sketching out all of my ideas. I had so many that I had to brain-dump onto the paper in order to get out of my head and sort it out. The runway show was capped at a total of ten pieces, although the clothing line itself could be more than that. I needed to showcase my best ten at the show, and I wanted to pull forth my best ten ideas to show Arlo over dinner. The turnaround time for the entire thing was pretty crunched, so I would be working at a faster pace than I usually did. It should be okay, though, since this was my only project at the moment. And after this, if it were successful, I would never have to worry about picking up overworked and underpaid projects again.
Arlo picked me up and drove us to his favorite Indian food restaurant in Soho. I lived way outside Manhattan in Astoria, so the subway commute for me was a bit of a hike. That was why it was always such a treat when he came to pick me up in his fancy car and we got to drive over the bridge. I didn’t really much see the point in owning a car in New York City, especially since traffic and parking were such a nightmare. But if you were a billionaire like Arlo, and the insanely high cost of private-garage parking wasn’t an issue for you, then it was a cool luxury to have.
This place was one of his favorite restaurants, and I only got to come here when Arlo was treating. Even the name of it was cool—Divinities. I had no idea what that title had to do with Indian food, but it sounded like a very mysterious name for a restaurant. I think I had been here three times with him already this year, and every time I came, I tried something new from the menu. The prices were through the roof, but Arlo never seemed to care. My favorite part about the place, besides the delicious food, was the visual and sensory treats that met you as soon as you walked through the front door.
The lighting was soft and subdued, and the entire place was a collage of deep purples and reds. There were big floor cushions set around large, low, square tables for a truly authentic feel of community while enjoying the savory delights. The tables were large enough for me to spread out all of my sketchbooks and loose papers, and I loved the feel of being able to sprawl my legs out beneath me or get up on my knees when I got particularly excited and wanted to point to something to show Arlo.
One of the waitresses there remembered us, and she was intrigued by all of the drawings that I started to layout while she was bringing us glasses of wine. “Those are incredible,” she said.
“Thanks!” I smiled up at her as I gratefully lifted the wine glass to my lips.
They always had the tastiest sweet white wine, which Arlo knew was my favorite thing here, so he ordered a bottle as soon as we sat down.