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6
Kerenza
My stomach flat out refused to stop doing backflips.
I swallowed past the lump of nerves lodged in my throat, and looked at myself in the mirror. On my body was one of the preliminary pieces that would be part of ULC’s ‘Maybae’ lingerie collection, which would be released in, you guessed it, May.
Oden had asked us models to put on a mini showcase for the marketing department. He’d said seeing the pieces on something other than curve-less mannequins would help him nail down the concept for this particular campaign, so here we were.
“God, could your abs be any more defined?” Addy said, pretending to roll her eyes at me as she applied oil to her legs.
I scoffed.
“Please, you have legs for days—days, and calf muscles to rival Usain Bolt’s. I don’t even wanna hear it, girlfriend.”
Addy and I laughed, and Maya joined in. In my opinion, Maya was rocking the hottest piece in the collection so far. It was a bodysuit, comprised of one hundred percent see-through material, but instead of her tits and vagina being on display, red X’s had been sewn over the nipple parts, and a pair of red lips had been sewn over the panty area. It was fun and sexy all at once.
The three of us, meaning myself, Adhira, and Maya, always had a good time at work. But there was always that one person in the group who tried to kill the vibe.
“Ughhhh!” Isobel groaned, spinning around in front of a full-body mirror. “Why do they always put me in green? I freaking hate the color green on me.”
I parted my lips to tell her that the hunter green bra and thong set actually complemented her translucent, pale skin really well. But it was futile. If a person wanted to find something wrong with themselves, they would always find it.
Maya’s eyes met mine in the mirror, and the look on her face told me she was thinking the exact same thing: better to just ignore Isobel.
“Help me with this corset, will you?” I asked Maya, who happily obliged.
Not a minute after I was all laced up, did a knock sound at the door.
“Come in,” Isobel snapped, tugging at the bottom of the bra she wore.
The door swung open to reveal one of the marketing administrative assistants, coming to let us know they were ready for us. We lined up, with Isobel at the front, Adhira second, me third, and Maya last. Together, we stepped out of the empty office we’d used as a makeshift changing room and entered the marketing area. It was a gigantic, open-layout room with various desks positioned all around.
Oden, Gayle, and the rest of the department, stood off to the side, watching as we walked over to them. When my eyes landed on Oden, I threw a little more oomph in my strut than usual. We came to a stop a few feet away from the crowd of onlookers. My hand settled on my hips, and I reminded myself to breathe. I’d done dozens of ‘look-sees’ where I would model a prototype for designers or, as in this case, the campaign director.
Together, Gayle and Oden walked a circle around the four of us, talking amongst themselves. Then, to my chagrin, Oden started doing close-up inspections of the pieces, starting with Maya, who was right next to me. I was keenly aware of him as he alternated between examining the lacy camisole and panty set Maya wore and jotting notes down. Aware of how much taller than all of us he was, even in our five-inch heels. Of how broad and muscled his back was in the tailored suit he wore.
Gayle had looped around to the beginning of the short line and started chatting with Isobel. I tuned them out, watching Oden with Maya out of the corner of my eyes.
A few minutes later, he moved in my direction, and my stomach erupted into butterflies. Standing around in barely-there undergarments was what I did for a living, so I was accustomed to it. But there was something so…vulnerable and unsettling about being practically naked in front of Oden Matthews. Probably because I was so fucking attracted to him.
“Good morning, Kerenza,” Oden said, coming to a standstill a few feet in front of me. With my heels, I was almost eye level with his throat and noticed the way his Adam’s apple was jumping all over the place. Could…could he be just as affected by me as I was by him?
“Hey,” I replied lamely.
The corners of his eyes crinkled, but beyond that, he didn’t react. Dipping his head, he sized me up, taking in the corset and matching thong.
“They did a good job with the stitch work,” he commented. Flicking his eyes up to mine, he asked, “Is it okay if I touch?” Touch my pussy?Why, go right ahead. “The corset, I mean?”
“Of course. Thank you for asking first, though.”
His hand came to rest on my abdomen but then slid around to the back of the corset, where he fingered the crisscrossed strings.
“Hmm,” he remarked. “This looks and feels like real leather, which could potentially be uncomfortable for the person wearing it.”
“You’ve got a point. But I doubt any woman wearing this for her partner would have it on for very long.”
His gaze once again swept over my body, before his intense, black eyes met mine.
