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12
Oden
It was here, the day of the ‘Maybae’ campaign shoot. It was going to be an eighteen-hour event, so you would have thought I’d have gotten plenty of rest the previous night.
You’d be wrong.
Rest was for the poor saps who didn’t have the synonym for their obsession in their bed. I wasn’t one of those poor saps. Now that I had Kerenza in my life, I was prepared to do whatever it took to keep it that way. But first things first, there was work to be done.
My concept for this campaign was inspired by the subject of my thoughts: Kerenza. When I saw her in the prototype lingerie piece, I got this…vision.
What kind of lingerie did women wear for different dates? Date number six, perhaps the first time they decided they wanted to have sex with a man, might be a bit demure. Date number fifteen, the sixth or seventh time they had sex, would they be more risqué? And finally, when a couple got to the point where they lost count of the number of dates they’d been on and the number of times they’d had sex, would the lingerie level be on full-blown freak? That was the thought I’d had when I’d seen Kerenza standing there in that leather corset, looking like a dominatrix waiting to dominate.
And thus, the ‘dating in lingerie’ concept had begun to form.
The first shoot of the campaign would take place in Lummus Park Beach. It was one of the nicer beaches in the area, and more importantly, it provided breathtaking panoramic views from The Hotel of South Beach. Nothing but bluer than blue, cloudless skies, with the ocean and sand below it.
We were technically shooting out of order, with the final ‘date,’ featuring the lingerie Kerenza was modelling, being first up. I wanted to get it done so the photos could go to the editor faster, since it was the center piece of the campaign, and we’d need more promo images for it. Gayle wanted to launch the ‘Maybae’ line a mere sixteen days from now, so time was a luxury we didn’t quite have.
I was the first one on the set. I slowly walked around the roof of The Hotel of South Beach, surveying my set with a critical eye. There was a long, wide, rectangular-shaped pool in the center of the roof, but we’d had it covered with see-through tiling. On top of the tiling, in the center of the pool, was a bed covered in red silk sheets.
The gorgeous view of the city of Miami and the beaches and palm trees below would act as a free-of-cost backdrop for the shoot.
The sounds of voices drew my attention. I stopped walking and turned towards the roof’s entrance. Three men in jumpsuits carrying light beams and poles were walking towards me. I nodded at them, knowing they were here to get the lighting set up. Though with it being seven in the morning, we would soon have all the natural lighting we could ever want.
A few more people came out of the hidden stairwell that led to the roof. My heart skipped two beats when I saw that Kerenza was one of them. She was covered in a yellow silk robe and wore a pair of furry flip flops, but held a pair of tall, black heels in her hands. Her hair and makeup were already done, and she looked stunning. I could see the glitter glistening on her brown skin from all the way over here.
Time slowed down as she crossed the rooftop and neared where I stood. I barely noticed Isobel and Wanda, who accompanied her.
“There you are,” Wanda said when the three of them were within hearing range. “I’ve been looking all over for you. We have a small hiccup.”
Instantly, I snapped out of the haze I seemed to always get swallowed up in whenever Kerenza was around.
“What is it?” I demanded. Realizing that my intensity could be a bit much for some people, I softened my tone and asked, “What’s the problem?”
Wanda was older than me—hell, almost anyone at ULC—but that just meant she had a lot of administrative experience under her belt. She was an efficient and well-respected member of my marketing team, and I truly relied on her, which was why when it was time to decide on the crucial, small team of people I would be bringing to Miami, her name was at the top of the list.
“The male model who’s supposed to shoot with Kerenza is sick. He just came back from a shoot in Europe and has a nasty bug, or so I hear.”
I clenched my teeth in frustration. I’d handpicked that model to shoot with Kerenza. His face wouldn’t actually be showing in the photos—because that would detract from the female model and the lingerie she wore—but his well-defined abs and muscles were surely needed.
Wanda, bless her heart, went into fixer mode.
“I have a few contacts in Orlando and Tampa. I could reach out, see who can get here the fastest…?”
One, I didn’t want a strange man, who I hadn’t screened first, shooting with my woman. Having his hands all over that sexy body.
Two, I didn’t want to lose hours on this shoot. We only had eighteen, and there were four models we needed to photograph in various settings, including the beach and inside one of the hotel rooms.
“I’ll do it,” I announced, much to the surprise of the three women standing in front of me. “I’ll fill in for the male model. It saves us time and resources that the company doesn’t have.”
“Are…are you sure?” Wanda asked apprehensively.
Instead of answering her directly, I said, “Let’s get to work, people!” The authority in my voice was undeniable, and as a result, everyone in the vicinity promptly started doing their jobs.
Kerenza stayed put for a second, smiling and showing off those dimples.
“You’re going to be my co-model, huh?”
I walked up on her, invading her personal space.
“Indeed,” I replied, eyes on her lips.
She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Good thing you’re already comfortable with my body. It’ll show in the pictures.”
Winking, she skirted around me and headed over to the bed in the center of the pool.
