Heidi would do anything. That's what they all said.
She was little more than a glorified go-fer, anyway, running across town to fetch props for the shoot and two dozen hot coffees, or lugging cameras and equipment and trudging after the photographer. There was also making sure the models had exactly what they wanted, when they wanted, and how they wanted it. That was the worst part of the job.
"I
said
half caf decaf mocha latte!"
Heidi ducked as the tall, nude figure threw the full coffee towards the wastebasket but missed, the cup tipping over and leaking out onto the floor.
"I'm sorry," Heidi apologized, kneeling to mop up the mess.
"Forget it." The woman snorted—Heidi thought the tall blonde's name was Daniella—waving her off. "Maggie!"
A short, pudgy woman hurried in from the front of the trailer. "I'm sorry, sweetie, Chloe was having problems with her straps."
Heidi slipped out of the trailer, leaving one of the coffee trays for the girls and took the other, going to find the crew.
"Argh! This is a latte!" Ty grimaced, handing it back to her and waving her off. "Not mine."
"I'm sorry," Heidi apologized again, knowing that she couldn't fix her mistake now unless she got back into the car and trekked the three miles to Starbucks.
Lenny, one of the crew, looked over from where he was setting up the tripod. "Ty, we'd better get the girls out here while the light is good. Where is the artist? Wasn't she supposed to be here by five?"
Lenny came over and grabbed a coffee, smiling at her and winking. "Black. I'm easy, baby."
She smiled back, her eyes dropping to the sand. Her watch said it was 5:32 a.m. and the sun was just coming up over the horizon.
"Do you want me to get the girls?" Heidi asked with a sigh, glancing back at the trailer where the models were changing.
"Fucking Kaiser's coming out here," Ty murmured, fiddling with his camera. "I hate shoots when he shows up."
Heidi's eyes widened and she looked between them. "
The
Kaiser? Warren Kaiser?"
"Speak of the devil," Lenny murmured, pointing over Heidi's shoulder with his eyes.
Ty sighed, fumbling his camera, but not looking back. "Shit."
"He likes the swimsuit shoots," Lenny whispered to her as he passed.
"Gentlemen!" Warren Kaiser looked as out of place on a morning beach in his suit and tie as a poodle in the pound. "Let's start the engines, shall we?"
He strode toward them swinging a finely crafted cane than sank into the sand as he walked. He dug the point of it in when he stopped short, leaning on it and crossing one foot in front of the other.
"I'll go get the girls," Heidi murmured, avoiding the tall man's eyes as she moved carefully around him, noticing the exposed bottom of his shoe as she passed.
"Testoni!" Heidi gasped, staring at the feather images hot-stamped into the soles.
The man was standing on the beach, unmindful of the sand that the toe of his fifteen-hundred-dollar shoe was resting in.
"God bless you!" Lenny snorted.
"Good eye." The voice drew her gaze up and she saw the man with the cane and the salt and pepper hair looking curiously down at her. His eyes were dark and questioning.
Lenny nudged Heidi's shoulder with his. "The girls—Daniella."
"Going," she mumbled.
Normally they set up the portable beach cabanas, but this was going to be a five day shoot, and there would be different models every day, so Kaiser had sprung for a trailer.
Inside, there was a flurry of activity, girls everywhere in various states of undress, the costume women tucking and folding and taping.
"Daniella?" Heidi asked, looking for the tall blonde in the midst of bodies.
"She's in the bathroom!" one of the girls said, holding her arms above her head, her breasts bare, as one of the costumers taped them together.
"Daniella?" Heidi asked, knocking on the door. No one answered, but she heard the distinct sounds of vomiting. She knocked again. Nothing.
Making her way back through the flutter of activity, she discovered outside that Lenny had found a chair for Mr. Kaiser. He sat, his cane propped against the arm, his hands folded over his chest and his legs stretched out, his fifteen-hundred dollar Italian shoes crossed in the sand.
"Lenny," she whispered, motioning to him. "I think Daniella's got the stomach flu. She's in the bathroom throwing up."
"That's not the flu!" He laughed, rolling his eyes. "That's Dunkin Donuts reversing gears!"
"Oh." Heidi flushed, noticing Mr. Kaiser watching them, smiling at her naiveté, his head cocked in her direction.
"Heidi, come here!" Ty called. He was looking through his camera towards the surf.
"I'll get her," Lenny said, nudging Heidi toward the photographer as he headed for the trailer.
Heidi waited patiently while Ty fiddled with the camera. He glanced over at her, frowning, eyeing her up and down.
He pointed. "See that towel out there?"
She nodded, shifting uncomfortably. Mr. Kaiser was still watching them and his eyes on her made her feel too small in her skin.
"Go stand on it," he said, looking through the camera again. "I need to get a reading, and I can't do it without a subject."
Heidi trotted obediently out to stand on the towel. From this angle, she could see Mr. Kaiser looking at her, tilting his head to the side so he could see around Ty standing at the tripod.
"Hey!" Ty called, looking over the camera at her. "Take off your top."
"What?" she whispered, knowing he couldn't hear her.
"Come on!" He waved his hand impatiently, looking through the camera again. "Let's go!"
Heidi glanced at Mr. Kaiser, who was leaning a little further now around Ty as she crossed her hands in front of her and grabbed the edge of her t-shirt, wishing she had actually put on a bra this morning.
She held her t-shirt modstly in front of her breasts, feeling the heat of her blush and found herself staring at the tips of Mr. Kaiser's shoes. She could feel his eyes on her, anyway, like a heat.
"More skin!" Ty called.
She glanced toward the trailer, hoping to see Daniella and Lenny magically appear, but no such luck. Biting her lip and taking a deep breath, she dropped her arms to her sides, exposing herself. Her nipples immediately hardened in the breeze. She watched Mr. Kaiser adjust in his seat, uncrossing and re-crossing his legs at the ankles.
"Thanks!" Ty waved her in. "Got it!"
Pulling her shirt back over her head and willing the flush out of her cheeks, she walked toward the photographer.
"You didn't take any pictures, did you?" Heidi asked, watching Ty as he looked through the camera and then out to the horizon again.
He snorted. "Of you?"
Her blush deepened as the trailer door banged open behind them and Daniella pushed Lenny out onto the sand.
"Fucking pervert," she hissed, weaving around him. "Next time, send in Miss Cauliflower for Brains—at least she's a girl."
Lenny was laughing as he brushed himself off and one of the other girls grabbed the trailer door and shut it.
"Let's get this show on the road," Daniella said, flouncing past Ty. "Where do you want me?"
"It's already been quite a show," Mr. Kaiser remarked, putting his hands behind his head and glancing over at Heidi.
"Mr. Kaiser!" In an instant, the model's voice was thick with sweetness and now Heidi felt like she needed to go do a food-reversal.
"Heidi, can you help me?" It was Maggie, sticking her head out the trailer door.
"Lenny, find out where that damned artist is!" Ty called, waving Daniella toward the towel.
Heidi saw Lenny dig his cell phone out of his pocket, but it wasn't long before the henna artist showed up to start painting the girls. She was a dark-haired woman, all soft curves and long legs, and dark blue-black hair that hung to her waist. Heidi watched, fascinated, as she painted patterns over each girl's skin, sealing the henna with some sort of glittery paint before sending them on their way.
Daniella came back in to get hers, and complained the whole time about having to hold still. Heidi had to run to the refrigerator to get her an Evian twice, but she didn't mind sitting in the cool trailer and watching. Lenny and Ty didn't seem to be missing her, although she knew that with all the girls out on the beach, she should probably go out there, too.
"Do you want one?" the black-haired woman asked after Daniella left, turning her coal-black eyes to Heidi as she cleaned her syringe.
"Me?" Heidi glanced toward the door, biting her lip, considering.
"You have lovely hands," the woman remarked, grabbing one and turning it over, running her fingers over Heidi's knuckles. "Perhaps something here?"
Heidi let her paint, watching as the syringe left a dark brown trail over her skin. It just looked like squiggly lines and dots at first, but eventually, she was able to discern a leafy, paisley pattern as the woman worked.
"It's really beautiful," Heidi murmured, her blonde head bent close to the woman's dark one. "Have you been doing it long?"
"Since I was a girl." The woman glanced up with a smile. "There... do you like it?"
Heidi held her hand out, admiring. "Yes... thank you."
"Heidi!" It was Ty, pounding at the trailer door, making her jump up with a gasp.
"Gotta go." She headed for the door.
"Wait!" the woman called after her. "I need to seal your—"
Heidi knew Ty's mad voice when she heard it, and her heart was beating fast as she shut the trailer door behind her.