All characters are adults over 18.
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For the next several weeks Eva spent every spare moment with Don. Making love with him released a reservoir of passion that she hadn't known was inside her. She wanted to be in his bed every day. She'd had feelings for Don before she gave him her virginity, but those feelings became overwhelming after they became intimate.
Eva's friends at school could tell she was in love, and they made little jokes about it. She realized that her parents might see the same signs, so she worked hard to conceal her feelings whenever she was at home.
But while she was with Don, she was a fountain of intense emotions.
He was glad. This was the first time in years that he'd experienced real love. He had great respect and affection for April, but he couldn't love her because she was a married woman. Feelings he'd suppressed for years suddenly flowed from his heart.
There was no reason he had to control his feelings for Eva, so he didn't try. She'd rush over after school, he'd take her to bed, then she'd leave just before her parents got home from work. She doubted that her parents would approve of a romantic relationship with a man 10 years older, and they wouldn't be happy if they learned their innocent little daughter was sexually active. So she acted as though nothing had changed.
It worked; her feelings for Don remained secret from her family.
One day Eva visited Don, had sex with him, then got out of bed so she could model that days' allotment of clothes. It had become effortless for Eva. She'd learned countless ways to convey a wide range of feelings. She didn't realize that Don's other models couldn't do the same.
It was time for Don to tell her the truth.
"Baby, I've worked with a lot of models over the years, and I've never told any of them that I think they should try to do serious modeling. It's a brutal business. Most women who try to become models don't succeed. The feelings of failure can be awful.
"That's why I am reluctant to say that you are the only girl I've worked with who has the potential to become a top model. If you want to try, I'll do everything I can to make that happen."
Eva was surprised. "I've enjoyed modeling for you, but I've never imagined trying anything more ambitious," she said. "I've read that it's almost impossible."
"For most girls, it is," Don said. "But you have a special quality that makes me believe you could succeed. The camera likes you. A lot. I'm certain that people in the fashion industry will recognize it. Many women dream of becoming a top model. You could actually do it."
Of course, she wanted to try. Eva's plan for her future involved community college, travel, and eventually getting the kind of job her parents had. There was nothing wrong with those plans, but the idea of working in exotic locations, living a glamorous life and earning lots of money was incomparably better. It wasn't really a debate. She told Don she'd do whatever he suggested.
The first step was preparing a portfolio - what modeling agencies call a model's "book." It contains information about the model, but it consists mainly of photographs that show her posing. They had a wealth of photos that could prove Eva had a lot of experience, but those pictures were very routine shots for catalogs. They needed something more artistic, and they had a special need for photographs that revealed Eva's power to evoke feelings in the viewer.
Don hadn't done much creative photography since college, and he welcomed the challenge. Eva posed in all kinds of postures and situations she'd never tried before. Don realized that her book needed at least one photograph that demonstrated Eva's willingness to pose nude; even supermodels are sometimes required to pose topless or naked, so Eva had to show she'd do that if the job required it. The picture Don finally selected wasn't very revealing - it didn't show nipples or full-frontal nudity - but you could tell Eva was comfortable posing nude. The photo was beautiful in an arty way, and Don was proud of it.
Eva was proud of every picture in the book. Don had assembled a set of photos that demonstrated the wide range of skills Eva possessed. He worked hard compiling the images in an attractive 16-page booklet that contained all Eva's information and photos in one convenient package. He had the printing and binding done at the best print shop in town, then made plans for him and Eva to drive to the city to drop the book off at top modeling agencies.
There were five well-known agencies in the city, and they represented models whose faces and bodies appeared regularly on the covers of top magazines. Don considered dropping a copy of Eva's book at all five agencies on the same day, but then he settled on a different tactic. He and Eva would go to the very best agency, drop off a copy of her book, then go home. If the agency didn't respond in a week, they'd try agency number two, followed by number three, and eventually submitting the book to number five. He wanted to avoid a situation of responding to interest from a lesser agency, then getting a call from a better one.
One afternoon Don and Eva got in his car and headed to the city. On the drive, they talked about the fact that she would graduate high school in less than a week.
"This is perfect timing," she said. "I'm finally free to do whatever I want. If an agency calls tomorrow, I can go to work."
"I'm glad you're going to have more free time," Don said. "A lot of the moments we share are very rushed. It should be possible for us to relax more and enjoy each other's company."
Eva leaned her head on Don's shoulder. "That will be nice," she said.
A few minutes went by, then Eva spoke again. "I'll tell you something else that will be nice. One of these days I have to tell my Mom about our relationship. That's going to be tricky. When I started working for you, I told her that our relationship would be strictly professional. I'm not sure how she'll react when I say that's changed.
"It's something I didn't want to talk about while I was still in high school. The topic should be easier once I've got my diploma and they start seeing me as an adult."
"I hope so," Don said. "I'd like the secrecy to end, but it makes sense to keep everything quiet a little longer."
"I know one thing for sure," Eva said. "When my Mom learns I'm having sex, she's going to ask about birth control. I'm glad I'll have a good answer for that question." Don had driven Eva down to a women's clinic and started her on a safer, more reliable birth control than condoms. Hopefully Eva's parents would see that as evidence that she and Don were being responsible about sex.
They planned to drive to the city, drop off Eva's book at the best modeling agency in town, then have lunch at a nice restaurant. They showed up at the agency's front desk and gave Eva's book to the receptionist.
"Would you mind having a seat for a few minutes? I want to give this to the head of the agency and make sure she doesn't have any questions for you," the receptionist said.
They sat quietly in the waiting room. Don didn't expect they'd want to talk to Eva right then. He knew that prospective models dropped off their books on a daily basis; the director probably had a stack of unsolicited portfolios on her desk right then.
That's why they were both surprised when the receptionist asked Eva to go back to see the director. Eva insisted that Don accompany her, so they both walked back to find a handsome middle-aged woman in designer clothes paging through Eva's book.
"Good morning, dear. You must be Eva. I'm Rita Mathers. I'm the director of this agency. Who is this young man with you?"
"This is Don. He's my photographer. And my boyfriend," Eva said.
Rita looked over her reading glasses at Don. "You took these pictures?" she said.
"That's right," Don said. "I've worked as a fashion photographer since before I got out of art school. Eva is the most talented model I've ever seen. I've never encouraged any of my models to approach an agency before. But Eva is special. I'm sure she could be successful."
Rita smiled. "You may be right. This is excellent work, Eva. The camera seems to love you. It's not everyday that a girl walks in off the street and gives me a book this good."
Everything was happening very fast. Rita acted as though she was ready to give Eva a modeling contract immediately. It seemed too good to be true. Rita asked several questions, giving special attention to the samples of professional work Eva did for Don's clients. She finally gave them the information Don and Eva wanted to hear.
"I don't just sign girls who walk in off the street," Rita said. "These photos are impressive, but I need to know more. If you want to work for me, you're going to have to do some small jobs first so I can see how they turn out. Let me warn you about something first. I don't know you at all, Eva, so I have no reason to worry about this, but I want to mention it anyway.
"This is a profession that attracts a lot of women who are, shall we say, difficult. They show up late for work. They have tantrums. The demand that the people who work with them waste a lot of time kissing their little butts.
"I don't care how good you are - my agency doesn't employ girls like that. This is a drama-free zone. Do not ever make one of my crews wait for you because you show up late. Please make sure we never have to discuss this topic ever again."
Rita scheduled a time for Eva to work on an ad campaign for designer sunglasses. At the appointed hour, she and Don arrived at a big studio that was full of people. There was a wardrobe mistress who had the clothing and sunglasses Eva was supposed to wear. There was a make-up artist. And, of course, there was the photographer. He was an older gentleman who spoke with an accent and introduced himself as Otto. He seemed nice enough, but Eva got the feeling he was bored. He'd been taking fashion photographs since before Don was born. What had once been thrilling was now just a job.
The shoot went fine. The staff told Eva exactly what to do, and she followed their directions exactly. Otto suggested several different ways to pose, but most of his pictures were of Eva as she improvised in front of the camera. She'd done enough modeling to know what Otto needed, so that's what she gave him.
