The next day passed in the usual flurry of creative conferences, phone calls, and board work and it wasn't until nearly quitting time that Cassie heard a rap on her office door and the UPS man was waving a package and a receipt at her.
"Special delivery. You're to sign here if you accept delivery Miss."
Puzzled, she took the package and opened it. Under the gift-wrap she discovered a box of chocolate-covered-cherries and Connors business card. A quick blush flowed over her cheeks as yesterday's encounter with him returned all too vividly.
'SIGN IF WE"VE GOT A DEAL!' Connor's had written under his name.
Cassie uttered a flustered gasp. Connor's wasn't kidding about her virginity! Why should he care so much about whether she kept her maidenhead or not? Shaking her head with bafflement and amusement she signed the receipt. If keeping her cherry would deliver the account, no problem. There was apparently no chance her virginal vagina would relax anyway.
Opening the box of cherries she popped one into her mouth, let it dissolve deliciously on her tongue, returned to her board and stared out the window at the Chicago cityscape. Her virginity had always troubled her. It was totally at war with her instincts, which she had discovered were utterly sensual and venturesome. So much so that she'd had to give into them with an endless indulgence in self-pleasuring, and that had led to that other on-going adventure that had only ceased when she left home for Design School.
Subsequently as a constraint on her libido she had given herself the goal of finding "Mr. Right" and keeping her maidenhead for him. Wryly she had to admit that she had been only too willing to give it up to Connors yesterday on what amounted to nothing more than a casual fuck. That he had finally chosen to reject her offering baffled her.
The search for the perfect mate had certainly been a disappointment. Had she been too fussy, too busy, too independent? Whatever the answer she was twenty, Mr. Right was nowhere in sight, she was totally focused on her career and success seemed to be dependent on keeping her virginity, at least as far as the Bubbles account was concerned. Cassie shook her head in disbelief. 'This is all too weird for words' she sighed returning to her work.
At last she was about to leave for home when Harrison called her into his office and he was beaming with satisfaction. "Just got a call from Connors. His CEO wants a complete presentation on the Champagne Campaign. They want to see final comprehensive layouts. How soon can you get them done?"
"I don't have final art yet, but we can get to comps in a week if I get right on it," she answered decisively.
"Okay. Give first priority to the Bubbles account," Harrison smiled. I certainly appreciate your efforts in this, Cassie," he finished with a direct glance at her.
She nodded without looking at him a quick flush coming to her cheeks. How much did Harrison know about what had passed between herself and Connors yesterday afternoon in the hotel? His suggestive hungry glance told her a lot and moments later she was in Scotty's office with the Bubbles layouts in her hands.
"We're going to have to re-shoot the graphics for the Champagne Campaign," she announced. I want more selection and better photography before we go to final art. Cassie dumped the handful of transparencies she had shot of herself on Scotty's desk. "These were just for roughs."
Scotty sorted through the pile holding one after the other up to the light. "The model is great," he sighed longingly, "but the lighting could be better I suppose."
"I just called my supplier. He's ready to shoot tonight."
"You're the expert," Scotty shrugged.
"We should have the new pics by tomorrow afternoon," she said without telling him that she was going to be the model. Of course that was the other part of the deal with Connors; he wanted her boobs and her butt in final art.
As the cab wound its way under the El and off into the west side, where the rent was less and the surroundings lesser, Cassie cradled her layouts in her lap, waited for the nondescript facade of The Studio to emerge, and considered her predicament. Conners had delivered; it looked like they would get the Bubbles account and now she had to come through with her part of the deal, which was posing for the artwork. Thanks to that host of porn videos in her past she was well prepared for her assignment, she knew what she had to do.
It was nearly dark when the cab let her off at the empty lobby of the building. She entered, found the photo studio and stepped into a circle of light cast by the floods and spots. The two men sitting between the cameras rose from their stools and turned to her. No wonder Bart got such good results from the women who posed for him, Cassie mused, he was every bit as good looking as the male model he had hired to help with the shoot.
"Cassie meet Dave," Bart saluted her and the fellow nodded politely.
Cassie sized David up. Good choice for body type and height she decided, observing Bart sizing her up as well. She remembered the first time they had met at the agency and he had mistaken her for a teen model rather than the art-director she actually was. It had taken her a while to earn his respect, and now she was going to have to prove herself for what he taken her for at the outset.
"You've never modeled before?" he asked.
"No, but I've worked with models."
"It's not quite the same," he smiled. "Can you put yourself in my hands?"
"I can try," she replied handing him her rough layouts, "and I know what I want."
He sorted through the pages, nodding as he grasped the idea, pursing his lips and looking at her speculatively when he reached the Kama Sutra poses. "Well, let's get started," he said pushing a modeling stand out into the circle of light.
Cassie looked at the platform where she was about to offer herself for the camera and the first inklings of doubt assailed her. Could she really do this? Maybe they should have hired a pro after all. Would Bart be satisfied with her figure?
Stepping behind the screen to undress she felt her enthusiasm for her vision submerging as her uncertainties over her attributes surfaced. By the time she had dropped her skirt her hands were cold and trembling and her fingers were awkward and stiff in unbuttoning her blouse. She had groomed herself with her usual care for this and she knew her skin everywhere was flawless, and baby smooth; her long soft tresses fresh and lightly scented. Carefully she hung her clothes on the hangers trying to compose her self, knowing she had done everything she could to make her self ready but her knees were trembling when she walked out to the floodlights.
Bart glanced up from his cameras and did a double take. His doubts when she had told him that she was going to pose vanished as far as her figure was concerned. Immediately he was struck by her petite girlish perfection. Not more than five foot, her slim figure distributed ideally between shapely legs leading up to a cute little butt below a slim-waisted compact torso sporting small but succulent breasts and luscious nipples.
Decidedly this girl knew how to present herself too. Her long golden brown hair trimmed to frame her face fell below her shoulders in tempting disarray. She wore no jewelry, no body art, and only a touch of makeup. She didn't need anything to accent, or distract from her beauty and sumptuous proportions; her breasts tilted enticingly, perfect in proportion to her small frame and incredibly sexy. And her whole abdomen all the way down to her deliciously shaved sex was a dream.
That generous puffy pussy was an ideal counterpoint to her slim body and her face was a turn-on in itself. Those knowing blue eyes beneath the arched brows, that sexy mouth with the sumptuous lips over lovely white teeth, even her neat little nose with its pert tip signaled something sensuous.
Photographing nude women was his practice and he had long ago learned how to bring out their best features, always letting the shot exude personality as much as anatomy. This girl could be a delight if the promise of her body was also reflected in her attitude. She presented with all the charm of ripe nubile adolescence enhanced with an aura of subtle eroticism.
"Well Cassie if you would step up on the stand we'll get started. We'll do the breast shots first," he said walking over to her and giving her a hand up to the platform.
Looking down at him Cassie held her breath while he studied her boobs. Would she pass? "Lift your arms," he intoned studying her from both sides and from below.
"Are my tits too small?" Cassie tried to make her voice sound cool but she was anything but collected. "The shot has to be more than just boobs. It has to be sexy," she added.
