You never really know what life is going to bring to your doorstep, do you? You live your life, letting each day pass you by and accepting what is and what you think will be. Most people never venture outside of their comfort zone, allowing themselves to live boring to average lives and most are happy with that.
But not me.
I have always been an adventurer, someone who thought outside of the box, looked for the most colorful path rather than the path least taken. From a young age I showed great potential for the arts, that's probably how I ended up becoming a photographer. I loved my job; it brought me so much happiness and a sense of fulfilment. It was never the same as the day before and it allowed me to meet an array of characters, most more colorful than myself. Some I will never forget. Those are the ones that stood out in my mind, forever changing me and how I see the world. One of those special someone's goes by the name of Mia Manlow, an Italian model just making her mark on the New York scene. Her face graced the covers of every magazine and billboard across the city and it was hard not to stare. Her foreign beauty and natural slim frame are what got her into modeling, but it was her eyes that got me. Yes, they grabbed a hold of me and sucked me into her world, even for a brief moment. But it was a moment I will hold onto forever.
I was lucky enough to get a phone call from Mia's agent one day, asking me to do a shoot with the Italian goddess. Now that she was on the up, New York's most sought after model, she needed her portfolio updated. I happily accepted the offer. Ever since I spotted her on a billboard for Channel I had been dreaming up a shoot just for her. I wanted to capture every inch of her body on film for the world to see, and every inch is what I got.
I don't know why I was so nervous to meet her. I had been photographing models professionally for ten years now and I never so much as blinked an eye. They were all pieces of art for me to capture on film and share the beauty with the world. But Mia was different. I felt a strong desire to see her, to know her. And the day of the shoot I was a nervous wreck. Her sensual stare was intimidating just from her pictures. I wondered what those eyes were like in person.
Boy was I in for it.
At exactly three o'clock sharp her agent entered my studio with a posse of media personnel and Mia in tow. I was star struck the moment I saw here. She seemed to glow with a light that no one else could touch. Her jet black hair hung to her waist, complementing the caramel texture of her flawless Italian complexion. I wanted to reach out and touch her, trace my fingers along her smooth limbs, feel the warmth that radiated from her body. It took all of my will power to shake it off and put on a professional smile to greet everyone. After I showed Mia's agent and media peeps where to sit I took the model to her dressing room.
"So, according to the list that your agent provided me, we have a few different looks to aim for today," I informed her as she removed her long white jacket and flung it on a chair with an effortless grace. She just looked at me and smiled, her plump pink lips shining as they caught the light. "Some head shots, a few candid photos, and then...um," I cleared my throat nervously; "he wanted a couple of tasteful nudes." I had done hundreds of nude sessions in the past, none that I even thought twice about. But something about seeing Mia naked in my studio, in front of my camera, made me blush. I could barely look her in the eye.
"Wonderful," she purred with a thick Italian accent. "I look forward to working with the great Ari Jensen. I heard many great things about your work." The letter R seemed to roll off of her tongue like she was tossing it around in mouth all day. It simply mesmerized me. She seemed to stare at me with a look of certainty, as if she knew how this day was going to play out before it even happened.
"Great, well, yes." I stopped myself there before I embarrassed the two of us and turned on my heel and headed back out to my studio. I wasn't sure at the time, but now I'm convinced that I heard Mia giggle behind me.
The afternoon flew by as we made our way into the late evening. Mia was sensational in front of the camera, as if she were born there. Her body moved with a natural grace that made it seem as if she weren't even aware of the camera capturing her every motion. Her painfully beautiful face never faltered, never changed from the glorious and sensual expression she always wore.
We spent hours getting the perfect head shots and candid photos, utilizing just about every inch of my studio. Finally, her agent was satisfied with a few and suggested we move on to the nude session. I felt my face flush again as my eyes averted to Mia. She stood against the back of my green velvet sofa with a cheeky grin, her gaze meeting mine as she gave a playful wink.
"Shall I undress right here or do I have to go to hair and makeup first?" she asked us.
"No, Mia darling, we want these to be natural. Just undress where you are comfortable and we'll start shooting," her agent instructed.
Mia gave a shrug and reached back to untie her blue maxi dress from around her neck. I watched as it fell to the floor and pooled around her bare feet like a puddle of water. Mia was completely naked underneath that dress and now her smooth tanned body stood bare in my studio, waiting to be captured on film. I was amazed at how comfortable she seemed to be with no clothing on. I watched in awe as she circled the sofa and took a seat, stretching out on her belly, the whole length of her limber body melding itself to the shape of the cushions. I admired the curvy lines that her backside created starting with her tiny feet, moving along the lean calves and up over her perky behind. The small of Mia's back seemed to hypnotize me as I skipped along each tiny bone of her long spine.
"Ahem, are we going to start or not?" her agent asked me impatiently. I jumped at the sound of his voice bringing me back to reality. Never in my long career had a client or subject ever capture me the way Mia did. The simple movements of her sexy body lured me in, taking over my own body and preventing me from simple functions like moving or talking or even breathing. But we had been in my studio for hours and I bet they were all dying to go home so I quickly got to work snapping away at the European beauty on my sofa.
Even though I managed to get through the last of the shoot with a bit of professionalism, I still found myself forgetting to breath or being too mesmerized by Mia to remember to click the button on my camera. Whenever I found myself in that state I would quickly fiddle with something or change the film, any simple gesture that would break me out of the trance she put me in. It didn't take me long to realize that Mia knew, too. She knew the effect she had over me, perhaps over everyone she met. The simple fact that her agent was a flamboyant gay man was probably the only reason why he seemed to resist her pull. I would often find her smiling at me, giving me a wink or toying with my self control as she licked her lips a little too sensually or caressed her thigh a little too slowly.
After an hour or so I had to call it quits. Mia had me so turned on by simply being herself that I had to get away from her. It would have been extremely unprofessional of me to hit on a client, especially one so famous. I wasn't even sure if she was gay. So I packed up all of the film and labelled it to be developed while Mia's people gathered up their things and got ready to leave.
"It was a pleasure working with you, Ari," Mia's agent said as he extended his hand towards me. I smiled and shook it. "I shall be in touch with more clients for you to shoot."
"Great, I look forward to it," I replied. I noticed that Mia was not getting ready to leave. She simply slipped her blue maxi dress back on and stood leaning against the sofa again. She waited for her agent to approach her and I watched as they spoke quietly back and forth. Her agent stole a quick glance back at me and then gave his client a grin before heading out the door. Mia was staying.
Mia. Was. Staying.