Abigail in Trouble Chapter 11: Fashion Photoshoot
Abigail was exhausted after her ordeal at her cousin Silvia's wedding and spent half the subsequent week withdrawn and resting in her room. Her father popped in occasionally to see how she was getting on, concerned for her welfare and also that she wasn't applying herself.
Then after a few days he spoke to her about another possible job. The last few times he had set her up for a job had not worked out well for Abigail, so she was not inclined to listen to him. However, despite her negative reaction he persisted.
"You'll love this one Abby. It's from the studio publishers of the Next Catalogue. They want some younger models for their latest summer range and asked me to find some people."
"Models? Modelling?" This did sound different and Abigail's interest was whetted, but it would take more persuasion to get her to agree.
"You'd be great at it" her father encouraged. "With your natural good looks and friendly attitude, you'll be exactly the kind of girl they're looking for. I can recommend you to the company if you like, and we'll see if you get an interview and an audition?"
"Audition?" asked Abigail, concerned about what that might involve.
"Sure, just so they can see how photogenic you are. You'll have no problems there sweety." He kept praising and encouraging her, working on flattery to draw her interest and get her to agree to the next step. She finally relented, knowing that she didn't need to commit yet. Her father was delighted. "Great! I'll get it sorted."
Abigail was encouraged by her father's enthusiasm but was still a little apprehensive given the bad turn of some of the other jobs he had set her up with. A couple of days later he came to talk to her.
"Great news Abigail! the studio wants you to shoot with them next week!"
"What, shoot during the interview or for the audition you mean?"
"No, shoot for real! I recommended you and the producer, Justin remembers you from that Dinner. Remember?"
"Er, no, not really Dad" she replied. Her memory of the business dinner was obscured by events later that evening, so she had trouble recalling whom she had met there.
"Well anyway, because he's seen you already, he thinks you'd be perfect, and doesn't need you to audition! He also took my reference on face value because we've known each other a while, and will waive the interview as well. You've got the job, and he wants you to join the shoot next week! Isn't that great?"
Abigail admitted to herself that this sounded like a great opportunity, but was still apprehensive about stepping out into the unknown. Her father sensed this, and jumped in.
"If you're worried about it, I'll come with you and stay for the session so you'd have someone to talk to between sets. How about that eh?"
With this assurance, Abigail finally caught up with her father's enthusiasm about the modelling job.
"That would be great Dad. Thanks!" She hugged her father and they made the arrangements.
The next Wednesday, Abigail's father drove them to the studio just after lunch. He took her inside and introduced her to Justin the producer. He was a handsome man in his late thirties and seemed friendly enough. He looked her up and down in her loose summer dress.
"You'll be great Abigail" he encouraged, trying to put her nerves at ease.
He introduced them to some of the rest of the crew. Patricia on the make-up, Phillipa and Rupert on the wardrobe, Chris and Steve on the cameras, Damien and Garth on the lighting and another man on the sound, although why they needed sound for a photoshoot was beyond Abigail. There were others around who were busy getting things ready for the set which looked like a desert island paradise or something. They couldn't see any other models around.
Justin gave them a quick tour of the studios, showing them some empty sets and indicating other studios and storerooms through closed doors. He showed them the make-up and changing areas and some of the technical editing areas.
Once they had arrived back at their main studio Justin indicated that Patricia would be looking after Abigail through her set changes. Then he took her father aside and they attended to the paperwork while the women chatted to Abigail. They all put Abigail and her father so at ease that she wondered whether his presence would make her more self-conscious when it came to standing in front of a camera. She thought she'd see how it went, but might not need him after he'd sorted all the contract paperwork for her.
By the time Justin and her father returned for Abigail to sign the contract herself (she did so without reading it: it looked so long and boring), she'd decided that she didn't need him and that he might just get in the way. After checking she was sure, he agreed to leave.
"Just give me a call on your mobile when you need me to come back and pick you up. Have fun."
"Thanks Dad. I think I will". And with that he was gone.
Justin wasted no time. "Before you get changed into the first outfit, just step up onto the set will you please Abigail?"
"Er, OK" she tentatively answered, not expecting to be thrown straight into it.
"We just want to see how the lighting effects your face" Justin explained. Abigail stepped up to the set, guided by Patricia's friendly gestures. The 18-year old teenager looked good in her light summer dress under the bright lights. They all got a feeling for her good looks and fine figure, some of the men noting her nice curves.
Shortly they were satisfied and the lighting guys made some changes while Justin ushered her off to the care of Phillipa and Rupert to kit her out in the first outfit. They put her personal stuff in a little locker while she got changed. The first outfit was a summer dress not dissimilar to the one she had arrived in. Then Patricia sat her down at a station near the set and did her make-up, making her look beautiful and cute, and a little sexy.
When she was ready, she was shown onto the desert paradise setting, complete with palm trees and sand. Justin directed Abigail and the cameras around her as they proceeded to take the catalogue shots they wanted. At first she felt very self-conscious in front of the bright lights, two cameras, a main one flashing away, and another to catch the in-between views, and a number of people, many of whom were men, watching her in the nice dress. But she was glad her father was not there adding to the pressure, and soon she relaxed into it.
Soon they were finished with the first dress and Phillipa led her away to get changed into the next one that Rupert had selected. It was another summer dress, a little shorter and a different colour. After a quick make-up touch-up by Patricia, she was back on the set.
The next couple of hours went in a bit of a blur. She was on a quick turnaround between outfits, with little time to catch her breath and just a couple of refreshments and comfort breaks. The outfits started off comfortable enough: long summer dresses and the like, but the skirts started to get shorter, and the neck-lines a little more revealing. Whilst she didn't particularly mind swirling her skirts around and twirling to show off the outfits and her body, she did notice that the men were starting to look at her body in a different, more serious way, which unnerved her a little.
Then the outfits changed to nightwear. They rotated the set to show a lady's boudoir and dressing table. These outfits looked like they were intended for more adult customers; short flirty skirts and lace revealing necklines. She started to feel that her body was more on display and found it more difficult to smile under a growing sense that things were getting a bit more risquΓ©. However, the negligees and nighties were pretty and she enjoyed wearing them none the less, but she felt more and more uneasy.
The next set she was asked to don was lingerie. She wasn't quite so sure about this; it was a step up from what she was led to believe and mentioned this to the production team. Justin gently pointed out to her that this was all there in the contract, and was part of the agreed programme for the day. She didn't want to admit that she hadn't paid attention to the contract and Phillipa was very encouraging so they persuaded her to go and change into the sexy lingerie.
It was a baby blue silk basque with white lace trims. It had ties down the front and chords in the back which Phillipa used to tighten it up. The basque was underwired and lifted Abigail's lovely breasts up and squeezed them together, forming a nicely full and exposed cleavage. It came with a matching pair of high-cut lace panties with white trim and lace ties on the sides. The basque attached via garter straps to a pair of sheer white stockings with baby blue deep lace tops. A pair of blue high heels completed the outfit.
Patricia fixed her hair, letting it fall long and loose around her shoulders and touching her eye shadow just a little to give a fantastic finish. She looked stunning as she admired herself in front of the make-up mirror, a little stunned as to how good she looked and felt. But she was too shy to step out in front of the cameras this time. The girls encouraged her but, in the end, Phillipa had to go out and persuade Justin to dim all the lights and clear out the non-essential staff to give a feeling of seclusion, before they could persuade Abigail out onto the set.