The next day Tony was at the watercooler as Jean approached.
"Hi Tony," Jean tried to be present.
"Aw hey man," Tony barely noticed him, flicking through photos on his phone.
"Alright, we'll I'll just get passed you," Jean moved to maneuver around the bulky man and refill his water bottle. Tony barely gave a grunt and barely moved to allow him to pass. Eventually he looked up at Jean and something clicked.
"Hey man that Liz girl, you know much about her? I know it came through one of your agency partners?" It was more words than Tony had said to him in months. Jean thought about it briefly. He didn't want to know too much and risk exposing the rouse. "Ya we've worked with the agency in the past but I think Liz is a new model."
"Aw ya she's something special man. Its rare to get a girl that hot. She'd literally look good in a plastic bag," Tony chuckled returning to his phone.
"Ya I saw some of the campaign photos, she seems to be really hot," despite how much he loathed Tony, Jean felt proud about his wife.
"I think I got a chance with her," Tony smirked. Jean felt his heart drop.
"Oh ya? Wouldn't that be a little unprofessional?" Jean went into recovery mode. He didn't know where this was going. Tony looked up at him with a face of annoyance.
"Oh ya true, nevermind man," he snorted.
"Ya can't be doing stuff like that in this climate," Jean wagged a finger as he walked to his desk. He knew Tony was a big dumb idiot but he'd behave with the right encouragement.
She'd spent the next week trying to convince herself that the incident with Tony had never happened. She knew that if Jean ever found out he'd probably leave her. He was such a loving husband that she'd never do anything to jeopardize their marriage. Each day she came home from her consulting work and waited to be faced with the consequences of her action but each day she was greeted with the same old loving Jean.
Then one day she came home to some disturbing news from Jean. "I spoke to Paul today" Jean explained. "He said you did so good with the modeling gig that he actually has some more work for you. Supposedly Tony was singing your praises. He wanted me to tell "your agency" that we were having a company party this Friday and you should attend."
"You think that's a good idea? I mean how long can we keep this ruse up?" Liz wanted to keep herself as far away from that company as possible.
"I know I know but the money was really good. Also Paul mentioned that Tony wanted to speak with you about some of the photos. I never saw the last shoot but they said it turned out perfect," Liz's stomach turned, she now knew why the other shoe never dropped. She looked at Jean with a blank expression, attempting as hard as possible to mask her tense reaction. "Oh okay, I guess I should come."
"Ya it'll be fine and also maybe a little sexy?"
"Oh ya?" Liz raised an eyebrow looking at Jean.
"I mean ya we'll have to pretend like we don't know each other. Maybe wear a sexy dress and I can have fun taking it off you when it's done," he gave her a lecherous look and she did feel a pang of arousal.
"That could be fun," no matter what she said there were too many other thoughts rushing through her head for her to really focus on the conversation. What was this new role? Did Tony really delete the pictures? The suspense was killing her, Friday couldn't come quick enough.
The week seemed to crawl by. Liz and Jean continued to be caught up in their own routines. Finally, the day arrived. She awoke feeling nervous and unsure of what to expect. When she got out of the shower, she saw Jean had laid out one of his favorite dresses. It was a black bodycon that hugged her thighs and wrapped tightly around her waist. The neckline drooped down revealing the tops of her bosom and the hem barely covered her cheeks. Any other time she would have loved to wear this provocative dress and she knew it'd drive Jean wild but tonight she felt strange. She didn't want to arouse suspicion, so she proceeded to put on the outfit. On the drive over to the office she went over and over the previous events in her head. She'd never had to deal with a secret like this before and she wondered if she could handle the pressure. Jean was next to her giving her thigh a squeeze. He was genuinely oblivious but when he looked over and saw her stern demeanor, he went to reassure her.
"Baby it's all going to be fine, you'll speak with Paul and Tony, hear about this offer. We'll mingle a little bit then we'll be heading home and tearing each other's clothes off," he gave her a big grin. "God happy this is how you react to the prospect of lying; means I never have to worry." He gave a chuckle which she tried to join in awkwardly. They finally arrived at the party. Jean dropped her off then said he'd do a couple laps before joining so it looked like they arrived separately. The rest of the coworkers and their wives were in suits or some sort of business casual. Liz walked towards the door of the palatial mansion. Jean had mentioned that Paul was hardly self-made and inherited a huge amount of family money. He was a bachelor, despite the best efforts of his aforementioned family. When Liz arrived, she nodded and exchanged pleasantries to the other people at the party. It seems she was the only model invited to the event.
A few minutes later, she spotted Paul and Tony talking at the bar. She felt a wave of anxiety rush over her and it took everything she had not to run away. She approached them and they noticed her immediately.
"Well our new star model! You look fantastic," Paul said. She smiled weakly. "So happy you were able to join us!"
"Hi," she replied with a forced smile. Tony gave her a toothy grin.
"Haven't heard from you much Liz, its good to see you," he stared at her intently.