Today was the day. I had a thousand and one thoughts running through my head as I drove toward the boutique. Mentally, I was prepared for the shoot; it was an assignment any photographer would kill for. The high fashion magazine I was shooting for not only paid handsomely, they only hired the best in the business. My number one perk was there was never a short supply of beautiful women around. Despite that, a woman with substance was hard to come by in this business.
I tried to find a way to get her off my mind, but nothing worked. The truth was, Rebel was just the type of woman I secretly pined for. She had my attention from the moment I saw her. I was enamoured, but there was no way I was letting her know just how much of an effect she had on me.
I pulled up to the boutique and parked. I knew the day would be long, in fact, I looked forward to it. I gathered some essentials from the back of the SUV. After slinging two camera straps around my neck, I headed inside. I couldn’t help but smile after noticing Rebel alone behind the counter. I put the cameras on the counter top and casually leaned against it.
Damn. She looked like a strawberry caramel sundae on a hot summer’s night. I resisted the urge to bite my lip.
“Rebel.”
“What’s up, kiddo?”
“Oh no you didn’t. Funny how you weren’t saying any of that kid shit last night.” I thought as the last word rolled off her stubborn southern tongue.
“Kiddo?” I looked around the empty shop, searching in vain. “I’m a very grown twenty-five.” I said and Rebel burst into laughter. “A kid. Just like I said.” She walked from the counter to the dressing room, returning a few items that were out of place.
My eyes undressed her as she moved about the shop. Yeah, so, I was captivated. I watched her muscles tense as she reached up to grab an item. She moved between the shop and dressing room with the ease of a woman who knew her way around a walk-in closet and then some. I admired her style, duly noting that her outfit was sexy as hell.
An all-white body suit accentuated every curve. She wore a fashionable red tunic that seductively clung to her shoulders. A pair of sexy red stilettos completed her outfit and beckoned me to come over and sample a taste.
“Your outfit… It’s bangin.” She returned my smile before shyly looking away.
“Hey, how about some music? Something upbeat and energetic. We’re going to have some fun in here today.” As soon as I suggested it, Rebel sashayed to the back. Folks started rolling in. I checked my cell phone and noted that it was time to start working. Jackie was the fist model I called about the shoot and the first to arrive on set. It had been a month since I saw her last. We exchanged pleasantries.
“You look fabulous, J. It’s good to see you, babe.” She was an amazing, versatile model. Absolutely beautiful. Tall with curves in all the right places; it was a rarity in the industry, but she was one of LA’s hottest, and she was all mine for the next few hours. She looked at me appreciatively.
The hair and makeup crew were the next to arrive, followed by three more models. The hustle and flow continued as the boutique came alive with activity. When hair and makeup were finished, the models took their positions. I focused my camera lens as my assistant adjusted the background lighting. The camera shutter clicked away as I captured the boutique’s ambiance on film, but something was missing.
“Could you at least try to act like you’re having fun?” I directed the question but not before catching a glimpse of Rebel out of the corner of my eye. She looked like she was having a good time. I loved how she wasn’t afraid to have fun all by her self. “Look at Rebel… I continued. “She’s feeling the music. She’s smiling. She’s enjoying herself. Work with me now…”
She glanced at Rebel and scrunched up her nose. But I was dead serious.
I focused the lens again, adjusting the shutter speed as we moved on to the next set. The activity in the store died down considerably as I continued capturing the dazzling architecture on as many rolls of film as the camera’s digital memory would allow. I wanted to capture the next series of shots in a candid, documentary type style. We moved to the front doorway, which featured a classic stone arch I adored. Jackie’s poses were no longer about fashion and elegance and I grew tired of directing her movements to no avail. Eventually she caught on to the fact that my camera was no longer focused exclusively on her.
Rebel was distracting me by striking all manner of silly poses in the background. She had my full attention and I wanted to laugh so hard when she stuck her tongue out at me. When Jackie caught on, I could no longer contain myself. Neither could Rebel. We were in hysterics.
Jackie was annoyed, but I was surprisingly pleased with the pictures, mainly the ones with Rebel in the background. They looked superb. I browsed through the photos on my digital SLR. I called it a day.
Like clockwork, everyone started packing up except for Rebel, who appeared confused. “You’re done already?”
“Rebel. It’s been 6 hours?”
“Where did the time go?” She asked what I assumed to be a rhetorical question.
With the shop cleared out, only Rebel and I remained. She started re-arranging racks, boxes and shelves that I’d moved earlier. I began helping her put everything back to its original place.
“I got it.” She said as soon as she saw me arranging racks. Like that was going to stop me.
“Did your manager ever come in?” I wondered why she was working on her own today. She said he’s the bosses’ son, which meant that he was only there when he needed to be. She also alluded to the fact that he was an asshole. Noted.
I reached into the black leather bag I’d brought from the truck earlier, grabbed a release form, and slid it across the counter to Rebel. “Fill that out for me. You were in the background for some of those shots and I don’t want you trying to sue me later on.” I winked but I was serious as a heart attack. She signed the form and handed it back. I noticed that she filled out the telephone number slot. Good, now I didn’t need to ask her for it.
“You done here? Can I walk you to your car?” I asked hoping for a chance to press my body into hers again. I wondered if she had plans later. I had to admit that I wanted to see where my favorite artist lay her head at night. I thought about how good her lips felt. I wanted to lean over the counter and kiss her. I thought about bringing her body against mine and never letting go, and what I’d do if she were to resist me. How that would not stop me. God damn, I thought too much. It was her fault too.
“No, I’m going to be a few more minutes.” She waved at me dismissively.
If she wants to play it cool, cool, I’ll simply turn the heat up on that ass. My Nana taught me that you teach people how to treat you so maybe I was moving too fast. I knew that deep within the lust I felt, there was more. Something I have never felt for anyone.
“You have got to learn patience, Rene.” My Nana’s words echoed in my mind.
I walked toward the door, slowly; trying to think of something to say to prolong my time with Rebel. I turned back to catch another glimpse of her, fully intending to ask her out right then, but no words would come. I headed to my truck.
I heard my cell phone ring. I hoped it was Rebel, but it was Denise. I didn’t answer. After the call went to voicemail, I fished out Rebel’s model release form and dialed her number. A smile slowly spread across my face upon hearing her voice.
“’Sup, woman, you know I miss you already?”
“This doesn’t sound like a business call.”
“Oh it is. We definitely have some unfinished business. Do you live close by?”
She laughed and told me she lived 15 minutes away from the shop, which meant I was barely 20 minutes from her. So close, yet so far away.
“Listen, kid. This is not how grown-ups do this. We do not invite ourselves over.”
I think she was going for a record on how many times she could try to put me in my place, but I wasn’t hearing or having any of it. Hell, I’d be waiting forever if I waited for her to make a move, but she took it all wrong. Thinking that meant she wasn’t worth the wait. I can show her better than I can tell her. We talked for most of the night, well, all of it really. I learned that Rebel is only 5 years older than me. When I complimented her for looking good for her age, I was rewarded with a hearty laugh. She complimented my work and seemed to be genuinely impressed with my style and process. Most people saw me as the corporate type, and they were wrong.
Rebel was no different in that regard, but I didn’t hold it against her.
We talked about Denise and what a mistake she turned out to be. I finally found out the reason she came bolting out of the bathroom the day she ran into me. That’s how I learned of Max, her ex. She suffered abuse and infidelity in her previous relationships and all I could do was feel sad that someone so full of beauty and light and vision could be treated so ugly and cold.
I shared the paltry details of my erratic love life. Although I’d dated plenty of women, I wanted and needed so much more.
“I want to see you.” I said after what seemed like forever. I wanted to say it back at the shop. That wasn’t all I wanted, but it was a start.
“Yeah? What do you plan to do about that?” She replied with that smart ass, sexy ass mouth of hers.
Since it was clear that I was not getting an invite no matter what, I would have to wait. I have a photo shoot in Philly next week so I won’t see her until Saturday.
“Saturday, it is.” She confirmed the date.
As if on cue, my call waiting message started beeping. Looking at the display, I noticed Denise’s name and number flashing across my screen.
Rebel & Rene is a collaborative work between Alix B. Golden and Knowledge. Find Rene’s story, here every Tuesday, as told by Knowledge. To read more from her, please visit her blog, Stud With Swag.
