Senior Year Box Set

Instead, I scurried off as Adrienne turned on the client. Apparently, she wasn’t done explaining the facts of life to him and that she hadn’t appreciated his threats. I almost wanted to be a fly on the wall and listen to her rip into him.

They’d set up some screens for privacy, but otherwise, the warehouse was just a wide-open space with a large blue screen set up with lights pointing at it. That meant they would add the background later. When I got behind the privacy screen, I spotted Jackie Chan, the photographer who’d taken the pictures at my Hollister and Abercrombie & Fitch gig. She’d also taken the photos when we introduced Coby to the world.

“Hey,” I said in greeting and then lowered my voice conspiratorially. “What’s going on?”

“The client’s a jackass. He made unflattering comments about the models Adrienne brought in, any one of whom would have been perfect.”

“Models, as in plural?” I asked.

“Yep. We’ve been at this since yesterday morning. He’s rejected eight guys so far. You’re lucky number nine.”

“What’s this for?” I asked.

Jackie barked out a laugh and walked away. That was her way of saying I was a ‘stupid boy’ for not asking up front.

Wardrobe was a disaster. They didn’t have any pants that fit me, so I had to wear the jeans I had on. The rest didn’t matter because they wanted me shirtless. The client turned out to be a new magazine called Fit. It was similar to Men’s Health in that its focus was on gaining a ripped body. The only difference was that this one didn’t cater solely to men.

When I came out, the client looked smug, which irritated me.

“Did you explain my fee schedule?” I asked Adrienne. “I haven’t gotten my contract for this shoot yet.”

His look of panic made her day.

“Why don’t you get started, and I’ll work that out?” she suggested with a straight face.

Tyler, Jill, and Mrs. Lacier stood off to the side as I followed Jackie’s direction. While the shoot was going on, Tyler leaned in and explained to the Laciers what we were doing. I trusted her to help them understand what was happening.

Magazines like this followed a formula for their covers. They took someone well-muscled and shot from somewhere between the knees and waist and on up. With that being said, we wrapped up in under thirty minutes. Adrienne and Tyler looked haggard, but the client was happy.

◊◊◊

After washing off my makeup and putting my shirt back on, I called Scarlet.

“I’m done,” I announced.

“There’s no furniture in this condo,” she informed me.

She was hinting that I should fix it, but I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to keep the condo yet. If I did, I would want to buy furnishings right, not just as an emergency measure.

“Okay.”

I would just ask Adrienne if I could stay with her.

“Kevin wants to know if you can get together with some of your model friends, and we can all go out tonight.”

My first thought was to come back with something along the lines of being amazed at their finally wanting to hang out with me because I had connections. Despite our conversation in Mykonos, I was still bitter about how most of the vacation had gone so far. It hadn’t been lost on me that they’d posted a ton of photos on their social media, showing them partying in both Monaco and Greece.

“I’m not sure what all is going on. If we go out, I’ll let you know.”

“Are you coming here?” Scarlet asked.

“I planned on it. I want to see the condo for myself.”

“Okay, good,” Scarlet said, sounding relieved.

It would probably be easier to spring for hotel rooms for tonight and tomorrow. As much as I hated the thought that they only looked at me as a kid with money, I didn’t want them to have a bad time, either. So far, we’d been lucky, and the places had all been furnished. I should have realized this one would be a problem because I’d seen the photos Chuck took when he put in the security system. For that matter, both Cindy and Scarlet should have known.

“Do me a favor and find hotel rooms for everyone. I’ll make my own arrangements.”

“Thanks, David.”

We rang off, and I went to find my group.

◊◊◊

I explained what I needed to do before the dinner Adrienne and Tyler had invited everyone to. Jackie perked up.

“Where did you say your loft was?”

“In Tribeca on Harrison Street. I got it as part of a settlement in a lawsuit and haven’t actually been in it yet. From what I understand, the place is a clean slate. One of the people traveling with me is my interior designer and is coming up with a plan to make it into a livable space,” I answered.

“What do you plan to do with it?” Jackie asked.

“For now, I’ll probably rent it out. After college, who knows?”

“Could I come look at it? I’ve been looking for studio space. If I could live there too, it would be ideal,” Jackie said.

Everyone decided they wanted to go.