May (Calendar Girl #5) (9 page)

“You happened with your big man hands!” I grouched, lifted up my dress and showed him the ten finger shaped bruises on my thighs.

When I looked up, expecting him to be truly apologetic and sympathetic he absolutely was not. In fact, he was chuckling, holding a hand over his mouth and everything. My entire body turned hot and I placed a hand on each hip. “Are you freakin’ kidding me?” I whisper-yelled. I was mad, but I was still a professional and didn’t want to be the model chick that caused issues at the shoots.

At that moment, Raul walked up to me. This time, he wore white from head to toe. Turns out he wasn’t actually gothic. As he explained it, when he chose a color for the day, he committed wholly to it. So from the tip of his toes to his neck he’d wear entirely the same color. Today was white. Even his shoes were white Converse. The purple hair remained. He said that was him being whimsical.

“What’s the problem here?”

I narrowed my eyes at Tai. “Nothing,” I said through clenched teeth.

“She has bruises on her thighs,” Tai admitted immediately and had there been a knife close, I would have stabbed him in the eye; as it was, the makeup brushes were looking like a good possibility as a weapon of convenience. “We got a little crazy last night; you know how it is,” he said clasping Raul on the shoulder. “Think you can fix it?”

Raul’s lips barely twitched. “Let’s see them.”

I rolled my eyes and lifted up my dress. Raul came down to his knees, held my legs, and looked closely. “I’ll need ten spoons put into the freezer now!” he said behind him. The girl that he’d been dating the last week and a half jumped to it with a “Got it!” over her shoulder. “No problem, honey. I’ll lighten the bruise with the cold spoons and then cover them up.”

“Oh, thank God. I’d hate to have Angel have to airbrush the images.”

Raul’s eyes turned hard. “Honey, Angel D’Amico will no sooner airbrush a picture he’s taken of a woman wearing his designs than he would cheat on his hot wife, Rosa. He’s an artist first. He would never edit his photos. It’s important to him that every image is raw.”

“Oh. Okay, but you can help, right?” I looked at him with my best puppy dog eyes.

He led me into the chair for hair and makeup. “For you, anything.”

“Thanks, Raul.” I leaned up and kissed him on the cheek.

“What about me? I’m the one that asked him.” Tai added from behind me.

I cringed and flipped my hair off my shoulder. “You’re the one that went all man-hand crazy on my thighs!” I challenged.

Finally, he looked appropriately apologetic, and as soon as the look came over his features, they left. ”You know, I don’t regret it. Would do it again in a heartbeat. You saying you regret last night, your thighs wide open, you naked on the hood of my car, the air kissing your sweet, wet…”

“Fuck…” Raul stopped, his hand holding a comb directly above my head, his eyes glazed and a rosy hue lit his cheeks.

“Shoot, forgot where I was. Sorry man.” This time, Tai actually seemed sorry.

Raul shook his head. “Nah, it’s okay. Hey, how about you tell me where you parked. Yeah?”

Again Tai clapped Raul’s back. “Sure, bro. We’ll talk later. See you in the water. We’re doing the ’Sexy swimwear couples fondling one another on the beach‘ shoot today.” He waggled his eyebrows at me.

“Seriously?” I asked, not believing him. It had to be a coincidence.

“Yep. I’m going to be all over you.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time,” I huffed.

“Won’t be the last, girlie.”    

Chapter 7

Angel D’Amico was a genius. Not only did he have Tai and I working the camera as if we were a couple that had been together for years; the lighting, the background, the swimsuits, all gave the shoots a new, fresh feel. He had a unique perspective on how to take a huge issue like women and their body image to a new plane of existence. This campaign was cutting edge. There was no other way to describe it. I served as the smallest model, somewhere between a size eight and a ten. The rest were anywhere from ten to eighteen, maybe even a size twenty. All beautiful women with buxom shapes that they were proud of and should be. They were
real
women with real bodies. 

“Come girls, gather ‘round the hunk, eh?” Angel said, his Italian accent still thick and cultured. “Now, Tai, you will place a hand on Taylor’s bum, and the other on MiChelle’s hip. Mia, you will stand off to the side here looking very… um…. how you say this… pissed?”

Rosa, his wife, positioned Taylor and MiChelle exactly the way that Angel wanted. “Mia love, you will stand over here, with your hands on your hips looking poised, beautiful, but also very mad. Or as my husband so eloquently said…
pissed.
” I chuckled and got into position.

“Marcia and Misty, come over here my darlings.” Rosa waved the twins over. Their red hair flowed out behind them as they ran with sixteen-year-old exuberance.

“Oh,
si
,
si
, I see, my love, I see you beautiful, intelligent woman. I shall worship you.” Angel said to his wife getting behind his camera.

“When don’t you worship me, my love?” she smirked and winked. He held a hand over his heart and looked at her adoringly for long minutes. “Get to work,” she said over her head while fluffing the twin’s hair, making it just so.

“
Si, si.
Now Tai, you have got your hand caught in the cookie jar.” He laughed. “But you are looking at the young girls, too and your true love, Ms. Mia, catches you. Okay?”

Tai nodded and gripped the women’s flesh. A jab of jealousy sprang through me as I saw his fingers dig pleasurably into their flesh. Each of the women got into position, posed accordingly, and I followed suit. It wasn’t hard to look angry. I pulled from my frustration over Tai giving me ten lovely bruises to contend with, the feeling of hopelessness about not knowing if my dad was going to pull out of his coma, and my irritation at seeing yet another magazine with a kissy-face picture of Wes and Gina. Casual relationship, my ass. I took a picture of the magazine and kept it so that every time I felt even a smidge of guilt, I’d look down at that image.

“Good Mia, you are projecting much anger and frustration.” The camera clicked crazily. Then Tai went off the plan and pushed away from the women. They looked taken aback, but then Tai fell to his knees before me. The camera continued to click like mad. “
Si
. Tai.
Perfetto
!” Angel called out.

Tai leaned forward and kissed my thigh, gripped my hips and looked up at me like he was genuinely sorry. I smoothed my fingers over his head while he smirked, seeming very confident that he’d pulled one over on my character. Just as he thought I’d forgiven him, I pushed off his shoulders and he fell back on his ass. Then I turned facing the camera, cocked a hip, laid my hand over said hip, and winked at the camera.

Angel fell back with glee, kicking wildly in the air. “This too much! This will be one for the blooper reel!”

The group laughed and once the chuckling abated, we got back to doing the shoot. Overall, we had a great day; Tai and I, of course, made up through the humor and teamwork on the job. We left holding hands walking down the beach toward a night at the bungalows. Tomorrow, my sister Maddy and my best friend Ginelle would arrive. I could hardly wait.

***

The taxi cab pulled up to the bungalow as Tai and I waited out front. I had been sitting on the stoop, jumping to my feet when they arrived. Ginelle flung open the door, her petite form barreling at a dead run toward mine. Then she jumped mid-air and slammed into me, both of us falling to the grass. “You stupid cunt! I can’t believe you have been living in paradise without me! I’m here now biznatch.” She kissed all over my face. I could hear Mads chuckling behind our yard acrobatics. Then two very tanned feet and one tribal filled leg came into both our views.

Ginelle looked from me to the feet and up, and up, and up. “Holy mother of all things fuckable. Where on God’s green earth did you come from, you sexy beast. Jesus,” Gin looked down at me. “Is this your client?” Her eyes turned hard and I shook my head. She looked up again. “You better be fucking this hotness.” She glanced down at me where I was still pinned to the ground. I nodded happily. “No chance I can take a ride on the Samoan side?” At that, Tai tipped his head back and laughed loud enough to almost echo off the palm trees. I shook my head and frowned. “Biznatch, you get all the guys. Not fair,” she said on a pout then stood up.

Tai held out his hand. “
Aloha
. You must be Ginelle.”

Her blonde hair flew behind her head. “You’ve been talking about me.” She puffed her chest out. “All good, I hope.”

“All warnings,” I added and took Tai’s hand as he helped me up. Then I pushed Gin out of the way with my hip to get to my sweet sister. “This is Madison. Our Maddy. My baby sis and the pride of my life. This is Tai.” She smiled so wide at the compliment. “See,” I pointed at her face. “What did I say, Tai?”

“Prettiest girl in the world,” he offered. “
Aloha
, Madison.”

“Damn straight!” I hugged Maddy to me. “How are you, sis?” I pulled back and set my gaze on hers taking the pale green eyes that matched my own. They looked happy. 

“I’m good, really good. Worried about Pops. He doesn’t have anyone while we’re here. Matt and his family, though are going to check on him.” Of course they are, because they are like the best family in the universe. I wanted to hate them for their perfection, but since my girl was going to join the Rains clan in a couple years, I needed to cut them some slack. They meant well. Hell, they meant very well because they were really good people. 

I clucked my tongue and looped an arm around her waist. “Well, that’s very nice of them. Have the doctors said anything recently?”

Maddy shook her head as Tai grabbed their bags.
All of them
. In one trip. Shivers of lust slithered through me at his male virility and prowess. I licked my lips staring at his beautiful back while he led the way to my bungalow.

“I wish Pops would wake up,” Maddy admitted, taking a seat on a barstool. I trotted around the kitchen area getting out the alcoholic beverages and mixers. Vacation mode meant cocktails.

“Do they know why he hasn’t? His body has healed.” I asked.

Gin’s eyes widened at all the variety of liquor and mixers I set out while Maddy responded. “The docs told us that he’ll wake when his body wants to wake. With the level of head trauma he received, they keep telling us not to be too hopeful.”

Ginelle’s lips pursed together. “Sucks. I know you guys are freaked.”

Maddy stood abruptly and walked over to the French doors, opening them wide. The tropical breeze from the ocean blew into the room, filling it with the scent of the ocean. I’ll miss that breeze and smell when I leave here next week.

I scanned the drink options and then pulled out the ones I wanted. My days as a waitress and backup at the bar made me somewhat of a cocktail connoisseur with an emphasis on the
cock
part. Snickering to myself, I grabbed the citrus vodka, peach schnapps, triple sec, some OJ, pineapple juice and the sweet and sour mix. Quickly, I dropped ice into four glasses. Tai watched me, his large body leaning up against the counter, giant arms crossed over one another, a speculative gaze on his beautiful face. Gin openly ran her eyes all over him. He didn’t seem to mind. With a body like that and the employment positions he’d chosen, I imagine eyes all over him was common place.

“Gin really, don’t do the skeevy eye fuck all over Tai.” She pouted, looked away and then as if drawn by magnets those eyes were back on him. Her tongue coming out to lick her bottom lip. “Gin!” I shook my head and she crunched her eyes closed and pressed her palms into the sockets.

“Sorry, sorry. It’s just he’s the epitome of eye candy. Tai, really, you are crazy good looking.”

He tipped his chin in that cool way men do. “You ain’t so bad yourself, tiny,” he said in that low grumble that made my panties wet. Gin, however, physically melted, put a hand over her chest, and slid down her barstool dramatically.

I elbowed Tai in the ribs. “Ouch! Wha’d I do?” He rubbed at the spot I tagged.

“You’re encouraging her.” I glared and he laughed.

Finally, I added all the ingredients into each glass and handed them out. Maddy, Gin, Tai, and I held the glasses up. “To fun in the sun… Hawaiian style!” I said and we clinked glasses. The drink, called “A Fuzzy Thing” slid down my throat and the three different types of alcohol instantly commingled, warming my belly.

“Ready to hit the beach?”

“Bathing suits for everyone in the room. You girls are going to die when you see all the options I’ve collected from the shoot!”

Both Maddy and Gin squealed and ran off down the hall to the master bedroom.

“You really going to give them any suit they want? Those are designer. Probably, a few hundred a pop.”

I shrugged my shoulders. “So. I love those two women more than I love anything including money or free designer clothing. Gotta share the wealth right?” Which I knew for a fact he did with his family.

In the background, we could hear the whoops and hollers as the fights began like true sisters. “You’re too tall for that stretch!” and Maddy’s reply, “Shut up, you’re just pissed because your height challenged.” Then another screech. “You shut up. You’re jealous because I’m fun sized! Everyone loves a little something to nibble on!”

Tai pulled me into his arms and rested his head against my forehead. “Girlie, your family is loco.”

“Not something you need to tell me.” I laughed then kissed him soundly. It went on for a while, our tongues dancing, his hands creeping down to fondle and squeeze my ass. He pressed his thick erection into my pelvis, and I groaned.

“Continue this later tonight when the girls are crashed from jet lag. At your bungalow?”

“Hell yes.”

***

The next day Tai and I did another shoot, but we were off by mid-afternoon. Gin and Maddy spent the early part of the day sunbathing. Tonight though, Tai was taking us all to a luau where he and his family performed. I’d been here almost three weeks and hadn’t seen him perform. Surf, model, yes, but not his fire knife routine. I could not wait. I didn’t have a clue what fire knife dancing was, but it sounded exotic and exciting. Two of my very favorite things.