No Stone Unturned (15 page)

And then there was Tyler, who had showed up suddenly the morning of the shoot.  For weeks, he had been set to fly to New York to do a screen test for the lead role in a promising high-action thriller.  However on that morning, he showed up at Gemma’s hotel room just hours after she had explained the concept of the shoot to him. 

“I just want to be here for, you know,” Tyler scratched his head before shoving his hands in his jean pockets.  “For moral support.  To make sure everything goes okay.”  He smiled and Gemma smiled back, though for entirely different reasons.  She knew better than to believe him, but she found it amusing that he had gone through such lengths to “keep an eye on things.”  Tyler had always been mildly uncomfortable with her relationship with Damian, but since New Year’s Eve, his radar was slightly higher than usual.  He seemed to think that at any moment, Gemma would whip out the “You Kissed Another Girl” card and use it against him for some sort of free pass in their relationship. 

When Gemma arrived on set, she saw that Tyler wasn’t the only one there to keep an eye on things.  Though it was no surprise at all, she sighed at the sight of Nicki and Elizabeth giggling with a production assistant who was helping dress the elaborate set.  Perrin and Tyler chatted casually while Lourdes and Cai stood a couple feet away, examining Damian’s outfit.  In a tan hand-crocheted dress worn over a nude slip, Lourdes appeared willowy and ethereal, her hair the same tawny rose as her skin.  Cai was lean and wore his black hair buzzed short.  He was dressed in a matching tan T-shirt and pants with one arm encircling Lourdes’s hips as she unbuttoned Damian’s shirt.

“I was confused when they put me in the full suit,” Damian said.  “Because Thierry told my team that I would be getting dressed in the first shot.”

“I asked for you to be completely dressed first.  I like to do the deconstruction on my own,” Lourdes said.  Her voice was raspy and sultry.  Gemma thought it matched her look completely.

“Any excuse to undress a man,” Cai added, smiling.  “She just can’t help herself.”  Gemma thought it was strange how comfortable Cai was with Lourdes sweeping her fingers sensually over Damian’s body as she walked around him, putting finishing touches on the outfit.  He even seemed to enjoy it.  Gemma shuddered just as Lourdes came back around to Cai’s side, catching sight of her.

“Ah, look! The muse is here,” Lourdes reached her arms out and hugged Gemma.  “I knew our paths would cross one day.  Just ask Cai.  We saw both your Tokyo and Beijing show on your Asian tour and we’ve been dying to shoot you since.  Let me see the dress!” Lourdes held Gemma out at an arm’s length and studied her the way she had studied Damian.  Gemma had on a shoulder-length raven-black wig that had been set in finger curls and pinned in a loose chignon at the nape of her neck.  Small black feathers were meticulously fixed across her left brow bone, creating a half mask that looked like a single bird’s wing around her eye.  The floor-length gown was a lavender satin and hugged every curve of her body.  A slit ran up her left leg, showing off the lace tops of her black silk stockings.

“Perfect,” Cai said.

“Yes, perfect,” Lourdes echoed.  She circled behind Gemma and unzipped the bodice.  Gemma gasped and caught the front of the dress as it fell forward.  She wore nothing underneath.  Gemma turned her head, looking at Lourdes with questioning eyes.

“What… what are we doing?” Gemma asked as she struggled to hold the dress to her body.  She caught a glimpse of Nicki, Elizabeth and Tyler in the back corner.  While Tyler and Perrin were suppressing laughter, Nicki was shooting daggers.

“I’m deconstructing,” Lourdes replied casually.  She gave Gemma a gentle shove towards Damian.  Damian held his hands out to stop Gemma from being propelled into his semi-bare chest.  Lourdes and Cai exchanged a mischievous glance as they walked onto the set that Gemma only now realized was an ornately decorated but rather seductive bedroom.  Lourdes turned to Gemma and Damian.  “Follow,” she said simply.  Gemma and Damian exchanged apprehensive glances as they stepped onto the set.

“We’re gonna hear it tonight,” Damian whispered to Gemma with a fearful smile.

Once on set, Lourdes grabbed Gemma and situated her in front of an antique vanity mirror.  She then took Damian’s hand and placed it low on Gemma’s hip.  His other hand was placed on the small of Gemma’s back where her dress was unzipped.  Gemma blushed.  She was prepared for something racy but Lourdes and Cai apparently didn’t believe in easing into a comfortable place before starting.  Gemma glanced behind her to see Tyler and Nicki at a distance, both looking clearly uncomfortable.  Elizabeth chewed gum and snapped photos on her iPhone while Thierry seemed unfazed as he observed, sipping at his coffee.

“I love that quintessential moment when you ask your lover to zip you up before a night on the town.  It’s as if he’s wrapping a present for himself – one that he knows he can unwrap and enjoy at the end of the night.”

“Right,” Gemma replied.  She couldn’t tell if Damian was as uncomfortable as she was and she was too afraid to find out.  She knew she looked stiff and uneasy.  It was the opposite of what Lourdes and Cai were famous for.  She had no idea how their other subjects were able to achieve that causally sexy look when they were manhandled in such a way.

“Could you
be
more tense? Squeeze those arms tighter and I’m afraid you’ll break your ribs.  This is not what we want,” Cai lamented, cradly his camera sadly.  “You must relax.”

“I just feel like if I uncross my arms…” Gemma whispered, timidly.  “I’m going to flash the whole room.”  She looked up at Lourdes and Cai, ready for a scowl or some sarcastic remark about her being prude.  Instead, Lourdes’s face softened and nodded.

“Fair.  I understand that not all are practicing exhibitionists like Cai and me,” Lourdes smiled.  She turned towards the random crew members who were picking up around the set.  “Closed set.  Everyone out except Thierry and the four of us.”  The crew dutifully exited the room without another word.  Perrin, Tyler, Nicki and Elizabeth made their way towards Damian and Gemma.

“Do we count?” Elizabeth asked.  “I’m representing Damian’s management and publicity team today.  And Perrin here is Gemma’s publicist and…”

“I can speak for myself, honey,” Perrin interjected.  “Bee, if you’re more comfortable without me in the room I can do approvals on the photos after they’ve been shot.  What do you say?”

“I think it’d help not to have too many people watching me,” Gemma replied, timidly.  Perrin nodded.

“Fine then, no problem at all.  Do your thing and relax, but don’t let these two deviants make you too uncomfortable.  Though a
little
discomfort is okay.”  Perrin winked at Lourdes and Cai before turning on her heel and exiting.

“What about me?” Tyler asked.  He had his hands in his pockets with his eyes focused on Gemma’s.

“I don’t know, Tyler… this is all just so weird.”

“I can support you by staying in the room or I can support you by giving you some space.  Which one do you prefer?” he asked simply.  Gemma bit her lip.  She knew it was a struggle for him to be so understanding.

“I think if there are less people in the room I’ll be more relaxed,” Gemma replied.  “Just for this shot at least.  I’ll need you with me for the outdoor shots.”  She concentrated on Tyler’s face, looking for any signs of disapproval.  He smiled slightly and nodded, giving her a salute.

“No problem,” he said.  He turned towards Damian.  “I know she’s irresistible, but remember she’s mine, okay?” Tyler and Damian shared a laugh as Tyler waved and left the room.  Nicki rolled her eyes.

“Well,” Lourdes sighed, exasperated.  “Now what of you two?” She raised her eyebrows at Nicki and Elizabeth.  Nicki pursed her lips, her gaze set on Damian.  Damian shrugged, looking at Elizabeth.

“I think I can handle myself and Aiden’s going to do final approvals anyway so it’s okay if you head out,” he said.  Elizabeth shrugged and glanced at Nicki.

“And me?” Nicki asked, her voice icy.  “Do you want me to stay?”  Damian stopped for a beat before looking over at Gemma.  She took in a deep breath. 
Oh God, please don’t put this on me.

“I…” Gemma shook her head at him but before she could finish her sentence, Nicki exhaled in disgust.

“Sorry, Damian.  I didn’t realize it wasn’t
your
decision.”  With that, she stormed out of the room with Elizabeth jogging after her.  They watched as the last two cleared the room.  Damian sighed, burying his face in his hands.

“Well, well.  Look at all this drama.  It almost makes me miss my teen years,” Cai said, laughing with Thierry.  “Jealousy can be a beautiful catalyst sometimes.  We should work with this.”

“Maybe this was a bad idea,” Gemma said.

“You’re not allowed to say that,” Lourdes smiled peacefully.  “Besides, this is nothing.  This is tame.  It’s just
playacting
, my loves.  If your significant others take offense to everything like this, you can just say goodbye to these types of jobs now.  Don’t they know that this translates to paychecks and gifts?”

Gemma laughed politely, though she was still visibly skeptical.

“If you’re worried about how I’m handling this, Bee, I’m fine,” Damian said, placing his hands softly on her shoulders.  “I know you’re thinking about Nicki and Tyler and how this is all coming off but you know we’re responsible people and this is just a job.”  Gemma squinted up at Damian.  She
was
worried about what he was thinking and she was impressed that he knew exactly what to say.  Impressed but hardly surprised.

“Okay,” she replied softly, a hint of a smile curving her lips.  The remaining people in the room shared a collective sigh of relief.  Gemma turned back towards the vanity mirror and felt Damian place his hands on her hips again.  She loosened her crossed arms over her chest so that the satin straps sat softly on her forearms, the neckline revealed a perfectly tasteful amount of cleavage.

She felt Damian’s breath on her neck as he leaned into her, zipping the dress up as Cai snapped away with the camera.  She cleared her mind of any kind of thought and focused on the distant hum of fan.  Lourdes stood at a distance, smiling with approval.  Gemma returned a soft smile.

“Got it!” Cai exclaimed.  “Beautiful opening shot.  Now let’s get the closer.”  Gemma swallowed hard.  She knew from Perrin that there would be a series of four photos, beginning with them getting dressed for the night.  That show would be followed by the more innocuous shots of them strolling through The French Quarter with Damian helping Queen Bee off of a streetcar.  The final shot would see them back in the bedroom – on the bed.

Lourdes had Gemma change into a black lace slip and lie in bed.  The photo was to look as if the two were relaxing after returning from their night out.  For relaxing, however, the pose seemed overtly suggestive with Gemma reclining in bed and Damian kneeling beside her, undoing his cufflinks with his shirt un-tucked and unbuttoned.  To Gemma, it was an image of what would have happened had she not stopped Damian in bed during post-prom two years ago.  She held her breath as Lourdes pushed the two of them closer together so that their legs tangled beneath them.

“Isn’t this too much?” Gemma squeaked.  She furrowed her brows at the weak sound of her voice.

“Nope,” Lourdes replied, simply.  Damian laughed, touching her knee.

“Why are you so worried? You know Tyler’s cool,” he said.

“I know, but I’m more worried about Nicki,” Gemma blurted out.  She pursed her lips immediately after saying the name.  Damian’s smile faded into a frown.

“Why?”

Gemma laughed to herself.  “Because she clearly hates me,” she said.  “And I don’t want her to.”

“You think she hates you?”

“I don’t think so, I know so.”

Damian shook his head adamantly.  “No, she doesn’t.  I think she feels a little insecure around you and Tyler sometimes, but that’s natural.  Don’t take it personally.”

“I’m not taking it personally,” Gemma said, her voice more bitter than she expected.  As always, Damian picked up on her tone.  He stayed silent, knowing not to exacerbate the situation.  The camera continued to snap away on them, their bodies touching but their faces stone.  Gemma kept hoping Damian would open his mouth to say something comforting, but he chose to remain quiet.  She knew his loyalty wouldn’t allow him to utter a single negative word against Nicki, but she
was
hoping he would at least acknowledge his girlfriend’s increasingly jealous behavior. 
Guess not,
she thought bitterly.  She was officially alone in her recognition of Nicki as someone hostile, perhaps even sinister. 

~

The French Quarter was exceedingly charming with its open balconies and quaint, old-fashioned air.  Gemma was back in the lavender satin gown and Damian back in his suit.  Fully dressed, she felt a bit more at ease, a necessary feeling considering the entire crew, Tyler, Perrin, Nicki and Elizabeth had all returned.  Seemingly satisfied with the racier photos they had gotten at the studio, Lourdes and Cai were content with more innocent shots of Gemma and Damian walking through the streets, though they insisted along with Thierry that they keep things “sensual.”  Gemma found that meant instead of simply holding hands, Damian would keep a hand on the small of her back and his lips perpetually hovering at her temple.

When Cai suggested Damian lean in to smell Gemma’s hair, Nicki scoffed.

“Nothing like the smell of a freshly sprayed wig,” she said to Elizabeth, though it was audible to everyone nearby.  Gemma bit her lip.  From afar, Elizabeth shot her a sympathetic glance and a shrug, which Gemma actually took comfort in.  Lourdes, unamused by Nicki’s presence and snarky remarks, suddenly decided to do an impromptu shot of Queen Bee and Damian “window-shopping.”  She seemingly decided to pose them in a way just to spite Nicki.

“Remarks from the peanut gallery are unnecessary, thank you,” she said breezily.

Gemma felt her entire backside pressed up against Damian’s body as they both faced a storefront boasting colorful Mardi Gras masks and beads.  Lourdes wrapped one of Damian’s arms around Gemma’s waist while placing his opposite hand flat on her thigh.  Nicki was predictably disturbed, but to Gemma’s surprise, Tyler appeared just as much so.  She fixed her gaze on him, willing him to look up at her.  When he did, she pouted playfully.  His furrowed brows relaxed and he cracked a smile.  It never took much from Gemma to disarm him.  She was devoted to him despite the slight hurdles they had run into, and she wished that Nicki could see that, because Gemma was finished with trying to prove herself.  She wasn’t about to let her take away the friendship that she had always had with Damian or the budding one between him and Tyler.  It wasn’t easy keeping true friendships with the lifestyles that they led.