Smoke And Mirrors ***completed***

Chapter 5.

Inside the new York offices of Elite model agency Victoria Lombardi reigned supreme. At forty five she was a portrait of sophistication and elegance. Gifted, sexy and brilliant.
She radiated strength and wore demure calm like her expensive Prada floral perfume.
Mature with an alluring quality and features too good to put into words
she run her empire with a steel hand and had a pedantic view over everything, she never left anything to chance. Her pensive eyes had a wise light to them. The play of expressions on her normally masked face showing a brilliant mind lurked beneath the beauty and elegance. At a glance she looked affable and Many had made the mistake of underestimating her and found out what she was capable off.
She wasn't your normal bit of fluff by any standards and Melanie Orsini representing Paris based fashion designer the famed Jacques prince could tell.
Victoria looked up eager to go on with this meeting, because she was expedient when it came to business if nothing else but propriety had to be maintained at all times.

"Would you ask that sweet young girl to bring some coffee please?"

She told her secretary who jumped to her feet eager to do her bidding.

"So Ms Orsini what were you saying about Jacques. And how is he doing? It has been what? ten years?"

"He is as healthy as he can get at his age and he has requested me to search for fresh faces."

The lady said in impeccable English going straight to business before she took a perfunctory sip- Victoria doubted if she even tasted the coffee but she didn't care- from her coffee the secretary had brought.

"Fresh faces you say? What for if i may ask?"

"We need models who are new and unexposed but not inexperienced for the new prince fashion line for the fashion week in Paris."

" uh oh. That won't be very difficult as it is."

She seemed to be in deep as if bringing to mind the models who would fit the bill.
Her eyes lit up as if she had just solved the mystery nodding her head.

"Isn't this just fortunate? as a matter of fact I think I have the right girl for the job."

She answered an image of a red haired beauty coming to mind.

####

Victoria burst out of her office and into the main lounge surprising her Bookers who were seated at their phones around the long table. Model's schedules and portfolios hung on a rotating file. Victoria made for it.
All day long the model agents commonly known as bookers spoke through the headsets, pecking on computers and consulting the model's files making deals with clients and promoters.
Everything ran smoothly. With a conscientious precision. The place was chaotic the phones consistently ringing and the hectic schedules of the models prone to any changes.
Victoria snatched the models file and skimmed through it until she found the name she was searching for.
Honey swan. She had a tight schedule but nothing that couldn't be changed.
With clear instructions on what to be done she twirled around in her five thousands dollars heels and sashayed to the bank of elevators.
With a clear course of action she stepped into the gleaming elevator.

*****

Honey swan never missed her cue. She had perfect timing and never gave her audience the appearance it was all staged. She made it look natural not just an illusion that took the better part of a day to perfect.
She was a sensation on the runways.
She walked like a divinity with pure inspiration. Fluid and graceful like a dancer. A mixture of sass, pert haughtiness, sexiness and dignity. Head held high, chin jutting out, eyes focused ahead and an almost indiscernible knowing smile on her full lips.
She was an image of sophistication.
A dream.
A fantasy bought to life by her in all it's splendor and elegance.
It was pure ingenuity.
Her rich lustrous cloud of hair piled up to give an inhibited view of her long neck down to her supple body clad in the new silk lingerie that was modest and indecent all at once showing her lithe well toned body to full display.
She glided down the runway for there was no other word for it like she was born to do just that.
She wasn't the top lingerie model on south avenue for nothing.
She held herself tall to her five feet nine height with her shoulders at full display down to her long lovely pair of never ending legs.
Swigging her hips, she enchanted, Bewitched and enthralled all those who watched as cameras snapped and nearly blinded her with quick flashes.
Her whole body seemed to come alive right there.
Shimmering with energy and with vibrant heat. The whole world fading to just that expanse of walkway.
Her face flushed partly due to the innate shyness that she still harbored. She managed to fool everyone exuding an unparalleled sense of confidence.
She moved with wanton energy of pure feminine splendor and downright enticement that had sold millions of lingeries. The heat, the veiled unabashed provocation without appearing downright louche.
She pirouetted at the end flashed a downright arrogant winsome smile and sashayed with feline grace to the other end amid tremendous applause.
It was all about attitude.

#####

Brushing past the next model Honey pushed back into the dressing room.
Feeling drained by the cathartic experience.
At times like this she wished she had gone commercial doing jobs like cataloging which was considered the bread and butter of any modelling agency.
It had little demands not like the runway models where she had to be up and about for hours. The rush to change into the next costume and hitting the runway over and over in front of all those people.
Maybe she should become a showroom model which was really interesting and more behind the scene.
It was the type of job you worked with designers who use your body to mold garments onto at the early stages of creation.
The type of job that would have bored her to death. And anyway despite everything she loved the bustle of it all.
She passed a model who was spinning around in circles. Honey understood she would do that until she was too nauseous too eat. It was one of the trick to prevent eating and not gain weight.
In modelling career you were never too thin if anything the thinner the better. At this rate models would be walking bones Honey thought smiling at herself.
Too tired to shower she begun the ritual of getting out of all the scratchy lingeries with care lest she tore it and had to pay it.
She heard the door to the almost deserted dressing room slum shut just as she caught sight of John-Yvens Le Fur. He was the second in command at elite and as slimy as they get.
He ambled over smiling at her displaying his recently cleaned teeth.

"Honey that was a nice performance."
Honey who was in the process of removing the bra halted midway hating the way her name sounded from his mouth.

"What do you want Mr Le Fur?"

She steeled her voice meeting his eyes.

"Why, to congratulate you of course. What do you say I take you out on a late dinner."

"I don't corrupt professional relationship."

She answered matter of factly knowing what this was all about.
She knew like everybody else he always had bouncing rubber balls for her to put it indelicately. She had always suspected that's one of the reasons foxx hated her but she had never encouraged him.
He was too old and sexually incorrect for her. All horn and no blow though she didn't doubt he would hold his own between the shits.

"You might not realize this but you have rare talent and potential combine that with my influence you would be unstoppable."

"I don't doubt that but for what price?"

She could have beaten off her tongue questions meant interest and she didn't want to give any hopes she would even consider sex with him.
He smiled getting comfortable feeling he was in control.

"Well I have this itch that won't go away what do you say you scratch it for me."

"Scratch your own itch and if you will excuse me"

"You can't be that innocent of course you know what I mean."

"Sorry to disappoint you but that was never in the job description nor in the equity agreement."

He was already unzipping his trousers and stalking her and instinctively knew if she didn't submit willing judging by the gleam in his eyes he would rape her. But that where he was wrong she wasn't the innocent girl he thought and was about to show him that when the door flew open admitting Victoria.
She took up the scene and her eyes darkened in fury.
Honey would just imagine what was she could be thinking. She had grown close to her over the months and would hate if she thought of her in a bad light. She was like the mom she never had and she didn't have worried.

"What's going on here Mr Le Fur?"

"Nothing just a friendly chat."

He said quickly as he brushed past her, "if you will excuse me."
Silence met John hasty retreat.
"Was he harassing you?"
Her voice was filled with such compassion that nearly did Honey in.
As harrowing circumstances as they went Mr Le Fur had managed to rattle.
"Nothing I couldn't handle."

She put on her brave face but wanted nothing more than burrow her face on her breast and cry.
It was so taxing to be always on your own and Victoria as if sensing this crossed to her and pulled her into a fierce embrace.

"It's OK. It would be fine."

Those words finally did it. she burst into tears the child in the woman needing assurance everything would be okay.
Still in her embrace Honey wondered what a mom daughter bond was like.
Did it feel this good.
And for a few moments Honey imagined she was held in her mom's embrace and indulged in that moment of weakness before she gathered her wits about her.
After all this was a woman's world and men like le fur were merely being accommodated on humanitarian grounds.