Deb came over and wasn’t happy.
“I’m a freshman in high school,” I finally said. “If word gets out that I’m wearing makeup at school, I’ll be killed. Do any of you remember what happened to boys in high school who wore makeup?”
Deb and I compromised. I agreed to use the cleansers, creams and ChapStick to keep my skin and lips healthy, but I didn’t have to wear makeup in my day-to-day activities. I was already dreading Clare using me as her personal Ken doll to dress up every day.
Clare finished off the afternoon. She showed me the guest list. They had a portfolio on all their clients, complete with photos. She emphasized who was in the market for talent and what their preferences were. After she finished, I felt confident I knew whom to talk with.
We then broke for a quick dinner. After dinner, Clare quizzed me, and when she was confident I was ready, she turned me back over to Jesse and Maggie.
At six, I was instructed to shower and shave. Maggie wanted a clean slate so she could do her magic. After Maggie was done, Jesse made sure I could dress myself. Everyone else must have left for a while because they started to trickle back in chic outfits. When Deb came back, I was presented to her for final approval.
Clare ordered a bar and food for a pre-party in our suite. There were seven models who showed up, four girls and three guys, and I was introduced. Deb explained that they wanted us to interact and get to know each other. We were to be observed together, and they would set us into couples for the party.
The girls were all about the same height and body type. They all were around five-ten. I was happy to see that Ava, from my first shoot, was one of the girls. The other three were Allison, Allie and Lindsey. I’ll give them credit: I had a blond, a brunette, a redhead and a black girl.
The guys were all the same, but more so. They were at least six feet tall with brown hair and in their early 20s. They were clearly older than the girls were, and I was surprised when they showed more interest in talking to each other than with the girls. Their names were Tyler, Andrew and Louis.
When Ava got a chance, she pulled me aside so we could talk.
“I’ve been getting great feedback from the pictures we took for my portfolio. I just wanted to thank you, because according to my agent, I was one step from being out the door.”
“I have some news for you... hang on, because I need to have Kendal tell you,” I said.
I motioned to Kendal and she joined us. I had noticed that she was doing a good job of keeping me in sight at all times. Tom had insisted, because of my age.
“You remember Ava?” I asked Kendal.
“How could I forget? How’ve you been?”
“Great, I was telling David that, with my portfolio reworked, I’m starting to get some calls. What I need is some actual work,” Ava complained.
I tried hard to keep a straight face. I winked at Kendal to let her know she could give Ava the good news.
“Well, I think David may have found a solution for you.”
Ava gave me an intense look. I could tell this was important to her. There was a hint of desperation in her eyes.
“Kendal, did you bring a check for Ava?” I asked.
“I did, I’ll go get it.”
“What have you done?”
I just kept quiet. Kendal handed Ava an envelope. She ripped it open and her knees buckled when she saw the amount. Luckily, Kendal grabbed her elbow to steady her.
“Next week my parents were coming to get me and move me back to Springfield. I can now pay my rent and everyone I owe. Thank you.”
Everyone was staring at us, wondering what I’d done to make Ava cry. I put on a goofy grin.
“Makeup! I think we need a touch-up,” I said.
“I’ll give you a touch-up,” Ava said, and she grabbed the back of my neck and pulled me into a steamy kiss.
Maggie came over, shaking her head.
“I told you I was going to kick your butt if you messed up your makeup.” She looked at Ava. “Come on before he does more damage to you.”
She led Ava to my bedroom so she could touch her up. As soon as Ava was safely in the other room, the other models suddenly surrounded me and wanted details.
“Kendal found a creative way to make a few bucks from a shoot Ava and I did. I don’t know all the details or how Kendal does it. If you’re interested, you should talk to her about it.”
Suddenly I was no longer the center of attention, and I went to mingle. I was talking to another Ford agent when Clare slid up next to me.
“Deb wants to talk to you before we go down.”
I said my goodbyes to the other agent and we found Deb in my bedroom with Maggie finishing Ava. They had me sit down so Maggie could work while we talked.
“If I had been thinking, I would have just invited Ava here tonight,” Deb said, then turned her attention to Ava. “Your job tonight is to stay with David as much as possible. The party is open to people in the business and clients. We’re going to introduce David and announce Range Sports as a new client. These parties always bring in a certain number of predators that pass themselves off as producers, photographers or something like that. They’ll try to sell young naïve talent on how they can help them.”
“Be extra careful if they invite you to an after-party. I’m very serious about this: never accept a drink from someone you don’t know and trust. We just had a model in LA run into some trouble. We’re sending out a memo reminding everyone to be safe. Now I don’t expect this to happen. To help prevent that, we’re making sure that everyone has a buddy tonight,” Deb advised us.
“We’ll be going down to the party in a few minutes. Ava, could you give us a moment? We need to talk to David,” Clare said.
When Ava left, Deb asked me to help some other models.
“While you’re here, we’d like to do a couple of shoots with you and some of our younger talent. They need some pictures for their portfolios.”
“Who, when and where?”
“I like you already,” Deb said. “You actually met them. Allison, Lindsey and Allie show promise. The photos of you and Ava are testing out very well, and are beginning to cause a stir. Modeling is a very competitive business. Many girls only last a couple of months. We try to do everything we can to give them an edge. That’s why we’re so picky about whom we sign; we have a reputation as the best.
“The when and where is we would do it first thing in the morning, here in the suite.”
“Have you talked to Kendal about this?”
“I wanted to talk to you about that tomorrow, but now is a good time. I would advise you to only have us represent you,” Clare said.
“Slow down. I want us to have a long relationship, so I’ll tell you a few things. First of all, I’m dating one of the managing partners’ daughter. While this isn’t a business reason to retain them, you have to understand that Tracy’s special. She and I are a team, and when we’re together, I feel like we can accomplish just about anything.
“Through getting to know her, I met Tom Dole. He has helped me in ways he’ll never know. When I was in a bind, he introduced me to Kendal. At the time, she was an intern. She helped organize and direct my recruiting and anything to do with the public; stuff like press conferences, websites, and social media.
“When you approached me about the modeling, they jumped in and helped with contracts and support. I know Ford has much more access to potential jobs for me, but don’t sell them short. To date, Ford has offered me future bookings in the $40,000 range. With the assistance of Tom, Kendal and Tracy, I have secured a shoot at the end of December that will pay me close to $50,000. I also have worked out a deal to work with an advertising firm, and Kendal estimates that we’ll make upwards of $150,000 over the next 12 months.