chapter 1: nikki (part 2)

“Girl, those heels do your legs justice,” Teeg said as Bri stepped up towards them. He gave her a quick up and down and Bri smirked because she knew the dress hit her perfectly. Her trim body and hourglass figure were complemented by the tight waist and her hair popped next to the orange fabric. The sandal-like wedges the brand had given her let her legs flex their sculpted, shapely form. It was all brought together by the orange eye shadow and pops of shimmer her earrings and necklace added.

She looked amazing and she knew it.

“What I’d do for your calves,” Teeg whistled. “Yum!”

“I’ll trade them for your cheek bones,” Bri winked.

“Bish, you wish,” Teeg turned his head at the perfect angle he knew made him look amazing. That was the thing about influencers, they had spent enough time in front of mirrors and cameras that they always knew how to show off. Bri shook her head teasingly at him as she found her place.

The three turned to the camera, each look complementing the others and yet standing out as their own unique statement. They were ready to go.

“Which is first on the shot list?” Bri asked, popping her hip in the way that made her look especially trim and shapely. The way that made millions hit like buttons across all her platforms.

The cameraman focused his lens as he called out the first look the three models had agreed on the night before (while each was doing their night skin routine, of course).

And thus, the shoot began.

They were complete professionals.

Pose, clickclickclick. Pose, clickclickclick. Pose, clickclickclick. Review.

The three walked over to the camera to see how the photos were coming out, discuss what could be fixed in post, and decide where the light was best.

And then they were posing again.

They were like a well-oiled machine, and Bri played her part with precision.

They got endless shots in front the Ferris wheel, they posed as they were getting on, and then they had Nikki send them around the wheel to get shots of them in the air.

Nikki complied quickly, but Bri couldn’t help but bristle as she popped gum and read a book while they worked. She wasn’t sure why, but Nikki’s blatant disinterest made her want to snarl. But she didn’t; first, she was a professional, and second, too much emoting lead to wrinkles.

She focused instead on being sure she looked incredible in every photo. Even the ones they agreed weren’t the right angle, she had a look that anyone would wish to emulate. Except Nikki, apparently.

Bri shook her head, once again refocusing her mind as she turned to give the camera a view of the back of her dress, her eyes looking intriguingly over her shoulder.

The next time the team convened around the camera, they agreed it was time to move on to individual shots.

Bri was up first. She stuck her poses as her influencer friends whooped and hollered. Then she got into the Ferris wheel and had Nikki send her a quarter of the way around. She stood in her pose and smiled, holding her head just so making sure the camera always got her good side.

“Uh, sugar,” Teeg called. “Problem. We can’t see your dress with you in the car.”

Of course they couldn’t. With the camera on the ground and Bri in the air, they could probably only see her from chest up.

“Hmm,” Bri yelled down. “What if I sat on the wall a bit?”

She moved, putting her hands on the opening and preparing to lift herself onto it.

“Um, yeah, no.” Nikki suddenly popped out of the booth. “Terrible idea actually. A gust of wind comes, she goes splat on the ground, I have to find a new job.”

Bri eyed her. “Then what do you suggest, so that we can save your career as a Ferris wheel operator.”

“I suggest you stay seated and keep your hands in the vehicle at all times. We don’t say that just for fun, you know.”

“But this shot will MAKE the shoot. Look at where the sun is and how it hits her skin! Art,” Teeg gushed.

“Yeah, and the wind is making her hair flow like water, it’s amazing,” Jaclyn added.

“Yeah. Wind.” Nikki whistled, using her finger to act like a person falling through the air. “Splat.”

“Fine,” Bri called. “I won’t sit on the edge. What if I just open the door so they can see the dress while I stand safely away.”

Nikki turned to look up at her and while she was a distance away, Bri could just make out her raising an eyebrow.

“Wind.” Whistle. “Splat”

Bri rolled her eyes. “Look, there’s only a light breeze right now, not even moving the car. It’ll take two seconds to get the shots.

Bri reached for the car door and pulled the mechanism that made it unlock. She opened the door wide.

“Seriously, REALLY bad idea,” Nikki said in her typical nonplussed ton, but there was a slight edge to it that suggested she was getting annoyed.

But Bri didn’t care. Getting the right shot was everything.

She posed and heard the camera click. She posed again, feeling the breeze flick her hair just so. If she was being honest, she could feel it slightly swaying the car. Her nerves perked up, suddenly aware that there was nothing blocking her from tumbling except her own sense of balance.

However, looking relaxed and happy was part of her job. So, she tightened her fingers around the wall of the car but smiled down at the camera as if she didn’t have a care in the world.

That was, until the breeze picked up.

At first, the car just swayed. Bri tried to stay frozen for the camera.

Then, her foot slid.

Suddenly she was off balance and the car was swaying heavily back and forth.

She heard Jaclyn yell as she felt herself slide across the floor until there was nothing under her feet.

She screamed as she found herself airborne.


*****

This is the final chapter I'm positing in the free preview - but I hope you've enjoyed the start! The following chapter is already posted in the premium story, where all future chapters will live.


I hope to see many of you in premium, though for those who can't support at this time, I hope you go through my free stories and find something fun there too!

Thank you for reading!

~LM
@LitMistress on Twitter