Chapter 9

Doing well at work turned Renee on. It was clear when she told Andrew and it made sense when she explained how most of her modelling career had been. Renee did not look 25, most of the time she could have passed as a teenager, and it was within this niche that most of her modelling had been concentrated. Catalogue work, flyers for stores, showcasing school uniforms, sports strips, leotards, things like that. Deciding to appear in commercials that required nudity had been a change for her just as it had been for Heloise, although they came from utterly different places within the fashion and modelling industry. And within modelling she had fought her height her whole career, which is why she was always cast younger. The fashion industry was not designed for 5’0” tall people. She would be mad that Andrew did not add that last centimetre. 5’0” is 150 centimetres and Renee was 151 centimetres and clung onto that last centimetre as only someone that small could.

Modelling is very similar to acting, there are a lot of auditions and even the most successful of actors or models have to handle rejection. The mental strength needed to deal with all this is something that is rarely mentioned. She had talked to Andrew about quitting modelling and turning to her degree and becoming a teacher. That was her safety net, but also her defence mechanism. Since working on the commercials for Hermès she had been working more. But situations like Thursday were still nerve-wracking for her. It was in these mass situations that she had always felt the rejection. She told him that she was usually in the first round of cuts. So when the situation was different and she was on a separate, inside track it made her feel good. When that inside track was because of her sex appeal, the chemistry with the other model, in this case Andrew, it turned her on. Both gymnastics and modelling had given her issues about being a woman. They both seemed to reinforce a sense of never-ending childhood. So she was going through a burgeoning appreciation and acceptance that she was a beautiful and sexy woman.

This was all background that Andrew learned later because when the two of them got back to the hotel room Renee attacked with a ferocity that surprised him. He wasn’t complaining but he was surprised. Before he knew it, Andrew was flat on the bed with Renee impaled upon him, a look of joy on her face. The first fuck of the night was a sprint to the finish, a release of tension to clear their heads. What made their working together so easy, so successful, was the fact that they had strong sexual chemistry. Renee brought back all these memories of school, of the ridiculous six months when he alternated Saturday nights with Tanvi and Katie. Memories of that, of waiting for them to get comfortable doing something more, all that unmet lust, they were released in the perfect form of Renee Clement. When Andrew saw her he was caught between wanting to protect her and ravish the hell out of her. And he wasn’t remotely poker-faced enough to hide the fact.

Renee was also perfect for lying on him afterwards. Her natural joy, her exuberance came through and he would cuddle and hold her as she wriggled in his arms like an excited puppy. It was in these quieter moments that some of her background came out. Andrew was the quintessential lucky amateur and had little idea of a lot of what models went through in the course of finding and getting work. There were always way more people than there were spots, often it would 50 people competing for one spot. He could see how that maths let shady practices flourish.

Andrew learned so much about life, about human nature, from his time as a model. And nearly all of it was from talking to his fellow models rather than anything happening to him. But the exploitation of other people, the manipulation of them, the ‘taking’ from them for personal gain, he heard all about that. It definitely did nothing to quell his hatred for takers. In fact there were several people within the modelling and fashion industries that Andrew had a visceral dislike for, never even having met them.

In the specific instance of that night, they lay there and chatted, got worked up and fucked, and they repeated that cycle with only breaks for food. And their friendship deepened. It never veered into something beyond close friendship but of all the people that Andrew modelled with over the years Renee was one of only three that he remained close to after he finished. What started as young and horny, sexual rather than anything else, gradually morphed into something more. And had a foundation, a basis that endured years, decades, after they stopped modelling.

Renee’s flexibility was the basis for her latest mind-blowing sexual position, that she had teased Andrew with on Thursday lunchtime. She was looking both smug and excited as she got him out of bed and onto the floor. Just doing that had Andrew excited because the last time she did that she lowered herself onto his dick supported only by her arms. It was such a deliciously naughty perversion of normal gymnastics that even the memory of it had him hard and ready to go. Renee threw a condom down on the floor beside him but told him not to wrap up yet. She stood over him, her feet either side of his pectoral muscles looking down at him. In this position Andrew was having trouble looking her in the eye given that her pussy was almost directly over him. Suddenly she arched her back and leant back, but rather than toppling backwards her hands met the floor and supported her. He had never seen this before although later he was told it was a common yoga pose called the wheel. But what Renee did next was not seen in any yoga studio. She extended her neck and started to lick his dick. Andrew was stunned, turned on and transfixed by this display of flexibility and carnal desire at the same time.

“Andrew, hold it up a little for me.”

Renee’s request startled him back into motion. Holding the base of his dick he tilted it up. Immediately it was engulfed by Renee and Andrew started to get the most unusual blowjob of his life. It was jarring to peer between Renee’s legs but only see the top of her head. It was if there were two different people there. For a moment he luxuriated in the sensations but then got his head back into the game. The way Renee was standing her pussy was pushed up and forward due to the bend of her back and spine. As Andrew’s hands started to caress her thighs and drift higher the noises and vibrations that it caused in Renee had a wonderful effect on what she was doing to him. Now all this was fantastic but he was not the first man to get a blowjob from someone who was into yoga and had the flexibility to do that. But Renee was a gymnast not just someone who practiced yoga. He felt her legs tense and then she sprang up and over so that she was suddenly on all fours as normal, her feet between his legs. But she was showing off because she looked up, gave him a saucy wink before kicking up into a handstand and then held it, all the while continuing to blow him. As her back arched Andrew instinctively reached up and supported her legs by holding her ankles and let her gradually resume the position she had started in. He could only imagine the conversation teenage girls had in gymnastics camps but there was no doubt he was the lucky recipient of some of Renee’s suppressed ideas and desires.

The sheer uniqueness of what she was doing was amazing but it was also tough on her back and so with an obscene plop she let go of his dick and returned to a standing above him. Andrew was achingly hard and Renee looked so inappropriately cute and innocent that he pushed her aside, grabbed the condom and wrapped myself up. Renee’s contribution? Lying on her back on the bed with her legs spread. Renee needed to visit him in Edinburgh so that he could fuck her on a bed that was designed for his height. The hotel bed was at that awkward height where nothing was easy. So he just lifted her up, backed her against the wall and then lowered her until they managed to connect. This allowed them to physically fuck but that was it. Renee was staring at his chest and he was staring at the wall. Oddly unsatisfying.

Andrew walked back to the bed, Renee still impaled upon him, and sat at the head twisting and sliding until his back was against the headboard but he slid down more than usual. Renee could get her knees onto the bed and they finally could look at each other as they fucked. Given the enormous height disparity between them it was important in a way that neither of them could define. He very rarely fucked Renee doggy, they needed to see each other’s face. But what it also allowed was kissing. Their penetration wasn’t very deep but they could kiss. When they were finished they returned to the usual position and could finally talk.

“I have not wished I was taller for quite a while but being 170cm would make things so much easier.”

Andrew loved her the way she was but there was no doubt that being nearly a foot and a half taller was a challenge. They lay there and kissed and cuddled for a long time, letting the endorphins be absorbed by their systems.

“I have an early flight in the morning so I will not wake you. Everything is paid for so you just need to hand in the key when you leave.”

“You don’t mind me staying here after you leave?”

“Why would I? If I had to settle the bill then it might be an issue but Hermès is paying so I can just leave. When you hand in the key then they can close the account and send the bill to them.”

“Okay, thank you. Did anyone talk to you about the shoot in the Alps?”

“No. Thursday and Friday were unending. You saw it earlier. That was the sixth women I had modelled with since 8.00 in the morning. I got back here well after 11.00 last night. I keep saying that the pace has to not be so frantic but if anything it is getting worse. So no, I have no idea what is happening other than it is in a place called Courcheval, wherever that is.”

“French Alps near the Italian border.”

That didn’t really narrow it down for him. Renee jumped off and looked at all the brochures in the pile on the desk. There was one that had a small outline of France on the front, including six or seven of the major cities.

“Look. It is roughly here.”

Draw a line between Lyon and Turin, and another between Geneva and Nice, and where they intersect is in the right area. It was a surprisingly long way south and east of Paris. Andrew could tell just from the location that he would need to call Marilyn the following week and figure out the logistics. He could also see why Hermès were concerned with chemistry. It was not like they could just send another model over. Heloise, Renee and Chiara were safe choices. But he also saw their point about using new models rather than the same three or four. Renee unexpectedly asked a question he wasn’t ready for, or really knew how to answer.

“Do you take all the models you work with to bed?”

Andrew wasn’t expecting the question and was trying to formulate a reply. But before he could even say something she carried on. Fortunately with a smile on her face.

“Will there be a rota? Do we have to share? Will your bed be big enough?”

The last finished with a squeal as Andrew tickled her but that momentary distraction gave him a chance to think about the answer. If Heloise, Chiara and Renee were all in the chalet at the same time...

“Without getting into any specifics, no I do not take all the models that I work with to bed. But you raise an interesting point about the week in the Alps.”

Someone was looking far too smug and was enjoying his discomfort.

“At least I have a chance to think about it. I could just imagine my face standing at the airport.”

He shook his head and Renee giggled.

“Such tough choices Andrew. It is so hard to be you.”

As she said hard her hand strayed. She was irrepressible. And that night Andrew held her close as spooned in behind her. He could feel her smiling. He gently kissed her cheek the following morning and headed to the restaurant. Marilyn did not look happy to be having breakfast at 7.00 in the morning but Andrew needed to get to the airport, so she didn’t have much choice. They had so much to talk about that she ended up in the cab to the airport with him and just stayed in it and returned to the city.

“Listen as I tell you my initial thoughts about what you are doing. Don’t interrupt, save your denials and comment until the end.”

Denials? This was going to be interesting.

“Hermès are taking advantage of you. You seem to put up with this punishing schedule that is just not done in the industry. In films yes, and maybe for a one or two day shoot to get it finished. But I found out how hard you worked in Cyprus, the week in Paris in September and now this week. You don’t need to put up with that. I have read the contract and although there is a pricing contingency for working really long hours it is also clear that the expectation is five eight hour days. You have been doing five 10 to 14 hour days. So that is the first thing. Your friendship with Manon Roux is also colouring this arrangement. You are too accommodating because of that friendship, and through your friendship with her you have become friendly with Beatrice Raymonde and Veronique Fournier.”

Fournier, who knew?

“The whole set-up is not how the industry works. There is still no agency involved in the commissioning of the commercials, Hermès are keeping it in house. Shoot schedules change during the week, which just never happens, well if a model is unavailable, but it is swapping one in for another, not changing what is going to be shot. I listened to you when you told me that this is not your life, I respect that, I am not sure I really understand it but I respect it and will abide by it. I look at how you were a year ago and how you are now, and you have improved tremendously, that is clear for everyone to see. So you need to think about all that. My recommendation is that you are less accommodating in January but I will hear what you have to say about that in a minute.

“The last thing I want to say to you is about this shoot in the Alps. I will check on insurance and things like that because you could easily twist a knee if they try and get you to ski and you fall awkwardly. But you will also be remote, up in the mountains, and so they will look for you to work long hours again. Too many models lead a party lifestyle which means that they are not in the studio at 7.30 ready to work. Trust me I am not normally sitting with a client at 7.45 in a taxi on the way to the airport. Okay, it is your turn.”

There was more than a hint of Freya about her, which when Andrew stopped and thought about it, is probably why he hired her.

“This is where having someone like you looking out for me is helpful. But one of the things is that I fly here on my own to work. What is the point at finishing at 4.30 or 6.00 or whatever if all I am going to do is sit in the hotel room. Same with the Alps. I don’t ski and thank you for thinking about insurance if I ski, so what am I going to do? Sit in front of the fire and drink hot chocolate. Sure I can go to a club but I am not going two nights never mind five or six. Several of the models have become friends, people that I write to out with the time that I am modelling. If I can help their careers in any way through doing an extra shoot then I will do so. That happened when Renee Clement replaced someone in September. She was telling me that she is doing more work, getting considered for more roles now than nine months ago and so I am happy to help her. Same with Chiara Zellicotti, same with Heloise de Hauteclocque. However, if they phoned me telling me that they had the chance of a lifetime but it was Thursday in November or Tuesday in February then I would tell them sorry but no. I will go the extra mile when I can but won’t lift a finger during term time. Give and take.

“So if Hermès, Beatrice, Manon, Veronique ask me to work 12 hour days for five days in the Alps then I will. Why the hell not? If everyone is pleased then they will be very eager for me in September.”

Neither one of them had interrupted the other and Marilyn had listened. But it was the term time story that resonated the most. He was not afraid of hard work but as usual it was on his terms.

“Okay, I again hear what you are saying and now I understand better. The term versus break distinction is something that I need to always consider. Okay, two more things. What do you want to do about the models for Courcheval? Three of them are clearly people that you have worked with in the past and have excellent chemistry. What do you want to do about the others? That is the first point, the other is about you. Can I ask you what you told all these models yesterday, about you, your background, anything?”

“The last two days were just too busy to really get into all that. I introduce myself as Andrew Bressay to them, in French, and Veronique and I talk in a mixture of English and French. My French is getting better and better, oddly technical, I would be terrible asking or understanding directions for instance but I know when she will talk to the crew in French what I need to do. Don’t block the shot, watch out for the cameraman right behind you. Stuff like that. So it is less obvious that I am Scottish. But I just don’t talk about what I do outside the Hermès work. One person was a little pushy but I just told her to drop it. I think five of the models know I am a student and my three close friends know I am at Cambridge. To everyone else I just try to keep quiet.

“As for the other models go and look at Wednesday afternoon versus yesterday afternoon. Wednesday was this Spanish game show hostess showing some side boob and a hint of arse. Now not everyone is comfortable doing what I do and so I understood, but this woman was scared. I don’t know that this was her idea or her agent’s idea. But she was awful. I honestly don’t know that they will be able to edit something useable out of it. Compare that to Solange yesterday. I asked her to trust me, we were going to do something different, she would get a chance to stand out from the crowd. She thought about it for a minute and put her trust in me and Veronique, she didn’t even want to know what was coming, so that Veronique could get genuine reactions. Moderately racier than anything else that day but still well within what she signed up for. That is what I want in the other model. Someone who wants to star, wants to be there, and is comfortable with her tits and arse being on full display. I know they are all going to be pretty, better than that, beautiful. It is embracing what they are asked to do. Oh, and being prepared to work fast. Low maintenance and always ready. After that it is just the difference between stunning and gorgeous, what the hell do I care.”

Marilyn smiled almost grimly.

“Okay, but that sounds like what Hermès want. What do you want?”

“Chemistry with the model. That is why Heloise, Chiara and Renee are all coming to Courcheval. The safe choices. Remember I am the lucky amateur, and am not good enough to fake love, lust, romance, make it look like there is a connection when there is not. That is my biggest limitation.”

“Where are you January 2^nd and 3^rd?”

“London.”

Andrew gave her Jim and Freya’s phone number.

“I am staying with friends, and they have an answering machine. If I am out I will get the message.”

He was finally at Charles de Gaulle and could escape. He at least remembered to sign the contract, Marilyn smiled at him and they air kissed before parting. Modelling was done for three weeks.