Jae tried to shake her hand, but she ignored it in favour of giving him a big smacker on each cheek.
“Are you my subject today?”
“Subject?” Jae looked at me.
“Yup.”
Maddison clapped her hands together. “Wonderful. Come in, come in. Everything is ready and waiting.” She put her hand on Jae’s back, between his shoulder blades, and steered him into her studio. “We’ll start with what you’re wearing, and then I’ve got some more outfits for you to wear. We’ll also do a few shots of you without make-up, but they can wait until the end of the shoot.” She smiled at me. “You have a good eye for measurements, Xander. I think you got them spot on.”
I rubbed the back of my neck.
“Measurements?” Jae asked.
“So I knew what size clothes to have ready for you.”
“Shots?”
“For your portfolio and comp card.”
Jae stared at me, jaw slack. “I—”
I put my hand up before he could say another word. “Go with it, okay? Maddison took photos of me that I used for marketing. I knew she’d be able to help you.”
“But—”
“No buts. You need a new portfolio, don’t you?”
He nodded.
“Then have fun. Today is all about you.”
Jae’s chin trembled. “Thank you. You’re amazing.” He sounded so grateful and awestruck that it made my heart melt.
“You can sit over there.” Maddison motioned to a chair. “Stay out of the way.”
I gave her a mock salute and then did as instructed. I sat with my arms loosely folded, watching as she got Jae to pose on a stool so she could take several headshots. He took her instruction well, making minor adjustments every time she made a suggestion. As far as I could tell, he was a natural at modelling. The agency had been crazy to turn him down the day before. But what did I know? I wasn’t an expert. I only knew what was beautiful to my eyes.
After the headshots, they did some standing, sitting, and kneeling poses against a crisp white backdrop. Then she sent Jae to a different room to change. When he came out, he wore a white T-shirt with a leather jacket over slim-fit jeans. He’d changed his make-up, making it more dramatic with dark eyes and deep-red lips. Did he carry make-up around, or had Maddison put some out for him to use?
“Gorgeous,” Maddison said. “We’ll do a few shots in this outfit, and then I’ll get you to change again.”
I was mesmerised as Jae went back to posing. He seemed more relaxed during that round of photos, and Maddison didn’t give him as much guidance. The more I watched Jae, the more my insides quivered. How had I known him for so long but failed to appreciate how damned gorgeous he was?
Five outfits later and after taking some photos where Jae wasn’t wearing any make-up, Maddison decided she had enough shots.
“Why don’t you get some lunch? Then you can pick your favourite photos afterwards.”
I stood and stretched. “Sounds good. Do you want us to bring anything back for you?”
Maddison shook her head. “I brought lunch with me.”
“Sensible.”
“I work through my lunch break more often than not, so bringing it with me saves me time. Now go on. Scoot. I want to look at the photos before I show them to you. Take an hour. At least.”
“Yes, boss.”
She laughed. “I had fun working with you, Jae.”
