I saw more movement to my left and turned. Another person was walking towards me now. Not an ordinary human though. She was the tallest, most gorgeous woman I’d ever seen in my entire life and she was strutting towards me. No doubt this was the model for the shoot. She walked as if she was on a catwalk. Her shiny, shiny, borderline reflective hair billowed out behind her and bounced as her hips jutted from side to side, causing her whole body to sway from left to right with each step.Who walked like that?And why had she not dislocated something?
Her little ballerina arms looked somehow separate from the rest of her body and hung like delicate butterfly wings from her perfect shoulders. Her collarbones protruded in that mocking way that screamed, “No, bitches, I don’t need to eat.” I stopped chewing and slipped my chocolate in my bag, she was making me feel like a beached marine animal. Possibly a beached elephant seal.
She was also pouting. Her full lips were slicked with lip-gloss that twinkled in the overhead lights. Who pouted like that? Who pursed their lips together like they were sucking on a lollipop, or worse? Heads turned and people stared—clearly the effect she wanted to illicit. I looked back at Angie and Becks and they both looked positively gutted, the competition had officially arrived and suddenly I imagined Ben ripping open that condom while she licked him like a giant lollipop.
“Hi.” I heard another voice and turned once more. It was Ben and he was also walking in my direction. I tried,oh-so-flippin’ hard, not to let my jaw drop to the floor. He was wearing a casual pair of jeans and a black v neck t-shirt. He looked completely different in that outfit and maybe because it was new, I don’t think I had seen him looking better. Judging by the looks on the other’s faces, they seemed to agree.
And as if perfectly timed, the three crowds descended on me at the exact same moment. we all looked at each other tossing around those awkward, polite smiles that come from not really knowing each other outside of work. I was trying hard not to let anyone see what I was thinking, i.e.ripping Ben’s shirt from his body with my teeth, rubbing my chocolate all over it and licking it off.I glanced over at the model. She looked like she was thinking the exact same thing, probably substituting the chocolate part for a low-cal celery smoothie though. Her little eyes twinkled at him, her silky lashes blinked and her pout got bigger . . .
Look at me. I have big, beautiful blowjob lips and I want to put them to good use . . . on you.Crap!And now I was thinking about him coming on someone’s face again.
The image was so disturbingly hideous that I gasped loudly and then started coughing. I hadn’t meant to. And it was so loud that everyone turned and looked at me, including Ben.
“You okay?” Becks asked looking at me curiously.
“Mmmm.” I nodded and then patted my chest. “Think I inhaled something . . .” I tapered off.Inhaled what?What a stupid thing to say and suddenly I hoped they didn’t think I was snorting lines.
“Inhaled what?” Ben asked. He was trying to hide it, but the corners of his mouth twitched into a tiny smile.
“A . . . . a . . . .” Everyone was looking at me . . . waiting.Fuck!“Probably pollen.” I was so happy when the thought came to me that I smiled at them all.
“We’re in an airport,” Ben didn’t hide his smile now. “There shouldn’t be any pollen in here.” He was teasing me. He was trying to rile me up.The bastard.
I pointed over at the pot plant behind him feeling pleased with myself, “What’s that then?”
“As far as I know, palm trees don’t give off pollen.” He took a tiny step towards me. The people around us disappeared and I felt myself being pulled into my own private bubble with Ben.
“So you’re also a botanist, then?” I teased.
“Only in my spare time.” He folded his arms across his chest, causing the neck of his shirt to dip lower, revealing more of that tattoo that I’d found myself thinking so much about lately.
“Fascinating,” I said back to him.
“I’m a man of many talents, Sera.”
“Really?”
“Yup.”
“Good for you.”
A movement entered my peripheral vision and made me turn. Becks was leaning towards me with a confused look on her face, and suddenly I became very aware of the people around me again. My Ben bubble popped and when I came out of it, I realized that everyone was looking at us oddly.Shit!
Ben must have realized it too, because his demeanor quickly changed. “We don’t want to miss our flight, do we? Come.” Ben started walking off and everyone followed. I hung back for a moment, trying to gather myself and fight off the plummeting feeling that had just fallen into the pit of my stomach. That moment shouldnothave happened. People would start getting suspicious if Ben and I carried on like that. I quickly tried to remind myself of all those really good reasons that I shouldn’t date him. I took a deep breath and started walking after the group.
Once at the gates we all pulled out our tickets and then boarded the plane. I found my seat quickly as it was close to the front. I sat down and buckled up as I watched everyone walk past me towards the back of the plane. I glanced down at my ticket again,was I sitting in the wrong seat?But my question was quickly answered when Ben slipped in next to me.
31. Miss Pouty Lip
“Oh wow, you’re sitting here too. What a coincidence.” It sounded completely untrue.
I gave him a sideways glance. “Really?”
“Ja, I had no idea we would be booked next to each other and everyone else would be seated all the way at the very, very,veryback of the plane.” He shot me a smile and I tried not to reciprocate, but I felt the corners of my mouth twitch in response.
“Hey,” I heard someone say and looked up. The model had stopped in the aisle next to Ben’s seat.
“Hey, I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself,” she said in a sweet singsong voice that gave her a slight schoolgirl edge. “Cindy.” She extended her hand for Ben to shake. He did. She leaned in closer, closer, closer . . .too close.“I’m so excited to be working with you,” she cooed. “Your reputation really proceeds you.” She smiled. It was the kind of smile that told me she wasn’t talking about his professional reputation, but another one entirely. I crossed my legs and folded my arms, which caused her to look up to me briefly. She smiled at me and then started walking again. I sort of wish she’d tripped.
