Luisa simply smiled. Talia was firmly of the belief that it was when models started trying to branch out that it all went wrong. Her philosophy was simple:do the work, get paid. Cimarron was a perfume brand that had chosen Luisa to be the face of their launch, and she'd got to know Solana, the Texan founder and daughter of some serious wealth, and the people around her well. There was something about Solana that told Luisa that her brand was going to be a success and, with one eye on planning for the future, particularly considering the relative lack of longevity of a model's peak career, Luisa had jumped at a deal that swapped most of the cash for a small but not insignificant piece of the equity in the business.
Essentially, Talia was pissed with Luisa about that one because Luisa didn't go through her to negotiate it. It would be fine, Luisa didn't normally bypass her and she'd promised Talia not to do it again, but of course Talia brought it up every time they saw each other.
"I'm getting paid enough still to more than cover your cut. You know my thoughts, we're just going to have to agree to disagree."
Talia pursed her lips. Her expression saidmodels, and not in a complimentary way. After a few moments, Talia moved past it. “They want you for the Italy shoot still,” Talia said. “It’s worthlooking at… I know you’re happy focusing on America but if you could break into that market, it could work well.”
Luisa pursed her lips, considering it. The clothing brand in question had been chasing for a while to get her to be part of the campaign, apparently her look was exactly what they needed, but she’d been equivocal in her replies… put simply, she’d never been to Europe before and she had more than enough work without crossing the Atlantic.
But… an idea formed. “When is it again?”
“Just over a month from now. Amalfi.” Talia smiled. “There’s a lot worse places to spend a week, trust me.”
“My schedule’s clear either side of it, isn’t it?”
Talia looked at her notebook. “Yes. You’ve got the week before and the week after clear.” She looked back at Luisa. “You’re keen then?”
Luisa nodded slowly. Work in Europe with a week free on either side was, thanks to Amy, perfect… she’d have the excuse of having to be there, so it would be a much easier way of seeing Amy without making it too pressured or coming across as too keen. And if, for some reason, Amy’s upcoming visit didn’t work out then she’d just go straight to Italy and it was still good for her career. A win-win really. “Yes… but keep those weeks either side free.”
Talia studied her intently for a few moments. “Any particular reason?”
Luisa felt her cheeks redden but simply said, “No, just want to see Europe. I’ve never been.”
Laughing, Talia replied, “Well, whoever it is you want to see in Europe is none of my business. Just don’t let them distract you from the shoot.”
“Is it that obvious?”
“Only because I’ve been doing this for thirty years now…” She looked at Luisa with an indulgent smile, then switched subjects. “Are you still going to the premiere later?”
“Yeah, Julian’s taking me. My friend Maria is coming too. You’ll be there?”
“Absolutely, wouldn’t miss it for anything. You know how excited I get about the latest movies.” The face that Talia pulled made Luisa laugh… Talia absolutely hated sitting through a movie, but she absolutely loved the wheeling and dealing before and after. “I’ll see you at some point, I could do with talking to Julian about something.”
“You want me to tee him up?”
“It wouldn’t hurt, but no problem if you don’t manage it. Make sure you get pictured on his arm when you arrive… it’s good exposure.”
***
Luisa headed over to Julian’s house late afternoon, part of their long standing arrangement. He was the ‘not-boyfriend’ that she’d told Amy about when they first met, an older andvery successful man who’d been refreshingly open with Luisa when she’d had dinner with him on first arriving in LA. They weren’t dating, they wouldn’t live together or get married, but they enjoyed each other’s company and had a completely open arrangement. They both could and regularly did see other people, and both knew and understood that the other might end their arrangement if they met someone special. It worked well, particularly socially where he benefited from having a model on his arm and she benefited from his deep and, in many cases, invisible industry connections.
His house was… well, she’d need her career to go absolutely stellar to have any hope of getting a place like his. Beverley Hills, modern, floor-to-ceiling windows and a tropical garden and pool. She didn’t know what it cost, but she did know that she couldn’t remotely afford it.
Julian opened the door before she could knock, phone pressed to his ear. “…yes, I understand, but that’s not what we agreed to.” He waved her in, mouthing sorry as his conversation continued. “Look, I need you to go back and check the exact wording…”
Luisa slipped past him, briefly putting her hand on his shoulder and smiling her understanding, and headed straight into the air-conditioned interior, aiming for the master bedroom. She’d been to his house more times than she could count and treated it like a second home.
Right then she had eyes only for the bathroom… marble floor, huge tub, and a magnificent walk-in shower with a rainfall showerhead. It was so much better than the bathroom in her own studio apartment, and a huge perk from going out with him that night.
The hot water felt incredible on her sore muscles, and she stood under the spray, eyes closed, letting the heat work out the tension from Kai’s workout that morning. Julian’s voice carried through from somewhere in the house, still negotiating.
She’d just finished rinsing the conditioner from her hair when she heard the bathroom door open and saw him leaning back against the vanity, looking in her direction.
“Still on hold,” Julian said over the sound of the water. “Third time.”
“That bad?” she called back. They’d been naked together so many times that she had absolutely no qualms whatsoever about being naked in the shower while they talked. This was what they did.
“That annoying.” He paused. “How’s the shower?”
