Budget Cuts! by Forks1 Disclaimer:
Thank you HB & Twilightened! You guys are great in the beta and friendship department! Chapter 2: Rosalie Rosalie Hale McCarty Cullen
I was up against a wall. The money Carlisle handed out two days ago was gone. I needed more money and Emmett was hiding all the money he had left. It was time to go in search of a job. A shutter went down my spine just thinking about having to work with humans. Esme, bless her heart was so supportive when it came to things like this. She suggested an auto shop.
Carefully lowering the hood of my 2009 Camaro, I walked out of the garage. I needed to find the newspaper and check the job listings.
I scanned the listings in the classified ads for auto mechanics, but was disappointed at the lack of jobs. There were listings for little hole-in-the-wall grease pits, and there was NO way I was going to lower myself to working at a place named, Bubba Ray's Rev'n Riggs. As I neared the end of the automotive section, I found a listing that looked promising. I had heard only good things about Worldwide Muscle Cars, and the fact that it was a nationwide chain lifted my spirits. The pay was nothing compared to what I was used to, but it would have to work given the circumstance I was in. Jotting down the phone number and address, I ran up to my room to grab my cell phone from it's charger. Five minutes later, I had my interview set up for 3:45pm the following day.
Now that I was almost gainfully employed, there was nothing left to do other than to go bug Emmett. Installing the make-shift basketball hoop/stripper pole yesterday proved to be quite interesting. I was constantly catching him playing on the pole when he had excused himself to shoot some hoops. I couldn't fault the guy for wanting privacy, with Edward's mind reading and Jasper's mood enhancing capabilities, Emmett couldn't get a moment's peace.
"Hey Emmett, wanna go shoot a few hoops?" I teased as I walked into the rec room. Emmett of course was playing Halo and by the intense look on his face he was about to lose another game controller.
"Not until Edward and Jasper leave-" Emmett hissed as he crushed the controller in his hands. "Damn! I need to stock up again and my money is almost gone."
"Speaking of money-" I paused, reaching up to twirl a lock of my hair around my fingers, "I have an interview tomorrow after school. How is your job situation?"
Emmett shot me a wide goofy grin, "Oh, a few more things to work out in my routine and I will be ready to hit the stage. Open auditions are Saturday morning."
I had only caught glimpses of his routine so far and I had to admit to myself that he was smokin' hot and clearly a natural at the movements he was putting together.
The next day...
School seemed to drag on and on. All I could think about was getting my hands under the hood of a finely tuned muscle car. My imagination was getting away from me- I could almost feel the warm pieces of metal I would soon be touching. I hope I can get my fingers dirty when I play inside whatever needs work. Finally the last bell rang, signaling the end of another school day.
Racing out to my supped up BMW convertible Z4, I slid behind the steering wheel, turned the key in the ignition and relaxed into the seat. Nothing spoke more clearly than the soft purr of a well built engine. I let the top down for the short drive downtown because topless was my favorite way to go.
One last check in the mirror told me what I already knew. I looked utterly perfect. I couldn't help but notice the crowd of men looking my way as I stepped out of my little red ride. I wasn't sure if it was my car or me, that was the focus of their lust filled gazes, but if I had to put my money on it, I would have to put the money on me. Alice had carefully picked my outfit for today. A short white and black checkered mini-skirt with a tight red tank top, covered with a nearly see through white blouse. The 4 inch red heels might have been a little much, but Alice knew I needed to make a great first impression!
Enjoying the attention, I swung my hip to the side, bumping my car door softly enough to close it without making a dent. Reaching over the closed door, I reached in and grabbed my purse.
The smells of expensive oils and grease that assaulted my nose nearly brought me to my knees as I walked to the front desk. The pretty woman sitting behind the desk froze when she looked at me. The name tag on her shirt announced that her name was Kristine.
"Ca- Can I help you miss?" She stuttered.
"I have a 3:45 with Tegan."
A puzzled look came across her face as she looked me up and down. Shaking her head, she glanced down at her appointment book and raised her eyebrows in surprise.
"Rosalie Hale? Your here for the mechanic job?" The hint of laughter in her voice irritated me.
"Of course I am," my tone level, "see my car out there? That shiny red number?" I asked, "I bought it new, tore it apart and completely rebuilt every square inch on that baby. I can promise you that it is the fastest car on your lot." I finished with a knowing smirk on my lips.
Why was I letting this girl get to me?
"I'm sure you're right," she said matter of factly, "if you could just fill out this application and a take a seat, Tegan will be right with you."
I took the clipboard from Kristine and sat down to answer the questions asked. This looks easy. I wrote my name and address and paused on the line that prompted for my birth-date. Snickering to myself, I wrote in my cover birth-date, making myself 17 again. Once all the personal questions were filled out, I started in on the rest of the applications.
1. Why are you applying for this job?
My dad took away all access to my credit cards. I only get $500 a month cash! Who can live on that? Oh, I also love to tinker with cars. Right now, my 2009 Camaro is pulled apart in my garage. I am working on the engine and adding nitro.
2. If a co-worker tried to hit on you, what would you do to discourage it?
Um, why would I discourage it? Everyone knows I'm beautiful. It just goes along with the territory. Besides, it is nice to know you can keep the men drooling after all these years!
3. If a co-worker is rude to you, what do you do?
Well, if anyone is going to be rude, it is me. I don't care about what anyone else thinks.
Once I was finished with my application, I stood and walked around the showroom. All the beautiful shiny paraphernalia was calling out to me. The dual mufflers, exhaust systems and nitro kits were begging to be stroked as I walked by.
"Rosalie?" A deep male voice brought me back from my quiet appreciation of my surroundings.
Turning to the man that called me, I was taken off guard by his huge frame. The tight black T clung to every curve of his large muscles. His face was rough and chiseled, His eyes were warm as he extended his large calloused hand toward me. His grip was firm as we shook hands.
"My name is Tegan, I am the general manager for this area."
"Nice to meet you. I am impressed with your showroom."
Tegan smiled at my compliment, "let's head back to my office and we can discuss why you are here."
I could see by the look in his eyes that he was not sure why I was really here. Maybe the choice of outfits was not the best idea after all. I should have listened to Bella when she told me that plain jeans and a T-shirt were more appropriate.
Tegan's office was comfortable. Plaques and pictures hung on the walls, mini sports cars decorated the shelves. There was a wedding picture of Kristine and him on his desk. Cute couple."So, Rosalie..." Tegan paused as he scanned my application. I heard a soft chuckle as he brought the paper up to shield his face.
"You know how to fix cars?" He sounded skeptical.
Internally I rolled my eyes, "Actually, I don't fix cars." Tegan's left eyebrow rose, "I recreate them," I said examining my freshly painted red nails.
Tegan's right eyebrow shot up to join the left one.
"And how do you recreate them?" The doubt in his voice was undeniable.
"Well, take my Z4 for instance. I bought it with all the bells and whistles but before I drove it, I rebuilt the engine, added nitro and now- let's just say that I would bet it could beat anything you've got," I tried to not sound smug. "Right now, my newest obsession is torn apart in my garage at home. I can't put it back together until I get a few more parts but when I am finished, it will be a completely different car than what I bought."
Tegan leaned back in his chair staring at me for a few minutes. "Here's the thing Rosalie, I need a mechanic. I also need a new spokesman, or in your case, spokeswoman for the company. While you seem to know your way around cars, I think you would be better suited behind the camera rather than under a hood."
I couldn't stop the glare that crossed my face. Typical male pig!
He shifted in his chair obviously knowing he had irritated me but kept on talking, "there is no traveling required, you would work the occasional weekend car show and the photo shoots for magazines would be mid week, but you would get two days advance notice. The pay is considerably higher than the mechanic's salary."
That was the decision maker right there. As much as I wanted to get my hands inside of other car engines, I had my own project at home that needed funding.
"What's the pay and when can I start?" I asked coolly.
"Well, we need one of your parents to come in and sign a waiver since you are under aged, but once that's done, we could have you behind a camera within the week. You will start off making fifteen hundred a month base with an additional five hundred for each photo shoot for the first three months. Once your trial period is over, you will get commissions on magazine sales. The more issue sold, the more money you'll make."
Smiling, I reached down to my purse and pulled out my cell phone. Pressing 3 on my speed dial, I was immediately connected to Esme. After explaining what needed to be done, I hung my phone up.
"My mom will be here within the hour."
3 days later
I was really excited for my first photo shoot. The package from work arrived earlier this morning containing the outfit I was to wear at the photo shoot and thankfully Emmett was on his way to his audition. The tiny red string bikini inside the large box looked to be 2 sizes too small for me but the matching red heels were a perfect fit. Emmett wouldn't let me out of the house if he saw what I was required to wear. I had to admit that the bikini was obscene, barely covering my breasts and butt, but damn! I looked hot. I would obviously wear it with pride.
I arrived a few minutes early wearing a long trench coat covering the barely there bikini. The huge showroom was now housing 4 beautiful cars. The one that caught my eye was a cherry red 1968 Shelby mustang. Naughty images filled my mind as I imagined what was under the hood.
Tegan came from across the room, "Rosalie, are you ready for today?"
"Yes, where do they want me?"
"Hold on, I'll ask." Tegan walked to the beautiful man standing behind the camera. What was with all these hunky hulky men?
As Tegan and the big man walked back toward me, I couldn't take my eyes off his built body. The muscles in his legs clenched and released as he walked, his massive shoulders moving slightly with each step. I had to swallow a mouthful of venom that was suddenly present in my mouth. What is wrong with me? Emmett is the picture of sexiness! I needed to get a grip and fast.
"Rosalie, this is Dante. He will give you instruction on how he wants today to go." Tegan smiled and then walked away.
Dante stuck his hand toward me. I smiled as we shook hands.
"Nice to meet you, Dante."
"The pleasure is all mine." His voice was deep and masculine. "Let's get started, shall we?"
Dante motioned toward the classic mustang. Holy crap! I am going to sit inside that beautiful car. I really need to acquire one of these soon.
Walking to the side of the car, I paused long enough to admire the gloss of the paint that reflected my image as a perfectly cleaned mirror. Dang, I look good in Red! I untied the belt holding my coat closed and shrugged out of it. There were several gasps and quick intakes of breath from the men in the room. The corner of my mouth lifted, works every time!
The driver's side door was opened and I was about to climb in when Dante cleared his throat. "Excuse me, what are you doing?" Confusion was evident in his tone.
I cocked my head to the side to look at him and I shrugged my shoulders, "Getting inside the car so you can take my picture." I tried to keep my voice from getting snappy. I knew where they wanted me but here was no way I was going there.
"Well, Rosalie, we usually take pictures with the models on the car, not in it."
"Are you insane?" I hissed, "look at the perfect paint job, the owner must have spent a small fortune to get such a pristine shine! Only an ignorant buffoon would suggest such a blasphemous thing."
"Ignorant buffoon?" he laughed, "Well, this ignorant buffoon is in charge of where you sit your fine ass, and he says that you need to scootch yourself up on the hood of that pony right now!"
I clenched my teeth, balled my hands into fists and screamed, "Tegan!"
A hush fell across the loud chatter that had been present in the room as Tegan strutted toward me.
"Rosalie? Is there a problem?" Tegan asked, crossing his arms across his chest.
"Problem? This big jerk wants me to taint this perfect paint job by scootching," (using the first two fingers on each hand to air quote 'scootch' for emphasis), "myself up on the hood for some stupid pictures!"
Tegan's right hand went up to his chin as his thumb and index finger played with the scruffy whiskers.
"Rose, what do you think your job as spokesman for this company is?" he asked patiently.
"To generate interest in the company so people come in to buy what we have to offer."
Tegan nodded, "And what about the photo shoots for the magazines?"
"Well, I knew I would model next to the cars, but to sit on a fine specimen like this is crossing the line." I hissed.
Tegan laughed, "Model next to the cars? Have you not seen a car or mechanic magazine?"
My feet moved to shoulder length apart, my fists came to rest on my hips as I focused my frustration onto Tegan, "Of course I have seen those magazines! Hell, I own subscriptions to every auto magazine company out there!"
"Well, then, you would know that the models don't just stand next to the cars, but sit on them, seducing every guy that sees the spread into wanting to patronize that company."
I heard the double meaning to his comments but chose to ignore them.
"What do I look like to you? A cheap dumb blond sex goddess?" I paused, "Wait, don't answer that yet- let me rephrase that- Do I look like a cheap dumb blond?"
Tegan and Dante suppressed a laugh as they exchanged looks.
"Look, I know that if I just stand in front of the car, I will sell as many issues as if I sit on the car. Don't make me sit on this beautifully restored machine." I pleaded.
Dante smiled, "Alright, Rosalie, I have a better idea anyway," he snickered bumping his arm against Tegan's.
"Thank you," I sighed knowing that that no matter what, his better idea was better than his first suggestion.
"You don't need to sit on the car, just stand in front of the driver's side door, face the car and lean down, propping your arms onto the open window, but turn your head around to smile at the camera."
I rolled my eyes but felt satisfied with the change of venue. I did as instructed only to hear, "Oh, could you arch your back a little so your ass sticks out a little further."
The next pose he wanted was for me to crouch down by the front tire with my feet spread apart, my knees open with my elbows propped up on them.
I was fairly certain that a few of those shots were for personal use only. Pervert.
My day turned out to be a long one, full of naughty poses and annoying men ogling every move I made. It was against photo shoot policy for anyone other than the photographer to take my pictures but there were several pictures taken- but what could I do? I had to ignore every silent camera phone click.
All in all, it was worth walking out of the showroom with my first photo shoot paycheck. The five hundred would go far, but it was a start.