8am, Monde des Modes
Colette, Jaclyn, Michelle, Juliette: brunette, blonde, redhead, and blonde, respectively. All of them poised, twenty-something, and of course attractive.
"Bonjour mes demoiselles. Je pense que vous seriez perfert pour nos besoins."
The four young women smiled, per their training, but only one spoke up.
"Je m'appelle Colette." She paused, and spoke again in English. "My name is Colette. Your French is very good, but it may be easier to speak in English, d'accord?"
Bonnie nodded, greatly pleased that her skills wouldn't be too strained. Genie, on the other hand, was fairly faint with relief.
"D'accord, et merci. You four ladies appear to be most appropriate for our filming. I hope you understand that while you're hired to be in a television episode, you will not be required to speak dialogue, n'est-ce pas?"
Jaclyn spoke up, "Yes, we understand. That will make our work easier, if that does not offend you?"
"Not at all," Bonnie looked at Genie, and both of them smiled. "It will make everyone's work easier!"
"I've designed the outfits you'll be wearing," Genie explained. "Later on this afternoon I'll bring them all here to your studios for fitting and photos so we can review them with the costuming photos we have of the boys."
"These 'boys'," Michelle asked, "we will meet them before the shooting? It is not just posing, so I think it is good if we know them a little bit first."
"Exactly what we had in mind," Bonnie told them. "In fact you'll be coming back to the hotel with us now; we have a conference room reserved. We will 'match' you up according to how you look, but we'll all be spending a great deal of time together for the next week so it makes sense to get acquainted."
Genie leaned over and whispered in her ear, "A bit awkward, but I think we should say something about, well, possible 'social complications'?"
"Oh, right." Bonnie addressed the four models. "You're all lovely ladies and I imagine you've had your share of clients who'd like a little more personal time with you. The guys you'll be working with understand this is all professional business, but I want you to know that if they do ask you out socially, you can feel free to say no. Your work day ends when your contract says it does, and anything else is up to you."
"What she's saying," Genie added bluntly, "is blokes will be blokes, and if anyone gets out of line you can treat 'em like you would anyone else."
The four girls all laughed. "What is the saying, 'no sweat'?" Juliette assured Genie and Bonnie. "Let's go meet the 'blokes' and find out what we will be doing. For us, I think this will all be easy."
"From your mouth to God's ear, dearie," Genie muttered to Bonnie as they headed for the elevator.
Coffee and croissants had been set up by the hotel in a small, elegant meeting room. Bob, the guys, and Pam sat waiting in various stages of attentiveness. The slouching Monkees sat up a little straighter as Genie and Bonnie entered with the four French models. Micky and Davy showed particular enthusiasm.
"Okay, Bob, out," Bonnie ordered, pointing at him. "Pam, you can stay if you want."
"Huh? Out?" Bob wasn't too jet lagged to object to being ordered out of his own meeting.
"Yeah, out. Genie and I are going to handle this part, and the girls wanted to have a little meet and greet with the guys, because they are all gonna be working together for the next week. Better that they don't all start as complete strangers."
"Fine, but…"
Genie cut him off. "This is part of the visuals we have been talking about, Bob, the 'visuals' that you hired me to take charge of. It goes beyond clothes, at least for this episode. And Bonnie and I would appreciate it if you trusted us with the jobs you're paying us to do." Her tone implied she would have no patience with arguments.
Davy, Micky, Peter, and Mike sat back and waited for the explosion. Eight slightly bloodshot eyes widened in surprise when Bob caved without a fight.
"All right, all right, I guess this takes a 'woman's touch', huh? Fine, I'll go check in with Chip and the tech crew to go over the location logistics."
"Good boy," Bonnie whispered to herself.
"I heard that," Bob warned. "but I'll let it slide." He turned to the models. "Ladies, welcome to my nightmare." With that, he swept out of the room.
Genie took over. "Okay mates, up against the wall," she ordered the guys.
"I think I had dream like this once," Micky told the others with a sly grin, then quickly shot a look at Bonnie. "Don't smack me, I'm going! Ladies, she is mean, I am warning you now." The French women laughed among themselves, but waited for direction from Genie and Bonnie.
Genie eyed the guys, then looked over the four models, who stood side by side for consideration. "God bless professionals," Genie told them gratefully. "Right, Bonnie, how about… Colette with David, she's a good height and color match. Jaclyn with Peter, Michelle with Micky. Juliette, you're a lovely tall girl, we'll match you with Michael."
"Yeah, that works fine." Bonnie was taking notes, and missed the subtle, smug smile Mike had directed at her when Genie mentioned 'tall'. His smile faded when he saw how utterly blank Bonnie looked.
"Hey Morris, you hangin' in okay?"
"Doing fine, you see a problem?" she asked a little testily. I don't need a stinking babysitter.
"Pam," Mike turned to her without missing a beat, "didn't Morris here promise to tell you how she did the up front work on this shindig? Give you a little background for that article of yours… right?"
Pam looked puzzled at first, and then caught his drift. "Yeah, actually I almost forgot. Bonnie, can you take a few minutes now, before everything gets really busy? I'll just come up to your room and you can show me all those notes and outlines you told me about."
Bonnie was absolutely lost. "I don't know what…"
"Go on, I can handle this," Genie told her. "Besides if you get a hand on the coffee there won't be a drop left for the rest of us."
"Can't bail on Sixteen, that'd make uslook very uncool." Mike emphasized. "Go on, give Pam a little inside material. Then catch some z's or you'll be too trashed to keep up with us."
Pam already was headed for the door. "C'mon, I won't have time later."
"Uh, okay. I'll catch up later, Genie."
"Great." Genie was ushering all the "matchups" into adjacent seats around the conference table as Bonnie and Pam made their exit.
"I'm sorry, I don't remember any of this," Bonnie was apologizing to Pam as they rode the elevator up to the floor she'd reserved for everyone.
"No, I'm sorry," Pam replied sheepishly. "You didn't really promise me anything, but if you want to tell me about all that up-front planning I'd love to include it in the article."
They stepped into the corridor as Bonnie asked, "So what's this all about, anyway?" She stopped at the room she'd reserved (for both of them, though she hadn't known that at the time).
"I'm not completely sure but I think it has something to do with you getting some rest before you fall apart. No offense, but you look kinda raggedy."
Bonnie gestured in exasperation, almost dropping her briefcase and notes. "Great, even you've joined the conspiracy. Okay, I can take a hint, I am unraveling from the inside out. Time to crash for awhile. Oh shit, I forgot to pick up my key. I mean our keys."
"Your stuff's in that room." Pam pointed to the door on the opposite side of the hall and handed her a key. "Genie said she'd swap with you. Don't worry, I'm not offended. I think it's kinda sweet that you and Mike'll be able to get some time together. In Paris, too. That's so romantic."
Bonnie swallowed a laugh. "Honey you just sounded your age for the first time since you joined this circus. Nothing about this trip is gonna be even remotely 'romantic', I don't care where it is. And there's no guarantee there would be any time for that anyway. But thanks, and you should thank Genie too. I am not the most joyous person in the morning before I have my coffee." She opened the door to her new room, and stumbled in.
Pam stood frowning in the hallway, not liking Bonnie's blasé attitude one bit. Paris with someone you love (or like, or whatever they were in together) shouldn't be just business, that was just wrong. She trotted to the elevator to return to the conference room, where she hoped to catch Mike before the meeting broke up. He wasn't the friendliest sort, but she hoped that he'd be interested in what she had to tell him. This was turning out to be a much different trip than she'd imagined… and she'd already decided she didn't mind at all that she wouldn't be able to report on most of it.
"Bonjour mes demoiselles. Je pense que vous seriez perfert pour nos besoins." - Good morning, ladies. I think you'll be perfect for what we require.
"D'accord, et merci." - Agreed, and thank you.
n'est-ce pas - Is that not so?