Chapter Five: First Days are Hard
She hadn't been able to sleep…or eat the entire weekend. In fact, she'd stayed at Alya's just to avoid the awkward moments she knew she'd have to face with her parents if they'd seen her catwalk…and of course, the knocking that might come on her skylight.
Oh, God. What if he had seen it? What would he think of her now? He'd probably wonder what had gotten into her! The last was supposed to go up any time today, Monday, and she had no plans to show her embarrassed face anywhere. She'd been hiding. Though, her phone had been blowing up with texts from the few friends who did have her number.
Even Adrien had sent her a few texts the morning after her walk, Saturday.
(9:02 a.m.) Adrien: Hey. Hope you're well.
After two hours of silence from her, because her heart had been stuck in her throat, he'd tried another tentative text.
(11:14 a.m.) Adrien: Just wanted to say I thought you did amazing yesterday. Good job.
She hadn't responded because she was afraid of saying something inadvertantly stupid. Just saying thank you seemed flat and vaguely narcissistic, and anything beyond that got stuck at her fingertips, so she'd given up, leaving the messages widely unanswered.
"Over two million views now, girl, and the consensus is Marinette Dupain-Cheng is off the chain, started by the wonderfully creative Kim, as far as I can surmise," she snickered. There was a picture of her beside the video, a still of her lip bite moment, and she cringed.
"I look like a moron!"
"You look like a sex goddess. I'm not kidding, stop that. You need to lean into this. I'm not kidding. It's a once in a lifetime chance to step into a different role. Be confident," Alya demanded. "In fact, you're no longer Marinette Dupain-Cheng…" she breathed, eyes widening, fingers flying across her phone's keyboard. "We need wardrobe. I refuse to let you squander this opportunity to be brave and live a little," she said firmly.
"W-what?"
"You'll see!"
That's what the nervous feeling in the pit of her gut was afraid of…
***Three hours Later***
"The list is up," Alya declared, staring at her phone. "Do you want the good news or the bad news? Or the excellent news or the horrifying news…or the dreadful news or the exciting news….or the…"
Marinette's heart stammered. "Alya!" She was consistently tugging at the hem of her skirt as Mylène stuck another pin between her teeth.
"Okay, okay!" The crimson haired beauty snorted. "Well, I didn't make the cut, so there ya go," she chuckled easily. "No big deal though because I'm applying for an internship with a small newspaper for the summer."
"That's awesome," Marinette replied easily, grinning. "Good luck!" She was genuinely happy for her friend because journalism was in the caramel skinned beauty's blood. It was no small feat Ladybug had been able to keep her secret identity for so long with a friend like Alya by her side.
"Thanks! Now, the excellent news is, you and Mylène got in on the design team," she said slowly.
Marinette's heart skyrocketed, and the shorter woman squealed in surprised when she pulled away from her probing fingers to twirl in an excited circle. "Yes! Yes-yes-yes!" She pumped her fists excitedly. "Yes!"
Mylène giggled, her face flaring a bright shade of scarlet. "I'm sure Mari's walk had a lot to do with my pick."
"Nonsense! Your work is incredible! We're going to be designers together, be excited," Marinette squealed.
Alya laughed softly. "Not finished there, Ms. Lip bite."
Her arms dropped, face falling in an immediate reaction to the name. "What could possibly follow that?"
"You also made the modeling crew," she smirked, pointing at the list.
Her mouth fell open. That had to be a mistake. "What else could go wrong?"
"Well," Alya drew the one word out impossibly long, cringing. "Lila made it, too."
Great. "Who else?"
"Chloe, and some woman named Victoria."
She nodded slowly. Chloe used to be an annoying source of Akuma victims, but now, she'd actually leveled out quite a bit. "Male models?"
"Oh," she muttered to herself as she scrolled. "OH!" Her eyes widened. "I didn't even see him there…"
"Who?"
"Uh…Luka..made…the cut.."
The bluenette's heart did a freefall. Luka would only complicate her tumultuous mind. At one point, when life with Adrien seemed a long shot and she'd been desperately lonely, she'd turned to Luka, and he genuinely liked her, and they'd kissed…and she…enjoyed it, and she liked Luka…but…just not enough to want to be with him. He still hadn't let it go.
"Anyone else we know?"
Her friend shook her head. "No, only two other guys, someone named Andrew, and another named Matthew."
Hm. She swallowed slowly, staring at herself in the mirror. "S-so, what are we supposed to do next then?"
Alya was reading through the site instructions. "Winners will receive emailed instructions on their tasks," she said, shrugging.
Marinette frowned, pulling up her own email on her phone, eyes widening. She'd been informed of her win yesterday ahead of the posting. "Shit!"
"What?"
"I got my emails yesterday," she whispered. Two of them.
Mylène nodded. "Yeah, me too. Mine said I'd get my design work in a week or two."
"Yeah," the bluenette laughed nervously. "Mine says that too, except," she swallowed. "The modeling one says I'm supposed to be at a test shoot for the winner photos today in about forty-five minutes!"
Alya gawked before pulling her face together. "Okay, it's okay!" She sounded a little panicked. "You can totally make it."
Marinette felt her heart slipping out through her gut, but the caramel beauty gave her cheek a firm slap. Nothing malicious, just a 'get yourself together' whack, and her bluebell orbs widened.
"You can make it, and you will do it," she said firmly, glowering over obsidian spectacles.
"I can't," she whined. "I'm going to throw up! I'm just plain ole Marinette Dupain-Cheng!"
Alya gave her head a sharp shake as she gestured Mylène to hurry up and finish her work before lithe fingers scrubbed at the bluenette's long thick waves to spread them out around her body. "You are not Marinette Dupain-Cheng anymore," she said sternly. "You are a superstar, remember? A sexy superstar?"
Mari swallowed, giving a slow nod.
"Okay, so, whenever you feel like plain ole Marinette, you're not going to get discouraged because you're going to remember your new name!" She smiled.
"What's my new name?"
"I hereby dub you," she grinned playfully. "Marinette Dupain-Unchained."
They looked at each other, serious, before bursting into laughter. It was the most ridiculous name, however; as she stared at herself in the mirror, at all her exposed flesh, and the nervous smile, it clicked. Unchained, would certainly fit the attitude she needed to adhere to if she wanted to keep up her faux confidence. I am a sexy superstar. Marinette Dupain-Unchained.
***…Three Minutes…to….spare…***
Adrien stared at the gathering winners, noting that out of the two missing, one of them was the only person he really wanted to see. He'd texted her, fumbling over the most inane words to express how incredible she was. In the end, he'd chickened out, again, unable to tell her how he truly felt.
How did he really feel? Well, he certainly wanted to see more of her. Yeah, more skin. He frowned. Shut up.
Stilettos clacked gently on the floor, approaching from the hall, and his green orbs lifted hopefully, his heart stopping in his chest at the sight. Marinette was coming through the door with his…father?
His father never interacted with the models unless he absolutely had to. Even Adrien rarely got time alone with him, but with the way his dad was smiling, and had his hand on the small of her back as he ushered her in, you'd think they'd known each other for years.
She was smiling, her bright eyes glimmering as she stared at his…father. He blinked. His world was imploding. He'd landed in an alternate universe. "Thank you, Ms. Dupain-Cheng," he murmured, taking her hand and kissing her knuckles.
He watched the nervous blush cross her cheeks as she faltered, the first glimpse of the Mari he knew before she recovered, and it brought a smile to his lips. Okay, maybe it wasn't so alternate after all, but still…
"Everyone," Gabriel Agreste said, commanding the room with just his tone, and Marinette scooted further from his demanding stature, closer to the wall.
Adrien couldn't peel his orbs from her, staring at the long creamy expanse of her legs. The short hem of her black bandage skirt and her red sweetheart strapless bustier top made his body ache in the best ways. He could see the rapid rise and fall of her breasts, which threatened to spill free from the scoop, betraying the calm set of her face, and his grin broadened. Okay, so she was playing her part well, then. She was nervous. If he were Chat, he'd probably be able to smell it. The thought almost made him moan, and his cock twitched.
"We're going to do head shots first. Then, we're going to do a test run of your ability to take direction and your comfort level interacting with one another in varying types of exposure, including underwear and swimsuit attire. If anyone has problems with these categories for any reason, please express yourselves now, and we'll escort you out because we don't have time to waste on squeamish behavior. I have a business to run. Adrien will be front runner for these practice runs with each model, as a guiding hand, due to his experience."
Nobody opened their mouths, but Mari shifted a little, her cheeks tinting a faint shade of red. He stared at the floor, chewing his lip as he tried to hide the grin.
"Before we start shooting we have contract agreements for you to read and sign, and I expect you to adhere to the rules precisely," he said firmly. "Violation of any of the guidelines of your contract results in automatic termination and suspension of your rights to any material already surrendered." He paused, looking around at their faces. "Now, if nobody has any questions about any of that, Nathalie will instruct you on where to go after you sign and know that I expect professional behavior from all of you."
Nobody had any questions.
***POV Change***
Why was he looking at her? Adrien kept glancing her way as the photographer demanded she look this way, or tilt her head another way. It was embarrassing. She wasn't the only one currently having her picture taken, so why was he staring at her?
"Where is the woman I saw in the video?" The man snapping her photo queried, and her brows pulled together, cheeks burning.
"She's nonexistent," Lila snorted, sashaying over. "That was a fluke, so I don't know why she's here."
"Lila," Adrien's voice said slowly. "It's unprofessional to interrupt someone else's work unless you're asked to give direction," he stated calmly.
The Italian beauty scoffed, but a smirk gradually spread over her face as she crossed her arms, eyeing Marinette. Adrien seemed content to watch her too instead of retreating. Great. Her heart hammered in her ears, and she swallowed audibly.
"I want that lip bite," the man demanded. "The one that has the boys spanking the bank," he urged, and her eyes widened. Oh, God. What the… "C'mon, c'mon!" Lila snorted, and the bluenette's eyes narrowed automatically. She was supposed to be a sexy superstar.
Marinette Dupain-Unchained. She shoved up from the uncomfortable stool she'd been sitting on and turned away, walking a foot or two.
"M-Marinette?" Adrien sounded surprised, nervous, but she smirked slowly.
Unchained.
"If you can't do something this simple," the photographer said, "you should probably leave," he huffed.
Unchained. She let the nervous energy ooze from her gut. She turned slowly, her lids fluttering half closed as she stalked closer to the stool. She angled herself so Adrien was directly behind her as she doubled over the object and she thought she heard him gasp as she put her elbow on the surface, setting her cheek on her palm.
"Oh, but then who would you think about fucking if I were gone? Certainly none of the other newbies," she replied to the man throatily, drawing her lower lip between her teeth, letting her eyes roll up towards the ceiling in a sultry, yet innocent look.
The photographer stammered, his mouth flapping open and closed as she held her pose. "Jacques, you sh-should probably be snapping," Adrien squeaked.
She heard the lens clicking before she stood up, and smirked, delighting in their very surprised yelps as she hopped with ease, using her agility onto the stool, on her knees, and leaned forward, pursing her lips at the camera.
"G-God," someone whispered, though she wasn't entirely sure who.
Unchained. She pushed her fingers into her loose wavy hair, tilting her head back a little, half parting her lips. He dropped his camera, and she giggled as he caught it before it hit the ground, fumbling to continue snapping his photos.
She slid back to her butt, folding her hands primly on her lap, smirking. "Keep those for your spank bank," she said sexily, winking before she straightened her back and pulled her lip back between her teeth and gave one last sensual look for the camera.
***POV Change***
He'd needed to excuse himself after watching Mari's head shot takes unravel. He couldn't take it. The growing heat in his gut was becoming painfully obvious as his arousal pressed against his pants, and his heart threatened to burst from his chest as it beat uncontrollably watching her body move.
He'd disappeared into his private dressing room, and had to handle his raging erection, but the ache wasn't quite dying down. In fact, it was burning hotter now that the thought of seeing most of her body….unencumbered by clothing, was dominating his thoughts.
"Swimsuits," Chloe commented, looking at her one piece. "I should have gotten a bikini," she whined, flipping her platinum hair over her ivory shoulders.
Adrien offered her a smile. "You look great no matter what you're wearing Chlo', really," he replied honestly. It was the truth. Chloe was a true beauty. Even more so now that her attitude had been quelled quite a bit.
"Put your arms around her," Jacques ordered. Adrien didn't even hesitate, looping his arms around her neck. "No-no, the waist Adrien, pull her against your side!"
He sighed, rolling his eyes. "If you'd be specific," he muttered, wrapping his arms around her waist, grinning as she giggled delightfully. He pulled her front into his side, staring forward. "Better?"
"Oh, yes, look at the happy couple! Keep smiling!" Chloe's hands flattened against his chest, and he stiffened a bit, but he kept his smile for the camera. "Yes-yes! Perfect! You too look beautiful together! Perfect blonde couple!"
Adrien's eyes listed sideways, but he still didn't see Marinette. What was taking her so long?
***Swimsuits***
He clapped his hand on Luka's shoulder and both of them were laughing, tossing their heads back, sporting just a pair of swimming shorts. The background was made to look like the beach, and a make-up artist had 'expertly' thrown sand and water on their defined chest and abs. Adrien even had some on his face and in his hair.
"You're a mess," Luka snorted.
"Here, I can share," Adrien countered, scuffing his locks so rigorously the sand sprayed everywhere, and they laughed some more jostling each other while Jacques took pictures.
***POV Change***
She couldn't go out in this. Oh dear, lord, she couldn't. Being unchained was easy when she was mostly clothed, but this was a whole different ball game. She stared at herself in the mirror for an eternity.
She could see the outer lines of her abs, not actually sporting a six pack, but she was well toned, and it was a lot of skin. Her breasts were jiggling every time she took a step. The bikini hid nothing.
The sapphire fabric on her bust barely covered her, and there were no shoulder straps. It wrapped around and was shaped like a bow in the front, bunching up in the valley of her breasts. It felt…very precarious…and uncomfortable. Her long wavy hair was down, framing her pale body, giving it a stark contrast, and she stared at her bottoms. They rode low and had strings that tied at her hips. She felt soooo exposed. It was humiliating.
"C'mon," someone tapped on the door impatiently for the third time, and she huffed.
Fine. Time to face the demise of her dignity.
She padded out of the room slowly, her cheeks burning up as she looked around frantically. Her heart was going to fall out of her mouth if the rhythm kept its current pace.
She rounded a few racks of clothing, and her eyes widened, the proverbial dear caught in headlights when she saw Adrien and Luka bantering on the set, both looking sinfully good in their swimsuits.
"Oh, God," she squeaked to herself, trembling. This was too much to bear. She needed to turn around, now. She needed to run before her heart exploded from the pounding pressure, and the heat suddenly pooling in the bottom of her abdomen. God, they looked good. Run.
Adrien turned first, and she froze, his eyes widening as he saw her. Shock? Disgust? Horror?
"S-Sorry!" Her voice came out way too loud, and Luka turned too, garnering a similar expression. "I j-j-just…th-this is what they gave me," she whined, trying to explain. Great. Smooth. So much for sexy superstar. "I c-can try to find something else," she blurted.
Adrien looked panicked, waving his hands. "N-no, we're already b-behind! You look fine!" He sounded loud too, and she frowned. He nudged Luka, giving the man a tight smile. "Thanks, but we gotta fit Mari in now."
Luka didn't move, not for several moments until Adrien said his name again. "Right," the musician bit out, stomping away.
"Oh, the sexy one," Jacques groaned. "Should we do the sexy photos or relaxed photos Monsieur?"
Marinette watched the line of Adrien's body stiffen, and she'd never seen the model look like he was in pain before, but he did now. "A-Are you okay?"
"Y-yeah," he whispered hoarsely. "J-Just, got lightheaded," he admitted. "Long day." He cleared his throat slowly, and she shifted uneasily on her bare feet. "Whatever you think is best," he instructed the photographer.
Oh, God. She was hoping for relaxed, and maybe Adrien was too. Maybe he was being polite and didn't want to turn her down right in front of her by choosing relaxed. Maybe she was just way out of her league…maybe she was…
"We will try the sexy," the man said, and her heart dropped out of her body.
"Okay," Adrien said through his teeth, and Mari's heart sank further. He was dreading it. Great.
"Adrien, grab her from behind."
Adrien yelped, startling the bluenette, and she jumped back. "What!?"
"NOTHING!" His shout made her flinch, his emerald orbs were far too wide, and his panic became her panic.
"What is wrong with you Adrien? Get behind her!" Jacques sounded exasperated, but this time the blonde moved to her back, hands skimming her hips. The feel of his digits set fire to her bare skin despite the extraordinarily light touch as he kept his body from her.
"Good, good, Marinette, put one arm up behind his head."
She licked her dry lips and slid her right arm up and back, her fingertips skimming his ear as she felt for his golden locks. The position felt a little awkward, but Jacques wasn't finished.
"Yes, yes, okay now, Adrien lean your head forward, and Marinette lean your head back over his shoulder just a little and face each other."
Oh. He shifted his gait and brought his face down over her right shoulder, and her fingers automatically slid further into his hair as he did, and she turned her face up to meet his, their eyes locking, and she exhaled a shaky breath.
"Fantastic! Lips a little closer."
Oh, no, she couldn't….his mouth was fractions from hers…so incredibly close, and his right hand was gripping her hip tightly now, as if holding on for his life. It was almost painful, but it was nothing compared to the pain of not closing that least breath between their mouths as she stared into his eyes. They'd be done soon. She could do it.
"Put your left hand in her hair."
Dammit, stop that! His fingertips dug into her scalp, and the firmness almost pushed their faces together, and she gasped. The motion skimmed her lower lip against him, and his eyes darkened, lids drooping.
His hands tensed, and she felt his body pushing closer to her back, and…was…that...
"Break time!" The announcement jolted her forward, panting, and she crossed her arms over her stomach to cage the heat and butterflies raging inside as she turned to apologize…but Adrien was already gone.
