Here is the last part of the photo shoot for your enjoyment. Please let me know what you think.
Note: I do not own Skip Beat!.
Ren watchedfrom the table as Kyoko talked with Hideaki about what he wanted for the next series of pictures. Kyoko stood in a dark blue dress shirt that was open to expose part of her now broad chest. She had dark slacks and a matching dark coat that she had not put on. Kyoko nodded as she took in the photographer's instructions, they were waiting for Marianna to come out of the changing room. When the French woman finally came out, she was dressed in a strappy red dress that clung tightly around her body and flowed away to an artfully uneven hemline. It was elegant yet sexy enough to draw the eyes of the men in the room. Her dark hair fell in loose waved around her face and shoulders. She looked magnificent, and the light she held in her eyes showed that she knew how beautiful she was.
Marianna glanced over to the short, plain girl standing next to the equipment table and smiled smugly at the girl. She was sure that there was no way that the slip of the girl could ever hold a candle to her beauty. She was going to use all of her appeal to capture the attention of the tall actor during this shoot. Ren smiled back at her and squeezed the partial bottle of water so that the plastic crackled loudly. Marianna's smile slipped as she bristled at the challenge offered in that simple gesture. She jerked her attention away from the girl and back to the man that she wanted to impress. Shifting her expression to something more alluring Marianna smile at the handsome model. Kyoko was amazed at how beautiful the model was and thought about how Ren would greet the model before smiling at her.
"You look beautiful." Marianna beamed a dazzling smile at the complement that faltered slightly at the sound of someone crackling a water bottle. Hideaki drew their attention back to the work that needed to do be done and explained the series of romantic shots they were going to be using. It would start with them apart and would end in an embrace close to the one that Kyoko had dropped Ren from.
Kyoko took up the jacket and hooked it from two fingers over her shoulder so that it hung down her back before finding her position leaning her shoulder against a brick wall with one foot crossed over the other. Marianna was going to walk past and Kyoko was supposed to watch her wantonly. Hideaki had Marianna repeat her pass a few times, but he was not getting the expression that he wanted from this tall model.
"What is wrong Ren?" Hideaki asked. The male model had been giving the correct emotions when they had done the solo pictures; why were they eluding him now? Marianna was starting to get perturbed at having to make the same pass over and over again. She had believed that Tsuruga Ren was a professional that always got it right.
"Sorry, just give me a moment." Kyoko closed her eyes to try to figure out what was wrong. As she sorted through her thoughts she found that the beautiful woman just did not stir an emotional response in her. She had to come up with a way to get the response that Hideaki was looking for, but how was the question. She had been using the strange feelings that Ren stirred in her during the single shoot, but she was trying not to use those thoughts now. Kyoko felt it was wrong to use her respected senpai that way, what would he think if he knew that she was thinking about him in a less then respectable manor? She felt like she was failing again, even now when she was not acting with him, he was driving her. Kyoko took a deep breath and let it out slowly to clear her mind out. She decided that the best thing to do at this moment in time was to use those thoughts to get the desired results, she would just have to practice later so she would not have to lean so heavily on her senpai for help. Kyoko opened her eyes and took in the woman waiting for her. She let her mind replace the French woman with Ren and let out a snort of laughter as an image of Ren wearing the strappy red dress slipped into her mind. She quickly pushed that image away and replaced it with something more appropriate and turned her attention back to the photographer and waiting model. Kyoko signaled that she was ready and the model made the pass once again. This time Kyoko was ready to give photographer exactly what he wanted.
The pair of models moved through the series of situations, each one a little more intimate than the previous. The pictures turned out perfectly once Kyoko had gotten over using her senpai's image to drive her. Marianna glowed now that she thought the tall man was finally responding to her feminine wiles. She could feel the desire in him burning her up. She was sure that there was no way that impish little girl could win him away from her now. The French model pressed into the masculine frame that she was wrapped around and breathed in the soft scent of sandalwood clinging to the skin of his neck, such an elegant fragrance mixed with his own scent. She pulled back to look into his brown eyes and tilted her head back so that he could have a better angle to kiss her at. With that heated expression on his face, she was sure that he would take the opportunity, none of her other partners had passed up the offer. She shot him a longing expression and parted her lips invitingly before closing her eyes to receive what she knew was coming.
Instead of the feel his mouth on hers, she felt strong hands shift around to take her weight as Hideaki called for the pair to move into the final position. Marianna chided herself, of course, 'Ren' would want to wait for the last pose before risking messing up their makeup. Marianna leaned back against the strong arms supporting her and raised her knee up so the dress would hang down dramatically. She looked into the brown orbs above her and blushed slightly from the fiery look in the man's eyes. She closed her eyes and surrendered to his needs as the photographer clicked away on his camera. Marianna could feel her partner's hot breath on her neck and a small sigh slipped from her as she imagined what his soft lips would feel like on her skin. She relaxed into her anticipations and waited for the touch she craved.
Marianna was shocked when 'Ren' lifted her up to her feet without the kiss she was expecting to get. She had missed when Hideaki had called that he thought he had enough pictures. Marianna looked at the face of man that just released her to find no trace of the desire that had been there a moment ago. In fact, he seemed to be blushing slightly.
"Just wait here while I make sure I have not forgotten anything." Hideaki said as he turned away to check his paperwork. Marianna followed Kyoko over to where Yashiro and Ren were waiting for her return. Just before they joined the group at the table Marianna reached out and touched the male model's arm so that he would turn to look at her. They had such a connection a few moments ago and she wanted to use that to get her way with the man. Kyoko turned to see what the French woman needed.
"Have dinner with me s'il vous plaît." Marianna asked in a voice racked with longing. Kyoko stared at the woman in surprise, she had not expected this. She cast her eyes around for the answer that Ren would give to a colleague. On one hand it would be rude to refuse an invitation from the woman coming from out of town, but on the other she had the predicament that she and Ren were in. Kyoko looked over to Ren, but he seemed to be interested in something in the corner. Kyoko turned back to the woman touching her arm.
"I am sorry," Kyoko bowed her apology to Marianna. "I have a previous engagement." The French model dropped her hand from Kyoko's arm to the crackling of the water bottle in Ren's hand. He smiled at the woman making a play for his body and she shot him a dagger laced glare. Kyoko missed the look as she turned her attention to Ren crunching the bottle on the stool.
"Could you stop doing that," Kyoko said as she took the bottle away from Ren. "It's annoying." Ren shrugged and Kyoko shook her head as she pulled off the cap and drained what was left of the water in the bottle. Yashiro stepped up to Marianna and spoke low so that only she could hear him.
"You needn't worry about his dinner plans. She will make sure he eats right." Yashiro's glass gleamed devilishly as the model turned to glare at the bespectacled man. "And if he doesn't, I am sure that she's willing to feed it to him." Yashiro grinned as Marianna turned bright red in anger, huffed at him, and stomped away. Kyoko turned to watch the model storm from the room to get changed back into her own clothing before looking back over at Ren's manager to see the tail end of his mischievous smile disappear as he slipped back behind his professional mask.
"What happened?" Kyoko asked as Yashiro came over. The manager gave her innocent eyes that Ren did not believe as Yashiro claimed he had no idea.
"I just assured her that Ren's engagement was merely with an associate from work." Ren did not like the emphasis that Yashiro put on the word 'engagement', it sounded dirty somehow. Kyoko's heart stung as Yashiro implied that she was just a coworker and nothing more. She closed her eyes to conceal any emotion that might show there. She had led herself on with thoughts of Ren as more than just her senpai for long enough. There was no way a big name actor like Ren would ever love someone like her, besides he already had someone that he liked. She told herself this over and over again as her grudges jumped on the lid of the box that she was trying to stuff all of the feelings she has stirred up back into. Her angels were hard at work trying to pull them off, but a few of the grudges had stolen the pitchforks from the Sho demons that plagued her and were driving the angels back with them. Her grudges had just about won when her concentration was broken by soft words from the person plaguing her heart.
"Are you ok Kyoko-chan?" Ren's voice was colored with concern, her face spoke of the pain that she was inflecting on her heart. Kyoko opened her eyes and took in the worry held in those familiar golden eyes. Her angels cheered as the grudges went flying when the lid of the box popped open to let the feeling she was fighting come pouring back out. Desire filled her eyes as she looked at her own body being moved by Ren. She tried to swallow back her feelings, but she had just spent too much time wallowing in them. Ren froze in surprise to see such strong emotions playing out on his beloved's face. The terror and torment mixed with passion and desire were too jumbled in Kyoko countenance for Ren to be able to make out what she was feeling. She could not hold it in check any longer, she knew that it would most likely mean that Ren would turn her away, but she just could not bear the pain of holding in the feeling that were running wild in her. She opened her mouth to tell him what was in her heart, but was never got the chance. Hideaki chose that exact moment to come back and announce that he had everything he needed and they could go. Kyoko took the chance to escape to the safety of the dressing rooms so she could work on regaining her control.
Hideaki watched as the normally calm actor tore out of the room as fast as his long legs would let him go without running. And for Ren, that was surprisingly fast. The photographer turned his attention back to the young lady staring after the retreating man. He still wanted to talk to her about the pictures that he had taken for her portfolio. They had been taken on 35mm film and it would be several days before he could get the negatives developed and transferred over to digital copies. Hideaki loved to work with real film when he could. He enjoyed the excitement of not knowing if a shot turned out properly until it was developed and the rush of slipping that exposed paper into the developing solution and watching the final image come to life.
"About your pictures," Ren pulled his attention away from the door where Kyoko had disappeared and back to the photographer standing by his side. "It will be a few days till I can have them ready for you." Hideaki explained. "Where would you like me to deliver them?" Ren thought about this and looked over at the gleeful face of his manager.
"Could you send them to Ren's manager?" Ren spoke softly. "If you would not mind?" Hideaki turned to look at the bespectacled man to see the professional face he slipped his glee behind. The joy just barely glinted in his eye.
"I would be happy to make sure you got them, Mogami-san." Yashiro bowed a little for affect. Ren knew that he should have them sent directly to Sawara, but he would not get a chance to see them that way, and it would be weird to have them sent to Ren, seeing that everything that going to Ren came through Yashiro. The only way to make sure that they reached him was to send it to his manager. Yashiro would make sure that he got a copy while supplying the originals to Kyoko. It was also the little treat that Yashiro deserved for helping them survive this ordeal, even if he had nearly burst with laughter initially.
"Very well." Hideaki agreed once he received permission from the manager. He turned his attention back to the young woman on the stool. "Here is my card." The photographer held out a card for the young woman to take. "If you decided that you want to get into modeling, be sure to call me first. I will be happy to help you in any way I can." Hideaki winked suggestively at the young woman as she reached for the offered information. Ren's eyes widened as he realized that the photographer had just hit on him.
"Th-thank you." He stuttered and took the card. This was definitely a contact that Kyoko could use in the future, but the possessive side of Ren wanted to tear up the card and toss it back in the man's face screaming that the cute girl was taken. He refrained from burning Kyoko's bridges before she even knew she had them and pocketed the card. The photographer bow to the pair and excused himself so he could start packing up his equipment. Ren look at his manager expecting some sort of comment from him,but it did not come. Yashiro just stood next to Ren and tied not to smile. He knew that if he teased the his charge about being hit on that Ren might tell Hideaki to send the pictures somewhere else and he would never get to see those cute images again. Ren just let out a sigh and went to meet Kyoko who was just coming out of the dressing room. She had spent a fair amount of time scolding herself back into the place she felt she deserved and had managed to get at least one lock back on the box, but her grudges were still struggling trying to make sure that one did not shatter under the strain.
The three coworkers said farewell to the professionals that they had worked with. Hideaki smiled and thanked the two actors for their work. Marianna had given a polite, yet less then friendly farewell to the group and huffed into a chair to wait for her escort to collect her. Her manager had left shortly after they had arrived to take care of the rest of the model's night. And the two makeup artist giggled when the auburn haired girl led the tall man to the door. The shoot was finally over so Ren and Kyoko could now go back to Ren's apartment and be themselves, or as much of themselves as possible when one is not in their own body.