An exciting photoshoot.

“Cancel the shoots? But they’re doing well, aren’t they? Our page is getting more traffic and sales on the products we show are increasing,” Reina argued, trying to keep a leveled head.

“That’s true, yes,” Mrs. Evans nodded. “They’re not sustainable, however.”

“And why is that, if I may ask?”

“See, the new photographer…” Mrs. Evans suddenly stopped talking. She squinted her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “The new photographer is… He’s not… He’s not a good match for the company.”

Well, this was interesting. Reina wished Anna was here with her to confirm her own suspicions, as she knew their boss way better than her. Nevertheless, she was sure Mrs. Evans wasn’t the type to make decisions based on flimsy arguments like those. If she said something like ‘Having William fuck a girl before the shoot could get us in trouble, so I’m opting to end things before they escalate’, would be a far better and actually legitimae reason to cancel the shoots. But this? This was plain weird, not to mention how the older woman was acting. It was plain to see something was wrong with her. Reina wanted to confirm something.

“Mrs. Evans, may I ask another question?”

The woman sighed with closed eyes and rubbed her temple in circles. “Very well, dear.”

“Do you remember what happenes during the special shoots?”

“Ah?” Mrs. Evans looked at Reina, eyes widening ever so slowly. “That… The shoots are… What were they about?” she asked herself.

“Mrs. Evans, what’s the new photographer’s name?”

“His… His name?” She squinted her eyes again, bit her lip and held her forehead, as if being assaulted by a headache. “I… should know his name, shouldn’t I?”

Reina had to swallow her next words. She wanted to tell her. “William. His name is William and you have a relationship with him.” But if this was her reaction to some sort of hole in her memory, what would happen if Reina pressed on? The mind control wasn’t perfect, apparently.

“N-Nevertheless, I will cancel the shoots!” Mrs. Evans continued, raising her voice. “We can’t have that new photographer here because…! B-Because…!”

“It’s fine, Mrs. Evans,” Reina said, softening her own tone to ease Mrs. Evans down. “I’m just a model here. If you think this is the right choice, then I’ll just have to accept it. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a normal photoshoot in five minutes.”

“Y-Yes. Yes. I’m sorry for delaying you, dear. Go.” Mrs. Evans waved for her to leave the office, and Reina did just that.

The young model had to give herself a pat on the back for her own response to the sudden news. Still, she was aware that the only reason she didn’t raise a bigger fuss over it was because she knew Mrs. Evans would retract it once Will freed her of the mind control. And he would. Her boyfriend had already shown he wasn’t one to forsake his girls. Reina hoped this info was of some use to him, but she couldn’t be sure.

She went from Mrs. Evans’ office directly to her photoshoot on the second floor. A guy a few years older than Will was her photographer. and a few more people were handling the set. Reina was a professional, so she pushed aside her troubles and went to get changed. She put on a modest yet alluring black babydoll and matching panties. She went back to the set and smiled for the camera as she posed in front of the white background.

This was a normal photoshoot. She hadn’t had sex with Will before this. A sudden thought crossed Reina’s mind. Would the pictures turn out different? Worse? Worried over the possibility of her photos being compared, Reina tried her best to look sensual and alluring while also making a point to show off her lingerie she was supposed to sell to people.

She focused her eyes on the camera lens, imagining her boyfriend was looking at her behind it. The thought relaxed her and made it easier to pose, but also made her body grow hot and her heart begin to beat harder.

She posed with a finger on her lower lip and a hand on her thigh. She posed with her hands behind her head, holding her hair and pushing her chest forward. She posed with her hands holding the hem of the babydoll, lifting it ever so slightly to tease her boyfriend with a subtle show of the dark panties beneath.

Only when they paused the shoot for her to change to another set of lingerie did Reina notice the stares the entire staff was giving her. Both guys and girls were all practically gawking at her in silence. Reina’s face felt hot, but she wasn’t embarrassed in the slightest. No. The stares, the attention excited her.

Damn. her heart wouldn’t stop racing. What was going on?

She modeled with two other sets of underwear, and the excitement wasn’t dwindling. She’d always enjoyed being the center of attention during these shoots, but now? It was more like she was being admired.

Two and a half hours later, the photoshoot was over.

“W-We’re done, Reina,” the woman supervising the shoot said. “Incredible work today!”

Reina smiled. “Thank you.”

She let out a soft sigh and walked to the changing room, poised and proud as ever. Another day’s work done, and done well. However, it took a while for the heat affecting her body to subside, and for her heart to settle down.

“I hope I didn’t go overboard with those poses. Well, they didn’t stop me…”

She was posing for a lingerie magazine, not playboy. The thought of Will behind the camera was a little too stimulating, perhaps. Well, whatever. She’d ask to see the pictures later.

Reina changed clothes, putting back her own outfit. She came out of the changing room and was getting ready to leave when someone came up to her. The photographer.

“Reina? Amazing work today. You were really into it,” the young man said with an amicable smile.

“Thank you,” Reina answered, smiling back. “I’m feeling pretty good today, actually. Maybe that shows.”

“It really did. You know, I was wondering if maybe you’d like to have a drink with me sometime. I know this great place with live music that you’d love.”

The man was good looking, plus he was bold and polite in his approach. A month ago, Reina may have taken him up on the offer, if only to see where things went. Now, however…

Reina’s smile became apologetic. “I’m sorry, but I can’t. I have a boyfriend.”

“O-Oh. I see. I’d heard you were single. I’m sorry.”

“It’s a bit of a recent thing,” Reina told him. She felt bad. The guy seemed nice enough. Turning down creeps and assholes was easy, but turning down decent guys was a little painful.

“Oh well. I didn’t lose anything by trying.” Thankfully, he laughed it off.

Reina said her goodbyes to every member of the team, all of whom praised her performance. Was it really that good? Did she have a nip-slip or something and nobody was telling her? She didn’t think so. Maybe she really was in the zone today.

It was 2:30 pm. She hadn’t had lunch yet, and Anna’s shift ended at six. She needed to buy some time, and speaking of buying, she needed a new phone. Hers broke due to some hard to understand magic shenanigans in that other world. Will would need a new phone, too. Should she be a nice girlfriend and give him a surprise gift? She would if she had the money for it, but while her career was on the rise, it wasn’t enough to see a noticeable change in her income.

A quick trip to a store to buy a new phone, and then find a place to have lunch. And the intertwining of those two thoughts made her remember something. She had a new friend working at a nearby restaurant, didn’t she? A friend whose phone was also broken. It couldn’t hurt to pay Ruth a visit.