The Test Shoot

"Ah."

"I mean I'm fine with it, you've got gorgeous legs, I love shooting them, I just want to make sure—"

"Breathe, Levi." Devika smiled. "No second thoughts here." Her only worry was if she was going too fast for him, though he looked pretty cute when he got flustered.

Levi took her advice, breathing out in relief. "You know, I can tell you a story about my big crush if you want," he said. "Quid pro quo and all."

"Sure."

"Her name was Mari. Always nice to me whenever we talked, but we never really hung out outside school...and you know what? There's no story here, I'm sorry." Devika laughed. She was sure she wasn't supposed to laugh, but Levi snapped pictures of it anyway. "Yeah, I never asked her out, we graduated, she married a guy she met in college, the end. No moral."

Devika found this fascinating and a little hot. "But now you see a random girl minding her own business on a morning jog," she wondered out loud, "and you go after her. What changed?"

"I don't know if anything changed, really," said Levi. "I loved your look, I was desperate to do this shoot, I was tired of not taking chances...I was kinda running after you before I even realized I was running after you, if that makes sense."

"Sure," Devika said with a smirk. "Good to know I'm irresistible."

She could tell from the brief silence before his response that Levi was trying not to tug at the collar of his shirt. "Yep," he finally admitted. "That's you."

After Levi slipped some amber gels in front of the lights, giving the room a sunset glow, they continued shooting. Devika kept looking for more and more interesting poses, and the only direction she got from Levi was what didn't work—which was the point. The lack of positive reinforcement would create frustration, the lack of movement would create boredom, and it would build and build until Levi finally said "I think we got our second act. Thanks for bearing with me."

"Sure thing," she said with a sigh. "Whatever works."

"Wanna take a break?"

"No, no, I think I can use this mood."

Levi seemed to light up. "Wow," he said, snagging a couple of profile close-ups, "that is not what I expected to hear." He put the camera down and grabbed a couple of blue gels from the island counter.

"Just like a professional, huh?"

"I think we're a little beyond 'professional,' Devika." Levi winced. "I mean, in a way." While Devika squeed inwardly about how often she was catching this hipster snack of hers on the back foot, he changed the gels, flooding the room with midnight lighting, and was plowing ahead with some more direction as he changed the lens on his camera. "Okay, so for this next part, I want you to bring yourself back to a time in your life that you were disappointed or hurt."

She actually didn't have to go back too far. Given proper warning, she had intended to reflect back on a high school "boyfriend" who turned out to be an utter shitheel. Instead, she found herself suddenly thinking about work and how much she dreaded going in on Monday.

She had no life. She had no respect in the office. She had no family she could lean on out here. Within this moment, it felt like all she had was this fantasy, this little play at being a model for a day with a guy that she admired on so many levels, and it would soon be over and the goddamn bro squad over at Umbrla was going to determine whether or not she was going to keep making money for the immediate future. And if they did, fucking nothing would change and it would happen again in another 3 months.

"Oh..." Levi started to say something but opted to quietly take his pictures. "Lay down, on your back," he gently suggested at one point, and she did, raising her hands in front of her face, examining her fingers for no particular reason as Levi's camera shuttered away. "You okay? You don't have to talk to me about it, that mood you found just seems really raw and I want to make sure you're not stuck in it."

Devika gave him a weak smile. "Thanks," she said. "I'll be okay. I was just thinking..."

Well, she could tell him about work, but that seemed boring. She wanted a good segue into naked time. She wanted to give him an opening to be courageous. She wanted to use her shitty high school boyfriend as a positive for once.

"I used to go out with this guy in high school. He was sweet and kind, and yeah, pretty hot, and after a few months of dating, I said, 'heyyyy, you know, I think I'm ready for it.' So it happened: In his room, to a Pitbull album while his parents were out of town. And it wasn't, like, bad. But a couple of days later I overheard him talking shit to his friends about how he was 'smashing terrorist pussy.'"

"Jesus Christ!"

"I'd like to say I beat the shit out of him," said Devika. "But it probably looked more like a little kid throwing a tantrum, fucking asshole laughed through the whole thing. If I'm being honest..." She looked right at Levi for the parting shot. "...I'm still not over it."

He had an idea.

Devika could see his eyes flash with some kind of emotion. There was something he wanted to tell her that he then made a conscious decision to repress.

"What?"

"I was just thinking, I had this girlfriend at SFAI—"

"That's not what you were thinking!" Devika laughed. "You looked like you just had an idea. What was it?"

"Nothing, really."

"It's okay, I want to hear it."

"I'm not sure you really do?" He seemed to be itching to share, though.

"Levi. I wouldn't be here if you didn't have a little courage earlier. Have a little more now; the worst I can do is say 'no.'"

"I kinda doubt that." Levi scratched his neck. "But so we're clear, you CAN say 'no' to this. It's one of those questions."

"Fire away," Devika said, with her warmest, most welcoming smile.

"Okay, well..." Levi took a few moments to gather up the nerve. "If you didn't like your first time that much," he finally asked, "then what did you WISH your first time was like?"

"Interesting!"

"But weird and totally unprofessional." He was starting to sound like a nervous little boy and Devika was loving it. "So if you want to move on—"

"Not necessarily! I mean, I'm assuming you want to photograph something along those lines, right?"

"Well, that would push things into full-on erotic territory, which I doubt you're interested in. I did have an idea that would require nudity, and I'd be willing to pay more, but if you're not comfortable..." Levi shook his head and made a cutting motion with his hand. "End of discussion."

"Hm." Devika made a show of weighing it, drinking in the ways Levi's face contoured in barely-restrained interest, telling himself to not be so damn hopeful. Finally, she asked, "How much more?"

"How much were you thinking?"

Devika's mind locked up. "Um...I was thinking you'd give me a number." She would've stripped for him free of charge at this point; what she really wanted to know was how badly he wanted it.

"Okay, let's see...let me just..." Levi excused himself and ran back to his studio, returning with two post-its and two pens. "Right now you're getting fifty an hour. You write down how much you'd be willing to show and a number you'd be happy to get for it. I'll write down mine, we'll fold the papers up, trade, and open at the same time. Then we'll see if we can find a happy medium. Sound good?"

"Let's do it." Devika took a pen and paper from Levi, and he retreated to the kitchen counter.

It was a little easier than Devika thought it'd be. She was willing to do full nudity, so she assumed that would mean triple the rate. Add a little more to compensate for the risk of the pictures getting leaked, plus the fact that she probably wasn't going to parlay them into more work...but maybe then take a little off from that so she wouldn't intimidate the poor guy...

Devika arrived at $175 / hour. She was probably looking at $100, maybe $125 if she was lucky, but she wasn't terribly concerned about what she deserved. After all, after adding in the $100 from the two-hour jogging shoot (one hour in makeup, one on set), she'd be getting more than a typical day's pay for an afternoon of work. From a purely financial angle, she was ecstatic. "All set," said Devika, folding up her paper.

Levi walked over, folded offer in hand. "My offer's for full nudity," he explained, "but don't freak out if you'd rather just do topless or whatever. That's how we figure out the final number." Devika suppressed a smirk, and they traded papers. On the count of three, they both opened their offers.

Levi was offering $350 / hour. Retroactive.

"Uh," started Devika.

"Shit," finished Levi, looking at Devika's lowball.

Devika blinked. "You can afford this?"

Levi cringed. "Well...so my family's actually rich?"

"Bullshit." She said this, yet she didn't catch so much as a hint of a charm offensive from Levi's eyes or voice.

"No, seriously," he said. "'Fisher' is my mom's maiden name." He crossed over to the counter and handed Devika her phone. "Google Phil Reubenstein, Jr. R-E-U-B-E-N-Stein. I'll be back." Levi slipped out to his room.

Devika typed his already-familiar name into her phone; according to Wikipedia, Reubenstein was a Wall Street guy who made his money in the 80s, moved out west in the 90s, then made even more money as a producer of slick and kind of schlocky action movies. His shingle, Oak Road Pictures, had given Paramount several hits over the last couple of decades including the disaster thriller SOS, classic buddy flick Blue Fire, and off-brand WWII drama The Rains of November, which caused Devika to break up with her college boyfriend after he wouldn't stop fucking riffing on it. The superhero stampede in Hollywood had reduced his standing, but he was still cranking out movies through Netflix and apparently kept his nose for good investments; his net worth stood at about $7.3 billion. His picture showed him as a bit of a silver fox; deep tan, well-kept hair, laid-back smile.

Levi returned with a framed picture; a family photograph. He pointed them out: "Me, my brother Dave, my mom Lisa—" His finger slid above Reubenstein's smiling face. "—and my dad."

Devika's eyes bugged out of her head.

Well.

Huh.

"Yeah," Levi said with a cringe, "I take it you have questions."

"Wh...um, what are you doing here?"

"Honestly? I prefer to use my trust fund for charity and cushioning. I'm never going to be 'on my own,' but I take a lot of pride in making my own money on my own talents. And you know, this place has been kind of good for my soul. Low overhead by LA standards, cool neighbors, great fish tacos..."

"Those fish tacos were good," mused Devika, before getting back to the point. "Why didn't you tell me when I was, like, concern trolling you about this place like an asshole, though?"

"Yeah, you were confused. You heard 'Palisades,' you thought you'd be walking into a modernist mansion, and you got this instead. You weren't being an asshole. Me, I grew up with assholes. I used to know kids who probably lit puppies on fire because they knew they'd get away with it."

"Ohh," whined Devika, her heart breaking a little for the hypothetical puppies.

"Look, what I mean is, rich people suck. And I'm including myself; I was a spoiled little prick when I was a teenager. Now that I'm trying something different, I'd rather it not be the first thing people know about me. I'm probably fucking that up in my own way, but what's the harm in trying, right?"

Devika nodded. "Totally understandable," she said. It wasn't that big of a leap from "celebrity must suck because there's no corner of your life that's off-limits" to "it's so easy to prejudge someone based on their wealth." Levi was a bit of a tourist, sure, but he never treated Devika with anything less than the utmost respect, and she knew he'd continue to do so.

"Listen," he said, "if you're not comfortable with this anymore, I understand."

"No, I'm all in. Look, I lied to you too. That place I went to earlier when I had to be depressed? I've got a job in tech that I really hate. I don't mind paying my dues, but my co-workers are arrogant pricks, my bosses are douchebags who think they're cooler than they are, one of them called me an 'ethnic' last week..."

"Yeah, that sounds like tech."

"Yeah, well...I like being the center of attention for once. I like that I've got you tripping over your own tongue. I really don't want this to end! But it's going to end at some point, and while I'm here, I might as well take it as far as I can, right?"

Levi nodded. "All right, then. 350 an hour, full nudity?" He reached out his hand to complete the deal.

Devika shook her head. "Two hundred, starting with this set. I'm not doing enough work to justify 350."

"You sure?"

"Positive. Any more than two hundred gets into 'indecent proposal' territory for me."

Levi smiled and shrugged. "Fair enough! Two hundred it is." Devika gladly shook his hand on that. "One last thing; might sound discouraging, but I don't mean it that way."

"Go for it."

"Take a seat." Levi motioned for her to sit on the couch. When she did, Levi sat next to her. "So once I tell you to start unzipping the dress, or maybe even a little before that—hell, are you feeling a little anxious now that you've agreed to this?"

As a matter of fact, right on cue, her heart was starting to flutter, and she could hear vague, confused voices in her head asking Wait, what did we just agree to? that would almost certainly evolve into OH MY GOD WE DID NOT AGREE TO THIS RUN AWAY. Devika had shed her conservative upbringing shortly after coming out here, but it still manifested itself in other ways. "Actually, yeah," Devika said, giggling the way one would before their first bungee jump. "Yeah, I'm starting to freak out a little."

"Okay, well, two ways you can approach this. One, you have got an amazing body. What's your routine? Obviously you run, how often?"

"Um, every day. And I hit the gym three times a week. I don't think my diet's anything special, but—"

"I don't know what your diet is, but it's fine," said Levi, breaking into her nervous ramble. "You're soft, smooth, and filled out in all the right places. You're beautiful, and you should be proud. So why not show all of yourself off? Why not be somebody other than the me...the put-upon tech worker for one day?" Levi scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, I was going to say 'meek,' but that's clearly not you."

"Oh no," said Devika, giggling some more. "When it comes to my job, 'meek' definitely works!"

"Okay, well, that's one way to look at things. The other way is...you are a smart, funny, beautiful woman. It comes through in every last picture I've taken of you, even the awkward ones. You've shared a lot of yourself today, and if you feel that there's a part you'd rather save for someone special, someone who's earned your trust on a very personal level, that's okay too."

A little dust got into Devika's eye; she casually wiped the resulting tear away before it could get too far. Levi had to be the sweetest man to ever ask her to strip naked.

"Look," Levi continued, "I can't tell you what to do when the moment comes. I'm only here to make you look good on camera. At the risk of sounding pretentious, your only responsibility is to portray yourself honestly, whether you're bold and adventurous or reserved and modest. I hold all of those things in equal regard, and I will be grateful for and respectful of whatever you decide to share. All right?"

Devika nodded, suddenly at ease. "Thank you," she said with a breath.

"Anytime," said Levi, patting her on the shoulder. He left his hand on her bare skin for just a little longer than he probably should have, long enough for her to relish his gentle touch, then he pulled away and snapped back to his feet. "Yeah, okay, let's get back into the rhythm."

Devika thought "rhythm" was a good word for it. For a moment she had forgotten that she was doing a photoshoot, and found herself trying to get used to the snaps of the camera and the pops of the bulbs all over again. She went back to simple busywork to create the illusion of waiting; tousling her hair, stretching her limbs, checking herself out in a compact Levi loaned her.

Eventually, he asked, "Why tech?"

The question was so simple Devika actually needed a moment to remember how simple the answer was. "It's...what I'm good at," she said. "It's my thing, it's what people come to me for."

"Did you ever see it taking you anywhere beyond being a drone at...wherever you are?"

Devika lounged back on the couch, prompting more pictures. "Not really," she said. "But for me, my work is...well, it's just work. It's not a calling, it's just a grind."

"What is your calling?"

She was silent for a relative while before admitting, "I'm not sure I have one, not like you." Devika raised her arms in surrender above her head, crossing one leg over another. "I always thought I'd find it outside of work. Between the gears, you might say."

"Doesn't seem like it's gotten you too far," said Levi, snapping pictures.

Devika closed her eyes and shook her head. "But it's a marathon, not a sprint, right? I mean I can't just quit, then what would I have?" A thought occurred to Devika that made her smirk in recognition. She opened her eyes and looked at Levi like the clever little bastard he was. "You might say I'd be naked without it."

"You might," Levi acknowledged.

Devika looked him over; his face was patient, eyes free of expectation, hands still with anticipation. Regardless of any line he fed her about not having to undress, it was obvious that Levi was, as Cassie put it, thirsty as hell. And ultimately, this wasn't part of some higher calling; this was all for one rich white guy. He just happened to be upfront (eventually), respectful, and incredibly friendly, the kind of guy she'd want to date even if he wasn't loaded.

Of course, she'd never gotten naked for anyone on a first date. But there was always a first time for everything, and while this might have been for him, that didn't mean she couldn't do this for herself.

Devika kicked her shoes off.

Pop-pop-pop! Pop-pop-pop!

Took off her bracelet. Unsnapped her pearls.

Pop-pop-pop! Pop-pop-pop!

She reached behind her and began to unzip her dress.

Pop-pop-pop! She flinched. She looked at Levi; before she could apologize, he nodded, patient as ever. His words echoed in her head: Portray yourself honestly. Sure, she had a wild streak. She wasn't a stranger to raunch. But at heart, she was a modest woman who preferred to keep her antics behind bedroom doors. She was shy. She was reserved.

And she decided she was done being that way, if only for now.

The dress was still a little too snug to take off, so Devika reached behind her once more, powering through the pops of the lights until she could feel the top of her dress fall away from her skin. Then with both hands, she took hold of the dress and slid it downwards, away from her breasts.

POP-POP-POP!

There it was; Levi snapped the picture as soon as her dark chocolate nipples came into view, creating a permanent record of her body's more intimate details. As Devika fought her reflex to cover up, she tingled with complicated emotions; the exhilaration of her liberation, the shame of her scandal, the...arousal? Yeah, definitely arousal over being exposed in such an enduring way. But given that she already knew she was attracted to Levi, she had no problem taking it as it was while her mind worked to assure her body that this was no mistake.

Of course, this wasn't Levi's first naked rodeo, and he knew exactly what to say, starting with, "Beautiful, Devika. You're absolutely beautiful."

"Thank you," Devika breathed with a smile, looking at him with gentle, thankful eyes, warmth washing over her skin, arousal trickling between her lips. She turned her dress around to more easily unzip it the rest of the way, then pushed it down over her smooth cinnamon body, still clad in a lace thong that matched the red of the dress.