A Makeover for the Ages
Helen eyed Mark on the other side of the set. There was quite the bustle of people coming and going with equipment and extension cords. The talk outside the trailer was all business.
The second photoshoot was scheduled for one o’clock in the morning; technically, two days later. The pictures were to be taken in the subway, and since they were to include pictures of the train, they needed to be taken after hours.
Helen asked Mark if she should come to work the day before the shoot, but Mark said there was no need. He wasn’t going to work that morning either. Apparently, he simply took over Alexander’s contract, with the exception of pay. Mark wasn’t worth as much as Alexander. She overheard Trevor offering him less than a quarter of what they were going to pay Alexander. Trevor apologized for the cut, but Mark shook his head and said it was part of their agreement that he would model for Trevor whenever he needed him, so it was fine. He laughed and said he was happy Trevor wasn’t considering him a complete freebie.
Then he came back to Helen. His bad mood seemed to have evaporated. It was one of the tricks of a PR officer. He could turn it on and turn it off. “Sorry Helen,” he said. “I’d like to take you to my place to rest tonight, but Trevor is going to be there as soon as he finishes here, so we wouldn’t have any privacy.”
“That’s okay,” Helen said smiling, but she couldn’t help but wonder what Mark was thinking. She hadn’t stayed over at his place once. Why would she start when she was so bleeding tired? “I’m just going to go home and have a hot bath, and I’ll see you in the subway tomorrow night, okay?" Then she started walking away.
“Wait,” Mark said, grabbing her arm. “Can I see you tomorrow? We have the whole day off.”
Helen laughed. “Maybe you have the whole day off. Since I don’t have to come into work, Mindy booked me. She was really worried she wouldn’t have enough time to doll me up for the subway shots because I wouldn’t get home from work until six, but now that I’m free, I’m sure she’s figured out an entire day of soaking and steaming. Hopefully, I’ll come out looking smooth,” Helen said with a wink.
“Can’t you make a little time?”
“Maybe in the morning,” Helen said quietly. He was certainly persistent.
“What time?” Mark asked.
“I don’t know—early.”
“I’ll be over early then.” He kissed her on the cheek and let her go.
Helen stumbled away to find Mindy since they were supposed to be driving home together, but she couldn’t get his expression out of her head. What was it about glamorous Vera that never failed to captivate Mark’s interest? No matter what he said, he always acted differently toward her when she was dressed up like Vera. It was clear he was far more attracted to her… and that stung.
***
The next morning, Helen’s nose felt itchy. She scratched it and rolled onto her stomach. Then the itch moved to her ear. She scratched that, too. Then the side of her neck, her elbow, the back of her hand, and then her neck again. Fed up, she sat up and scratched everything.
“Good morning, Vera,” a deep voice whispered.
Helen woke herself up the rest of the way and saw Mark sitting on the edge of her bed. He was holding a long white feather. He’d been tickling her with it.
She looked at the clock and saw not only a bra hanging over the nightstand, but also the time—seven… am. She snatched the bra and shoved it under her pillow. “Mark, what are you doing here?”
“You said early,” he said, leaning back on his elbows.
“Yeah, early. Couldn’t you have called?” she asked as she jumped up to find any other offending pieces of clothing she might have left lying around. “Or at least knocked before you came into my bedroom?”
“But I wanted to come over before you woke up. You look so cute when you sleep,” he teased.
“Did Mindy let you in?”
“She’s nice, isn’t she?”
Helen stood there in her pajamas and stared at him. After his behavior yesterday, she would have expected to find him a wolf today—predatory and hungry—for a lack of better words. But instead, he was laughing and chummy. He had even dropped the feather, so there wasn’t the faintest hint of a forthcoming seduction scene. It felt like their fiery kiss in the trailer the day before hadn’t happened.
Helen snatched her blue moon housecoat off the hook and put it on. She ruffled her short hair until it practically stood up on end. “Would you like something to eat?” she asked.
“Couldn’t I take you out for breakfast again?” he invited.
“No,” Helen said, she opened the door to her bedroom and went out into the kitchen. “I have to get dressed up later and I’m not doing it twice when I’m this tired. I’m making eggs on toast for myself. Would you like me to make some for you, too?" Helen opened the fridge and started pulling out ingredients. There wasn’t much there that belonged to her.
Mark followed her into the kitchen and started looking in the cupboards for a frying pan. He found one and put it on the burner for her. “Tell you what, since I was so inconsiderate, why don’t I cook for you? You said you wanted eggs on toast? I’ll make them for you. You sit down and I’ll do all the work."
He led her toward the table and Helen dropped herself into one of the chairs.
Mark opened the fridge and found some orange juice. He was about to pour a glass when Helen stopped him. “Don’t drink that!” Helen said urgently, stopping him in mid-pour.
“Why?” he questioned, confused.
“That’s Mindy’s. I didn’t buy it.”
“You and Mindy don’t buy groceries together?”
“No,” Helen said, shaking her head. “She had some bad experiences with her last roommate and so she said she wanted to buy things separately. I bought the milk, so you can have that.”
“I was pouring this for you, not me,” he said, returning the orange juice to the fridge and taking out the milk. The way he said ‘for you’ made Helen’s heart skip. He brought her the milk and turned back to the stove where he started cracking eggs into a bowl. “You know,” he said lazily. “I was thinking you never got to try my stir fry.”
“No, I didn’t. Laura and Dominic interrupted us.”
“Yeah,” he said, deliberately keeping his back to Helen. “I feel like whenever we get a few minutes alone together we’re interrupted by someone. Yesterday, it was Mindy and Trevor; both in the trailer and when I took you out for lunch. It feels like there’s always someone in line who wants you, wants me, or wants both of us. I’m starting to get fed up."
“It does seem like we’re suffering from some rotten luck,” Helen admitted. “I’m sorry,” she said, looking dreamily through the kitchen window out onto the sun-dappled parking lot. “And it doesn’t look like it’s going to let up anytime soon. We still have two more photo sessions, and then the wrap-up party. We’re going to some club, aren’t we?”
“Yeah,” he answered quietly.
Helen didn’t catch the frustration in his voice and continued, “Then we’ll both be back at our desks working. It’s kind of hard to be a couple at work, isn’t it?”
Mark turned around and looked squarely at Helen as the eggs crackled in the frying pan behind him, “Maybe we won’t be back at our desks. At least, I might not be.”
“Why not?”
“Trevor found a job for me,” Mark admitted. Helen giggled. “Working as a model?”
“No,” Mark said, looking uncomfortable. “It’s a job in public relations. Trevor has been after me to take it since he got back. The offer was pretty impressive.”
The reason for Mark’s discomfort was becoming clear to Helen. “It’s not here, is it?” she asked.
“No, it’s in London. That’s why I don’t want to take it. To me, it looks like just one more obstacle. I want to be with you, but… it pays a lot more money and I’d be the director of the public relations department instead of just an officer. So, I’m tempted.”
“Are you asking me what I think?” Helen asked, taking a sip of milk.
“Well,” Mark said. “You are my girlfriend. You deserve to have your say before I make my decision. I’d like to hear your opinion.”