The Best Friend Scandal - Lucia Jordan Page 0,14

to think about. Eventually, the warring ideas in my head faded into sleep.

This time, my alarm actually went off in the morning. Thank God, because if I were late for the photoshoot, Kerynne and Cai would have made me eat crow.

Since I only had the two garment bags to carry on the subway this time, my commute was quicker as I navigated around the city. The promo photoshoot was being held in the main lobby of Arlo’s office building, which had some really cool architectural features. He had said that he was going to be setting up a whole scene for the shoot, but I hadn’t expected it to be quite so elaborate. When I walked in, people scurried everywhere, setting up fake trees and lighting effects to simulate an actual forest for the shoot. It was actually pretty cool. I would have stopped to look at it longer if I hadn’t heard Kerynne’s voice shot from over the top of the bustling.

“Designer, girl!” she called. “We’re over here.”

Then she turned to Cai, who was standing next to her. “What is she blind or something?” she said.

I sighed and looked forward to another long afternoon with her. I walked over to them, and they led me toward the makeshift dressing area, where I helped them both get into their outfits. Then I took a step back and studied them. They looked amazing. The makeup and hair artists had already worked their magic, and they both came to life as ethereal beings who were stepping onto earth for the first time.

Kerynne was absolutely stunning in that dress, with her perfect body showcased from beneath the translucent fabric. Her silky, dark hair fell around her like a robe, and she knew exactly how to move her body in the dress to show off the architectural composition of it. Cai looked incredible, too. His androgynous look was accentuated to perfection in this outfit, and he looked like a wanton fairy king standing next to the most desirable beauty in the land.

His hair was spiked up on top of his head, just in the front, to give him a seductive and edgy look just like I had asked for. The two of them were going to completely rock this whole shoot, and they would set the tone for the upcoming show. When we left the dressing area to walk over to the fantasy backdrop they had created, it appeared as if everyone was almost ready for the shoot to begin.

Arlo was there standing next to the photographer, and the two of them were talking with their hands moving, busily bounding ideas off each other for the shoot. When he saw us, he looked over at gestured with a single wave. I smiled and started heading toward him, letting Kerynne and Cai go first so that I could watch the way they walked in the designs. When we got to the shoot set, Arlo looked at both models and was clearly pleased by the results.

“You both look amazing,” he said.

“We know,” Cai answered with a grin.

The photographer immediately started telling Cai and Kerynne where he wanted them positioned as Arlo scooted to stand closer to me.

“You’ve done a fantastic job so far,” he said. “The designs are beyond impressive, and you’ve used Cai and Kerynne’s natural features to play into it so well. It’s seriously expert-level stuff.”

“Thanks!” I beamed. I was pleased with the results, too, but it was extra meaningful to hear it come from him. Not only did I value his opinion as a friend and fellow designer, but I respected and desired his approval as one of the top names in fashion.

Arlo and I stood back a bit and watched, to give the photographer room to work his magic along with the clearly commanding presence of the two models. Every once in a while, he would stop to give Cai and Kerynne a water break, and when he did, he would let Arlo and I come to peek into the camera to see some of the shots.

“I have to hand it to you guys,” the photographer said, “this whole shoot looks amazing. You’re going to generate quite a buzz of excitement with these pictures. I wouldn’t be surprised if these get tossed around the internet between some of the industry greats for days.”

Arlo smiled and tipped his head toward me. “That’s all thanks to Hensley here,” he said, giving me way more credit than I deserved.

“Not at all,” I said modestly. “I’m