“WHEN ARE THEY ARRIVING?”
Three modeling composites landed on the circular counter in front of Marcella. She looked up from a pile of work charts and saw Claudio Conté, the owner of Bella Modeling Agency. “Next week on the twentieth.”
“Make arrangements for dinner at the Cigno de Nero Restaurant that night. Invite our biggest clients and a few photographers. I want these girls
working immediately.”
She nodded.
“I also want you to schedule a car to pick them up at the airport.”
“Of course.” Marcella reached for the receiver and dialed. As soon as
Claudio left the booking area, she hung up the phone and stared at the glossy
photographs of Joanne Brooks, Casey Townsend and Star. Without any apparent merit besides the balanced features they were born with, these young women were on the verge of earning obscene amounts of money to pose in front of a camera lens. They were days away from attending private parties thrown by Milan's social elite. At least one of them would end up spending weekends playing tennis and riding horses at countryside mansions. If history repeated itself, as it always did, the luckiest of the three would be swimming next to a yacht anchored in turquoise blue water while wearing newly acquired diamonds and gold jewelry in less than a month.
Marcella glared at the blinking phone lines waiting to be answered. She had no control over the demand these privileged beauties generated, but she did have the power to delay or derail their constant opportunities. Her position at the agency also allowed her to pass along some of the indignities suffered by unattractive woman like herself. The amount of hardship they endured depended on them. Only returning models that had proven their loyalty to her through ass-kissing, gift giving and extended invitations had cars pick them up after long flights, and were booked to work for the most famous fashion magazines. “You three will not find the dream you seek here.” She pushed the composites aside.
“Unless I say so.”
<Prologue <Chapter 1 <Chapter
2 <Chapter 3
Copyright © Lori Jones. All Rights Reserved.
