Beautiful People - Chapter 5: Chapter 5

Vera missed Mr. Wu's bakery.
The hotel room Sharise had booked her wasn't exactly Hollywood luxury. It was fine, but it was sparse and sterile and the only good vegetarian food she could find nearby was falafel. Bustling noise drifted up from the street below, engines revving with impotent anger, an irritable murmur of voices, and later, an off-key echo of alcohol-inspired singing. Thin curtains wafted gently in the warm breeze but did little to keep out the persistent glow of the living city. The smoky breath of it all was just different enough from home to make something twinge under her collarbone.
She stayed up later than she meant to, pillows piled behind her and laptop on her knees. She was running out of scheduled posts and probably should have put together a few--or at least posted an outfit of the day--but she had seen Carmen Juarez' wardrobe and nothing else mattered. Sitting there in the strangely comfortable hotel bed, cars honking outside the window, somehow drove home the bizarre fact that she was in LA, that she had met Carmen fucking Juarez and had been squished against her braless boobs a few hours before.
She had this fizzy, unreal feeling in her stomach, like anything was possible. If a spaceship beamed her up and aliens told her she was the only one who could save the human race from annihilation by designing the perfect androgynous suit for the alien leader she wouldn't even be surprised.
The portfolio she had put together at home based on guesses and fantasy was soon updated to include the reality of what Carmen already owned. She moved the sunset-pink Bhatia dress into a for later folder. After meeting Carmen in person, Vera's desire to see her in that dress had only deepened. It was an occasion dress. A dress for the carpet at Cannes or the Golden Globes. An aspiration, still, for both of them.
When she finally fell asleep, she dreamt of flowing silk and mountains of tulle and Carmen lounging by her pool in a sequined gold bikini.
In the morning, she read the impenetrable NDA over the dry continental breakfast in the hotel lobby. The thing had to weigh at least five pounds. Half a dozen splashes of watery coffee contaminated its pages before she finished. On the last sheet, she signed her name in her slanting, spiky writing. She re-filled her rose gold travel mug a third time before hurrying out to meet the waiting Sharise by the curb.
As soon as she slammed the car door, Vera extracted the signed NDA from her purse and handed it over with a flourish. Sharise didn't smile. Beads rattled gently as she nodded and tucked the papers into her own oversized purse. The orange vegan leather bag  bulged so full that Vera wasn't sure she would have been able to lift it. Sharise hoisted it easily into the back seat.
It was another gauzy day, the sunlight hazy and soft. While Sharise drove, Vera pulled out her phone to check her makeup in the front-facing camera. The lighting was too perfect for her to pass up the selfie opportunity. She took several.
When she put her phone down, Sharise's gaze flickered away.
"If you give me your email, I can send you a copy of Carmen's schedule," Sharise said, in a tone like she was negotiating something. "It might help for you to know what events she's got coming up. Times she'll need to get a little fancy."
Surprised, a smile bowed Vera's lips. That was probably just Sharise's practical nature, but it felt like a peace offering. "Yeah, that'll probably help. Thanks."
"It's a bit of a quiet month." Sharise kept her eyes on the road. "Bad news for you, I guess. There's a morning show appearance, a couple industry parties. You'll only get one red carpet."
"The Teen Taste Awards, right?" Vera pulled out her phone again to look through her calendar. "Never Enough Smiles was nominated for something."
"Hottest Kiss and Meltingest Moment."
Tucking her phone away again, Vera snickered. "Ah, yes, the most prestigious of awards. Nothing says serious actor like teenagers voting you the best locker of lips."
Sharise's lips twitched.
"To be fair," Vera said, narrowing her eyes thoughtfully. "It was a great kiss. Good technique. And sexy, damn. All that sloppy tongue really got me heated. Definitely the best part of that movie. "
"I don't know about that. Troy's acting was enthralling," Sharise said in a tone dry as beach sand.
It took Vera a moment to realize Sharise had actually made a joke. Her laughter came out half a snort of surprise. "Oh, yeah. They should probably just give him the Oscar now. No reason to embarrass everyone else."
There was definitely a smile caged behind Sharise's lips now, a wicked smile to match the glint in her deep brown eyes. Suddenly she didn't seem so much like Ivy. Ivy had no sense of humour.
Vera found herself wondering what it would take to make Sharise laugh.
"So." She twisted her earring, spinning the glittery narwhal until its rainbow horn pointed towards her cheek. "You said you've been working with Carmen for six years, right? How'd that happen? You must've been pretty young."
"I was, but Carmen asked me to come on. I wasn't getting anywhere with what I was doing, so I agreed." Sharise shrugged with her elbows, both hands firmly at ten and two on the wheel. "And here we are."
"So you were friends before? It must be tough having your friend as your boss."
"I wouldn't say—" Sharise pursed her lips. "We weren't that close. Our moms worked together sometimes."
Vera gasped, her eyes widening. "Wait, your mom was a model, too?"
Whatever strange mood had softened Sharise seemed to evaporate. "Shocking, I know."
Vera huffed out an annoyed breath. Adjusting her seatbelt, which was riding up and irritating her neck, probably leaving a big red mark, she changed the subject. "You must know Carmen pretty well by now. Is there anything I should know about her? Quirks? Triggers? You got any tips?"
"If Carmen wants you to know something she'll tell you herself," Sharise said.
It was too early for the crack of ice in her tone. Vera let it drop. They drove in silence the rest of way.
The need for the NDA became apparent much more quickly than Vera expected.
Sharise parked at the bottom of the driveway again and buzzed them through the gate. Walking up the winding drive, leaves whispered overhead and the delicate fragrance of flowers tickled Vera's nose. After spending the night amongst the bustle of the city, she appreciated even more the quiet, sheltered nature of the home. There was a deep sense of peace here. If you shut the doors the world could never intrude.
Sharise unlocked the door. "Sometimes Carmen needs a little nudge after a long night," she said, to explain why she carried a key to Carmen's house amongst the clatter of her own.
"You think last night would've been a long night?" Today Vera didn't hesitate to kick off her shoes. The balls of her feet still ached from the day before. She loved those cherry-red heels, but they weren't meant for standing in. She wasn't putting herself through that agony again just for pride.
Besides, she had a really nice pedicure to show off.
"A fundraiser put on by Marina Taylor?" Sharise arched one sculpted eyebrow. "Yeah. I'd be shocked if it wasn't."
Taking two steps for each of Sharise's to keep up with her down the hallway, Vera adjusted her purse strap over her shoulder. It was a guilty sort of thrill to be so close she could ask at the source whether the gossip was true. "Are they really friends? Carmen and Marina? I mean, I know they kinda grew up together in the business, but their relationship always seemed a little performative to me."
Her jaw tightened. "You can ask Carmen if you wanna know about her personal life."
Vera pouted. "You're no fun."
"I don't participate in gossip."
"It's not gossip, I just wanna know more about—"
The low murmurs and fluttering giggles probably should have warned them what they were walking into, but Vera had been a little distracted by having to walk twice as fast as she normally did. So when they stepped into the bright kitchen to find themselves staring at the very toned, very tanned, very naked ass of Troy Dicks, Vera couldn't help letting out a small scream.
Muscles too defined to be real flexed in Troy's back. He was crowding Carmen up against the counter with his whole, extremely naked body, his palms caging her hips and his face buried in her neck. Carmen was coiled around him in return, her ankles hooked together behind his back, chin tilted so that her neck and back formed one sensual arc, luscious brown curls tumbling over her very bare shoulders. Vera spun away, her cheeks heating, and dashed back down the hallway.
In the foyer, Vera slapped herself on the cheeks with both palms. The sting of it wasn't enough to settle her. She felt a little warm. She wished she had a coat to unbutton to cool down.
She wasn't entirely sure that she'd just walked in on Carmen having sex on her kitchen counter with the guy she was fake-dating. Carmen could have been wearing clothes. Well, she could have been wearing panties. It was entirely possible. Unlikely, but possible. A very slim chance.
Sharise came after her, looking impossibly calm. "Well," she said.
Vera choked out, "Were they--"
"I'd really rather forget I saw anything."
"Carmen and Troy—"
"It's none of our business."
"They're really fucking?" Vera squeaked.
"Why don't you give me your email and we can talk about Carmen's schedule."
"But Carmen and Troy— They're—"
A suspiciously moan-like sound floated down the hallway toward them.
Floundering, Vera flapped her arms helplessly back towards the kitchen and the vivid image that would forever be seared in her brain because as mortified as she was, that had been hot. "I can't work when they're doing that right there in the kitchen!"
"They'll be done soon."
The surety with which Sharise said that was more telling than anything.
"Carmen knew we were coming over this morning, didn't she?" Vera asked faintly. "Or did she forget?"
"Equal chance of either. It probably wouldn't make a difference to her." Sharise smiled, lips parting to reveal just the tips of her teeth.
Vera put her palms over her face. "Oh, God. I'm never gonna unsee that. It's almost as bad as that time when I was eleven and I woke up and my mom and her boyfriend were going at it next door, not even trying to be quiet. Like, there were children in the house! Have some self-respect!"
Sharise laughed. Just a small chuckle, rich and sympathetic, but it warmed Vera right to her core. "Welcome to working for Carmen."
More unseemly sounds bubbled out of the kitchen.
Rolling one silver loc bead between her fingertips, Sharise frowned slightly, and Vera thought that maybe despite how unflustered she seemed, Sharise might have been just as uncomfortable about the whole thing as Vera was.
"Why don't we grab a coffee and come back in half an hour," Sharise said.
"Yes, please," Vera said desperately, already reaching for her shoes.