Chapter 58
58
SOPHIE
“ T hat’s it, push your ass out just a little more. Great. I love it, sweetheart.”
Sophie did as instructed by the photographer, not even phased. After almost six years of modeling, she was beyond taking offense to this kind of crude direction. And she was especially happy to help the photographer embody his vision because this was a shoot for the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition.
She stood in the otherworldly clear waters of the Maldives, wearing white bikini bottoms that matched the pristine sand. She was bent over at the waist, ass pushed out as instructed, and with one hand and forearm barely covering both of her breasts while she reached for her “fallen” bikini top with the other hand. At the same time, her hair was blowing in the wind and a few strands covered one eye. Droplets of water clung to her skin.
This felt like a cover shot.
She’d had covers for all the top tier fashion magazines but never for SI. It was the last piece of the puzzle to her becoming known as a true supermodel and she was surprised by how much she wanted that title.
But then again, she’d been lured into this world years before as a way of carving out an identity of her own and this would confirm that she’d accomplished that.
After the wedding, she’d joined Rogue on tour, deferring her enrollment at Trinity in favor of being with her husband. Rogue became the biggest, hottest band in the world with that second album. The first iteration of the tour wasn’t enough to satisfy the demand of their fans and what had been planned as a yearlong tour soon morphed into eighteen months. Then twenty-two months.
Gavin and the guys ate it up, becoming the kind of performers Sophie always knew they were destined to be. It was an intense time, full of constant travel, media appearances, interviews, parties, and increasingly bigger concerts.
Sophie had been burning out on the tour life and starting to crave something of her own by the time the third tour extension was being discussed. She hated to admit it, but her mother had been right when she questioned if she was ready to be married to a famous person who might overshadow her. Being Gavin’s wife made her happy, but she realized she needed the personal reward of something that was hers.
At that point, going back to college seemed like too much of a downgrade. So, when she and Gavin were taking a quick trip to the Italian island of Capri before the tour resumed and she was scouted by a French modeling agent named Henri de Chavannes, she was ready to explore the idea.
Gavin hadn’t liked it, however.
“You were just being kind to the man, right?” he’d asked when Henri gave them his card and left their table at a restaurant overlooking the Bay of Naples and the Amalfi Coast.
“I don’t know,” she’d said. “It might be fun.”
“What—being a clothes hanger? Come on, darlin’. You’re better than that. What about your studies?”
“I can always go back to school, no matter how old I am. But if I want to be with you at a moment’s notice, or even try something fun like modeling, I have to take advantage now.”
“You don’t have to do anything.”
“Except seize the moment.”
He shook his head but smiled at her call-back. He’d spontaneously jumped into the water inside the Grotta Azzurra during their boat tour even though it was technically illegal to do so in the tourist attraction. He’d begged her to seize the moment and join him.
“You could stay on tour with us if you’re not going to go back to school.”
“Gavin, I think … this is something I just need to explore, you know? I need to see if it’s something that feels right.”
He looked out at the deep blue sea. The sunshine glittered on the water like fallen stars. It was breathtaking. But she knew he wasn’t really taking in the view. She could see him struggling. He didn’t like being without her. But more than that, he didn’t like sharing her with anyone else. He had made that clear ever since they got back together. She was proposing that she do both things.
When he finally spoke, she was relieved by what he said because it meant that though he had his misgivings, he was willing to trust her.
“Okay, darlin’,” he’d said resignedly, “do what you will. I want you to be happy.”
It had been a solid year of her working hard at any job she could get before she was taken seriously. At first, the modeling world seemed to want to reject her because of being Gavin’s wife. No one wanted to make her entry into the industry appear as some kind of favor to the famous singer. But she didn’t mind proving them all wrong and soon built up a reputation for herself as the real deal.
And if she got the cover of SI, she’d be right where she wanted to be.