9. Payton
CHAPTER 9
Payton
FIVE MONTHS LATER
“ O h my God, Pay, have you seen them?” The pride and happiness that’s in Dahlia’s voice makes me smile.
“I saw them. I think I’m still in shock.”
Today, my face graces billboards. Bianca and I knew it was coming. I’d been warned, but to actually see myself on a billboard is shocking. I was grateful to have my girl with me, basking in the joy that I felt. She’s been one of my biggest supporters, and I couldn’t be more proud to have her as my best friend.
The campaign was set to launch in July, but Angelina Serafini wasn’t happy with some of the advertising, and it was set back to today. My nerves have been frayed as I’ve waited patiently for it to be unveiled. But I know that Angelina is over the moon at the end result. So far today, I’ve had a call from her and Jerald, both of them are happy, and Serafini has asked me to be the face of her lingerie brand.
“Are you okay about them?” I ask her as I nibble on my bottom lip. The pictures aren’t exactly clean. They’re extremely risqué. I’m in my underwear, and even if I do say so myself, I look very sexy. I was shocked at just how beautiful I looked in them.
“Yes, you’re an adult now, and if you didn’t want to do them, you wouldn’t have. I trust your judgement, Pay. The images are amazing, and you look so beautiful.” She tells me, and I can hear that she’s close to crying.
“Thank you.”
I wasn’t just worried about Dahlia’s reaction to the photos, I’m worried about Silas’. I know I shouldn’t be, he’s not given me a second thought, but I can’t help it. With every decision I make, he’s in the back of my mind, and I wonder what he’d think; would he be proud of me? I’m just scared that he’ll see the pictures and hate me.
I’ve kept up to date with him, and I’m so proud. He’s at Seattle Silverbacks just as he told me that he would. He survived the cut as did his team-mates that were in college with him, and I’ve watched him live a few times, much to Bianca’s annoyance. She thinks that I should forget about him and move on. But the pain that I feel at the mere thought of moving on with someone else has me banishing the idea. I’m still in love with him, and until I’m not, I can’t move on.
Dahlia’s words pull me back from my thoughts of Silas. “I’m so proud of you. You’ve achieved something others only dream of. I know this wasn’t what you had set out to do in life, but it shows me who the real you is. You give everything you have, no matter what you do.”
My eyes fill with tears, God, she always manages to turn me into mush. “Do you have any plans for Christmas?” I want to spend it with them, but Bianca doesn’t get along with her family, and I don’t want her to have a crappy one.
“Yes, you are coming home.” There’s a bite to her tone, it’s a demand.
I laugh, “Of course I am, I was wondering if there was room for one more?”
“Of course, tell Bianca that she’s always welcome here. Where are you jetting off to next?”
“At the moment, nowhere. We’ve got the catwalk to do this weekend. Then next week, I have a shoot with Diamantello. Followed by a shoot with Angelina again, she wants me to be the face of her lingerie brand. I’m excited because being the face of Serafini lingerie is a coveted spot.” I’m giddy with excitement as I tell her my plans for the coming weeks.
All models want to be the face of Serafini fashion, whether it be the lingerie, the sportswear, or just the season campaigns that Angelina does. And she chose me. That’s a huge ego boost, along with a major career jump.
“I can’t believe you’re going to walk the runway as a Tiger. Does that mean you get a discount?”
I laugh, “I’m not sure, but Aunt Dahlia, if you want them, I’ll get them for you.”
She tuts, “You’ll do no such thing, young lady.”
Too late, I’ve already planned on getting her some for her Christmas present. Mary has also made noises about getting some too.
“I was wondering if you could get Bethan to babysit this weekend?” I ask. I have a surprise if she can get Bethan to do it.
Bethan has been Dahlia’s friend for years and has been a huge support for her when we all came to live with Dahlia; she still is. Whenever Dahlia has to work, Bethan is on hand to ensure the kids have food and have their homework done. I also have a special gift for her for Christmas, I may not have been around in a while, but Bethan is a big part of our family.
“Yes, I’m sure she could, why?” Her confusion is clear to hear.
“I have tickets for both you and Mary to come to the Tiger Fashion show.”
Being a Tiger is different than being a catwalk model. The photo shoots for the Tiger campaign are intense, even more so than any other I’ve been a part of. We’re to prioritize all Tiger events ahead of the rest, and if there were a conflict to arise, Tiger campaigns take precedent. Luckily, I have Jerald, who schedules my calendar and knows what a lucrative job being a Tiger is. So he’s schedules accordingly, working closely with the Tiger’s campaign planner to ensure there’s no clashes.
“Really?” she gasps.
“Yes, really, so what do you say?”
She’s crying now, her breath hitching every few seconds. “I get to see you, of course I’m there. Oh, Payton, thank you,” she says once she’s able to get herself under control.
“I can’t wait to see you and Mary.” I know the boys are going to be pissed, but I do try and get home once a month if I can. It’s been hard on us all being away from each other, but I talk to them a few times a week. Since I’ve been away from home, the four of us have become a hell of a lot closer. I have a new found love for them all, and I’d do anything to make them happy.
“We can’t wait to see you too. Oh, and they have no idea that you’re coming home for Christmas,” Dahlia says, and I smile, this is even better. “They’re not very happy, as you can imagine.”
“I’ll whine about having to work to Mary while you’re both here.”
She laughs, “Good, because that’s all they’ve been asking is for you to be home.”
Honestly, that’s all I want too. I want to spend as much time with them as I can. Every time I return home everything's different from the last, Sebastian is growing like a weed, Tyler is turning into a teenager, and Mary is stunning, she’s sixteen going on sixty. I’m missing so much, but I know that when they want to go to college or to travel, that they can without any worries.
The money that I’ve made from the last deal with Serafini has set up Mary’s college fund, she can go to any college she wants for as long as she wants. The money I’ve made with the recent deal with Tiger has set up Tyler’s, and I’ve got half of what I need in Sebastian's. I’ve also set up my nest egg, I want to buy a house, a huge big house that is on the beach. One day, I’ll get to live that dream.
The front door opens, and I turn to see Bianca walking in, her long black hair straight and hangs down past her breasts, she’s got a beautiful bright smile on her face, and her bright blue eyes sparkle. Someone is in a good mood.
“Let me know what Bethan says, and you’ll be staying with Bee and I,” I tell Dahlia, and Bee nods; we had already discussed it. I was happy to put them up in a hotel, but Bianca wasn’t having any of it. We have a spare room, with no intentions of sub-letting, and it’s empty for this exact reason, when family comes to town.
“No, we can get a hotel,” Dahlia protests, just as I knew she would.
“No, you’re staying here with us, and that’s final,” Bianca says loudly, having overheard Dahlia’s protests.
“If you girls are sure…”
I cut her off, “We are, I wouldn’t have suggested it if we weren’t.”
She sighs, “Thank you. We’ll be there. Expect a call this evening from a very excited Mary.”
I laugh, I can’t wait. “I will. I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Bye, baby. Love you,” she sings. She has so much happiness in her voice.
“Love you too.” I end the call and focus on Bianca.
She holds up her hand, “I don’t want to hear it.”
I smirk, “Uh-huh. Tell me, who is he?” There’s a reason she’s so happy, my beautiful girl found a man.
She grins, “He’s gorgeous, his name is Tate Hemmington. I don’t really know what he does, he just said he works in Seattle.” She’s giddy as hell, and I love that she’s like this. It’s been a while since she’s shown any interest in a male.
“Tell me more, how did you meet?” Her giddiness is rubbing off on me.
“We met at the gym, he bought me coffee afterward, and we spent over two hours talking.” She smiles. “He called me beautiful.”
Damn, he sounds like a keeper.
“When are you going out?” I ask, needing to know so I can buy her a kickass outfit.
She bites her lip, and dread fills my stomach, “He said he’d call.”
I shake my head. If he doesn't call, then he’s an asshole. “His loss if he doesn’t.”
For as long as I’ve known Bianca, she’s been filled with self-doubt. Unlike most of the other models in the industry, she has bigger hips and bigger breasts. Her body is amazing, and I wish I had her curves. She has the perfect pear-shaped body, and yet she’s riddled with insecurities, and it doesn’t help when guys in the industries won’t date her because she’s ‘bigger’ than what they’re used to.
Well fuck them, Bianca can do so much better than their sorry asses. I tell her time and time again, that one day she’s going to find a man that treats her like the beautiful Goddess she truly is. She’s going to be happy, and I’ll be right here, by her side when she does. Until then, I’ll be here to give her a daily pep talk, letting her know just how truly gorgeous she really is.
“Pizza for dinner?” I ask with a smile, and the tension ebbs away from her. We really shouldn’t be eating pizza this close to a runway campaign, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Bianca and I will be spending hours in the gym during the upcoming days spending to work it off, but it’ll be worth it.