Manny Ch. 03

"You're wearing the wrong clothes," she said to him, "but I'll dress you up if you want. I can buy some more appropriate clothes for you in your size."

"Oh, um...sure," he said, "you'd actually do that for me?"

"Well, not me but Marissa my assistant."

"Won't she find that pretty strange?"

"Hm. You're right. I'll have to do it myself. You know this would all be easier if you just moved in with me." Manny's fiery brown eyes were suddenly fixed on her. She really wanted him to be her live-in lover. Was she also afraid of losing him like he was afraid of losing her? Perhaps moving in would be the best thing to do.

"I'm going to get my stuff ready and I can move into your place at the end of this week, if you'd like."

"That would be great. Now, Manny, pay attention. I'm going to teach you a few things right now so that you won't look like such a fish out of water. You, Alex and Vicki are about the only photographers working for me right now. I'm going to hire two more that are as good as them. Vicki's been a quality photographer for years. Alex -"

"The, uh, the gay guy?"

"How did you know he was gay?"

"I can tell."

"Yes, well Alex is one of the best and he photographs women like no other. If you're not going to have an issue working with a gay man, just pay close attention to him and he can help you out if you have any problems."

"Uh, Jessica, who exactly would I be photographing?"

"That is what I want to talk to you about. Her name's Yleana Decaos. She's from Sao Paolo, Brazil. She spent a lot of time in Spain and Europe and has signed a contract with City Woman. She will be in our calendar and she will be featured in a big article. She represents the empowered New York City ethnic woman, all class and beauty and plus she gives to charity. She's like our first celebrity."

The door opened and Yleana walked in, on time for her appointment. Jessica realized she had lost track of time talking to Manny. She told Yleana to take a seat next to Manny.

"Manny, this is Yleana," she said to him, "Yleana, meet your photographer."

Manny couldn't believe his eyes. This was the gorgeous but silent woman he had met in the elevator. What a pleasure it would be to photograph her! He tried not to look too excited as they shook hands. Jessica's eyes were still on him. But Yleana looked at him like he was a piece of man meat made especially for her.

* * * *

Manny was never late to work. He proved to be punctual and he quickly caught on to the New York business person's sense of go-go speediness. It felt as if everything in the business district was in constant, swift motion during the day. Even lunches were hurried affairs. In the offices of "City Woman" everyone just did their job as efficiently as possible and no one socialized with anyone.

None of the people working for Jessica knew each other outside of work. Manny felt that this was an entirely different scene than the high school where he had been coaching. There, he had begun to bond with the other teachers, mainly the P.E. teachers and even some of the students. Here, he was just the new photographer and no one seemed to really acknowledge his existence. Everyone that is, except for Yleana Decaos.

She was by far the most glamorous figure in the office. "City Woman" was no fashion magazine. It was a woman's magazine whose editor was a feminist novelist. Its articles were on women's empowerment, advice on relationships and interviews with successful women.

Everyone dressed conservatively but Yleana was an exotic super model and she carried herself with a higher degree of sex appeal. She dressed in decidedly provocative clothes; mostly tight skirts, low-cut blouses, sleeveless shirts and tops, short dresses, stockings and high heels. She was always very well manicured and pedicured, her hair always glossy and tidy, falling to the side of her neck in a long waterfall of hair like Old Hollywood actress Veronica Lake. She was as tall as Manny, but being a model her frame was light and she had a tighter body she took care of by working out at the gym religiously.

On the first day of the photo shoots for City Woman's first calendar, Manny realized Jessica had not spoken to him, not even to say "good morning" and was away in a meeting elsewhere in the office. Manny walked into the studio room set aside for photo shoots and found that Yleana was wearing nothing but a red bra and red thong panties.

She was bending down, facing away from him and putting on what she was going to wear for the shoot; a long red fleece coat, a pretty white blouse and creamy, beige colored pants and this "winter" fashion ensemble was accessorized with a long scarf that was a darker shade of red than the bright apple-colored coat. Manny nearly couldn't breathe and felt a hardening of his crotch as he took in the view of her hot ass. It was perfect. It was high, proud and round, tight and looking heart-shaped. Her legs were to die for and she seemed unaware that he was there so she wiggled and writhed as she put on her clothes.

Manny cleared his throat to let her know he had entered the studio. She turned around to see him, her hair suddenly whipping out into the air. She had on just the right amount of lipstick and eye shadow. God she was gorgeous, he thought.

"Uh, Hi Yleana, you ready to do this thing?" he said, in a casual but cool tone, as if he did this sort of thing like it was bodily function.

It was his first time but he had practiced in Jessica's apartment, photographing her. Those photography lessons had been followed by an intense fucking and Jessica had pretended to be a super model. But now here was a real model in front of him, her delicious, fuckable body inches away from him. He put on a face mask of control. He hoped he wouldn't get a hard-on.

"Not quite ready," she said to him, her Brazilian accent like sexy music, "just give me one more minute."

"Should I - should I leave for a moment while you finish dressing?" Manny said to her beginning to head towards the door.

He figured it would be better to keep his eyes away from the semi-nudity he had just seen her in. But Yleana put out her hand in a stopping motion.

"It's ok, really, I'm almost done," she said.

As she put on her pants and blouse she seemed to be thinking about something and she looked at him now and then.

"You don't have to feel shy or embarrassed seeing me like this," she said to him, with a big smile, "you're a photographer and you can't tell me that you haven't seen super models putting on and taking off their clothes, right? Unless you're a different kind of photographer?"

"No, I photograph women like you," he lied.

"Then you're probably just nervous. This your first time working for a magazine like this?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah, I would have never signed that contract with Jessica but I've read her books and articles and although. I don't always agree with her point of view, I admire her independence and the fact she lives in this wonderful city. I wanted to be in New York City, in front of cameras and get my face out there you know. This is one way to do that."

She put on the stylish coat and scarf and immediately got into her super model mode. Her face became less casual and her expressions were more focused. She had a rather distant look in her eyes. She looked very beautiful and she knew just where to stand and how to pose as Manny took pictures, moving around her, getting closer to her, taking photos from various angles.

"Good, perfect," he said, "you're gorgeous."

It was not his wish to talk and compliment her but Alex used "gorgeous" a lot when he took photos and he was just doing the same to look more like a photographer. Manny became aroused, still thinking how she looked underneath the outfit in her sexy red underwear and bra. His mind wandered briefly for a bit as he continued to photograph Yleana.

She was so incredibly sexy that he was certain that if Alex wasn't gay, he would most likely bang her. She looked like the kind of girl who enjoyed the company and attention of men. She was very sexual without being overt about it and she flirted in the smallest ways - with her eyes, with her smile, with her laughter and her few, carefully chosen words.

"Oh, Manny," she said, "you're a real pro."

* * * * Jessica was seated facing the rectangular, expensive rosewood table she had for her Conference Room, the largest room at City Woman Publishers. On the walls were covers of past issues of the magazine, various photos in black and white and color related to specific articles that were considered the best. She had called a meeting in the late morning right before lunch and her most important staff members were present.

They were mostly women but Alex her principal photographer was seated right next to her as he usually did to her left. On her right was Mark Bennett, her assistant editor. The rest of the women were in charge of other aspects of the publication of the magazine and one girl, looking admiringly at Jess was her apprentice editor, a lucky young girl she had chosen based on university experience in journalism. Her name was Claudia and she came from LA having graduated from UCLA.

"This may sound absurd," Jessica said, "but I've called this meeting to discuss a new title for the magazine. As you're all aware by now, City Woman is undergoing a new look. The presence of super model Yleana Decaos should attest to that. My intentions are not to completely re-style City Woman but make a few changes. For one thing, I want to reach out to a broader appeal if we're going to survive into the 1990's. We all know we're getting competition left and right. It's Cosmopolitan mostly. How many of you here read or have ever read Cosmo?"

With the apprehension that Jess would criticize them, no one raised their hand or said anything. Jessica looked at Claudia who was seated in the back next to a red-haired young woman with short, almost manly looking hair.

"Claudia, surely you read Cosmo, how old are you twenty three, twenty four? Don't your girlfriends read that stuff?

"Actually yeah. Is that ok?"

"It's not only ok. It's necessary. I want all of you to pick up an issue of Cosmo and look at what they are writing about, look at the photos and over all style. I've looked at some issues myself and I don't always like that they have really unrealistically beautiful women whose looks are enhanced by camera tricks and airbrushing. The majority of women in New York and across America can't make themselves look like that even if they tried. It promotes unhealthy obsessions with looks and creates unrealistic expectations for women and influences the younger generations especially. There's no shame in looking average. Whatever happened to being more than just a pretty face? And they're all looking skinnier and more skeletal every year-"

"If you don't mind my asking, Miss Abby," said Mark, "why did you bring in Miss Yleana Decaos to pose for a calendar then? Isn't she like those Cosmo models and wouldn't we be doing the same thing?"

She looked at him as if she had wanted him to say that and she looked at him with silent approval. Jessica loved it when people spoke their minds and made opinions. She had been to New York University and at the time, she had immersed herself in an ambiance of free thought. She stared at him. Mark Bennett was a rather stout guy, not fat, just carried a little extra weight and dressed like a business executive and his hair was dark brown and always slicked back Jessica felt that he looked like a 1940's gumshoe, especially on the days he wore suspender-slacks and white or silver dressy shirts he rolled up to his elbows.

"I'm glad you point it out, Mark," she said to him, "I'm not emulating Cosmo just because I've decided to make a calendar. It's purely progressive and experimental. If the readers like it, we'll go on to make more calendars but we won't use models like Yleana. We'll most likely feature great photographs we can find of famous women who have contributed to the feminist movement as well as Civil Rights and we'll have quotes. Rosa Parks, Mother Teresa, Princess Diana -"

"Simone De Beauvoir," said Alex.

"Good one, Alex. So yes, let's talk about the new look over various meetings. But right now what bugs me is the fact we haven't come up with a new name. "City Woman" is too generic and has limited appeal. Let's suppose a woman in upstate New York, in the countryside, reads the book and feels that it's not for her just because we have mostly focused on urbane women, career women in the city. What about the woman in a desert town in Nevada or in a small town in Kansas who loves the magazine but feels she'll never be like these city professional women? People, we need to think about all our female readers, not just the few who have long supported our magazine. Ok, let's take a break and we'll come back to discuss among other things next month's issue. It feels like it's been a long morning."

Everyone got up and Alex walked up to Jessica who put away some papers in a folder and filed it away in a drawer. He did not ask her what these papers were but he was certain they were drafts of articles her apprentice was working on.

"I'm so tired," she said looking at him and putting a slender arm to her back, "I think it's because I hardly slept last night."

Her mind returned to the previous night when Manny had fucked her good.

"So much ahead of us still, but right now what do you think? Should we work on something you and me while we have Chinese? What do you think?"

"No work, please," Alex said laughing, "I think it's lunch time."

* * * *

Time flew. Manny had taken dozens of photographs which the folks at the magazine surveyed and looked over until they found the most suited for the January to May months, which is all Manny and Yleana had covered so far.

For the month of February, Jessica came up with an idea for a shoot that was almost worthy of Playboy. Everyone felt she was thinking more commercially now and that she would surely do better this way. Yleana posed in the nude but in a discreetly soft-core manner. She was covered in rose petals, red ribbons and cut-outs of hearts for the Valentines Day look. Her long legs were showcased, her arms, a little of her breasts and her pussy was discreetly covered up by roses. She lay on her back and had a somewhat orgasmic look in her face, though far more relaxed.

Manny had to control his breathing taking those photos, especially when he had to stand directly over her, almost on top of her for close ups, just inches away from her hot pussy and legs. She would smile at him and laugh, as if she knew she was turning him on, as if she knew that no matter how hard he tried to conceal his arousal, she was keenly aware that he was getting hot and bothered.

For the summer months, Yleana posed in bikini shots only. She wore a dark orange, very California beach one-piece bikini for June, a two piece pink bikini for July and another one-piece, this time a more provocative Brazilian bikini for August. It was the breaking point for Manny. Her ass, her breasts and her curves, that tight bikini, all of it was enough to drive him over the edge. He excused himself after the shoot and went into a janitor's closet to jerk off. He didn't notice, however, that Yleana had followed him and she walked into the room behind him. He had his back to her and as he was facing the far end of the room he didn't take any notice of her.

The room was pretty big as it was used for storage and it had been a while since anyone cleaned the place up. Mops, brooms, waste baskets, and old camera equipment gave the place a dirty look and a dusty look. An unpleasant musk was in the air. Manny unbuckled and slid down his pants. He had on boxers which he quickly slid off. His hands reached for his own cock and he began to stroke the shaft, cupping it in his hand as he began to fiercely move his hand up and down in his masturbatory movement. He grunted and moaned as he did this. Yleana was evidently turned on, especially because she knew she had brought this on. It made her feel terrific to know she was filling his erotic fantasies and that she was making him hard. She was wearing a black robe that had Japanese style flowers that belonged in a kimono. Underneath her robe were thong panties and a bra. She laughed all of a sudden, making Manny freeze suddenly.

"Ah, fuck," he said, surprised, staring at Yleana who now opened her robe, flashing her undergarments.

"Mind if I join you, Manny?" she said in a deep, seductive tone.

"Oh God...Yleana..." he uttered very nervously, "Yleana please get out of here. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry."

"No need to feel sorry," she said, smiling, "you don't need to apologize for doing something perfectly natural and something which is healthy for men to do anyways. It's ok. If you're worried that you'll get in trouble, you won't. I won't tell anyone." "You gotta leave; someone might have seen you come in here with me. What if Jessica -"

"Jessica is your boss and mine for the time being, but she doesn't boss me around. I certainly don't care to be bossed around. Look, it's ok. If we're careful, we can fool around and no one has to know."

"O Jesus, Yleana, I -"

"You don't want me?"

When she said this, she moved closer to him and she gently put her hand on his cock, which was still hard. She looked down and her eyes widened as she saw how well- endowed and big his cock was. She licked her lips. She was about to stroke his cock but he stopped her.

"I can't do this. We gotta get out of here."

"Where? My place? I left my address in your shoulder bag where you keep your equipment."

"I can't, Yleana. Jessica -"

"She's not your girlfriend, or is she?"

Manny was briefly silent. If she knew that he and Jess were involved, she could expose Jessica and that would ruin her. She had worked too hard to get where she was and if people knew she was with her own photographer, having an office romance or fling if people thought it was that, it would cost her dearly.

And for all he knew, this Yleana could be plotting to destroy Jessica. She looked like she was trouble and loved toying with men. Only because he had not enjoyed women's attentions and advances in a long time, having been in prison for most of his early twenties he was tempted by this gorgeous woman, even if she looked like trouble.

"No, she's not my girl," he lied, "but she is my boss and if I carry on an affair with you -"

"She'll what? Fire you? I've seen you Manny. You don't look like you belong here. You probably don't even want to work here. You wouldn't really mind leaving this job. Come on. You know you want me."

She was in his face and she pushed her breasts to his chest. Both hands were now on his dick. Manny pulled away. Quickly, he put his boxers back on and his pants.

"I'm leaving; I can't do this with you. I'm only supposed to take photographs of you and that's all there is between us."

He left the storage room and shut the door. Yleana flashed a devilish smile.

"Oh, there'll be more between us when I'm through with you," she said to herself.

As soon as he had left Yleana behind, Manny walked into the direction of Jessica's office. He wanted to tell her that he wanted to quit. That this was not working out. He wanted to go back to coaching football where he would be away from Yleana.

Already, she had cast a magical, sexual spell over him; she had seductively and in subtle fashion bound him in sensual chains. To break free, he had to stay as far away from her as possible. He couldn't cheat on Jessica, the woman who loved him like no other, who had been good to him, the woman he had went to prison for, the woman who made him a better man.

He walked in quickly, not even knocking and he saw that she had a gathering of people in her office. There was Claudia her young assistant editor whom Manny suddenly realized she looked a lot like actress Molly Ringwald who was hot at the time. Next to her was Alex and next to him was Mark. These were her most prominent staff members. Jessica looked up from her desk and was surprised to see Manny. She had expected to see him at the end of the day before he left. It was the only time they could talk at work without arousing any suspicions to others passing by. "Is something wrong, Mr. Meza?" she said.