The Nova Game Ch. 02

The next morning, I was up early. I had several hours until the appointment with Dennis, so to settle my nerves, I ritually cleaned and beautified myself as best I could. I started off with a shower that was almost too hot to stand. The steam rose up in heavy columns, and I breathed it in heavily. I tried a few meditation and breathing exercises I'd heard of, trying to calm myself. The water fell on my face as I counted to ten, exhale, count to ten, inhale. After ten minutes of this, I began to scrub myself from head to toe, using a blue loofah to lather the soap on my naked body.

I used a throwaway razor and started to shave, first my armpits, then my legs. After they were silky smooth, I played idly with the rough pubic hair, trying to decide if I wanted to shave down there as well. I didn't have a 70s bush or anything, I keep myself trimmed up. But I decided I may as well go the extra mile, and began to carefully run to razor over my crotch. The hair peeled away, revealing my lips as I went. I had only shaved completely once or twice, but I was always amazed at how small and smooth my vagina became when I did. I ran a finger up from my butt, all the way up my lips, brushing my clit as I went. It felt nice, and somewhere in the back of my head, I thought about how long it had been since I'd masturbated. But I had things to do, and I turned the water off. Maybe later.

I had managed to calm myself considerably by now, though. After drying myself, I applied lotion to my whole body, especially where I had shaved, and spritzed a cheap perfume (all I could afford) over my skin. A little deodorant was next, and then my bra and panties. I carefully applied my makeup, subtle and natural, and then tried to decide what to do with my hair. I decided on a simple ponytail, my go to for every occasion.

With my hair and makeup complete, I put on my outfit. I walked around my small living room for several minutes readjusting to the heels. They were only two inch heels, so it didn't take long to get comfortable again. I did grab a pair of flats just in case. And then, with a last, solidifying look at the plain, white business card, I strode as confidently as I could out of the apartment, to my car.

The drive was about thirty-five minutes long, and to me, it went entirely too fast. By the time I pulled into the lit, my nerves had reappeared with a vengeance, and I had to steady myself before I even got out. But I was determined to see this through, I had no other options. I pulled a hand mirror from my purse and checked my makeup, my teeth, and my hair, did a quick breath test, and then walked toward the building.

It was a small office, set into a strip along other small businesses. The fancy purple text on the sign matched the name of the business card. There was a light on inside, and a neon open sign hanging above the hours of business.

I pulled open the door and entered a spartan waiting room, with once three seat couch made of black leather, and a desk. There was a woman behind the desk, clacking away on a computer. She looked up as I entered. Her smile was all white teeth, and her natural beauty wad immediately evident. She had long red hair that was situated in an elegant series of braids, and red lipstick to match. Her long nails, also bright red, might have clashed with her hair and lips, but the dark black business like skirt made up for it.

"Hello, welcome to Nova!" She said, her smile dazzling even while she spoke. "Do you have an appointment?"

I nodded, returning her smile as best I could, and said, "With Dennis, for nine."

She nodded and turned to her computer, clicking wildly. "Hayley?"

"That's me." I said.

"Well you must have done something right, Dennis is the owner. He handpicks many clients himself, and they always tend to land good jobs, sooner or later."

I didn't know how to respond, so I forced a light laugh.

"Just take a seat and I'll call for him."

I sat, my anxiousness growing with each passing second. Absentmindedly, I pulled my ponytail free and shook out my hair, letting it fall on my shoulders. I looped a finger through the strands idly as I looked around the room. No posters, no awards, no décor of any kind. It was slightly unnerving, which didn't help my nerves.

I heard a door behind the desk and the pretty receptionist open. There he was. Dressed in slacks, neat black shoes, a light purple dress shirt under a black vest. His hair was slicked back, as it had been when I had first seen him. Dennis smiled at me and with one finger adjusted his wireframes at the corner.

"Miss Rodgers." He said. It wasn't a question. He looked me over, as he had in the shop. I felt his eyes dance over me quickly as I stood. I was determined not to blush, and instead offered my hand.

"Dennis."

He held my hand delicately as he gazed into my eyes intensely. I couldn't hold his gaze, and glanced down at his shoes instead. If he cared, he didn't say.

"I'm glad that you could come. Come on back to the office and we'll talk." He didn't wait for my reply, but instead pulled me gently by my hand, guiding me to walk in front of him toward the door. I stepped through the frame, into the room beyond.

In the corner of the room was a photo studio set up. A large camera, a single barstool, two large lights on posts. Pretty much like any family photo studio. I motioned at it.

"Is that where we take the pictures?"

"Oh just headshots. We send those out to potential gigs. If you get picked up, we have a different property for full shoots, and sometimes the buyers have their own studios. Just the bigger companies, the major makeup retailers and the like." He was so confident with every word, every step, and I felt my self being put at ease. He had a calming feeling. Maybe this would be easier than I had expected.

There were several posters and advertisements on the walls; big name jewelry companies, retailers, and other things. They all had stunningly pretty women showcasing the brands elegantly. They were all so much prettier than me. Why had he chosen me for this?

On one side of the room was a door. It was the only other door in the room save for the one we came through. He showed me inside, into his office. My mouth fell open. The room itself was as simple as the waiting room, except there were more example shoots on posters around the room. These ones where very different. There were no brands, no stores, just the women. And they all had one major thing in common.

Totally naked. All of them. And they seemed to have little shame, some of them in very artsy black and white shits, others in full color provacatives. There was even one of a blonde who was spreading her pussy lips with one hand, a graceful smile on her face. I was shocked. I stood frozen, looking around at the sheer nudity, my mouth agape.

Dennis chuckled.

"I get that reaction a lot. Don't worry though. These are shoots for very particular clients, and we won't have you do anything you don't want to." He sat down behind the desk, and turned on his laptop screen. After a moment, he motioned for me to sit.

Tearing myself away from the thought of posing like these girls, which both terrified, and admittedly slightly excited me, I sat. I crossed my legs and set my purse down on the ground. I felt like I should start some small talk, due to the quiet as he typed. A few moments later, Dennis looked up at me.

"Alright Miss Rodgers, we'll start with a few questions first. Then we'll get some headshots."

"Okay."

"Let's see, what are your measurements?"

I gave them honestly, but looking at the girls on the walls, I felt like I was way out of my league. And the his questions went on, the more boring I seemed to be. Boring Hayley, that's me. He asked about hobbies, skills, my schedule. It wasn't until he asked about what I most liked about myself physcially that I felt like my answer was solid and confident.

"Well, I like my butt." I said, letting a smile peek through my hard demeanor. "It's always been big and bubbly." I laughed at myself, clinging for this as a way to feel more comfortable.

"Yeah? Let's see then. Can you stand up, please?" He was smiling, but Dennis' request was very direct, as he'd been the whole time. I hesitated for a second, but what the hell? I'd come this far. So I stood, and without him asking, I turned slowly on the spot. I stopped when I was faced away from him, and turned my head back to look at his reaction.

"Very nice, I agree." He said, smiling all the while. "Alright, I think I have plenty to work with here. I should be able to get a good bio up for you tonight. Let's take a few pictures now, to go with it."

He stood and led me back out to the photo set. It went surprisingly well. I sat straight backed in the stool while he gave directions. The shots started out very basic, with me staring straight ahead unsmiling. Soon though, he had added in profile views, over the shoulder shots, and he even got an action shot of me laughing. I didn't even see when I had become comfortable enough for that. Dennis was great to work with. I felt I could trust him.

Half an hour later, he took me back to his office. The shots had uploaded to his laptop, and he showed me a few of them. I was surprised. I looked good. Despite my plain appearance, simple hair style, and nearly casual outfit, Dennis had been able to make me look, well, sexy.

"Alright, this is great stuff. We'll get these out to our clients and hopefully in a few weeks we'll have some offers for you. Now, you said you were in quite a pickle, to put it mildly. You wanted some quick cash."

My elation left in a heartbeat. The reason for me coming here came back in a sickening flash. I willed myself not to lose it again.

"Yeah." I said simply.

Dennis opened a drawer on his desk, and pulled out a single sheet of paper. "I've been putting together a, competition, as it were."

The paper was an advertising layout. All in black print, with standard graphic effects that made the lettering pop. It said, "Online Modeling Competition." Other things like, "Compete for 20,000 dollars!", and "Show the world the real you!" decorated the space.

"I don't get it." I said, taking the page to examine it more closely.

"Well, I'm trying to expand my business in other directions. I'm putting together a live web show. There will be several girls just like you, who compete in, uh, modeling challenges. The viewers will be able to pick their favorites, and after each challenge, one girl will be eliminated. Last one standing takes it all."

I was immediately hesitant. Modeling challenges? Like a catwalk? Where the viewers chose if you won or not? I wasn't enthusiastic.

"Uh, what do you mean challenges?" I asked.

"Well, part of the rules is that you won't know what's coming next, to keep the playing field even. I think you'll have a lot of fun though. And its for twenty grand."

I hadn't missed that part. That much money would me a lifesaver, quite literally.

"Well, when is it?" I asked.

"Actually it starts tomorrow. One of the contestants got sick, I've been trying to find a replacement. There are fifteen total, you would be sixteen. It takes eight days to complete."

"Eight days?!" I exclaimed. "I can't do that, I have work, and school!"

"True, but you can put all that on hold for a little over a week right? It's a lot of money."

I stared at the paper. My self doubt must have been evident. "Look," Dennis said, "I wouldn't invite you if I didn't think you could win. You'll do great. Plus, if you don't , you'll be back to school and work that much sooner, and you can wait for your profile here to pan out. What do you have to lose?"

He was right about that. Dennis really seemed to get me. Like he knew before he even brought it up that I would say yes. What else could I do? The answer seemed clear.

I, sighed deeply. "Well, where do I need to be?"

"Good girl." He said with a winning smile. He pulled out a stack of paper. First you'll need to sign this contract. To guarantee that you will follow the rules. Simply put, you'll agree to live with the other girls on the contest grounds for the duration of the competition, or until you are eliminated."

I stared at the stack of paper. It seemed like a big step to sign it. I'd have to call into work, cancel my classes for the time, and then try to win a modeling game. Could I really do it?

Dennis placed a hand gently on the pages. I looked up at him, feeling anxious. "You need to trust me."

I stared back at him, this time holding my gaze. And I found that I did trust him, surprisingly. I reached into my purse to extract a pen. "Where do I sign?"