SCARLET MEETS MILA

9

"They came." Fox drops a large box of red lace lingerie beside Scarlet's desk. His expression fatigued with a tint of frustration. 

Scarlet side-eyes the box before returning to the documents below. "Who's left on the floor?"

"Me and the new girl", the man laughs defeatedly. "I'm gonna have to call someone back to take these shots."

"It's eight", she states bluntly. "The delivery came in at three." she lifts only her eyes towards Fox. "You had four hours to take the shots before everybody left."

Fox swallows hard and fiddles with his tie.

"What happened, Fox?" Scarlet asks with control.

"I was busy prepping the girls", he admits. The cock of Scarlet's head adds another layer of pressure. "Time escaped me, Scar."

Scarlet breathes deeply as she leaves her chair to approach the box on the floor, her fingertips pulling out an expensive set of lingerie while looking at the man with an intense stare. "I have a meeting in less than an hour", Fox gulps. "So tell me, who are you going to get in here with enough time to dress and shoot?"

Fox takes a breath, refusing to look up at the woman in front while he thinks. Scarlet allows him a moment, her patience already thin. "Hear me out", he voices finally, reaching Scarlet's eyes again. "What about her?"

Scarlet follows the man's gaze as it stretches towards the door. "Your new assistant?" She scoffs, "Not a chance!"

"Look at her?" Fox demands rhetorically, "She is gorgeous, Scar?"

Scarlet rolls her eyes. "Congratulations, you have eyes!" Fox takes the hit with a sharp breath. "Her position here is to pick up after you to boost your productivity. She's barely capable of that! You think modelling my line is any easier?"

"This is my fuck up, not hers", Fox defends. "Let me put her in the piece. If you hate it, I'll call Maddy back, ok?"

Scarlet lowers her head and folds her arms. "I expect more from you, Fox", the woman speaks, crawling under the man's paper-thin skin. "The money I spend on those girls, and you use an assistant to promote my life's work."

Fox gulps with darkening cheeks. "I'll make it work."

Scarlet denies the man another word as she turns to her desk for an expensive, studio-grade camera. She flicks her thumb over the power and adjusts a few settings before making her way over to a photo studio behind Harlow's office.

Across the room, Mila anxiously steps into a pair of red heels. Fox convinced her that taking a few photos would aid her in winning over the boss. Mila, however, was terrified of being seen by the woman as anything other than invisible.

"I'm not a model", Mila jerks, turning to allow Fox a hand on her bra strap. "Why can't the girls do this?"

"We needed the shots hours ago!" Fox squirms, "I promise, it will take five minutes."

Mila faces herself in the mirror. "She's terrifying!" Her reasoning continues, "You want me to stand half naked in front of her doing something she has more knowledge about than anyone in this entire building?"

Fox turns the girl towards him. "You'll be fine, trust me!" He reassures, "I'll tell you what to do. Just fake some confidence, and you might shock yourself, ok?"

Mila nods reluctantly, accepting a white silk robe that covers her body while walking towards the large studio. When setting eyes on Scarlet, Mila quickly takes a shallow breath, the wings of tiny butterflies disturbing her stomach lining.

"Right there", Fox points to the silk backdrop with a faint marking on the floor. "You can take the robe off when you're ready."

He turns to Scarlet. "Let's just get the basic shots first", he plans under a whisper. "She looks good. Just tell me where you want her."

Scarlet ignores the man with rolling eyes, grabbing her camera and shoving past him to take place in front of Mila's timid body. "I need ten shots, good?"

Mila's shocked by the woman's ask for consent, albeit blunt and somewhat intimidating. She nods "Yes" with a hard swallow

"Perfect", Scarlet sighs. "Take the robe off."

Mila pulls the silk rope around her waist and hands the robe off to Fox beside, her hands instinctively covering her stomach. She waits for an instruction from Scarlet, but she only notices the woman to look her up and down in silence before lifting her camera.

"Hands by your side, here", Fox directs, moving the girl into a few different poses, each punctuated by the short snap of the camera. "Good, a little to the left with your hip, yes!" Although nervous, Mila does well, and she's yet to receive a lousy note from Scarlet.

"Turn around", commands Scarlet, lowering her camera when Mila's back shifts into focus. Fox notices the lingering pause and cocks a brow, watching as the woman slowly lifts the device in front of her face. "Widen the stance", she directs, knowing Fox will understand her vision. "Lift your hair"

Fox moves Mila's legs further apart and guides her to lift the ends of her hair from her back in a pose he hasn't seen so far in the campaign. "Good job, Mila", he pronounces sharply while glancing at Scarlet suspiciously. The woman takes the shot and looks down at the picture with a blank expression.

"Can I put the robe back on yet?" Mila whispers to Fox as quietly as she can, "I'm cold."

"Face me", Scarlet interrupts bluntly. "Chin up, eyes closed." Fox eyes Scarlet once again. This time, she looks back with an unreadable expression after taking the shot. "Get her dressed. I've got what I need."

Mila turns around as the woman walks away. "Did I do ok?" She asks Fox with a shiver. "She didn't say much."

Fox responds with a warm, reassuring chuckle, draping the robe around Mila's shoulders. "Trust me, no news is good news with Scarlet," he explains, securing the robe with a neat knot. "If she had an issue, we would know about it."

"Right," Mila smiles, still slightly unsure.

"I promise, you were amazing! Anyway, get dressed. You've already worked over your shift." Fox pats the girl's shoulder and walks her to the door of Scarlet's office. "I'm gonna finish up with Scar", he smiles. "You did amazing today, Mila!"

"Thanks", the girl returns, heading for her clothes with a genuine smile while Fox disappears behind the glass doors.