I opened the window to get a clearer picture .
It was almost noon, and there was no breeze at that time of the day. The thermometer was stuck on 92 degrees, and there was no need to wait and read about humidity, my forehead told me it was over 50 percent. I knew it ',cause one minute later ,I had to swipe the sweat from my eyes.
"Damn it's hot today. How can these people go out there with this kind of temperatures?"
There weren't too many people around really, but my left eye spotted a beautiful creature coming South on A1A.
She was tall and gorgeous.
Her hair was a strange, different amber color. It looked like some of the sunsets I saw in the Everglades, wonderful, but hard to describe.
She must have been a model, I thought. Not just for her looks, but also for the way she walked slowly, sending her beautiful hips from left to right, and again to the left, reminding me of a Jello pudding on a large plate.
Every one of the few men still battling the midday sun, turned around, as she went by. She was a dream. If Rudy or Sal, my friends from L.A. were here, we'd give her a "TEN plus" on a scale from one to nine.
She had a white t-shirt with a "Boom" writing just over her chest ,that was at least two or three sizes over the one I liked, and a pair of jeans so tight, that there was no room for fantasy, as every bit of the skin, under that jeans, fought a hard battle to be kept inside the blue fabric.
I was following her with my lens ,and I was really sweating now. I concentrated on her right hip; as a strange tattoo attracted me. I never saw anything like it before.
The tattoo was about three to four centimeters wide, coming out from her jeans. There was a black arrow pointing down inside a circle, and the circle had ten spikes. Each one of the spikes had a small symbol or a number, but I could not read it . I took five or six quick shots of that tattoo, without forgetting the full shape of that wonderful ass , of course, and a whole photo of her, as she was one of the most beautiful women I saw in my entire life.
"Blessed be the man who can.." I thought.
I couldn't finish the phrase in my head as the doorbell rang. I picked up the two-way speaker connecting me to the front door down stairs.
"Who is it? I asked"
"Serena Saqui Dannell. Is this the right address for "Mark's and Alan Enterprise?"
"Yep. Come in" I said clicking on the button that would open the door"
I waited with the door opened for the lift to come up, as I parked my Nikon on the couch and fixed my hair fast as I could, with my hand; chewed a mint at the speed of sound.
"Oh Lord.." I thought to myself. " A client finally!"
Sometimes life dealt me a few bad cards. Some other I got really lucky. I knew darn well the ups and downs, the joy and the pains of being human.
One cannot expect to be always lucky, neither you can think that if you are going through bad times it'll last forever. Things are bound to change at all times, so you just have to rock and roll the rollercoaster of life, waiting for a change in each direction and never lose hope.
As I saw the lift's door opening, I thought immediately that this was absolutely the luckiest day of my entire life. A man could not ask for a better vision as Serena Saqui Dannell was THE girl I saw and took the photos of, just a few minutes ago.
Was I dreaming as she moved slowly to the door where I was standing with my chin asking for the floor for support as it was literally falling down on me?
The "vision" stretched her hand to meet mine, as she said: " Serena, nice meeting you..can I come in?"
I was going to say: " No please, do not. I still have an erection to deal with, for taking your pictures down the walkway, stay away please, I know that my life could never be the same if I'll let you in. Turn around, let me double-check that wonderful ass of yours. Asses like that , should be banned as a concealed weapon. Go to another agency please, we are closing for a couple of weeks; that is the time I'd need to get you out of my head"
Instead, I whispered: " Please do"
She entered the office and calmly walked to the desk. She did not look around but went straight next to the chair that I grabbed asking her please to sit.
"Would you like a drink? Some water? A soda?"
"Sure thanks, it so hot today. I'd love a Margarita if you know how to make one"
"Holy shit! This is my lucky day indeed" I thought. If there was A drink that I could make perfectly it was a strawberry margarita.
"Strawberry?" I dared. " I make a really good strawberry margarita if you want"
"That would be wonderful. Are you going to join me on that?"
"Of course I will with great pleasure " I said with a smile.
I went over to the small bar we had next to the couch and blended the ice, took the strawberry syrup out of the fridge along with the bottle of Tequila. Mixed it and poured into the glass. Moved it to a small tray and poured whatever the extra was, in a pitcher, next to a small plate with a slice of lemon and some salt.
"Wow. What a service .. thanks." She said preparing her hand with the salt and the lemon. She took a sip of the drink. We toasted: "To the heat of South Florida" She suggested. "To our meeting today" I continued.
"What brings you to our humble office today Mrs. Dannell?" I said glancing quickly at the business card she just handed me.
"You may call me Serena, MIss that is..and you would be ..?"
"Mark . I'm Mark, Mark Accorso, Serena"
"I am a model and I need to produce a professional portfolio. It is very urgent. Can you handle it? money is not an issue for me, I would pay to double your fees if you can do it professionally and fast."
"How many photos are you looking for and when is your deadline Serena?"
"Can I smoke Mark?" She asked, and lit the cigarette when I handed her the camera's shaped ashtray I kept in my drawer for occasions like this one.
"I'm looking for a hundred pictures. The deadline? Yesterday."
She smiled for the first time and I could see for the first time what the real meaning of "white teeth" was. She had the most beautiful mouth I had ever seen. Sensuous sexy and real.
"Oh, Lord. I'm used to working on deadlines but it would take at least a couple of days of hard work to produce the pictures and another day for the editing and the printing. Three days around the clock, I would say."
"What are your daily fees for shooting?"
" One thousand dollars plus expenses"
" I'll pay you ten thousand if you can do it in two days"
"Well.. we should be working day and night, it isn't impossible but I'd feel I need to work without a great pressure in order to give you the professional photos you need. Let's give it a try, I'll do my best. If I can't make it in two days you'll pay me a thousand a day. If I will and you'll be satisfied you'll give me the ten figures ok?"
"Sounds like a deal. Here, this is a thousand dollars in advance for your expenses" She counted ten "one-hundred dollar bills" and laid it on the desk.
"Let us start tomorrow, at nine o clock sharp. Do you know where Golden Beach is just South of Hallandale Beach Blv. on A1A?"
"I know where the place is"
"Meet me there tomorrow, there is a public beach, about half a mile on your left as you pass the street sign "Golden Beach". I'll meet you there, we'll take some pictures outside and then we'll move to my house for the rest of the day."
She smiled once more and I escorted her to the door and the elevator.
"You didn't finish your margarita Serena.."
"Well. I'll take a rain check on that. Bring the syrup and the Tequila tomorrow, I'll have the ice. Hasta la vista!"
"Hasta Manana!"
I checked on that ass once more before she closed and disappeared behind the elevator's door.
I was still shocked and puzzled by that visit. Shocked because of her beauty, puzzled but the request she made to me.
I wasn't the most famous photographer in the world but something wasn't right. Usually, a portfolio isn't needed that fast and why did she offer to pay a small fortune just to have a one hundred photos taken? Something was fishy and wasn't right.
In cases like this, I needed the "moron's advice". The Dude was the right person I thought. He was the last person one would want to be advised. He was a compulsive liar and a pot head who lived for many years in Hawaii, surfing, and smoking. Eventually, he gave up surfing and moved to Miami where he drove a taxi. He looked a lot like the professor in "Back to the Future". A strange human being but for some reason, his craziness had made him wise when he wasn't too high on weed.
I had an option: Lucy!!!
She always knew the answer, she was wise, besides if I went to Lucy's I could spend the night there, get laid and be closer to Golden Beach for tomorrow shoot. I loved the way I thought of things some times, I'd even surprised myself. I called Alan first but I didn't tell him about the ten thousand and I gave him a few details. I just told him I'd be out of the office for a couple of days and would be back with two or three thousand dollars. He seemed to like the idea and hung up on me saying "I'm watching you man" "Fuck you" was my answer as I hung up.
I was honest and never screwed anybody who trusted me. Alan did trust me and I did as well. I didn't mention about the ten thousand she promised because I wasn't going to create false hopes and also because I did not know if I was really going to get it. Besides, if I told Alan the whole story I had the feeling he would start bitching at me and lecturing me like a wife about the rule that "if the money is too easy, there must be something fishy about it". I heard that from him so many times and I did not want to listen to all that bullshit.
In my mind, I had it clear: if I made ten thousand, we'd split it in half like we always did. If it was going to be two thousand, we'll do the same. I would leave the entire story for later, and explain him the whole crap when it was over.
Serena's ass got me horny. It was time to get to Lucy's.