When she spotted the ad in the paper, her heart jumped. She could do that. There was no reason why not. She had been lying on a park bench when she saw it, a page from a newspaper floating in the breeze. It wouldn't have bothered her, but it settled around her ankles in a curious fashion. She picked it up, and was going to simply screw it up and toss it into the nearby trash can, but she paused and thought better of it.
There was still a few hours until the shops opened in the city, and there wouldn't be enough shoppers yet to get her enough spare change for a cup of coffee, and on that hard wooden bench in the freezing temperatures, she wasn't going to sleep until then. Reading whatever was in the paper would keep boredom from the door for a little while.
The page was full of classified adverts - buying things, selling things, that kind of thing. Not particularly interesting, admittedly, but in her position, she could hardly be a literary critic. With her lifestyle, it got so that even month-old newspapers were more stimulating than the usual sitting in the street holding out a hat.
But this time was different, very different. Because this time she spotted something that applied to her. Amateur photographer seeks female model. All fees negotiable. There was an address underneath. Something sparked inside her. She could do that. Under the horrible old clothes and grime from walking the streets, she wasn't all that unattractive. Perhaps this was where her luck could change.
"There's a young lady to see you, sir," said the doorman outside the exclusive-looking apartment building, "says she's come about the advert you put in the paper last month."
It was a very expensive-looking place. The doorman was dressed in a very smart purple uniform with silver buttons and a cap that made him look part of the military. She was very nervous, because the doorman was giving her dirty looks as he spoke through the intercom to whoever it was that had placed the ad.
"She's...uh..." the doorman fumbled for words, "she's a vagrant, sir, a tramp."
There was a pause as the doorman listened to the reply. Her heart was in her mouth - if she was turned down because she was a street walker, it wouldn't be for the first time, but she was really hoping for this one.
"Are you sure sir?" the doorman was taken aback by something he heard through the intercom. "Very well, sir."
The doorman walked back over to her, a big frown on her face. "He says you're to go up, miss," he said, and obviously didn't agree. "Quickly, now, I don't want any of the other residents to see you."
"Okay," she said, "thank you, sir."
"Up the elevator, there," the doorman pointed as she walked through the marble-floored lobby, "sixteenth floor."
She'd never been in such a lavish place as this. She found she was very nervous still - she didn't have the job yet, and in a place like this, she might get more money from this than she could in a month's begging on the street. The elevator whirred as it climbed, the red digital number flicking slowly upwards towards sixteen. She was very nervous: she couldn't remember how long it was since she last took a bath, she hoped her appearance wouldn't put this amateur photographer off. Still, if she hadn't been turned away because she was homeless, there was still hope.
At last, a little bell sounded and the elevator came to a halt. The door slowly opened and she found herself stepping out into an elegant hallway with thick red carpet, antique furniture and old oil paintings on the walls. She let out her breath - one of those paintings would probably buy her an apartment somewhere out in the projects.
Down the hall came a smartly dressed young man. He had to be a stockbroker or something, because he wasn't too much older than her, and yet obviously very well off. Looked like your typical Harvard graduate, but nice, friendly-looking, smiling at her as he approached with his hand outstretched.
"Hi," he beamed at her, "I'm David, how're you?"
"Great, thanks," she smiled back at him and tentatively shook his hand, her heart lifted to unknown heights by the unexpected kindness.
"You're here about the model job?"
"Yeah. I'm Ellie."
"Fantastic, great to meet you Ellie. Well come on inside, can I get you some coffee or something?"
She followed him through the double doors into an expansive apartment, which was furnished in a very modern style, completely unlike the hallway outside. "Uh...coffee would be great, thanks."
She didn't really know what was going to happen, but a cup of coffee in the warm like this was better than what she could normally expect, so anything more would be a bonus. They walked through an expansive living area, with wonderful polished wooden floors and just enough furniture to give that Scandinavian cosy feel to the place. The windows were floor to ceiling, and the view was quite astounding. As David put the coffee machine on, Ellie went to gaze out over a city she'd only ever seen from street level.
"Do you take cream or sugar?" David asked her, and she nodded a reply. "Do sit down if you'd like," he said.
David brought two cups of steaming coffee over and placed them on a glass coffee table in front of her as she sat on the white couch. She sat on the edge of the couch because she knew her coat wasn't the freshest smelling garment, but as David lounged back opposite her, he told her to relax.
"So," he said, "firstly, you are eighteen, Ellie, aren't you? I don't want to sound rude, but I have to be certain, otherwise I'd get in some real trouble hiring you..."
"I am," she said, "you don't need to worry about that."
"Okay, you'll have to sign a couple of forms first, but that'll be all right. Now, are you going to be all right posing for me in the nude?"
She blushed, feeling the hot flush creep over her face and down her chest. Her stomach fluttered as adrenaline surged through her system. Naked? She'd never been naked in front of a man before. Something stirred within her, between her legs - something she hadn't felt in a long time. Posing nude in front of the handsome David might even prove fun.
"Uh...yeah...it won't be a problem," she said, her whole body quivering with a kind of nervous excitement.
"Most of the girls that answered my ads didn't want to," he said, "and the rest were extremely unattractive," he chuckled, and she found herself laughing with him. "But I have to be honest, Ellie, you are extremely beautiful under all that heavy clothing you have shielding you."
She flushed again, "thank you," she said, looking shyly away from his gaze, "but I really need all this heavy clothing to keep me warm."
"How long have you been homeless?" he asked, his eyes concerned but not pitying.
She shrugged, "a few years, I guess."
"You must have had a hard life," he sighed, "but I want you to know that if I hire you, I don't want to exploit you." She nodded. "I don't want you to feel you have to do everything I tell you to or I'll throw you back out on the street."
