Casey pressed herself into the hard bus seat, hoping the discomfort of the chair would do something to dispel the butterflies in the pit of her stomach. It was no use, as the nervousness crept back after a few calm but fleeting seconds. This is my job, I've done this a million times before, she told herself, over and over. But it seemed nothing she thought would settle her nerves.
It was not like she'd never done photo shoots before. As a professional model she had graced many a teen magazine fashion spread in her younger years. But a girl's pre-pubescent body only lasts so long, and it wasn't long before the work seemed to thin out and stop altogether, as Casey's thin frame developed breasts, hips, and filled out. No longer the scrawny, bony catwalk model of her youth. Casey's agency had dropped her, labeling her "too fat for the catwalk." And, although her body was close to perfect - small but perky 10B breasts, a thin waist and slim yet curvy hips and legs - her self-confidence and esteem had been shattered.
She was just past her twenty-first birthday. She had been shopping with her friends, when a man claiming to be a talent scout approached them. Casey had been skeptical, but her friends, envying the glamour Casey had experienced during her modeling, were keen to arrange a meeting with the man. Spurred by her friends' enthusiasm, Casey too agreed to an office visit later in the week, doubting very much that anything would eventuate.
So naturally, Casey was shell-shocked when not only did the man turn out to be Mr B. Gunner, the manager of "Sapphires" prestigious models agency, but that he was willing to sign her up, there and then, and offer her first modeling job in close to five years. The only catch was, given Casey's body shape; she was an unsuitable clothes model. Gunner explained that although her days as a clotheshorse were long gone, she would make good money and establish a long career if she were to model her body.
Being currently unemployed, Casey readily agreed, needing the money desperately. Gunner arranged for her to do a lingerie spread for Australia's FHM magazine. She had been enthusiastic about salvaging her modeling career, but as she sat on the bus, heading for the shoot, apprehension clutched at her. She still wrongly considered herself too fat to model, and she was being eaten away by self-doubt.
It was her stop, and with shaky legs, Casey left the bus and walked the two blocks to the warehouse where the shoot was taking place. The moment she hesitantly pushed on the mirrored door it swung open to reveal an annoyed-looking woman holding a make-up brush. "You're late." she snapped, before ushering Casey into the dressing room. Everything happened so fast. Casey was told to undress behind a screen and put on a robe, then she sat on the only chair whilst the woman raced through her hair and make-up.
The woman left, to be replaced by a young man dragging a clothing rack. "Hi dah-ling," he drawled in a homosexual accent, putting Casey at ease. At least he wouldn't be staring at her. "We're running behind sweetie. Would you mind putting this on?" He handed her a skimpy black bra and panties set, and discreetly turned his back while Casey changed. He then whisked her away, out on the room and onto the set.
As she stood staring at the sets, which consisted of a white background set and a four poster bed, a handsome young man holding a camera approached her. "Hi, I'm Justin, I'm the photographer. You must be Casey?" he asked. Casey nodded. Justin smiled. "Nervous? Sapphires said this was your first lingerie shoot."
