10 Years Later (Larry 1d)

Chapter 4

Just to note, in England, where I live and this story is set, UK dress sizes are 2 sizes bigger than the USA equivalent, e.g. a UK 4 is a US 0 and a UK 10 is a US 6

A few hours later they pulled up in front of an iron gate and after the security team waved them through they drove up a long driveway to a complex consisting of seven small detached properties. Melanie pointed to the house that would be theirs and explained that they would have their own house, while the other band members would have their own on the complex. The other houses were for security and household staff. There were chefs, maids and personal assistants on site to see to any of their needs.

Melanie showed them around the house they'd be staying at, it had two bedrooms upstairs, with luxurious en-suites, a state-of-the-art kitchen, downstairs bathroom and plush living room with comfortable sofas and a huge television. While it was not a huge house, it was stunning and it was their own for the time being.

They quickly unpacked and came downstairs to be greeted with two steaming mugs of tea. They sat on the sofa as Melanie gave them their contracts to sign and then outlined the plan for the rest of the day, which was to start with PR training. Emma and Louis had barely blinked before a team of PR consultants were whisked into their living room.

A lady from the PR team with a short skirt and an expensive blow dry cast a critical eye over Emma and Louis, sighed and said curtly, "It seems we have a lot of work to do". Emma prickled and snapped, "It's not like we had much warning". A smarmy suited man leapt in with, "Of course, of course, no offense meant, just a little joke. Although we will have to do something about that temper won't we?"

Emma gave a bland smile but inwardly seethed, she had always considered herself to be pretty level headed but the stress and shock of the day had taken its toll on her. The last thing she needed was to be criticised. Unfortunately for the next few hours that was all the PR team seemed to do.

The PR team outlined the roles that they were to fill, and how they were to present themselves. They wanted Louis to maintain his persona, but stressed that he needed to play nice with the fans. It was okay for him to be quiet, but he needed to be engaged. Louis could keep his long hair and his beard, but they would need to be trimmed and neatened and he would need to be more groomed. He would need a new wardrobe consisting of smart shoes, suits, and shirt and trouser combos, with no more denim or sneakers. In short he just had to be a dapper version of himself. However, they seemed to find fault with everything about Emma, from her hair and clothes to her personality; planning a complete image overhaul and extensive media training.

The final straw for Emma came when they were talking about her weight, telling her she needed to go on a diet immediately and that they would arrange for a personal trainer to meet with her that night. She spluttered and looked to Louis for help. Louis angrily told the PR consultants that Emma had a lovely body and didn't need to change it. The PR lady in the short skirt smirked and replied, "We're only trying to protect her from the press, they will point out all of these things if we don't correct them." Emma stood up, her hands clenched into fists and hissed, "I don't fucking need to be corrected", to which the PR team then told her to sit down and lectured her on the importance of maintaining ones temper, not swearing and generally how to be a lady.

The meeting with the PR team went on for a few hours, although it felt like a lifetime to Emma. After they had left, Melanie went outside to make a few phone calls giving them a few moments of privacy. The minute they were alone, Emma burst into angry tears while Louis held her and rubbed her back. Louis told Emma to ignore the PR arseholes and reassured her that she was perfect as she was, and he loved her body.

Melanie knocked before poking her head around the door and apologetically telling them that they had to be on their way to the next appointment, which was to be styling. Louis nodded, feeling a tension headache coming on, he pinched the bridge of his nose and tried to smooth the wrinkles from his forehead with his fingers. He asked Melanie if they could get something to eat; they hadn't eaten anything since breakfast and it was now almost 4pm. A few minutes later, they were in the car with James and Melanie who was on the phone to the stylists to say they were on their way and putting an order in for refreshments.