Twice Over

Chapter 128 - Miscalculation

 miscalculation
noun
1. an act of miscalculating; an error or misjudgement.

The models remaining were really lovely to work with. Gone was the tension and awkwardness, they realised straight away this wasn't going to be a usual job where the client pays someone to direct the show. I, Lily Twice, the boss for the show, was different, really hands on right from the start, and bloody good at my job.

I joined them during the guide of the back stage and cat walk as Ms Claire showed them around the venue, then I stood beside the tables, handing out sets of clothing for each model, describing the artwork, highlighting each piece of clothing's inspiration. I wanted each girl to understand what went into the designs, my thoughts and emotions, how I went about designing each piece.

When they changed into the clothing, many of them were smiling, enjoying the comfort and luxury of the nightwear. I pitied them for a bit, these ladies had to wear what ever their client makes them wear, whether they suited them or not. I ended up helping Ms Claire adjust the clothing on each model where needed, and after two hours we were pretty sorted. By this time the make up and hair artists had arrived, so all the girls got out of the show clothing and back into their street clothes.

Then the boys arrived. And Sunny Ishida, my soon-to-be assistant – even if she doesn't know it. I've already decided. So first thing I did was rope her into the show, shoved her into a room with a set of clothes that was silver with deep purple emperor moths on it. It was stunning, and almost the opposite in design in similar colours to the set I'm giving Jackson to wear. Sneaky, I know. But I just know they will look amazing together.

The ladies were in make up with Ms Claire and her team sorting out the style, colour palette and how their hair should look. I decided to leave this part to Ms Claire's expertise. I'd never done this before, had no idea, really, what I wanted it to look like. I just wanted them to look gorgeous, but slightly relaxed, not smexy and not sluttly. That is what I told my event manager when she asked all those weeks ago, so I trusted her to get the job done.

Accessories were handed out by Eyva – who I also gave a set of model clothes to – and slippers or shoes were also paired up. Then we came to the five guys who I'd roped into the mix. $800 for the two days work, they were happy boys, but I don't really think they knew what they had got themselves in for.

"Grant, please bring the boys over." I called out to Grant over the other side of the backstage arena. He got their attention and all the boys walked over and I swear there were sparkles, floating hearts, slow motion music and thumping hearts. I giggled, because someone actually did accidentally pop open a party popper with glitter and hearts in them just as my male models turned towards me.

I quickly turned to watch the ladies behind me, half getting their make up sorted. Two of them had eye liner and lipstick smudge sideways as they got distracted. Another dropped a water bottle and Ms Claire face palmed. I got the giggles.

"What's up, Ms Lily?" Liam asked, ever the need for spotlighting. I smiled at him, turned to the table of male clothing sets and pulled out the gold and orange set and passed it to him. Called "Pheonix" it suited his look really well.

"Here, this is yours. Go get changed and if you need help tying everything together, just yell. I'm sure any number of beauties will come to the rescue." Before he replied, I had him loaded down with clothes and shoved into the male side of the dressing rooms and closed the door behind him.

"This is yours." I handed Grant a forest green and purple peacock set. Picking up the ocean light blue set, I passed this to Freddie who looked confused as usual. "Go!" I pointed them both into their changing area.

"Jackson, this is yours. Emperor in Moonlight, it a show piece, treat it kindly." I passed his over, then pick up my last set and turned around.

"Lastly," I shook out my favourite men's robe to show it off. Cobalt blue and teal clouds with majestic white cranes. Masculine, vibrant and gorgeous. When I turned to give it to the last of my male models, I realised I'd made an accounting error. There were only four men, not five.

"Dang it." I swore. "Stupid."

"What's up, Lily?" Eyva arrived. She had been mixing it up with the ladies and Ms Godfrey's staff members.

"Five male sets, four males. What are we going to do?" I nearly panicked. Luckily this is what dress rehearsals are for.

"Really, no problems. I'll ask Wallace to find someone for us." She tapped her chin thinking. "Better yet, I'll ask Wallace to model your last men's set. How about that?" She grinned and waggled her eyebrows, like a leech. This girl. She's really moving further away from Eyva 1.0 more and more.

"Wallace wont do it. He's too busy, too high profile and... he's your step father." I whispered the last part. Not many people know that Eyva isn't actually Wallace Overmeyer's blood related daughter. He'd been raising her like his own blood and kin for over eighteen years and everyone in the whole city, gosh, probably the whole country, knew her as his flesh and blood. So I think they are going to keep it that way for now, or at least until Eyva comes back from her overseas trip. Wallace wants to keep her safe, and his name will do most of the work for them.

"No problems, Blister. Leave this to me." She grabbed my favourite set of men's lounge wear from my grasp, dashed off and that was that.

The guys got changed, Jackson caused another mess and it was decided that Jackson should hide away from every. Female. In. The. Show. Someone dropped a glass, smashing it on the ground, cutting their feet. Thank goodness it wasn't a model, but a techie girl. She had to be escorted to a medical clinic down the road by her team mates.

Another accident happened when all the girls sashayed passed the tall, dark and friggin' handsome man on their way out of back stage and onto the catwalk. Too many of them tripped or nearly fell into the lake water. Ms Claire very quickly made a new site safety rule. Jackson wouldn't be allowed out until after all the girls had come back off the cat walk. They were too distracted.

I turned to watch Jackson as he grumped. I giggled when I heard Sunny try to talk him out of quitting. "Eight hundred dollars, Babe. Hang in there."

"I think I better give him hazard pay." I murmured. Grant was standing beside me, watching everything backstage. He hummed, in that not-listening kind of way that made me turn my head and look at my dear friend. He was drooling.

"Ha ha! Grant, you're attracted to him too!" I laughed.

"Who isn't! I even see some of the technical staff watching that beautiful male god. And I'm certain they are not gay."

"So is Jackson like, a benderer?" I asked.

"Benderer, is that even a word?" Grant asked.

"Is now." I poked out my tongue.

"Nope, doesn't work. You can have an 'er' on the top of an 'er'." He pointed out.

"'On top.' Keep it clean, Grant." I giggled when he smacked me.

"Lily, you..." He blushed.

"So. Jackson is a male god benderer." I nodded at my own assessment. "We need to keep his position on the cat walk last I think. Maybe with Sunny, they look so cute together. He could go out after everyone, then go out again with Sunny."

"They'd make fashion covers. Make sure you keep their last clothing change set casual wear instead of pyjamas. That would drive the photo usage up."

"Uh-ha." I agreed with him. Jackson, the motorcycle mechanic, high school loner was a friggin' god on the cat walk. His natural oppressive vibes and carefree aura was a strange mix that suited his dark, masculine looks so perfectly. Chiselled jaw line, powerful brows, deep pool eyes. I quickly wiped my mouth as now I was drooling.

"I'm a genius." I declared. "I mean, just look at that. I'm going to sell millions." I waved a hand at Jackson as he stomped his way out onto the cat walk over the lake and back again.

"That you are, my Lily. That you are." Grant replied.