LOVE TO HATE YOU

(NEW) TOO MUCH LEANING...

An hour later I was dressed in something way too skimpy for my liking and had had my hair and make-up done. Giovanni had insisted that the make-up be minimal and the hair look messy, like 'I'd just made love to someone for a whole day.' I'd tried not to gag at that.

I walked onto the set trying to look as confident as possibly, even though I was dying inside. Reactions to the new me seemed very mixed; Samantha was basically death staring me, Ness gave me the thumbs up, some of the other crew members were looking at me with confusion (clearly I wasn't their type of stick) but Ben and Giovanni were staring.

"Let's start immediately. The sun will set soon." Giovanni yelled and pushed me towards the car.

"Do exactly what you were doing yesterday when you looked into the mirror." He said.

"Uh...okay." I said awkwardly. I had no idea how the hell to do this, so I just bent down like I had and looked at myself.

"Perfect!" Giovanni yelled and I heard the snapping. "Touch your hair." He screamed moving closer to me. "Yes. Yes! Bella. Bella." He sounded positively orgasmic now and it was so damn awkward, especially when he came up right behind me. "Now imagine you are about to make love to someone in the car. You want them, you need them, you—"

"Stop!!!"

I heard Ben shout from the sidelines and suddenly he was standing next to us as if he had moved there at the speed of light. "Sorry," he started pushing Giovanni away from me. "I'm not sure it's necessary for her to imagine that, hey?"

I stopped looking in the mirror and stood up straight. Ben placed a hand on Giovanni's shoulder and gave it a kind of manly squeeze and then a hard pat. "Right? No need for that?" And then he turned to me. "Don't worry, you're not making love to anyone in the car." He said very firmly and I wanted to die of embarrassment. He moved off and Giovanni sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Fine. Look into the mirror again then." I bent over and looked into the mirror while Giovanni started clicking again.

"Perfect. Yes! Just like that. Now wipe the side of your mouth, like you've just been kissing someone for hours and you still have their taste on your mouth."

"Whoa. Stop!"

I stood up and saw Ben marching towards us again. He walked right up to Giovanni once more and strategically placed himself between us. "Let's drop her kissing or sleeping with anyone, shall we buddy?" Ben was smiling but he had a dangerous quality to his voice. And I'd never heard him call anyone buddy before, it was unnerving. I felt so self-conscious right now and my body felt numb with embarrassment. I readjusted my skirt and looked out at the crowd. Ness and Samantha were huddled together whispering and a few of the other crewmembers were smiling. God, what was everyone thinking?

Ben gave his 'buddy' another pat on the shoulder and then walked away again, shooting Giovanni a dangerous warning glance as he went. Giovanni mumbled something that must have been in Italian and then told me to look in the mirror again. Suddenly I had a whole new respect for models. The poor women. Moved around like mannequins, told what to do over and over and over again.

I looked in the mirror again feeling my face flush. This was the stupidest thing I had ever done in my entire life and I just wanted it to be over now. I felt something around my waist and looked down to see Giovanni's hand wrapping around it.

"Just lean back a little," he pulled my hips and I was forced to lean back, my ass almost colliding with his general crotch area. "Now look into the mirror again."

Fuck! I looked into the mirror once more and could feel the heat coming off Giovanni's body behind me. He was so close to me I could feel his breathe on my neck.

"Stop! For fuck sake."

Ben's voice rang out again and I could see him marching back to us once more. "Why are we even shooting her in the close –ups. We're meant to be shooting the models in the wides. There's no need to be right here," Ben stuck an arm out and started pushing Giovanni back again. This was getting so awkward now and everyone was staring!

"But I want to shoot her in the close up, with the mirror."

"Well, that's not what the shooting board said."

"I'm changing the shooting board." Giovanni said angrily.

"Well, I'm the creative director, and I say you are shooting the models in a wide and the car parts close up." Ben bit his lip, he looked like he was fuming now and not doing a very good job at hiding it. What the hell was everyone thinking? I didn't want to look up. I stood completely still and could feel the death stares that the two men were busy giving each other.

"What's wrong with you?" He asked Ben.

"What's wrong with me is that I don't appreciate you touching my staff like that." Ben hissed back.

"Your staff? Is that what she is?" He said in a mocking tone that made me want to die. I looked up and Ben took a step closer to him.

"Show some fucking respect when talking about Sera. Ok." Ben pointed a finger in his face and Giovanni smiled slyly.

"Fine. Sure." Giovanni started backing away from me.

Ben's arm came up and touched my elbow quickly, "Sorry, but if that guy touches you one more time, I think I'm going to kill him." Ben walked off again and my heart started beating in my throat. I wasn't sure whether to be flattered, or down right frightened by Ben's over protectiveness. Oh, who was I kidding, of course I was flattered.

"Sera, I want you to open the door of the car like you are about to climb in." Giovanni was far away now and Ben had a self-satisfied smirk on his face.

"Ok." I walked over to the door and opened it. The sun was blazing down on me and I was starting to sweat and this dress was really starting to itch in all the wrong places.

I pulled the door open and stood by it.

"Now put your one hand on the roof of the car and lean in like you are looking for something."

"Uh...ok." God this was fucking stupid. I couldn't believe I'd just sold my soul and dignity for $1, 300."

"Lean more," Giovanni shouted and waved an arm in my direction.

I leaned. My dress started creeping up.

"More." He shouted again as the camera clicked wildly.

I continued to lean. More dress creeping.

"More." He yelled.

"CUT! Stop."

I heard that familiar voice again. "I think she's done enough leaning, don't you think." Ben walked up to Giovanni and snatched the camera out of his hand.

"Hey. What the hell are you doing?" Giovanni grabbed the camera back.

"Just deleting that last one. A bit too much leaning if you ask me." He gave Giovanni a pseudo-friendly smile and then waved his arm in the direction of the wardrobe department. "Take her a robe, that's enough."

Ben shouted over at them and they came running towards me with a long white robe. I wrapped it around my tense body and hurried off with them.

"But I'm not finished with her." Giovanni protested.

"Oh yes you are. Trust me. You are so done with her." Ben started walking off the set.