"I never get tired of touching your boobs."
"Thank you, Alexis," Krysta said, letting her massive navy blue demi cup bra slip from her fingers to the floor. She straightened and ran her hands over her unbound bosom—from the underside to her broad upper slopes. Alexis, also topless, perched on her knees next to Krysta on the bed in the dim light of the bedroom. "I must say, you have a nice pair yourself."
"Yeah, but yours are phenomenal!" Alexis said, shuffling closer. She rested her hands on Krysta's breasts, fingers stretching across the span of each. She gently pressed them together, beaming with delight as Krysta's soft flesh billowed above and below her hands. "How do you get tired of this?"
"I do live with them," Krysta said, closing her eyes and savoring the sensations. "Ok, I am starting to feel singled out. May I give you a squeeze as well?"
"Of course!" Alexis said, raising her elbows to the side to give Krysta some clearance. Krysta touched her fingertips to the undersides of Alexis's breasts, nudging them upwards.
"Okay, that is fun."
A naughty grin spread across Alexis' face, and she gently tugged Krysta towards her by the tits. The move was unexpected, but Krysta obliged, scooching closer until their nipples nearly met.
"How are you so warm?" Krysta said. "I'm a little chilly!"
"Yeah, I can tell," Alexis said, eyeing Krysta's nipples.
Krysta playfully sneered in response. "Hey now," she said, covering her aureole with her hand and arm.
Alexis snickered. "Don't be like that. Here, let's bring it together so I can warm you up."
Krysta released her breasts, allowing them to hang free. She took Alexis by the hands, and the two shuffled in, their chests compressing together between them. As their faces drew close, Alexis closed her eyes and puckered her lips.
Krysta frowned. "Lexie, what are you doing?"
"Can we do girl kiss? Is that cool?"
"No offense, but I am not going to kiss you."
Alexis pouted and turned to face the production crew. "Aw, come on, Marla. No girl kiss?"
"No girl kiss," Marla said, lowering the camera. "Regardless that it would break the internet, we don't go there."
"Oh fine," Alexis huffed.
"We're good on video footage," Marla said. "Let's get a few more posed shots. Krysta you first. Lexie, slowly work your way in."
Still on her knees, Krysta straightened. Alexis sat next to her, enjoying the show. Krysta drew from her arsenal of solo poses as Alexis gradually swept in. Alexis was more inclined than Krysta to explore the full space of the bed, forcing Krysta to accommodate. Krysta paused several times to review the shots and get a better idea of how poses were playing, while Alexis powered through, improvising on the fly.
Krysta felt her morning wine buzz wearing off. While she was never sheepish about getting in front of the camera, she relied on the buzz to keep up with Alexis's playful performance. She recalled some of the earliest advice she'd gotten about glamour modeling: Getting a little buzzed is okay but ask yourself whether you're drinking to do your job better, or to do it at all. When it’s the latter, it's time to start re-thinking things.
Wrapping up their Sunday shoot around 1:00 pm, Alexis headed out to the green room to change for lunch with her boyfriend, as was her typical routine after morning shoots. Marla and a bathrobe-clad Krysta headed to the craft services area to help themselves to lunch, catered by a nearby sandwich shop. Krysta selected a Caesar salad and an apple, while Marla went with half a club sandwich and a small bag of potato chips. Marla retrieved the pot of freshly brewed coffee as Krysta corked a bottle of wine.
"Once again, good work," Marla said. "Different as your and Lexie's personalities are, you play off each other well."
"More dialogue than I expected. Lexie is quite the chatterbox."
"We'll cover a lot of that with music and editing. You guys were great together, though." Marla smirked as Krysta poured a half glass of wine. "So that's your secret. A little Cabernet?"
"Only when I need to loosen up a bit. Fortunately, my genes were spared the effects of acetaldehyde dehydrogenase deficiency." Krysta indicated Marla's large mug of coffee. "I see you have your substance to keep you on the ball."
"Yeah. I always loved coffee, but I could never have it before shooting so I'd hit it right after. I've kept the habit, even now that I'm not in front of the camera anymore." Marla gestured to the patio. "Join me for lunch?"
"Sure," Krysta said. The two stepped through the double doors onto the open 2nd-floor patio decorated with a few empty tables. Both gazed down below to see a whooping Alexis riding piggyback on her boyfriend Ben's back. He spun her around a few times and let her down. The pair leapt into Alexis's sporty red BMW and sped out of the parking lot.
"She's a handful," Marla said. "Fun, but a handful."
Krysta took a gulp of wine. "And, to be honest, a little intimidating."
Marla raised an eyebrow and gave Krysta's body a once-over. "Intimidating?"
Krysta smiled. "It is not so much her looks but her whole manner. She is so spontaneous with all of her ideas, but most of them play well. I never imagined someone could be such a natural in front of the camera. The frustrating thing is when I ask her about her methods, she just shrugs it off."
"Just because she can't explain her method, doesn't mean she doesn't have one. She's good on camera because she's in her element. And by, 'in her element,' I mean surrounded by set pieces and props. Playgrounds, gyms, office cubicles, you. All great ideas, but accommodating them can be a logistical nightmare."
"So that explains the fancy hotel bathroom, the boudoir…"
"...the ball pit. Yeah, all props for her to work off and out of. We even considered raising our rates to compensate for the set design costs."
"Makes sense," Krysta said absently. Her mind was wandering again, as her eyes traveled up Marla's tall, voluptuous frame, wrapped denim leggings and a white v-neck t-shirt. It was one of only a few rare occasions since high school when Krysta had stood in the company of someone with larger breasts than hers. Marla, now in her late-30s, had added some weight since her modeling days. While still in shape, her midsection had softened and she'd ticked a couple more inches onto her hips and likely another cup size onto her already legendary 38M bust. Krysta gasped as she noticed Marla grinning at her.
"Sorry! I-I was..."
Marla chuckled. "You've certainly gone red now!"
Krysta clenched her eyes shut for a moment and took a breath. "What I mean to say is I am impressed with your figure. You could still be modeling."
Marla shook her head. "No, not these days."
"You must be kidding. Your occasional Instagram shots still drive people wild. You certainly still have it."
"Oh, believe me, I know," Marla said with striking frankness. "I'm not talking about physically, though. I'm talking about the lifestyle. Twenty years ago, if the boob-lovers wanted content, they ordered videos, bought the magazines, and subscribed to the early boob sites."
"If I remember, you were one of the first to have your own subscription site."
"Yes, but my manager handled it. Apart from that, I lived a pretty quiet life as Marlene Gowther. Nowadays, with social media and all, people expect so much more. Instagram posts, youtube videos, live chats, behind-the-scenes access. Fans want a chunk of your life."
"Perhaps," Krysta said. "For me, it is all planning, strategy, assessment, and analytics. Basically, a full-time job."
"Exactly! I felt worn out with just the part-time modeling. I don't know how you do it." Marla paused to finish her coffee, while Krysta ate her salad. "You know, Krysta, I felt intimidated when you first came on the scene."
Krysta swallowed her mouthful of salad. "You are kidding."
"You snuck in with those early photos and flew under the radar for a couple years. Then, instead of using the traditional routes, you went straight to social media. And the videos! You did that topless tutoring series. Fucking brilliant."
"I actually turned down a Maxim interview because I did not want to get too much attention. They did a blog post instead."
"See, you weren't like me, some impulsive girl who got into this industry on a dare. You have this intelligence about you. Do you know how many times I thanked my lucky stars you turned down DreamGirls all those times while I was in my twilight years? I was terrified to model next to you."
"I am starting to realize that is a common sentiment in our industry," Krysta said, smiling softly. "Well, if you ever wish to confront your 'terror,' I would be honored to shoot with you, even just for a selfie."
Marla laughed. "Oh that would be a treat for the fans, wouldn't it? Don't imagine we'd do it on the heels of your shoot with Alexis. We could sit on it for a while and release it as a tease for a future shoot."
"Please do consider it. Now, unfortunately, I must be going. I am planning to visit LACMA today and then I’m having dinner with someone downtown." Krysta stood, extended her hand to Marla, and they shook. "Whether you have me back or not, it has been a pleasure finally meeting you."
"Likewise," Marla said, taking out her planner and scribbling a note. "I'll bring up our collaboration at the next content meeting. I bet the idea will—" Marla stopped, narrowed her eyes and looked up at Krysta. "That was your game all along, wasn't it?"
Several expressions flashed across Krysta's face before she settled on sheepish guilt. "Okay, you got me. Though, I figured it would have been obvious, given how hard I lobbied to have you as my photographer. I do admire your work and had a great time working with you."
"Likewise. You're a hell of a model and quite the strategist. It may be worth our while to reach out to you for a little consulting if that interests you."
"I-I would certainly be open to that!" Krysta never imagined DreamGirls would hire her for any job that didn't involve her body.
"Good. I'll see you later...you sneaky little minx."
"Thank you," Krysta said, offering a slight bow, before turning and heading back to the green room, pumping her fist in quiet triumph.