Touch Me, Daddy

2 - Mariselle.

"I'll be leaving now," my ex-boyfriend of six months, Alex, announces as he bumps fists with the squad, which is everyone excluding me. I relax my head against the edge of the pool, exhaling quietly.

"I'll go see him off," I barely register Mandy's voice as she steps out of the pool, and follows Alex to the front door. Despite my strained relationship with Alex, he'd maintained a healthy friendship with Mandy since we broke up. I had no idea however that he'd be invited for this summer hangout. I thought it was for the girls only.

It's the hottest month of the year. July. I've been in Miami with Mandy and the girls on a summer vacation for the past three days, and I've been away from all communication. Mandy's father owned a mansion in the lush suburbs, and it's a bit tricky to get cell reception up there. It's actually kind of nice to unplug with them for a few days while we all bathed in the sunlight.

"You have a very important call, Mariselle," Mandy chirps as she rejoins us, holding out her phone. I take off my sunglasses, and give her a curious look, my mind blank. Then it clicked.

My new campaign!

I grab Mandy's phone, quickly dialing Rita, who'd hooked me up for the gig. She picks up right away. "Thank goodness I finally got a hold of you. You need to come down to the company tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" My mouth falls open in shock. Normally I don't have a problem with a booking because when I get called for a shoot, they're scheduled months in advance. But to get my butt on a plane right now for Los Angeles is nuts.

"Yes. The marketing director was very specific." I hear Rita let out a sigh. "If I could have gotten a hold of you when I found out, this wouldn't all be so last minute."

"I'm currently in Miami but I'm getting on the nearest flight right now. Just tell me which gate my plane is leaving from."

As Rita gives me the details, I pull Mandy upstairs and start throwing s**t in a bag. I know they'll have everything I need at the photo shoot, so I just bring essentials. Mandy helps me toss in a couple of fun outfits in case we feel like going out after I'm finished with the shoot.

After a tornado of packing, Mandy and the girls get me to the airport. I text my friend Sasha to tell her I'm coming into town for a few days. My agency booked me a hotel room near the airport and then emailed me the info on the photo shoot.

Once I'm to my gate, I sit down and look over the details of the contract while I wait for my flight to be called. It's a lingerie campaign for a company called Sweet Treats. I've heard a little about them, but I'm not too familiar with their company. They're owned by a parent company called Sturm Corporation, but I've never heard of them. I google Sweet Treats and thumb through their website. It's all pretty basic, some department store looks, generic styles. Nothing really stands out to me, and I'm a tad disappointed.

Maybe this shoot will be different... I try to pump myself up about it because if I have to do one more spread for mom jeans, I'm gonna die.

My lookbook is small because most of the photos I'd had professionally done for campaigns weren't ones I loved. Thankfully, I have a friend who recommended Bosco to me and I was lucky enough to get him to do a few sessions with me Bosco also does a lot of boudoir work for couples, and the ones she took of me are my favorite ones to date.

It's hard being a plus-size model. I love sexy pictures, and modeling is fun to me. But the thinner girls tend to get the good clothes.

Everything is always made for smaller sizes, which is okay, but big girls want to be stylish, too.

I see comments sometimes where people say I've got the body of a "real woman." I think every size is beautiful. Every woman is a real woman: tall, short, thin, and big.

Beauty comes in different shapes.

I'd just prefer it if the sexy stuff came in my size more often.

Flicking through my social media, I check in and say hello to everyone. As I'm typing away, my name is called over the intercom, and I get nervous. When someone calls my name like that, it feels like I'm being called to the principal's office.

I grab my bag and walk up to the gate check to speak to the man behind the counter.

"Ms. Adams, we just wanted to inform you that you've been upgraded to first class. If I could see your boarding pass, I'll exchange it for you."

Shocked can't explain how I feel. After an awkward pause, I pull out the paper and hand it to him, getting the new first class one in return.

Going back over to the seat I was in moments ago, I try to think about why I'd been bumped up. Maybe they saw I was a big girl and thought I needed the room. Shrugging my shoulders, I let it go and go back to playing on my phone until they call me.

The flight from Miami to LA is long, but being in first class is nice. The extra legroom and snacks are the way to go. I just have a small carry on, so once I'm off the plane, I make my way through the airport and towards the exit. I have my hotel reservation saved on my phone, so I'll just cab it there.

But before I can exit, I see a man in a suit holding up a sign with MARISEIELLE ADAMS printed on it. I stop, thinking there must be someone else with that name, but he looks straight at me and smiles. He walks over to me, and I stand still, waiting on the punch line.

"Ms. Adams, I'm Donald, your driver. I'll be taking you to your hotel."

I try to play it cool as he takes my bag. You know, act like this happens to me all the time, when really inside I'm freaking out at how exciting this is. This company must be rolling out the red carpet for this shoot. So far, I'm down with Sweet Treats.

Donald leads me out to a Mercedes SUV and opens the back door for me. I get in, and he puts my bag in beside me. He shuts the door briskly and goes around to the front. Once he gets behind the wheel, I tell him which hotel I'm staying at.

"Oh. You must have gotten a different itinerary. I've got instructions to take you to the Waldorf Astoria in Beverly Hills."

I lean back in my seat, feeling really confused. "Are you sure?" I check my phone but don't see an updated email, so I sent a quick text to Rita asking her about the change.

"Yes, Ms. Adams. My instructions were clear." He says it like he takes people there every day.

Well, he's a driver, so maybe he does.

"And you're sure you're supposed to pick up Mariselle Adams from Miami? I just want to make sure I'm not in the wrong vehicle."

Donald laughs and shakes his head. "I've been employed by Sturm Corp, specifically Mr. Cello Sturm, to take you to the Waldorf."

"Okay," I say hesitantly, refreshing my phone for news from Rita.

I guess their marketing director is the Cello Sturm guy. Maybe it isn't a mistake. After a few moments, my phone vibrates in my hands, and I see a text from her.

Rita: Looks like you got upgraded. Enjoy!

I smile as I put my phone in my bag and slide on my sunglasses. I guess I'll just sit back and enjoy the ride.

This might turn out to be the best gig of my life.