Chapter 3
Cherie Tyson's very first morning in New York City was unlike her first day in any other place she had been before in all of her eighteen years. Kelly had come to her apartment at six-thirty to take her to breakfast before they took the subway to Third Avenue.
The tall slender blonde hurried to get dressed while Kelly sat in the living room smoking cigarettes while she waited. Cherie felt her little pussy tingling with excitement as she thought about what her first day in "The Rig Apple" would be like. She could hear the traffic noises filtering through her open window, something she rarely heard in either Los Angeles, where everything was spread out, or in Bakersfield, where she had grown up on a quiet, residential street. Even though it was July, it was fairly comfortable out, and she dressed for the weather. She slipped into a light yellow skirt knowing that the smooth, evenly tanned firmness of her thighs was exposed more than she would have dared in Bakersfield. She decided that she would try and open herself to some of the new ideas Kelly had expressed the day before. Then she buttoned her matching yellow print blouse and stood to admire herself in the full length mirror. The night's sleep she had had, despite the wild finger fucking she had given her aching pussy, made her feel refreshed after the lone plane trip from California, and her tanned face reflected the glow of sunlight washing into her bedroom.
"Are you about ready?" Kelly called. "We have to be at the studio in about an hour, and I'm starved!"
Cherie bounced into her living room, feeling a little giddy at being in such a large city. Kelly made an exaggerated expression with her face, signifying that she approved of the way Cherie was dressed. "Not bad . . . not bad at all," the older dark-haired fashion model said. "There might be hope for you yet, dear."
As the two girls walked through the city to the subway, Kelly having insisted they take the subway that would take them to Third Avenue where the studio was, they chatted amiably. When they reached the diner where they would eat breakfast, their conversation continued. All during this time, Kelly said nothing about the strange man who had been fucking her the night before, and even though Cherie wanted to ask about him, she decided that it was really none of her business. One thing she had learned in high school was that different people lived different life styles, and what was wrong for one person might be right for another. The young blonde hoped that the differences she and Kelly had would not affect their working together and their friendship.
After breakfast, Kelly and Cherie walked to the subway station, and Cherie felt out of place pressed together with the morning rush-hour crowd. She was almost certain that she could feel several hands giving her firm, sensuously curved asscheeks a pinch or two, but there was no way she could turn around and see who had done it. She decided that it had happened just because so many people were packed in the small space of the car, and it was something she would have to get used to. She herself found that it took a great deal of work on her part to keep from pressing her hand against the crotch of a businessman standing next to her, but as the car jostled along the tracks, her fingers inevitably did touch his crotch, only to be held there by the press of people. She could feel his cock swell as her hand, no matter how hard she tried to pull it away, remained in contact with his thickly pulsing cockflesh. She looked up at the man with horror in her eyes, but she saw that he was smiling at her.
"That's the way I like to wake up in the morning," he said to her. An involuntary hot thrill tingled through her pussy as she wondered if the man would try anything with her, and she was relieved when the car came to a bucking halt and Kelly tapped her on the shoulder.
"This is where we get off," she said, and Cherie was so ashamed that she bolted out of the car ahead of everyone else. She glanced back at the man, and saw him blow her a kiss as the train pulled away.
Nothing Cherie could have read or learned about New York would have prepared her for actually being there. Golly, there were so many tall buildings that most of the sunlight was blocked from the street. She and Kelly walked through crowds of people, and Cherie looked up in wonder at the tall buildings. She felt like a tourist, and she wondered if she would ever get used to living in such a large city. Everyone seemed totally removed from everyone else. Streets packed with cars waiting at red lights for a mass of people to cross. Everyone seemed to be in a hurry to get where they were going. It was totally unlike Bakersfield, or even Los Angeles. Finally, she felt Kelly pull her arm.
"Hey, California Girl," the lovely older model said. "This is where we shoot today."
Cherie looked up and saw a tall modern building. Did the Gaylord Montague Modeling Agency occupy the entire building? It was easily twenty-five stories, towering above much of the hustle and bustle of the city, and it looked as though it was made entirely of glass. Cherie walked into the building, her mouth gaping at the cold, harsh beauty of the structure, and tried to compose herself as she, Kelly, and a good ten other people rode the elevator up to various floors. Kelly took complete charge as she led Cherie through a maze of hallways to the model agency, finally entering a large room filled with desks arranged in what seemed like an irregular fashion.
"This is our little hide-away," Kelly told Cherie as she waved hello to several men who had seen them come in.
"It hardly looks like a place where a modeling agency carries on business," the shapely young blonde remarked, surprised. She looked around at the walls, covered with enlarged photographs of beautiful women and felt the thick, plush carpet cushion her feet. It looked like a large, lavishly decorated living room.
"We like to think it doesn't make any difference what the office looks like as long as we do a good job," said a deep, resonant male voice behind her.
Cherie jumped with surprise as she turned around and saw a tall, hazel-eyed man with light brown hair standing behind her. Kelly leaned over and introduced him as Russ Miles, one of the head photographers.
"I sort of make things run smoothly here. If there are any problems, I end up with them and try to straighten them out."
As he spoke, he and Kelly gave each other knowing glances, and Cherie began to get the idea that at one time they might have been fucking together perhaps as wildly as Kelly and Bob had been fucking the night before. There were feelings passing between Kelly and Russ that made Cherie feel uncomfortable, though. She gathered that whatever had happened in the past, there was more than just a light hint of hatred between them now.
"I guess Kelly has told you a little about our agency," Russ said as he moved around the older, raven-haired model and put his arm around her. "Kelly and I have been working together for quite some time. We've gone through a lot of shit together ... both in the studio and outside."
Kelly smiled but moved away from the attractive young man, his hand falling against his side. "If you two will excuse me," she said sweetly, looking at Russ and batting her long dark eyelashes at him sarcastically, "I have some shooting to do."
She walked away from the couple, and Russ turned to Cherie, who was wondering how she should handle the situation. The last thing she wanted to do was get caught up in a personal squabble between two people she hardly knew . . . especially if she was going to be working with them.
"Let me show you where you'll be working," Russ said, assuming a professional air. "That's part of my job . . . breaking girls in. If I do it right, I have fewer problems and my job is easier. I want to make it so I get paid for doing nothing at all."
That sounded a little strange to Cherie, and she said, "Isn't that being a little lazy on your part?"
"Oh ... not at all. It just means I've done my job well, that's all."
As the two of them walked through the large office and sound studio, Cherie noticed that Kelly was going out of her way to avoid them. Russ must have noticed it too, for as soon as he showed Cherie around, he looked down at her and said, "If I were you, I'd watch out for Kelly. If you're living next to her, you could get caught up in some pretty messy business."
Cherie felt offended at being told how she should five her life with the people she knew. She was old enough to take care of herself and didn't need another mother to try and enforce personal likes and dislikes of her friends on her. She tried to remain casual. "I may not know Kelly as well as you do," she said in a blank tone, "but she has been nice to me ever since I came yesterday, and I'll reserve judgment until something happens."
"Don't get me wrong," he said by way of a mock apology. "Kelly's a nice kid. I just don't want you to get caught up in something you can't handle with her, that's all."
Cherie stiffened. She had never expected to hear something like this on her first day at work. She had a job to do, and she was determined that she would do it.
"Whatever happened between you and Kelly," she said softly but firmly, "is between you and Kelly. And I'm fairly capable of taking care of myself, thank you, Mister Miles."
Cherie hoped that she had not offended him by what she had said, but she wanted to let him know that she was not part of the in-fighting that seemed to pervade the office.
Russ nodded and dismissed the subject of Kelly. He pulled a chair from an empty desk and sat down next to the shapely blonde model. "You'll be shooting some footwear for a while until we see where your better talents are. Kelly started out like that. It lets you get the feel of things, and shows us what you can and can't do."
The handsome man took several folders of pictures and went over them with Cherie, showing her the finer points of posing. As he sat next to her, Cherie felt his leg pressing against hers, moving back and forth along the firm smoothness of her exposed thigh under the desk. The young blonde was surprised that she did not mind his forwardness, but she made a mental note that she would not encourage him to go any farther. Her little experience on the subway had shown her that while physical contact in Bakersfield might have meant something, here in New York City it was simply a matter of course.
Cherie was so absorbed that she lost all track of time, and she was relieved when Russ closed a folder and said, "I think that's about enough for the morning. How about coming to lunch with me? I'm sure you have lots of questions, no matter what Kelly might have told you yesterday."
He stood up quickly, and Cherie noticed that his cock had swollen while his leg had been pressed against hers. The innocent young girl tried to look away, but the size of the erection was something she had never expected. He must have been very aroused by her presence, and he had an obvious sexual desire for her.
For a moment, Cherie thought of declining his invitation to lunch, but the fact was, she did have several questions, and so far, there had been nothing threatening about being with him. What could happen at lunch with a good many people around?
They took the elevator to the small, dimly lit restaurant in the basement of the building. Even though it was small, it was a very cozy place, and Cherie thought she might be spending a lot of time there ... if things worked out for her. There was something about Russ that she couldn't put her finger on. She liked being with him, and she could see that he liked being with her, but she wished he had not been so obvious about pressing his leg against hers.
They sat across from each other in the dimly lit restaurant, and each time Cherie moved, she was certain that Russ was watching her full tits jiggling. He ordered martinis and Cherie settled down to learn more about the business.
"I would have thought that since the Agency deals mostly with women, the managers would be women too," she remarked as their drinks came.
Russ sipped on his martini as he thought of an answer. "We believe that managers and personnel in general should be the best person for the job. If it happens that a man is, so be it."
Cherie sipped on her martini. It seemed a little strong to her, but she hardly ever drank, and she reasoned that that was probably why. She hadn't realized how tense she had become during her first morning, and she could feel her muscles relaxing as the warming alcohol flowed through her body. Russ told her a little more about the agency, and then he asked her how she had actually come to meet Kelly.
"A friend of mine in Los Angeles knows her. I called her up and since I had no place to stay in New York, she found me a place right next to her."
"I'll bet you were a little surprised to meet a woman like her right after you came from a place like Bakersfield," Russ remarked.
Cherie noticed that again Russ had turned the conversation back to Kelly. "I was ... a little," Cherie stuttered. She really hadn't been expecting quite what she had found in her neighbor. "But I think she's really a nice person, and I know I'll learn a lot living next to her."
"You can bet your sweet little ass on that," he said as he waved the hand holding his drink in front Cherie felt his legs pressing against her own once more, his knee rubbing with stubborn persistence against her thigh. While he was generally acting very casual otherwise, Cherie got the definite impression that he was fully aware of what he was do- ing. Her slightly alcohol-dazed mind drifted to the few skimpy facts she had about Russ and Kelly's relationship. She could even remember the size of his cock when he had stood up from behind her desk in the office, and her cunt tingled excitedly.
"You look like you're in Bakersfield again," Russ said as he waved the hand holding his drink in front of her face.
"No ... no, I was just thinking about something," she said, avoiding his hazel eyes as he leaned forward. "Just thinking."
"That's what I like to see in a model," he said as he gulped the remainder of his drink. "People who do that have good imaginations. If you can put your beauty and brains to work for us, you'll be a top model in no time." He reached across the table and put his hand on top of hers. "You could really go far. You're beautiful as well as businesslike, and that combination can make a girl successful."
"Thank you, that's very nice," Cherie said as she pulled her hand out from under his and straightened herself. Russ signalled for two more martinis before she had a chance to protest. She was not used to drinking as much as she had already, and never drank in the middle of the day. Russ didn't seem to be getting hungry, though she could see by the clock on the wall that it was almost two.
"Hadn't we better be getting back to the studio?" she asked.
"There's no rush," he said. "This is your first day. You'll have plenty of shooting to do tomorrow."
She could feel her stomach grumbling in hunger, and her head was spinning with the effects of the martinis. After she finished the second one, though, she was feeling more relaxed. Russ pressing his leg against hers no longer bothered her; she took his gesture as one of friendliness. Things are a little different here than in Bakersfield, she thought to herself. When she had been living in Los Angeles, she had allowed some of Spencer's arty friends to put their arms around her shoulders while they had been talking. Of course, she had been so much in love then, and there was no thought of anything else but friendship. Since she would be working with Russ, she knew she would become friends with him.
Finally, Russ asked her if she wanted anything to eat. When their lunch came, she ate ravenously. The chef s salad she ordered was especially good, and after she had finished, she felt even less tense. Russ was proving to be very entertaining company. She wished he wouldn't hate Kelly as much as he seemed to. She would hate to have to choose between the only two people she knew in New York City.
"I never thought my first day on the job would be so nice," she said, feeling in a mellow mood, lifting her after-lunch coffee to her lips.
"I like being in the company of an attractive woman," Russ said. "Especially one so intelligent. I hope you aren't bothered by my saying that."
"No ... no, of course. I . . . I'm flattered," she said, not exactly knowing what he meant by it. It did sound nice, though.
"Maybe we could see more of each other," he said, dropping his eyes to the rounded swell of her full, sensuous tits.
"Well, we will see a lot of each other while we're working."
"No, I meant outside of shooting. I assume Kelly has told you about the party we're having on Thursday."
"No, she hasn't"
"Every month we have a party. You know, a little something to help us unwind. Some of the top people get together and have fun. Would you like to go with me?"
Cherie thought about it for a moment. There was nothing the least bit threatening about Russ to her knowledge. At least he wasn't leering at her full, lush body the way Frankie Scarletti and the man on the subway this morning had. Perhaps it was time to go out and meet new people. She was young and beautiful, on her way up the ladder to fame and success. She should meet some people who would be able to help her to get "in."
"I'd be happy to go," she heard herself say. Then she had second thoughts. "I won't know anyone there, though. Do you think I'll fit in?"
Russ smiled. "Well, you'll know me. And Kelly will be there. You'll be just fine. Just remember, though, I wouldn't talk to Kelly about what we've said to each other. She might get the wrong impression. She can be a real bitch when she wants to be, and with you living so close to her, I wouldn't want anything to happen to you."
After a little more conversation, they returned to the agency and a little after that, Cherie and Kelly left for the day.
Cherie sensed that there was a little animosity emanating from Kelly. They rode to their apartment in a taxi in silence. The lovely, voluptuous older woman showed none of the brightness she had exhibited the day before. Cherie wanted to believe it was simply because Kelly was tired. Modeling was hard work, but she couldn't help thinking that it might be because she had spent so much of the day with Russ. She looked at her lovely neighbor almost as if fascinated by her soft, flaring curves and the gentle sweep of her large, ripe tits. Cherie knew that Kelly was a very beautiful and well-known woman, and she guessed that perhaps Russ had made a pass at her, and she hadn't responded. Is Russ getting back at Kelly by making a pass at me? Cherie wondered innocently.
When they reached their apartment, Kelly turned to her and asked, "Have you got anything to eat at your place? Because if you haven't . . . you can have dinner with me at my place. I'm not a bad cook."
"Thank you ... I'd like that," Cherie answered. She wanted to talk to Kelly to see if she could find out a little more about Russ Miles.
While Kelly prepared a large Caesar salad, they had a batch of martinis.
"Did you have a nice day?" Kelly asked matter-of-factly.
"It was very nice," the young blonde answered, trying to be casual. "I'm afraid I got a little tipsy, though. I was surprised that Russ took me to lunch."
"Russ does things like that," Kelly said, her voice obviously carrying disdain for the handsome young man. "I'd watch him if I were you. He can really be nice sometimes . . . and he can be a real pain in the ass as well."
"He told me about the party on Thursday," Cherie said, taking a healthy sip of her drink to help calm herself down. "I was wondering if I should go with Eim. What do you think, Kelly?"
"You might as well," she said. "You'll get to see some of the beautiful people of New York in action there."
Cherie shivered at the obvious dislike Kelly was expressing for her so-called friends. As young as she was, she could see that she had entered into a situation where she, as an outsider, was very vulnerable. Kelly didn't like Russ any more than he liked her, no matter what they had each said to her at the beginning of the day. The sweetly innocent young blonde did not want to get caught between them in whatever their personal quarrel was, but she could see that having to work with both of them, there would be almost no way out. She knew that in a war between the sexes, even innocent bystanders can get hurt. And, with a sharp pang beneath her softly trembling titties, the lovely eighteen-year-old blonde realized that she teas innocent.