Edmund did not attempt to escalate the situation with Sara over the next day. Sara still seemed to be thinking about the whole matter quite a bit, and so, the photoshoot on Saturday went on normally. Back to their normal swimsuits in the studio, bento ramen for lunch, and then, that’s it. He already spent 5 minion points, and now only had 10 minion points left.
Besides, it was the weekend. He wanted to have a sense of how things were evolving back home between Sara and James.
***
Sunday.
“James. Let’s stay home today. I’ll cook.” Sara offered as James woke up. James worked on Saturday too.
James paused, stared at his wife, and frowned. “Eh. Let’s go have lunch at that favourite ramen joint!”
Sara shook her head. “It’s okay. I’m not feeling too well, I’d like to just stay home and watch some TV, eat some home cooked noodles.”
“-really?”
“Yeah.”
Sara wondered whether James would tell her the truth. It gnawed at her. She didn’t realize how much it did. It was just such a small lie, and yet, it bothered her so much. As she sat and cooked, it stewed.
She decided to try and beat around the bush. “You have interesting colleagues.”
“Yeah. They’re a handful.” James nodded.
“I heard the company’s not doing well.” Sara said.
There was a visible look of shock on James’ face, but he quickly turned away. “Yeah. It isn’t.”
Sara paused. She hoped the silence would make James spill the beans. But instead, he lied.
“Some of my colleagues will be put on a watchlist.”
“Oh dear.” Sara was horrified. “Are you alright?”
“Of course.” James said, but the tone of his response was shaky. “I work so hard for them.”
Sara’s heart sank. This was disappointment. She tried to offer a way out. “If you ever get retrenched, it’s- it’s okay. In this economy, it’s normal.”
“Nah. I won’t.” James denied it altogether. Sara always knew her husband was a proud man. He worked harder than everyone else, and she could see it. But she frowned. Sometimes, hard work isn’t everything. Sometimes, bad luck just happens. But James believed that hard work trumps luck. She knew that, because that’s what he said when they were younger.
She just leaned over, and gave her husband a huge. “Everything will be alright.”
Her husband’s touch seem cold and stiff then. But he still returned her affections. He hugged her back. “Yes. Everything will be alright.”
Sara nodded. “I’m- I’m just worried, I guess.”
Her husband smiled at her. “We’ll be fine.”
He kissed her. Even as their lips touched, and his body hugged her, she could feel it in her heart, that there was a gap that needed to be filled.
She allowed it as he went all the way. They had sex that night, but Sara merely faked her orgasm. Now that she knew what a true, brain-melting orgasm felt like, that emptiness and sexual frustration she felt ever since they got married just grew. Amplified.
After sex, her husband slept.
But Sara sat in her bed, and thought about her future. She looked at that photo of herself in the cafe, and felt Edmund’s words in her mind.
Cinderella.
You deserve happiness.
Did she also deserve happiness? She looked at her sleeping husband, and wondered, what about her husband’s happiness? Would it make him happy to earn more money? Should she use Edmund’s connection?
She decided to just ask the next morning.
***
Monday morning, Sara barely slept, but James woke up and changed.
“James, dear. Edmund- our landlord-” She gulped. She’s been thinking about how to ask the question the whole night. “He says he has a connection in Nora that he can introduce to you. I wanted your opinion before I agreed to it. Should- should we ask him to help out?”
James was stunned, and momentarily Sara felt as if James looked five years younger. “-really? He does?”
“Yes. But I didn’t say yes, yet.”
“Wow. I thought he was a scumbag, but damn, he’s really helping us out a lot. First with the loan, and now an introduction?” James said.
Sara paused. She couldn’t tell him that she kissed him before. She quickly tried to play it down. “I’m- I’m not sure whether he’s lying.”
“True. But, can we meet this person? There’s no harm.” James looked genuinely happy, as if he had just seen the light.
Sara gulped. How could she even tell him the strings that came attached? She did her best smile, and nodded. “I’ll ask him later.”
***
It was time for work, and somehow the sky was rather gloomy.
Monday. She walked into the studio to find Edmund working through some clothes from the Zhein line. He was working on the mannequins, there were about six of them, and they were in bras and lingerie from his Guiltypleasures line, and the clothes came from the Zhein line.
She watched him work, and Edmund was focused. Then he turned to face Sara. “Morning.”
“Oh- hi.” She said, stunned that he noticed him. “Dolls?”
“Yeah. Looking at what set of outfits to go with today. The sky’s kind of gloomy, so I’m thinking something more warm and cozy.”
“Does that even affect things?” Sara wondered how the weather affected their indoor shoots.
“No, but it’s just a mood thing.”
“Do you have swimsuits today?” Sara asked, a little curious. “And- where’s your assistant?”
“She took a day off.” Edmund said. “I’m thinking of doing Zhein + lingerie sets today. Are you interested?”
Sara nodded. “Okay.”
Edmund smiled and then walked with her to the photography area, and set up the lighting. “Alright, change into these.”
Edmund had selected a set of very sexy, lacy lingerie made of tulle. It gave it a semi-transparent feel, with the sensitive areas covered with lace embroidery. She blushed as she picked them up, and wanted to walk to the changing room. “-these are so-“
“Change here.” Edmund said.
She turned back to look at her landlord, and flushed. “-okay.”
She undressed, out of her white shirt and shorts, and took off her old panties and bra. She was naked in front of him, and yet, somehow, the very act of being nude in front of Edmund only caused her heart to pound. She was getting excited! The lingerie was so transparent. Only the lacy embroidery somewhat hid the genitals and the nipples from view.
She then put on the lingerie. Edmund smiled. “Beautiful! Now get posing!”
“These- these are so lewd!” She blushed. Yet her body obeyed his commands, posing. Her hands tried to cover up her body, but only helped to give the photoshoots a shy-seductress feel.
Edmund smiled. “You’re a natural at this.”
He took a few more photos, and told her to change her pose. Squats, bend overs and all that truly flaunted her ample cleavage and beautiful curves. Edmund, naturally, got naughty and approached her to adjust her posture.
“Bend your knee a bit more.” Edmund ordered. She did. “Beautiful! You should see yourself.”
Edmund immediately ran and took one of those portable full body mirrors and showed it to her. Sara looked at herself in the mirror, unable to believe how sexy and seductive she looked. “-it’s so lewd!”
“I’ll remove your face from the final product, don’t worry.” Edmund laughed. “But I assure you, there will be men out there wanking to it.”
She blushed at the thought. A few more photos later, he went on the attack.
“Crawl on the floor like a cat.”
“What!” Sara stared, unable to believe it. “-I can’t!”
Edmund laughed. “Fine- fine. Then this.” He adjusted a chair over. “Kneel on the floor, but place your arms on the chair. Hold this.”
Edmund gave her a cucumber to hold. She did, but all the poses just reminded her of sex so much her body flushed. She felt her body heat up. Edmund’s constant touches on her exposed skin only made her even more excited.
“Good! We’re done.” Edmund approached her. “You look really good in this lingerie set.”
She felt a tingle throughout her entire body. It excited her to be complimented this way. She blushed and nodded. “Thank you.”
His hand casually touched hers. “So- what did you think about my offer?”
She gulped, but then, she looked at Edmund. Dressed in just the tulle lingerie, her nipples were hard, and she didn’t notice that her nether regions were already moist. “-can- can we meet this person? Can he really help us?”
Edmund smiled. “Sure. But I need a downpayment.”
“What- what kind of downpayment.”
Edmund touched his pants, and the zip came down. His giant dick popped out. “My little brother’s in pain and a little dirty from the excitement of the photo shoot. He could use some- cleaning.”
She blushed, and stared at the giant dick. He wanted her to suck that?! Edmund held his hand, and pulled her to the chair she was kneeling on earlier, and he sat on it.
“You can start with your hands.”
Her body obeyed, and she knelt down, as if the muscle memory from the earlier photoshoot came back. She gulped, and both of her hands touched his penis. She could instantly feel the hot blood pumping through the penis. It was nothing like the cold cucumber.
She gulped, yet her hands didn’t stop. She rubbed it.
