And… Freeze
Chapter 4
Six Months Later…
The pretty reporter straightened, smiling as the camera’s “Live” indicator started blinking.
“Thanks, Chuck,” she gushed. “Yes, I’m standing here outside the Wilshire Boulevard entrance of Entranced, Beverly Hills’ favorite boutique.”
She gestured, and the camera panned right to capture the black storefront. There, perhaps twenty curious bystanders were gazing up at the two posing women behind the plate glass windows. A line of twenty more people were lined up outside the front door.
“As we begin the holiday shopping season,” the reporter continued, “it seems that LA’s rich and famous are interested in giving lingerie to their special someone. And Entranced has become the must-visit spot to find it.”
The picture cut to the interior of one of Entranced’s VIP suites. The camera rolled over the tiny but opulent chamber, coming to rest on the yawning window that looked down onto the main showroom. Meanwhile, the reporter’s voice continued in a breathless voice-over: “I spoke with Benedetta Alfonsi, owner and founder of Entranced, earlier today.”
Benedetta appeared in the next shot, relaxing on a leather couch. Dressed in one of her signature French suits and with her hair neatly pinned up, the beautiful proprietor was relaxed and cheerful. Sitting opposite her was the awe-struck reporter.
“Well,” the correspondent exclaimed, “this has been quite a banner year for you and Entranced, hasn’t it?”
Benedetta smiled, almost laughing. “Si, yes, darling. We’re opening our Malibu location in a few weeks, and then hopefully two others. Tokyo and Vienna. We’ve been quite lucky.”
“But that’s being overly modest, isn’t it?” the reporter prodded. “When I called your store’s office, I was informed that all customers must shop by appointment, just due to demand. What is Entranced’s secret?”
Now Benedetta did laugh. “We offer a unique and unmatchable customer experience, darling,” she explained, smiling broadly. “Our products are second-to-none, yes, but most of our customers return because of the lavish treatment they receive from our staff. We pride ourselves on that treatment.”
“Entranced is still a private company, but isn’t it true that Hollywood mogul Thom Phillips is an investor in the Malibu store?”
Benedetta looked coy. “I cannot say, darling. But many of our customers become investors, yes.”
The shot cut back to the live feed on the street.
“Well,” the reporter finished, “it seems this little company has entranced most of the Los Angeles elite. For Fox 11 KTTV, this is Kitty Malone. Back to you, Chuck.”
Cassie hopped into the employee changing room, peeling off the Quasi lì silk chemise with great care. The customer had purchased four sets, including the very model she had displayed. There was no time to wash it properly.
The blonde model frowned, momentarily worried. A downside of posing was that sometimes the orgasmic bliss she tasted made it difficult to remember the session after the fact. Was…
She grimaced. Yes, the panties were wet. She’d gotten too aroused.
Cassie let out an exasperated breath. Sometimes the male customers clued in on how sexual the freeze posing really was… and then they really wanted the moist underwear. But the blonde girl wasn’t sure about this last fellow.
“Cassie!” Calliope’s urgent voice squawked over the employee intercom. “Your customer is finished purchasing! Hurry!”
The blonde model muttered a curse. She dropped the worn panties into the laundry, grabbed a second, clean pair from an identical model, and then carefully placed it with the worn chemise into an Entranced display box. A few seconds later, she’d thrown on her robe and slippers and then was hurrying down the corridor. Other models and stockboys jumped out of her way. There were more employees back here than ever.
Her feet flying, Cassie raced down the back stairwell, popping out into the secret VIP parking lot. There, sitting in an idling Bentley stretch limo, was her customer. The TV star was peering into his shopping bag with satisfaction.
Cassie called out the man’s name, then scurried to his side. “You nearly forgot this,” she smiled, then pressed the box into his hands.
The customer, delighted with her surprise appearance, beamed up at her.
“We hope to see you again,” Cassie murmured, making sure to touch his forearm and gaze into his eyes.
“Uh…” the star mumbled, “well… can I book you for next month?”
“Check with the office,” advised Cassie, but with a twinkle in her eye. She blew a quick kiss, then hurried back inside. The November air was colder than usual.
Of course, she was solidly booked by VIP clients until mid-March.
After Thom Phillips (and then his Hollywood rivals) had begun using Entranced’s VIP suites to woo and sign his A listers, the boutique’s phones had not stopped ringing. Benedetta was forced to hire a switch room, with four full-time operators. These overworked ladies did their best to keep up with the customer demands, but invariably some were turned away.
The bigger surprise was that the Entranced models began generating their own followings. Repeat customers began to learn the girls’ names, and now it wasn’t unusual at all for a VIP to request, for example, a “Giselle / Maurissa / Candice session.” The switch room had to install a giant whiteboard, tracking when the models clocked in and out, and great care had to be taken not to double-book anyone.
The two biggest customer requests? Cassie and Sara. Or, the “Viewsome Twosome,” as a popular comedian had nicknamed them. Out of all of Benedetta’s girls, Cassie and Sara had the heaviest schedules. Even Thom Phillips himself couldn’t book them without a one-month-advance appointment.
Cassie paused, appreciating the foot massager. Benedetta had installed five of them in the employee dressing rooms, and it seemed like the little gizmos were always in use. But they worked wonders.
A ringtone interrupted the girl’s weary thoughts. She glanced at her phone’s screen: Gus Rubin.
Right, Gus Rubin, her agent. Man, it seemed like eons since she’d last seen the heavyset fellow. Cassie tapped “Accept,” and then raised the phone to her ear.
“Jesus, there you are!” Rubin exclaimed. “I’ve left you five voicemails! You don’t use your phone no more?”
“Hey boss,” Cassie said, tired. “What’s up?” She had a half an hour before her next booking.
Rubin got straight to the point: “You remember Barnabas Kormos?”
Cassie drew a complete blank. “Who?”
“The executive director of Louis Vuitton. The headliner of Paris Fashion Week next year. Your customers probably wear his collection.”
“Wow,” Cassie said, despite her fatigue.
“Well, he remembers you and Sara,” the agent said, struggling to contain his excitement. “You know what I’m looking at right now? Contracts! Contracts to put you two on a direct flight to Rome for custom fittings! He wants you both in his Paris show.”
Cassie sat straight up. “No way!”
“I know, right?” Rubin cried gleefully. “The money’s not great, but who cares? After this exposure, you and your sister will be set for life. For life!”
The blonde teenager fell back in her seat, stunned. “Man,” was all she could say.
“I know, right?” said Rubin smugly. “Hey, do me a favor? Pass this news on to your sister? She’s even harder to get on the phone than you are.”
For once, Sara was on time and already waiting for Cassie in their booked VIP suite. Cassie’s twin was wearing a cherry red Pratiquement Nue V-neck babydoll and intently reading Vogue. Somehow she’d gotten a hold of next month’s edition.
“Hey,” Sara said absently as Cassie shut the doors to the suite, “did you know that Réyes Ortegá is moving to Vetements at the end of his contract?” She crossed her legs, deep in thought. “That could change how the Autunno line is presented next season, you know.”
“Yeah, fascinating,” Cassie said, without the slightest bit of interest. “Listen, I just got a call from Gus Rubin.”
Cassie quickly shared the news.
“Are you serious?” Sara gasped, her eyes wider than saucer plates.
Cassie cocked her head to one side. “So, you remember this Kormos guy?”
“Do I remember Barnabas Kormos?” gagged Sara. “He’s—oh, I don’t know—only the leading couturier out of Venice. Head of Luis Vuitton. Before that, he built Fendi and then Chloé. Jesus, you posed for him—”
“Yes, yes, I know,” snapped Cassie, annoyed.
“Kormos wants us?” breathed Sara, still reeling. “Jesus, that’s like… That’s like Michelangelo asking you to pose for a portrait. When do we get on a plane?”
“He wants us in his studio next week,” replied Cassie.
Sara had never smiled so brightly.
After posing for their customer, the twins pulled on robes and hurried to Entranced’s back offices. They had an hour before their three o’clock arrived.
The door to Benedetta’s office suite was closed. In the outer office was Calliope, comparing an inventory sheet with her ever-present tablet. The black-haired women frowned as Cassie and Sara reached to knock on Benedetta’s door.
“Hey,” the manager said tersely. “You can’t disturb her; she’s on with the investors. Its about the Tokyo store.”
Cassie and Sara exchanged pained glances. “But we’ve gotta talk to Benedetta,” Sara protested. “Like, its urgent.”
The ends of Calliope’s mouth went down. For a moment, Cassie thought the other woman would argue.
But instead, Calliope sighed. “Wait here,” she said firmly, then slipped past the twins and into Benedetta’s office.
The two sisters listened intently. “Jeez, this is taking forever,” Sara groused.
Cassie shot her twin a warning look. Benedetta, after all, had given the girls their big break in the industry. It wouldn’t be easy to break the awkward news.
After a few minutes, Calliope appeared at the door. “Keep it brief,” she advised, ushering the twins inside. Then she departed.
Cassie had only ever been inside Benedetta’s office once before, and even then just for a brief moment to sign her insurance forms. Now the blonde twin had an opportunity to gaze about.
Like everything in Benedetta’s life, the office was sleek, elegant, and refined. A Spartan, white oak desk dominated the room, with only a black phone and tiny laptop computer on its polished surface. The soft grey walls contained open shelves with tightly-packed trade magazines, all neatly categorized. The far wall had two racks of lingerie, three fitting dummies, and a large design board where next year’s merchandise was taking shape. And a leather couch and plus an enormous tropical aquarium took up the remaining wall. Beneath Cassie’s feet was the thickest, white carpet she’d ever seen. Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” was playing softly on invisible speakers.
Benedetta was standing behind her desk and on the phone, her usual French suit a dark, rich blue today. She waved the twins closer, still intent on her conversation. “Yes, yes, my darling,” she was saying. “The terms of the lease are fine. But I have to have the freedom for additional renovations, you understand?”
Cassie waited. She noted, with alarm, that Sara was impatiently tapping her foot.
Benedetta closed her eyes in exasperation. “That’s not what you told me last week, Haruto,” she said wearily. “I need…”
Cassie faintly heard a man speaking nonstop Japanese from the phone’s receiver. Benedetta listened, her gaze eventually coming to rest on the twins.
Perhaps it was Cassie’s imagination, but the Italian businesswoman’s eyes seemed to narrow as she studied Cassie’s face.
“Haruto, darling,” Benedetta interrupted. “One moment, per favore? Thank you, darling.”
The brown-haired woman put her hand over the phone’s microphone. “Darlings,” she said to Cassie and Sara, her voice half-indulgent, half-annoyed, “this is an important call. Can we speak later this week?”
Before Cassie could say anything, Sara announced, “We wanted to let you know: We have another offer.”
Benedetta blinked, her posture straightening.
“With Barnabas Kormos,” Sara said proudly. “We would have to leave Entranced, very shortly.”
The Italian businesswoman cocked her head to one side. “Haruto, darling,” she said firmly into the telephone, “something has come up, I’m afraid. Let’s chat later today? Ciao.”
And then she abruptly hung up.
Cassie flinched inside as Benedetta walked around her desk, coming to stand before the two models. A forlorn little smile was on her beautiful face. “My twins,” she said sadly. “You are leaving me, eh? What did Barney offer you?”
“Leaving Entranced was not an easy decision,” Cassie said quickly, hoping to soften the blow. “Mr. Kormos is putting us in his Paris show.”
“Oh, that man,” Benedetta sighed, shaking her head. “Always, he wants to steal my best talent.”
“It’s a once-in-a-career opportunity,” Sara said defensively.
“It is,” Benedetta agreed softly. She looked at Cassie, then Sara. “I had hoped to make you two, my Bellissimi Gemelli, the showcase attraction in Entranced’s Tokyo store. You would be the toast of Asia, my dears.” She gently touched both girls on their arms. ”Can I ask you both to reconsider?”
Cassie wavered.
“We have to be on a plane for Rome as soon as possible,” replied Sara. “I’m sorry, but…”
“No, no,” Benedetta smiled. “Of course I understand, darlings. I was once a young model myself.”
“We’re really sorry,” Cassie murmured, surprised at how awful she felt.
“Don’t be, my darlings,” Entranced’s owner said, her face brightening. “You have a wonderful future ahead of you, yes? May I just say one last thing to perhaps change your minds?”
Sara shrugged, tossing her hair in a casual gesture. “I think that—“
“And… freeze,” Benedetta commanded, her voice iron. She passed a hand over Sara’s face, and instantly the blonde teenager was turned to living stone.
Cassie’s mouth dropped open in surprise. She went to step backwards.
“And freeze,” ordered the Italian, now rounding on Cassie.
As Benedetta’s fingers passed before Cassie’s eyes, the model felt her limbs turn weightless and lock into place. Her thoughts vanished like scattered leaves. That pleasurable relaxation took her once again.
“And now, my darlings,” Benedetta’s voice said, warm and soothing, deep within Cassie’s mind, “we will discuss how much you have liked posing here at Entranced.”
And then…
There was a soft knocking at the office door.
Cassie was aware of Benedetta, coaxing her to wake up, to move her arms and legs once again. The blonde girl shook her head, dispelling that fuzzy sensation in her mind.
Where was she…?
Oh, yes. Standing in Benedetta’s office. Why, she and Sara were about to tell Benedetta that they were leaving Entranced. Or had they told her already? Cassie wasn’t sure.
She glanced at her sister. Sara looked puzzled, but not alarmed.
The knocking sounded again.
“Come in, darling,” Benedetta called out.
The office door opened, and Calliope poked her head inside. “Sorry to interrupt,” the manager said quickly. “But Cassie and Sara’s three o’clock is nearly here.”
Cassie blinked. Three o’clock? It was three o’clock already?
“Of course, darling,” Benedetta said warmly.
As if a sudden idea occurred to her, Benedetta took both twins by the arm. “You know what, darlings?” she said gaily. “I think I’ll attend this fitting with you. I allow myself to be pulled away from the customers too often these days, no?”
“Sure,” Sara said slowly, “that would be fun.”
Why not? Cassie thought. If this was to be her last posing session at Entranced, it would be fitting that Benedetta was there.
Feeling a bit light-headed, Cassie allowed Benedetta to guide her and her sister up to the VIP Suite Two. The room was already prepared, with the customer’s requested lingerie neatly laid out behind the changing curtain.
“Our guest is already on his way up,” Calliope informed the twins, then vanished.
“Well, girls?” Benedetta smiled. “Let’s hurry, please. Cassie, the Ridicolosamente Ridicolo in black, please. Sara, the À Peine Là in robin’s egg blue, if you please?”
The twins found themselves scurrying to obey. As she shimmied out of her clothes, Cassie thought ahead to being put under Benedetta’s spell, if only for one last time. A pang of regret welled up inside her.
It didn’t take long to change. As a last touch, Cassie smoothed her panties, making sure the delicate cloth lay flush against her soft skin.
That was it; she was ready.
The blonde model paused, regarding her sister. Sara seemed calm, almost Zenlike.
On the other side of the curtain, the suite doors opened. “Darling!” Benedetta exclaimed, greeting the VIP. “How wonderful to finally meet you. Welcome to Entranced. This is your first visit with us, no?”
Automatically, Cassie moved out from behind the curtain, smiling warmly, holding a classic modeling pose: Back straight, arms at her sides, one knee slightly bent, all weight on the other leg, toes pointing out, chest out, chin up. It felt so natural to stand like this. Beside her, Sara struck a similar pose.
“Ah,” the VIP mugged, his eyes already sweeping over the models’ bodies. A known basketball player, this fellow looked somewhat out of sorts in his grey Brunello Cucinelli suit. On the court, the man was nefarious for his intimidating style. But in the Entranced suite, he seemed positively cowed.
“Come, darling,” Benedetta said smoothly, taking the celebrity’s arm. “Cassie and Sara, they are our best. Let them pose for you, yes?”
As Entranced’s owner guided the customer to the rich leather couch, Cassie stepped up onto the platform. She was aware of the man’s hungry gaze on her almost-nude body.
But when the teenager turned to face her customer, her elbow bumped something! Someone!
Cassie raised her head in surprise. Sara was standing beside her on the platform, also looking caught off-guard.
This was unusual. In all her time at Entranced, Cassie had never posed side-by-side with another model. It simply wasn’t done.
Realizing that she’d probably assumed that Benedetta meant for her to pose first, Cassie mumbled, “Uh, sorry. Should I…”
“No, stay where you are, darling,” Benedetta said, approaching the platform. “There is room for both of you up there, no?”
“Double yer pleasure,” grinned the VIP, sliding back on the couch.
“Quite,” agreed Benedetta.
Cassie shot Sara a look which said, You okay with this?
Sara—who still seemed a little spaced-out—merely shrugged. The two girls stepped to the opposite sides of the wide platform.
“Wonderful, darlings,” the Italian woman beamed. “And… freeze.”
Cassie’s mind fogged over as her body became rigid and outside her control. That blissful motionlessness was upon her, washing away every last one of her troubles. Inwardly, Cassie sighed contentedly. This would be a good trance, she could tell. Her thoughts disconnected and drifted away.
As she slipped deeper into the supreme relaxation, the blonde teen felt that familiar, sexual warmth deep within her body. As always, the feeling expanded and grew more powerful, licking and embracing her. Cassie’s emotions moaned happily, sinking still further into this sweet mindlessness, basking and wallowing in this special pleasure.
But… something was different. No, not different. This time, the pleasure was more intense. More relaxing. More erotic. If the trance was her lover, then this time Cassie was delighted to discover that sensation was multiplying its erotic influence a hundredfold. The sexual warmth grew brighter and stronger. Cassie was swept along, helpless in its greedy embrace.
And then, she distinctly felt herself being pleasured. Dimly, the blonde model understood that this sensation was only in her mind, that none of it was real… yet her body and senses could not tell the difference. Something magical, something powerful, and something loving was embracing her. The feeling was purely sexual.
Alarmed yet aroused, Cassie tried to hold back her own desires. After all, she was posing, and professional standard must be maintained. While posing, it was fine to enjoy the erotic sensations. But never was the customer to have the slightest inkling of what she was feeling.
Cassie could dimly hear Benedetta and the VIP chatting, unaware of what rapture she was feeling.
Meanwhile, the trance doubled its sexual rewards yet again. Now Cassie felt as if her imaginary lover was stroking her, harder and even harder still. She was wet. She was getting close. Oh, it was hard…
And then, Cassie heard a low, pleasured moan from elsewhere in the room.
It was Sara! Sara, not three feet away!
With a flash of insight, Cassie’s sleeping mind realized: Sara was experiencing a trance just a potent and just as erotic. Even in mid-pose, Sara was having an orgasm.
And with that, Cassie’s last resistance crumbled. Her own orgasm burst into life, showering her body with fireworks and radiant joy. Cassie moaned too.
The next thing the blonde model knew, she was blinking, the trance fading from her mind. Her senses came back to her, one-by-one. She was awake.
In horror, Cassie glanced down at Benedetta and the VIP. Instinctively, she put a protective hand over her crotch.
The VIP was grinning like a child on Christmas, almost wringing his hands in delight. “GodDAMN,” he exclaimed, gesturing to Cassie’s outfit. “I’ll definitely be buying three sets of those!”
A lucky break; the man obviously had no idea he’s witnessed something out-of-the ordinary.
Cassie worriedly looked over at her sister. Sara, like Cassie, was trying to maintain a professional demeanor. But her face betrayed shock and embarrassment. Cassie knew in an instant; Sara had climaxed, too.
Finally, both twins turned their gazes to Benedetta.
Cassie expected the Italian woman to be seething in disapproval. Such an overtly sexual display in front of a customer… well, it was unseemly.
But Benedetta was leaning back against the couch, a satisfied smile on her lips. “You see, darling?” she said conversationally to the VIP. “I told you these outfits were the most sensual. It is the magic of Entranced.”
“GodDAMN…!” the VIP mumbled again. He quickly crossed his legs, suddenly aware of his own erection.
Benedetta absently brushed from lint from her knee. “In a way, darling,” she continued, “you are the luckiest of all my customers.”
The celebrity cocked an eyebrow. “Oh?”
“I did not mention?” asked Benedetta. She indicated the twins with a nod of her head. “Cassie and Sara, they are leaving Entranced. This is their last session.”
Sounding disappointed, the VIP simply said, “Oh.”
Cassie and Sara couldn’t help but exchange one long glance.
For the first time, Cassie immediately wanted a shower after her posing session was over. She was positively sopping wet between her legs, far more than she’d ever experienced. Sara showered, too.
The two twins dressed in silence. Cassie’s mind kept flitting back to the pose, the trance, the orgasm. She’d never felt anything like it. Had she been with a real lover instead of her own hypnotized mind, she might have felt that she was in love.
For Cassie, freeze posing had started as a kinky twist, a lark that titillated her while she posed for the customers. She’d enjoyed it, the same way she’d enjoyed having sex in high school.
But this last pose? It reached something deeper, something more primal within the girl. She’d tasted an absolute sexual nirvana, an orgasmic paradise that she longed to return to. Somehow, Benedetta had given it to her.
Cassie stared at the wall, having an epiphany. Slowly, she turned toward Sara.
Her twin was watching her carefully.
“I can’t leave Entranced,” Cassie said, plainly. As she spoke, she realized the absolute truth in her words. “I just… can’t.”
Sara nodded solemnly.
“I’m sorry,” whispered Cassie. “I can’t go to Rome.”
“I know,” Sara replied, her eyes shining. “I can’t go either.”
The two sisters decided to call Rubin together, to inform him at the same time, and to let him down as easily as possible.
They waited until after closing, then retreated to an empty VIP suite for privacy. It was past ten PM. Cassie made the call and turned on her phone’s speaker.
After two rings, Rubin picked up, and the girls could hear dull chatter and the clinking of dishes behind him. He was at a restaurant.
“My girls, my girls!” Rubin trumpeted. “Have you seen the weather forecasts in Rome? You’re in for a vacation masquerading as work!”
“Gus,” Cassie said heavily, “we have to talk.”
All things considered, the agent took the news fairly well. Oh, he was initially distraught, crying out, “What, did Alfonsi offer you more money? Because we can still negotiate with Kormos.”
“Its not the money,” Sara explained patiently.
“Then… what?” the flummoxed Rubin exclaimed.
Sara gestured helplessly, unable to express what was in her heart.
“It’s the freeze posing, Gus,” Cassie stepped in. “It’s a unique thing. I can’t explain it, but… well, we get really into it here.”
Sara nodded in agreement.
Cassie paused for a moment to study her sister. Were they making the right decision?
Sara looked back, an impish grin on her face. She had no regrets. Cassie matched her smile.
“I see,” Rubin said glumly. “You sure I can’t—“
“No,” the twins said in unison.
There was a pause. “Jesus,” said Rubin, sounding as if his dog had been shot. “I guess its true what they say about Entranced… Once a model works there, she never goes anywhere else.”
“Don’t feel bad, boss,” Cassie soothed. “You’re still getting two annual commission checks from us, remember?”
“That’s true,” Rubin allowed.
Sara’s eyes lit up. “Hey, maybe we can get you a third check,” she proposed. “Is Angie still one of your clients?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“Entranced’s new Malibu store is hiring models,” Sara said. “We can refer her.” Then an impish look came over her face. “What, you don’t read the trade mags?”
“You ready, my darling?”
Cassie tore herself away from the mirror. She looked dazzling, a glamor model from head to toe. Even in her simple white robe, she was staggeringly beautiful.
Benedetta smiled at her, a warm, glowing smile. “Come,” she said softly. The two women stepped out of the dressing room.
Entranced’s Malibu location was larger and more opulent than the Beverly Hills store. For one thing, there was plenty of room in the hallways and better lighting. The fresh paint still lingered in the nostrils, and the last of the furniture move-in was scheduled for later that week. The store was coming together nicely.
Of course, Cassie and Benedetta would soon be on a plane, heading to Tokyo. Entranced’s Shibuya Crossing store would be opening next, and the new location sorely needed its owner and star models. The renovations over there were nearly done, and the Japanese translators were standing by. So the Malibu store would have to be ready sooner than expected.
Benedetta and Cassie swept into a large room with high ceilings. Here, the newest model hires were taking a group selfie, hardly able to contain their excitement. Of course, Angie had been the selfie ringleader. Amused, Cassie smiled.
“My darlings,” Benedetta said to the starstruck girls, “welcome to Entranced. Shall we begin?”