Chapter Thirteen
Eight Photo Ops
Jenna was quickly learning that the number eight had its uses in ways she’d never even thought of. When planning the photo shoot, Josh and Favel quickly came to the conclusion that they should do four photos in Jenna’s mansion and four photos underwater.
As Jenna reviewed the pictures, she learned a few things she’d never known before. The first one was that she was really pretty and the second one was how much she wanted to do something like this with Sardius.
Photo with Favel #1
Jenna was dolled up like a red carpet queen and the photo was taken on the front walkway outside her palace.
Her dress was a slinky black thing that flashed pinpoints of light and hugged all her curves. At first glance, Jenna thought it was covered in sequins. On closer inspection, they were gemstones that had been sewn on. Josh informed her that the dress was worth a large fortune because each of the stones was a kind of black diamond that was rare even in a universe where diamonds were as common as dirt.
That was the dress she had been wearing when she had it out with Rold Xant.
Her hair was done up in a high bun and instead of wearing a necklace, she was informed she would be wearing a scarf and the scarf was going to be Favel, draped over her shoulders like he was a piece of clothing.
During the photoshoot, she had been totally unprepared for how light Favel was. Not only was he light, but he was very easy to carry. He attached his suction cups to her bare shoulders and back. Yes, she had a collection of circle-shaped hickeys where Favel had held onto her during the shoot, but Misha came over and quickly covered them with the makeup they used to hide all injuries and no one could tell that she’d essentially had a wild make out session with an octopus. That was until she had a shower and cleaned off the makeup. Then the purple and green bruises were on display for everyone, and Sardius, to see.
He swallowed his laughter and told her under his breath that he was a careful lover and if she had been with him, she could count on none of her blood vessels breaking.
Ixy always listened to those tidbits with pleasure and giggled like a maniac in Jenna’s ear when Sardius said things like that. Ixy was much happier in a world where the boneman got to sexually harass her boss without reprimand. If Jenna was being honest, she enjoyed Ixy’s laughter, though not as much as she enjoyed Sardius’ continual sexual innuendo.
If Jenna was being honest, she recognized that her relationship with Sardius was almost exactly the same as it had been when he was in her ear. Now that he was with her in person, she got the benefit of the wild expressions on his face and the look of his cut figure, but some things hadn't changed much. He rarely touched her. The most exciting thing that happened was that he whispered the occasional comment in her ear that sent her pulse racing, but otherwise, it was the same.
After they were separated by the prison riot, Jenna thought that the relationship they had was lost forever. It was an unusual realization that they were back where they had been in the old days, with a few little perks, but back where they were nonetheless.
Jenna huffed. She wanted more. She wanted to be out in the open with their love. She wanted marriage, sex, love, and to be partnered up with him in a way no one could break, but he was in a bad position… and he had such weird ideas about her. She’d heard of men putting women on pedestals, but what Sardius was doing was outrageous. How was she ever supposed to be the woman in his arms if idolized her?
Jenna huffed again. She didn’t know the answer.
When Josh presented the final version of the picture of Favel on her shoulders, it was magnificent. Her makeup was flawless and her dark crimson lips were the stars of the show as she threw Favel’s blue tentacle over her shoulder and turned toward her palace like the world was hers.
The best part of the photo was that Favel’s mantle was skooched up against her cheek and the look of adoration in his eyes was as loud as a bell. Jenna had tilted her head toward him and smiled like she loved the attention.
It ended up being a very loving picture. Josh was pleased with it, which was why he opened the presentation with it.
Photo with Favel #2
The second photo was taken in Favel’s underwater mansion. Jenna was wearing another dress that was too fine for her regular wardrobe, which was astonishing to her considering how much of a bump up she’d had in the world of fashion since she became a diplomat. She didn’t know that the flashy dresses she wore every day were only a tiny bit better than a business suit according to aliens.
This dress was pale blue and like the ocean surf. Holding the waves of the blue frothy fabric together were tiny blue pearl buttons sewn all down her arms and in two lines where the darts of a dress were usually placed. Jenna loved the dress, but it was so delicate, she was terrified of wrecking it the way she had ruined the tulle skirt from before. She tried hard not to bleed, so she stayed away from her pets.
The picture was of her leaning against the glass wistfully with her hand up. Favel was on the other side of the glass with his tentacle against the glass in the same place. They looked at each other longingly, lamenting the fact that they lived in different worlds.
Photo with Favel #3
By this point in the photoshoot, Jenna was starting to realize how lucky it was for Favel to always have his picture taken while he was naked. No one buzzed over him patting him with makeup brushes, or cinched him into tight-fitting dresses that worked to make Jenna fifteen pounds thinner (which she thought was really unnecessary since she was Sardius’ workout slave five days out of eight). Favel just showed up, made whatever pose Josh asked him to, and slipped back into the water having done his whole duty. It was ridiculous compared to the fuss she endured.
The third picture was of Jenna in a gown so gorgeous, it would have made a lead actress on Earth cry blood at the unfairness of it all.
It was a picture of Favel loading Jenna’s fluit with a ball of juice the color of champagne. The long stick jutted out of her mouth the way illegal drugs had been sucked back for thousands of years on Earth. It was just apple juice in the gelatin ball and Josh assured them that no one would think they were doing anything illegal, but that was what made the picture so fantastic. The look on both of their faces (Favel’s face as much as he could manage since tentacles jetted out in the space between his eyes and his mouth), was one of annoyance at the interruption. They were caught drinking something as innocent as milk, but they hated anyone who interrupted them.
Photo with Favel #4
Josh said it was time for something simple, but he had still cracked out the bathing suits. Also, Josh would not listen to Jenna when she said which suits she liked. She tried on dozens of bathing suits with him staring at her and every time she came out of the dressing room saying she actually liked the one she had on, he scowled at her and told her to get out of it immediately.
It was really quite an odd day to be with Josh. He and Jenna were not alone as Sardius and Vash watched on. It came to Jenna over and over again that she had rarely heard Josh speak before and now he was yelling at her that she had no taste in clothing and that she looked bad in bathing suits. She wanted to scream. She had never been in better shape in her life.
Finally, he yelled at her, “I’ve made up my mind. If you come out here in anything other than a red bathing suit, I’m going to fire you from choosing any more clothes.”
Jenna had been avoiding the red ones. They were way too bright and she didn’t like herself in red. She got way too much attention from everyone when she wore red, even if she only wore a red top with her jeans. How could she wear a red bathing suit?
She stuck her head out of the dressing room. “What are you hoping for, Josh? You hate everything.”
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
He raised an eyebrow. “I want the furthest thing from the color of the ocean, from the color of Favel’s skin. I want contrast.”
“Do I have to wear a bikini?”
“You have to wear something that cuts up your thigh, Jenna. Isn’t that why you always wear that signature dress with the slit up the side of a flaring skirt? Because you know that your best feature is your thigh and your hip?”
Jenna went red. “You’ve seen my thigh, Josh?”
He swiveled in his chair and faced her. “You’re being stupid, Jenna. The whole universe has seen your thigh. Ryatt,” he commanded, suddenly turning to Sardius. “You’re her workout buddy. You know what I want and why I want it. Go get her into it. She’ll be more comfortable with you than me.”
Sardius cracked his knuckles in preparation. “Plug your ears.”
Jenna backed up in instant apprehension, but as soon as Sardius came into the dressing room, the only thing that happened was that he closed the door and started rummaging around in the boxes of bathing suits. “This,” he said, tossing it to Jenna.
Jenna took it and spread it between her fingers. “This isn’t red.”
“It’s scarlet, which is on the red spectrum. It’s just a lot closer to orange than you were probably thinking,” he yawned. “Josh will probably like it better because orange is the opposite of blue on the color wheel.”
“Is it a bikini?” she whined.
“Sort of, but it isn’t a low-cut bikini. The point is to make the part of your hip here visible,” he said, sliding his fingers over a spot that was now being covered by her current bathing suit. “Josh wants to highlight that spot, not give the viewer a free show of everything you’ve got. He even chose that spot because you show that off all the time when your dress flares open.”
“My dress does not flare open,” she said hotly, clipping her words.
He smiled broadly. “Yes, it does. You’ve just never heard any complaints.”
Jenna glared at him. “You might have said something.”
“It would not have been in my best interests to have said anything, ever. Put that on.”
Jenna looked at it more closely. He was right. It had a very modest top before going to gauze around her midriff and slowly transitioning back to opaque for the bottom part of the swimsuit.
“Fine,” Jenna puffed unpleasantly before she slipped the strap of the old suit over her shoulder, giving Sardius barely enough time to exit the changing room before she got naked.
When she came out with the new suit, Josh clapped his hands. “Great! I should have started with that. I’ll go get set up. Get Misha in here to do Jenna’s makeup. Tell her I want a natural look and if she doesn’t give it to me, I’ll send you back.”
The picture came out brilliantly. The scarlet bathing suit made Jenna look like a lifeguard. She was lying on her side of a surfboard with Favel pretending to drown in the water in front of her. The bubbles made it extra hilarious.
Photo with Favel #5
The next one had Jenna in a raincoat while Favel perched on a prop that essentially looked like a plate on a stick. He got on it and Jenna held it in the air, he spread himself out and let his tentacles dangle over the edges essentially turning himself into an umbrella while Sardius and Vash sprinkled water on them.
Jenna looked like a fancy woman going for a stroll in Paris in a poke-a-dot dress with high heels. She had a red bow on her bag, another one in her hair, and a last one on the crook of her umbrella.
“Make your lips look like a bow,” Josh instructed. “It’s the theme of the shoot.”
Jenna moved her mouth to obey, but she did a double-take. “How do I do that?”
“Pout, honey, pout,” Josh said, giving her a demo that made Jenha laugh out loud.
Then it was impossible for her to pout until Josh growled at her. It had been a grave miscalculation on her part to think that he had ever been playful. He was always all business.
She obediently pouted and Josh got the shot.
Favel was grouchy when he got down from the top of the umbrella shaft. “Nothing more like that, Josh. If I’m going to be dangling from that high up, I want to be in a spaceship. Good grief. I’m dizzy and not nearly wet enough.”
Jenna took hold of an extra watering can from the pile and poured water on him. He closed his eyes and enjoyed it like he was a man enjoying the sun on the beach.
Jenna didn’t know he was afraid of heights.
Photo with Favel #6
This one was not very imaginative, but Josh said they had to do it or they would look like monsters. Jenna wore a wet suit and got in the water for a shot with her and Favel swimming. Josh followed them with a little water drone and took pictures whenever it occurred to him.
When Jenna saw the finished picture, it was delightful. It was a picture of Favel offering her a white water lily. Her hair was mostly tied up to stop it from swishing all over the place, but little bits of it crept around her in a charming way.
For the first time, Jenna could see what Josh was making for them. It should have occurred to her before, but it didn’t. Her head was so caught up in the politics of it all that she couldn’t see the story of loving friendship that Josh was creating. If everyone saw it the way Josh imagined they would, the two of them might win over the entire galaxy with cuteness.
Photo with Favel #7
The last photo done above water was all about the engagement ring. Jenna was in a mermaid costume, which she thought was stupid until she saw that Josh had no intention of making her hop around like a monopod. Instead, she was dressed up, lying on her stomach next to one of the sea entrances to her palace. She was supposed to lean forward and drop one of her hands in the water. Favel was in the water and one of his tentacles held her other hand, where she wore her engagement ring.
The picture was crowned by a perfect lipstick set of lips on his mantle.
They had begun that operation by having Jenna put on as much lipstick as she could wear and then having her kiss Favel. Naturally, that initial lipstick smear had not looked photo-ready, so Misha got down on her hands and knees to dress it up. She outlined it, filled it in, and added red sparkles.
Then she redid Jenna’s lips and gave her red sparkles too.
This one ended up being the most difficult of the photos taken in Jenna’s palace. Josh was unhappy with everything and was not happy until Jenna’s hair was half undone, her feet were sticking out of her costume and Favel was oddly entwined in her legs.
“This looks too sexy,” Sardius had warned Josh as he stood behind the camera and looked at the shot Josh was getting.
“I’ve already taken tamer ones of this shot that we can use for the initial release,” Josh said coolly. “But we need stuff like this to exist so that it is clear to everyone that Jenna is not repulsed by Favel. There are huge factions who believe that their relationship is a hoax.”
“But all Jenna has ever claimed is that they are friends,” Sardius argued.
“Yes. And there are huge groups who believe that even their friendship is a lie.”
“If we swing too hard the other way, people will they’re up to more than friendship,” Sardius told him between tight lips.
“They’re already getting married. What do you want people to believe? To many people, the word marriage only has one meaning. I’m not saying we release these pictures today or even tomorrow, but people may need to see proof that Jenna is not throwing up into her hands with Favel between her legs.”
“Too sexy,” Sardius complained again.
“You’d let a dog run between your legs and it would be nothing. You’d stroke a cat on your lap and it’s nothing. You’d mount a horse. This is not necessarily different from those things. You’d be a fool to think that Favel views his relationship with Jenna as anything more complicated than a master/pet perspective. She’s his cuttlefish.”
Jenna looked at Favel for confirmation.
He looked back at her with huge black eyes and suddenly, he turned black all over.
Josh took about a hundred pictures before Favel settled down and went back to being blue.
“Do you think I’m like your pet?” Jenna whispered with red sparkly lips.
Favel looked down, which happened to be down into the water where he could be if he lowered himself a little further. “We’re not the same species. I thought it was okay that I thought of you as my pet because deep down, you thought I was like a pet you’d keep in an aquarium on your home planet. That was okay with me because deep down, I think you looked like one of the animals my people ship in pods. I hoped that was all the feeling you’d want from me because I would never ask you to feel more than that for me.”
Jenna nodded. “We talk to each other like equals. Can’t we be equals in our relationship instead of you looking down on me and me looking down on you?”
Favel’s eyes sparkled. “Of course.”
Jenna understood what he was saying and what it meant. He did not care if everyone under the water or over the water thought of them as long as Jenna knew the color of his heart. He could never love her like a husband. All of this was just a public relations stunt to gain Adamis support.
“I wish you had a real husband,” he said softly through bubbles in the water.
Jenna gave him a half smile. “Public servants don’t get everything they want, but it’s okay.”
Sardius chuckled from across the room. “I want a pet like Jenna. Where do I put in my order?”
“Just go to Earth and pick one up. I hear that’s what Armen did,” Jenna replied with a graceful shrug of her shoulder.
Sardius was trying to change the mood in the room. He was successful at getting them back on track and Josh finished taking the picture.
Photo with Favel #8
Jenna was back in a bathing suit. This time it was one that had been made by a very famous designer to look exactly like Favel’s skin, so it was blue. Misha curled Jenna’s hair and put a big blue flower in it to match the suit.
The plan was simple. She was to lie on a surfboard. It was black with blue wavy lines on it.
Sardius helped her onto it before Josh pushed her out to sea. Then he flew a drone over her. When Favel was given the signal, he and two of his closest, bluest friends, wrapped their tentacles around the surfboard like they were going to pull her under. Favel wasn’t big enough on his own to show enough tentacles at once, so he got a couple of his friends to show their tentacles, though they were not allowed to touch Jenna. If they did, they’d taste Jenna, and it would have been extremely uncool of them to do so, so their tentacles touched only the surfboard. Favel wrapped one of his tentacles around Jenna’s wrist.
Jenna’s job was to wink and blow a kiss to the camera hovering above her like she was about to get dragged under the waves and she welcomed it.
The final result was just so perfect, Jenna was astonished. If Josh hadn’t proven himself before, he did then.