At First Glance

Photoshoot

    It's 7 in the morning and I'm at the front desk, staring blankly at the computer and waiting for my coffee to kick in. A screech of tires and flash of orange in the parking lot startles me, and I'm even more shocked when I look up and see Cameron getting out of his car. Given his track record and tailored-to-his-whims schedule, he isn't usually at the gym until eleven at the earliest. I manage to close my mouth as he strides into the gym, whipping his keys at me without even looking. I let out a startled squeak and duck, letting them crash into the wall behind me. Cameron stops, then turns to face me. He doesn't say anything, just stares at me.

    "I'm sorry," I mumble, grabbing the keys and looking them over. The keys alone would probably pay a couple of months of my rent if looks are anything to go by. I hold them out to Cameron, unsure of why he threw them at me to begin with. He shakes his head slowly, his jaw is tense and his fists are clenched at his sides. Unlike me, he seems completely awake, even a little jittery.

    "Get the medals from the passenger side and start polishing," he snaps before storming into the weight room. I look back down at the keys in my hand. Surely he doesn't want me to have access to his car! Based on my former foster father's obsession with cars, I know Cameron's is valued at over a hundred thousand dollars. I glance at the weight room doors before leaving my post at the front desk and exiting the building.

    I fumble around with the keys before figuring out which button unlocks the doors. Using the hem of my jacket so I don't leave any fingerprints on the beloved vehicle, I open the passenger door and retrieve two small but heavy boxes. I close the car door, triple-check that it's locked, and go back inside. I peek inside the boxes and sure enough, they hold Cameron's Olympic medals. 

    "Amethyst!" Regina's voice booms through the front doors. She floats towards me in a cloud of expensive perfume, looking happier than I've ever seen her. "It's philanthropy photoshoot day! I see that Cameron's arrived. Weight room?"

    I nod, wondering how I could've forgotten that all classes were canceled until the photoshoot was scheduled to end at 3. It's why I'd been rescheduling classes when I first met the Jenkins twins a few days ago. The elite-level male gymnasts sold calendars every year and donated the proceeds to a local animal shelter. Every year the gym moms snapped up as many calendars as they could preorder via our web store, and I'd heard rumors that a fistfight had broken out over the ones that had been available on the gym's merch wall a few years ago. It's not even that the guys were shirtless or anything, they were just naturally good-looking, musclebound young guys getting action shots taken of their sport. 

    I tuck Cameron's medals under the desk where nobody can find them and go off in search of the polish I'd seen in the storage room. The door to the storage room is ajar, and when I nudge it open, I can tell a few things are not where they'd normally be kept. I start to straighten things up when I spot a small drawstring back at the back of one of the shelves. Pulling it out, I see the initials CJS emblazoned on it. Cameron James Symms. I close my eyes for a moment, take a deep breath, and then open the bag a bit. Inside is an assortment of miniature liquor bottles, like the ones you'd find in a hotel minibar. 

    Cameron can't be stupid enough to bring alcohol here, could he? I mean, his initials are on the bag and it was clearly placed where it wasn't expected to be found. Does he have a problem? I don't particularly want to know the answer to either of those questions, so I stuff the bag back into its hiding spot, make sure everything's back where it's supposed to go, and grab the polish I'd come for on my way out.

    I focus on my work and the hours pass quickly. At 10, the photographer arrives and begins to set up his equipment under Regina's eagle eye. The Jenkins twins arrive and Clay waves at me as he and Hunter head into the weight room with the rest of the elite team. The team is focusing on weights today because that will help their muscles look extra defined in pictures, according to the chatter I've overheard in the hustle and bustle of the preparations.

    "AMETHYST!" Regina thunders from the main gym and I quickly walk into the main gym area where she's furiously looking over the schedule for the shoot. "The photographer's assistant got food poisoning. You'll have to stand in and help out. Nobody will be coming in after hair and makeup, so lock the door and then get in here and help, understood?" 

    "Yes, ma'am," I nod, looking around to see where everything is set up so I at least have some idea of what's going on. The women's apparatuses have been moved from their usual positions to clear the background for photos. The door to the weight room opens and the guys walk in for initial instructions before they hit the showers before hair and makeup. I hear a commotion through the main doors and find a beauty squad waiting for me. I direct them back through the doors to the makeshift prep area we set up for them the night before. 

    One by one, the guys come out of the shower and head to prep. I stick close to the photographer, not wanting to draw attention to myself and wanting to make sure I'm able to do the best I can when the time comes. A loud shriek of laughter comes from the prep area, and I turn to see Cameron grinning at a Barbie lookalike who slaps him on the shoulder playfully. It's clear that they're flirting, and I'm not surprised. A few more minutes pass and then Regina claps her hands, signaling that it's time to get going. 

    I trail behind the photographer and do whatever he asks. I balance reflectors to achieve the perfect lighting, put out more chalk for the athletes, and arrange stray hairs and props as directed. It's exhausting, but I can tell the guys are all loving it. They group together behind the photographer's monitor, simultaneously roasting each other and hyping each other up as shot after shot fills the screen. I'm relieved when it all comes to an end and I can return to my position at the desk for the rest of the day. 

    Regina and Cameron head into her office to select photos for the calendar and Cameron swipes his keys off the front desk as they pass by. I bury my head into the stack of release forms so I don't have to meet either of their eyes. The rest of the day passes quickly and before I know it, it's time to lock up. The parking lot out front has cleared out so I set off down the hallway to secure the back door. I make sure to lock all the doors I pass, moving my way up towards the front of the building. 

    Passing a side door to the main gym, I think I hear a laugh but the room looks empty when I glance in. I'm getting ready to lock the main doors when I hear it again. I push the door open slowly and glance inside. I'm about to shut it again when I see a blonde head just above the edge of one of the foam pits. A very familiar dark blonde head rises from behind it.

    "Mmmm, Cammy!" The Barbie lookalike from earlier squeals as Cameron starts moving behind her. "You're so naughty!"

    I can't believe my eyes. The same day I find a stash of alcohol in the storage room, Cameron decides to bang the makeup girl in the gym after hours. I feel like I might throw up. I quickly debate leaving the doors unlocked for them, then decide it's not worth losing my job for not securing the building. I close the door, willing the mechanism not to click loudly. I leave the interior keys on their hook, lock the front door, and hustle out the door. I'm going to need a drink after this day. Maybe two.