A Bigger Stage

[Blase]

Cindy held the towel up and opened it. For a moment, it looked almost like a cape about to be draped over Rosi's shoulders. An observer might have noted that it set off her slightly pinkish, shower-warmed skin nicely.

That was when Sarah chirped, "Smile pretty!" and took Rosi's picture with her own camera in its distinctive case.

"Thought you might like a memento," she smiled. "But... Why so modest, kitten?"

Cindy still hadn't quite gotten around to draping the towel over Rosi.

 

[AndreaSubbie]

"Modest!?" Rosi almost laughed as she stood there naked, small hands only just covering her essentials against the backdrop of the white towel held by Cindy.

Sarah had taken her by surprise with that photo, and Rosi knew she must have had the wide eyed stare of being caught unawares. But this was her camera, her photograph, and shrugging she put her hands on her hips and stuck her tongue out for Sarah to take a final snap shot before Cindy would wrap her up and the whole daring adventure would be at an end.

It hadn't quite escaped her notice that Sarah had again called her 'kitten'. Or that it made her blood zing hearing it.

"Meow!" she mewed, and grinned, again covering herself like before.

 

[Blase]

Unexpectedly, Sarah didn't move to return Rosi's phone to her immediately. Instead, she pulled out another phone, presumably her own.

"Have many people recognized you from the show yet when you were out and about?" she asked conversationally.

"When was the last time a fan asked to take your picture?"

Cindy hoped that she wasn't causing Rosi to feel a chill by withholding the towel. Or at least, not the kind of chill she'd suffer from.

 

[AndreaSubbie]

"Er, to take my picture? The last time?" Rosi asked, a little confused at the almost interview-like question. She hesitated, frowning in thought, hands still barely covering her.

"Um, well yesterday a few people did, but no I don't think many people have recogninsed me? I mean, I just look ordinary? Like a normal person, not like a celebrity or anything? I'm just me?"

Looking into Sarah's eyes, and momentarily her phone, Rosi searched for approval or at least satisfaction from the Dancer. It seemed important to her that Sarah might be pleased with her answer.

But did Sarah actually want her picture? Maybe she took a momento shot of every contestant she worked with. Shrugging a little, Rosi smiled, just in case Sarah actually did want one. It would be quite an honour, after all. And she did so want to please her.

 

[Blase]

"I don't think you've quite gotten it yet," Sarah smiled. "'Ordinary', from now on, is probably going to be a whole lot different for you than it was before The Choice. Those first few requests were just the beginning."

She held her camera up, considering the view of Rosi trying to stand as modestly as she could without the help of actual clothing.

"Something closer to the last shot would be more flattering," she said, just a bit softly.

"Maybe without sticking your tongue out this time?"

 

[AndreaSubbie]

Flattering? Rosi thought. Flattering was being asked to pose for a photo by Sarah, a personal photo. One just for herself, on Sarah's own phone.

Dropping her hands to her hips again, left knee naturally bent with her weight on the right foot, left foot resting daintily on its toes, shoulders relaxed, Rosi again smiled for Sarah. A warm smile, not a grin, just a gentle softening of her features and a glint in her eye, the hint of an upturning to her closed lips.

"Better?" she asked, waiting 'in pose' for Sarah to let her get wrapped in Cindy's towel.

Being a bathroom, the room was warm, easily warm enough, but modesty demanded that Rosi be covered surely, even though the slice-of-life was now finished?

 

[Blase]

"Much," Sarah smiled, taking a moment or two longer than she really needed to snap Rosi's picture - then making a show of taking a second one from a slightly different angle.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" she exclaimed brightly. "These days, fans always want a selfie!"

She went and stood beside Rosi, putting an arm companionably around the smaller girl's waist.

"Say 'meow'!"

 

[AndreaSubbie]

"Meow!" Rosi replied. How could she not?

Sarah's hand felt so good against her skin, warm and comforting, and something more that the youngster couldn't put into words.

Rosi had cooperated with the second photo in much the same posture, and even now with Sarah so close that the Dancer's clothing felt almost rough against her sensitised skin, the arm draped behind her back so that Rosi could lean in to it if she wanted, she was still pretty much in the same position so that Sarah would end up with a matching set.

But it didn't seem complete. They might as well do it properly.

"And with Cindy, too? The three of us?"

 

[Blase]

Cindy came over to take up a position opposite Sarah's, and Rosi's image was captured again, the two older girls playing rather unexciting bookends to Rosi's very open book.

"You don't mind if Sarah sends the pic to me, do you, Rosi?" Cindy asked.

 

[AndreaSubbie]

"Er, no, of course not!" a bit awed that Cindy might want a momento as well, which made her think.

Meow, kitten, fan .. the words rattling in her head gave her a warm feeling deep inside, making Rosi want to snuggle just a bit closer, the movement nudging Sarah's hand a little lower.

Rosi's own hand was behind Sarah's back to rest on the woman's hip, her other hand mirroring on Cindy, and Rosi felt like the thorn between two roses, no pun on her own name intended.

"Um, I don't suppose you still have my phone on you?" she asked Sarah, a bit hesitant to complete the thought out loud, wondering if she was stretching the patience of the two women too far to ask for her own selfie of the three of them.

 

[Blase]

"Mm, just remember," Sarah said, momentarily sobering. "The wrong picture seen by the wrong person sends you home on the next plane - and us out into the job market."

But she did take the picture she'd been asked to, and then Rosi was finally allowed the towel that had eluded her for so long.

Stepping out into the main part of Rosi's room, the three saw that the camera crew was all but completely packed up.

"Thanks, Rosi, that was great!" Bob said in passing.

He turned to Sarah. "Do you think you girls can get her back to the studio by six o'clock?"

"Oh, sure! Well before six!" Sarah responded. "Cindy and I just want to go over a couple things with her, then we'll run her back."

A couple more assurances were followed by hurried goodbyes. Perhaps two minutes later, the door closed behind the last camera operator, leaving the impromptu threesome alone.

"Well," Sarah said, turning back to Rosi. "We don't have a lot of time, but we do have a little."

"We could use it to go over the choreography I've worked out so far, along with the additional sketches Cindy's been doing... But I thought maybe we could do something a little more fun, if you're up for it?"

 

[AndreaSubbie]

"Um, sure, of course, whatever you think?"

Standing there covered only by the towel wrapped round her body, hair still damp and unbrushed, Rosi wondered what Sarah had in mind. She was quite excited about seeing the costume designs that Cindy had come up with, but was all for postponing work for a bit, feeling surprisingly exhausted by the challenges of recording the Shower Scene.

Rosi knew full well that nothing naughty or revealing would be broadcast; The Choice had clear limits on its content, so she just trusted Bob to do his thing with what they had. He would probably only use a second or two anyway, nothing her mother or school friends could get steamed up over.

Bob had been a little curt though in his thanks, and she again had felt like a piece of furniture or a prop that was useful but not especially appreciated, pretty much ignored by the crew again as they finished clearing away the tools of their trade.

Rosi had also felt just a little guilty at Sarah's warning, and now that they were alone, deleted in front of them the photo that had just been taken of the three of them on her phone, so that they all knew it wouldn't be Rosi getting them in trouble.

"Thanks for being here," she looked shyly at the two women, dropping her phone on the bed. "I really needed you. It was a bit lonely until you showed up," and she sat on the edge of the mattress wondering where her clothes had got to.

"So, what's this fun idea?" Rosi asked, much brighter now that work was done for the moment, now that they were free for a while.

 

[Blase]

"Well, I was just wondering," Sarah began, her tone sounding rather arch, "do kittens like to play games?"

 

[AndreaSubbie]

"ooh!" Rosi replied, a little too enthusiastically perhaps.

Sarah could have no idea how the quesition excited her, how it suddenly re-ignited that spark she'd felt earlier.

"Why yes they do! Meow!" and she grinned playfully looking from Sarah to Cindy and back to Sarah.

"What did you have in mind?"

 

[Blase]

"Sarah," Cindy warned.

"I know, I know. No fraternizing with the contestants. But we do have to work closely with them, so obviously we are allowed to engage in appropriate interactions," she replied.

Sarah knew that she was playing a dangerous game, even though she'd just seen Rosi delete a pic out of an abundance of caution, and thought the girl could be trusted. But Sarah subscribed to the professional's credo: If you're going to play a dangerous game, be good at it.

"Rosi, has anyone touched you inappropriately?"

 

[AndreaSubbie]

Rosi's breath caught in her throat.

Such a question. It quickened her heart and brought a flush to her skin, and she looked again from Sarah to Cindy to Sarah to Cindy.

There was clearly a lot riding on her answer. Quickly Rosi thought about the words Sarah had used in her little exchange with Cindy.

"Um, first, in the interests of choreography and costume design of course, I would welcome ALL your 'interactions', and would obviously interpret every one of them as 'appropriate'?" she again looked between the two women, and detecting no warning signs to stop, added, "but no, Sarah, I've never been touched 'inappropriately', that is to say, I didn't consider it to be inappropriate?"

 

[Blase]

"There, you see?" Sarah said in a tone that might have sounded more sincere if her reassuring smile hadn't looked uncannily like a smirk.

Her gaze returned to rest on Rosi. "Perhaps our kitten could stand up for us?"

 

[AndreaSubbie]

On being adressed again as 'kitten' Rosi closed her eyes briefly to relish the moment, detecting a note of triumph in Sarah's comment to Cindy, then opened them again and smiled at Sarah.

"Meow!" Rosi stood up, glancing at Cindy with a look that she hoped reassured her that they were safe. After all, Sarah had said our kitten, not my kitten.

"Anything you say, Maam," to Sarah, then "Maam" to Cindy as well, and to try and emphasise the point, clasped her hands together behind her back and tilted her head down a little, looking out out from under her lowered brow.

 

[Blase]

"Cindy," Sarah said in a slightly puzzled tone, "kittens don't wear towels, do they?"

"No," Cindy confirmed. "Kittens don't wear towels."

 

[AndreaSubbie]

"Sorry Maam, sorry Maam," Rosi said to each of the two women, and quickly undid her towel, letting it drop to the floor by her feet.

She was excited that Cindy was now joining in. Her heart was racing and mind whirling, but she was quick enough in her thinkng to make sure that her actions looked hurried, as if she couldn't obey quickly enough.

Keeping her head slightly lowered still and breathing fast, Rosi again gripped her hands together behind her now naked back, eager for the next instruction.

This was a very nice game!

 

[Blase]

Sarah stepped over to Cindy and whispered something in the latter's ear before turning back to Rosi.

"Your lack of modesty does you credit, kitten. Do you like being looked at?"

"Did you like it when the whole film crew was looking at you?"

 

[AndreaSubbie]

Now it was time for honesty.

But how much honesty? Tell everything, or just a little, the minimum?

Or just go with how she was feeling?

"Yes, Sarah Maam, I did like it when the whole film crew was looking at me naked, and I liked it when you Cindy Maam and you Sarah Maam stripped me naked in front of everyone," Rosi paused, unsure if she should go on, thinking that a good kitten wouldn't be too forward, but also noting the apparent approval for her lack of modesty. It made her glow to earn a sliver of praise and she sucked in her tummy and pulled her shoulders further back.

 

[Blase]

"Have you ever been photographed like this before today?" Sarah asked, casually bringing out her phone again and snapping a picture of Rosi in her hands-behind-the-back posture.

"How many people have you been intimate with?"

 

[AndreaSubbie]

Rosi again felt a rush when Sarah took yet another photograph of her, naked and this time submissive, and immediately hungered for more, wondering why Cindy didn't take her own pictures.

"I've only been intimate with one person, Sarah Maam," she replied, then after a moment's pause, "so far?" liking being interviewed, hoping Sarah and Cindy were also enjoying the game.

 

[Blase]

"What about my other question?" Sarah wanted to know.