Never Standing Still (The Never Duet #1)(7)
This one was built with very large steel beams with giant gears hanging from the rafters above. The floor had moving parts and they must have been testing the lights because they were changing from orange to red to yellow. It was all very visually stimulating, definitely not a set that blended into the background. It was almost as if the director wanted the set to be its own character in the video.
“This is incredible,” I stammered, my eyes wide, head turning in every direction trying to take everything in.
“Yes, well, it’s been quite the production. We’re going for steampunk chic meets freak show. So, you’ll need to outfit not only Lexi and our lead male, but also a few performers. One of them is a fire breather, so make sure her costume is flame retardant.”
“Uh, noted.” There was a lot of information.
“All the performers will be here in one hour for a rehearsal, so you can do your work then, but for now you should probably go see Lexi in her trailer. She’s been anxious to meet you.”
“Oh.” That was surprising. Lexi Black was kind of a big deal. I wasn’t a total newbie or anything, and I’d worked on a few things that were pretty impressive, but nothing on this level with this caliber of people. “I’ll go see her now then.”
George gave me some directions and I tried to remember them as I wound my way through the halls of the studio, trying to find the back doors he’d instructed me to exit from. I found them and my eyes fell upon the trailer I assumed was Lexi’s. I knocked on the door lightly, hoping I wasn’t interrupting anything.
The door opened and I tried not to gasp as Lexi Black stood before me.
I didn’t get star-struck often, I wasn’t even a big Lexi Black fan, but I couldn’t deny the way my lips turned up and my heartbeat raced when she opened the door and looked like every single picture I’d ever seen of her. She was really standing in front of me. A bona fide superstar.
“Hi, I’m Kalli,” I said, reaching out to her.
“Uh, duh! I know who you are! I’m so excited to meet you!” She took my hand but didn’t shake it, she pulled me into the trailer and once I was standing in front of her, she wrapped her arms around me and gave me a long hug. “I’m so happy you were available for this. Sorry about the short notice. I had to fire my original costume designer; she just didn’t see my vision.”
“I’m happy to be here.” And I was, but I was also worried about what would happen to me if I didn’t come up with exactly what she wanted – in twenty-four hours, no less. “I’d like to start with your measurements, if you don’t mind.”
“No, of course not. Let’s get started.” She turned around and went farther into the trailer. I followed and my eyes roamed the small space, taking everything in.
It was obviously a premium trailer and looked barely used, if not brand new. Everything was black with stainless steel accents. Even the countertops were black granite. There was a girl sitting at the table, talking on the phone, with what looked to be a large calendar set out, along with a notebook and pen, a tablet, and another cell phone. She was talking rapidly to whoever was on the other line, and her hands were switching between all the tools on the table.
“That’s my assistant, Betsy. She’s scheduling my tour with my manager, so I wouldn’t expect much involvement from her anytime soon.”
“You’re going on tour?”
“Yes! Oh my gosh, my new album drops next month and then in the spring I’m starting a US tour! Isn’t that exciting?”
“Totally,” I cried, trying to match her enthusiasm. “So you like being on tour?” I asked as I opened up my bag and brought out my notebook, pencil, and tape measure.
She beamed. “It’s so much fun. A different city every night, plus you get to share a bus with your closest friends for months! What’s not to like?”
I smiled at her because I didn’t know what to say. It didn’t sound like much fun to me. Sure, I got around, liked traveling, but moving from city to city every single day didn’t really seem like fun to me. And sharing a bus with so many people, stuck with them almost all day, every day? No, thanks.
“Well,” I said with a sigh, trying to change the subject. “Tell me a little about the video and I’ll get started.” I moved toward her and she immediately put her arms up, making a T shape with her body, obviously used to wardrobe people measuring her.
“Well, it’s pretty much just one big beauty shoot. No real story line, just really pretty imagery, interesting shots, and entertaining things happening in the background. Oh, and hopefully one really hot guy.”
“What’s the song about?” I moved around her, wrapping the tape measure around different parts of her body and making notes. She was a tiny little thing. I usually took as many measurements as I could. I wasn’t a seamstress by trade, but usually if I couldn’t find exactly what I was looking for I could make it. Plus, it was always better to be over-prepared than under.
“It’s a ballad about unrequited love.”
“Sounds interesting. I can’t wait to hear it.”
“Well,” Lexi said with a laugh. “You’ll hear plenty of it tomorrow. Over and over again. I mean, I love my music, but even I get tired of hearing it so much on video shoots.”