Watching Darryl be so subservient to his model, Ben couldn't tell if the redhead was her photographer or her assistant! Either way though, Ben had seen enough. Watching this was a worse influence on a man than homeschooling him as a child using only Tyler Perry movies…
Hence, it was time to put this sick animal down. Ben snorted as he looked at Darryl. "You asked me if I'm going to beat you? Well, I told you once and I'll tell you again. You're going to lose today!"
"…How? To you and your model? Is that even possible?" The redhead chuckled. "Speaking of which, where is your little partner?
Ben glanced to the side and everyone followed his eyes. There, against the wall, was Charlotte gazing with intensity at her mobile phone. "Die for me!"
…
*Cough* 'She must be playing PUBG again…' Ben turned back to Darryl. This wasn't the best moment to compare women…
The redhead's face showed disdain. "You're expecting to beat me with her? Hilarious… Look, I said it last week: Quality photos need quality models."
However, Ben shook his head as he looked Stacy up and down. "And I said—you lack an eye for quality."
Darryl sneered at this. Glancing between Charlotte and his sexy blonde, he couldn't see how anyone could ever judge his model to be worse. Yet, he wasn't the only one to find it ridiculous. Stacy also scowled. That little girl was a model too? That offended the blonde! She was a genuine model, on Instagram with 13000 followers! And a lot of them were real accounts!
…
Between that and her flourishing number of OnlyFans subscribers, she believed herself to be the real deal. Brands even sometimes paid her to do shoutouts for them! She had full bags of free clothes and was drowning in coconut water!
…
She believed it was everyone's dream job, at least that was the case for all her friends. After all, all she had to do was click buttons on Instagram 18 hours a day…
Sure, she was developing tendonitis in both hands…but so what?
Medicine would fix that, right?
On top of that, OnlyFans was even easier. There was only one button to click…
Plus, since she'd started that, she began making real money, more than enough to pay for her tendonitis treatment!
…
Would her future children see her nude videos on the internet years from now? Maybe, but who cares? How about they buy her a new iPhone before talking sh*t…
But would they do that? No! How could they? They weren't even f*cking born yet!
…
Stacy had paid her "dues."
So, when she looked at Charlotte, it irked her. THAT was her competition? How could it not disgust her? 'At least get fake tits, b*tch!'
…
The blonde couldn't stand seeing anyone here anymore. "Ugh, this is dumb." Leaving, she went to sit down, and Darryl soon stumbled after her in desperate fashion.
Ben shook his head at this atrocity, but there were things he needed to do too; for example, meeting his own partner.
When a shadow covered Charlotte, she looked up to see Ben, and became anxious. Yet, this time, she didn't throw her phone into the air by accident.
Remembering that himself, he nodded in appreciation. "Kill count?"
Her eyes narrowed on instinct. "Never enough."
…
Charlotte's face flushed. 'What the hell did I just say?'
However, Ben's nod became even more enthusiastic. "Not bad…" Then, he sat down next to her and they started to chat about the upcoming competition, which would soon begin.
The format wasn't complicated. In fact, it was similar to the critique a week earlier. Only this time, there were three official judges, veteran members of the Photography Club, who would give grades to the entrants on top of the constructive criticism.
The ones who entered the contest weren't that different though. It was most of the same youths who'd entered the week prior, only now, they refined their submissions more. Of course, the biggest difference, was that the winner who received the highest score today, would have the club submit his work to the International Photography Awards, and while that didn't matter to Ben, the eyes of the other youths gleamed whenever anyone mentioned it.
Entering the IPAs was an honor, and if they did well, it would be a powerful boost to their photography careers! That's why up in the front row, Darryl's eyes shined the brightest! Why else would he have put so much effort into this? Why else would he have paid Stacy an obscene amount of money to be here and sit next to him? Obviously, it was this! To sniff her hair!
…
Yet, pulling his head back as she turned to him and narrowed her eyes, he returned his focus to the competition. Winning the contest was important too… Once he became a successful photographer, he could use his reputation to seduce Stacy and even more models! That was his dream! Wouldn't he save a lot of money then?
…
It was hard not to think about money when he was left with so little of it…
Even so, that would soon change. He'd win this contest, do well at the IPAs and then book gigs as a photographer. It would be the start of his incredible career path! There was no doubt about it!
Meanwhile, in the back, Ben didn't have so many worries. He just enjoyed the view of Stacy's backside through the open bottom of her chair. Turning to him, Charlotte saw who he was looking at but gave Ben the benefit of a doubt. 'He must be worried about competing against Darryl's model?'
Ben grinned. "Now that auschwitz…I could get behind THAT as a final solution."
…
Charlotte's face died as she stared at him. 'I should've known better…' Still, as a teammate, she decided to let him in on some information. "Darryl's model, her name is Stacy Harper. She lives in my dorm and is famous for making lots of money selling nude videos on OnlyFans…"
Ben knitted his brows, as if judging the potential danger of his opponent. "Are there leaks?"
…
After Charlotte turned away from him and ignored him, he turned back to Stacy. Since there was no tape to study…things would be troublesome. Ben narrowed his eyes, as if measuring his opponent, and once he'd captured the approximate measurements of the booty…
…
His face relaxed soon after, and he glanced towards Charlotte at his side. She wasn't a big beauty, with her thick glasses and baggy clothes making her incomparable to Stacy in sexiness. Yet, Ben believed Charlotte possessed a unique charm of her own. Meanwhile, when he looked at Stacy, he thought the opposite. His sense as a photographer told him one thing when he saw her—she'd be a fun f*ck.
…
Some would argue that was all she needed…
Perhaps they were right…
However, Ben believed that wasn't enough to be a model; at least, not for the type of photos he wanted to capture. The key though, was whether or not the judges shared his taste, and with the competition about to begin, he'd soon find out.
A few minutes later, all the members of the club sat in their seats and quieted down. Next, one of the judges explained the format of the competition, and not long after, it began!
One by one, exhibits submitted by the club's beginners were displayed on a projector screen at the front. Then, like last week, the judges gave advice and feedback. Except this time, at the end, they each gave a one-to-ten rating for the submission as well. It was a more entertaining affair than a simple critique, with some entrants laughing in pleasant surprise at their scores, and others frowning in disappointment. Yet, the results weren't the same as last week; One vital aspect changed.
It didn't take long for Ben to see what that was either. The quality of the photos today, was higher!
After all, he wasn't the only one developing his skills. Although the other beginners didn't possess a stat multiplier, they were able to use the feedback from the previous critique, along with putting in more preparation during the week, to capture better pictures. As a result, the competition was fiercer! So although Ben was still confident in his photos, he couldn't help feeling a trace of anxiety as he loosened his collar. 'It'll be fine. There's no way I'll end up slapping my own face…'
Soon, when a new photo came up though, of a blonde sitting on a sandy beach in a torn-up dress, Ben's hand twitched…
It was Stacy, which also meant that the photographer–was Darryl. The redhead smirked with pride as he and the others in the room nodded their heads in recognition. Everyone agreed his technique was beyond the beginner level and his model was beautiful too. Everything about the portrait photo was high quality, too high for this competition.
So once again, when it came time for the judges to give critique, they offered nothing but praise. Yet, on this occasion, they even offered their acclaim through numbers.
"Nine!"
"Ten! Perfect! Love it!"
"Nine! Great work!"
It was the highest score of the day, by far, and after it emerged, Ben frowned. He had to tell himself positive affirmations in his head, because his face was already starting to sting.
——
*Author's Note: Please don't forget to vote every day to give a little support! Each of your votes is the necessary fuel for Ben's ego, Texas' energy shortage, and my despicable sense of humor.
