Page 19 of One Last Time

“Pay, you okay?” Bianca asks, and I glance at her, how the hell is she so calm?

“Fine.” I manage to get out, my throat is sore from being sick, and my mouth feels drier than the Sahara Desert.

“Liar.” She flashes me a grin and hands me a bottle of water. “Drink this, take small sips.”

I’m freaking out. This is the biggest night of my modelling career, and I’m scared I'm going to mess up somehow. My ultimate fear is falling while walking in my heels.

I do as she says and take really small sips, thankfully, my stomach doesn’t protest, and I’m able to breathe slightly easier.

“You’ll be fine, Pay, you’re not the only one freaking out. We all are.”

I narrow my eyes at her, there’s not a hair out of place, her stance is relaxed, and her make up is flawless. “How the hell are you so calm?”

She flashes me a grin. “You’ve only done a few runways, you’ll get used to them.”

I’ve done four runways now, but tonight is the biggest I’ll ever do. It’s the biggest any of us will ever do.

“Seriously, Pay. Take a deep breath and relax. You need to enjoy tonight.”

She’s right. Tonight, only comes around once in a lifetime, and if I do great, I could be brought back, which would be amazing.

I nod, “Okay, I’m ready.”

Her smile widens, “Good, time to get your shoes on.” I glance down at her feet, her shoes have tiger print on them as does every other Tiger model here. They’re gorgeous and very high. I’ve been practicing my walk for months.

Bianca stands by my side as the makeup team put the finishing touches to me. I’m dressed in the sexiest black lingerie I’ve ever worn. My bra fits perfectly and feels like silk against my skin, my panties feel exactly the same, there’s only tiny pieces of material that hold together my bra and panties, but it looks good.

Bee’s wearing almost the exact same as me, except her straps are thicker, and her bra is white. She’s standing like the gorgeous model she is with a beautiful smile on her face. I realize just how happy she is and how lucky we are to be here.

Molly Tucker, the owner of Tiger Lingerie, claps her hands. “Tigers.” She grins, “It’s almost time. I know you’re all nervous, but don’t worry. You’re all going to be fantastic. Go out there and have fun.”

Soon, the countdown begins, and my nerves start to fray once again. But I hear the open melody to Hedley’s Perfect Dream, and the nervousness ebbs away. I love this song. Hedley’s is one of the biggest bands on the planet, and to have them here just adds to the experience.

Slowly, the girls start to make their way toward the catwalk. Bianca reaches for my hand and gives it a squeeze. God, where would I be without her? I really lucked out at finding her on that shoot. We’ve been inseparable since then.

Soon it’s my turn, I reach the back of the catwalk and look down. The girls are looking sexy as they strut their way down the runway. I wait for my cue, and Hedley’s changes songs from Perfect Dream to their newest release. I’m given the go ahead, I strut like I’ve never strutted before.

Ryker Hedley’s is standing in the middle of the runway singing, us models are walking past him and the band as though this is an everyday occurrence. He gives me a grin, one that I reciprocate with my eyes. I met Ryker not long after I started modelling. He’s been at a lot of the star-studded events that Bianca and I attend, it’s always nice to see him and his wife, Yasmin.

It’s been a while since I’ve been to one of Hedley’s concerts, so having them here and playing on one of the biggest days of my life is epic. It’s just added to the experience.

I reach the end of the runway and strike a pose. Damn, it feels good. When I start to go back, I see Bianca making her way down the runway, and relief washes through me, we’ve done it. I pass by Dahlia and Mary, both of whom have tears running down their cheeks, but wide smiles on their faces. Dahlia blows me a kiss, and as much as I’d love to react, I can’t. I have a job to do.

Once I make it to the back, I smile, a big, huge smile. God, that was exhilarating. I’d love to do it again. I wait right here until Bianca comes back, I’m unsure if I’m actually able to move or not. My legs feel like jelly.

“Pay, that was amazing. You looked stunning,” Bianca tells me as she walks toward me.

I pull her into my arms while I fight the urge to cry. “It was so good. I wanted to smile so much. Bee. Girl, you look a million dollars.”

Her smile widens. “Love you,” she whispers. “There’s no one in this world that I’d want to do that with.”

I pull back and wag my finger at her. “Nuh-uh. Don’t do that. You’ll make me cry.” She laughs just as I knew she would. “Did your mom turn up?” They have a strained relationship, thanks to her dad. I had hoped that her mom would have shown up tonight. Bianca invited her weeks ago.

“No, I’m not really surprised though.” She’s not quick enough to mask the disappointment in her eyes. “I told you, you’re all I need.”

I pull her into my arms again, and I’m glad she’s coming to Dahlia’s for Christmas.

Once we’re finished changing, Bianca and I are sitting by the table while we wait for Molly to come back into the dressing room.

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