Claire had been staring blankly at the crowd below for the past fifteen minutes while the others were getting ready. It had been a simple affair for her as she had arrived in the gown they had purchased the previous evening. The sleeveless dress was crimson red and had a velvet feel to it; the deep V-neck showed off her alabaster skin and ample cleavage. Accessories were kept to a minimum – a pair of gold cuffs and matching necklace. The makeup team had secured her voluminous amber hair into a sophisticated chignon with a decorated gold comb, which highlighted her elegant shoulder blades and the crystal teardrop earrings. Her makeup was subdued to give her a natural look but her lips were painted the same colour as her gown.
"What's wrong?" Despite feeling his life was a mess and he would rather not know what was going on in hers, Luca felt obliged to ask. She turned to look at him briefly.
"I'm amazed we can get the whole VIP area to ourselves."
Luca shrugged in an unconcerned manner.
"I know the owner."
The publicity and the portly owner's sweet fiancée's involvement in Luca's project had helped as well. Claire's gaze was still upon the well-dressed customers below.
"You look beautiful tonight."
He would normally not state the obvious, but Claire's mannerism was slightly off. That seemed to catch her attention as she looked up sharply at once.
"But, I'll need you to look seductive."
"Seductive?"
She repeated like it was the most amusing thing she had heard in a while, her smile reflecting her thoughts.
Luca eyed her hands as she reached out to straighten the dark blue tie he had been forced to wear to meet the minimum dress code. She had her nails done this morning. The red colour was aesthetically pleasing. She dropped one of her hands when she was satisfied with his tie arrangement, but continued to fiddle along the length of the tie, appreciating the swirling imprints along the edge.
"Mr. Davies, the set is ready," his lavender-eyed assistant, Rosette suddenly appeared behind them and an awkward expression came over her as she took note of their close position. She bowed deeply before scurrying back onto the set. Claire smirked and let go of his tie.
"I won't let you down."
Luca released the breath he had been holding and inhaled deeply, before following her into the room. Rosette and another assistant was running through instructions with some of the sitters. Luca steered Claire to sit in the centre of the claw foot settee and briefly introduced Austin to her.
"Austin, turn your back and Claire, lean your arm on his back. Try to be as comfortable as you can without changing position."
He went back to his mounted canvas and checked the position of all the sitters in clockwise position.
From the left were two women in conversation; one of them was sitting on the arm of the settee while the other stood with her back facing him. Behind the blue quilted sofa were a couple kissing. Another couple was in dancing position while others were holding their wine glasses. A woman was leaning against the back of the sofa to join in a three-way conversation with Austin, who sat close to the right arm of the settee, and another woman who was sitting on his lap.
Seated in the centre, Claire had crossed her legs and the slit in her dress revealed her pump-encased foot and a strip of her knee. She was holding onto a glass of red wine with her free hand, but she seemed uneasy with the way she was holding herself up. She looked strangled and alone with the people surrounding her facing away from her.
