Darien's Secret by: Sailor SwiftHeart Rating: PG ~PART TWO~ Darien arrived at the Modelling Agency the following Monday right on time. Once again, he had taken extra care in getting himself ready, even though he'd know his hair and make-up would be taken care of by Marcus, Keith and Joanne once he started posing for pictures. Still, he was feeling extra-good and happy, especially after quitting his job at the Post Office! Darien recognized the other boy who was already there. The one with the blonde hair who seemed to fit into the clothes just as perfectly as Darien had the week before. Darien was so pumped with self-esteem that he decided to introduce himself. "Hi there, I'm Darien!" he said to the boy. "I'm Niles," the boy replied as they shook hands, "I couldn't believe it when they called me!" Darien sat down. "I know, I couldn't either." he admitted. "I thought I'd be the LAST person they'd think of hiring as a model." Niles said, "I'm just glad I got this job. I need the money." "Yea, same here," said Darien, "Do you know what the wages are at all?" "I asked Erin on the phone and she said there was a flat rate of 600 dollars a week, then additional wages for other stuff," Niles explained, "She didn't go into much detail on the phone. I guess there is too much to explain." "600 dollars doesn't seem like a whole lot." Darien commented. "I didn't think so, either," Niles nodded, "But she did say there were additonal wages. For what, though, I have no clue." They were about to find out. Erin came to get Darien and Niles and showed them to the conference room. They sat down at the table and Erin handed them each a thick folder full of papers to read and sign. "That folder will explain everything," she told them, "If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. Make sure you read and sign everything." she emphasized. Darien and Niles went to work, signing and reading. When Darien came to the page about wages, his mind was put at ease. The starting wage was 600 dollars, but after a certain amount of hours, it went up to 600 dollars. In addition, they'd be given 50 dollars for every picture used and 100 dollars for every magazine that used their pictures. Plus, they get to keep everything they model. Darien thought that was great. As far as benifits, the agency would pay for all medical, dental and eye care needs. To Darien, that meant more money he could spend on himself. He planned on buying more furniture, a car when he was old enough to drive and a TV with cable. He started to dream of all that he could have with so much money in his bank account. "So, do we get bodyguards or something since we're famous models now?" Niles joked. Erin laughed. "You're not going to be THAT famous, Niles." she told him. "How famous are we going to be?" he asked. "Well, you're not famous enough to need bodyguards, but you ARE famous enough to go to all those special events like the Academy Awards and People's Choice Awards and even parties that some of Hollywood's most famous TV and movie stars throw." declared Erin. Niles and Darien both stared at Erin in disbelief. They'd get to meet famous people! "And all travel accomodations and airfare are paid for by us," Erin told them, "Oh, and something not mentioned in the wages section is that you'll get 150 dollars for every piece of clothing a TV or movie star orders. That includes costume designers and wardrobe providers on TV and movies. And believe me, Raz-Ma-Taz gets a lot." she said. With this new information, Darien and Niles went back to work, signing and reading faster. They couldn't wait to start! When they were finished, Erin took their folders and filed them away in her cabinet. Then she took them to the Photo Room, where the photographer, Vince was taking pictures of a well-built guy, wearing only a pair of jeans and no shirt. Darien wondered if he'd ever get to do that. "That's Jared, out model for our line of jeans," Erin told Darien and Niles, "You boys won't be modelling jeans, however. Niles, you'll be modelling our Spring and Summer selections and Darien, you will be modelling everything I tell you to wear!" she laughed. Darien beamed. This was so exciting! After showing Niles and Darien their own private dressing rooms, Erin handed them each a box full of accessories. Belts, tie clips, suspenders, cufflinks, shoes, boots and sunglasses. "This is what you will be doing everyday," she explained the next step, "You come-in, go to your changerooms and there will be a list of what you will be modelling that day on your desks. It will explain exactly what you are to wear and what accessories to put on with the outfits." she said, seriously, "Then you come out here and Marcus will fix your hair, Keith or Joanne will do your make up, then Rachel or I will fix you up for photos. You may think it will be easy, but it isn't always." Erin told them, honestly, "You are going to be oredered around constantly by Rachel, Vince and I. Do this, do that, smile, look serious, look left, look right, sit, stand, jump and so on. So be prepared." she warned. Neither Darien nor Niles had even thought of that. But they figured it would be worth it once they got their paychecks! "Any questions?" asked Erin. Darien raised his hand. "I have one," he said, "Will we get a list telling us which magazines use our pictures and which movie stars buy our clothing?" "You'll get a list of which stars buy the clothes you model, yes," Erin answered, "That will be included in your paycheck. As for magazines, you will actually RECEIVE the magazines that your pictures are featured in at no cost." Both boys smiled at that. "Anything else?" Erin inquired. They shook their heads. "Well, time to get to work then!" she expressed, "Jared is just about done, so you two better get ready." Darien and Niles obeyed, carrying their boxes of accessories into their personal change rooms. Darien had a lot on his mind. He had already absorbed so much in just a few hours! Was he ready for the work that lay ahead of him? *** For the next eight hours, Darien and Niles were busier than they had ever been in their entire lives. It was harder than they had anticipated. Erin hadn't been exaggerating about getting orders thrown at them every three seconds. Between that, changing and getting their hair and make-up touched up every five minutes, by the time they were done, both models were exhausted and literally starving. But Erin came to their rescue. "You boys are doing great for your first day!" she complimented them, "Normally, we have caterers wh provide us with snacks, but I cancelled them today, because I am taking you two out for dinner tonight, my treat!" she exclaimed. Darien and Niles sighed in relief. Food sounded wonderful to their grumbling tummies. "Make sure you choose an outfit you modelled today," Erin reminded them, "From now on, you'll be sporting Raz-Ma-Taz Men's Wear. Nothing else." Darien decided on gray pants with a belt, a black shirt and a green blazer. (Which later becomes his trademark outfit) Niles went with a pair of black shorts, a blue t-shirt and sunglasses. Once they were ready, they followed Erin out to her car, got in and she drove them to a local pizza joint. They ordered two large pepperoni pizzas and non-stop pop. Throughout dinner, Niles asked Erin tons of questions, while Darien just sat back, ate and listened, trying to remember everything. "You're awfully quiet, Darien," Erin mentioned after a while, "Don't you have any questions?" Darien shrugged and took a sip of his Pepsi. "Niles is pretty much covering them all," he replied, "And I am just trying to let everything sink in still. There's lots to remember." "Yes there is," Erin agreed, "But don't worry. After a few weeks, modelling will be like a second nature. You'll just come into the photo shoot and do it. Just like that." she snapped her fingers. Darien couldn't picture things being so simple when everything was so overwhelming now. But he soon discovered how true Erin's words were. *** Three months rolled by, as well as Darien's 17th birthday. Erin threw a huge party for him and bought him a VCR and the Lethal Weapon Video collection. Darien also received some CD's, a new shaving kit and a whole bunch of very expensive designer colognes to try. In additon, Darien had made enough money to buy a TV and some new furniture. He even bought himself a bigger bed. He was at that age, where getting a girl into bed with him was a main goal. He hadn't had the oppertunity yet, but if it DID arise sometime, at least his bed was big! Modelling was easier and easier by the day. Soon, Darien knew what Erin, Vince and Rachel wanted him to do, so they barely ever had to bark orders at him. Darien and Niles also had a few pictures taken of them together, and with different scenery, like in the park or on the beach. Sometimes in front of the Arcade or even inside buildings. Darien had a huge wardrobe... he never wore the same thing twice. Plus, he was taking driving lessons and his next step after that would be to get a car. Niles and Darien's pictures were used in several magazines every month, so they had a large collection of magazines, plus they received a copy of every picture taken of them. Darien had so many pictures and magazines, that he had to start a "Personal Box" at his apartment to keep everything in. After a while, though, he'd throw away the pictures he didn't like of himself and just cut out his pictures in magazines, and then he didn't have so much junk to put up with. Things were really running along smoothly and Erin was quite pleased. Sales in the Raz-Ma-Taz line of clothing were booming. New movies had their costume designers requesting certain outfits and new ones to be made. Actors were seen everywhere sporting the name brand clothing, even when Erin raised the prices. And the demand for the clothes was almost unbearable. The Product Production Company for Raz-Ma-Taz were having a hard time keeping up and meeting all the demands of the public. But everything got done sooner or later. Darien felt very secure with this agency. Until one day, Niles pointed out something that worried Darien. "I'm going to start looking for another modelling job, Dar," he said. "But why?" asked Darien, "Raz-Ma-Taz is doing so well... look at all the actors who are wearing our clothes! It's amazing!" "It's a fad, Darien," Niles proclaimed, "And like all fads, it will die with time." That thought hadn't even occured to Darien. Niles did have a good point. New designers would come out and Raz-Ma-Taz may go way down in profits and that meant that models would work less and get paid less and they wouldn't get much publicity from magazines anymore, because they were always looking for the latest fashions. At this point in time, all the line of clothing Raz-Ma-Taz was creating WERE the latest fashions, but just how long would that last? Darien decided that he should do the same as Niles and look for another modelling job. With his experience and success with Erin's Company, he didn't think he'd have much trouble finding something new. *** Another three months flew by and Raz-Ma-Taz was still number one. Darien hadn't received any calls from other modelling agencies, but Niles had. He left and Erin hired a different boy again. His name was Ian and Darien really didn't get along well with him, 'cause he was always acting like a Mr-Know-It-All. Darien knew far more than Ian did and that really didn't sit well with arrogant Ian. So Darien avoided him whenever he could. One day, Erin barged into Darien's change room, waving her arms around frantically. "Darien, please say you'll be my next Jean Model!" she cried, desperately. Darien was shocked. "What happened to Jared?" he asked. "He quit on a day's notice!" she exclaimed, "And I really need a Jean Model this week! We've got Matthew Perry, Jim Carrey and Jerry Seinfeld coming in to look at jeans! And I have no model!" "Coming here?" Darien inquired, surprised. "Yes!" Erin shouted, "They wanted a live showing for some reason and I said yes they could come here and then the next day, Jared quit to go to some other agency!" "He must've thought the same thing Niles did," Darien realized, secretly. "Well?" Erin persisted, "Will you model the jeans or what? I'll give you seven hundred dollars a week and free passes to the movie theatre every Friday!" Erin was always bargaining. "I don't think I really have the body to model jeans," Darien told her, recalling that Jared modelled shirtless and figured that he'd have to do the same. "Don't be ridiculous!" Erin retorted, "You've been using the gym for six months, haven't you? Take off your shirt!" she ordered. Darien obeyed, reluctantly. He did have a nicer, more muscular chest. He was dissapointed that he was still hairless, though, but Erin didn't seem to care about that. Jared had been hairless, too. "You're perfect!" she exclaimed and left the room before Darien could protest again. She came back a moment later and hurled a pile of brand new blue and black jeans at Darien. "Put those on and hurry-up!" she yelled at him, firmly, "They're going to be here any minute and we need to take some pictures first!" Darien did so without question. "She sure is starting to turn into a real bitch!" thought Darien, bitterly, "Jared and Niles are lucky they got the hell out of here." *** Unfortunately, Matthew, Jerry and Jim didn't place any orders for the jeans Darien modelled for them. He heard them whispering to each other later that new designers were coming out with better styles. Erin was furious. Darien knew just by what those 3 stars had said, that the Raz-Ma-Taz clothing fad was starting to die. And it got worse after three more months. Darien was still getting a full paycheck, but he knew that wouldn't last much longer, either. He had to find something else... and fast! *** Darien was watching TV at his apartment. It was his day off. Actually, it was his 3rd day off in a row that week. Now that Erin's designer clothes were fading out, Darien was getting a lot more days off. He still hadn't received any calls from other designers who needed models and he was getting worried. He didn't want to get stuck at a Post Office or doing some janitorial work again. He'd be so poor that he'd have to start selling all the stuff he had bought with his hard earned money. He didn't want that to happen! Luckily, he received a call that very afternoon from a new agency called "Starfish", a line of beach wear. They needed a model for men's bathing suits and they had seen Darien in jean ads for Raz-Ma-Taz. Darien figured that they must've thought he had the right upper body for modelling bathing suits, otherwise they wouldn't have bothered calling him. "How would you like to model men's bathing suits?" asked the woman on the phone, whose name was Monique. "You mean like swim trunks and stuff?" Darien inquired, "That sounds like fun to me." It actually did. He was getting bored with pants, shirts, jeans and shorts, anyway. "Well actually, Darien," said Monique, carefully, "I meant men's bikinies." Darien just about dropped the phone. He didn't and couldn't say a word. Bikinies? Those would be as close to naked as he could get without getting hired at PlayBoy! "Well?" Monique persisted, "Do you want the job or not?" *** Will Darien take the job? Stay Tuned For Part Three! Email SwiftHeart@v-wave.com