"Why are you so hyper?"
"Hm?" Zeanne looked up at Craige with a honey smile.
"Nevermind." He said quietly as he put a finger under her chin and looked down at her affectionately. She smiled as she reached out to fix his fringe for him and the camera's shutter noise snapped like a machine gun.
'Joey's right. She's really a natural at this.'
"Oh my! Oh my! That's right! Beautiful! Perfect!" Joey continuously exclaimed as he molested the shutter button.
Zeanne put her arms around his neck. The black and red chiffon lace satin dress clung to her like second skin and complimented her fair complexion. This was the most conservative looking dress among the entire collection with an intricately designed lace that covers the neck, upper chest and arms and studded with simulated diamonds all over its exquisitely embroidered trail. And this was the dress that Craige liked the most.
"You look really pretty, by the way." He told her honestly.
She smiled brightly. "You don't need anything from me, do you?"
He chuckled. "Nothing."
She laughed then gracefully bowed her head with a hand on her chest. "I am most grateful for the compliment then, Señor."
Zeanne normally gives off an impression of being pure and playful with her round eyes, bow-shaped lips and hair that's always tied up in a high ponytail. But with make-up that did almost nothing except highlight her features and a pair of light gray contact lenses, her appearance made a 180 degrees turn from modest to simply captivating. And she looked bewitching with her hair's lower portion curled dramatically and let loose like a curtain of bluish-black silk threads.
But more than the make up and the hairstyle, something about her entire aura changed along with those visible details that made her nearly unrecognizable the moment she stood in front of the camera.
'She looks dangerous. In many ways.'
As if reading his thoughts, a smirk appeared on her coral red lips as she smoothly rose on her toes. Their lips would have touched in just one fluid movement if he hadn't sensed her intent and kept his back straight. He didn't move away because he knew that she was just playing with him and wasn't really intending to kiss him. Otherwise she would have pulled him down like she did before. Besides, he was a lot taller than her even with high heels on. That's why he's confident that their lips wouldn't touch unless he lets them to. But he still kept his back straight just to be safe though, which earned a protest from Joey in response.
"Baby boy, can't you sit down on the desk for her? You're way too tall. I need you to be closer."
Zeanne stuck her tongue out and he couldn't help but laugh. Then he turned to Joey, "Joey, is that really necessary? I feel like this succubus will do something horrible if I let my guard down."
"She's not a succubus. She's a vampire. A vampire!"
He was about to protest but he was forced to sit down on the table by Zeanne who was grinning at him triumphantly. He moved farther back on the table but she pulled his necktie then tilted her head with delight. "Geez, I've always wanted to try that. I've only seen them do that in anime."
He narrowed his eyes at her. "What kind of anime do you watch? I'm pretty sure there's no scene like this in Naruto."
"Secret~" She put a finger on her lips and smiled.
"Baby girl, I really love what you're doing let's do more of that, okay?" Joey said behind his camera.
'They're treating me like a statue. A prop.'
"Neng~" Zeanne said with a cute voice which made Craige's eyes widen with astonishment.
"Seriously, why are you so hyper? It's getting scary."
"Just because." She made a biting gesture near his neck. "Ang~ But you have to feed me soon or else this will only get worse."
Craige smiled. Her being hyperactive was a lot better than having her give him the silent treatment, just like what she did this morning before she discovered that he was having a fever.
'If she didn't find out that I was having a fever, maybe she would have kept ignoring me the entire ride. What was she sulking for anyway?'
He did ask her about it before the shoot started, but she just shrugged and said that she could no longer remember why she was in a foul mood. But as soon as they changed into their costumes, it's like a switch has been flipped on inside her because she has been very bubbly to a crazy level ever since. He thought that it would only last for the first three hours, but it's almost 9PM and she's still very energetic.
Craige sighed and decided to go along with her frenzy.
"Fine. Let's finish this fast so we can feed you." He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her between his legs. She instinctively leaned backwards which made him smile. "Why?"
"Oooohhh… You're learning to retaliate now?" She laughed then closed the distance between them and ever so lightly pressed her lips on his cheek.
Turning him into a statue. He became rigid from the sudden attack.
Joey gasped and snapped the camera nonstop with excitement. "That's it! Very good!"
Zeanne smirked then snapped him from petrification when she whispered in his ear. "Tuna pie."
"Tuna pie?" Craige repeated her words in confusion. "Where did that come from?"
He felt her nose on his neck. "I'm so hungry that I'm starting to have olfactory hallucinations. I smell tuna pie."
Craige laughed in disbelief. "I can't believe that you're actually talking about food while sniffing my neck. That's terrifying."
"Craige?"
He lifted his chin unconsciously to give room for whatever it is that she's trying to achieve with this pose. "Yeah?"
"Just one bite."
"Huh?" And before his brain could register what she meant by that, he jumped in surprise when she suddenly bit into his neck. "AH!"
She actually bit him!
As in really bit him.
"Zee!" He exclaimed with horror while holding the bruised part where he felt the teeth marks on his skin. And to his bewilderment, she was making a disgusted face.
"Ewe! You don't taste good." Then she turned to Joey as if nothing happened, leaving Craige once again dumbfounded. "Joey! I'm hungry! Don't we have enough photos?"
Joey peered at her with a smile then he studied the cuts. "We do! We do! The last one was epic. Let's wrap up everyone! Dinner's on me!"
The entire staff cheered because it's not everyday that Joey would invite them for Dinner. He would just usually give them the credit card and tell them to just grab what they wanted to eat.
After having dinner, Joey dropped them off at Kimmy's condo.
"Bye, kids!" He happily waved at them from a small crack in his window.
"Drive safely." Craige was barely keeping himself awake.
Zeanne on the other hand seemed to be in a sugar rush. "Bye, Joey!"
As soon as Joey left the parking area, Craige and Zeanne started walking towards the entrance. She was so bouncy when she walked as if she didn't just spend almost 12 hours taking pictures. "Did you have coffee? How are you still so energetic? Aren't you tired?"
She grinned and hopped her way towards the elevators. "I'm tired. Dead tired."
"You don't look like it." He sluggishly followed her inside the lift. "By the way, how are you planning to handle the commotion once the magazine is released? Didn't you say that Mia has been checking out magazines ever since Katherine modeled?"
"Oh. I've already got that figured out." She said nonchalantly.
"How?"
"I'll tell them it's not me." She opened the door of their room and hurriedly removed her shoes before rushing straight towards her bathroom. Craige could only follow her with his eyes and waited for her to come back out. He used that time to change his clothes and prepare a chamomile tea in hopes that it would knock her out. He was worried that she might have trouble sleeping with all that energy.
But a full twenty minutes passed and Zeanne was still in her bathroom. 'Did she take a bath?'
He waited again and another twenty minutes was gone without a sign of her. Feeling worried, he stood up and went to check on her. "Zee?"
He knocked again. "Zee?"
"Zee!"
He heard cluttering noises inside then the door opened. But when Zeanne came out, her eyes were red and puffy and her back was slouching. She looked so worn out that it made him really worried. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"
She nodded lifelessly then murmured. "I fell asleep in the toilet."
"You what?"
She moved past him. "I fell asleep in the toilet."
Craige started laughing. "Did you finally run out of fuel?"
She nodded again as she made her way towards the kitchen. "You were making tea?"
"Yeah. I thought you needed some." He studied her from head to toe. She was already wearing her pyjamas and looked like she's ready to go to bed. "I don't think you need it now though."
"I think so too." She turned back to her bedroom. "Goodnight."
'Just like that?'
"Zee!" He called out to her.
She looked at him. "Hm?"
'Why did I stop her?'
He smiled awkwardly. "Nevermind. Goodnight."