Code Red Lipstick, page 9
Jessica picked her nail behind her back. Allegra looked high-maintenance; she’d need a lot of buttering up. “I don’t want your crown. I mean, you’re a total legend. I couldn’t ever compete with that sort of thing.”
“Nonsense. Of course you could – and should.” Allegra’s tone was pleasant. “This isn’t a popularity contest, it’s modelling. You’ll have to get used to stabbing people in the back if you want to succeed in such a snake pit. I’m sure Sara realizes that above anyone else.”
Jessica flushed. She flicked her hair over her shoulder. “I didn’t—”
“Quiet, please,” she said, clicking her fingers. “You’re competitive. You made sure that your PA slipped me your portfolio even though the castings had finished. That’s nothing to be ashamed of. I like determination in a model. Sara was too predictable, but your beauty intrigues me.”
“Thank you. But, honestly, it’s all down to my agency, not me.” Or rather, it was thanks to Margaret, her “PA”.
“False modesty won’t get you anywhere in this business or with me, Jessica,” she replied. “You should enjoy your beauty while you can, because believe me, it doesn’t last. Think about how to bring out your full potential – how you style your hair, make up your face, the way you dress.”
Jessica felt her cheeks turn scarlet. Even though Allegra’s eyes were hidden behind giant sunglasses, she sensed they were unashamedly roaming over her whole body from head to toe. She felt seriously underdressed next to Allegra’s expensive designer labels. She wished she’d worn something else. She hid her hands behind her back again. She was sure Allegra had noticed her other crime against fashion – bitten fingernails.
“Of course, I will. I mean—”
“Because if you’re representing my company, you’re also representing me, and I expect certain standards,” she interrupted. “I dislike the shabby look you young girls seem to favour nowadays. I abhor jeans and flat shoes of any kind, particularly biker boots. I’m looking for elegant swans, not scarecrows.”
Allegra wrinkled her nose as she stared at Jessica’s feet.
Ouch. She’d never been called a scarecrow before.
“As such I demand a uniform – loose hair worn over the shoulders, a simple but elegant dress, maybe Miu Miu, Christian Dior or Marc Jacobs, and high heels at all times. Will that be a problem for you?”
“No,” Jessica lied. She hated high heels. They made her freakishly tall.
“Good. Now come here.” Allegra clicked her fingers again.
Jessica blinked. Did she really just do that? She couldn’t stand the way clients treated her sometimes. They were so rude. She inhaled a mixture of expensive perfume, body lotions and hair products as she drew closer. She also noticed Allegra had a still quality about her. It was unnerving. Her voice sounded impatient yet her face didn’t move. There wasn’t even a flicker of emotion or a frown.
Allegra grabbed hold of Jessica’s chin and moved it from side to side, peering closely at her through her sunglasses as if she were examining some exotic insect under a microscope.
“Times certainly have changed. In my day, imperfections like yours would never have been overlooked. They’d have been seen as ugly. Now, it appears they’re all the rage. Freckles, even. Astonishing.”
Jessica flushed with anger. She knew she had to be thick-skinned to be a model, as girls were criticized all the time for being too tall, too short, too skinny or too fat. She’d once been told her hair was too “naturally blonde” and her legs were too long, but Allegra had so crossed the line. She pulled away. As she took a step back, Allegra’s lips attempted to curl into a smirk.
That was why she looked so odd! As well as all the plastic surgery, she’d been Botoxed to within an inch of her life. Her face was completely paralysed. Why did older women think Botox was such a great idea? It didn’t make them look younger. Anyway, this frozen freak wouldn’t be giving her a job any time soon. That was clear.
“I’m sorry I’m not what you’re looking for,” she said. She truly was. She hadn’t managed to pump her for info yet.
“What makes you say that?” Allegra’s lips moved awkwardly into the smallest of smiles. “I think you’re perfect in a flawed way. Teenagers around the world will identify with your imperfections and your self-consciousness. I’d reached my decision before you arrived. I’m impressed with your portfolio and think you have potential to become the next big supermodel. I’ve chosen you to be the face and spokesperson of Teenosity, my revolutionary new face cream for teenage skin. That’s if you want the job, of course.”
The sunglasses stared blankly at her, throwing down an unknown gauntlet.
“Well?”
“I’d love the job.” This was beyond brilliant. She’d thought Allegra hated her looks. Being called an ugly scarecrow hadn’t been a great start, but now she’d found her “in”. She just had to find a good opportunity to bring up her dad or engineer a detour via the personnel department to dig for stuff on Sam.
“Good. We need to get to work straight away. Legal will draw up a contract and email it to Primus by this evening. The shoot will be on Friday and you’ll be contracted to appear at a press launch at the Eiffel Tower the next morning. It’ll be broadcast live in fashion stores across Europe before they start to sell my fabulous face cream.”
“How’s that possible?”
Jessica hadn’t been in the industry long, but even she knew it was rare to have the launch of a new product one day after a shoot. Most companies had run-ins of at least six months to a year. How was Allegra going to turn everything around so fast by Saturday? It couldn’t be done.
Allegra sensed her scepticism. “It’s not usual but it is possible. We wanted a groundbreaking publicity campaign to match the uniqueness of our product. You must have seen our billboards around Paris? Everyone’s talking about Teenosity without even knowing what it is.”
“That’s true. I couldn’t work out what the billboard was advertising. It did make me think about it afterwards.”
“Exactly,” Allegra said. “We’ll generate even more interest when the press see a tantalizing glimpse from the shoot and get to meet you in person on Saturday. Once that’s started, we’ll launch social-media campaigns on Monday morning, extend our billboards across Europe and blitz the fashion glossies. We’ll also start distribution in America and the rest of the world. You’ll be a huge international star, thanks to me.”
Her tone was suddenly surly, as if she somehow resented making the offer. “Well, what do you say for yourself?”
“Thank you. It’s just, I… I guess I’m surprised. But pleased.”
Allegra nodded, her sunglasses fixed on her. “You should be ecstatic. You’ve done extremely well.”
She extended her hand like the Queen. Jessica wasn’t sure what to do. Did she expect her to kiss it? She had to be kidding. Jessica settled for a brisk, firm handshake. As she stared down, she noticed Allegra’s hands were threaded with blue veins. They seemed to be the only part of her body that had escaped plastic surgery and they gave her age away. She had to be in her sixties. Allegra snatched her hand back as if she’d been slapped.
“You may leave now,” she said. “I’ll make sure you get the details about Friday’s shoot.”
No! It was too soon. She had to stall. “Please can I have a tour of your labs before I go?”
“Why on earth would you want to do that?” Allegra sounded taken aback but her face was still rigid.
Jessica racked her brains. “Chemistry’s one of my favourite subjects at school. It would be great to get an idea of what a real-life lab looks like. I think it’d be helpful to understand how you make the face cream.”
Allegra hesitated. It had clearly never dawned on her that a girl could be interested in anything other than modelling. This was probably another black mark against her, along with her freckles, bitten nails and unfeminine biker boots.
“Of course. You shall see where my miracle cream was created. Please wait here while I arrange a tour.” She sashayed out of the room, regal-like, leaving behind a cloud of perfume.
Victory! It was time for serious snooping.
Half an hour later, Jessica stood shivering in the lab’s clean room. A blast of cold air jetted out of the ceiling, chilling her whole body, before being sucked out through the grated floor. No wonder Allegra hadn’t wanted to carry out the tour herself. This would mess up her perfect hair. She’d left the honours to her assistant, Lyndon Rawling, a large bear-like American who sported a hair and beard net. He explained the room got rid of tiny particles such as dust from her clothes, which could contaminate the lab. She climbed into a disposable white overall alongside him. Now she too looked like the Abominable Snowman.
The door slid open and she followed him into the lab, a large white room lined with benches, fume cupboards and gloveboxes. A couple of technicians who wore white overalls and safety glasses worked in front of her. Their hands were stuck into gloves which reached inside a large box. She’d learnt at school this was the best way to carry out experiments because it avoided any cross contamination. Chemistry was one of her favourite subjects – that and English literature.
“The lab follows strict health and safety practices,” Lyndon said. “We have one entrance in and one exit out, with clean rooms attached to each.”
She trailed after him and noticed Allegra watching through the large window. Jessica could still feel her searing gaze as she followed Lyndon across the lab.
“Miss Knight likes to run a tight ship in here,” he said. “No personal belongings are allowed. We have a maximum of eight people working in here at any one time to minimize the risk of accidents.”
“What’s through there?” She spotted another doorway and walked to the back of the lab. It wasn’t the exit. She’d already made a point of looking for it in case they had to get out in a hurry. This doorway had a sign saying: DISPOSE OF CONTAMINATED OVERALLS AFTER USE.
“It’s just a store cupboard.” Lyndon’s tone was sharp. “Let me show you something over here, I’m sure you’ll find it fascinating.”
He pressed his hand into the small of her back, steering her towards a row of microscopes that were lined up next to a series of chemical storage units.
“These are electron microscopes,” he said. “We use them to study nanoparticles. They’re the only microscopes you can use to see something so small.”
She was immediately interested. This was Sam Bishop’s line of work.
“Can I?”
“Be my guest.”
She put her eye to the microscope. It was extraordinary.
“This is what you’re looking at,” he said, handing her a vial of liquid. “These are the nanoparticles used in sunblock.”
She stared at the liquid and back at the cell under the microscope. It was incredible. The nanoparticles were completely invisible to the human eye. She hadn’t seen anything like them in class.
“How can you work with something so small?” Jessica asked.
“We keep the nanoparticles suspended in a liquid solution,” he said. “It allows us to manipulate them as and when we need them. We use the zinc oxide nanoparticles in sunblock to reflect UVA and UVB rays, but nanoparticles can be used for almost anything nowadays.”
“Have you used these nanoparticles in Teenosity?”
His eyes darted to Allegra, who was still watching through the glass.
“Yes,” he said cautiously, “the advances in nanotechnology are amazing. The beauty market hasn’t seen anything like it before.”
“Why? What’s so great about it?”
Come on! He was being so cagey. She needed him to open up more. That way she could steer the conversation round to Sam and his nano work.
“It’s top secret,” he said.
“But I’m supposed to be representing the cream,” she protested. “I’ll need to know what makes Teenosity so different from other beauty creams if I have to answer questions about it on Saturday.”
He looked over his shoulder again. She turned around in time to see Allegra give a small nod. There must be microphones in the lab. She was listening in.
“Teenosity does what no other cream has ever been able to promise before. It can actually halt time,” he said.
“That’s impossible!”
“Nanotechnology makes it possible. We’ve created tiny nanorobots that penetrate the skin and target the layer of cells responsible for ageing.”
“Nanorobots,” she repeated. These were the science-fiction-like creations that Sam had given his lecture about in the States.
“You’ve heard of them?” Lyndon looked surprised. “Most people think they’re children’s toys.”
“I’m interested in science. I read that nanorobots are minuscule and can be programmed to do whatever you want them to do.”
“Exactly. We’ve programmed our nanorobots to not only delay the ageing process, but to stop it completely.”
“No way!”
Lyndon nodded gravely. “It’s a miracle.”
“So does this mean that teenagers will never age?”
“Their skin won’t age,” he replied. “Your skin and that of your friends will remain youthful for ever if you continue to use the cream regularly.”
She turned to stare at Allegra. She could see why she might resent an upstart like herself. Teenosity had arrived too late to stop her own skin from ageing. It would also help millions of teenagers stay looking younger and more beautiful than her in future. That was enough to get on the nerves of any supermodel, past or present.
“Was Sam Bishop working on Teenosity?” she said.
Crash! A test tube smashed, spilling liquid on to the floor next to the fume cupboards.
A small, balding assistant glanced fearfully across at Lyndon. “I’m sorry,” he said, kneeling down. “The test tube caught on my glove. It was an accident.”
“Clean it up quickly,” he ordered. “We can’t afford mistakes like this so close to launch date.”
Lab assistants abandoned their posts to mop up the spillage. As one brushed past, his security pass fell off on to the counter. Lyndon was too busy staring at the mess on the floor to notice. So was Allegra – she stood, transfixed, at the window. Jessica stepped forward, pretending to lean on the counter, and scooped it up. This could be useful at some point.
“Thanks, Mr Tarasaki,” she muttered under her breath.
“We must leave now,” Lyndon snapped. “Follow me.”
He marched her through the exit into another clean room. Jessica kept the pass in her clenched fist. She was ready for the blast of air this time and stood still. Lyndon glowered at her. He whipped off his overalls and signalled for her to do the same. She shoved the pass into her jeans pocket as she climbed out of her protective gear. As she looked down, she noticed something stuck in the vent in the floor. She pretended to drop her overalls, managing to tear the object out before he helped her to her feet.
Allegra was waiting outside. Her face was masklike but her voice was low and hard. “Why are you asking about Sam Bishop? Did a newspaper pay you to ask questions? Tell me now!”
Jessica took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I wanted to know because my dad was looking for him and now he’s missing too.”
Allegra remained expressionless. “Your father? Whom may I enquire is that?”
“Jack Cole.”
“The name sounds familiar. Lyndon?”
He gave a curt nod. “Mr Cole’s a private detective. He was hired by Sam Bishop’s mother to look for him. British police officers have visited us and we’ve answered all their questions.”
“Cole is a very common name,” Allegra said softly. “What a coincidence. I had no idea you were related to him. So many people go missing in Paris each year. Sam and now your father. It’s a tragedy.”
“Thank you,” Jessica said, “but I’m sure I’ll find him. In fact, I saw in his diary that he was due to come here on Saturday. Did you meet him?”
The diary was a lie but it didn’t seem a good idea to tell her she’d been probing his phone records.
Allegra glanced at Lyndon. “I believe Mr Cole made an appointment.”
“But he didn’t keep it,” Lyndon finished.
“So you never saw him?”
“That’s correct,” Allegra said. “My office left a message on his voicemail to rearrange but never heard back. We were quite happy to meet with him and discuss Mrs Bishop’s concerns. We treat our employees like family here.”
Dad had made a call from inside this building on Saturday morning. Why weren’t they telling the truth? What were they hiding?
“I’m slightly worried,” Allegra said, without a single frown mark appearing. “This must be a very stressful time for you, Jessica, and also a terrible distraction. Did I make a mistake in awarding you this contract when you have so much on your mind? Should I reconsider?”
“No, definitely not,” Jessica said. “I’m a professional.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” Allegra said drily. “In which case, I need you to keep your private life separate from your work. I can’t afford to employ a model who’s more interested in asking questions than concentrating on the job in hand. We have so much to do and so little time.”
“I won’t let you down,” Jessica said. “You’ve answered everything I need to know, thank you. I’ll leave the rest to the police. They’re the experts.”
As if.
Allegra’s face relaxed a little but it was hard to tell when she’d had so much Botox. “Good. I know you have a busy schedule so I won’t keep you. Don’t be late for the shoot. I hate tardiness.”
Lyndon led her down the corridor.
