Uplifting Twelve

I quietly spoke to my make-up artist, “There’s two girls here as our PA’s. They’re experienced models, signed on with our agency, and you’ve worked with them before, I think.” and gave her a wink.

She left me and went out to see Mario, coming back to return the wink before saying “I’m going to love working with you, honey. Those other girls have been a right pain in the arse for weeks.”

When we left the cubicles to go on set we both looked like a million dollars.

“What about the scent, we must have the scent,” I said.

Mario joked that they were not filming in smell-o-vision and I said “Trust me, you want those men to look interested, this will do just that.” Tatiana took her bottle from her bag and gave us both a good spritz.

When the other models, now including Margo and Francine, joined us we all took our places on the seats and the men gathered around the two of us. The other girls, while dressed well, had muted colours while we were as bright as could be while still keeping in era.

Mario took his place in front of us, “Right, attention please. The take will run with the opening shot on Tatiana with a hand on one shoulder, as we pan out we will see half of you guys giving her lots of attention. Gary, I want you to kneel at her feet and gaze up at her.”

“The camera will then pan out further to show Geri in a similar position with the guys around her as well. This will have the voice-over saying that the scent makes you twice the woman. The camera will then pan back to show all of you other girls and I want you to look angry and bewildered at not being the centre of attention. Everyone got it?”

We all made ready and he called action and we had the sound board man do his thing. I thought that we did well in the first take as I was counting in my head and the snap to cut was twenty nine seconds.

Mario called for the guys to get closer and the other girls to look meaner and we did it a second time. With the guys closer the scent started to work and you could see by the looks in their eyes that they wanted to jump our bones right there on the set.

Tati and I were told to just look haughty and disinterested but the roving hands that we felt by the third take caused us both to react ourselves.

Mario considered that one good to go and he told us to head back to the dressers. He told Margo and Francine to go and see their dressers and then dismissed all of the other models, telling them that they had done well and their cheques would be in the post.

Our dressers removed the regency gowns and replaced them with very swish evening gowns, high necked for me and low cut for Tatiana. Margo and Francine appeared with similar gowns but, again, in a more muted colour.

When we went back to the set all of the others had changed and left and Mario told us to gather round. He explained that we would be filming a commercial that would lead off the second round of the campaign and we were doing it today as the two other models were actors. They could only make it today before they needed to be overseas making films. He then said that he had sent all of the other models off as this was to be kept as secret as possible until it got onto the screen.

The set had been remade to look like a roulette table with a chair on one side and two chairs on the other. Margo and Francine were sat at the two chairs and Tatiana sat on our side with me standing to one side and slightly behind her. Just then there was an intake of breath from the dressers who were watching it all evolve. We were joined on the set by the current James Bond and the previous one, both in immaculate suits and both hunks. Individually they were very expensive real estate in the advertising game. Our boys were playing for keeps by getting both of them.

The latest one stood close to Tatiana and put his hands on her shoulders while the other one came up behind me and put an arm around my waist. Wow, not a total girl yet but in seventh heaven already.

When he got a whiff of the scent I could feel the result against my behind so I wiggled my bum for him.

Mario got in front of us, “Right, this is a similar scenario. The voice-over is ‘Win the Jackpot when you play with “Double or Nothing.”’ As the camera pans out to show the girls sitting alone it will say ‘Or you could just not bother and end up with nothing at all’. This time I want the two of you to look sleek and satisfied while you others are going to be downcast and unhappy.”

Tati and I made sure we needed four takes as we were having the best fun while my Bond was having a harder time of it and it felt empowering.

Mario saw his difficulty and ordered another two takes with the Bonds changing places so they both ended up with unmistakable stiffies. At the end of the last take he told us to all hold our positions and the movie camera was replaced by our fashion photographer who took a lot of pictures before he said he was happy.

Of course we had to keep still and, by the time he had finished, our gentlemen friends had recovered their composure.

Mario said “Thank you for your time, gentlemen, we will let you go and catch your planes now” and they came around and gave all four of us hugs and kisses before they left.

I could hear the sighs from the dressers so I suggested that they should follow through with all of the ladies so it was a very satisfied crew that remained when they finally went out to their waiting limos with big smiles on their faces.

Mario then told us we had all done well and that the stills would be the basis of the print and poster campaign later on. Back in the cubicle my dresser told me that she was grateful she had turned up today. When she knew it was us being the models she just had to be here.

“Now,” she smiled, “I won’t be able to wipe my lips for a week, just think, two Bonds kissing little old me.”

I told her that I had to stand there looking innocent with a dick poking my butt and we both dissolved into laughter that became quite addictive as everyone was smiling when we left.

When we got into the car, Steve was looking shocked, “I was sitting here minding my own business and I saw not one, but two James Bonds arrive and go in. You girls are going to be the death of me with shocks like that.”

We all giggled and Francine said “You’re surprised? What about us on set. Margo and I were supposed to look sad and downcast and we were sat across from these two with Bonds cuddling them. It wasn’t hard to keep total envy on our faces.”

I said that I had found it hard and it would have given me a bruised butt if I hadn’t been wearing my padded gaff. We all had a laugh as we drove along.

Steve then said “Hold on, there were only two of you in the shoot, how come you all ended up on set?”

“Did you see that Astrid and her mate go in and leave in a huff?” Margo laughed, “When they were then two down, we got drafted. The second commercial only had the four of us as everyone else had been told to go home.”

Steve remarked that he had seen everyone else leave and had expected us to be out not long after but then had another wait.

Margo told him that when he sees the commercial and the posters from the second shoot he was going to be blown away.

“I’ve seen a few shoots but this one has everything wrapped up in a few seconds without dialogue or much movement. It’s going to be an award winner; I’ll lay bets on that.”

We had all turned our phones on when we got into the car and mine buzzed. When I answered it I had a very serious sounding Keith on the line.

“Geri,” he ordered, “Don’t spend any of that money you found. I have just been looking at the diary you gave me and there is some dynamite stuff in it. I did hear some time ago that you helped out the other girls with a relative in the police. Do you think you can set up a quiet word with them?”

I said I would try for this afternoon and ring him back.

I rang Shelly and she said that she was at the station this afternoon. I asked her if she could meet with me and Keith as he had something she needed to see.

We agreed on a time and I then rang Keith to tell him it was arranged. He told me he would pick me up at the block.

Steve took us to a little café where Babs gave us a light lunch and we discussed the shoot. When we told her about the two Bonds and their reaction to us and the scent she was very thoughtful.

“I’ve a couple of contacts in that game, I’ll see what’s going on” she mused, “It may be something interesting, but, on the other hand, it may be nothing.”

Steve took us home and we cleared our mail boxes on the way in. I got the roll of money and put it in my bag. We spent some time checking our mail and, among mine there was an envelope addressed to Ms. J. Upwey. In all my time here there had never been any mail for her.

I got another plastic bag and put it in. When Keith knocked on the door he seemed agitated and asked twice if I had the money safe. He drove us to the police station and kept muttering about how she had been in a squat but seemed well off.

Margo, of course, was with us as she would never let me go anywhere without her as she said it always ended in an interesting situation.

At the police station we were ushered into an interview room and five minutes later Shelly joined us. She stood in shock when she realised who I was.

“Gerry, my, how you’ve improved from the last time I saw you here. The boys will want your photo again but not to put in an ID pack.”

Keith then explained how he’d taken Justin out of a squat after his pools win and had installed him in the apartment. He described the time that Justin had transitioned into Justine and then said that he now thought that it was not because of gender problems but a need to hide.

He gave Shelly the diary.

“This has a lot in it, enough to have put him away for many years. Geri has some money that she will now give you. I think it’s the money described in the passages where I have put the bookmark.”

Shelly sat back and read the diary.

“Holy crap, this has broken a cold case that the boys have been working on for years. It describes how the Bermondsey Bank robbery went down and names everyone involved. If this money roll is what I think it is, it should have a dye bomb inside, that’s why it was never spent.”

I then gave her the post I had picked up today and told her that I had only touched the outside.

She pulled out her mobile and made a call, “Chief Inspector Jones, could you please come down to Interview Room Five, I have some old friends here who have just given me the answers to the Bermondsey Bank robbery.”

When she hung up she looked at us.

“Well, I think that my career has just been given a lift.”

Marianne Gregory © 2022