“Mmmm…. love the eyebrows.  So in these days,” he said, clucking his tongue.  “My, my, you are beautiful, like Christine said.  We are going to have fun with you today.”

Before Jules could say anything, Patrick released his hold on her chin, turned away and snapped his fingers in the air, and called out in the general direction of people clustered around a make-shift costume and hair-and-make up area 25 feet away, “Can we please prep her?”

Jules turned to Christine, eyes questioning her.

“We’ll have to do this quickly Jules,” Christine started to explain.  “I wasn’t sure if you were coming.  And we’re shooting other people I asked to come in for shots also.”

As a man with flamboyant hair in tight jeans approached, she turned to him and asked, “Francoise, can you please take care of her?  We’ll need her ready in 15 minutes.”

She turned back to Jules and said, “Just go with him, please, Jules.  He’ll help do your hair and make-up … nothing heavy, don’t worry.”

20 minutes later, Jules walked back to where Patrick and Christine were chatting easily.

Patrick wolf-whistled and grabbed a camera from amongst several that had been prepped on a side table, “Let’s get to work sunshine!”

He paused as Jules continued to stand uncertainly in the same spot where she’d paused, remaining a few feet away from the row of directors chairs Patrick, Christine, and others were sitting in, in a loose circle.

With a sympathetic smile, he let go of the camera, and let it hang loosely around his neck.  He gently held Jules by the elbows, at an arms-length distance.  At 6’3” he towered over her, so he bent forward slightly to peer at her at eye-level.

“Have you ever told yourself, upon seeing someone for the first time, maybe someone who walks into a crowded room, and you see that person, and think “Uh oh, this is about to get interesting?!” he asked Jules gently.

With a light laugh, Jules nodded her head.

“Well …has anyone ever told you that you are one of those women that can make a room-full of people mumur that to themselves?” he continued.

Jules snorted.

“It’s true!” he exclaimed.  He straightened up and waved his arm towards the other people scattered around the large room.  “I bet you if I ask people here who among them felt that way about you when you walked into this room today, or after you came out of hair-and-make-up, to raise their hands, everyone would have their hands up.”