"We all thought you were pregnant," said Thuy, frowning. She was one of my closest friends at work, but my boss had told me to keep things confidential until the campaign was ready. "All Anthony told us was that you'd been given permission to work remotely. And you told me nothing, either, Vera."

"Yeah, well, I would have, but Anthony told me to keep quiet till the campaign dropped." I looked at her to assess how mad she was. Thuy Nhung was Vietnamese, but had been in the USA since she came here for a Master's degree. "Last evening, he told me to include you in the core group for this launch, so now you need to know."

Thuy nodded. She understood the need for secrecy, even within our company. Unless someone was directly working on a campaign, they weren't to know the plans. "So you must have put on, like, ten pounds?" she asked, looking impressed.

At five feet four, she was the same height as me, but probably weighed no more than a hundred pounds. I usually tipped the scales at 128.

"I dropped to 126 for the first shoot, and then the dietician put me on a calorie-dense diet plan with five meals a day. I've gone up to 135 pounds in fifteen days." I smiled. "It's been fun, but I'm dreading trying to get back."

Thuy pulled out a chair at the cafeteria and lowered herself gracefully into it. "I wish I'd gone to headquarters with Anthony. Maybe they'd have picked me for the ad."

I was incredulous. "Pick you for a weight-loss product ad? You don't have an ounce spare to lose."

Thuy glared at me for a moment before sighing and leaning back. "So tell me now." She looked at me expectantly.

"Well, you know the new product — Slixqa." Our company imported and marketed herbal medicines for a wide variety of health benefits. Our owner, Anthony Hanson, had taken me along for the meeting with our advertising agency. All of us Product Managers got to accompany him by rotation. "So after the creatives laid out their ideas about the pictures, videos, copy, and so on, we got down to casting."

I paused, remembering how shocked I had been when their account manager had suggested my name. "I suggest Verity Callahan," she had said, looking me in the eye. Anthony had been stunned, and I had just shaken my head at their idea of a joke.

They were serious. They wanted me. Not because I was a stunning beauty or had a great figure. The advertising world had been vilified for only using thin and gorgeous girls, and agencies were under a lot of pressure to include short people, fat people, and people with ordinary looks. Well, I ticked all the boxes, I thought.

My husband, Jonathan, had always preferred curvy over the starved look, which took away some incentive to lose weight. I was a regular at our gym and was strong, toned, and overweight rather than just flabby and chubby. But I certainly never anticipated being selected as a model in this lifetime.

"So Jonathan is cool with you doing this ad?" Thuy was curious. "With all those nude scenes?"

"Yeah, he was a bit concerned," I said. "But the agency reassured him there wouldn't be any sex scenes or vulgarity. They're making the ad for a family audience." Thuy looked at me, waiting for more.

"Just two nude scenes. One for the before part and one for the after." I took a bite from my sandwich. "And the money was good."

"Why do they have the nude scenes, anyway?" Thuy was scooping sticky rice into her delicate mouth with a tiny spoon. "Hardly the way to sell health products."

"Bad history of weight-loss ads," I said. "No one trusts them. Everyone knows that the before videos are shot with padding under the clothes and the after videos with corsets and shapers. The agency wanted to show we weren't cheating."

"Makes sense," Thuy said, chewing her sticky rice to extinction before swallowing it. "So we're going to be completely honest?"

"Not hardly, Thuy," I said, shaking my head. "I lost a couple of pounds and shot the slim me scenes. That's supposed to be the after part. Now I'm putting on weight to shoot the fat me scenes, which will be the before part.

"Why's Anthony brought me on board?" Thuy was curious. One launch was usually handled by one Product Manager.

I sighed. "To do the work I should be doing for the launch." Thuy looked blank for a moment. "I've not been able to do much regular work, what with coordinating with the advertising agency, meeting dieticians, doing extra workouts at the gym, salon appointments, and flying out to the studios. It's endless."

"Got it." Thuy nodded. "I'll get the product brief and get started." She grinned and leaned forward, lowering her voice. "So how was the first shoot? Was Anthony there for, you know, that scene?"

No, our boss was not at the studio. I'd flown alone for the three-day trip. I wished Jonathan had come with me as I hefted my duffel bag out of the car.

Emma Nowak, the agency's creative director, had picked me up at my hotel. I looked around the vast property of Xtreme Studios with its multiple soundstages. Most of them were used for shooting movies and television shows, and I wondered if I would see any stars.

"Verity, you know Edgar Mintner, our cameraman, " she said, and I shook hands with a thirty-something slim man dressed in a casual shirt and trousers. I had met him last evening when shooting the first scene. "And Jay Keating, our director."

The ad was pretty simple. In the first part, I enter a store to be told by a shop assistant that I should try the plus-size store. At home, having a shower, I was ashamed of letting my husband see me nude because of my overweight body. Those scenes would be shot after I had put on some pounds and inches.

Right now, I had lost a couple of pounds and tightened up my body by a low-calorie diet and additional work in my gym. I wasn't model thin, but was supposed to be a curvy woman with self-confidence and sex appeal. Last evening, we shot a scene wherein I entered the same clothing store and told the shop assistant, "Show me size M, please."

Carrying my purchases triumphantly, I return home and am now so body confident that I cook dinner nude in the family kitchen and show my screen husband the box of Slixva. The two nude scenes, appearing within seconds of each other, would clearly let the viewers see the difference in my body. And hopefully, order vast quantities of Slixva.

But before we could even start shooting, there was an hour of hair and makeup. I wasn't a stranger to makeup, of course, but usually spent ten minutes on it in the morning, and fifteen when going out in the evening. The makeup artist introduced himself as Olivier and spent an hour on me, and that was when the brief called for a simple, homely look. In other words, I wasn't supposed to look like a model.

"Well, I'm done, Verity," he said. "I'm going to be around for touch-ups as needed." He stepped back. "Time to get your clothes off. If you have any moles or scars, I can conceal them."

The moment I'd been dreading was here. Steeling myself, I lifted my dress over my head, taking care not to disturb the makeup artist's work. I hung it over a chair, and then reached back to unhook my bra. My heavy breasts dropped a little as they lost their support. I tossed the bra onto the chair.

"Wow!" said Olivier admiringly. "You have a great set of knockers. The guys are going to love this shoot."

"Uh, thanks, Olivier," I said. "I'm big all over because I love eating so much." Bending, I slipped my panties down my legs and put them with my other clothes. Olivier held out a robe to me.

"Oh, thanks," I said. I wished I had thought to bring one. Fortunately, these people were prepared. I wouldn't have to walk nude out of the makeup room. The production crew had set up a very authentic-looking kitchen on the set with a small island and two platforms.

"Ah, you're ready," said Keating, nodding and smiling. He signaled to the crew, who all stopped whatever they were doing and gathered around. "The ARRI isn't here yet, so we'll start with some pictures and go on to the movie later." I found out later that ARRIs were expensive movie cameras, and people usually hired them.

I liked him calling it a movie. I knew it would be condensed into a 30-second ad, but I liked the thought of shooting for a movie. Keating was speaking to me again after giving some instructions to his people.

"Brent's ready, too, so we can get started. He'll be sitting on the island while you're at the platform, and then…"

I listened carefully to his instructions. Keating was used to working with professional models, and his instructions were often minimal. I'd made several missteps last evening because I hadn't adequately grasped what he wanted.

My co-star appeared and nodded to me, taking his place on a tall chair at the island in the kitchen. I'd been introduced to him on a group video call, but he'd not spoken much to me beyond the initial hello.

"Brent's a bit of a jerk," Emma had confided to me in the car. "He works in ads while trying for a break in television, but behaves like a star in anticipation of being one." She smiled at me. "You're the star of this production, Verity. Just treat Brent like a prop and you'll be all right."

So I paid attention to my director and ignored my co-star, trying to absorb what I had to do for the pictures. I knew the storyline, of course, but there was a surprise for me — there was now a family dog.

"You see, you're totally nude here, so we're going to show the ad only on late-night TV," explained Emma. "We want people to see you're now body confident and sexy, but we don't want an erotic scene. A dog gives it a wholesome family feel."

"Cool," I said, not appreciating how much an animal could add to the difficulty of getting the job done. I did realize that one more man was on set to handle the dog. I'd decided not to count the number of crew who would see me nude once we started.

"We're ready," said Mintner, and I braced myself. Undoing the sash, I hesitated a moment.

"It'll be all right, Verity," I heard a soft voice, and turned around to see Olivier holding out his hand. "You're beautiful! Hand me the robe and knock everyone's eyes out."

That little bit of encouragement helped, and I slipped the robe off and passed it over. Turning to the set, I strode over to the platform and picked up the box of Slixva. I felt glad I'd lost a couple of pounds and firmed up a little as I faced the gaze of the men and women on the set.

"You're gorgeous, Verity," said Emma, standing behind Keating. The men kept their mouths shut, though they were running their eyes all over me. "I wish I'd discovered you sooner!"

Well, that was a comfort, I thought. I was standing without clothes in a fake kitchen with a snooty man ignoring me and a well-trained dog waiting for his owner's command, but someone found me gorgeous. I put on a smile as Mintner lowered his eye to his camera.

The dog owner, who had not been introduced to me, stepped forward and gave the animal the necessary commands. The dog stood near me and looked at Brent, as did I, showing him the box of Slixva. Brent pasted an interested expression on his face.

Then Mintner took the first picture, and I jumped. I was already on edge from so many people looking at my nude body, and the thunderous shutter sound from his oversized camera was startling in the silent soundstage.

"Sorry," said Mintner, straightening. "This thing's a little loud. Just ignore it and keep moving while I take pictures."

"Sorry," I said sheepishly. Even the dog with its sensitive hearing had not reacted and interrupted the shoot. "I'm not used to cameras, just phones."

Things went well after that. Keating directed Brent and me, and Mintner took a series of pictures as I moved about the kitchen, pretending to cook. About five minutes later, Keating called a break. Olivier appeared almost instantly, holding the robe for me to slip into. He noticed my hands were shaking and tied the sash for me.

"You did great for someone not used to working nude, Verity," Olivier said, and Emma nodded. They stood between me and the rest of the crew, and I was grateful to them for providing me with this temporary cover.

"I think we're getting some great shots," said Emma. "Mintner's just moving the lights around for the next series. Just keep going, Verity — you're doing great." She moved away to talk to Keating, and Olivier produced a brush to touch up my face.

"OK, you're on again," he said, as Keating apparently signalled him. He lowered his voice. "Remember to keep your movements slow. Your, er, bust is large and flops around a bit if you move violently."

"Got it," I said, giving his arm a grateful squeeze.

Keating gave some last-minute instructions to me and the bored-looking Brent and went back to his position near the laptop. As soon as he moved out of the camera's view, Mintner began shooting again.

"All right, folks," said Keating after a few minutes of shooting. "Let's review what we have. Break for a few minutes, everyone."

Olivier was beside me immediately, robe in hand. One of the things I had remembered to bring was a water bottle, and I took a few gulps. Working under those studio lights was hot work.

I saw Emma beckoning, and walked over to where she, Mintner, and Keating were clustered around the laptop. "Show her, Jay," she said, and Keating began showing me the pictures they'd taken. It shook me — viewing almost fifty pictures in which I was nude and knowing they would be used publicly.

"You look as if you're dying, struggling to breathe, in most of them," said Keating, bluntly. "In some of them, you're relaxed and close to what we need."

"Uh, what can I do?" I hadn't paid much attention to my expression in the pictures, being more concerned with how my nude body looked and how much of my lady parts were visible. "I'm doing this for the first time."

"We worked it out," said Keating. "The first several pictures after you leave the robe are when you look terrible. You get used to it after a few minutes and give better expressions."

"So it makes for a pretty easy solution, Verity," said Emma, smiling encouragingly. "Just ditch the robe and get used to being nude on the set. You look great, and all the men would tell you that if they weren't afraid of a harassment action."

I felt as if I'd been punched in the stomach. That robe was my lifeline. All the time we were shooting, I was aware of several pairs of eyes running over my naked body, and only the thought of Olivier waiting with that robe sustained me.

"Uh, well, I can remove the robe five minutes before we start shooting," I said, and I could feel I was pleading. "That'll give me enough time to get used to being nude and…"

Keating shook his head. "Half measures are no good, Verity. Just send it away to your makeup room and we'll start shooting after ten minutes." There was finality in his voice, and I turned to Olivier for some comfort.

"I heard it," he said, as I reached him. "And I've seen it before with new models." He put an arm around my shoulders, comforting me. "Just do it, honey. The sooner Mintner can get his shots, the sooner this will be over for you."

"I suppose so," I said, handing over the robe to him. I watched as it disappeared, carried by Olivier to the makeup room. Keating wouldn't shoot for several minutes, I guessed, and I wondered what nude women did on the sets when waiting. Was it appropriate to socialize?

"It'll get easier," I heard from behind me and was relieved to see Emma. "Come and sit with us. Better than standing, and more physically relaxing, too."

Her meaning became clear as soon as I sat down. The chair covered my back and butt, and I could cross my legs and keep my pussy from view. I smiled gratefully at Emma, who smiled back and went back to her discussion with Keating and Mintner.

After about a year of sitting naked among all the crew, I heard Keating tell everyone to get ready. Mintner did a final check of the lights and turned his camera on. Having no robe to remove, I just stood up and walked to the kitchen platform.

Brent gave me a disgusted look when told they would be repeating the pictures. What was he angry about? I was the one working bare-assed with a dozen eyes ogling me and the hot lights burning my bare skin.

Being angry at Brent helped. I forgot my embarrassment for a while and worked smoothly and calmly, without letting the camera noise freak me out. Mintner kept his eyes on the small screen on his camera, giving us some directions and occasionally making a circle with thumb and forefinger.

"OK, people, we'll change the lights before going on," he announced after a few minutes, stepping back from his camera. Emma and Keating were already at the laptop, where they could see the images on a larger screen.

"Sorry, Verity," said Olivier, showing his empty hands, and I nodded. I knew the robe was gone for now. He pulled a stool to sit before my chair and proceeded to freshen my lipstick. "You're looking good. A lot of people sweat a lot under these lights, and that ruins the makeup."

The dog owner had put down a bowl of water, and the dog was lapping at it enthusiastically. I wished I'd brought a bigger water bottle. Maybe there was a water fountain somewhere in the building.

Keating called us back, and we went through the process again. I cooked dinner, served it, appreciated my screen husband's compliments, and showed him the box of Slixva that had made my sexy figure possible. Mintner shot frame after frame, Keating watched on the laptop, Emma whispered to him, and soon, a break was called.

"I think we have enough pictures," said Keating, as he moved through the latest pictures. "Emma and I have to review them and decide on the flow and angles of the movie we're shooting. Take a half-hour break, fellas, while we do that.

"Verity, that last series was excellent. You were confident and free from that awful anxiety you showed earlier. Just keep it up, and the movie will turn out as awesome as the pictures." He nodded. "Take a break, too. But do. Not. Cover. Up." Then he smiled. "Please."

"I'm going to get a soda," said Olivier, as I approached. "Want to join me?"

"I'd love to," I said, wistfully. "I'm parched. But Keating told me not to cover up. I'm shooting more confidently after being nude for a while."

"That's true," said Olivier. "I noticed it, too." Then he smiled. "Well, come without covering up, then. The cafeteria is close by."

"Come like this?" I wasn't sure he was serious. "I'm totally bare-assed."

"So what?" Olivier laughed. "This is Xtreme Studios. They're used to it. Used to worse, actually." He half-turned. "I'll buy you a soda. Or they make excellent smoothies. And I'll point out all the stars having lunch."

I had no intention of walking nude out of the building, but that intrigued me. "Will there be stars at the cafeteria?"

"I don't know what movies they're shooting, but lots of TV shows. They all break for lunch around this time." He looked at me, hanging onto his words, and tried to remember. "There's The Awful Neighbors, the romcom. And Ladder 56, the firefighters…"

"Ooh, with Jared Hillier!" I said excitedly. "I loved him in The Quinn Ranch. Westerns are my favorites."

"Yeah, well, that wound up. Jared killed everyone by the end of season six."

I laughed. Like all Westerns, there was a lot of gunfighting in the show, and Hillier was the fastest gun in the West. "Who else is shooting here?"

"The reality show — Storm. But those guys don't come out at all." Olivier looked at me. "Do you like Denny Daelen?"

"Umm, not so much," I said, and Olivier let out a long breath. "I take it you don't like her, either."

"She's a terror!" he said with feeling. "She was here last week, shooting for something. She does mainly guest appearances on shows these days. Oh, and Kurt Rickmond is on stage 7."

I looked at him, conflicted. "Suppose I got dressed to go with you and got undressed as soon's we got back…"

"No, sorry, Verity." Olivier shook his head regretfully. "Look, let's forget it. I'll bring you back a soda or whatever you want."

But I was starstruck. "Would it really be all right to go to the cafeteria like this?" I looked down at my huge boobs and the trimmed dark pubic hair I could see between them. "I mean…"

"Yeah, it's fine," he said. "Like I said, people working here have seen worse."

Olivier was wrong and right. No, people working at Xtreme Studios were not completely used to nude women walking down the street. The street was inside the studio walls, and no vehicles were allowed, except for those transporting studio equipment. We walked along the pedestrian-only street, and I tried to ignore the dozen other people walking with us who were openly staring at my nude body. On the other hand, no one catcalled or complained.

"Oh, hi, Jared," I heard Olivier say, and looked up to see Mintner approaching us. He, too, looked astonished to see me nude outside our soundstage. "Where have you been?"

Mintner waved his hand in the general direction he had come from. "Just making sure the ARRI gets to our set on time. We need to start shooting the movie." He looked quizzically at me. "Where are you people off to?"

"Just going up to the cafeteria," Olivier answered for me. "Verity was dying of thirst. Join us?"

Mintner turned and fell into step with us. The cafeteria was only a few steps away, and Olivier led the way up the stairs. I was hoping for a closed, dark place, but it was on a rooftop. I knew my body would be brilliantly lit and attract attention all through our stay here.

We found a table, and Edgar took our orders up to the counter. I noticed people glancing at me and whispering, but tried to ignore them. I was a working actress under orders from my director. Yeah!

"I'll pay you as soon as I get to my purse," I said to Mintner, who nodded and smiled.

"You should pay for her smoothie, cheapskate," said Olivier. "Your hot lights have dehydrated everyone. Why do you use them, anyway?"

"My camera only syncs at 125, and movement from the actors causes motion artifacts," Mintner said, looking at the table. "Continuous lights eliminate that problem." He stopped as our server arrived and placed three drinks and a plate of fries on the table. "I only got one order of fries because I know models never eat them." He smirked at me.

"Surprise," I said, grabbing a fistful of the fries. "I'm s'posed to put on ten pounds in the next two weeks for part two of this shoot. Didn't you know?" Always a pleasure to wipe a smirk off a face.

"It'll be tough to get back to this shape," said Olivier, and he almost seemed sorry for me. "Lots of dieting and exercise."

"Yeah, I guess," I said. "But I'm not thinking of that now. I'm looking forward to two weeks of sinful indulgence." We ate and drank in companionable silence for a minute.

"Your working style is very different from what I imagined," I said to Mintner. "I mean, we see these videos with photographers walking around the model with their cameras, getting up on stepladders, going down on the floor. You shoot from a fixed place only."

"I have a medium format camera," he explained. "Absolutely fantastic image quality, but the body alone is three and a half pounds, and the lens almost as much." He grinned. "Imagine seeing a great shot on the camera screen and telling the model she can get dressed and go home, and then finding on the computer that the image has camera shake and is unusable."

"I see," I said. "I get shaken images with even my camera phone."

"Oh, that must be indoors or at night," said Mintner. "The phone uses a longer exposure to get the picture, but shake can happen."

The fries were finished, and so was my smoothie. Olivier had carried my water bottle and filled it at the water fountain. As we got up, I saw the place had filled up, and we would have to pass through closely-placed occupied tables.

"What're you shooting for?" A woman in a bright pink turban stopped me to ask. "Some reality show?"

"No, it's an ad," I answered, disengaging my hand from hers. "Sorry, I can't disclose the product."

"Why did they send you out bare-assed for lunch?" asked two grinning older men at the next table. "Aiming for publicity?"

"Took an hour for the strap and panties marks to fade from her skin in the morning," said Mintner. "Don't want to hang around again after lunch."

People at Xtreme studios weren't used to nude women walking around, I understood. But they weren't shocked by it. They didn't stand and let their jaws drop — they talked to the nude woman and tried to get answers.

Walking back to our soundstage, we had to wait to cross the road because a vehicle was approaching. It was an electric two-seater cart driven by a youngster in Xtreme Studios uniform, and we wondered who got car privileges. As the car stopped and the door opened, my heart seemed to stop.

"It's Jared Hillier," I heard myself whisper. "Oh, my God!"

I forgot everything and rushed forward. "Mr. Hillier! Mr. Hillier! Oh, I'm so happy to meet you!" Hillier, dressed in a fireman's uniform, looked dumbfounded as I approached him. "Oh, can I have an autograph or a selfie with you, please?"

I looked at myself helplessly, realizing I had no pockets to pull a pen out of. I was also naked, so any selfie I got couldn't be shown to anyone. Oh, what terrible luck!

Hillier had recovered from the shock of being approached by a raving, completely nude woman on the street. "I'm working right now, little lady. But I'd surely admire to take you to yonder saloon after five and give you an autograph." The strong Texan accent made me swoon, and I saw Olivier roll his eyes.

"Uh, Mr. Hillier," he said, deferentially. "You're a Chicago fireman today."

"Oh, yaas," said Hillier, slapping his forehead. He turned to me and spoke in a much more normal voice. "I keep defaulting to the Wild West."

"That was my favorite show," I said, grinning like a blockhead. "I've seen every episode three times already!"

"So what are you fine people working on today?" he asked. I stood there with my mouth open, wondering what to say. "Are you an actress?"

I could see he found it hard to believe, looking at my oversized breasts and thighs. "I'm shooting for a weight-loss product," I said, quickly. "Today shooting the before segment." Hillier's face cleared, and he nodded. I hoped Mintner and Olivier wouldn't reveal my lie.

"We're shooting on stage 11, just across from you," said Mintner. "This is Verity Callahan, a model."

"Well, pleased to meet y'all," said the star, and the return to Texas made my knees go weak. He smiled at me. "I'll try and look in if we finish on time."

I floated across the road, and Mintner and Olivier made sure I didn't bump into too many things on the way to our set. Keating and Emma seemed to have had lunch while reviewing the pictures and were just disposing of tissues and a box. Brent sent word that he would be on set in ten minutes, and Olivier took the opportunity to take me to our makeup room.

Repairing my face took only a few minutes, and I retrieved my phone to call Jonathan.

"Hi, babe." His voice came over the phone, and I felt a smile coming on. "How's it going in movieland?"

"We should be finished today," I said. "Anthony is flying out tomorrow, and we'll be meeting the agency creatives to finalize the media plan."

"So you'll fly back tomorrow, as planned?"

"Yep, I'm almost sure of that." I took a deep breath. "Guess who I met just now?"

"Picasso?"

"Dumbass! It isn't that kind of studio."

Jonathan laughed. "Well, some actor, I guess. Who was it?"

"Jared Hillier!"

"Wow! You've watched that Western series of his on non-stop repeat this whole year."

"Yeah, so we were returning from lunch, and he stepped out of his car. It was just so amazing!"

"Did he give you an autograph?"

I debated with myself about telling my husband I had been completely nude when meeting the star. I won the debate. "No, I didn't have a pen, but he invited me to have coffee after work!"

"Where are you going with him?" 

I heard the concern in Jonathan's voice and reassured him. "Oh, I doubt it was serious. He's shooting that firefighter show. But he mentioned a place right here in the studio."

"Well, if he does turn up, go and enjoy."

"Really?" That was one of the reasons I loved him so much – he wasn't jealous or over-possessive.

"Sure. You won't get into trouble in a studio cafeteria." He chuckled. "I like the fellow, too. He's got the rep of being a decent man. Give him a kiss from me."

"Huh?" I wasn't sure I heard right. "I can kiss him?"

"Just once. And be sure to tell him who it's from."

"That'll weird him out!" I giggled. "Being kissed by a woman and then told it was from her husband. He'll probably run."

"Well, you don't want to bring him home, do you?"

Olivier was making signs from the door, so I said bye and put the phone away. Smiling to myself, I returned to the set. Brent appeared a few moments later, and I guessed he'd been waiting for me to come on the set first. He had the star behavior down; now he just needed to become one.

The afternoon was a repeat of the morning, with a different camera on Mintner's tripod. The movie camera didn't make staccato sounds; in fact, it was eerily silent. Brent and I performed the same movements but made the effort to enunciate our lines clearly.

Things were different for the dog. For the stills, he was put in position by his owner and told to Stay, which he did perfectly. For the movie, he was expected to stand up on his hind legs, sit, and woof at appropriate moments, which was considerably more challenging to get right. Brent and I had perfected our moves in the morning, but we had to do them over and over again because the mutt's timing was off.

It was almost four by the time a frazzled Keating called a halt to the retakes. "I think the last one was all right. Let Emma and me just look at it one more time." He joined Emma at the laptop while I sank into the chair Olivier kept for me.

"Tough working with animals," he said. "Always. Even the best-trained dog can't be expected to get its timing and actions just right." He looked at me with commiseration. "Poor you, Verity. Been a tough day for you. Tiring to do so many retakes."

"It was good, mostly, Olivier," I said. "You've been a rock. Always there for me, above and beyond your job. Thank you very much!"

"Uh, you're welcome." He looked at the people clustered around the laptop. "They look rather happy with the footage. You might be able to get dressed soon."

"Oh, I hope so," I said fervently. "It's been hours! And this scene will be a quarter of the 30-second ad."

"True," said Olivier. He looked at my nude body for a moment before speaking again. "I remember an interview with a top actress. She said that when you see a two-minute nude scene, the actress has probably spent a day naked on the set."

"I think we're done, people," said Keating loudly. "But hang around for a bit while we project the footage in the preview … who's that? Oh, my!"

I covered my breasts instinctively, thinking strangers were entering. But it wasn't a stranger at all.

"Mr. Hillier!" said Keating. "Welcome to our set. What an honor!"

Hillier strode up to Keating and shook his hand. Nodding to Emma and Mintner, he went on, "I'm looking for Verity Callahan."

There was a stunned silence on the set. I was standing behind Olivier, trying to hide my nude body from whoever had entered. The crew didn't know whether to point me out or give me a chance to get dressed.

"Ah, there you are!" Hillier located me himself by looking around. "I promised you a selfie and a coffee. My director has given us a 15-minute break. You free?"

I looked at Emma. She looked conflicted for a moment, then nodded. Thrilled, I turned to Hillier. "I just need a couple minutes…"

"Ah, I've already used up two of my fifteen minutes," he said. "We're just going to the Rooftop and back. Then you can continue what you were shooting."

I was in a predicament. If I rushed to the makeup room to get dressed, the star wouldn't wait outside for me. But could I go out with him for a coffee totally naked? In the end, Olivier helped make the decision.

"Opportunity doesn't knock twice, Verity," he murmured. Giving him a grateful glance, I took off after Hillier, who was already at the door of the soundstage.

The young man wearing the studio uniform was holding the car door open for Hillier. However, Hillier seated me in the passenger seat and got behind the wheel himself. He made a telephone sign to the young man, who nodded vigorously.

"I'm glad you came, Verity," he said, after we were on our way. "Do your friends call you that?"

"No, Vera," I said, feeling an irrational delight at his wanting to know. "I hope you will call me that."

"Of course, Vera," he said, trying to speed up the electric cart. "This thing has a very low speed."

"Uh, Mr. Hillier," I said. "The cafeteria is the other way."

"Jared, please, Vera," he said. "Call me Jared. We're not going to the cafeteria — too crowded at this time. You'd be swamped with attention." He smiled, and it was a nice smile. "We're going to The Rooftop, a cafe at the end of this street."

The car moved along sedately. Since this street was pedestrian-only, it drew attention and the dozens of people walking on it all saw us. There was much laughter and pointing and I knew people were trying to get pictures. I wished Hillier had turned up in a car with dark windows. Or I'd been dressed by the time he came. Or…

Forget it, a small voice said inside me. You're going for coffee with Jared Hillier! Ignore everything else and relish it. I turned to his strong, handsome profile and tried to shut the rest of the world out.

Hillier's stardom was effortless and effective. He didn't have to throw his weight around or make demands. His arrival had been phoned in, and the cafe's manager and a server were waiting as we reached the cafe. The server took the cart away to park it, and the manager led us up the back stairs to the cafe.

The Rooftop, as the name suggested, was a cafe up two flights of stairs with a landing. The manager led us to a couch which had a low table before it and bowed. "Please be seated, Mr. Hillier, Madam."

There was no menu and no waiting. The cafe had been expecting the star and knew what to serve. Our server appeared in a minute with two beautiful cups and a bowl of sugar cubes. He was disconcerted for a minute at seeing a nude woman sitting next to Hillier on the couch, but recovered well and placed our cups carefully before us.

 "Enjoy, Sir," he said, and left. I noticed that we had been seated around a corner from the main part of the cafe. I could hear the murmur of voices, but no other table was visible. Stars got privacy.

I closed my eyes for a minute. I was sitting next to Jared Hillier on a couch and having coffee. Yippee!

Opening my eyes, I saw Hillier looking quizzically at me. "You all right, Vera?"

"More than all right," I said, grinning. "It was so nice of you to remember and come for me."

"You're rather hard to forget," he said, smiling that nice smile of his. I cringed, remembering how I jumped at him stark naked in the middle of the street. "And I'm happy to meet you. I'm sure you're a future star."

"That's nice of you," I said, nervously. "I hope so, Jared." I waved my hand in a non-committal gesture.

"That's a nice rock you have," he said as he saw the ring on my finger.

"Oh, yes," I said, distracted. "I must return it. It's fake, but still…"

"Ah, studio property?" he said, and I nodded. "Great. And do you have one of your own?"

"Yes, I do," I said. "It's in my bag. I'll put it on and…" I trailed off.

"Hmm," he said. "And does your husband know about this?" he gestured to the cafe.

"He knows you offered to take me for coffee," I said.

"So what did he say when you told him?" Hillier asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He said I should take up the offer and enjoy myself." I went on after a moment. "He said a cafeteria on the studio campus would be all right."

"And this?" Hillier looked up and down my nude body.

I blushed. "He doesn't know I'm hanging out nude with you. Yet."

"Ah, so tell him?" He smiled as I nodded. "And what else did he say you could do?"

"He gave me permission to kiss you once." There. I'd found the words for it not to sound weird.

"Ha ha ha," Hillier guffawed. "He must love and trust you very much."

"That he does," I said. I wished Hillier would stop talking about Jonathan. I added a cube to my coffee and stirred it. "Do you like sugar?"

"Two, please," he said, and let me stir for him. I shivered as a gust of cold air came over the terrace. He put an arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer.

"You must be cold," he murmured. "Drink your coffee while it's hot."

I nodded obediently and sipped from my cup. The wind was a bit chilly, and I hoped I would get my clothes before it became really cold. I looked at Jared, snug in his fireman uniform and wondered how it would feel to wear it. After half the day without any cover for my body, I'd probably welcome a blanket.

"Have you done nude scenes before?" Hillier asked. We were sitting really close on the small couch, but he didn't seem keen to take advantage of the one kiss permission.

"My first time," I said honestly. "I have to do another after two weeks, for the second part of this commercial."

"Maybe we will meet again, then, Vera," he said, and his words and smile had my heart turning somersaults. "It was a delight sharing these moments with you."

His cup was empty, and I understood our coffee date was over. Rising, he walked briskly toward the stairs, and I followed. As I got to the head of the stairs, I saw him waiting on the landing between the two flights.

I reached the landing, and Hillier moved into me. Putting his arms around me, he bent over me. I was slow to react, but managed to get my face up as his lips came down on mine.

Well, the kiss didn't melt my heart and brain and send them in a fluid mess through the soles of my bare feet. It was a kiss like any other kiss, but it was special because it was Jared Hillier. I revelled in my closeness to him, the feel of his lips on mine, and the sensation of his muscular arms pulling my naked body against him.

His fireman uniform felt rough on my bare skin, and I later found that one of his metal buttons had scratched my breast. None of it seemed to matter as he pulled my lower lip into his mouth and sucked it gently. My heart didn't melt, but my legs did, and Hillier had to hold me up.

Then it was over, and he stood me upright, waited for me to get my balance, and stepped back. "Wasn't going to let the permission go to waste, Vera. Gotta be mindful of CCTV cameras and telephoto lenses — they're everywhere."

I now understood why he'd avoided getting close and personal earlier. He had to guard against intimate moments being captured and made viral. This landing had no windows, and there were no obvious cameras on the stairs.

"Sorry to rush you," he said as we walked down the second flight of stairs. "But my time is over, and I have to rush back to work."

He was all busy star now and I hoped he would drop me back to my soundstage. It had been a great quarter of an hour, I reflected, as I followed him out of the building. The cafe staff had fetched the electric cart and had it waiting for us.

"Hola, Verity," I heard, and turning, I saw Keating and Emma standing to one side. "We thought we'd have some coffee too."

"Oh, you guys are here?" Hillier was happy to see them. "Good, good. Please take care of Vera from here. I gotta rush." He started the cart and moved off with a wave to all of us.

"Well!" said Keating. "That was cold! Just left you standing. He was going that way, anyway."

"Didn't want to be seen with Verity, probably," said Emma, reasonably. "The gossip sites are always looking for content. "

"Yes, but…" Keating broke off. "Now what? It's only a half mile to our soundstage, but," he waved his hand up and down my naked body, "Verity is naked."

"Shall we go up and have coffee?" I said. I didn't want to. Without Hillier's star power, we'd be sitting in the open section, and I'd had enough of being ogled and accosted at the cafeteria.

"Nah, that was just an excuse," said Emma dismissively. "We came along in case he bailed on you." She shrugged. "Stars, you know."

I stared at them, touched. "That's so…" I had to stop, overcome. "That is extraordinary of you people. I…I don't know what to say. Thank you!"

"You're welcome, honey." Emma came close and hugged me, and her dress was smooth against my skin. She smiled as she stepped away from me. "Wish we had your clothes."

"That would have been nice," I said longingly. "Are they in the makeup room?"

"No," said Keating. "They're with Olivier and Mintner. We didn't know where you were, so they went to the cafeteria." I was stunned into silence. "Say, Emma, are we really walking Verity down the street? It's half a mile and …"

"And I'm nude." I finished for him. "It's my own silly fault. I was fan-girling over Hillier, and I rushed out without my clothes." I shook my head slowly. "I can walk half a mile. It's all right."

"Yeah, it's a good street for walking," said Emma, encouragingly. "Just be prepared to be photographed. And people will ask for selfies with you."

"I guess so," I said glumly. Already, I had seen several phones pointed at me. "Can't be helped, I s'pose. Do you think people took pictures of Hillier with me?

"Sure to have," said Keating cheerfully. "They'll start showing up on gossip sites and forums soon. A major television star taking a nude woman to a cafe? Too juicy!"

I looked at him in horror. I must tell Jonathan about this as soon as possible, before he learned of it through the net. Emma started walking toward our soundstage, and Keating and I fell into step with her.