Sun, Sea, and the Princeton Brothers – Part 2

It was an hour and a half later when Sakura, the Princeton brothers, and the Suzuki siblings arrived at work. Today, instead of the hotel, the crew was based in a large, two-story bungalow near the beach. Jane met them at the door, and after briefing them on the schedule for the day, she directed them to the male and female makeup rooms, which were downstairs and upstairs respectively.

Tristan said, “Looks like there won’t be any pests sneaking upstairs for a bite of the forbidden apple today.”

This was followed by a merry chuckle from everyone, except Sakura, who was blushing, and Sebastian and Darcy, who were frowning.

As they climbed the stairs, Akira happened to glance down and chuckled with amusement. “Don’t look down now. What you see might scare you.”

Sakura was confused. “What?”

Because she was curious as to what her friend meant, she did indeed look down as they were about to reach the landing. What she saw made her blush. The brothers were watching them, and she wondered why. Logan even waved at her.

“What are they doing?” she muttered to herself.

Akira said, “They seemed awfully attached to you today, Sakura. In the van, they seemed particularly attentive. I wonder what’s going on.”

As they headed toward the bedroom that temporarily served as the ladies’ makeup room, Sakura thought she knew exactly what was going on. It probably had something to do with them telling her she could rely on them as her adopted brothers. Of course, their very attentive attitudes pleased her.

So one of her childhood wishes had eventually come true, after all, her yearning to truly become a part of the Princeton family, to have brothers who loved her unconditionally, whom she could rely on in times of need.

She smiled as she and Akira entered the room.

“You seem awfully happy today, Sakura,” Kay said with a chuckle. “Did something good happen?”

Sakura shook her head. “No, it’s nothing. And good morning, Kay.” She turned to the other three. “Jenny. Lena. Keri.”

The women returned the greeting. “Morning, Sakura. Akira.”

Akira waved. “Morning, all.”

Sakura took a seat as she eyed the two empty chairs across the room. Kay noticed and said, “Tara and Alaina aren’t here yet.”

Lena said, “I bet Tara was probably out drinking late last night and has a huge hangover right now.”

Talking about Tara and Alaina made Sakura wonder again what kind of friendship those two currently had. Were they even friends at all? Especially after what she had witnessed yesterday.

Sakura already had her makeup and hair done when Alaina walked through the door. As the woman silently came to sit down, Sakura couldn’t help but notice the girl’s puffy eyes.

Has she been crying?

“Wardrobe time,” Jane announced some twenty minutes later.

Kay said, “We’re done with Sakura. You can have her.”

“And where’s Tara, Jane? She’s two hours late,” Lena said.

“She just phoned that she’ll be here soon.” Jane rolled her eyes. “Typical of her to be this late.” Turning her attention to Sakura, she said, “You’re first. Let’s go.”

Sakura nodded and rushed over to Jane.

Some fifteen minutes later, in another bedroom that served as the wardrobe room, Sakura stared at herself in the mirror, her eyes wide in surprise.

“Wow!” Jane uttered with delight. “You look beautiful, Sakura. That swimsuit really suits you.”

Sakura nodded. She had to admit that the swimsuit—perfectly formfitting, black and red, with various crystals and beads carefully sewn onto the fabric—suited her. She assumed the design was inspired by the 1950s, with the sweetheart top and string tied into a bow at the back of her neck. Not to mention the piece was less showy than the lingerie she’d worn yesterday, which pleased her.

With her long hair French braided and stylishly decorated with small Hawaiian frangipani flowers, the dangling earrings on her ears, necklace around her neck, and bangles around her wrists, she looked stunning. Very stylish and beachy indeed.

“Shall we go?” Jane asked.

Sakura nodded in the affirmative, and after Jane helped her wrap a thin silky robe around her, they headed out the door.

“Wow!” Sakura said as they came outside. “It’s hot today, isn’t it?” She shielded her eyes against the sunlight.

Jane nodded. “It is. I better make sure there’s enough water for everyone.”

Sakura agreed. “Don’t want anyone to get dehydrated, do we?” She chuckled.

Even wearing the wedge sandals, Sakura could still feel the hot sand brushing against her feet as she made her way toward the shooting location, which was currently on the edge of the beach below the sea cliff. Once she was close, she noted there was a hive of activity.

Mr. Tachibana was busy talking to Nicolas and Sosuke, no doubt giving them instructions on the poses he wanted. Sakura noted that both Nicolas and Sosuke wore casual beachwear of pale pants, flimsy shirts left open in the front to show off the men’s hot bodies, and of course, summer fedoras. Meanwhile, Ms. Ruka was directing the staff on where things should go, and Jason was talking to the other Princeton brothers.

Conrad waved the moment he saw them. “Sakura.”

Sakura waved back. “Hey.”

Mr. Tachibana turned at the sound of her voice and called out, “Over here, Sakura.”

She and Jane headed over to him as the brothers watched.

“Are you ready?” Mr. Tachibana asked.

Ignoring the brothers’ gazes, Sakura nodded. The designer briefed her on what he wanted in the photo shoot. Then the work began, and Sakura found herself standing between Nicolas and Sosuke. With his camera, Jason stood before her, and the sea and blue sky served as the backdrop.

“Put your hands around Nicolas’s shoulders, Sakura,” Mr. Tachibana instructed.

Sakura did as she was directed and then raised her face just a little toward the sunlight.

Click, click, click.

God, it was hot today, and it was only nine in the morning. Sakura eyed Sebastian and Darcy, who were watching them from a distance, and instantly, her stomach flipped. The sight of them reminded her of her tasked confession coming that night, which made her nervous all over again.

Nicolas, seeing her worried expression, asked, “You okay?”

Sakura flicked her eyes to the eldest Princeton brother and brushed aside his concern. “I’m fine.”

“Now turn around and put your arms around Sosuke,” Mr. Tachibana said.

Sakura turned and moved toward Sosuke, who gave her a handsome smile and put one hand around her waist. “You look beautiful, Sakura.”

She returned a smile as she said, “Thanks.”

Click, click, click.

The photo shoot continued for another half hour, and all the while, Sakura felt so hot she thought she might faint if she didn’t get a drink of water soon.

Once Jason said, “Done,” she sighed with relief.

Jane rushed over and handed her a bottle of water.

“Thanks, Jane. You’re a godsend.”

“No worries,” Jane said, chuckling.

Sakura took a hearty drink, then smiled with satisfaction.

“Look. Akira is here,” Jane said.

Sakura watched as Akira emerged and rushed over to where Mr. Tachibana stood waiting, along with Nicolas and Sosuke, who were her co-models for this session.

Jane said, “No time to waste, Sakura. You need to change for your next one.”

Sakura nodded as she noted that Tristan and Logan were heading toward the bungalow as well. She assumed they were going to get changed for their next session, which was with her in the subsequent hour.

Her shoot with Tristan and Logan went smoothly, the trio posing so perfectly per Mr. Tachibana’s instructions that the man was extremely pleased and couldn’t stop grinning. Sakura, on the other hand, was so concentrated on what she was doing, posing and determined to make the photos come out good, that she wasn’t paying attention to her surroundings. Apart from the crew, the Princeton brothers and some of the hotel staff watching them, there were now other people as well—tourists, vacationers, and beach goers who happened to stop by and were simply enjoying the show.

When Sakura finally noticed, she blushed profusely. Suddenly, there she was the center of so much attention and wearing a sexy bikini that showed off her slender body, her long hair braided with decorations of frangipani flowers. Not to mention two hot men were on either side of her, holding her intimately.

Click, click, click, the camera went, and Sakura tried not to pay attention to the crowd.

Sebastian said, “It’s getting too crowded.”

“Where did they all come from?” Darcy asked no one in particular, his eyes scanning the beach and the people around them.

Nicolas said, “Like moths to a flame.”

“It’s just a photo shoot,” Conrad said. “What do they find so interesting?”

“What do you find about this photo shoot that’s interesting, Conrad? Why are you watching?” Hayden asked.

Conrad replied without batting an eye. “Sakura.”

“Correct,” Hayden said. “Sakura.”

Hayden’s meaning dawned on him, and Conrad frowned. A moment later, the brothers watched as Conrad went to talk to one of the crew. When he returned, he smiled. “That should do it.”

It wasn’t long before the staff began talking to the spectators, and a few moments later, they started leaving.

Sebastian chuckled. “Good one, Conrad.”

He nodded. “Thanks.”

Sakura relaxed once she noticed the crowd dissipating, and soon, Jason said, “That’s it. Well done, guys.”

“That went far too quick,” Logan said.

Sakura thought Logan must have been enjoying working as a model. He’d said the same thing yesterday, if she remembered rightly.

“Agreed,” Tristan said. Then he turned his attention to Sakura. “And what about you? Do you find that it goes far too quick for you as well, princess darling?”

Sakura shook her head. “The crowd frightened me a bit,” she admitted. “But I felt better when they left.”

“Ah,” Tristan said, “that was Conrad’s doing.”

Logan nodded. “I saw him talking to the staff.”

Sakura saw it, too, and thought maybe she should thank him for it.

She was just walking toward the man when she felt a cold shiver pass through her body. She frowned, thoughtful. Why did she suddenly feel cold when they were at the beach with the heat of the sun beating down on them?

Curiously, she scanned her surroundings. Of course, there was nothing out of the ordinary, but…

“What’s the matter?” Sebastian asked, which surprised her. She didn’t know he was near her, along with Darcy and Conrad.

Sakura turned her attention to Sebastian and said, “Err… Nothing.” She was glancing into the distance again, curious as to why she felt she was being watched.

Darcy noticed her frightened expression and said, “Let’s get you inside.”