25 Rush

'Just who is the guy I picked up the other night?'

Fil flinched when Dustin suddenly clapped. 

"Alright…" Dustin hummed, narrowing his eyes, scanning her from head to toe. After several seconds, Fil felt like covering her chest or her fallen lady. She was still in her pajamas, for goodness' sake. 

'Oh…' Fil's jaw dropped, realizing she was in her pajamas meeting a respectable designer slash stylist and Kim Rock. 'Please ground, swallow me whole now.'

"Got it!" At the same time, Dustin smiled from ear to ear. He then clapped three times, eyes still on Fil. "My little worker bees, time to work. Take her. Chop chop!"

"What?" Fil gasped in horror when a few people setting up the rack of clothes suddenly advanced in her direction. This felt like deja vu — just like her dream last night. She froze when a few pairs of hands held her shoulders.

"Wait…" Fil looked from her left to right in horror. "I — help!"

"Yes, hun. We're helping." Dustin chuckled as he marched to a rack of clothes to the side, sliding his finger from point to point. "Let her try all of this edition first."

Without saying a word, two personnel wheel the entire rack to where they took Fil. And that marked the tedious mix-and-match process. Dustin, on the other hand, busily picked some dresses in the next rack, making pairs of what could suit Fil's body type, complexion, and face.

"Can I undress without everyone's eyes on me?!" Behind the rack, Fil's panicked voice resonated. "Please?!"

Dustin paused and instinctively glanced in Jackson's direction. Jackson was feigning ignorance, reading a magazine upside down. 

"Give her some privacy," Dustin yelled, words that were almost nonexistent in his vocabulary. "Miss Fil, please finish each piece every two minutes. You have a ton of clothes to try on. I don't want us to finish at midnight."

Fil's mouth fell open, glancing at the rack of clothes surrounding her. That was the only partition she had and this whole body mirror in front of her. 

"Oh, god…" she whispered in horror. "Don't tell me I would try out all these clothes?"

The amount of clothes in this penthouse could be equal to two boutiques' inventory. Even someone who loved fashion would find this dreadful. Fil shook her head, looking at herself in the mirror and nodding in determination. 

'Fine.' she mentally huffed. 'Let's do this!'

Determined to get the job done, Fil tried on the first piece they gave to her. It was a fitted sequence dress. Fil already thought she was thin with her unhealthy living habits. However, this dress was even smaller, especially in the bosom part. 

"Two minutes up!" 

Fil jolted as her complexion turned pale, tugging the dress's hem in a hurry. In a matter of seconds, the rack of clothes was pulled apart, revealing her to Dustin, who was waiting from the other side. 

'Oh, god.' Fil pulled down her dress one more time. 'Why is this so short too?! It is almost showing my underwear!'

Dustin squinted his eyes, rubbing his chin as he assessed Fil from up and down. "You're thin, almost just as malnourished as my models. But you have surprisingly healthy boobs and very plump buttocks."

'I feel… naked.'

"Give these to her." Dustin tossed a pair of stilettos to someone nearby, marching to the desk full of accessories. He quickly ran his finger along the surface, taking out pieces of jewelry and then throwing them at another person. "These too."

Fil watched the two women approach her with the pieces Dustin tossed to them. One kindly squatted down, taking her foot after asking Fil's permission. The other one was putting on the pieces of jewelry: a bangle, necklace, and gigantic earrings.

Fil just stood there like a mannequin, letting these people take control over her life.

"Oh, that's nice." Dustin nodded in approval. "What do you think, Jack?"

Fil instinctively peeked in Jackson's direction. He had this inexplicably plain look plastered on his face. Without saying a word, Jackson put down the magazine and slid his hand inside his suit. Fil furrowed her brows, watching him raise his phone, and it flashed. 

"I guess he liked it." Dustin smiled in satisfaction. "Next piece!" 

"Uh…" Fil felt a pair of hands on her back, pushing her back behind the rack. And then someone held her arm, positioning it in a hooking position as they put on another set of clothes on them. In no time, the racks of clothes were pushed clothes, giving her privacy for another two minutes. 

'Oh, god…' Fil felt her knees wobble but then gazed at herself in the mirror. For a moment, she blanked as she saw her reflection. Earlier, she was so busy trying on the clothes in under two minutes that she didn't have time to look at herself. 

But now, looking at the full-body mirror, Fil was rendered speechless. 

The dress was pretty, highlighting the curves of her body. Yet, the piece itself didn't make her look cheap. If anything, she looked sophisticated. It made her look completely different from the usual clothes in her wardrobe.

"Oh," she muttered. "It's pretty."

"Fil, honey, you only got one minute to try those on. If you're not finished, then my beloved bees will have to help you with the rest."

Fil snapped back to the current lapse upon hearing Dustin's voice from the other side. Fil might not be too interested in fashion shows or things in the industry, but she knew a thing or two. For instance, Dustin worked with models who wouldn't mind having a change of clothes in front of many people. These people were used to it, but Fil wasn't. 

With that thought in mind, Fil quickly removed the dress and put on the other one. She even forgot to breathe for a few seconds, knowing these racks would open again. She wasn't ready to stand in front of many people naked. Having one — Jackson — see what was underneath these fabrics was already too much to bear. 

"Time's up!" 

As soon as those words rolled out of Dustin's throat, the rack of clothes parted once more. Fil patted her chest, sighing in relief as she finished before they could even fully wheel the rack open. Just like the first, Dustin tossed a few more pieces to add more glamour to an already glamorous dress. 

Jackson, on the other hand, kept spamming the capture button as if he were some sort of paparazzi. The only odd about it was that he didn't show any expression at all. He almost made her wonder if this was his way of blinding her as the camera kept flashing.

For the next few hours, Fil would have to do this. Changed from one dress to another pair of clothes, had some people style her, and ignored Jackson as he took photos of her even when he was lazily lying down on the couch. After an hour or so, she eventually got comfortable with the routine and found the excitement and anticipation of what sort of look each piece would give her.