Practice Makes Perfect (kckolbe x Your Little Project)

[Your Little Project]

Kacey's heart just wouldn't stop racing. Perched at the edge of her seat in the back of a taxi, her slender frame leaned against the door as she peered out the tinted window. New York. The city was a swirling mass of lights, towers, and people. At every light the sounds of strangers shouting and police whistles wailing to direct traffic filled the cabin of the vehicle. What a difference from her small-town home in Idaho. Potato farms didn't attract quite the same amount of likes on Instagram as sky scrapers. It was her desperate desire for a larger internet presence that had drawn her to the city, and lucky for her, she had an in.

Her father. A man that she saw a few times a year for signifigant holidays, but also a man that she'd really never got to know due to a divorce from her toddler years. At the age of seventeen, that was quite a lengthy amount of time to adjust to separated parents. Sure, happy birthday's were always sent, and if they never met for Christmas some sort of nicknack was always mailed his way, but nothing of real substance had transpired between them through her childhood. In fact, she was rather surprised over just how giving he was. With little more than a few texts and a brief phone call, he'd purchased her a flight to the city with little more than the understanding of "she had something important to tell him." It all felt unreal. Unlocking her phone, she scrolled through their texts. Twelve. There were twelve lines between the both of them that got her here. Hell, she didn't even know his address until she had to hail a cab.

In an attempt to bolden her pending announcement, the moment she landed and grabbed her over-stuffed carry on, Kacey decided to dress herself up and "put on her face" in the public restroom. She worked wonders with a discount eyeshadow palette from the local pharmacy store. A bold cat eye liner, a dusky smoked eye, and deep red lipstick emphasized her features against her fair skin. She never needed much concealer, allowing the field of freckles to dapple her cheeks in an unhindered fashion. She slipped into her perfect black dress. It was perfect because the material refused to wrinkle, it was dryer friendly, and it really made her ass look great. Put together, Kacey didn't seem to mind the stares the strangers moving in and out of the bathroom sent her way as she dressed. Taking a final look over herself, she pondered as to wether she came off a bit too club-like to be showing up at her father's home. A final look at her rear dissuaded any concerns.

The taxi squealed to a halt. Heart still a flutter, she nearly forgot to pay the man as she opened the door and made a move to exit. Bag awkwardly slung over her shoulder, the driver gave her one last look before pulling off in search of his next customer. Seconds? Minutes? How long did she stand on the street, phone in hand, questioning everything? The grasp on her phone wavered as she read through their chat once more.

"Text me when you're here. The doorbell isn't very reliable."

Inhaling deeply, she tapped a response. "I made it! The cab driver was quicker than I thought!" Attempting to drown out awkwardness, the text was followed by several emojis. The sound of a cat call drew her form her phone, her bright hazel eyes turning to find the source. It was a man across the street. He seemed normal; slacks, polo. Nervously, she waved only to observe as he lifted his fingers in a "V" up against his lips and gestured in a crass manner. Blushing, Kacey quickly turned back around and approached the building in an attempt to look less like a wandering hooker.

 

[kckolbe]

Eric hadn't been the most attentive father since he and Kacey's mom had divorced. In fact, after they moved way the hell out to Idaho, he'd kind of dropped out of her life entirely. He'd called every once in a while, and he'd made an appearance at a funeral two years ago when her grandmother (mom's side, not his) had died, but aside from that, he hadn't really been in her life. He had paid child support, as her mother was far more comfortable with his money being part of her daughter's life than she was with him.

Years removed from it all, he could understand. Eric had been a photographer for pornographic magazines, and hadn't exactly been the greatest man. Back when they were married, he had cheated on her with a young hopeful, which had not only left his now ex-wife with a complete lack of fondness for him, but probably also concerned her about his ability to keep his work life away from his private life and, by extension, his daughter's life. It wasn't an unreasonable concern. It was, technically, an obsolete concern, given that he'd gotten out of that line of work about five or six years ago, but by then he'd already been out of Kacey's life for years and she lived on the other side of the country.

Oh well.

He had always thrown out the standard "if you need anything, don't be afraid to ask." Admittedly, he had been surprised when she had texted him out of the blue to take him up on the offer, but Eric had been the kind of man to take even words said in empty gesture seriously, and he was her father, so he'd said yes. He suspected it had something to do with college. At 17, she was probably interested in living in New York and wanted to check out universities there, or maybe just see the Big City while she still had summers off. The whole thing seemed a bit more sudden than he thought was necessary, but teenagers weren't famous for their skills in long term planning. In the end, he told her he'd pay for the plane ticket and let her stay with him a few days, but that he wouldn't pay for her to go sight-seeing. She had to be a little responsible.

When his phone pulsed, he looked down to see that Kacey was already at the entrance to his apartment building. He lived in a fairly spacious (by New York City standards) one bedroom apartment, something he'd made sure to relay to Kacey when she'd first messaged him about her desire to visit. He had a couch, and she was young enough to get away with sleeping on one. He'd cleaned up a bit, which hadn't taken much work since his apartment had very little in the way of furniture or decoration. Dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, he walked to the door and opened it. Then he stood silently.

He'd seen Kacey many times throughout the years, even within the last year. He knew that she was attractive and had started filling out. He did not know that she could dress like this. "Hi..." he eventually managed. "Plans tonight?"

 

[Your Little Project]

In all honesty, the only thing giving her the strength of will to even attempt making such a blatant statement with her outfit was the fact that they were blood related. After what she was about to propose, there wasn't a chance in hell that her own father would have the heart to kick her out on the sidewalk knowing what she was wearing. Really, no one gave her credit for the subtle manipulation that she was truly capable of. He was at the door quickly and she was thankful for his haste, especially with the knowledge of some weirdo on the street eyeballing her. Sadly, his flat greeting made it a bit difficult to try and smooth things over. Maybe... maybe the dress was too much.

Despite the silence, she managed a genuine smile. Sure, they weren't that close. But this was her Father! Her room was still littered with the various well-framed and professional level photos he'd taken of her through the years whenever they did see each other for holidays. He always knew how to make the best out of a difficult lighting situation. As a child, he was a professional at distracting her into creating gorgeous portraits; it was these skills she hoped to render once more. Maybe he even had a few good contacts to send her in the right direction.

"Well, that's no way to greet your daughter after a long flight and incredibly noxious taxi ride! Seriously, it smelled like a dozen wet dogs in there." Any fear that bubbled deep within her was masked with great skill. Oh, to be a teenage girl. "And no," she offered before making a small nudge at stepping into the apartment. "A friend was having a fancy brunch birthday party, and this was just the nicest thing I could find. She was so mad when I told her I had to leave early!" As a liar, Kacey knew the more details you fed into a story the less plausible things became, but she couldn't seem to stop herself. "Why, you don't like it?" Her lips adopted a delicious pout, hoping to play into her whole "unplanned" scheme.

If he allowed it, she'd be inside now, carelessly dropping her large duffle bag at the side of the couch. Little did he know that she'd shoved literally every cute outfit of worth in there and was hoping to never return. Sure, large amount of her precious trinkets were still gathering dust back in Idaho, but just like Father, there was no way Mother would just throw out her precious girl's belongings.

"Oh! I almost forgot." Kacey whirled back around, turning to her bag and bending over. That dress hugged every curve of her slender frame and strained around her thighs, causing the hem to rise up a few inches and reveal even more smooth skin. It didn't take her long to whip back upright, her lengthy auburn hair spilling over her shoulders and eventually settling back into place. The girl handed him a small box, and the packaging should have looked familiar. It was a gift box of assorted truffles from his favorite local candy shop on their tiny little Main Street from back home. "I figured I should bring you something tasty." Was... was she speaking in nothing but innuendos or was his mind just in a dirty place?

If he lingered or made an attempt not to accept the gift, she'd just waggle it in the air between them, insisting he accept it. After, she tapped in her heels over towards the kitchen. Fingertips at the counter, she leaned back against the cool surface and casually crossed her legs. "You have a nice place..." Oh no, the dreaded small talk. Surely she'd have to bring up why she came all this way soon, right?

 

[kckolbe]

Eric shrugged when she playfully chastised him about his less than enthusiastic greeting. "Fair enough," he allowed, a small grin spreading across his face. "And I don't see any dog hair on you, so it must have just been the air freshener in the car." He stepped aside so she could walk inside the apartment, closing the door behind her in hopes of deterring the "encouraging" yells from across the street, proof that he wasn't the only one who'd noticed the dress.

He listened to her excuse about the brunch party, but he didn't buy it. He didn't know what would make Kacey wear a dress like that, but "birthday party brunch" didn't seem like the answer. He watched her as she walked in, aware that the dress only accented her young curves. When she turned and asked him if he liked it, he made an irritable expression, but then shrugged. "It's a nice dress. I'm surprised your mom let you wear it, though." Kacey's mother wasn't a complete prude, but she did err on the conservative side, at least in Eric's mind.

Having already called attention to her dress, Eric didn't need much encouragement to notice the way her dress hugged her body, and that enouragement was more than provided by the sight of her bending over in front of him. Her ass did look amazing in that dress. "Okay," he admitted, "I can see why you'd want to wear it anyways." He smiled at her as she came back over to him and handed him the box of truffles along with the teasing remark. "Well, none of this is suspicious at all, Kacey."

He accepted the box, idly opening it as he eyed Kacey. She was leaning back, her breasts now protruding prominently. "Thanks," he said to her compliment of the place. "It's not very large, though. Speaking of which, what's the urgent announcement that requires you to share it with me all of a sudden?"

 

[Your Little Project]

The girl was't stupid. The intentional side effect of the outfit was to look attractive regardless of the angle she stood at. She only hoped that it was enough to throw him off guard and more susceptible to the next proposal. Pretending not to hear the comment about mother's approval, her eyes slowly slid from the apartment back to him. Kacey had been planning to dance around the subject of her reason the the visit for at least a few more minutes, but he'd quickly circled back to it. They hadn't held an actual conversation for a while, she'd forgotten how direct he was.

With a sigh she leaned off of the counter and returned back to where he stood. The proximity lent some intimacy, but she wasn't invading any kind of personal zones. "I have to tell you something and ask you a favor, I just think you're the only one in our family that will understand..." To emphasize his importance in all this, her dainty fingers reached for and gently encircled his wrist the best they could. It was a gentle touch, nothing restraining, a simple attempt to make a connection.

"I'm not going back to Idaho." She let that one sink in for a moment or two. Her doe-eyes watched his expression carefully, especially when she was mid-plot reveal. "I was hoping you could help me start my modeling career."

Oh, how typical. Little girl from small town hoping to whisk off to the big city and get famous. Sensing the laugh ability of it all, Kacey unlocked her phone and opened her Instagram profile. "But look, I'm not crazy!" She swiveled the screen in his direction, revealing her account. She had around thirty thousand followers, a fine number for a girl just out of high school. "I can do this Dad, I just need some polishing. You were so good at making me look perfect, I couldn't think of anyone better to ask!"

So there it all was. A girl, an account with an abnormally large number of followers, and a suitcase full of her necessary worldly possessions. If he denied her, she'd likely just grab the bag and walk out to ensure that she wouldn't be escorted back to the airport. Letting it all sink in, a silence settled between the two of them. Rather than ask his permission, she chose to beg.

"Please, Daddy. I need you."

 

[kckolbe]

Eric stood patiently as Kacey slowly made her way over to him, presumably to stall for time. He watched her eyes as she came closer and tried to figure out what she was building toward. The way she built it up, he thought he'd figured it out. She'd had to leave home after getting knocked up by some boy. He nodded, mainly to himself, as she took his hand. When she said she wasn't going back to Idaho, he interjected a soft "mhm," thinking she was about to prove his theory correct. He was quickly shown to be wrong, though. Surprised, his eyebrows jumped up and his nostrils expelled a puff of air. "Modeling."

He took the phone from her after she unlocked it and brought up her profile, scrolling through to look at the pictures she was posting of herself. Surprisingly, they were pretty conservative. Obviously there weren't any nude pictures, but even the most suggestive of them (and most were suggestive) were rarely overly crude, even when the clothing was trashy. It left plenty of questions to be answered, but they were good enough to at least give her a shot. Even he had to admit that she had a nice ass.

"All right," he said at last. "I don't think I'm the best person to ask, for more than one reason, but I'll let you interview for the job. Give me a minute." He walked over to the counter and wrote down some questions on a sheet of paper, then walked over to the couch and sat down. He gestured to a spot on the couch next to him. "Let's do this."

He looked down at his sheet of paper and began reading off, moving to each new question as she answered each one.

"What kind of modeling experience do you have?

What kind of tone do you want to have in your pictures? Casual, sexy, cute, etc...

What is your best feature?

What kind of modeling do you want to do?

What kinds of modeling are you willing to do?

How do you think it would be appropriate to act around your photographer?"

 

[Your Little Project]

While one singular internet profile wouldn't necessarily determine how successful someone would be in a professional role, it certainly confirmed a general reputation. In his daughter's particular case, it was certainly akin to "attractive rural girl." No, she wasn't posting anything explicit such as lingerie or nude photos, but every teenage girl found ways to manipulate the wardrobes their parents provided to attain a certain level of adult-like. A basic tank top worked wonders for a simple outfit and with the help of a friend and some affordable fast fashion, she was churning out unique outfits and posts on a regular weekly basis. No, Kacey didn't share this profile with her mother, but the girl was attempting to keep those sorts of questions and answers out of the conversation.

Rather than face a storm of rage, she was dumbfounded to find him accepting the idea and even humoring her to a degree with an interview. Beaming with pride, she sank next to him onto the couch. Phone on the coffee table, she crossed her legs and leaned in. Perhaps she wasn't looking at the interview in such a serious light due to their blood relation. Rather than puff herself up and attempt a posture of professionalism, she chose instead to lean against his arm with her cheek propped gently against his shoulder. Honestly, Kacey felt like things were going just swimmingly; why worry?

"I dunno, I guess just my online stuff. My friends and I go out into fields to go get-" she paused, realizing that this was still her Father. "To get inspired. When the light is nice we just sort of take turns posing. Mine always get more likes." Ugh, her ego was likely enough to fill the entirety of his apartment. "Because I always go to the same place with the same people, I've always just taken the same kind of pictures. I guess I'd just do whatever suits where I am. After all, isn't a good model supposed to adapt?"

"Oh, my skin is totally my best feature." Perhaps not what most of her followers would have said. "And I'd wanna model anything! Well, I mean anything but catalog modeling... I guess you start somewhere, but, ew. I want to look pretty, but of course you'll make that happen. Can I be cute and sexy? Is that even a thing?" As he asked about the etiquette to adopt while with her photographer, she simply giggled and grabbed his bicep with her small hands. "Well if it's you I don't think I'd have to act any different, right? Just maybe if it's early how much cream and sugar you like in your coffee."

Again, she probably wasn't taking this as seriously as he'd hoped. After all, coming from cellphone shoots in the woods to an actual competent and skilled work force would require a certain adjustment phase. Right now pictures were still all fun and games, so why approach them with any form of gravity? If she wasn't immediately scolded for her poor behavior, she'd nuzzle up against him, her shapely thigh pressing against the material of his jeans in an enthusiastic expression of her joy. "I won't let you down, Dad. I might need a lot of work, but I'll do it. I'll do anything you think is best."

 

[kckolbe]

Eric didn't push her away when she leaned against his shoulder, but he didn't welcome her in with his posture, either. He sat stiffly upright. He listened to each answer, realizing what she meant about going out into the fields. "Adaptation is important. You didn't have a lot to work with in terms of scenery, outfits. You would have to mix it up, though. I don't think the farm girl look is your best sell, but you work with what you have."

Then she got to the tougher questions. "Your skin?" he asked, uncontrollably. He then waved off the question and wrote something down. He had been surprised at the answer. Was she saying it because she actually thought that, or because she didn't want to tell her father that showing off her ass got her the most interest? "No catalog modeling...okay."

When she asked if she could be cute and sexy, he shrugged non-committally and gestured for her to continue, though he made a note of something on his paper again. He also didn't say anything to her answer about behavior, though the way his jaw clenched, he clearly didn't care for the answer he'd heard. He didn't scold her immediately, but he set the paper face down on the end table and gently pushed her off of him, standing by the couch and facing her. "I don't think you can be successful with that approach. I only went through some of your pictures, but I didn't see cute, or a combination of sexy and cute. I pretty much only saw sexy. You have good skin, but that wasn't what followers were commenting on. You were selling sex, and the focus of that sex appeal was your ass. Am I wrong?"

He walked to the kitchen sink and poured a glass of water, downing it quickly. "Now, that by itself is not a problem. We can focus sexy...I have plenty of experience with photographing that. The problem is that you want me to be your photographer as well as your father, and I don't think you appreciate what that means. If you are selling sex appeal, then everything about your interactions with the photographer is sex appeal. If your photographer isn't turned on, the viewers won't be turned on. If I'm taking pictures of a model trying to be sexy, I don't care about coffee. I care about whether or not I feel like I'm seeing things I shouldn't. I care about whether she wants to do more. I care about her trying to create a fantasy at hint at fulfilling it. See the problem?"

 

[Your Little Project]

The general vibe of their conversation rapidly shifted to a place that Kacey wasn't prepared for. Perhaps it was her romantic outlook on life, or that persistent sense of pride; whatever it was, she was offended as he began to individually tear down her lazy and poorly-conceived responses. She spoke just as she was: his very daughter looking for an easy in. To toss off her farm looks as little more than "a nice starting place" was some of the first criticism she'd ever landed and the notion pierced through her as if it was a personal attack.

Then her actual looks came into question.

Not cute? Of course she was! Her cheeks flushed with frustration and as he pushed her away to stand, it took every fiber of her being to not make an attempt to trip him on the way up. As he poured himself a drink, she reached for her phone and looked through her pictures again. Her skin was flawless, it was better than good. The only thing that tempered her rage was his subtle reminder of what the comment sections looked like. Quietly, she browsed through her posts and actually bothered to read. The top comments of her most recent post were exactly as he described, and he hadn't even read them. There were endless mentions of her curves, her ass, and consistent mentions of what they'd do with her in their bedroom.

The blush of rage transitioned to one of embarrassment. How could she have been so stupid? Glancing down at her current outfit, the outcome of her efforts were spelled out right in front of her. Men wanted to fuck her. Like, men with salaries men. Her gaze finally left her phone to return to her Father just as he questioned the validity of her desires. The pieces began to fit together. He was confirming consent to a borderline taboo intimacy they would need to be sharing.

There had only been a handful of times that she'd actually tried to take nude or lingerie pictures. Besides, all of those efforts were taken alone. It wasn't like Kacey had a friend telling her which breast was her best one, or how to tilt her hips to show a better angle of her ass. Deep in thought, a hand pressed against the ridge of her collar bone as she blatantly stared at her father. A man who hadn't been around her entire life, but a man who she certainly always knew existed. A man.

"Th-there's not a problem!" The exclamation pierced through the silence of the room. What he hell was she saying? Kacey wasn't even quite sure herself. "I told you I can do this! This is what I'm made for! I-I just don't have much practice, and I'm sorry if I'll be difficult to work with. But you can be my manager and I swear I can make you rich!" Wild-eyed and desperate, she took the empty glass from his hand to avoid allowing him to have some reason to stop focusing on her. "Please don't say no, because I'm not stopping now."

 

[kckolbe]

Eric glanced over at her while he drank his water, seeing that she had picked up her phone. He didn't know if she was looking at the pictures or the comments, but she was definitely verifying at least one of his claims. He noticed that she wasn't reading comments out loud that contradicted his claim, or showing him pictures where she was going for a cute look. She may not have wanted to acknowledge it, but she knew that he was right.

After his rant, he remained silent for a while, letting her process what he'd said. He wasn't angry at her, just frustrated at the position he'd been put in having to lay that kind of hard truth on her. He stood close by, ready to console her, to try and talk about other things she could try, when suddenly she burst out with conviction. He hadn't expected her to fight for it so hard, but he did admire her resolve. And she wasn't wrong about being talented at it. Even without any professional help she had managed an impressive enough following.

Once more, though, she showed that she wanted this without really showing that she understood what she was asking for. So, once more, Eric started thinking about how to explain it, gesturing with the empty glass, when she took it from him, defiantly pleading with him. Something about the way she'd said she wasn't stopping pushed him over the edge. He grabbed her arm forcefully and pulled her to the side of the couch, bending her over the arm rest and standing behind her. He pushed her dress up over her hips, exposing her ass to him. "This is what you're asking me for. You're saying you want me to spend more time looking at this then at your face. Do you realize that? Is this what you want? Are you going to try and make me look at this and see...not my daughter, but something to want to use, to exploit? Go ahead, Kacey, tell me that's what you want. Make me believe that."