"Dressing Zico"

The next morning, I woke up an hour early to make sure that I didn’t wake up with an angry Zico in my face again. It was going to be another long day. Zico had a television appearance this morning, a magazine photo-shoot at noon, and a Block B thing tonight. So, I had to come up with five unique outfits that he would approve of. I had worked on it some last night so I already had a good idea of what to dress Zico in this morning.

The interview would be on a live morning show with two other rappers that he had been collaborating with, so I decided to dress him in all black with some leather, some denim, and some gold accents here and there. The leather jacket had a big red dragon embroidered on the back and I fell in love with it the moment I saw it. His debut song was called “Blood of the Dragon” so I thought it was perfect for him. The “swaggy” item he had decided on wasn’t so swaggy after all. He wanted to keep the gold cross that hung from his ear and I was totally cool with that. It pretty much works with everything.
The morning was a blur. A flurry of people surrounded Zico at all times and I barely caught a few glimpses of him. I rode with his makeup artist to the station. She was a very sweet young girl and seemed to be as nervous as I was. She told me how difficult Zico was to work with and how he demanded perfection at all times. I told her that I had a little bit of experience with that already.
At the station I hung Zico’s outfit in a room that had been set aside for him and waited. Today could be the day he fires me. I wondered if that would ruin my career after I had already come so far. If he fires me, I’m going straight to Vita! At the very least she’ll whip his butt! I had to laugh at that.
The door swung open and Zico came in surrounded by three people who were all talking to him at once. The amazing thing was that I think he was keeping up with all of them. He turned to each one and gave an order and they left one by one. I also stood to go when he said, “Where are you going?”
“Oh, uh, I thought you needed to get dressed,” I stuttered.
“Yeah, so get over here and do your job.” He gave me a look of exasperation and pulled his shirt off.
Wow! Talk about beautiful. I’ve never been one to like tattoos but on Zico they worked. Really worked. All I could do was mumble, “Oh, uh, okay then, um…”
I began to take the plastic off of the clothes that I had brought when I heard a zip from behind me.Oh my God! I think Zico just took his pants off. I don’t know why but for some reason I didn’t imagine I would actually have to dress Zico, just pick out his clothes. I panicked. I picked up the shirt and held it out behind me.
“What…are you doing?”
“Here,” I said and shook the shirt at him.
I heard him laugh. “Elizabeth?”
“Yes?”
“Turn around.”
“Well, I don’t think that would be um… proper. So I’ll hand you the clothes until you’re decent, okay?”
Another laugh. “Decent huh? I’m never decent.” Zico wrapped his fingers around my wrist and took the shirt from me. Instead of letting me go, he moved closer until my knuckles were brushing his stomach. I squeezed my eyes shut and bit my bottom lip. What is he doing?
He opened my fingers and pressed my hand against his skin. He was very warm and his stomach was harder than it looked. He began to slowly move my hand over those ridges that I had thought so much about and I thought I might fall down. When he began to move my hand lower and I felt my fingers go under the waistband of his underwear, I tried to jerk my hand away but he wouldn’t let go.
“Want me to stop?” he whispered.
“Yes please,” I whispered back.
“Then turn around. You’re going to have to look at me sometime.”
A shiver ran through me as his breath brushed past my ear. Why is he doing this?
“Okay. Let go.”
He hesitated and slowly let go of my wrist but he didn’t move away. I tried to turn so that I didn’t touch him but he was very close so I brushed against parts of him as I turned.
“Thats a good girl. Now open your eyes.”
I did and found that Zico’s chest was in kissing distance. I looked up a little and he was looking down at me. I could feel his breath on my face and it smelled like mint. I didn’t want to look into his eyes so I focused on his lips which was a mistake. I began to imagine him moving just an inch closer and letting me lick those lips.
“We are going to have to fix this prim and proper problem of yours Elizabeth. You are too old to be embarrassed to see a man in his underwear and sometimes I don’t wear any. And I definitely can’t have a stylist who is afraid to see me naked.” Zico got a little closer to me and I could feel the warmth of his skin through my clothes.
“Okay Zico. I’m sorry. I can do better.” I still couldn’t look him in the eyes.
He waited a full minute before moving back. He kept his eyes on me as he pulled on his shirt and I handed him his pants. He pulled them on very slowly and I know he did it to be a little extra mean to me. I think he knew that he made my stomach flip and turned my legs to jelly when he looked at me that way. He took pleasure in it.
Finally, he was dressed and he stepped out into the flurry again and was immediately surrounded by people. He looked back at me and said, “Good job Elizabeth.” Then he was whisked away.
I hurried over and shut the door before collapsing into the nearest chair. What is he trying to do to me?
I felt weak and embarrassed and I decided that I wasn’t going to let Zico do this to me again. Next time, even if he was naked, I was going to ignore him and concentrate on the clothes. I could do that. Couldn’t I?
I didn’t see Zico again until the afternoon photo-shoot. I hadn’t stuck around to help him “undress” and if I got into trouble, I didn’t care. The magazine wanted three different looks for the shoot, a casual look, a sexy hip-hop look, and an elegant dressy look. The magazine had their own stylist but they said that Zico had insisted that I do it. I don’t think this sat well with their stylist, Craig, because he sneered every time he saw me. The casual look I had put together was a pair of white jeans with peek-a-boo rips all over and a longish red button-up shirt that was so gauzy and thin you could see Zico’s tattoos through it. He would be barefoot so I didn’t have to pick out the shoes. One set was a white room with a big white bed so I knew the red would really make him pop. The second set was a pool where he would pose on a big clear float and the third one was a corner with a black grand piano and I couldn’t wait to see what poses he would do there. Craig followed around behind me, watching my every move and making snide comments under his breath such as, “Amateur” and “Such a fake.” I wanted to smack those fake glasses right off of his face! Every time I would open a bag, he had something smart to say. By the time the photo-shoot was ready to start, I had tears in my eyes and I wanted nothing more than to leave.
Zico came in and looked at me and then at Craig. “What’s he doing here?” he asked.
I couldn’t speak or I would cry so I shrugged.
“I’m here to make sure SHE doesn’t ruin this magazines reputation. Personally, I think we’re in big trouble,” said Craig as he sneered down at me.
Zico looked at me and it was all I could do to hold back the tears. I didn’t look at him or that would have been impossible. He got dressed and Craig kept making his little comments. Then, just before Zico walked onto the first set, he walked up to Craig and said in the scariest voice I’ve ever heard, “If I see one tear from her, I’m going to fuck you up.” Then he calmly turned and walked onto the set. Craig stood there stunned and actually, so did I.
I watched as Zico climbed into the bed and the shoot started. He was so sexy. My thoughts kept flashing back to the dressing room and how I had actually gotten to touch those abs. He continued with the three different sets and the poses on the piano didn’t disappoint. I started to lay out the clothes for the hip-hop shoot and Craig started up again. He rolled his eyes and told me that he would make sure no magazine ever picked me up. He kept it up until my spirits were back down in the pits. Once again I had tears in my eyes but I refused to let them fall and give that jackass the satisfaction.
Zico came over and immediately put his hand under my chin and lifted my face up so he could look into my eyes. It was amazing how furious he looked when seconds ago he had a sultry look for the camera. “You okay?” he asked.
I nodded and moved away to help him with his clothes. Craig didn’t dare speak when Zico was there so he just looked disgusted with every article of clothing I handed Zico to put on. When Zico walked away this time, he didn’t say anything, just pointed at Craig who huffed and rolled his eyes. I think he was beginning to think Zico was all talk. As soon as he was out of earshot, Craig began his tirade of insults and finally I couldn’t hold it in any longer. I turned around and let the tears fall. All Craig had to say was, “I knew it. You have no spine. You might as well go home you talentless little hack.”
Since my back was turned and I was starting to cry harder, I didn’t see what happened next. I heard the camera woman yell, “Hey!” and then I was turned around in a swirl. Zico took one look at me and without another word, he threw a punch at Craig. I heard his fist crack against the stylists face and I knew he had broken his nose. That didn’t stop Zico. He did exactly what he said he would do and by they time they had pulled him off of Craig, they were covered in blood and Craig was the one crying. Zico jerked away from the two men holding him and pointed a finger at the little man that was sniveling on the floor. “I warned you, bitch!”
He turned and pulled me into a hug and I think I was the only one to see the camera woman taking pictures of the whole thing.
“Do you want to leave?” Zico asked.
I still didn’t want to talk so I shook my head. I was afraid that Zico was in big trouble but I was amazed when all that happened was Craig was taken away and they cleaned Zico up and continued with the shoot. I listened hard when the director of the shoot came over to talk to Zico in hushed tones as I got him dressed for the elegant party shoot. The director actually apologized for Craig’s behavior! All Zico had to say about it was “No one fucks with my people!” The director muttered, “Of course. Of course,” and left.
Wow! I mean just Wow! I had never met anyone like Zico.
After the shoot, everyone went out to eat except me. I went back to the hotel to lay down. I had come across people like Craig before but this seemed different. Maybe because it was in front of Zico but I was usually stronger than that. I just wanted a nap. I was almost asleep when I heard the door open and I looked up to see Zico walking toward me. I wondered if it was a dream for a second but I knew it wasn’t when I realized he was wearing all of his clothes. He pulled a chair up to the bed.
“Are you awake?” he asked.
I opened my eyes more and woke myself up to talk to him. “I’m awake,” I said.
Zico sat forward with his elbows on his knees. “In this business, people are going to be mean and cruel.”
“I know that.”
“They are jealous of your talent and they will do and say whatever they have to to get rid of you,” he said. He grabbed my hand and held it. “If you are going to survive, you are going to have to toughen up. I’m not always going to be around to take care of you.”
“I know,” I said. I was looking at his hand holding mine. He was petting me like a child.
“I’m afraid you are too sweet and naive for this business. People are going to take advantage of you. Especially the men. This job only lasts for three months and then I won’t be there to shut them up.”
“I’m usually much stronger than I was today. I think I was just a little tired. I won’t let it happen again.”
“I’m not scolding you. He needed for someone to knock him on his ass. Next time I want it to be you,” Zico said as he grinned at me. “That’s why I have set up some self defense lessons for you.”
“What?” I couldn’t believe he even thought of me when he wasn’t in my presence.
“Yep. You will start training next week with the same man who taught me. By the time you leave me, you will probably be able to kick MY ass.”
We both laughed. “Okay, take your nap and I’ll have some food sent up in an hour. Don’t forget I have a Block B party tonight.” He stood up to go. “You did great today. I was very impressed and I looked damn good if I must say so myself.” He left and I went to sleep with a smile on my face. Zico thinks I have talent!
That night Zico had an awards show to attend with Block B. I wasn’t going to this one so I packed up his tux and sent it out. He didn’t have any particular schedules to keep for the next two days so I got a short vacation. It wasn’t really because after that he was doing a lot of things and I had to prepare for those. Tonight though, my plans were to take a long hot bubble bath and spend the rest of the night reading a horror novel.
The bath was so relaxing and it all but made me forget the rest of the day. Everything except for Zico in his underwear. I put on my big soft robe and headed for the bed with my book. I couldn’t resist turning on the tv and checking on how the awards show was going and hoping to see Zico. There he was with the other members of Block B looking like he was having the time of his life. They weren’t going to perform so I didn’t have to go but they were up for an award. I wished them the best and turned the tv off when some girl group started to perform.
After half an hour of reading, I got a call from the front desk that I had a message and needed to pick it up. I rolled onto my back and sighed. I really didn’t want to get up. I was so comfortable and warm but I was feeling a little hungry and I was very curious about the message. I got dressed and threw my hair up in a ponytail and grabbed some change for the vending machine.
When I got into the elevator, there was already a man there which made me a little uncomfortable. I’ve always had a problem with elevators since I got stuck in one once. But the man disarmed me with a sweet smile and asked, “Which floor?”
“Lobby please,” I said. He was really cute and I think he actually worked for Zico but I didn’t know in what capacity. We both got off the elevator on the lobby floor and he looked back and smiled again as we went our separate ways. I admired his backside for a second and then went to the front desk.
“Hello. I just got a call that there is a message for me here,” I said.
I opened the little yellow paper to find a phone number that said “Call me when you get this.”What?
I pulled out my cell as I walked down the hall toward the vending machines. I started to punch in the numbers but I bumped hard into something. It turned out to be the cute guy from the elevator.
“Oh, excuse me. I’m sorry,” I said. I looked up at him as he smiled down at me and the ice he was putting into his bucket spilled onto the floor.
“Oh, oops.” He laughed as we both bent over to pick up the fallen ice.
“I wasn’t looking. It’s my fault. Let me get it,” I said in embarrassment.
“Now what kind of gentleman would ever do that?” he asked.
We picked up the ice and disposed of it and he kept that goofy grin the whole time. “I’ve noticed you around. You’re the girl that won that contest aren’t you?”
“Um, yeah. I’m Elizabeth,” I said.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Jong.” He held out his hand.
I shook it. “Don’t you work for Zico too?” I asked.
“Yep. You know what? I’m starving. Would you like to join me in a late night snack? I know of a great pizza place around the corner that is open all night.”
He gave me the puppy eyes. Not the puppy eyes! I have a warm robe and a scary book to get back to. But those big dark puppy eyes! Damn!
“I’m actually a little hungry too,” I said.
“They have the best cheese bread you’ve ever had.”
He gave me that goofy grin again and I couldn’t help but laugh a little. It didn’t hurt that he was really good looking.
I’m so glad that I went with Jong. We ate and laughed and talked like we had known each other forever. He was one of those easy people to be with. He had been working for Zico for three years but his real ambition was to start his own production company. He was using this job to make contacts and to learn as much as possible from the professionals. How could I not fall for a smart man with ambition and dreams and big beautiful puppy eyes. That body didn’t hurt either. When we left it was around three in the morning. He had talked me into drinking a glass wine which turned into another and then into four so as we walked back to the hotel I swayed a bit. He put his arm around my waist to steady me as I walked but I think he was swaying too so we swayed together. He smelled so good. I didn’t mind being close to him which was odd for me. I’m not really a touchy-huggy person but with Jong, it felt natural.
We got back to the hotel and he helped me all the way back to my room. We were being a little too loud but we didn’t care. I unlocked the door and Jong waited for me to go inside but what we saw stopped us both dead. Sitting in a chair across the room was Zico and he had fire in his eyes. His jacket was gone and his shirt was open to the middle with his tie loose and askew. He stormed over to the door, grabbed my arm and jerked me inside. He said, “Go to bed Jong! You better not be a second late in the morning for the meeting or you’re fired!” Then he slammed the door in Jong’s face.
Zico pulled me along behind him and I tried to jerk free from him but he was too strong. “What do you think you’re doing?” I yelled at him.
“You didn’t call me!” he yelled back.
“That was you?” We kept yelling at each other.
“Of course that was me! Apparently you had better things to do than call your boss like get drunk and slut around.”
“EXCUSE ME?!!! I was NOT slutting around and I AM NOT DRUNK! Well, okay, maybe a little drunk but that is NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS! And if I WAS slutting around, that is none of your business either! We had the night off so we had PIZZA! That’s IT!”
“Do you think I’m BLIND? You were bringing a man back to your room for SOME REASON and I doubt it was for PIZZA!”
I guess yelling is what we do now. I have to calm this down.
“Okay, Zico. I just met Jong and we went for pizza. He was making sure I got to my room okay. There was no more to it than that. I was calling you when I ran into him and then I just forgot. I’m sorry. Jeez! Why are you so bent out of shape about it? What did you need that was so important?”
His face was about an inch from mine and he looked down at me for a minute before he answered. Tonight his breath smelled like mint and alcohol. He was gritting his teeth and trying to get his anger under control.
“I didn’t have your cell number so I tried calling your room but you didn’t answer. I left the message with the front desk. I wanted to invite you to go with us after the show. I knew you had a bad day and I thought it would make you feel better.”
“Oh. Well, that was sweet. I’m sorry I didn’t call you back. I just forgot.” I really did feel bad even though I thought I had a better time with Jong than I would have had with Block B.
“I guess I should just be glad you were being taken care of and you weren’t sitting up here brooding. You have to remember what I said about men taking advantage of you though. Jong is a good guy but he’s still a guy. I’m sure the wine wasn’t an accident.” Zico stepped back. The redness of his face was subsiding.
I refused to believe that Jong was being anything but a nice guy but I just let it slide. “Thank you for being concerned Zico. I really am fine and I’m exhausted so if you don’t mind, I’d like to go to bed now.”
“You’re right. I’m tired too. I’ll talk to you in the morning. Goodnight.” Zico leaned over and kissed my forehead. Then I watched as he walked out.
Did that really just happen? Why did that just happen? What just happened? Forget it. I’m going to bed.

Notes