“ I’m surprised you decided to show up. No call or anything but it's one of the nicer surprises I’ve had in my life,” Jack smiled contentedly. Seated across from him was the reason of his current source of joy. A tall, round faced slim blonde woman in her mid forties with green eyes, the wrinkles and laugh lines on her face failing to mask the fact she was and still considered a great beauty.

“ No Jack, the pleasure is all mine,” she grinned as she sipped hot tea from a white porcelain cup. Her german accent was still detectable, betraying her non-American roots.

“ Never would I have thought of ever having the amazing Eva Schneider in my house! You  were my first crush,the first celebrity I thought of marrying. Honest, you can ask my folks, I had one of your posters on my wall, ” Jack chuckled.

“ Oh stop it, those days are behind me. Now I run my own clothing brand, I’m a business woman. I haven’t modelled since I turned thirty five.”

Eva was still proud of her time as a model, commanding a seven figure salary from her numerous endorsements and modelling gigs. It was said the only people who hadn’t heard of her were either dead or members of a tribe untouched by modern civilization.

“ Which is why you’re here...for business. About the business offer I made you,” Jack’s smile grew even larger and more confident.

 Eva chuckled and put down the cup, Jack was really straight to the point.

“ Yes, you sent an email which I found to be really interesting. Did you think it through?” Eva asked him, more curious than the proverbial cat.

“ When it comes to Jessica, I think she could have potential. She has the height for it…”

 Eva chuckled, “ She does. Perhaps too much but having her enter the modelling industry when she has zero experience and training, that is risky.”

 A sudden wave of uncertainty washed over Jack, caught by Eva who chuckled.

“But if I weren’t even willing to take a risk, why would I be here sharing this cup of English tea with you? Certainly not to make small talk, I took a late night flight just to be here. I won’t lie when I say there are others out there thinking the same thing as you.”

Jack heaved a relieved sigh, “ I can see why. Jessica has um...the right talents for the job. She has the right appeal which should lend itself well to the product you’re selling.”

He noticed a nervousness as he described Jessica, he wanted to say look but found it hard to actually put it into real words. Why though, he asked himself. He thought she looked good, based on their first meeting and even now when she bathed in lake water and wore makeshift clothes, there was a One Million BC appeal to her.

“ Speaking of Jessica, where is she?” Eva calmly asked, rather keen on seeing the giantess in person. It was one of her reasons in showing up in person, rather than send a messenger to handle affairs. She kept that to herself, there was no reason to let them know that little factoid.

“ On her way, you didn’t spot her on the way in?”

Eva shook her head, clearly having missed the obvious giantess in the room.

“ I slept in the cab, a late flight is not the most conducive to staying awake,” Eva yawned, cupping her mouth.

 Slight tremor rumbled through the house, growing steadily stronger.

“That should be her now,” Jack tittered.

“We’ll need to be outside for the rest, this place is a little cramped for her,” Jack directed Eva to the yard. Eva followed him outside to the back where a little round two seater table awaited them.

“So when-” Eva gasped as Jessica came into view, the former’s mouth hanging wide open at the sheer scale of the mountainous woman in front of her. She also spied a woman in Jessica’s hand, roughly thumb sized to the giantess.

“Mein Gott…” Eva was speechless. She had seen the news coverage of her in Miami but to see her in person, the news reports didn’t do her justice when it came to scale

“ It’s like Jurassic Park isn’t it? Seeing the dinosaurs for the very first time?” Jack whispered to her.

“I heard that!” Jessica chimed in before cracking a amused smile at Jack.

“I’m not even sure if that’s an insult or a compliment.”

“ Hello Jack,” Jessica turned to Eva, whom she did not recognise.

“And you...I guess you must be the person I’m supposed to meet?”

“ Y-yes, I’m Elsa-I mean Eva Schneider and I’m the CEO of Luxom; a medium but growing company that specialises in women’s apparel,” Eva replied.

Jessica whistled, mightily impressed by this.

“Wow, I’m not even dressed to meet a CEO,” she chuckled.

Eva laughed too, “  I think given your circumstances, your dressing is adequate. My  company got an email about hiring you as a model.”

“Me, a model?” Jessica threw her head back in laughter, spooking Caitlin who was still perched in her hand.

“ I don’t think I could ever do that!”

“ You could at least put me down first,” Caitlin piped up.

“Oh right, sorry…” Jessica blushed as she set the irate woman down next to Jack.

“ Why not?” Caitlin asked her, miffed at Jessica ignoring her advice.

“ Well I was never a girly girl, I never wore makeup or even one high heel in my life. I liked to play sports, be outdoors. I never even applied to be one!”

“That’ll be me,” Jack raised his hand, one finger pointed towards the heavens.

“I sent Eva an email but it's really Caitlin, she gave me the idea.”

“When?!” Caitlin asked, incredulous at being credited for this scheme. When did she suggest Jessica go model?

“ You weren’t being serious about it but it's a brilliant idea. Does being sporty hurt her chances?” Jack asked Eva.

Eva chuckled, “Half the girls we scout are like that.”

“But I’m not even thin enough, like those girls in Milan,”Jessica pointed at her bare stomach. While not morbidly obese, Jessica was definitely shapely.

Eva shook her head, amused by the giantess’ view on modelling.

“ No no,” she laughed mirthfully.

“You are certainly not going to be that type of model. My company doesn’t do that but we sell to the average Jane. With your figure you would fill out swimsuits, lingerie, shirts, shorts, skirts and normal clothes well. Look at the girls in Sports Illustrated, so many have that curvy healthy look. Kate Upton, Chrissy Teigen...the list is endless! ”

“I-I would?” Jessica frowned, unsure of what to think of those words.

“ Now I hate to be the wet blanket here but aren’t you really here because Jessica is a giant news magnet and having your brand on her is going to get you lots of free publicity?” Caitlin butted in,scowling at Jack who had been mute in this conversation.

“ Ah…” Eva replied, tapping her nose and winking at Caitlin.

“Very clever. I’ll be honest, that’s one reason but you have the look we need.” Eva chuckled before assuming a more business tone.

“You have potential to influence society, more than you think  and I don’t mean with your beauty.”

“And signing with your company will help me do that?” Jessica asked. What exactly was Eva hinting at?

“ It won’t get you all the way but it's a stepping stone.”

She got up, nodding at Jack.

“ If you need time to think, just say so. I won’t take my offer off the table until you give me an answer.”

Eva extended her hand out to Jack,who grasped it firmly and they shook. She knew Jessica wouldn’t make up her mind today, there were too many niggling doubts on her brain.

“ My driver will take you back to your hotel. Will you be staying long?”

Eva looked up at Jessica, flashing her an assuring smile.

“As long as I need. One of the perks being a CEO is you can always delegate.”

Jack chuckled, “My father always mentioned that.”

“ He’s right of course. It's good to be the king,”Eva replied. She followed Jack to the car, leaving Caitlin with Jessica again when the former would rather have dined with Donald Trump instead of Jessica.

Caitlin stewed in silence, occasionally meeting Jessica’s gaze to shoot daggers at her. Jessica, to her credit actually did manage to sense the palpable level of tension and remained as quiet as she could. She could sense a verbal shellacking coming from the little woman.

Which it did, once Jack returned from seeing off Eva.

“When are you going to stop being a leech? When you eat Jack into bankruptcy? When someone puts a gun next to you big empty head? ‘Work or you’ll die’?” Caitlin wailed and pumped her fists in the air, bristling with rage and irritation.

“ I...I need time to think-to just consider the offer. I cannot just accept a job without knowing what all of it is. I might end up making porn or something if I don’t consider my options!”

“Right,” Caitlin snorted.

“But at least you’ll be contributing with porn. Right now you’re just a breathing liability, one lawsuit away . Which wouldn’t hurt if you  were the one paying for it but no, it seems you either have no money or you prefer to see Jack bleed for you. Let me share with you the bitter truth of your circumstances: you don’t get to be picky over what job you do. Pick the ones you can get and do it before we’re all in the same shithole you’re in.”

She turned to Jack, not exactly very pleased with his conduct either. Jack gulped, swallowing the anxiety building up within. Caitlin losing her cool was like getting first row seats to watch Krakatoa.

“Cait,” Jack started but Caitlin stopped him.

“And you are enabling her, Jack Erikson! You clean up for her, you coddle her at every chance you get! You’re making it worse! Just so you know, it's not your money. Your parents still foot the bill so technically they are paying for Jessica. So what if she saved your life? She’s not worth that much?”

She shoved Jack aside, he stumbled bit, almost falling save for Jessica catching his fall with a finger supporting his back.Caitlin stomped off, neither man nor giantess daring to say a word to her.

“ Sorry about that,” Jessica finally said.

“It’s fine but Caitlin has a point. Could we talk somewhere private?” Jack asked.

Jessica nodded, picking him up gently. She walked away from the estate, from Palm Creek. Open fields and houses diminished in numbers as she walked, the land being filled with thick forest and natural vegetation. Finally, Jessica stopped at a lake, Palmer’s Lake to be exact. Jessica sat in front of the lake, Jack sitting on her knee.

“ This is like talking in the bathroom for you,” Jack said wryly.

Jessica chuckled, she hadn’t thought of it that way.

“So it is,” she laughed again. It was a relief Jack wasn’t angry with her. Odd, given how quick to anger he was on the island but here, you could probably insult his mother’s chastity and get away with it.

“ What’s bugging you about modelling?” Jack asked, cutting straight to the point.

“ I don’t know if I can even do it well. Am I that qualified for it?”

“Are you asking if you’re pretty enough?”

Jessica thought about it, what exactly did one need to be a model? Looks were part of the criteria but what else? Bitchiness? She remembered a lot of the pretty girls in grade school were practically divas.

“ Maybe,” she looked away from Jack. She looked at her own body, on the scale of a Greek Titan.

Jack chuckled, amused by all this. Slowly it grew into loud, slapstick laughter.

“You can’t be serious! Jessica, you cannot be actually asking me to tell you you are pretty!”

Jessica’s cheeks grew a deep shade of red, did he mean it?

“You are not fishing for compliments are you?” Jack asked, this was not the high self esteem giant he knew.

 “I am not,” Jessica replied firmly, wondering how they got to this.

“I-well, Jack it's not like I can tell. I don’t want to think I look like Helen of Troy but then it turns out I look like a hag,” she explained but Jack was not buying it.

“ So no one ever told you and you think you are some hideous beast?” Jack put his hands on his hips, facing the monumental task in front of him.

Jessica shook her head, “No, no one ever did say ‘Oh my god Jessica, you look fabulous today!’ It’s usually just the usual hellos and goodbyes, maybe a few question if I feel well or any changes to my body.”

“ Okay, I guess those eggheads at Leighton wouldn’t know a beautiful woman even if she danced naked in front of them. Two reasons why you are beautiful enough, ” Jack assured her.

He raised his index finger up , “The CEO of a major clothing brand just came down to personally talk you into signing a modelling contract. You don’t get that very often. Eva wants you and she is willing to wait. You heard her; and don’t tell me it's because you are a giant. You wouldn’t get the job if you looked like King Kong.”

Jessica’s blush only grew in intensity, her smile grew too as she flashed her pearly white teeth.

“ Now, take a look at your reflection,” Jack instructed her.

“What for?”

“Just look, it’ll be clear soon,”Jack explained.

Jessica looked into the clear waters of the water, her own reflection as clear as if she were staring into a mirror. She saw herself, full of uncertainty and fear. She was afraid, afraid of this fragile world with no space for someone like her. Was that it? She was afraid to reach out , scared everything she touched would crumble to dust?

“ Your cheek bones, they’re so sculpted like the models you see in ads. You have that exotic look, the best of both worlds with your tanned complexion.

 You have legs that go on for miles, or as close as you can get. You have curves, you’re no beanpole ! There’s meat in all the right places! Those arms, toned and fit from all those exercises you’ve been doing!”

Jessica’s smile grew wider as he praised every inch of her but he didn’t stop there, where he should have but didn’t realise until it was too late.

“That abdomen of yours,taut! Your chest is huge! If you were Caitlin’s size, it would still be enormous! You have boobs, Jessica! Big, round, enticing-”

Jack stopped, aware of what he had said, where he had gone and now it was his turn to blush and feel the awkwardness in the air. Here he was, an attached man telling a girl how great her mammaries were.

“Are you going to finish?”Jessica whispered, she would be swooning if she were crushing on Jack.

Jack stared at her, noticing something about her. She had all that he mentioned and there wasn’t much exaggeration. Jessica was quite the specimen, everything about her in the right proportion. Her bosom was indeed huge and he looked down, spotting her manhole sized cleavage and noting how right he was. What hadn’t noticed until now, was how damn attractive she really was. It was like had placed a mental block on himself and with those words, lifted the damn thing.

“ I-I think I made my point. I will  not discuss how good your arse is,” Jack said.

“ Yes...let's not do that…let's agree it's a really good butt” Jessica agreed, reminding herself this was a man with a girlfriend. He was off limits and she should respect that.

“So you’ll do it?” Jack asked her.

“Let me think about it, about the terms and things like that. Apparently I’m the modern day Aphrodite, going by your appraisal. Maybe now I’m too good for it, the camera might not capture my beauty right.”

“Woah woah!” Jack mock protested her claim.

“ Your head is big enough as it is, let's not make it any bigger!”