Safe Words

by Magnolia Robbins

  As we cleaned up, I admired Scarlett’s thorough nature once more. She was so detailed, going over every dish I’d cleaned. Everything had a particular spot, and the table was worked over several times before it seemed to meet her satisfaction.

  When we were through, we came together again for a moment before Scarlett’s phone rang off in the distance. She excused herself, while I walked out onto the balcony, getting some fresh air and admiring the view. A few minutes later, Scarlett came to find me. She looked rather distraught.

  “You’ll go take care of what we discussed and then go to the office straight after.” Once again, there was a hint of that commanding tone in her voice. It was still softer than it normally was. Her hand grazed my cheek, and I turned towards her. When I nodded, she smiled, leaning in to kiss me. We breathed each other in for a moment.

  “Are you coming with me?” I asked her.

  She shook her head. “I have something I need to do.” The way she said it was filled with that hint of distress that had faded in and out of her as of late.

  “What’s going on?” I asked, our eyes meeting.

  “Nothing that you need to worry about,” Scarlett replied, running her hand across my face again. “Just promise me you’ll take care of things this morning.”

  “I promise,” I replied, still concerned.

  “Henry will take you,” Scarlett said. “I’ll see you this afternoon.” We stood together for a moment before I walked with her back into the house. Once I’d gathered my belongings, I followed her to the elevator. We met eyes and for a moment I thought to pry once more. Instead I decided against it, giving her a small smile before I disappeared down the elevator.

  The entire drive to the courthouse I was filled with anxiety. When I checked my phone, there were several missed calls from Megan. Part of me wanted to call and plead with her to stay away. For us to be done, so I didn’t have to take such drastic measures. But then I remembered how frightened I’d been yesterday, knowing she’d figured out where I’d worked. How I didn’t want to leave. By the time Henry pulled up to the building, I’d decided.

  Henry escorted me inside the courthouse. I spent the morning filling out paperwork and talking with one too many people. Finally, I was issued a temporary restraining order. It wasn’t until I’d left the building that another wave of anxiety washed over me. To receive a full-fledged restraining order, like Scarlett had insisted I do, I’d have to meet Megan in court. She would soon find out what I had done, and the thought terrified me. Part of me wished I’d just called her, but it was too late now.

  Before we headed to the Baker Publishing building, Henry drove me to my apartment for a change of clothes. Then I dropped by Jason’s and bought us both a coffee before we set off.

  Andrea was setting a large stack of folders on my desk when I arrived.

  “I don’t know what you did, but Scarlett has you doing a preview piece for the blog,” Andrea said once I got settled at my desk. I couldn’t tell if she was annoyed or surprised. Her expression didn’t help much either.

  “A preview piece? As in an article?” I stared at her. I wasn’t sure if I believed it.

  “About the fashion show, introducing the designers. A thousand words. She’d like it on her desk by the end of the day.” Andrea studied me, a strange look on her face. “I’ll have you know that no assistant has ever written an article for the blog, not even me. You must be in Scarlett’s good graces.”

  For a moment I was filled with excitement. I immediately went straight to work. As I sorted through the folders, it occurred to me that this was Scarlett’s doing. A rush of guilt flooded through me, wondering if she’d given me the project because of what had happened the previous night. When I recalled our conversation from this morning and my dreams of being a journalist, it seemed abundantly clear. The idea made my stomach churn. Despite that fact, I forced myself to work regardless, deciding I’d confront her later.

  The work took me late into the afternoon. There were a lot of designers to sort through and organizing what I wanted to say was another matter. When Scarlett arrived I was preparing to leave. The office grew quiet as she made her way inside, and she nodded for me to follow her. I moved to my feet, taking a hard copy of the article I’d completed with me.

  “I’m to assume that’s the article?” Scarlett said when she’d closed the door behind us. I nodded, passing it off to her. As she read through it, I sat down in the plush leather chair across from her, studying her. She crossed her legs, leaning back into the seat while she read.

  “I want to talk to you about that,” I started, while she was looking the article over. She glanced at me for a moment before handing the paper back.

  “This needs work,” Scarlett said, her lips pursed. “Bring me another draft tomorrow morning early.”

  I looked down at the paper when it was returned, unsure of what she was dissatisfied with. Instead of questioning her, I nodded. “I’ll get to it first thing in the morning.” Scarlett seemed satisfied, and I stood up from the chair preparing to leave. “Scarlett,” I found myself calling her by her first name and expected her to reprimand me. When she didn’t, I was surprised. “You didn’t give me the article because of...what happened, did you?”

  Scarlett studied me for a moment. “I gave you the project because I wanted to get a feel for your writing abilities, Ms. Ross. So, I sincerely hope you don’t disappoint.”

  When she said it, I relaxed somewhat. I nodded, preparing to leave. Scarlett stood up from her desk and we met eyes. “Come here, Ms. Ross.” For a moment I paused. Then I moved to her, around the desk until we were only inches apart. Before I knew it, her hand was against my cheek, and I fell into it. Her gaze softened. “Did you take care of things?” I nodded. “Good. It’s for your own safety.”

  I didn’t speak about how nervous I had been about having to take Megan to court. Or that the thought had crossed my mind on more than one occasion to not go through with it at all. Instead I watched Scarlett break into a small smile, her thumb stroking my cheek. We stared at one another for a moment before she kissed me. I sighed when our lips met. Our tender kiss grew hungrier. When we broke, both of us were panting. My body ached for her to have her way with me, right then and there. Instead she sat back in her chair.

  “Do you want to go somewhere?” I asked her, still catching my breath.

  Scarlett looked up at me and smiled. “Not tonight,” she said. “I have things I need to catch up on here.” That strange distraught look was in her eyes again.

  “Do you want me to stay?” I offered. “I can help you.” She looked pleased but shook her head. The fiery excitement I’d felt extinguished, but I understood. When I left, I still couldn’t help but worry about her.

  The next day, I went through extra effort to look nice. Strange enough, I’d started to enjoy it. I dressed in a Ralph Lauren outfit I hadn’t had a chance to wear yet and a pair of feet destroyers I loathed so much. One day I’d wear flats instead. For the first time in as long as I could remember, I curled my hair, using my ancient curling iron that never got hot. Once I’d made myself up, I headed to Jason’s.

  We chatted for a few minutes before I made my way out the door. By the time I’d gotten to the coffee shop across from the Baker Publishing building, I’d finished my food. Dry cleaning in hand, I toted two trays of coffees up the twenty-two flights like it was nothing.

  Robin helped me through the door when I arrived. We hung two sets of clothes for Scarlett by her office and distributed the piping hot coffees. I said a quick hello to Andrea, who waved me off, before I headed back to tidy Scarlett’s office for her.

  As I worked, my mind seemed to have a life of its own. It was something with this room that caused my brain to wander to inappropriate things. Before I knew it, I was cluttering things, well aware of the consequences it would bring. My hands swept over the neat stack of papers on her desk, scattering them. I rearranged trinkets on her desk just slightly, enough that she would notice. T
he idea was to get her attention, not to cause her anxiety. It was very clear how much Scarlett liked order.

  When I was satisfied, I returned to my desk. Scarlett arrived shortly after. My eyes couldn’t peel away from her once she appeared around the corner. Today she’d given up her suits for a striking red business dress that cut off mid-thigh, showing off her shapely long legs. Just imagining the skirt rolling up onto her hips sent me reeling. Before I knew it, Scarlett stood in front of my desk, staring me down. She reached out to cup my chin in her hand, her eyes rolling over me.

  “I’m rather fond of your straight hair,” she said. Duly noted. When she released me, she cleared her throat. “The article?”

  “I’ll have it to you in an hour,” I promised, offering her a small smile. Although she didn’t return it, I could still see the affectionate look in her eyes as she walked away. I turned to watch her head into her office, without another word. When the door shut behind her, I shivered at the thought of her discovering my act of playfulness. I sat waiting for her to reappear and reprimand me. Instead, I was surprised when she did not come back. Eventually I turned my attention to the article.

  The new draft took me a little over an hour to complete. When I was through, I went straight to Scarlett’s door. She called me inside. I stood at the entrance for a moment, waiting for her to make eye contact with me. Wondering if she’d say anything.

  “Is it finished?” Scarlett asked me when we met eyes. I nodded, and she motioned for me to come to her. Once I’d made it to her desk, I sat the article in front of her. She studied it for a moment before offering me a nod. “Very good. Thank you, Ms. Ross.”

  I paused for a moment and then found myself speaking again. Nearly begging for the attention that I’d wanted. “Is there anything else you need from me, Ms. Stone?”

  Scarlett shook her head, barely making eye contact with me. “That will be all for now, Ms. Ross.” I went to leave. Just as I reached the door, I heard her clear her throat. When I turned, there was a stern look in her blue eyes. It was so intense that it caused me to shiver.

  “Don’t leave messes, Ms. Ross,” Scarlett said, and it felt like a wave had crashed into me when I knew she’d noticed. “It’s highly inappropriate. I wouldn’t want to reprimand you.” I was so tempted to tell her that it was what I had wanted, but I stopped myself. After I gave her a small nod, I turned, letting myself out of the room.

  My distracted mind didn’t last for long. For the rest of the day Andrea kept me busy with more preparations for the fashion show. When I returned to my desk that afternoon, my article was waiting for me. Across the top, in her beautiful cursive handwriting, Scarlett had written a note.

  Submit this to publishing.

  I stared at it for a long moment, unable to believe it. Once I’d finished the email, sending off my work, I sat back, basking in the glory of my accomplishment. As I stood up to go thank Scarlett, I was distracted by a commotion at the far side of the room. Robin was trying to talk over an irate woman. I walked up towards the front of the office, mostly out of curiosity as to what was going on.

  “You’ll have to talk to her assistant,” Robin said.

  “I need to talk to Scarlett, Robin,” the other woman hissed at her. She was growing louder with each sentence she spoke. I turned around the corner, meeting them both at the front desk. My eyes went directly to the woman harassing Robin. While I was never much for confrontation, I was a good listener. I stood until she’d turned to look at me.

  “Can I help you?” I asked. Though she was angry and loud, I couldn’t help but admire how beautiful she was. She reminded me a lot of Scarlett, polished and well groomed. Her hair was long and a deep reddish brown, and her brown eyes burned into me. When she stood up straight, her height intimidated me. She was as tall as Scarlett if not taller. I tried my best to have an air of authority about me. “I’m Scarlett’s assistant.”

  “Ah, yes,” the woman said, scanning me up and down. “Well, you tell Scarlett Stone that she needs to come out here immediately.”

  The entire office was dead silent. I was sure by the volume of her voice it had carried back to Scarlett’s office. Which surprised me when she hadn’t come out. I looked over my shoulder, noting that her office door remained shut.

  “You tell her that Diana Bernstein is outside. She knows I don’t wait.”

  Diana. The name sounded familiar. It only took me a moment before I realized where I recognized it. I fought the instinct to express my surprise. Instead, I studied her over once more. The more I looked at her, the more intimidating she seemed to become. When I got my wits about me, I scurried off back through the office. My hand knocked against Scarlett’s door.

  “Scarlett, it’s Natalia,” I said in a whisper. When there was no response, I peeked my head inside. Scarlett was pacing the floor, more panicked than I’d ever seen her. When she looked at me, she shook her head.

  “Tell her I’m not here,” Scarlett said, though I could sense the tiniest bit of pleading in her voice. I shut the door and made my way back to the front of the office.

  “I’m afraid she’s already left for the day,” I said, trying my best to keep a firm stare on Diana. It was rather difficult to do with the scowl stretched across her face. We stood there for a moment, Robin looking uncomfortable. Diana let out a loud and angry huff when she realized I’d put my foot down.

  “That’s quite alright,” Diana said, brushing hair from her face. “I’ll just wait for her at the house. You let her know she’s not weaseling her way out of this conversation.” Before I had a chance to respond, I watched her move out of the office, slamming the door behind her. There was a long bout of silence before everyone resumed what they were doing. Robin let out a long exhale, shaking her head at me.

  “Well, she’s a character,” I said, though I didn’t laugh.

  Chapter Seven

  EVEN THOUGH THE ROOM had gone back to its normal bustling self, there was still an awkward air floating around. Diana had disappeared on to the elevators. Robin and I stood at the desk, staring at one another for a long while in silence. Andrea got up from her seat, heading towards Scarlett’s office.

  I called out to her. “Where are you going?”

  “I’m going to go check on her,” Andrea said, continuing to walk. I caught up, blocking her. She looked at me rather annoyed though I couldn’t be sure if her expression had changed since I’d arrived. “Get out of my way, Natalia.”

  “Let me do it.”

  “You don’t know who that even was,” Andrea argued with me, even though it had been her who had enlightened me. She studied me, as if trying to place why I had such a vested interest.

  “That was Diana,” I said, standing my ground. “Scarlett’s ex-wife. I’m supposed to be helping her. I can handle this, Andrea.” My voice turned out a little firmer than I’d meant it to. “Please,” I added.

  Andrea did not look happy, but she nodded. I watched her move back to sit at her desk. I made my way to Scarlett’s office and didn’t bother knocking. Instead I walked swiftly inside. Once I had, the door shut behind me.

  Scarlett sat at her desk, fingers drumming on the mahogany top. Her gaze was distant. I moved to her, standing across the desk. She turned her attention towards me, distress written all over her face. I thought she would speak for a moment, but when she didn’t, I couldn’t take it anymore.

  “I’d appreciate if you told me what is going on,” I said, my voice filled with concern. My body fell into the seat behind me. Our eyes hadn’t left one another’s. Scarlett let out a frustrated sigh, leaning back in her chair. For a long moment she was quiet.

  “Thank you,” she said, reaching out to take my hand from across the desk. I let her, squeezing gently when she did. “I couldn’t take another day of it.”

  “I thought you two were getting a divorce?” When I asked her, she looked surprised. I explained myself. “Word travels around the office.” I was careful not to mention Andrea, deciding I’d much rathe
r be polite than stir up trouble.

  Scarlett released my hand and rested her forehead on her palm. I’d never seen her look more vulnerable than the way she did in that moment. She looked back up at me. “We are,” she admitted. I could sense the hesitancy in her voice and knew she didn’t want to talk. “I’ve been asking for over a year and she won’t quit fighting me.”

  It explained her distance. Those days she had come in quiet, spending hours locked in her room without explanation. The more I thought about it, the more it occurred to me the likelihood she’d deflected her marital troubles on me. As an excuse to get me to file a restraining order against Megan. I didn’t ask to make sure. Instead I offered a small smile. “Well, she’s gone now. At least for now.” Scarlett looked relieved until I finished my thought. “She said she was going to wait for you at the condo.”

  A scowl swept across Scarlett’s face. We sat in silence until she cleared her throat, shaking her head of her thoughts. “I need you to finish up preparations for the run-through tomorrow,” she said, meeting eyes with me. “I expect that to be finished before you leave today.” The run through for the fashion show. I’d worked on it all week.

  I nodded, getting to my feet. As I turned to leave, I gave her one more concerned look-over. “Are you sure there’s nothing I can do?”

  “The run-through preparations, Ms. Ross,” Scarlett said again, looking down at the papers on her desk. I paused for a moment and then moved to the door. Just before I left, I turned back to look at her one last time.

  “Scarlett,” I said, and she looked up at me. “I’d never do anything to hurt you. I hope you know that.” Before she could respond, I exited, shutting the door behind me.

  Even though I stayed late, I still left before Scarlett did. As I made my way home, I called Justine, and the two of us made plans to have dinner together at my apartment. She arrived shortly after I did, toting boxes from our favorite Indian takeout. The first thing I told her when she entered was the restraining order against Megan.