“That’s a difficult situation for you Marlene—it must be tough” I eventually croak then eagerly await her reaction.
“Tough? Ha ha ha—oh my dear girl, you have no idea. This industry will eat you up in a heartbeat. Never trust anyone Angel—remember that” I sit quietly and nod in agreement wondering where this conversation is going and what else I can say without crossing the line. I really want to tell her to leave her son alone and let him dump the ‘Super Bitch’ and if she didn’t like it then tough. Under the circumstances I bit my lip and held my polite silence instead.
“He was engaged to Karen Archer you know” Marlene continues.
“Karen Archer? The Karen Archer?” I stammer. Karen Archer had been one of the most highly respected fashion journalists in all of LA until she died tragically a year ago. Her blog was the Holy Grail for designers worldwide. If she didn’t like your designs then you were ruined. She was very influential and many people had mistaken me for her which had been quite distressing after her death. Even now the odd person will give me a strange stare every now and then although that seems to have worn off a bit these days, especially now my hair is longer now.
“You look a lot like her Angel—has anyone told you that?”
“Er yes, I got that quite a lot especially after her death”
“It was a huge loss to the fashion world—and to my son. It took him a long time before he could even mention her name—and now he’s gone and got embroiled with Alexandra of all people, most probably to spite me. He despises her really as Alexandra was Karen’s nemesis—they totally hated each other. She saw him as the ultimate conquest over Karen and he funds her to exert power over me. I’m constantly begging him to keep her sweet until the Spring collection has been launched. No doubt he’ll drop her like a hot potato after release day but in the meantime he’s behaving like a total bastard to her; standing her up, cancelling dates at the last minute, not calling. It’s making me a nervous wreck” ‘Sounds charming’ I think to myself sarcastically. Marlene shrugs and exhales loudly. She gathers up some paperwork and taps it on her desk before placing it neatly to one side.
“Anyway, enough about that” she snaps in her usual officious way “let’s get on to why I called you in here.” I straighten my back and try to look professional as though that conversation had not really just happened. The old Marlene is back. “You are showing great potential Angel. Your designs have a little x-factor about them that make them extremely desirable and as such you are getting noticed.” There is a pause as I sit there with my mouth open.
“Oh er really? I got the impression that Alexandra wasn’t that impressed” I blurt out in a state of shock. This was the last thing that I expected. I honestly thought she was going to reprimand me over the collar design on the blouse that I have to correct.
“Alexandra has her eye on you Angel and while that may sound flattering she’s known to suck the life out of young designers leaving them high and dry but reaping the rewards for herself. So, I’ve called you in here as I don’t want to see that happen—after all, it was I that discovered you so it’s only natural that I should protect my investment.” I nod, trying hard to keep up and absorb the revelations that Marlene was disclosing to me. Part of me wanted to jump up and punch the air whilst shouting a hearty Texan ‘heehaw’ but there was a feeling of trepidation and fear that stopped me after knowing Marlene’s already precarious situation with the Super Bitch.“She will try to poach you away from me—I guarantee it. And she’ll try every underhand trick in her book” says Marlene seriously “and when that happens we’re going to be walking a tightrope. I haven’t decided what my move will be when this happens given the entanglement she’s bound me up in but believe me Angel......” she leans forward with darkened eyes “.....I will not go down without a fight.” The determination in her eyes and her tone sends a shiver down my spine and I can’t figure out if it is just rivalry between two fashion icons or a threat aimed at me. The last thing I need is to be stuck in the middle of these two viragoes if a legal fight starts—it could result in me not being able to design at all and could drag on for years.
“I will stay loyal to you Marlene—you gave me the break I needed and I won’t betray that I promise” I look her earnestly in the eye to emphasize my sincerity. A silence fell between us and we hold each other’s gaze.
“Will that be all Marlene?” I eventually ask. “I want to correct that collar before lunch if I can so I don’t overrun any deadlines”. Marlene sits back into her chair, releasing her stare.
“Yes Angel, that will be all for the time being” I stand and turned to leave. Even after this bombshell I am still thinking about my cell phone and deciding what reply I am going to send.
“Oh, and Angel? Just one more thing”
“Yes?”
“This conversation never happened—is that understood?” She is back to the old Marlene again. Firm, assertive and cool as ice.
“Totally Marlene—never happened” I reply in a confident tone. The suppressed desire to punch the air still clings to me as I leave her office. I am ‘in demand’. In a matter of a few days I have gone from being a miserable non-orgasmic woman that buried her head in work and partied in between, to discovering I was not only making my mark in the fashion world but multi-orgasmic too. I can feel myself glowing but can’t decide which aspect of my life is causing it—although I suspect that the orgasms from my Adonis is mainly responsible. What’s more, I haven’t even given Adam a second thought all weekend and today. Mr Singer is proving to be extremely good therapy in more ways than one.
I reach my desk and grab my phone to see if he’s sent anymore texts. Kate comes over, wanting to know what the meeting was about. I wish she’d leave me alone so I can reply to Brad but I reluctantly put my phone down again and patched up a story about sorting the collar out on that dreaded blouse and deadlines. She seems to buy it, and satisfied with the explanation, sits back down to her desk. Right; back to my phone—another two text messages.
‘????’ sent 11.21am
‘Are you playing with me Angel?’ sent 11.28am
Oh no. It’s ages since I replied—is he getting annoyed? I hurriedly begin to reply and explain the delay so he doesn’t think I’m not interested. My head is spinning. What a day to begin a torrid sexting session.
‘Sorry Brad, it’s been manic in the office this morning. Not playing with you x’
I breathe a sigh of relief as I hit the send button; satisfied with my explanation. Now, back to work on this design. There’s no way I’m going to have this done before lunch now but I’m going to make a good start. Besides that’s what ‘in demand’ designers do I thought to myself and I am aware that a grin has emerged on my face. I’ve got to concentrate and stop thinking about the weekend and this morning’s events. Trying not to think about the weekend made me think about it more—every time the clenching feeling inside of me kept making an appearance. Tomorrow, I must remember to put a spare pair of panties in my handbag. Despite my mental battle I manage to get absorbed in my work—it wasn’t too difficult; designing is my passion. Lunch comes and goes and I decide to take a five minute break and sink another coffee. I check my phone which is stupid really as it hasn’t jingled so I know he hasn’t replied. Maybe he is annoyed although he doesn’t strike me as being the moody type. I glance down at the clock on my computer—hmm it’s been an hour and a half since I sent that last text. I wonder if he got it. Maybe he’s in a meeting. My mind threw up a dozen plausible reasons to excuse the length of time. I scoop up my phone and make my way to the coffee machine that’s not far from my desk and order myself a black coffee. I stand for a few minutes looking over at the Tremain building across the street—wondering which window is Brad’s office. My eyes scan each one for clues or even, maybe, a glimpse of him. But the building is vast and searching the hundreds of windows would take all day. Besides, I would really need a pair of binoculars and I think my co-workers might think it was a bit odd if I stood
at the coffee machine all day watching through the window like a secret agent. I halt any ideas of becoming an obsessive compulsive stalker and get back to my desk deciding that work, as always, is the best therapy.
‘You didn’t answer my question’ sent 2.03pm
The next text eventually jingled through to my phone and makes a rush of excitement and lust surge through me. ‘There’s no side-tracking this guy. What does he want me to say? ‘yes please, come over right now and perform that wonderful thing you do so well with your tongue—right here, right now’ Tempting as that sounds, I think it would raise a few of my co-worker’s eyebrows. I need to reply—but what to say. I slurp the rest of my coffee and drift off into a daydream while I work out my next move. After much deliberation I decide that a sexy but vague response may be best.
‘Tempting but I fear that would only make me wetter’ sent 2.09pm
A bit lame but it was really all I could come up with. Brad is very difficult to gauge and the last thing I want to do is make myself look cheap or look up to see him stood in front of my desk. I’m sure it’s just a bit of fun but all the same I didn’t want to push too hard—he is very confident after all.
‘Have dinner with me tonight. I’ll be outside your apartment at 6pm. P.S. bring your toothbrush’ sent 2.11pm
Tonight? Excitement did a mad circuit around my whole body and my heart started to pound so hard I could hear it. Geez he’s eager—I must have made an impression. My mind rewinds back to the blow-job I gave him in the shower. I promised Jody we’d have a special dinner together tonight as she had pleaded with me. I think she’s planning on interrogating me in style. I wouldn’t be much of a friend if I just dropped her like a stone—especially as she’s put up with my moping around for the last six months. Besides, mates before dates—that’s our motto. All the same, if I’m honest I would rather see Brad, and it’s not the thought of Valerie’s cooking that’s got me hooked. I feel myself clench at the thought of Brad’s fit toned body, his beautiful face and hypnotic smell that is unique to him. I will just have to tell him. After all, he is assuming that I’m free this evening which is rather cheeky.
‘I’d love to but I can’t this evening, I already have plans. Another night? x’ sent 2.19pm
‘There—decision made and message sent’ I think, at the same time wondering if I might have just blown away the lover of a lifetime. ‘Well it’s done now so no going back—oh how frustrating; why did he pick tonight of all nights?’ My phone is quiet for the rest of the day and all the excitement of the sexting turns to a sick, pitting feeling in my stomach as Brad’s silence gives me every impression that I’ve just been dumped. Dinner has been timed for eight tonight so I decide to stay late at the office. I have done that a lot over the last few months. Marlene thinks it is because I am dedicated and ambitious—but the reality is that my work is also my therapy. Today—I need that therapy. I know I will not be good company if I leave with everyone else at the usual time. The torment of Brad’s silence would be too much for me back at the apartment. It’s strange how silence can be so loud at times.
It’s 7pm and I decided it’s time that I pack away and brave the LA traffic home. There’s always so much traffic in LA and it is one of the hardest aspects of moving here. A journey that should only take fifteen minutes frequently turns into an hour—and tonight is no exception. After a bumper to bumper crawl I eventually arrive at the apartment and pull my car into the parking lot at the back of the apartment; parking up next to Jody’s old Mercedes. I sit in my car for a moment and re-read Brad’s messages; looking at the last one I sent declining dinner. Did I sound standoffish or like I was dumping him? I must snap out of this mood. If he were to messages me now my spirits would lift instantly—I’m being a doom and gloom merchant again. I shove my phone into my bag, get out, lock the door and begin to walk with my head down deep in thought to the main entrance of the apartment. Suddenly, I looked up startled. Brad is standing in front of me. I have been so wrapped up with my thoughts that I hadn’t noticed his car parked over the other side of the lot.
“Brad” I exclaim, my eyes as wide as saucers and mouth to match. “What are you doing here?” He gives me a broad smile and steps over till he’s right in front of me, looking down on me with big green eyes laced with mischief.
“I know you’re busy tonight but you never really gave me an answer to my question” he says quietly and calmly. “So I figured it would be rude of me to leave you in an.....err.....uncomfortable state”
I realize that he’s referring to his offer to ‘lick me dry’. I should have known that a sexy but vague response wouldn’t cut it with a man like Brad. He pulls me close and I can feel the strength of his body and that enchanting unique fragrance he has that makes me want to breathe him in, deep into my lungs. His hand comes up under my chin and he raises my face to his—staring deep into my eyes, smoldering with lust and intent. He begins to plant small soft kisses on my mouth—gently exploring my top and bottom lip in turn. Oh this man is so good. Just doing this causes a delicious tension inside me and tingling sensations down below. His kisses become deeper and he pushes his tongue into my mouth, gently circling my tongue with his. I feel my passion building and run my fingers through the back of his soft, thick hair. He presses himself closer to me and I feel the familiar hardness of his erection pushing against me just below my navel. We begin to travel and he steers us both over towards an old Cadillac that’s parked just out of range of the security light. Pushing me back so I’m lying on the bonnet, he swiftly pushes my skirt up to my hips.
“We can’t do it here Brad—what if the owner comes out or somebody sees us?” I protest as I nervously scope the parking lot for prying eyes. But before I can go any further I feel him push my knees up and outwards towards my stomach. Oh, this is so exciting; I’m trembling with nervousness and panic at being caught. I feel his slender fingers pull my panties to one side and realize I’m exposed. I let out a small gasp. I can’t believe this is happening. I run my fingers through his hair as, without any hesitation, he thrusts his tongue into me. “Arrrhh”—I bite my lip as I tense. I must be quiet or someone may see. He places a hand above my pubic bone and pushes upwards—pulling me open, exposing and tightening me at the same time before sliding two fingers deep inside me and devouring me hard with his tongue. “Oh my God—oh my God” I pant as his fingers move in and out skillfully and the flat of his tongue moves hard and fast from side to side. “I’m coming” I exclaim in a breathy tone; still attempting to be quiet. “I’m coming” I cry out again and my legs begin to shake so hard one of my shoes falls off and rattles onto the floor, hitting the bonnet on its way down. I arch my back uncontrollably as he stills and sucks gently on me while I clench and ooze around his slowly thrusting fingers. My orgasm seems to go on forever—prolonged by his gentle sucking and I don’t want it to stop. I lie there on the bonnet of the Cadillac for a moment while I try to take in what just happened. My body has never experienced anything like this before. Adam was useless—I would lay there wondering what all the fuss was about while he focused about an inch away from where he should have been. The encounters I’d had with Wade in my father’s barn were inexperienced fumbling which usually made me wince with discomfort more than anything else as neither of us really knew what we were doing. Slowly, as my senses begin to return I raise myself up and slide off the bonnet and into his arms—flushed, ruffled and still panting. I feel dazed and dizzy as my blood begins to return back from below my waistline. I wrap my arms around his neck and he kisses me deeply—tasting my arousal on his lips and still with my skirt hiked up to my hips.
“You better go” Brad whispers, still holding me close and with a look in his eyes that says ‘please change your mind and come with me’. I wanted to; more than anything. But I knew Jody’s meal would almost be ready and dropping her like that would make me a total bitch.
“You crazy, beautiful man” I say with a smile and force myself to leave his arms and pull my skirt back do
wn. “I wish I could come with you tonight but it would mean letting Jody down. I feel bad as I’ve not pleasured you”. His eyes darken and I feel his stance become formal and slightly tense. What is it between him and Jody? What ‘shit load of trouble’ did she cause him? There always seems to be an unsaid tension. Or maybe he was expecting me to return the pleasure and he thinks I’m selfish. I decide to ignore the reaction and continue to arrange myself back to being presentable and pick up my bag that has been discarded on the floor. When I look back at Brad he is back to being soft and gentle again.
“I don’t work that way Angel. It’s not a competition and I don’t keep score. The biggest pleasure is seeing you come and watching you lose control knowing I’ve done that to you” I look at him a little awkwardly—I didn’t mean for it to sound like a ‘competition’.
“When will I see you again?” I ask as I give him one last kiss.
“I’ll let you know” he replies with a soft smile. I feel a bit foolish asking him now—did I come over as desperate? Maybe he’s being cool with me in return for me not breaking my arrangements this evening. He shoots me a smile, turns and walks back to his car raising a small wave as he drives out of the parking lot. I must get myself together as it’s now ten past eight and the meal was supposed to be ready ten minutes ago. As I make my way through the entrance I can’t help but pause for a moment—trying to get rid of that ‘I’ve just had sex look’ that Jody was an expert at noticing. I decide the best way is to flurry through the door so I look like I’ve been rushing instead of having an erotic interlude in the parking lot.
“Hi” I say as I bluster through the door. “I’m sorry I’m late—it took longer than I expected to get back” Jody is busy putting the final touches to the meal.
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