“Is that the dress?” McKayla asked and Gwen nodded before taking it into the guest room where she had all her sewing materials. It was her work room where she played and created. She popped in her earbuds and got to work turning the dress into the one she envisioned. She had only two hours before she had to start getting ready for the gala. McKayla left her alone because Gwen didn’t have much time and she didn’t want to distract her.
Chapter 22
Gwen exited the spare room one hour and fifty minutes later, holding the gown folded over her arm. She hung it up in their room and quickly showered. McKayla was on the phone in the living room in a robe and her hair hanging wet over one shoulder so Gwen knew she’d already showered. Gwen quickly blow dried her hair and put curlers in it after she got out. She applied a heavy smoky eye, just a touch of blush and light pink lip gloss. She took out her curlers and fluffed the curls out just a bit. She slipped on a tiny white thong before slipping into her gown. The dress had a beaded strap that ran over one shoulder and attached at the back on the opposite side. She’d cut a triangular gap in the gown so that most of her abdomen was exposed. The beaded strap ran around either side of the opening. The gown exposed Gwen’s newest tattoo along the left side of her ribs. In black scribe written from her front to her back,
Only The Strong Survive
Underneath it was a small huddled figure curled around their knees. She got it months ago as her way of showing that she wasn’t going to let her past control her anymore. She slipped on 4 inch red peep toe stilettos before she met McKayla in the living room. McKayla was now in a pair of tight jeans and a tight boat neck top with a thick jacket on her lap. She would be getting dressed at the venue. Gwen grabbed a bright red mid-thigh length jacket, white elbow-high gloves and a red clutch before they headed out. She buttoned the jacket up all the way so it hid a good majority of the dress and kept in the warmth before they stepped out into the freezing weather.
After a short cab ride, they pulled up on the backside of the venue. They both moved to the area for the models to get ready. Gwen simply had to make sure everyone knew what they were doing. She only had two dresses being shown and for a majority of the night the models would be with her as she mingled. She sat in a chair and propped her heels up on the table in front of her. She really didn’t need to be here so early but it was easier and cheaper if she shared a cab over with McKayla. She had time to waste while McKayla and the other model had their hair and makeup done. One of the hair girls came over and sat down next to her.
“Want me to do something with your hair or do you want to leave it as it is?” Mary, the hair stylist, asked playing with the ends of Gwen’s hair. Gwen shrugged, she was going to wear it as it was, but she wasn’t opposed to doing something with it.
“If you want to.” The girl motioned for Gwen to move to one of the hair dresser chairs. Gwen carefully sat down, she was trying not to get her dress too wrinkly. She should’ve waited unil she was here to put it on but she wanted to make sure it fit and looked the way she had been wanting. Gwen closed her eyes and tried to relax as the stylist gently tugged and pulled at her hair. When she opened her eyes, she saw her hair had been swept into a messy low side bun, a silver flower headband was laced into it. The bun was on the opposite side of her single strap so it was looked perfect. Plus it made her brown doe eyes stand out more. Even Gwen had to admit she was looking pretty good.
“Wow. Now that is one hot lady.” McKayla said coming up behind her. She kissed the stretch of skin between Gwen’s neck and shoulder while slipping her hands around her stomach. Gwen smiled at her in the mirror.
“Not looking so bad yourself. Although you know that.” Gwen wrapped her arms over the top of McKayla’s briefly enjoying the hug. She pushed out of the chair and turned to take in McKayla and her gown. McKayla’s gown was nude lace that was completely see through. Beading covered the bodice, leaving a lot of skin showing through the lace pattern. The beading ran down the center of the gown to the floor, spreading out to a row around either hip to leave a pattern of beading down the center of the back of the dress. There was a high slit on either leg ending with 4 inch silver strappy stilettos. The stylist had straightened her hair so it fell stick straight on either side of her neck, to leave to low back unobscured. The other model was also ready in a more traditional gown that was also floor length. It had long sleeves made of a black lace, a high lace collar that covered her breast then fell into a black satin skirt that clung to her slender curves.
The three of them made their way to the entrance for the party. Gwen dropped her coat off at the entrance and slipped her claim ticket in her clutch. They made their way as a group through the crowd, Gwen made small talk with everyone as she went. She would stop if someone wanted to talk about her designs. Eventually they made it to the table where Gwen would be served dinner. It had taken over an hour to get there because of the number of people at the party. McKayla and the other model disappeared to get ready for the show that would take place while everyone was eating. Gwen calmly sipped her glass of wine. An older woman sat next to her and turned with her knees facing Gwen, an elbow on the table.
“I just had to come sit and talk with you since you were finally alone.” The older woman said. She looked friendlier than most of the people in the crowd. Gwen was used to all the back stabbing and snide remarks because that was just how people were in this industry. Gwen just smiled at her, not sure where the lady was going. “I’m Bethany. I work with MHKR to hire new designers. We’ve been following you for quite some time. Victoria let me know that you were going to be showing this week and said that I might want to check it out. I was already going to be here anyway but I made sure not to miss your show. I must say I absolutely love all of your designs. I would love if we could meet privately sometime at my office to discuss some opportunities we may have available for you.”
“Sure. That would be wonderful.” Gwen said after a moment of surprise passed. “I really did enjoying working under Victoria as her assistant and would love to discuss a possibility of me continuing to work for MHKR.”
Gwen didn’t want to say that she wasn’t willing to be an assistant to anyone any more. She was only willing to take a contract with them if it was for her to have her own line under their label, but she would wait to hear what else Bethany had to say. It was an excellent opportunity for her and made the whole day that much better. Bethany quickly slipped off after leaving her card and telling Gwen to call her the next day to set up an appointment for later in the week. Before dinner was served Gwen had three other people sit down and have very similar conversations before leaving a card and asking her to make an appointment.
Finally, dinner arrived. Gwen barely touched her salad but ate all of the salmon that was the main course. She carried light conversations with the other people at her table, she hadn’t caught most of their names, not that she would’ve remembered them anyway. She doubted she would see any of them again. As dessert was served the models started down the runway after various introductions. She gushed inside when her line was introduced. It was like seeing her dreams come true all over again to see her designs up on a run way and to add to it that her love was the one wearing it only added to it.
McKayla sure knew how to work the runway too. She had a fierce stomping walk but her playful attitude showed through. She was always doing something or another that made her and the outfit she wore stand out. Gwen clapped louder than was probably polite for your own designs but she couldn’t help it. McKayla gave her a wink as she passed which made Gwen smile. On her way back down the runway, McKayla stopped and jumped down. She grabbed Gwen’s arm and pulled her up onto the runway. The crowd burst into loud applause which made Gwen blush as she walked down the runway. She gave a little bow before stepping back stage with McKayla.
“You are so crazy.” Gwen laughed before giving McKayla a quick kiss once they were behind the curtain. McKayla and the other model followed Gwen back out into the room. Everyone was start
ing to disperse away from the tables back into the more open spaces. Now that the show was over, everyone went back to chatting and making connections. Gwen was sipping a glass of wine and chatting with some other new designers when one of them gasped and tried to discreetly point at someone behind Gwen. She tried to glance over her shoulder but she didn’t see anyone or anything that looked particularly eye catching.
“Did you see who is here?” A woman who looked a couple years younger than Gwen asked. Gwen shook her head ‘no’ and looked at McKayla who did the same thing. Apparently neither of them had. “The CEO of MHKR is here! He’s been out of the country for over a year now dealing with the expansion of one of their lines in Europe. There has been so many issues apparently he hasn’t even been able to take a day off.”
“Wow, a CEO that works hands on. I’d have to see it to believe it.” Gwen said knowing most CEOs delegated a good portion of their work to their staff. She’d never even seen a picture of the guy and she worked for his company for a year. Apparently he played it low key and didn’t want his picture plastered all over the company’s offices. Gwen figured he was probably not very good looking and didn’t want people to make jokes over his looks. It didn’t matter to Gwen what he looked like, his company was hugely successful. His company had given her an opportunity of a lifetime and for that she was thankful for.
“Oh, he is very hands on. It’s how he operates. He is there every second to help his new venture succeed. Once it is up on its feet, doing well, he moves on to the next one.” The woman informed Gwen. Gwen wasn’t surprised, obviously he knew what he was doing and did it well.
“The wife must love that or travel with him.” Gwen guessed the guy would be married. Probably to some model too.
“Oh, he’s not married. No one has ever seen him with a woman so maybe he is gay. That’d be sad because he’s smoking hot.” The woman fanned herself with her hand. Gwen tried to keep from rolling her eyes. Good looking, successful and not married. She decided he must just be extremely demanding or a work-a-holic. Or maybe he really was gay.
“Gwen, I have to use the restroom, want to come with?” McKayla quietly interrupted from where she’d been standing behind Gwen.
“Sure.” Gwen excused herself and they made their way through the crowd. At one point, Gwen swore she saw Cole standing across the room, but when she looked back, there was no one there. She shook her head, he would have no reason to be there so she had to be imagining him since seeing him just the other night. After using the restroom, they exited back into the crowd and after another hour Gwen was exhausted. She walked back to the changing area with the girls and left them so they could change back into their street clothes. She returned to pick up her coat and gloves then waited right outside the changing area for McKayla. Gwen slipped on her gloves and coat while she waited. They walked hand in hand towards the exit.
“The night seemed to go very well. Congratulations, baby. I’m so proud of you.” McKayla spoke in soft tones since there were a few other people that were also exiting at that time. They slipped into one of the waiting cabs along the curb.
“Yes it seemed to be very good. I can’t wait to start making some appointments and see what actual offers are out there. How much people are willing to pay for my line. It’s very exciting… And exhausting. I swear even though we weren’t there all that long it felt like we were there for days. I’m beat.” Gwen laid her head back on the seat and closed her eyes. In the morning, she had many phone calls to make and appointments to start going to. The first would be MHKR since they were already near and dear to her but she would also make other appointments just to see what else was out there.
Chapter 23
Gwen walked out of the elevator at MHKR. She was at the top floor. Although she worked here for a year before she had never been to the top floor. The office she worked in was a few floors down. The only thing on the top floor was all the bigwigs’ offices, their secretaries and a couple conference rooms. She was greeted by an elderly woman in a black pant suit with her hair swept back in a tight bun as soon as she stepped from the elevator.
"Good Morning. How can I help you?" the woman asked Gwen. Gwen tried to smile warmly. She was more than a little nervous. Up until an hour ago, she'd been expecting the lovely brunette she'd met at the gala to be doing the interview. Instead, Gwen had gotten a call that the woman had fallen ill and wouldn’t be able to make it in today. However, her boss had said he would conduct the interview instead of rescheduling it.
"I'm Gwen Black. I was told I would be expected." Gwen said crossing her hands on top of the high counter of the desk the woman sat behind.
"Ah, yes. I'll let them know you have arrived." The woman said curtly and waved to the waiting area to the left of the elevators before picking up the phone and dialing a number. "Please have a seat."
Gwen nervously carried her portfolio under one arm to the bank of chairs against the wall. Just as she was sitting down the woman behind the desk spoke loudly to her. "If you'll follow me."
The woman pushed back from her desk and walked quickly down one of the hallways before Gwen could even push out of the chair. She caught up with the woman and followed closely through the halls. There were images of various stages of design or clothing on the walls. They made two turns before the hallway opened to another seating area. There was another receptionist, this one was much younger, Gwen would guess in her early 30s and very attractive. She had fiery red hair that fell down in tight ringlets just past her shoulders and bright green welcoming eyes.
"Tiffany here will let you know when he is ready to see you." The stern woman from the front said before disappearing back down the hallway. Gwen smiled shyly toward Tiffany.
"Oh, don't let her bother you. She is the gate keeper. She has to deal with all the crazies that try to sneak up here. Please have a seat. Can I get you a refreshment?" Tiffany, the stunning redhead, asked from her standing position behind the desk as she gestured to a small sitting area.
"Oh, no thank you. I'm okay." Gwen said moving to once again take a seat. She waited a moment to make sure she had enough time that her butt would get to actually touch the seat rather than a mere grazing of the seat as it had the last time she tried to sit. Once seated, she crossed her ankles. She looked down at her plain navy blue pencil skirt and navy fitted blazer. It was perfectly cut to show off her figure but not show off too much skin even when she bent forward. Wouldn't want the boss looking down her top now, would she? She shifted the thick portfolio on her lap as she waited and looked around the waiting area. There were only two big leather high backed chairs and a small coffee table in the area. No magazines cluttered the table, she didn't see any at all in fact. Interesting. The phone on the desk rang once before Tiffany answered and spoke in hushed tones.
"Gwen? You can go in now. Please head through the door. Careful the door is quite heavy." Tiffany gestured at the door to Gwen's left. She stood, adjusted her coat slightly and took a deep breath. "Don't let him see your nerves. Be confident, I've seen quite a few of your designs, you are great. Now you just have to show and prove it to him."
Gwen just nodded slightly. She hadn't expected a pep talk from the receptionist but it was nice. She held her shoulders back and pushed hard against the door. She walked into a massive office. There was a couch, loveseat and lounge chair in one corner, large bookshelves covered the far wall and were filled with books. A round table with four chairs around it sat midway into the room. Finally her eyes landed on two more of the high backed chairs from the waiting area and an extremely large desk that had a massive computer screen along with stacks of folders on the corner. The center of the desk had been cleared except for a pad of paper and a pen.
The chair at the desk had its back to her. The man in it must have been looking out the wall of windows that had large curtains pulled back on either side. As Gwen quietly took a few steps into the room, she noticed there was another door leading from the room on the same wall as the one that she had e
ntered, which she found interesting. She stood between the door and the circular table, not sure where she was supposed to sit. She watched as the chair turned around almost in slow motion to reveal Cole Cressley sitting in it. His eyes were flat and rested on her chin rather than her eyes like he normally did. He had on a black perfectly tailored suit with a pale green dress shirt, no tie.
"Please sit." Cole said as if he hadn't even recognized her, his voice was cooler than she had ever heard it. She slowly walked over and sat down in one of the high-backed chairs. She was extremely confused. This had to be a joke. What was he doing here? His eyes flicked to look at the folder in her arms. Holding out one hand, he asked, "Can I see your portfolio?"
"Um...” Gwen hesitated. He leaned back in his chair. He threaded his fingers together, pressing his pointer fingers to his lips, pursing his lips. Now his eyes met hers but they weren’t the vibrant eyes she was used to seeing, they were darker, meaner looking. She stood and set the portfolio on his desk, turning it so the images would be displayed right when he opened it. She sat back down in her chair, both feet on the ground, hands laced in her lap. She felt like she was in a meeting with a man she’d never met before. She had never seen this side of Cole, although admittedly she hadn’t spent all that much time with him outside of the subway.
Cole flipped open the top of the folder. He flipped through each page, taking his time to look at each image. He wrote something down for each image. He didn’t look at her, didn’t say another word so she just had to sit there and wait until he had gone through the whole folder. He closed it and pushed it across his desk and moved the pad with notes on it directly in front of him. Gwen moved to take it back but his harsh voice stopped her. “Did I tell you to take it?”
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