by Todd, E. L.
He smiled. “No, it’s okay. I wanted the same thing but I didn’t want to scare you off.”
“We’re so cute.”
“I’ll tell Jack to take myself to my apartment.”
“Okay.”
He left and returned a few minutes later. We were both tired from the long flight so we fell into bed and went to sleep immediately. I had to work in the morning and I wanted to call in sick. But I was already in hot water so I knew I couldn’t do a single thing wrong.
When I went to work the next morning, I saw Orlando.
“How was the weekend?” he asked. “Lots of sex?”
“I can barely sit down.”
“Man, I wish I had that problem.”
I smiled. “I’m sad it’s over.”
“I would be too.”
“We dropped the L word.”
He clapped. “That’s fabulous.”
“I’m very happy.”
“Now we just need to get you engaged.”
I laughed. “That’s too soon.”
“You wouldn’t say no.”
“Probably not.”
“And isn’t he a billionaire? Quit your job and eat Bon-Bons all day.”
“I’m not with him for his money.”
“That doesn’t mean you can’t take advantage of it.”
“That isn’t my style,” I said.
“So, are we on for dinner tonight?” Orlando asked.
“Yep. Sushi.”
“Stewart is excited.”
“I hope you two can keep your hands to yourselves.”
“We can, but you don’t want to see that either.”
I laughed. “You’re horrible, Orlando.”
Theresa knocked on my door. “Pia wants to see you, Cassie.”
“Uh, thanks,” I said.
She glared at me. “Now.”
I stood up. “I’m coming.”
Orlando’s eyes widened. “Keep it cool,” he whispered.
I followed Theresa down the hallway, my heart beating in my chest. I had never been called to Pia’s office before, and since I had been struggling at work, I knew this conversation wouldn’t be a good one.
When I reached her office, I waited outside until Theresa chauffeured me inside. She closed the door behind her and I took a seat in front of the desk.
Pia ignored me for about five minutes. She typed on her computer and checked the papers on her desk. I wasn’t sure if I should say something. She knew I was there. There was no way she didn’t see me.
“You wanted to speak to me, ma’am?” I asked.
She glared at me through her glasses. “Now you know how it feels to have your time wasted.”
I knew this was going to be bad.
She continued to stare me down. “I’ve been very displeased with your performance. I have thousands of applicants for your job every day, but yet, I’m paying you to make utter rubbish for this magazine. It’s a disgrace to this company and your colleagues.”
I kept a straight face even though I felt like breaking down on the inside. There was nothing wrong with my work. I wasn’t even sure what Pia wanted me to create. I really wished I had another job so I could just storm out and tell her to go to hell.
“Have you nothing to say?”
No, not really. “I’ll do better next time.”
“You’ll do better? And what does that mean?”
“I won’t let you down,” I said calmly.
“Why do I have a hard time believing anything you say?”
If she weren’t my boss, I’d punch her in the face. I seriously wanted to key her Mercedes in the parking garage. If there weren’t any cameras, I’d probably get away with it. I didn’t respond to her comment because I didn’t have anything constructive to say. It sounded rhetorical anyway.
“Consider this your final warning. If your work is less than perfect, you’ll be looking for another job. And believe me, I’ll be bad mouthing you all over town. You won’t find anything.”
I kept my anger under control. “Anything else, ma’am?”
“Get out of my office.”
I stood up and left. When I walked into my office, I shut the door and let the tears fall. I knew it was stupid to cry but I couldn’t help it. The situation was totally unfair. I didn’t do anything wrong. I knew my work was good. My models loved my gowns. Pia was the one who didn’t understand fashion.
Orlando opened the door. “Oh my god. What happened?” He closed the door and came to me.
I told him everything.
He patted my back. “I’m so sorry, girl.”
“I fucking hate her.”
“You aren’t the only one.”
I wiped my tears away and controlled my breathing. “Are my gowns ugly, Orlando? Be honest.”
“They are beautiful. I’m not just saying that.”
“Then I don’t understand.”
Orlando shrugged. “I don’t know. No one knows what she’s looking for. I heard rumors that the management is lighting a fire under her ass to be the number one magazine in the country. Perhaps she’s taking it out on everyone.”
“Perhaps?” I said sarcastically.
“It’ll be alright.”
“No it won’t,” I said. “I need to start looking for another job now. It doesn’t matter what I make. She won’t like it. I bet tomorrow she’ll have a bunch of candidates interviewing for my position.”
“Worse case scenario, she fires you,” Orlando said. “You’ll find something else.”
“She told me she would make sure I didn’t get a job anywhere else.”
“Wow,” he said. “Pia is out for blood.”
“Fucking bitch.”
“Hey, we’ll figure it out. I’ll help you.”
“Thank you, Orlando.”
“I got your back, girl,” he said. “Should we cancel dinner?”
“No,” I said quickly. “I need a few laughs. Otherwise I’ll go crazy.”
“Okay. I need to get back to work.”
“Okay.” I stared out the window after he left, feeling my mind go blank. The first thing I wanted to do was call Tony and spill my heart out, but I didn’t want to drown him in my work problems. And I didn’t want him to do me any favors. Knowing him, he would offer.
After work, I got ready but told Tony not to come over for a few hours. I wanted him to, but I was still too upset to be around him. I would be nothing but a downer. I drank some wine and watched TV, trying to clear my head. When he finally came to my place, I felt a little better.
“Wow,” he said when he walked inside, staring at me. “If your friends weren’t gay, I’d be a little worried.”
I was wearing a dress that made my breasts look perky. I tried to show off around Tony as much as possible. He always told me I looked nice and I liked hearing the compliments from him. “You look nice too.”
“Nice?” he asked. “I give you wow, and I get nice?”
I laughed. “You look very fuckable.”
“Ooh. I like that.”
I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him for a long time, letting my stress wash away. He held me but said nothing. His strong arms made me feel better immediately. Everything was easier when I was with him. Nothing was complicated. I loved him with my whole heart and I knew he loved me in return. As long as we had that, we didn’t need anything else.
He pulled away and kissed me on the forehead. “We should go.”
“Yeah,” I said.
We arrived at the restaurant and saw Orlando and Stewart already sitting at a table. When we walked over, Orlando jumped up and hugged me.
“You look hot, girl.”
“Thanks,” I said.
Stewart kissed me on the cheek. “It’s nice to put a face to a name. Orlando talks about you all the time.”
“I hope he says good things,” I said.
“Mostly,” Stewart teased.
I turned to Tony. “This is my boyfriend.”
Their m
ouths both dropped.
Orlando nodded his head approvingly. “Very nice.”
Stewart tried to get a peek of his ass. And he wasn’t discreet about it.
Tony actually blushed. “It’s lovely to meet you both.”
“And it talks,” Orlando said, mesmerized. He shook his hand.
Stewart shook his hand next. “Wow. You have big hands.”
“Uh, thanks?’ Tony said.
I laughed. “Let’s sit down.”
We took our seats.
Orland kept his hand on Stewart’s thigh, and Stewart looked at the menu.
Tony placed his arm over my chair, his fingers touching my neck gently.
“Do you work out?” Stewart asked bluntly.
“Every morning,” Tony answered.
“It shows,” Stewart said.
“Why don’t you work out more often?” Orlando asked.
“I do,” he said offended. “I do Pilates.”
“You aren’t going to get muscles like that doing Pilates,” Orlando said.
“Well, you don’t work out,” Stewart said.
“I work all day.”
“I knew you were going to throw that in my face,” Stewart said as he rolled his eyes.
Tony smiled, seeming amused. “How did you two meet?”
“At the Purple Cowboy,” Orlando said.
“What’s that? Tony asked.
“A gay bar,” I said.
“Oh,” Tony said. “Cool.”
“And we’ve been in love ever since,” Stewart said. “Even if that isn’t always clear.”
“What do you do at the magazine?” Tony asked Orlando.
“I’m in charge of jewelry and accessories. I find the top trending gems and incorporate them into our photo shoots. I have the best job ever,” he said as he waved his hand.
Stewart looked at me. “I’m so sorry about your job. Orlando told me everything.”
Tony looked at me. “What about your job?”
My eyes widened in alarm. I wasn’t expecting this to come up.
Orlando shook his head. “Pia is a total bitch. I can’t believe she fired you without actually firing you. She’ll get what’s coming to her.”
Tony continued to stare at me. “What is he talking about, babe?”
Orlando looked frightened. “Whoops.”
I avoided his gaze. “Nothing important.”
“Did you get fired today?” he pressed.
I sighed. “It’s a long story.”
“And we have all night,” he said.
Orlando took the reins. “I think Cassie makes gorgeous gowns. She’s been doing it for years. And now Pia hates them. She gives her absolutely no feedback and keeps trashing them. So Cassie has one more chance before she gets sacked.”
“Is that even legal?” Tony asked.
“Yes,” I said quietly.
Tony gave me a sympathetic look. “You’ll find another job.”
“She basically said she would make sure that didn’t happen,” Orlando said. “That woman is a serial killer by night, I swear.”
“That’s totally uncalled for,” Stewart said. “It’s like she wants revenge.”
I shrugged. “I don’t know what her problem is.”
Tony grabbed my hand. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“It just happened today,” I said. “I didn’t want to bring it up.”
He leaned toward me and kissed me gently.
Stewart and Orlando both awed.
“I’ll figure it out, baby,” he said. “Don’t worry about it.”
“I’m fine, Tony.”
“Quit tomorrow,” he said. “I’ll find you another job—a better job. In the meantime, I can take care of your bills.”
“If only he was gay…” Orlando said.
“Tony, I really appreciate it, but I don’t need your help. Thank you anyway.”
He stared at me. “I don’t want you going back there. You clearly aren’t respected and treated right.”
“Drop it,” I said firmly.
“Why are you being so complicated right now?” Tony said. “I’ve found you a perfect solution. Why go back there where you are miserable? And I can make this woman’s life miserable if I want to.”
“Do it!” Orland said. “You would be the office hero.”
I grabbed his arm. “Can we discuss this later?”
He stared me down. “Okay.”
We got back to dinner and talk about other things. It was still tense because of the argument Tony and I just had. I really wished Stewart hadn’t brought up the incident, but I couldn’t be mad about it. I understood why he assumed Tony already knew. Any normal girlfriend would tell her boyfriend. Except most normal boyfriends weren’t billionaires.
When we came back to my apartment, I prepared for the battle about to take place.
He stared at me. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I’m so horny right now.”
“What?”
I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. “Make love to me.”
He fell for my ploy but only for a second. “I know what you’re doing.”
“Trying to get laid.”
“You’re trying to avoid a fight.”
I sighed.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he repeated.
“I didn’t have a chance.”
“You had three hours from when you left work until we went to dinner.”
“I had errands to run.”
He glared at me. “Be straight with me.”
“I just didn’t want to, okay?”
“Are you really going to lose your job?”
“I’m pretty sure I will.”
He shook his head. “That’s something you should tell me. I thought we were serious.”
“We are,” I said. “That has nothing to do with this.”
“But it does. I love you. You love me. You should tell me everything, especially important stuff like this.”
I crossed my arms over my chest and avoided his gaze.
“How long has this been going on?”
I shrugged. “Like a month.”
“A month?”
“It’s not a big deal.”
“It is a big deal!” He came closer to me. “I want you to quit tomorrow. I’ll take care of you.”
“I don’t want you to take care of me!”
“Too bad! And I’ll find you another job if you want one. I can get you in with a better company, a better gig, with better pay. And I’ll make sure your boss gets fired. Money fixes everything.”
I glared at him. “Tony, I don’t want your help. That’s exactly why I didn’t want you to know. I knew this is the response I would get.”
He studied my face for a long time. “Why won’t you let me help you?”
“Because I can figure it out on my own.”
Tony didn’t look convinced. “Babe, I know you aren’t with me for my money. You don’t need to prove anything to me. Please let me help you.”
“No.”
“You’re being really annoying right now.”
“So are you. Let me figure it out.”
“Why?” he said. “You’ll get fired and you’ll frantically search for a job, not find anything because of this bitch, then take a job you don’t even want and be screwed over. I’m opening a door for you. Now walk through it.”
“No.”
“What are you trying to prove?”
“I love you.”
He sighed. “Babe, I already know that.”
“But everyone is going to think that’s what’s going on.”
“Who cares?”
“I do,” I said. “I don’t want there to be any doubt.”
“Even if there wasn’t, people would still assume. That’s just how it is.”
I shook my head. “I don’t even want to work for a magazine again.”
“What do you want? You don’t have work at all if you don’t want to.”
>
“That will never happen.”
“When we get married, it will.”
“No,” I said firmly.
“I could slap you right now.”
I glared at him.
“What do you want, baby?”
“My boss hates my dresses but I know they are amazing. I just wished I had my own clothing line. She would beg to feature me and I could tell her to fuck off.”
“Then make your own clothing line,” he said simply.
“I’ve already tried,” I said sadly. “I need a lot of money just to start up and there’s no guarantee I would even be successful. I could lose everything.”
“You would be if you had all the right connections and the right investors.”
I looked at him. “Tony, no.”
“Why not? It’s an investment.”
“You never would invest in something like that unless you were sleeping with me.”
“I’ve slept with a lot of girls and I’ve never offered them shit. I’m in love with you. There’s a big difference. And I’d appreciate it if you didn’t forget it.”
My eyes softened.
“Now take my offer.”
Having my own fashion company was my dream. I had so many ideas. And I really thought I had the talent to be successful, despite what Pia thought. But I couldn’t take the money from Tony. Janet would immediately assume I was using him. It was my dream to have this, but Tony was a different dream, a more important one. “No.”
He marched to me then threw me on the couch, pinning mw down. “Yes.”
I flinched at the anger on his face.
“You are doing this. We don’t have to tell anyone.”
“Tony, I love you so much.”
“Baby, I know.”
“I don’t want to lose you.”
“You can’t,” he said. “Not ever.”
“I’m scared.”
“Don’t be,” he said. “I can’t let you fall and lose your potential. That would be hurt me a lot more than if you took this money then dumped me. Please do this for me.”
“What if Janet finds out?”
“I don’t give a shit if she does.”
“I don’t know…”
“I’m withholding sex unless you do this.”
“What?”
“You heard me.”
I chuckled. “That’s just mean.”
“I’m being serious.”
“Can I think about it?”
“There’s nothing to think about. You’re marching in there and quitting your job tomorrow. You’ll get your revenge when you become super successful. Then you’ll tear her down. And I’ll help.”