by Jo Bartlett
****
‘God I need a fag after that.’ Stevie pulled a packet of cigarettes out of his pocket as soon as they got outside the office block and leant nonchalantly against the wall, not giving a damn whether it was a designated smoking area. ‘Remind me to make sure Angus puts “Clothes – couples’ own” alongside the photo. I’m not having anyone thinking I put Susie-Anne’s look together!’
‘Do you think they’re in love?’ Ashleigh sighed. The whole thing had been quite depressing.
‘Christ, no! I can’t believe he’d be marrying her if he hadn’t knocked her up.’ Stevie took a deep drag on the cigarette and closed his eyes.
‘It’s got to be more than that! Getting married because you’re stupid enough to get someone pregnant by mistake is never a good idea, whatever old fashioned sentiment might be behind it. You only have to look at my parents to see that.’
‘Thanks for the relationship counselling.’ The deadpan voice made Ashleigh jump. She hadn’t seen Tom Rushworth approaching them. ‘You forgot this!’ He thrust Stevie’s unused bag of accessories towards her and, without saying anything else, turned on his heel and left. For a minute the two of them just stood open-mouthed, like a couple of fish out of water.
****
By the time they got on the tube, Stevie was laughing about it. Never one for worrying, he was impersonating Susie-Anne and holding a couple of small spot lights up to his chest, until Ashleigh laughed too. Maybe Tom wouldn’t mention it to their Editor and, even if he did, she was sure Angus would see the funny side.
Stevie’s mobile rang just as they emerged from the station, still giggling. It was quite hard to pick up on the one-sided conversation but, from the look on his face, it was fairly intense.
‘Well?’ Her stomach knotted as his face clouded over.
‘That was Angus.’ Stevie paused, as though he was trying to find the best way to share what he had to say. ‘Guess who just became the majority shareholder in Glitz magazine?’
‘I don’t know… Zac Starr?’ Ashleigh giggled, relieved that the call from Angus hadn’t been a telling-off for their faux pas.
‘Bloody Tom Rushworth of all people!’ Stevie’s voice was suddenly high-pitched and her shoulders dropped. ‘So we’ve been called into the office tomorrow. Make-over studio, here we come!’
Chapter Three
‘I still can’t understand why he came chasing out of the office to find us.’ Stevie mumbled the following morning, as he pulled on a pair of pink trousers that clashed horribly with his blood shot eyes.
‘He probably knew we’d be bitching about him and Susie-Anne, since they look so mad together.’ Ashleigh spoke with her mouth full and shoved another handful of Maltesers in as soon as she’d finished speaking.
‘You slipped out early this morning. How was the retail therapy?’ The lack of any shopping bags made Stevie’s question unnecessary, but she answered it anyway.
‘It didn’t work. I thought I’d hit the shops early since I couldn’t sleep last night.’ She shuddered slightly, as memories of the day before came flooding back. ‘After meeting Tom’s PA, I thought maybe power dressing might help me hang on to my job’.
‘It’ll be alright honey, we don’t even work for Glitz and, even if Tom does give us the old heave ho, we’ll make a buck freelancing somewhere else,’ Stevie grinned. ‘I quite fancy myself as an artist. I can even cope with the idea of starving in a garret, as long as I can still afford the odd designer label!’
‘There’d be no eating out then, you know? You probably couldn’t even keep yourself in Cornish pasties,’ She managed a weak smile. ‘But you’re right, there’ll probably be work elsewhere. It was me that jinxed it after all, I’d been moaning about how working for Glitz wasn’t what I really wanted.’ She just wished she could really believe it would be okay either way. As much as the work with Glitz sometimes frustrated her, she knew it was what paid the mortgage on the flat and kept her head above water.
‘So what happened to the power suit?’ Stevie pinched one of the Maltesers out of the pack she was gripping as though her life depended on it.
‘I tried on my usual size and it wouldn’t even do up. I was so disgusted that I just walked out of the shop, bought the paper, a shed load of chocolate and haven’t stopped eating since.’ She gave him a wry grin. He’d understand the total lack of logic in her actions, even though he’d never put on as much as a pound in the ten years she’d known him. She was just too curvy to ever be skinny, but she wasn’t ready to move out of her size twelve comfort zone just yet.
‘Best get on with it then, honey. If they’re going tell us they don’t want us darkening the door of Glitz again, I want to know in time to hit happy hour at Carly’s new cocktail bar.’ He grabbed her hand and squeezed it. ‘Who knows, we might just bag ourselves a couple of millionaires and not have to worry about work anymore.’
****
It was one of those bright, crisp days that Ashleigh loved, the sort that made you feel alive. Despite the knotted feeling in her stomach, she was glad they’d left enough time to walk from Stevie’s flat to the Glitz offices. The fresh air was doing her good and it was dry enough to ensure that straightening her hair in his tiny bathroom, which required all the skill of a contortionist, hadn’t been a complete waste of time.
Normally she’d imagine photographing the homeless woman, who was pushing a shopping trolley full of other people’s lost belongings past the designer stores and boutiques, for her book about London life. Dreaming about seeing her book in the window of an actual bookshop had got Ashleigh through many difficult days. Not today, though, the impending meeting with Tom Rushworth pushed everything else aside.
‘You okay, honey?’ Stevie squeezed her hand as they walked the last few hundred yards to the Glitz building.
‘I think so.’ She didn’t want to speak any more than she had to and her stomach was churning. The conversation Tom overheard wasn’t that bad, but his reputation suggested he didn’t give second chances.
‘Listen, Ash, if he’s going to get rid of one of us, it’ll be me.’ Stevie pulled her closer. They were more or less the same height, but the contrast between his lean angled physique and her hourglass shape would have made them a slightly odd looking couple, had getting together ever been on the cards. ‘You saw what his opinion of stylists was.’
‘Only for himself. You’ve styled loads of his clients, I just don’t think he’s a skinny jeans kind of guy!’ She smiled, somehow Stevie always made it better. ‘Angus will tell him how important you are to making a photo shoot work and making his clients look good.’
‘Here’s where we find out honey… Come on, let’s do this thing!’
****
As it turned out, when they got to the office, Stevie wasn’t invited into the meeting and Ashleigh knew that meant one of two things. Either it was a photographer’s briefing for a forthcoming shoot, which she would share with Stevie and the rest of the team later… or Tom wanted her on her own when he sacked her. Given recent events, she’d have bet her life on the latter.
‘Thank you for coming in.’ Tom looked up from the huge leather chair behind the Editor’s desk. Poor Angus had already been relegated to one of the chairs at the side of the office, where Ashleigh joined him.
‘You’ve heard that my company has taken over majority ownership of the magazine?’ Tom didn’t wait for her to answer. ‘Angus tells me that you’re the best at what you do.’ The tone of Tom’s voice hinted that he doubted the truth of such a statement, but at least he hadn’t started by mentioning the events of the day before.
‘Thanks Angus.’ Ashleigh squeezed the Editor’s knee, making him blush.
‘She’s really great, Stevie too.’ Angus enthused, his Glaswegian accent still distinctive despite thirty years in London.
‘I hope so.’ Tom directed his gaze to Ashleigh again, but it was as
if she’d been struck dumb and hadn’t been able to do more than mumble or nod since she’d come into the room. ‘I bought into Glitz so I could have ownership of a magazine that could present my clients in the best light, particularly in…’ He paused for a minute, as if searching for the right words, ‘trying circumstances.’
‘One of Tom’s clients has had some revelations concerning her private life all over the tabloids this week. The plan is to do a photo shoot for Glitz and get it into next month’s issue of the magazine as a kind of damage limitation.’ Angus, who was well known for his love of gossip, was barely able to contain his excitement.
‘Thank you, Angus. All you need to know for now is that it’s Chloe Nicholas and I’m sure you’ve heard the rumours?’ He fixed her with a look that clearly said she wouldn’t be getting any gossip from him. ‘If you’re happy to take the job on, my PA, Francine, will contact you with the details. The shoot will need to be done on Monday.’ Tom raised an eyebrow, as if daring her to object at the short notice.
‘Thank you, we’d love to. I’ll brief Stevie and the rest of the team.’ Ashleigh finally found her voice. Like a speeding motorist who’d been let off with a warning, rather than three points on her license or an immediate ban, she couldn’t believe her luck and couldn’t wait to leave, in case he changed his mind.
‘Oh Ash, before you go, I meant to tell you that Zac Starr has been asking for your number, apparently he’s lost your card. I can give you his details if you want to call him?’ Angus beamed at her, clearly delighted that his favourite photographer had seemingly hit it off so well with the magazine’s new owner.
‘I don’t think that’s a good idea.’ Tom’s tone was forceful and, before she could object, he went on. ‘If Ashleigh is happy for Zac to call her, she can give permission for her number to be given out if he calls back again. In the meantime, I don’t want anyone working with Glitz to start hassling my clients.’
She wanted to scream at the unfairness, remind him that it was Zac who’d asked for her bloody number and not the other way round. She knew, though, that rocking the boat with Tom would only result in her being the one to topple overboard and end up being eaten by sharks. For now, it was time to quit while she was ahead and say nothing.
‘Have you and Stevie got time to look at some samples I’ve been sent by that new Russian designer? You know, the one who was the talk of London Fashion week,’ Angus furrowed his brow. ‘I can’t for the life of me remember his name, but they’re outrageous and might be perfect for one of next month’s shoots. It won’t take long.’
‘Can you make do with Stevie on his own, surely it’s more of a stylist thing?’ Although Tom was asking a question, it was fairly obvious he only expected one answer. ‘There’s something else I’d like to speak to Ashleigh about.’
‘Absolutely, they’re much more up Stevie’s street!’ With a quick wink in her direction, Angus was gone. The silence in the room, as she and Tom were left alone, was one of those awkward ones that you were just desperate to fill, no matter how inane the conversation that resulted.
‘If this is about yesterday…’ As soon as she’d started speaking she realised that she wasn’t sure what she wanted to say. Should she apologise?
‘I just wanted to make it clear that, whatever you’ve heard about me, I’m not in the habit of sacking people for putting their foot in it.’ Was that a hint of a smile playing around Tom’s mouth? Ashleigh noted the strong jaw and full lips, realising to her embarrassment that she was staring. ‘Not that it’s any of your business, but I’m not just making an old fashioned gesture, as you put it.’
‘You’re right, it’s none of my business.’ She blushed partly because of what he’d said, but mainly because he’d caught her staring. For as long as she could remember, she’d had an inconvenient habit of blushing at the most inopportune of times.
‘No, it isn’t. But like I said there’s more to it than there seems and for some reason I feel the need to justify myself to you. For a start, Susie-Anne’s from the States and, if we don’t get married, she might end up having to go home at some point and I’d prefer it if my son or daughter didn’t grow up living thousands of miles away from me.’
‘I see. So not because you’re madly in love then?’ Ashleigh reddened again. Had she gone mad? It was like she’d developed some form of Tourettes, only without the swearing. To her surprise, Tom laughed.
‘Not madly in love, no, but starting to wonder if I’m crazy to take Angus’ advice when it comes to you.’
****
‘Off so soon? That went well, don’t you think?’ Angus was beaming like a proud father as he passed Tom on the stairs.
‘Are you sure those two are as good as you say they are?’ Tom didn’t know what it was he wanted to hear. Angus had already enthused about them so much that there really wasn’t anything left to say. There was something about Ashleigh though, something that made him need to hear it again, to make sure that there weren’t other reasons why he’d agreed to give her another shot so easily. He’d noticed her lively amber-coloured eyes the first time they’d met and he’d realised that he didn’t even know the colour of Susie-Anne’s without looking. He couldn’t afford to let anything distract him from the right business decision, though, he only wanted to hire Ashleigh if she was really the best. The takeover at Glitz was bound to cost jobs and the last thing he needed was any further complications. Those who had been loyal friends to Rushworth Associates over the years, and were good at what they did, like Angus, would be well rewarded. Others might not be so lucky, but in the end you made your own luck and any action Tom took wouldn’t keep him up at night. If he ever felt guilty about a business decision it didn’t last long, he could still hear his father’s voice ringing in his ears after all these years, “If you’re not a man in business you’re not a man at all”.
‘Honestly, Tom, don’t worry. They’re the best I’ve worked with.’ Angus was using the kind of tone he must have used to reassure the magazine’s biggest advertisers that their marketing budget was well spent. ‘You won’t find a stronger team than the two of them, they’ve been together years.’
‘As a couple?’ Tom felt oddly disappointed. He tried to shake the thought that it would bother him if Ashleigh and Stevie were together.
‘No!’ Angus roared with laughter. ‘You clearly don’t listen to gossip do you?’
‘You should know by now that I don’t.’ Despite his protestations Tom smiled, for some reason knowing that Stevie and Ashleigh weren’t a couple mattered. He told himself it was just about professionalism, though. There was a lot riding on the photo shoot and it could end up being the biggest celebrity story of the month either way. Although, in the world of celebrity they inhabited, the next front-page sensation was often just an indiscretion away.
Chapter Four
Carly’s might not have been the most original name for their friend’s new nightclub, but, with a larger than life personality like its owner, it suited the place and they wouldn’t have missed the opening night for anything. Carly Harper was an ex-glamour model, engaged to premiership footballer Duane Johnson and Glitz had covered every aspect of her personal life for the past ten years. Duane had bought the club for Carly in an attempt to keep her out of trouble, since she’d given up modelling. It was a good opportunity to catch up with people who could put some freelance work their way and even Tom Rushworth couldn’t complain if she just happened to ‘bump’ into Zac to discuss his album shoot.
‘My darlings, I knew you’d make it.’ Having no doubt air kissed a string of B list celebs and most of Duane’s team-mates, Carly reserved a proper smacker for Stevie and Ashleigh, as her magnificent boobs threatened to escape from her skimpy dress.
‘You look delightfully tarty as ever sweetheart.’ Stevie’s teasing was affectionate. They’d become friends after photographing her a few years before and the three of them had shared more than
a few drunken nights out.
‘Don’t listen to him Carls,’ Ashleigh hugged her tightly, ‘We’ve been celebrating some good news since lunch time and I’m afraid he’s in an even more indiscreet mood than usual.’
‘Plenty of good looking men in tonight?’ Stevie craned his neck to look past her. The nightclub was heaving with people trying to out do one another in the name of knickers-dropping stakes. ‘We’re both hoping to pull tonight!’
‘In that dress Ash won’t have any bother. I do believe it makes her tits look even better than mine!’ Carly snorted as she laughed. With anyone else it would have been annoying, but because everyone loved Carly, it somehow just added to her charm. ‘There’s a big crowd of footballers in tonight and a game show host who is right up your street Stevie, if you know what I mean!’
‘Shit, have you seen who else is here?’ Stevie gestured to the other end of the bar where Jade Ivory was deep in conversation with one of Michael’s team-mates.
‘Did you invite her?’ Ashleigh raised an eyebrow. If that wasn’t surprising enough; the fact that their ex-colleague had actually turned up was even more of a shock.
‘Jade was on the list before Angus sacked her and I didn’t want to cause a scene by getting her chucked out now that she’s here. It would just give her the ammunition she’s looking for.’ Carly shrugged and Ashleigh wasn’t sure if she could have been as forgiving in her friends’ shoes. Jade Ivory had been a journalist at Glitz, but had been caught-out leaking photos of Carly and Duane’s engagement party to a rival magazine, alongside ‘insider’ gossip that owed more to the world of Jade’s imagination than it did to fact.
‘She’s freelancing now, isn’t she? Hopefully, with her talents, she’ll be begging for a job in McDonalds by Christmas,’ Stevie, who’d never liked Jade, was already headed in her direction. ‘You grab a table, honey, I’m going to have a word with Poison Ivory and tell her I’ve seen her future in a vision.’