The Sisters

by Kate Forster

  ‘How is she?’ asked Spencer.

  ‘Same,’ said Carlotta.

  ‘How are you?’ asked Spencer.

  ‘I’m OK,’ said Carlotta, surprised at how therapeutic it had been to talk to her mother, even though no words were returned. ‘I just miss her, that’s all.’

  Spencer nodded. ‘We all do Lottie, we all do.’

  19

  Carlotta stood in the Pajaro office in Hong Kong, wearing a dress she had borrowed from Violetta – a deep purple Jason Wu creation that highlighted her hair and showed off her strong shoulders. Her feet were in high black pumps and she towered over Chris.

  He looked up at her. ‘Did you wear those shoes to intimidate me?’ he asked, laughing.

  ‘No,’ lied Carlotta, as she sat at the table in the spacious office he had taken over from a senior executive.

  ‘Nice dress. Looks good on you,’ he added.

  She said nothing, leaving his compliment hanging in the air.

  They had barely spoken on the plane, each in their own first class cubicles. Carlotta had slept and read and watched films. Chris had read reports with the Pajaro name embossed on the front.

  Once they landed in Hong Kong, Carlotta had stalked ahead to the Rolls Royces that the hotel had sent. She got into one and slammed the door in Chris’s face. As he went to open it, she stuck her head out the window.

  ‘Get your own fucking Rolls,’ she said, and tapped the driver to go on.

  As the car pulled away from the kerb, she could see Chris had burst into laughter. Even Carlotta giggled a little as she left him by the sidewalk. Being a bitch to Chris was almost too easy, she thought, and decided to call a truce.

  Now they were waiting to inspire the Asia team of Pajaro to get on board with the refreshed store sales pitch. As the managers filed into the office, they bowed to Carlotta who bowed back. As Chris started the meeting, Carlotta smiled at each member of the team and nodded encouragingly to Chris. Occasionally she piped in with a comment and at one stage Chris turned his head to one side and gave her a look of appreciation.

  Carlotta then took the floor and inspired the team with the story of Pajaro, the importance of family, her family and her Pajaro family. Her passion was incredible, Chris thought, as he watched the sceptical team become enamoured by her. Carlotta was charming and amusing. Refreshing even, thought Chris. After the first meeting was over he turned to her.

  ‘Where the hell has that person been?’

  ‘I don’t let her out very often,’ Carlotta said, as she sat in the chair opposite him in the boardroom overlooking Hong Kong.

  ‘Why not? She’s much nicer than the other model you have been driving,’ laughed Chris.

  Carlotta shot him a deathly stare. ‘The nice model doesn’t get you anywhere.’

  Chris looked at her dubiously. ‘I’m not sure I believe you. Being pleasant is far more endearing than being rude.’

  ‘You’re saying I’m rude?’ asked Carlotta. She had been called worse, she figured.

  ‘You know you’re rude. The question is why?’

  He sat back in his chair and put his feet on the table. Carlotta read the bottom of his shoes – Edward Green. The same as her father wore.

  She sat in her chair, her back as straight as a rod from years of dressage.

  ‘I wasn’t always like this,’ she said quietly.

  Chris sat still, waiting for her to go on.

  ‘When you live with a man like Leon you have to learn to grow certain armour.’ She felt her eyes sting with tears and hated herself for her show of vulnerability. Damn tears again.

  ‘Violetta had her sexuality. Leon said she was a slut and so she behaved like one to piss him off more. Grace hid behind a perfect veneer of taste and class. I didn’t have either, so I thought being strong was the best way to handle my father. I guess it leaked over into my everyday life.’

  Chris nodded. ‘And where has it got you so far?’

  ‘Are you judging me?’ she asked, crossing her arms.

  ‘No, I’m not. I get it, I really do,’ he said. He leaned forward.

  ‘How?’

  Chris shrugged. ‘I suppose I do the same thing in certain ways. I need to apologise for what I said in my apartment. It was rude, judgmental and crass.’

  ‘It was,’ she agreed.

  The silence sat between them and then Carlotta looked at him. ‘And it was true.’

  ‘Really?’ asked Chris.

  ‘Well, the bit about doing what I was doing to piss off my father.’

  Chris nodded as Carlotta continued.

  ‘I also think Berconi was attractive to me because I have father issues. But then what girl doesn’t? I knew he was married and I didn’t give a shit. I knew he wasn’t going to be my great love. He was a terrible fuck, so lazy,’ she said, without thinking.

  Chris burst out laughing. ‘He’s lazy?’

  ‘Dreadfully,’ laughed Carlotta.

  ‘I get the whole thing, Carlotta. Trust me, I’m not a perfect person either.’

  ‘How are you not perfect?’ she asked, relieved to have some sense of peace between them again.

  ‘I behave in my own ugly way – the swearing, the rushing, the pushing of people. I think it’s because I am ugly.’

  ‘What? You’re not ugly,’ exclaimed Carlotta.

  ‘No, I am, really. But it’s OK. Ugly is the new sexy I’m told,’ he said, his feet still on the table.

  Carlotta sat staring at him. ‘That’s a terrible thing to say about yourself.’

  ‘No, I like being ugly. People underestimate you. You thought I was ugly when you met me. I saw you looking at me in the boardroom,’ he said, without any accusation in his voice.

  Carlotta pursed her lips. It was true but she would never say it to anyone because it wasn’t true any more. The more time she spent with Chris the more she found him attractive. His brown eyes, his long eyelashes, the curve of his mouth. He had straight white teeth and forearms that were brown and hairy and so sexy, she noticed when his cuffs were rolled up. He had strong wrists, she whispered to Birdie one evening when it was her turn on duty, and long sensitive fingers.

  ‘When people think someone is ugly they are often rude to them, they get straight to the point. You are asked to list the problems at the company straightaway. Not wanting to find out information about me or why I said the things I said. When people are attracted to someone then they dance around more. People don’t dance around me.’

  ‘And how has that worked out for you so far?’ asked Carlotta, smiling at him.

  ‘I have a good life. It’s not perfect. Alexia’s accident, the death of her mom. These are the things I think about at night.’ A shadow crossed his face.

  ‘I can only imagine,’ said Carlotta, staring unseeingly at the view.

  ‘It’s hard to change,’ said Chris, taking his feet down and standing up.

  ‘But not impossible?’ asked Carlotta.

  Chris felt his heart skip a beat. ‘Nothing’s impossible, Carlotta.’ He picked up his papers and suit jacket and opened the boardroom door. ‘But I’ll tell you one thing. Ugly men are never lazy in bed.’

  Carlotta felt her mouth open in shock. She was used to being the one who shocked people, not being shocked.

  Chris looked at her face. ‘You don’t need to say anything. I do fine. Women get over my initial resemblance to Klinger from Mash and then they see me for my pay check and my incredible ability to fuck them.’

  Carlotta felt like she was having an out of body experience. ‘What?’ she almost screamed.

  ‘It’s true. I’m great at fucking,’ he said, smiling. ‘Some people are excellent at sex.’

  Carlotta felt her stomach lurch like she was going over a huge jump on Amante. ‘Should I be intrigued or offended?’ she asked, as she crossed her arms.

  ‘Now Ms de Santoval, don’t go and get all upstate and uptight on me. It’s not an invitation and nor am I boasting, it is what I said. We’re all good at something
. You, it’s riding horses. Me, well…’ He let his voice drift away.

  Carlotta sat still.

  ‘Did I shock you?’ asked Chris, almost gleefully.

  ‘I’m not shocked about what you said. Not the subject matter, sex doesn’t scare me. I am just so surprised you said it aloud,’ she lied.

  Carlotta spun the wine glass around in her hand. It was true, Chris’s admission of sexual prowess was not as interesting as the reason he would say it and for what purpose. Now Carlotta was curious. It had been a long time since she’d had a decent session of sex and Chris, even though he did look like a donkey in fine clothing, certainly piqued her interest.

  She eyed him off. ‘Do you want to fuck me?’ she asked suddenly.

  Chris didn’t miss a beat. ‘Of course I do. I think most men would like you on top of them but you know, never shit where you eat.’

  Carlotta shook her head at him. She had never met anyone so crass and yet so charming.

  ‘So you do but you won’t try,’ she asked to be clear.

  ‘Well, I might one day but not now. Too complicated, don’t you think?’

  Carlotta almost felt disappointed. As he spoke, she could feel the wetness between her legs and she took a deep breath.

  ‘Well, Mr Koch, you certainly know how to shock a girl. And yet I am strangely not offended,’ she said, smiling at him.

  ‘Sex is natural. There’s nothing to be shocked at,’ he said, getting up.

  Carlotta stood up also.

  ‘Dinner tonight?’ he asked casually, as though they had just been discussing stocks and shares instead of sex.

  Carlotta smiled at him. ‘OK,’ she said, still confused.

  ‘Excellent.’

  And together they went back to the hotel, this time in the same Rolls Royce.

  *

  Grace and Frank walked back to the car and she stood at the door before she opened it.

  ‘I think we need to talk.’

  ‘I think we do too,’ said Frank as they got into the car.

  As they drove away from Calypso and TG’s house, Grace cleared her throat.

  ‘I should have told you who I was but to be honest I didn’t want to. I just wanted to be Grace who works at a shop, but it’s not like that. My family is now in the papers and it’s horrible and scary. My mom’s in a coma and my sisters, who I haven’t had a decent relationship with in years, are in my face every day. When I am not at work I am sitting with my mother who may never wake up. My father has fled the country with most of the company’s money and if we don’t make this work then we are screwed, and I mean really screwed.’

  Frank concentrated on the road. ‘Did you think that I would be after your money?’ he asked as he looked ahead.

  ‘I don’t know, no, I don’t think so. Anyway, you are welcome to it. All it’s done is bring heartache to my family,’ she said, looking out the window at the fabulous houses passing them by. ‘I just didn’t want to scare you away. I liked having you to myself – with no strings, no attachments or expectations.’

  ‘So it doesn’t bother you that I am a nobody? Just a courier?’

  ‘A well-connected courier,’ she corrected him. ‘Not many couriers know Calypso Gable or get suites at the Four Seasons.’

  Frank laughed. ‘That’s true.’

  Grace touched his arm. ‘I’m sorry I didn’t tell you everything.’

  ‘That’s OK.

  ‘No more secrets,’ she stated.

  But Frank was strangely silent as they drove back to the hotel.

  *

  Violetta checked her inbox and saw one from Lesley. Check the Daily Socialite, she had written and had inserted the link into the email. Violetta had stopped checking her ranking after the disastrous newspaper photos of her and the scathing comments that followed which could have bought a lesser person to their knees.

  She waited as the site loaded and saw a photo of herself leaving the hospital and another of her leaving work. She looked so incredibly normal in the photos, she thought. Hair out, minimal makeup. Clothes that she could work in or sit in the hospital in, she laughed. She didn’t recognise the person on the screen as being the same one from just a week before.

  Violetta de Santoval – Reality TV star keeps it real

  The banner said about her photos. Number 12 was her ranking. Violetta laughed as she scrolled down the comments.

  Finally someone who gets it.

  I think she is taking the piss and if so well done.

  I love her!

  She is good for New York, there is more to do in the city than just go to parties.

  I hope her mother gets better soon. We are thinking of you, Violetta.

  Violetta's eyes welled up at the last comment. She closed the computer. A month and still Birdie was unconscious. Walking over to her work bag, she pulled out the files she had brought home with her, the designs for approval, fabric samples. Work would keep her mind off it, she thought and settled on the sofa with her work surrounding her.

  *

  Grace and Frank arrived back in New York and took a cab to her apartment.

  ‘So do I get to see where you live, Miss de Santoval?’ he asked, as he unloaded the trunk of her bags.

  Grace laughed. ‘Are you asking for an invitation?’

  ‘Are you offering one?’

  ‘I have my sisters coming over, sorry.’ It was true. They were coming to go through their presentation for the bank and the board meeting.

  ‘Another time then?’ He stood with his hands in his pockets.

  ‘Yes, I’ll call you tomorrow?’

  ‘I’ll call you tonight,’ he said, and reached over and hugged her. ‘I’m here you know, if you need anything.’

  ‘Thanks.’ She leaned against his chest. ‘You need a coat. It’s too cold for these sweatshirts.’

  ‘Yes, I’ll get one,’ he said.

  Grace smiled into his chest. Finally letting go of him, she rushed upstairs to get ready for Violetta and Carlotta’s arrival.

  Upon hearing about Calypso’s agreement to be the new face of Pajaro, Violetta and Carlotta had spun into action and were due in the next hour. Grace pulled off her travel clothes, wriggled into her jeans and a white T-shirt, and washed her face. Standing up straight in the bathroom, she waited and then ran to the door. Violetta was struggling with bags and folios.

  ‘Did you hear me? I hadn’t buzzed yet,’ she said breathlessly.

  ‘I didn’t, I just had a feeling you were here already,’ said Grace, smiling at her sister.

  ‘You were always the spooky triplet,’ laughed Violetta.

  Violetta dumped her bags on the sofa, put her hands on her hips and looked at her sister. ‘You look different.’

  Grace blushed. ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘You, you look different. What did you get up to in LA?’ interrogated Violetta.

  ‘Nothing, I just worked,’ said Grace, turning from her sister.

  Violetta started to dance around her. ‘You got your groove back, gurrll!’ she sang.

  Grace started to laugh hysterically as Violetta danced around her like a lap dancer.

  ‘What’s his name? What’s his name?’ she sang as she pushed Grace onto the sofa and started to tickle her.

  Grace was crying with laughter. ‘Stop it, stop it,’ she cried.

  ‘Stop it? Is that his name? That must be weird when you call his name out in the bedroom,’ teased Violetta.

  Grace was lying on the sofa and Violetta was sitting on top of her when the buzzer sounded to announce the arrival of Carlotta. Violetta jumped up and opened the door, and ran back and jumped back on her younger sister.

  ‘What’s going on?’ laughed Carlotta, looking at her sisters.

  ‘Grace got some LA action,’ said Violetta.

  ‘Really?’ asked Carlotta, shocked. She couldn’t remember when Grace last had a boyfriend, besides that drippy William from college, but he didn’t count.

  ‘Tell me more,’ she said as
she sat down opposite her sisters.

  ‘I surrender,’ moaned Grace from under Violetta’s bottom.

  Finally her sister moved off her.

  ‘His name is Frank,’ said Grace as she readjusted her T-shirt.

  ‘Frank?’ asked Carlotta.

  ‘Yes, Frank. And before you ask, he’s a bike courier and it’s through him that I got to meet Calypso,’ she said proudly.

  ‘A bike courier who knows Calypso Gable?’ asked Carlotta incredulously.

  ‘I know, crazy huh?’ said Grace, sitting forward. ‘We met at the last auction at Cranfields and he is so sweet and funny and doesn’t care about money or anything like that,’ she said, sitting back and smiling dreamily.

  Violetta and Carlotta looked at each other.

  ‘I know what you’re thinking,’ said Grace. ‘But he’s not like that.’

  ‘So how the hell does he know Calypso Gable?’ asked Violetta.

  ‘He knows her husband. And she’s really nice and wants to do the campaign. She really likes you, Violetta. She said you were funny.’

  Violetta preened a little. ‘Really? She said that? I do like her films. I might watch one tomorrow night.’

  ‘I thought you had seen them all, with you and your rom com addiction,’ scoffed Carlotta.

  ‘How many times have you seen International Velvet again, Carlotta?’ reminded Violetta.

  Grace stood up and walked into her kitchen. ‘Pizza?’ she yelled.

  And the sisters yelled out their orders while Grace rang them through.

  ‘OK, wine?’ She walked out holding a bottle.

  Carlotta looked at her. ‘I won’t drink if you aren’t comfortable with it.’

  Grace rolled her eyes. ‘I can drink if I want to, Carlotta.’

  ‘I know, but just in case,’ Carlotta said, glancing at Violetta.

  Violetta got the message. ‘I won’t drink tonight, I want to be on form for tomorrow.’

  ‘Fine then, mineral water?’

  ‘Excellent,’ said Carlotta.

  The three sat down.

  ‘OK, so we need to prepare our order,’ said Carlotta. ‘Chris says we should get them excited about the celebrity angle first, so Grace, you need to take them through the Calypso pitch.’

  ‘OK,’ said Grace, and opening her notebook she started to write.