The Second Time

by Jade Winters

  ‘Yeah you’re right. I’m—’

  ‘Overthinking,’ Kay said with a smile.

  ‘Yep,’ Madison nodded.

  ‘You need to stop making a big deal out of it. Just tell her straight. Once she gets over the shock that you’re back in her life, I bet she’ll be more than happy to pick up where you left off.’

  ‘You think?’

  ‘I know.’ Kay sat up straighter as if she was determined to be right on this one.

  In the end Madison decided that being upfront was the best way. The next time she saw Darcie, she would just tell her outright who she was. What happened after that was entirely up to Darcie.

  Chapter Seven

  Darcie’s willow-coloured bedroom was orderly, unlike her bed. The crisp white sheets were ruffled, and the many pillows and cushions were strewn around the women’s naked bodies. Darcie tried her hardest to concentrate. To think of thoughts that would excite her, stimulate her, but nothing worked. In the end she gave up and let out a frustrated groan.

  ‘Sorry, it’s not happening.’

  Katie moved her mouth away from Darcie’s centre and looked up at her. ‘Is this the equivalent of erectile dysfunction?’

  Darcie edged away from her and pulled some of the bedclothes over her body. ‘I’m sorry. It’s not you—’

  ‘I should hope not.’ Katie sat up and crossed her legs over one another, as if she was in a yoga pose and about to meditate.

  ‘I’ve just got a lot on my mind,’ Darcie said, trying her hardest not to look at Katie’s nakedness.

  ‘Work or another girl?’

  ‘Work obviously,’ Darcie said quickly before dropping her head to the side and closing her eyes for a few seconds. ‘Messing up at work has affected me more than I realised.’

  Katie traced her fingertip along the inside of Darcie’s still exposed thigh. ‘Do you want me to hang around and we can give it another go later?’

  Darcie searched for the right words to say. She didn’t want to be rude. And because asking women to leave after a little rendezvous wasn’t something she did on a regular basis, or ever, she didn’t have a ready stockpile of feasible excuses to hand. She forced herself to meet Katie’s gaze, more out of a necessity to try to look genuine than anything else.

  ‘I don’t think so. I’m tired and need to get some sleep.’ This part was true. Though, to be fair, tired was an understatement. Exhausted would be more apt. The whole day of meetings, expectations not being met, and her encounter with Maddie had drained her to the point where she just wanted to pull the pillow over her head, close her eyes, and sleep for two days straight.

  ‘So, you want me to go?’ Katie asked, her voice sounded as unsure as her eyes looked.

  Darcie nodded. Seeing the dismay in Katie’s eyes made her feel like a class A-bitch, and for a split second, she considered asking Katie to stay, even if it was only to share a pizza and watch a movie, but she refuted that idea. Leading her on would be worse than throwing her out, but Darcie still hesitated. It wasn’t in her nature to be so abrupt with anybody, besides, Katie seemed like a nice enough person, and she wouldn’t mind seeing her again. As a friend. ‘Leave me your number and I’ll call.’

  ‘Of course you will.’ Katie got off the bed and gathered her clothes. ‘And when you don’t, we’ll bump into each other at a bar sometime, and you’ll come out with the same old bullshit, that you lost my number blah blah blah.’

  Darcie pushed herself onto her elbow. ‘Believe me, if I wasn’t going to call you I wouldn’t take your number. There’s one thing I don’t do and it’s lie.’

  Katie snorted. ‘Are you having a laugh? You’re in PR. Your whole life is about peddling lies.’

  Darcie actually felt affronted by her accusation. Katie had not seen her work before. At least she assumed she hadn’t, because if she had, she would never have said such a thing. ‘For your information, our campaigns are honest.’

  Katie took a pen from the dressing table and walked over to the bed. ‘OK, give me your hand. I’ll take you at your word and we’ll see what happens.’ Darcie held out her hand and Katie quickly scribbled on it. ‘Now you can’t say you lost it.’

  Darcie couldn’t help herself smiling although she still felt an edge of annoyance with Katie who had leapt to judgement of her. ‘You’re persistent, aren’t you?’

  Katie leant over and kissed Darcie lightly on the lips, lingering just slightly before moving away. ‘You got that right. Especially when it’s something I want.’ Her voice was husky, and her eyes hooded with ill-disguised lust.

  ‘I promise I’ll call. Even if it’s only to go for a drink,’ she said, quickly adding a get-out-of-committing-to-anything-more clause.

  ‘You better had. Remember, I know where you live.’ Katie retrieved the remainder of her scattered clothes from the bedroom floor and quickly put them on, taking one last look in the mirror on the dressing table, then turning and gazing at Darcie. Darcie smiled back even though she felt like squirming under the now fierce gaze.

  Katie walked out and seconds later Darcie heard the front door slam. Relieved Katie hadn’t made a scene, she rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling.

  That was embarrassing.

  It had been a first for Darcie—not to have an orgasm during oral sex, normally that was guaranteed, but tonight, she just couldn’t get into it. Katie had tried every technique in the book but Darcie hadn’t even come close. Every time she looked down and saw Katie’s dark spiky hair it only served to remind her that it wasn’t Maddie’s golden tresses and those sparkling eyes looking back at her.

  This is crazy, I don’t even know the woman. She might not even be gay. And it’s not like I’m likely to see her again.

  From where she lay in her bed, Darcie looked out of her window at the silver crescent moon and thought how strange it was that although all of the planets in the solar system were in perfect alignment with one another, her own world was in such disarray. Her love life, if that’s what she could call it, was the pits, and her business was nowhere near where she thought it would be by now.

  Earlier, she had stupidly thought she would have the contract in the bag, or at the very least be a serious contender, but she had misread how far the company wanted to go in rebuilding their reputation. To Darcie it was a no brainer. When you fucked up big time and got caught, you did everything in your power to right a wrong. To give back to the less fortunate who were the foundation of making your business a success. What was a few measly hundred pounds a month to the big money Clover Ltd made? Why wasn’t Mr Willis insistent on making working conditions better for people who were expected to work long hours for what amounted to pittance? He didn’t seem to be able to see past the bottom line, a problem she had encountered quite often. She knew of course that if Clover Ltd didn’t solve the problem with their image, rather than just trying to sweep it under the carpet, their bottom line was likely to be shrinking away rather than improving. She wasn’t convinced now that Mr Willis would ever see things that way.

  It wasn’t as if Darcie didn’t practise what she preached. Fifteen percent of her wages each month went straight to charities—regardless of how much she earned. If it was a bad month, she just tightened the purse strings and spent less. The greed big businesses seemed to have left her with a bitter taste in her mouth.

  Maybe my fuck up was a blessing in disguise. Who wants to work with a company who doesn’t have any true values?

  But then she thought, that might be true of Mr Willis, but what of Maddie?

  There was something about her demeanour that told Darcie, Maddie didn’t completely agree with Mr Willis’ principles. Or lack of them.

  That she was different. Had compassion.

  Just like Madison.

  Chapter Eight

  The boardroom they had been shown into minutes earlier had clearly made an impression on Bryan. Madison could tell by the way he ran the tip of his finger along the edge of the leather seats, how his gaze appraised
the highly-polished mahogany table that had enough chairs to seat sixteen people.

  Gaze was one of the top PR agencies in London and the show of extravagance in the boardroom might have enthralled Bryan, but Madison hadn’t been impressed with their portfolio. It was Bryan who had insisted they meet with them. A favour for an old friend he’d said.

  Madison had found their campaigns too brash, too much hype and too little substance. Darcie’s company, who had a fresh, innovative vision of how they wanted to get their message across were much more her cup of tea.

  Laura, a woman in her late forties, sauntered into the room with an air of confidence and money that exuded from her in waves. Chanel suit, fake tan, fake hair, and a very expensive white smile only a dentist could have provided. Her exterior summed her up exactly. When she opened her mouth and spoke non-stop for ten minutes, Madison couldn’t sense one single genuine thing and not one ounce of warmth about her. Maybe that was why her projects lacked soul.

  ‘Please, let’s be seated,’ Laura said, making a sweeping gesture with her arms at the chairs around the table.

  Madison took a seat at the end and Bryan and his advisors sat closer to Laura. This didn’t give Madison much hope.

  ‘I can’t tell you how pleased we are at Gaze that you’ve decided to entrust your valued name with—’

  ‘We haven’t actually made a decision about which agency will represent us yet,’ Madison cut in.

  The smile Laura plastered on her face didn’t reach her arctic, ice-blue eyes. ‘Of course not, but I’m sure once you’ve heard our pitch, you will see what a perfect match we are.’

  Laura turned to Bryan and flashed him a smile. If Madison didn’t know any better, she would have sworn Bryan was actually being taken in by her fake persona. She knew he was always a sucker for a flirt, but she hoped that even he could see through Laura’s thin veil of artifice.

  The door opened and a woman walked in. Madison’s breath caught in her throat at the sight of her. She was slightly taller, slimmer. Dressed in a business suit pretty much the same as Laura’s. And the way she sashayed into the room mirrored Laura’s walk down to a T. But the one thing that struck Madison more than anything was the stern, almost cruel look on the woman’s face. That hadn’t changed in all these years.

  Madison exhaled. What the hell is Bette doing here?

  ‘Ah, here she is, the woman of the hour. Let me introduce you to Bette, our top executive. After you’ve seen what she’s come up with I’m sure you’re going to be so impressed Bryan.’

  Bryan smiled at her. ‘I’m sure I will.’

  Madison could feel herself unconsciously shrink back in her seat. How had she not known she worked here? Bette stood in front of a large screen and glanced around the table with a fixed smile on her face. For a moment Madison wondered if Gaze ran training sessions on how to smile but still be dead behind the eyes.

  If Bette recognised Madison, she never let it show. Her expression remained the same throughout the whole presentation, and when she finished, she looked so smug with herself, Madison was surprised Bette didn’t pat herself on the back.

  As they said their goodbyes Bette made a beeline towards her.

  ‘What did you think of my presentation?’

  Madison straightened her shoulders. She had to remind herself that she was no longer the hapless teenager that let Bette make her life hell. She was a grown woman who was potentially going to be Bette’s boss. Karma. She had the power now.

  Madison swallowed down the swell of anger that rose within. ‘I thought you had some good ideas…’ She shrugged her shoulders in an act of nonchalance.

  ‘Some? I’d go as far as saying they’re all outstanding ideas. If anyone can make the public forget about a scandal, it’s us. Remember when everyone thought that politician was washed up after his use of prostitutes and drugs were exposed?’

  Madison nodded, she had followed the episode and the politician had eventually come across as weak and vapid.

  ‘Well it was me that got the public behind him. A few leaked stories about his awful childhood and he had the public feeling so sorry for him, they soon forgot about his seedy lifestyle. Once I’m on your team, no one will give a toss about how staff members are treated. At the end of the day people want a memorable holiday. What they don’t see, they don’t care about.’

  Every word that snaked out of Bette’s mealy mouth made Madison wonder if Bette actually thought that to be true. Madison cared greatly about the way their staff were treated and when the story had hit the papers she had been horrified to find out what had been going on under her nose. Despite what people thought about corporations being faceless and heartless, Clover Ltd had people that cared about the rights of their workers. At least she did.

  Madison kept her voice neutral. ‘Well, we still have a couple of agencies to meet—’

  ‘I personally wouldn’t bother. It’ll be a waste of valuable time, especially if you want to re-open in December. Anyway, I have no doubt we’ll be hearing from you sooner rather than later … Madison.’

  Madison was speechless as she stared at Bette. A cold tingle of fear crept along her spine, a feeling she hadn’t had for ten years since Bette used to berate her in the foster home.

  She slowly released a breath she didn’t realise she was holding, and tried her hardest not to show the unease rising within.

  Bette recognised her.

  Could she sense her fear?

  Bette looked at her expectantly, waiting for a response. Madison’s first thought was to deny any knowledge of ‘Madison’ but in her mind’s eye they were kids again and she could see Darcie prepping her like a boxing coach. Not to give in to a bully. Nor be intimidated. Or fearful. It wasn’t as if Bette could harm her now.

  Instead of rising to the bait Madison decided to give as good as she got.

  ‘Like I explained before, we are still in talks with other companies. One being Silver Lining.’ Madison paused for dramatic effect. ‘The one that Darcie runs. You remember Darcie, don’t you?’

  Bette tapped her bottom lip with the tip of her finger, looking thoughtful. ‘Hmm Darcie, let me think… Oh yes, you two were inseparable at one point, weren’t you?’ Bette’s lips curved into a smirk. ‘Until she left you.’

  Madison could tell Bette took great pleasure in watching her squirm in discomfort.

  ‘We’ll all have to meet up some time, don’t you think? Catch up on old memories.’

  Before Bette could say anything else, Madison smiled sweetly and walked away, praying her trembling legs would get her as far as the lift before they gave way.

  ***

  Even though she knew she was being stupid, Madison couldn’t help the way she felt. It was as if she had regressed to her childhood. A scared defenceless child who had no one but Darcie to protect her. But Darcie couldn’t always be there, and that’s when Bette would corner and berate her, tell her how ugly and stupid she was, how she would be alone forever, that no one would love someone like her.

  If it wasn’t for the fact that Darcie refuted what Bette had said by showing her that she was lovable, special, she might well have believed her. It was, after all, no different to what she had heard from many other people before Bette, although it had never been expressed with such venom and gusto.

  But here Madison was, sitting in her big impressive office feeling like an imposter. That all she had fought to achieve over the past ten years meant nothing. Bette hadn’t said anything out of place. Hadn’t put Madison down, not verbally anyway. All it took to undo the self-esteem she had built up was for Bette to look at her in that certain way, like she had back then in the foster home. It had brought back all the fear. Fear that only Darcie could make go away.

  Madison knew she had to pull herself together. She had a meeting in less than an hour with the last agency, Lindros, and she had to be sharp. On top of her game. She couldn’t let Bryan see her like this. If there was one thing he couldn’t abide, it was emotional weakness. An
d that was something Madison had tried so hard to avoid, until now.

  The door opened, Bryan strode in and sat in the seat opposite. Madison leant back in her chair, trying to seem unfazed by his unexpected presence. ‘I thought the meeting was at—’

  ‘We aren’t going to the meeting,’ Bryan said matter-of-factly.

  ‘We’re not?’ Madison said. ‘How come?’

  ‘Because I’ve made up my mind.’

  Oh no, he’s going with Gaze. I don’t believe it. How can he not see how shallow they are?

  ‘Go on,’ Madison said, dreading to hear his words.

  ‘Don’t look so miserable. I’ve made my mind up about Silver Lining and—’

  Madison perked up immediately. ‘You have, oh, Uncle, that’s brilliant. I promise you, I truly believe they’re the right fit and—’

  Bryan held up his hand to silence her. ‘I didn’t say I’d chosen them, only that I’m willing to give them a second shot.’

  ‘That’s all I asked,’ Madison said, relieved she would have another opportunity to see Darcie again. ‘I’ll get onto them and—’

  ‘Tell them they are up against Gaze, and I want a complete brief by the end of the month.’

  Madison did a quick calculation in her head, avoiding doing it on her fingers as she counted the days. ‘But that’s only three weeks away! You know it can take months to come up with a good campaign?’

  Bryan stood. ‘Laura doesn’t seem to have a problem with the deadline.’

  No, because she’s got the devil working for her. ‘And I’m sure Darcie’s company won’t either,’ she said, keen to give her uncle no excuse to change his mind.

  ‘Good. Then that’s settled. I’ll get Pauline to book the conference room. Both agencies can present their proposals to us there.’