by Evie Monroe
I straightened my collar as I walked up and leaned on the counter next to her. “No, I’m a tea drinker. Coffee reminds me too much of my old man.” I had a rough relationship with my father, and I dreaded going to the kitchen in the morning knowing he was always there having his coffee.
“I’m sorry.” She looked down into her cup and frowned.
“It’s okay, that was years ago. He’s dead, and I drink tea, it is what it is. Are you ready to go?” I took her in to work with me every morning, and it was kind of nice having someone with me for a change. She’d been a good house guest, always quiet and to herself and there when I wanted to talk about nothing in particular. And I still couldn’t get over her stepping up to help me with the shoot, even though she’d been reluctant.
“I’m ready.” She popped the lid on her travel cup and grabbed her handbag off the bar.
“Good. I’ve got a surprise for you.” I took out my phone and opened up a file I’d been sent that morning. “Here, they came last night.”
“Are they the pictures from the show?” She took the phone and held her hand to her heart.
We walked out to the car as she flipped through the phone, swiping the screen and making the images larger. “I didn’t ruin it!” She slumped with relief and handed the phone back to me.
“Of course, you didn’t ruin it, why would you think such a thing?”
She climbed into the car. “Because I’m not a model.”
“You’re a beautiful woman, with a model’s looks. You could hardly ruin anything.” I settled beside her, and when my eyes met hers, her cheeks were stained with blush. “I’m serious; I should offer you a job as a model for my line as well. If I didn’t need your full attention on helping me with my designs, I’d do it.”
“I couldn’t be a model. I’d go crazy. And the catty fighting wouldn’t be fun. Those two the other day were just awful. I’m not a person who likes conflict. I avoid issues whenever I can.”
“Well, thanks again for stepping up. And as for Gretta, she was warned. One more issue from her and she’s fired. Melissa too. I don’t need that kind of bullshit. Did you call your dad and tell him?” She’d left in a hurry to the dressing room, and I’d seen her in a corner on the phone.
“I called my best friend, Sabrina and my dad. I was so excited that I’d pulled it off that I had to tell them. I knew my dad would be amazed. I never wanted to take pictures when I was a kid. I was camera shy.” It was hard to believe she hadn’t spent her entire life in front of a camera.
“The pictures don’t lie, Liss. You’re a knockout.”
She looked out the window, and I caught her glance back toward me, but only for a moment. I wondered what was on her mind and when she let out a sigh. “Is something on your mind?”
“I was just thinking about what Gretta and the other girl said. It seems that you have quite a reputation.”
“Oh, that.” I shook my head. “I’d take that with a grain of salt. I have restraint. You’ve been my houseguest for a week, and I haven’t made a single pass at you.” It wasn’t for not wanting to.
“I guess I’m just not your type.” She lifted a shoulder and tucked her chin.
“Or, you’re the best type. Sometimes we just don’t know how to do what’s best for ourselves.” The rest of our ride was spent in silence as she stared out the window and I stared at her profile.
I hadn’t made a move on her because I knew she was different. And not in a bad way.
When we pulled up at the office, Weed was standing out in the lot with a cloud of smoke around him, and he pulled Liss away to work with him as soon as she stepped out of the car. The two had made fast friends, and I went into my office to find an envelope with the actual prints from the shoot on my desk. I poured over them, choosing just the right ones.
I heard footsteps and raised my head to find Victoria and her assistant, Chester Edington. Victoria looked like she’d been ridden hard and put up wet the night before, and, her presence aside, the smell of stale liquor on her breath at eight thirty in the morning was a little too much for me to stomach.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
She looked at Chester who adjusted the chair in my office as if he were pulling it away from a dinner table for her. He plastered on a huge smile for her, and it was so overdone that there was no way she could think it was genuine. She gave him a nod as she sat. “I’ve come to see if you’ve considered selling out. What with your latest collection being deemed garbage, I just figured you’d jump ship before it goes down. I know it’s your way.”
“If this is really what you came down here for, you’re wasting your time. I’m not selling. I have a few tricks yet, don’t you worry.” I knew she wasn’t worried and I also knew that by me not acting worried, it was only going to anger her. She’d come to watch me squirm.
“Yeah, I heard you have a new pet.” Of course, she had. She and Gretta still talked, so I imagined she’d gotten a full report.
“I think it’s time you leave.”
She’d never known how to take a hint. “I hear she’s beautiful. And that she’s staying with you.”
“We’ve been done for a while now, Victoria, so it’s not your business.” I wanted to drop kick her out of my door, but instead, I gritted my teeth and glanced up at Chester who, in his bow tie and loafers, was looking out the door with anticipation; almost as if he was anxious for someone to stroll by. Perhaps a certain pot-smoking homosexual?
“It’s all my business. And speaking of my business. My new line is going to put yours to shame. I’ve worked hard, and it’s coming along brilliantly.” She fluffed her hair with her fingers.
I leaned forward in my seat to show her I wasn’t backing down. “I’m happy for you. And I’m not worried. If you want to go to war with me, Victoria, you better come prepared for battle.”
“That’s what we do best, isn’t it? Well, maybe not best, now that I think of it. We were pretty hot in bed, too, if I remember correctly.” She stood up and turned to look for her assistant and was annoyed when he wasn’t behind her, but across the room. He stood in the doorway to see down the hall and cleared her throat. “Chester!” she snapped. “Would you stop disappearing!” He glanced up and came over to take her hand.
“My memory must be a bit hazy. I don’t remember it being good. Maybe you’re thinking about one of your other boyfriends at that time.” Her lips peeled back into a scowl, and she stormed out with Chester quick on her heels, and he bumped into Nathan who was on his way in.
“What the fuck was that about?” He walked in and sat down where she’d been.
“Just in to remind me that she sees and hears all. Oh, and that her new line was going to put me to shame.”
He shook his head. “Was everything okay at the shoot?” He’d spent another fun-filled weekend back home with his mom while the rest of us had worked.
“Well, I had a model call in.” I let out a breath and pretended that it had ruined everything. Then I passed him the folder with the physical proofs.
“That bad? Dammit. I guess you didn’t find a decent replacement on such short notice.” He opened the envelope and pulled out the images, and his mouth popped open in awe. “Liss?”
I gave a sly grin. “She’s gorgeous, isn’t she? She saved the shoot.”
He closed his eyes and shook his head. “I’m not sure this is a good idea. Considering what we hired her to do, it might not be in our best interest to go flashing her around.”
“Well, I’m certain Victoria already knows about her, and where she’s staying, so I’d say that it’s too late to be secretive about it.”
“No, we’ll not be secretive, but we don’t have to wave her like bait either. You’ve got enough on your plate without adding that to the list.”
“Well, I’m not letting Victoria get ahead. She’s got some new line, well I want to have a few fresh pieces for this week’s fashion show.” I leaned back in my chair with arms up behind my head. “Call We
ed and tell him to send me my girl. It’s time we get to work.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” He pulled out his phone, and after some debate with Weed, who hated Nate for all he was worth, he agreed to send Liss.
A few minutes later, she showed up in my office. “Have a seat, Liss. We need to discuss some ideas. We only have a couple of days to come up with something wonderful and have it ready in time for the weekend.”
“Okay, that shouldn’t be that hard. I’ll start sketching immediately. What were you thinking?” She didn’t seem fazed in the least.
“I’m glad you’re confident.”
“I think the best thing to do is spice up your existing line. Let’s redo a few of the lines. Do you have your preliminary design sketches? It might be easier to show you what I mean by using those.” I got up to get my sketches and walked her to the back of the room where there was a drawing table and light box.
Nate got to his feet. “I’m going to leave you to it.” He walked to the door and turned to give me a smug I told you so smile.
She pulled out my sketches and laid them out on the table. “Let’s see. How about we do a different neckline. Also, let’s bring the waist up, and make the dress lengths a little tighter and shorter. Tea-length would be nice. It’s kind of refreshing with this neckline, still gives a long, sleek look don’t you think?” And just like that, she’d done what I’d been trying to do for months. I’d held tight to the trends, but her suggesting a tea-length skirt was not only new and refreshing but the perfect complement to the bodice.
“It’s perfect and doable. We’ll add in a little triangle here, and we can push this waistline up an inch using the bottom length, which will still leave plenty to lop off for the new length. What about color?”
“Well, you could always play around with dyes. That taupe dress,” She pointed to my sketch. “Let’s do that one in a deep plum. Like this.” She grabbed a plum pencil and sketched it in over the taupe.
“I think we can do this before Saturday. You’re amazing, Liss.” I put my arm around her and leaned in over her to look through the pencils. “How about this blue. It’s kind of a peacock color. Would be an amazing second option with the plum. And if we do a jungle green, that would make the collection pop.”
She leaned back and looked up at me with a smile, her mouth so close to mine that I could kiss her. And it was the first time I really knew I wanted to. I’d struggled with what I might feel for her if I let go because I knew deep down she wasn’t like all of the other superficial people I’d been with. As a fellow designer, she understood the way I saw things. And after seeing her put her ass on the line for me, doing things out of her comfort zone to save my face, I knew her worth, and it scared me to death.
I rose up and stepped back as if I was taking a look at the work, putting distance to see what it looked like from afar.
The sketches looked great and the view of her from back there was spot on as well. I had a feeling that if I weren’t careful she’d make me fall. And if my designs weren’t the end of me, maybe she’d be.
“Seems like we’re all set. I’ll have to get Weed to pull the designs and instead of dyes I think we’ll start fresh. I can get these fabrics. We’ll make it happen.” She got up from the table and pushed the chair in and then turned to stand close.
“I’ll get right on it.” Her voice was an octave lower than usual, and it was so sultry that I wanted to take her into my arms and kiss her.
But no, it couldn’t be that simple. “See to it that you do and try not to mess anything up.” I realized how much of a dick I sounded as soon as the words came out of my mouth, but I couldn’t take them back.
She shifted on her feet and crossed her arms, pegging me with a hard glare. “Have I let you down so far?” She didn’t wait for a response and pushed past me to leave without looking back. I knew I should’ve gone after her, but if I did, there was no going back. One complicated relationship in my life was enough, and look how much good that had done me.
Chapter 10
Liss
It’d been another long week, and since I’d been up until two a.m. working on the finishing touches with Weed and Johnny, I was ready for bed.
Johnny had retired to his room, and I had headed to the shower hoping that I could rinse away all of the stress from the day. But it was no use. As I dried off and slipped into my sleep shirt and shorts, I felt my bones still aching from all the hard work. Only sleep was going to help me.
I walked out of the bathroom and was startled to find Johnny sitting at the foot of my bed staring down at his bare feet which were firmly planted on the floor in front of him.
“Johnny?” He seemed lost in a daze, and it took him a minute to acknowledge me.
“Do you think the collection is good enough now?” He lifted his head and met my eyes.
“I do. I think it’s awesome.”
“Sometimes I think I’m losing my mind.” He raked both hands through his hair and then rubbed his face. “I knew that collection was weak when I put it out. I’ve needed something good in my life for some time now, something to inspire me, but I let myself get drawn into these ruts. Traps. They’re all just traps. The business end of it all. I’ve never wanted to deal with that. It’s why Nate still has a job. And Weed, he makes miracles for me, and he genuinely loves what he does. I just wonder sometimes how long it will last. The public will eventually move on to something else.”
I stepped forward toward him and sat beside him. “The show is going to be great tomorrow, and you saw how well we all worked together. There’s nothing to worry about, Johnny.” I’d never seen him so down and wondered what would happen if he did fail again. At least, in that case, he could blame me and not himself.
“It’s not just the show. It’s the whole brand. It’s just a matter of time before I’m done, and people are onto the hottest new thing.”
“So, you’ll keep things current. You’ll set new trends.”
“I’m more concerned with what will be left when and if it does end.” He rubbed his hands up and down his thigh near his knee, and I placed my hand over his.
“Get some sleep, Johnny. You’ll wake up tomorrow and find that I’m right.”
He looked into my eyes. “Thanks again for all of your help on the designs, Liss. This is the second time you’ve saved me.”
As I saw the pain in his eyes, I knew I wanted to save so much more than his line.
***
The next morning was rough for me, but Johnny had perked right up, not acting like everything in the world was falling down around him. I’d even seen him put on his persona and talk to a magazine reporter as Weed and I got things set up.
The place was crawling with people, and while we were huddled over a list of what to do next, Weed took the time to ask me his favorite question.
“Any hanky-panky yet?” He cut his eyes over to Johnny who was busy entertaining some of his staff.
“No, none at all. But he did come into my room last night, and he was, I don’t know, different.” I leaned against the bar and realized I was still so tired I could collapse and not wake up for a week.
“He’s complicated. His old man did a number on him when he was growing up, and all he had was his art. He didn’t start out working with clothes. He wanted to be an architect. He designed buildings. But his father wasn’t even happy about that. He used to nag him to death when we were in college about finding something else to do, that he wasn’t good enough. When his old man died, I hoped a lot of those insecurities would have died with him, but instead, I think he just buried them. Every now and then I catch a glimpse of what he used to be. He needs a little action in his life. Some inspiration in the form of love. I was hoping you’d do the trick; pull him out of his shell so he’d stop giving it away without meaning, but I have a feeling he’s fighting it. Especially with his past still lingering.”
“We all have demons, I suppose. I’ve let my circumstances at home dictate how I live and wha
t I do. I want to soar, but I’ve not made it past my small town.”
“Until now, biscuit. Look how far you’ve come.”
“I’ll have to return back to my own world soon enough, and this will be nothing more than a wonderful dream.”
“So, stay. It’s always an option.” Weed shrugged and then looked back down to his list. “Let’s get the wardrobe lined out. I want there to be a rack for each girl by the time she shows up.”
“I’m on it.” I went across to the area where we’d instructed the staff to unload the garments and found it empty. “Weed!” I called out across the room, and he came as fast as his heels would bring him.
“What is it, honey? You’re an awful shade of green.” I pointed to the empty spot, and it took him a second of looking around to realize the clothes were missing. He grabbed one of the staffers by the arm and pulled him up on his tiptoes. “Where’s the fucking wardrobe?” His voice had gone so deep there was no mistaking what gender he’d been born with, and I wondered if he’d have to go home and pluck a few chest hairs that had sprung out beneath his blouse.
“I don’t know; I don’t know.” The guy’s face was full of terror, and he scrambled to keep his footing as Weed jerked him up even higher.
“I told you to put them there. I even saw you drop boxes there! So, where the fuck are they?” I was just about to grab my friend’s arm to try and calm him when the guy pointed across the room at another staffer.
“He said you wanted them moved back.”
“Back where!”
“Back in the truck! Until the floor was swept. I don’t know, man. Ask him.” Weed unhanded the man, and the guy fell down to his knees. I offered him a hand and helped him up as Weed went across the room to the other guy who he took by the arm. Johnny rushed over and patted the guy from the floor on the back.
“What the hell’s gotten into him, and tell me it’s not something awful.” He hurried across the room, and I ran behind him hoping I could stop Weed from breaking the poor guy’s arm.
