by Lexy Timms
I was used to New York skyscrapers, but I was astounded by the size of the building that housed Vicki Verelli. The building had almost fifty floors and they were massive. Vicki’s floor was devoted entirely to her, which this told me that they had to be doing well for themselves because the rent was surely not cheap.
The company was located on the sixth floor, so I didn’t have to go very high up, much to my disappointment. I was asked to come straight to them.
I also wasn’t sure why there was such a need for urgency. I was told that someone in the company wanted to meet with me and that was it. It was odd to be so titillated based on barely anything at all. I didn’t know what kind of meeting I was having, who I was having that meeting with, or why.
I knew nothing for certain, but I suspected that I wouldn’t have been ushered to Manhattan for an impromptu meeting for no reason.
As the elevator doors opened, revealing a Vicki Verelli masthead by the entrance, I came to the conclusion quickly. Before I even learned which room my meeting would take place, I knew why I was there.
They’re going to offer you a job… Places like this don’t use independent hires, they hire people that they know will do a stellar job for them and will be devoted to them. The pay might be average, but who cares? This would look epic on a résumé.
My train of thought became derailed after I was greeted by a tiny woman in a pantsuit. Her dark hair was pulled back into a bun and her teeth were big and bright. She was in her mid-30s, but I guessed that she had some modeling experience. I didn’t want to ask her if she was a model, because I majorly embarrassed myself when I made that mistake with Kayla when we met.
“Hi, Justin?” the woman asked.
“That’s me, hello there,” I said, extending my hand. She took it and we shook.
“Ashley Ryder,” she said, introducing herself. “I’m the Chief Operations Manager for Vicki Verelli Enterprises.”
My heart skipped a beat. I almost didn’t believe her.
“The COO?” I asked for clarification. “That’s just under the CEO, right?”
“I answer directly to Vicki herself, yes,” she confirmed. “I’m so glad we were able to get in touch with you. Carlos is actually in one of our conference rooms right now. We should go and join him. Would you like a beverage?”
“I’m good,” I said.
I followed her as she led me through the office. There was music playing over loudspeakers. People were talking fast into their phones and typing even faster on their keyboards. There were many posters and photos of some of their famous models plastered randomly on their walls. There was so much activity going on around me that I could barely process it all.
“You’re probably wondering how we found you,” Ashley said.
“That’s exactly what I’m wondering,” I said. “Among other things.”
“Vicki, myself, and many of the other managers in the company are constantly looking out for new talent,” she explained. “We were browsing through some of what Donnie T.’s photographers had to offer, hoping to find something that spoke to us. Your work stood out. I can’t believe he isn’t utilizing you correctly.”
We entered the conference room. A short, balding man was waiting for us. He was tired, but kind.
“Hey, Carlos,” I said, waving.
“Mr. Baker,” he nodded.
The COO took her seat near Carlos on one side, while I took a chair on the opposite side that allowed me to face both of them.
“Justin, we are all very impressed with your work,” Ashley said. “Vicki even went onto your website and looked through your extensive photo library. She’s wondering why Donnie won’t hire you full-time.”
I laughed. “I don’t know the answer to that. They didn’t seem like they were looking for something permanent.”
“Well, as it turns out, Justin, we are looking for something exactly like that,” Ashley said. She took out a file folder, rifling through the papers inside.
“What?” I blurted out.
“We want to hire you on as a full-time photographer,” the COO said to me. “We want you to cover every major photoshoot we do. We want you to bring whatever it is that you bring and we want you to give it to us. We believe you can help make Vicki Verelli better and we think we could help you become an even better photographer.”
“When would I start work?” I asked.
“As soon as possible,” Carlos said.
“Preferably, we would have you on our shoots in a week,” Ashley said. “This coming Monday. We think your work speaks for itself.”
“WOO!” I hollered.
I knew that I likely came off as sophomoric, but I couldn’t help myself. I couldn’t contain my excitement any longer. I wanted to call Kayla as quickly as possible and tell her word-for-word what they said.
“You haven’t even asked us what you’d be getting paid,” Carlos laughed.
“Sorry, I… well, yeah,” I said. “How much would I be getting paid in the beginning?”
“Fifty-thousand a year,” the COO answered.
I stifled another holler. “Fifty-thousand a year to start?”
“That’s right,” she nodded.
I let out a deep breath. “Wow… no more fucking weddings.”
I looked up at their smiling faces. I was still half expecting one of them to reveal that they were pulling an elaborate prank on me. But, their smiles never broke.
“I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop,” I admitted.
Carlos shot a look at Ashley. She licked her lips, tapping her fingers against the table.
“There is one catch,” she said.
“Unless its something like selling you my organs, I think I’m going to have to agree to whatever your terms are,” I said, shaking with jubilance. “What’s the catch?”
“The job is in California,” she answered.
My heart sank. I felt like I was falling through the floor.
“Our headquarters is located in San Francisco,” she continued. “And, we’re always working in LA. We realize that this job offer is life altering and we will understand whatever choice you make. But, if you want the job, it’s yours.”
Even though my love life was rapidly descending into peril, I knew my answer.
Chapter 22
Kayla
I went to dinner with Bethany, we reviewed our overall business plan yet again and we dissected Justin’s budgetary estimations. Bethany brought along a collection of data and polls that seemed to indicate we were on a sure-fire road toward success.
“We asked two hundred plus-size women if they would ever consider trying a pair of our specialty undergarments,” Bethany informed me. “All but two said yes.”
“That’s fantastic,” I said clapping my hands together.
“I’m telling you, it’s going to be a huge hit,” Bethany said. “Thousands of plus-size women aren’t even able to imagine that lingerie like this could possibly exist. Once word of mouth spreads, we won’t need to market it anymore. It’ll basically sell itself.”
I was excited, but airing on the side of cautious optimism to help quell Bethany’s ever rising expectations.
I was also disappointed that Justin didn’t show up to the meal, but I didn’t fault him for it. I gave him the opportunity to decline, so I only myself to blame. I didn’t feel like I needed him there, but I wanted him there. I loved whenever we would share our hopes and dreams with each other.
When I pulled into my apartment complex, I noticed Justin’s car parked by my building. He was leaning against it, lost in thought. Any disappointed feelings I harbored over dinner were quickly replaced by joy. I rushed over to him, happy to see him.
“Hey!” I said as I leapt into his arms. I wrapped him in a tight hug. He patted me on the shoulder, barely embracing me at all.
“Hey, Kay,” he muttered.
I kissed him many times on the lips, waiting to see or feel some familiarity with him. I sensed something was wrong.
&nb
sp; “How was your day?”
“Hectic,” he replied. “Yours?”
“Invigorating,” I replied. “Justin, we’re about to start production this week. We’re going to be selling my underwear to the masses. I know I’ve been talking about it since forever, but it feels weird, in a good way, that it’s actually about to happen.”
“That’s awesome, Kayla,” he said, looking down at his feet.
I tried to look into his eyes, but he was somewhere else. I kissed him again, waiting for an ember or spark to ignite inside him… He remained uncharacteristically stoic.
“What’s wrong, handsome?” I asked. “You seem a little distant.”
He grinned. “You can read me pretty well.”
“I can read you very well,” I said, poking his nose. “Come on, talk to me.”
He cleared his throat, growing more uncomfortable by the second.
“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want,” I interjected. “We could just go inside if you’d like?”
He hovered in place, sticking his hands in his pockets.
“Or… we can stay out here,” I said. “I’m cool with whatever.”
I joined him, leaning against his car.
“Everything is good to go,” I told him. “Everything is in place. All we need now is to name the company. And, I need your help with that. Bethany and I have been throwing out ideas for months and nothing sounds good to me. You know how you know when something is right? Well, I’m waiting to find out what it is. I don’t want to name my company after myself.”
“Why not?” he asked.
“It’s just not my thing,” I answered. “It might work for Donnie T., but it’s not for me.”
He nodded, still avoiding my gaze.
“Justin?” I asked, waving my hand in front of his face. “Babe? Hello there? You’re like a zombie or something. You want to tell me what’s going on? I promise you won’t overshadow my great achievements. Are you trying to think of a good name for the company? I bet you’ve got something good.”
“I got a job offer yesterday,” he stated. “The work would be amazing. The pay would… Well, the pay is extraordinary.”
“No way!” I screeched.
“But… it sucks.”
“I don’t understand,” I said perplexed. “Amazing work and extraordinary pay… What part of any of that sucks?”
He finally looked at me. His eyes carried a heavy sadness behind them.
“The job is in California.”
I got off his car, shaking my head in disbelief. I could no longer look at him.
“The only way this sucks,” I began, tears streaming down my face, bursting from my eyes like a broken dam. “The only way it would suck is if you took the job in California, because then you’d leave. Is that why it sucks? Did you accept the job?”
He sighed. “I accepted the job.”
I didn’t know how to respond. I felt like sobbing and refusing to let him leave. But, my sadness was quickly morphing into anger.
“How much are they paying you to leave?” I asked him.
“Fifty-thousand for the year,” he replied.
I was taken aback. Our eyes met again.
“Well, I can’t fault you for taking it, that’s an incredible starting salary.”
“Yeah, I didn’t believe them when they said it at first,” he said.
“Is it something to do with accounting or photography?” I asked him.
He gave me a sour expression before revealing the truth.
“I was hired by Vicki Verelli,” he said.
“Whoa, whoa,” I said, waving my arms aimlessly in the air. I continually gasped, unable to comprehend the nightmare I just walked into.
“I’m sorry,” said Justin.
“Oh, are you now?” I snapped. “What’re you sorry for? Are you sorry for taking a job across the country without even bringing it up to me? Are you sorry that the job is with Vicki Verelli? Do you think that somehow offends me, that you would choose to work with a competing modeling agency and move to the west coast to do it? What exactly are you sorry about?”
He let out a timid sigh.
“I’m sorry for all of it,” he said. “I hate that I got this job offer just one week after things really started between us. I’m sorry that I waited until today to tell you about it when I took the job yesterday.”
“So, this is it then?” I asked fearfully. “You’re tying up loose ends or something?”
“You’re much more to me than a loose end.”
“Then why are you moving to California!?”
I was huffing and puffing. I knew that I likely looked like a lunatic, but I didn’t care. I felt like Justin was driving me straight into lunacy.
“Kayla, to be perfectly honest, I was thinking, hoping that you, of all people, would understand,” he said. “I’m like you. I work and I thrive when I’m doing what I want to do. For years, all people ever did was look down at me or condescend to me when it involved my photography. My family doesn’t take it seriously and most of my friends have bluntly told me that I’m wasting my time. I’m tired of it. Lately, people- people that can help build my career- are telling me that they believe in me. You’re one of those people. And… working with you and Donnie’s agency has been the highlight of my photography career so far.
“Kayla, if I stay here, I’ll keep doing shoots for Donnie, maybe shoot a wedding or bar mitzvah once a season. And maybe your company will take off and maybe then you’ll want to hire me to take pictures of you and your models. You could pay me half of what Vicki offered me and I would want to take it.”
“So, with all that being said, explain why you took the job,” I commanded.
“You know how you know when something is right?”
“You’re just going to steal my fucking words now,” I grumbled.
“I’m not stealing anything,” he said. “You were right. Sometimes you know when the stars are aligning for you and when the COO was finished putting everything on the table for me, I could only say yes. It wasn’t even a contest. I can’t explain it. I just know I have to go. It has nothing to do with you, it’s all me.”
“So, you admit that I wasn’t any part of your future plans,” I said, trying to maintain the anger and not let myself be emotionally destroyed by a man.
“That’s not what I mean,” he said.
“Well, I don’t know what any of this means. Fine, go to California. Work with Vicki Verelli. They’ll turn you into a robot. They won’t let you express your creative individuality the way Donnie has let you.”
“That’s not what Vicki’s COO told me,” he argued.
“I’m sure a lot of things were said,” I said irately. “Just watch. Have fun.”
I started to storm off, but I knew I wasn’t totally done yet.
“When do you leave?” I asked.
“I leave tomorrow.”
“Oh,” I said, roaring with laughter. “What, were they not going to hire you unless you moved out right away?!”
“They said they wanted me to start as soon as possible,” he said. “I’m not going to move all my things out there yet. I’ve a lot to pack. Plus, I don’t know where I’m going to actually live out there. I haven’t figured that out yet.”
“Aw, Vicki’s not renting a beach house for you in Santa Monica?”
His sadness was turning into frustration.
“Again, I’m sorry. I should go.”
“Right, go,” I snapped. “Leave. I knew you would. I told you that you would and you said you wouldn’t.”
“I did say…”
“This is why I wanted to keep things professional!” I interrupted. “This right here is exactly why I wanted to keep things exactly the way they were. How the hell can you do this to me? How can you be so cruel?”
“Call me whatever you want, but I will not let you tell me that all you wanted was for us to ‘keep it professional.’ You wanted it just as badly as I did, Kayla. You wer
e not fulfilled with things the way they were. We wanted more. Fuck, I still want more. Really, I’d have invited you to come with me if I thought you would say yes.”
“But, you knew I would say no?”
“Yes, I did,” he answered. “Tell me I’m wrong.”
I couldn’t deny his assumption. I rolled my eyes.
“What about taking over the world?” I asked him. “I thought we were a team. I thought…”
He walked toward me. I couldn’t tell if he was aiming for a hug, but I didn’t want to even look at him, let alone touch him. I backed away each time he got closer. It wasn’t long before he gave up and walked back to his car. He looked back at me, with his hands on the door handle.
“I hope you don’t stay mad at me forever,” he said. “If there’s ever a day when you think you can forgive me, I would accept it. I hope that we meet again someday.”
He was in his car, speeding away from my apartment complex faster than I had ever seen him travel before.
It occurred to me as I watched his car slowly fade away that I had no possessions of his in my apartment. The only evidence I had that Justin Baker existed was in the form of the thousands of photographs he took of me. I clenched my fist, angry with myself for not having taken photos of him…
I thought about what I told Bethany. My own words were echoing in my head and they no longer seemed like advice. They felt like taunts.
As I trudged back to my apartment, head down and heart torn into pieces, I began to wholeheartedly believe that maybe I was wrong. Maybe some people were meant to be alone…
For the time being, solitude was what I needed. I wanted to close myself off from the world and never think about Justin again. Though, something inside me told me that I would indeed meet him again one day. I wondered when that day would be.
THE END
Pursuing Her Dreams – COMING SOON
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BBW ROMANCE SERIES
Capturing Her Beauty
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