Calling Mrs Claus

by Charlie Conwell

  Her voice cracks a little, she clears her throat regaining her composure. Celine’s smile grows wider as she rubs her tummy, I am five months gone with baby number two. This one, however, is letting me know that he or she is going to be a sports fan with all of the kicking it’s doing.”

  Ann chuckles but Lina knows how much she is hurting. “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m the magazine journalist and photographer, I am going to be shadowing you for the next couple of months on this project to get all the nitty-gritty and juicy details of what you are planning. You and I will be spending quite a bit of time together.”

  Lina growls and for the first time, Celine looks at her, “You must be the artist Mr Willems has been telling me about. I will, of course, need to have time to interview you and get to know you better.”

  There is a flirtatious tone in her voice making Ann grimace, “Lina, is very busy and will only do interviews when she wants to, and she will not show any piece before the complete reveal.”

  Celine looks between the two of them and nods in appreciation, “This story is definitely taking an interesting curve already. How long have the two of you been dating?”

  Mr Willems's mouth drops open, “You are dating?”

  Ann is flummoxed but Lina doesn’t miss a beat, “We have only had one date and our relationship has nothing to do with the project. I can assure you, Sir, that Ann has been completely professional.”

  Mr Willems although surprised grins, “That’s wonderful, I am so pleased for you, Ann. I am going to leave you with Celine if that’s okay so that you can get her up to speed with what is going on?”

  “Of course, I would be happy to do that. Celine if you could just give me a minute, I want to walk Lina out, and I will be back with you then.”

  Celine smiles brightly, but steps in front of Lina blocking her path, “Here is my card, call me when I can get that first interview with you.” She slips the card into Lina’s pocket making sure her hand lingers. Lina moves out of her reach, “I can make the appointment through Ann and Ann alone, I don’t need your number.”

  Celine chuckles, “You never know, you might change your mind.”

  Ann throws her a look before ushering Lina out, “I can’t believe of all the journalists we get stuck with the bride of Satan.”

  Lina stops walking, “Was she always so flirtatious? She knows that we are together and yet she still comes on to me, right in front of you.”

  Ann grabs Lina, kissing her hard, she kisses her until she is satisfied, “I needed that.”

  Lina smirks and holds her tight to her body, “I like it when you’re jealous, but you don’t have to be, I only have eyes for you.”

  Ann bites her bottom lip, “I’m not jealous.”

  Lina kisses her softly, “So you liked it when she had her hand in my ass pocket, leaving her card in there?”

  Ann growls, “No I did not, the nerve, she was lucky I didn’t slap her…” She rolls her eyes at the now smirking Lina, “Okay, I was jealous, no one touches you like that, you’re with me.”

  Lina smiles big, “Yes, I am, and I am very happy with you. Now, will you be okay, with having her around over the next couple of months?”

  Ann sighs, “It was a shock to see her knowing that she has one kid and expecting a second. It stings a little because she never wanted that before. It’s that sweet sickening smile that makes my stomach churn. Giving me a hug as if nothing had happened. Ugh, this is going to be tough.”

  Lina looks around and is unsure whether to ask the question brewing in her mind. Ann cocks her head to the side, “What are you thinking?”

  “Do you still love her? I know seeing her must be stirring some emotions for you.”

  “No, I don’t love her, yes, you’re right seeing her has put me in a bit of a spin, but I’m happy that I have moved on finally. It has taken me so long to get here and to open up to you. I don’t want her, I want you.”

  Lina kisses her, “I want you too, if she steps out of line, I will end this project immediately. I won’t let her use you or me as pawns for her pleasure.”

  “I will keep her in line, I won’t let her destroy our hard work.”

  “Okay, I am going to go and do some more work, do you fancy a takeaway and movie tonight?”

  “Sounds like heaven to me, I will pick something up on the way.”

  Lina smirks, “You will stay awake for this movie?”

  Ann thumps her shoulder, “That happened one time and I was extremely tired and if I remember correctly, I made it up to you twice.”

  Lina blushes, “I remember, it was worth listening to you snore for a couple of hours.”

  She laughs at the look of horror on Ann’s face, “I do not snore!”

  “Oh, but you do and it’s cute the little snorts that you make.” Ann puts her hand over Lina’s mouth, “Stop talking.”

  She kisses her once again and pushes her out of the door, “I will see you tonight. Drive safe.”

  “I will and good luck with you know who. See you tonight.”

  Ann watches her walk away and jumps when she hears her name whispered in her ear. She spins around seeing Celine smiling sweetly at her, “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to frighten you. I got bored so I came looking for you.”

  Ann frowns, “I haven’t been gone long. You do realise there isn’t that much to see or report on yet.”

  “I am here to get the lowdown on the artist and the before space and the after. When I got this job, I was excited to get the chance to maybe see you again.”

  “Why would you want to see me again? The last time we spoke you left the house we shared without a blink or a care in the world. You left me with no explanation and questioning myself. I blamed myself for our breakup, you broke me, no, I allowed you to break me, but I have great friends that saw me through. You are here to do a job and I can’t change that, I will be professional but don’t expect me to be nice to you.”

  Celine rolls her eyes, “Don’t be so melodramatic, you always turned everything into a drama, the signs were there that we weren’t working. I fell for someone else, it happens, I didn’t go looking for it. He was handsome and charming, said all the right things and opened a new world of physical feelings for me. It was a long time since I was with a man and I had forgotten how much fun it could be. I’m sorry for the way it ended between us. I needed and wanted more, and you couldn’t give that to me.”

  Ann is seething looking around so that there are no clients or colleagues close by and whisper roars, “This could have been so much more helpful if you had have told me years ago. I wasted twelve years of my life with you. I was making plans, a future, with you in it and all the while you were shagging some other guy.”

  Celine bites her lip moves closer to Ann, “I always did enjoy when you got angry, it was sexy. There were times that I intentionally made you mad, the sex was always hotter.”

  “Stop that! There will be no flirting with me and there is definitely no flirting with my girlfriend. Keep your hands off her. You are married and pregnant.”

  “That’s correct, I am on both counts. I have an open relationship with my husband. He knows that I enjoy the company of women and is very supportive when I need to have that certain itch scratched. We did have amazing sex, Ann, and with being pregnant I am so horny and ready all the time. We could have a little something for old time's sake and we could always include Lina if that is what is stopping you.”

  Ann is in disbelief, “You have got to be kidding me? I wouldn’t have sex with you if you were the last woman on earth. There will be no threesome, I am with Lina and we are very happy together. If you are horny then you should just go and fuck yourself.”

  She storms off leaving Celine standing grinning, “Oh, you’re a feisty one now, how did I miss this side of you? I do like a challenge though, if I can’t work my charms on you, I will take a chance on the lovely Lina. This may just turn out to be a very interesting assignment. It’s good to be back!�
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  Chapter 17

  Ann is pacing, mumbling to herself, tears falling. She starts to pull at decorations and with each one she moves the tears fall harder. Olivia comes to find her needing her signature on a dispatch notice. She stops short when she hears Ann crying. She rushes over to her enveloping her in her arms, “Ann, what’s the matter? Are you okay?”

  Ann cries harder and holds tighter to Olivia, “She’s a monster, she has no clue about relationships and what it means to be in one.”

  Olivia tries to soothe her and understand who she is talking about, “Tell me what has happened, maybe I can help.”

  Ann flops onto the ground surrounded by tinsel and looks like a small child pouting in the corner, the tears streaming down her face. She picks up a piece of tinsel running it through her fingers, “She just waltzes back in here after all of these years as if nothing happened. Her, with her husband and kid at home and one on the way, flaunting it all and expecting to be welcomed with open arms. I have to work with her and be nice to her for the next few months without killing her. How am I meant to do that, when every time I see her all I want to do is smack her?”

  Olivia understands the past and how seeing Celine again is overwhelming for Ann. She sits down beside her and puts her arm around her, “Her turning up is going to cause emotional turmoil for you. Mr Willems won’t mind if you want to switch out of the project. I can take over if that will ease it for you?”

  Ann turns to face her, “If I do that, she wins, I need to do this to put her in the past where she belongs. She just makes me so angry. Just now, she asked me to sleep with her for old times’ sake.”

  Olivia’s jaw drops, “She what? What did you say?”

  “I told her to go and fuck herself that she won’t be getting near me.”

  Olivia bursts out laughing, “You told her to fuck herself, that should make you feel awesome not sit here in tears. Why are you crying?”

  Ann shrugs, “I don’t know, I guess the shock of seeing her, her pregnant belly, and then her being so flippant about things just hit me harder than I thought it could. I never thought I would see her again, I wasn’t prepared at all.”

  Olivia rubs Ann’s shoulder in comfort, “You did great, you kept it together and stayed professional. I don’t know if I could have done that. If that was my ex, I think I would have slapped her, and told the boss to get someone else to work with her. The fact that you are determined to do that, speaks volumes of how far you have come, and the strength of character you have. All we have to do now is keep her on a leash and get the job done. She will only be here for a few interviews and photos, we will make sure that you look fabulous every time and show her what she is never going to touch again. You must remember, that you are not the same person as before, you have grown and are more successful. The icing on the cake is that you now have a stud of a girlfriend in Lina.”

  At the mention of Lina’s name, Ann’s eyes light up, Olivia laughs, “And brings that smile to your face. Give yourself some time to get over the shock of seeing the wicked witch from the west. Then pick it up and treat her like you would any other journalist. This is your turf, you’re the Queen of the store, don’t let her dictate things to you, you call the shots, and tell her what you want her to do, and the way you want it shown.”

  Ann smiles grateful once again for her friend, she blows her nose and puffs out her cheeks, “Thanks Olivia, I really hate her and that smug face of hers. This project is more than what I expected and has taken a turn that fills me with joy. Lina is an incredible artist and sculptor, she has shown me a side of her that I had lost. She intrigues me and excites me. I want to do this project with her and to see the joy it brings to her. Do I love Christmas again? No, not at all, I would love to have that feeling of magic back, but I don’t know if that will ever come back the same way as before. I have never gone into a project and not seen it through. I can’t start now so I will pull up my big girl panties and get on with it.”

  Olivia grins, “That’s what I like to hear and if needed I can run interference between you and the churlish Celine.”

  “Churlish? That’s not a very nice way to describe me.”

  Olivia and Ann jump hearing Celine’s voice, “Jesus, what do you want now and why are you sneaking around?”

  Olivia rolls her eyes, “I am getting a feel for my surroundings and heard blubbering and knew it could only be one person. I followed the sound of the snivelling child and found who I thought it was. Why are you always so dramatic Ann? You storm away and never finish an argument, I always hated that. You could never just say what you wanted, instead, you would just pout and slam doors as you rumbled around. It drove me nuts. If you didn’t realise, I have been very sweet and nice to you since arriving and you have treated me abysmally. How are we meant to work together if you keep storming off every few minutes and go cry in the corner? It’s so unprofessional, I expect more from you. Have you dried your eyes enough so that we can get back to work?”

  Ann is stunned and stands up slowly, she fixes her hair and before she says a word, she hears the slap. She looks around and sees the shock on Olivia’s face looking at her hand. She turns to Celine who is holding her cheek. Her eyes widen, “Jesus, Olivia, what did you do?”

  “I didn’t like what she was saying and how she was treating you. Before I knew it, I felt the sting on my hand from slapping her.”

  Ann bites her lip trying not to smile at her, “That was out of line, go back downstairs and I will deal with this and you later.”

  Olivia nods and bumps Celine as she walks past her, “You deserved that, and you know it.”

  Celine rolls her eyes still holding her cheek, “You have aggressive staff, I don’t know if I can work in this environment. I want to feel safe coming here and I need my unborn child to be safe too.”

  Ann folds her arms, “You can’t be serious, she slapped you because you were mouthing off as you usually do. The only sad thing is, I didn’t do it myself.”

  Celine smirks, “I see, and you expect me to put up with that behaviour every time I come here? I don’t think so, I’m going to speak to Mr Willems and tell him I’m pulling the piece.”

  She turns on her heel and walks towards the escalator. Ann is stunned and it takes a few seconds for her to react. “Celine, wait!”

  Celine smiles hearing her name and turns around her face showing no emotion. “What?”

  “This project is not just about the store. It’s about an artist, that has worked so hard to get her art and toys on show. She is the epitome of Christmas spirit and for the first time has allowed her work to be seen on this scale. You can’t take that away from her. This is a community project that I really want to see through. The bonus is that we get the store in the magazine and possibly win an award. Please, won’t you reconsider, I will have Olivia apologise to you and you won’t have to see her any time you are here.”

  Celine looks around pleased that her ploy has worked, she smiles sweetly at Ann. “I will continue the article with you on one condition.”

  Ann frowns and doesn’t like where this conversation is going, “I am not sleeping with you, Celine.”

  Celine laughs, “I wasn’t going to say that but that is an idea.”

  Ann’s jaw drops, “You’re insane.”

  “Relax, I am not going to ask you for that, I want you to go to dinner with me.”

  “Are you serious?”

  Celine shrugs, “Why not? It can be a working dinner if you prefer, we can discuss the project, how you see it coming together and why you chose Lina as the main contributor.”

  Ann doesn’t know what to say so she starts to pace to help her think. She stops and stands in front of Celine, “If I go to this dinner, you do your job and stay professional?”

  Celine smirks, “Of course, if that’s what you want.”

  Ann rolls her eyes, “Yes, that is exactly what I want. I am going to call Lina and tell her I am going for dinner with you.”

  Celin
e nods her head still smirking and knowing that her manipulation has worked. “I am going to check into the hotel and rest for a little before dinner. I am in room 212 come and collect me at 7.30.”

  Ann quirks her eyebrow which Celine matches, “Is that a problem?”

  Ann narrows her eyes, “Yes, that is a problem.”

  Celine folds her arms, “I guess you really don’t want this project to be seen in the best light.”

  Ann reaches for her arm as Celine turns to walk away, “Who is being dramatic now? If you didn’t know, I’m not psychic, giving me the room number means nothing without the actual name of the hotel.”

  Celine grins, “I like this feisty side of you, I’m staying in the Hotel Paackenhoff. I will see you at 7.30 don’t be late.”

  She turns on her heel and walks away, her hips swaying more than normal. She looks over her shoulder and winks at Ann. Ann grits her teeth, muttering to herself, “I really hate you.”

  She takes her phone out of her pocket and calls Lina, “Hi sweetheart, I wasn’t sure if you would be on break or if I would get your voicemail. I’m okay, I just need to talk to you about something.”

  Ann fills Lina in on what has happened, “Ann, she is manipulating you, I don’t like this at all.”

  “I know she is, but what can I do? She will pull the article; your work goes to waste and I have the possibility of losing my job because of revenue lost with the article.”

  She can hear Lina sighing, “Fine, go to dinner with her, but if she tries anything, I don’t care if it costs everything, you walk away.”

  Ann smiles, “It won’t come to that, I won’t allow it. I know the game she is playing, she has done this a few times before when we were together. I’m more worried about how she will try and manipulate and play you. I know she likes you and she isn’t used to not getting her own way.”

  “Bad luck, this will be a lesson she can learn the hard way. Please, call me when you get home?”