“Let me talk to Phil. I’m sure he’d be okay with me helping you out,” she said, standing from her crouched position in front of me.
“No.” I shook my head. “Honestly, I want to do this. I want to prove I deserve my job and one day be able to break that damn tea cup in Kate’s office.”
“But—”
I shook my head.
“No, Kylie. I can do this.”
I was determined. I was going to prove everyone wrong.
“Okay.” She sighed. “I’ll grab you coffee.”
She left my office in a hurry, clearly seeing my need for coffee over the next couple of days while I dealt with the ridiculous pile of paperwork on the floor.
Standing from the floor, I grabbed my cell from my purse to find a text from Gabriel.
GABRIEL: Dinner. 7pm. You’re desert.
I chuckled and felt my cheeks pink, the memory of this morning's feast flashing in front of my eyes.
ME: Work. Boss is an ogre. Dine in my office?
I knew it wasn’t a good idea to offer to have dinner in my office but he was still my client. I could pass it off as a late meeting due to the mountain of paperwork I had to endure.
GABRIEL: Chinese it is… you’re still desert, princess.
ME: Charming you are not, Mr. Black.
GABRIEL: You’ll be taking that back the moment desert is served and devoured.
My eyes widened a little and a small gasp left my lips. I didn’t reply but I knew I’d be eating my words later while Gabriel ate me.
Eight hours, mountains of paperwork, Chinese takeout and Gabriel’s promise later, I was still in my office coming down from my Gabriel high as I tried to get through the paperwork. Unfortunately, my eyes were becoming heavy and the sight of a sheet of paper was driving me crazy. In the end I decided to call Kylie to let her know I’d be staying at the office and asked if she could bring some clean clothes for me to change into for tomorrow.
I would get through the paperwork if I had to stay up all night.
IT WAS FRIDAY, Alpha's opening night, and I was still knee-deep in paperwork. Everyone had already started leaving the office to go home and get ready for the grand event while I was still on my knees in my office, trying to sort out the paperwork.
Thankfully, I managed to run back to the apartment a couple of hours ago to grab a shower and a change of clothes but my heart had sunk. I wouldn’t have all the paperwork finished by the time I needed to go home to get ready for Alpha. I was pretty pissed. I was sure Kate had purposefully done this to stop me from going to the opening, but this time I had no idea what her motive was. I knew Gabriel wouldn’t tell her about our relationship. She was up to something and I didn’t like it.
“Oh look, Katrina, she’s on her knees again.” Clarissa pointed from my office door.
I looked up, finding them both in ball gowns and made up to the nines¸ their hair trained into perfect updos. I sighed. I ignored them, fixing my gaze back on the paperwork as I heard them snicker as they left the office.
Twenty minutes later, I was alone in the office except for Kate, who was in her office with several makeup artists and hair stylists, touching her up before she was ready to leave. When I looked at the clock, it was 5pm. I knew if I was going to make it to Alpha, I’d have to leave now and it didn’t look like it was going to happen.
My cell pinged from my desk, alerting me to a text message.
GABRIEL: Leo will pick you up at 7:30. I keep thinking about you in that dress.
I sighed. I hadn’t told Gabriel about what Kate had done, I thought I had it in the bag. I wanted to get it all done without having to tell him I might not make it. Now I'd have to tell him that I wouldn’t be there for the opening of his newest club.
ME: I’m stuck at work. I can’t leave. I’m sorry, I won’t be able to make it.
I sent the text and threw my cell back on my desk as I lay back on the floor, surrounded by paper. The sound of my office door opening had me quickly sitting upright.
“I’m leaving. I want this done by midnight, Payton. Your job's on the line. This is standard account manager stuff and well, if you can’t do that, then you’re not needed here,” she said smugly, checking her reflection in a compact mirror before firing a devious smirk my way and exiting the building with her stylists trailing behind her.
I lay back down and swallowed the lump in my throat and the tears forming in my eyes. I hated my boss but I loved my job. I hated that I sat in the middle of the room surrounded by paperwork when I should’ve been by Gabriel’s side. I was in my own living hell.
“Okay, honey pie, get your ass off that disgusting floor.” I turned to find Quinn standing in the doorway of my office, welding a curling iron and a tube of lip gloss.
“What are you doing here? You need to get on the road if you want to make the opening ceremony,” I said, furrowing my brow.
“Nope. Butt off the floor and in the chair.” He pointed to the chair at my desk. Defeated, I complied. He stepped into my office, revealing Kylie with a familiar white box and a smaller box probably housing shoes. What were they doing?
Kylie, as usual, looked stunning. Wearing a deep purple ball gown with a large split up her left thigh and her hair placed in a chignon. Quinn wore a matching deep purple tux and looked fabulous.
“What are you guys up to?” I asked suspiciously.
“I’m the fairy.” Quinn chuckled.
“Quinn, you came out back in high school. I’m sure everyone knows ”
Kylie rolled her eyes and barged past Quinn, placing the boxes on my desk. That’s when I realized exactly what they were up to. Sitting in front of me was the Vera Wang box with my dress and what looked like a brand new shoebox with the Louboutin logo on it.
“No,” I protested, throwing my hands up in surrender. “You’re not making up. I’m not going tonight, I have to get this paperwork done before midnight or I’m going to be fired.”
“Damn it, she’s evil!” Quinn shrieked, referring to Kate.
“We have a solution to that,” Kylie butted in, turning to my door. “Well, Gabriel did. Leo!” she hollered and in walked Leo, Gabriel’s driver.
“This isn’t happening.” I groaned, throwing my head in my hands.
“This is happening,” Kylie threw back. “Leo is going to finish this paperwork for you and we’re going to get your ready for Alpha.”
“Kylie, Kate is at the opening night. If she or the band of skanks see me, they’ll know I’m not at the office dealing with this.” I pointed at the paperwork.
“We have a solution for that.” Quinn smiled, opening the box which held the Vera Wang dress, revealing not only the dress but a silver masquerade mask. “She won’t even know it’s you.”
Kylie winked, flashing me a smile. So that’s what Quinn meant by being a fairy. Everything made a little more sense but I still didn’t like the idea. I was in an internal battle. I wanted to go but I wanted to keep my job.
“This is the final obstacle, Payton,” Leo said out of nowhere.
He smiled warmly at me and I decided if I was going to lose my job, I’d lose it in style with Gabriel by my side.
“Fine.” I sighed.
Within seconds, Kylie and Quinn pounced, pulling me from my chair and dragging into the office bathroom. Orders came from left, right and center. Quinn added mascara to my lashes once Kylie helped me into the dress. Then there was the battle with my hair as Quinn styled it half-up, half-down while Kylie went back to my office to retrieve the shoebox and mask.
“We have to go,” Kylie said when she came back.
Without getting a good look at my reflection, I was pulled from the bathroom and out of the building, leaving behind Leo, and following my friends into a waiting limo.
Quinn was a little excited when we finally got into the limo, flailing his hands around as he told us both how Vogue needed to hire him for the look he’d just pulled off on me in under thirty minutes. Of course, I still hadn’t seen his h
andy work but my gaze was on Kylie as she opened the one box I hadn’t seen inside.
“Before you put these on, I don’t want to hear a word about how much they cost. Gabriel let me pick them out for you and they will look amazing on you. Okay?” she said, revealing what was inside.
“Holy shit,” I whispered, blinking hard as I tried to take in exactly what as I was looking at.
Right there, sitting in the box, was a pair of silver crystal-encrusted Louboutins. They sparkled more than Quinn did in a gay bar and they looked, much to my astonishment, stunning. I didn’t once think about the price tag as I pulled one from the box.
“They’re beautiful,” I whispered, inspecting the craftsmanship of them.
“Good. Now you put those on and the mask and you’re ready to go.” She smiled.
I placed my feet inside the Louboutins, which were surprisingly comfortable, as Quinn placed the mask over my eyes and fixed it at the back of my head, using some of my hair to hide the knot in the ribbon.
“Ohhh! I feel like the fairy godmother! This is just like Cinde—”
“Finish that sentence,” I pointed at Kylie. “and I’ll punch you in the vagina. There’s no glass slippers or fairy godmothers here, sweetie.”
“I take that back. Cinderella was ladylike.” Kylie smirked.
I rolled my eyes but was unbelievably grateful to both of my best friends for doing all this. I loved them like family rather than friends and I felt horrible I couldn’t tell them that in the past. But things had changed.
“I love you guys,” I said, smiling at Kylie and Quinn.
“Oh god.” Kylie sniffled. “I’m going to cry.”
Quinn’s chin started to shake a little as he also held back the tears.
“I’m so proud of you, honey,” Quinn said, pulling me in for a hug. “Now let’s not ruin our makeup. We’re here.”
I took a look out of the window to find a large crowd outside Alpha, a red carpet leading to the doors and paparazzi taking photos everywhere. Taking a deep breath, the door opened and we stepped out of the limo and walked the red carpet and into the building.
The minute I saw the inside of Alpha, a large smile took over my face. It looked amazing. The room was filled with people wearing some amazing ball gowns and tuxes, but I didn’t have much time to really take it all in before I was being dragged towards the bar by Kylie and Quinn.
“Enough of the dragging already!” I yelped as we found miraculous empty spot at the bar. “I feel like a freaking rag doll.”
“That’s what she said.” Quinn chuckled, finding his joke utterly amusing.
Turning to the barman, Kylie ordered, as usual, three fruity concoctions. Handing one to me and the other to Quinn, we turned and leaned against the bar as we took everything in.
“Anyone spot the evil stepmother and ugly sisters?” Kylie giggled, sipping her cocktail while scanning the room.
“I can’t see them,” Quinn said, standing on his tiptoes to get a better look over the crowd of people. “They won’t be hard to spot. Kate’s hair extensions aren’t hard to miss, they’re an abomination.”
I chuckled into my glass as I looked around for Gabriel. After five minutes, I decided to text him to see where he was.
ME: I’m here… but I’m not. Where are you?
I waited for a reply but after a couple of minutes, there was nothing from him. I couldn’t call him without exiting the building to reduce the background noise and I was becoming frustrated. I wanted to see him.
“I’m going to check to see if he’s in his office,” I announced to Kylie and Quinn. Quinn replied with a wiggle of his eyebrows while Kylie pursed her lips and nodded.
Placing my glass on the bar, I grabbed my cell and made my way towards the door leading to Gabriel’s second floor office, keeping my head down in the process, not wanting to draw any attention to myself.
Finally making it out from the crowded room, I walked through the door and up a flight of stairs before coming to his office door which was ajar. I was about to walk into the room when I heard voices. I recognized Gabriel’s instantly, it was gruff and grainy but the other voice? That one caught me by surprise.
It was Kate’s.
“You know she’s going to find out eventually,” she said.
“This is none of your business, Kate. I’ll handle Payton in my own way,” he fired back.
“It’s not like I care anyway. She’s just a poor girl from the sticks of Kentucky, she isn’t worth your or my time.”
“Kate, if you don’t leave this fucking office, I swear I’ll have security carry your ass out. And if you say another word against Payton, I won’t be accountable for my actions.” He growled.
“I’m not the one sleeping with the hired help. What would your wife say about this?!”
My heart broke into pieces at my feet. Every tear and every emotion I held back over the years since college poured out. The dam broke. It was Cam all over again. Gabriel had lied to me. He was married! The hurt was there, but the adrenaline was morphing that pain into feelings of anger and hatred.
Questions ran around my mind like a freight train.
He’s still married?
Does he have children with this woman?
How's Kate involved in all this?
What. The. Fuck. Was. Going. On?
Without thinking, my body acted before my mind could really take anything in. With tears streaming down my cheeks, I burst through the office door, coming face to face with a person whom I thought I could trust, a person whom I loved, whom I was ready to be my Prince Charming. The other? Oh, she was far more than a fairy tale villain. She was my hatred personified.
“You’re fucking married?!” I screamed, the sound causing Kate to jump slightly.
The instant the words fell from my mouth, sobs broke through. But through the tears, I watched as Gabriel’s usually expressionless face showed every emotion he could possibly feel. I saw fear, I saw sadness, I saw guilt but the one which killed me the most was what I saw next. Regret.
“Payton, please let me —”
I cut him off with a glare that could match Kate’s best.
“What, explain? You want to explain how you were pursuing me? That you slept with me with a wife at home?!” I sobbed. “How fucking dare you.”
I made a beeline for Gabriel, standing in front of him. The height difference between us was ever apparent, but the level of anger I felt allowed me to feel as though I towered over him.
“You.” I pointed, sticking my finger in his chest. “You’re exactly what I thought you were. You’re a fucking frog. Prince Charming? Ha! You’re a god damn toad. And to think I fell in love with you!”
I quickly turned to Kate, her face a picture of shock and utter smugness.
“Kate.” I paused, collecting myself. At this rate I was going to do jail time if I didn’t control my anger. “Stick your job up your implanted ass!”
Kate’s gasp echoed around the room. I had no doubt that no one had ever spoken to the ice queen with as much distain as I did.
Turning on my heels, I glanced at Gabriel. His head was bowed, chewing his lips nervously.
“Don’t come after me. I deserve better,” I said on a shaky breath before running from the room.
Once finally out of the room, I ran down the staircase but midway down, I stumbled in the stupid heels Kylie had given me. Groaning, I pulled off both heels and left them behind. I left them behind, with my job, with the man I’d fallen for, with the Payton I swore from then on I’d never be, with the fairy tale that was a lie.
As I made it to the bottom of the staircase, I ripped the mask from my face, discarding it at the bottom without a second thought before pushing through the door and out into the crowded room of Alpha. Quickly scanning the room, I found Kylie and Quinn still standing at the bar with what looked like Gabriel’s brother, Luca. Pushing my way through the crowd, I was almost there when Clarissa and Katrina intercepted me.
“Well
if it isn’t Cinderella.” Clarissa chuckled sadistically. “What? You think by dressing up you’d fit in here? You’re nothing but a poor little girl from the South.”
“Aww, look, Clarissa.” Katrina laughed, pointing at my face. “She’s crying.”
I thought my anger had peaked in Gabriel’s office, but that was pain I felt in there. My anger boiled the moment Clarissa and Katrina spoke. Deciding I’d had enough and I wanted to get out of the building, I turned to find a server walking by with a tray of champagne. Grabbing two glasses, I turned back and threw champagne in the faces of both Clarissa and Katrina.
“And that is how us poor little girls do it in the South!” I stated, pointing at them, pulling out my best Southern accent. “Now, bless your heart, you’re crying.”
Clarissa and Katrina stood with their arms out at their sides as champagne dripped down their faces, shocked as to what I’d done. With a smirk, I turned to find my best friends and Luca staring at me in shock.
“Get me out of here.”
I sobbed as Kylie and Quinn put their arms around me and guided me out and into an awaiting cab, Luca not far behind in his car.
I SOBBED THE ENTIRE CAB RIDE back to the apartment. I couldn’t control the dam that had already burst. Kylie and Quinn both comforted me but were clearly confused. They’d tried asking me what happened and what was going on but they couldn’t get any coherent words out of me.
By the time we’d made it back inside the apartment, I was a little less emotional. I just wanted to get out of the ridiculous dress and pack a bag. I didn’t want to be here. I’d put my trust in a man who ultimately broke me.
“Payton, please tell us what happened,” Kylie pleaded, her voice small as I started removing the dress from my body. Modesty? Modesty left the damn building.
“We need to know what happened, honey. We want to know how to help you,” Quinn said, helping me step out of the dress and noticing I wasn’t wearing any shoes. “Where are the Louboutins?”
Once Upon A Time Page 20
