by Davies, Amy
“She isn’t a friend, just someone who thought she knew me! Let’s go.” James pulls me towards the door and we exit Rossi’s, everyone still stunned that he has been in the same room as them. I’m really surprised that he wasn’t mobbed by anyone. James leads me to his car; I stop as he opens the car door.
“I came in my car. I’m fine now, thank you. I can drive myself home. Thanks again, James.” I start walking away from him, not looking back. I can’t encourage this. James is at my side within seconds.
“I will walk you to your car. It’s past two in the morning. I don’t like you walking the streets on your own. It isn’t safe, Tally.” We approach my jeep and James’s face falls. I don’t think he likes my jeep.
I drive a Jeep Wrangler in white and she is all mine. I love her. “You drive that? Is this a joke babe?” I shake my head. What does he have against my Wrangler? Hang on, did Wilde just call me babe?
“Just because I have money, doesn’t mean I should flash it, James. She is perfect for me, gets me from A to B safely.” James looks at me amused.
“She?”
“Yes she, you got a problem with that as well?” I snap back as I place our food onto the passenger seat. James holds his hands up and walks around my Wrangler. Again James is standing in front of me and he smells delicious, as he has the other times he has been within touching distance.
“Does she have a name too?” I look up at him and shake my head. He has the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen. James touches a strand of my hair and rubs it between his fingers. “You have beautiful hair, Natalia.” He runs the back of his fingers down my cheek. “And such soft skin.” I blush, as no man has ever spoken to me like this before. He runs his thumb along my bottom lip. My body comes alive; a prickly wave runs through me. He stares right into my eyes and lifts my chin. “Can I kiss you, Tally?”
Before I can answer, James Wilde’s soft lips are on mine. He licks my bottom lip, so I open my mouth and his tongue plays with mine in my mouth. Oh my God. Wilde tastes of beer and rich chocolate. Something he’s had at the party maybe? His hand is at the nape of my neck, holding me close to him. James’s kisses are turning me on. I want to touch him. I place my hand on his forearms. I’m enjoying the moment. I lose myself in the kiss, which I haven’t been done for so long, but I get snapped back to reality. I hear Carly the Freak’s voice. An image of Dean flashes through my head and I pull back from James. Shocked and shaken, I look at James, who looks confused. “I’m sorry James, but I can’t do this. I’m sorry.” I jump into my Wrangler and pull away, leaving Wilde standing on the sidewalk. I drive back to my place with tears streaming down my face. Dean has ruined any chance of me having a normal relationship with anyone. I hate him for what he did to me.
Chapter 5
The next morning I clean up after Scarlett, as she is no fit state to be doing anything. She is crashed on the sofa, barking orders at me. The cleaning is all done and I sit on the opposite end of the sofa with Scarlett’s feet resting on my legs. We curl up and watch re-runs of Supernatural, our all-time favourite TV show. C’mon, who doesn’t love a bit of Jesnen Ackles and Jared Padalecki? I think they are the only reason I watch TV. Yum. In the afternoon, Cassidy pops around for a visit and we sit in my room having a girly chat about anything and everything. I love chatting to Cassidy. She never saw me as the girl with the millionaire family. She saw me for me. We shared everything except boys, now anyway. Cassidy has been my rock through my hard times with Dean. We sit on my bed talking about my job interview. “So did you meet any hot guys at the interview?” She shoots me a wicked smile.
“Well, Carlos is hot very hot, but gay. Tanner is cute though.” Tanner is kind of cute. He’s a few years older than me I think. I stare down at my knotted hands. “I bumped into James Wilde again. He was there having a meeting about an upcoming shoot.” Cassidy’s eyes shoot open in surprise and she becomes speechless. This is very unlike Miss Cassidy Blake.
She finally speaks after a few moments. “And? Did he see you? Did he speak to you? Come on Tally, I want to know everything.” I tell Cassidy about the run in and then of course I have to tell her about the kiss.
“That’s not the only time I have seen him, Cass.” I explain about him phoning me, me falling out of the bath, and the run in with The Freak. “He walked me to my car. He told me I had nice hair and soft skin.” Cassidy was at a loss for words, yet again. Even though Cassidy and me have done a lot of things together, I still blush telling her all this. “Say something Cass, please?” She shakes her head.
“Oh my God! Tally, James Wilde likes you. I mean, girl, he really likes you! Did he kiss you?”
I blush all kinds of red and Cassidy jumps off of my bed and squeals like a teenage girl. “I knew it. I could tell by the way he looked at you that night in JAG. Are you seeing him again? Natalia Grace Slone, you have to see him again!” I looked back down at my hands and Cassidy knew. Cassidy looked more gutted than me, but I wasn’t ready for a new relationship yet. We chatted most of the evening, talking about how things were with her boyfriend, Josh, and what I had to wear when I went to work. Around nine o’clock, we decided to call it a night. We both had work the next morning.
Scarlett’s Avenue was quiet this Monday morning, so I checked the stock. Scarlett was on the phone, leaning on the counter, arranging everything for her party, which was fast approaching. She was very adamant about how she wants things to look. Scarlett has booked a big Dj and an artist to perform at the party, but I know she isn’t going to let on who it is. I’m sitting on the stool behind the counter next to my sister, when my phone starts to ring. I dig it out of the back pocket of my shorts. I look at the caller Id and my heart goes into over drive. I give Scarlett a quick glance and she frowns as she looks at me. Scarlett ends her call and pushes for me to answer my phone. “Hello?” A familiar voice came through the speaker.
“Good morning Tally, its Mrs. Silver from Exposure. How are you this fine Monday morning?” I look at Scarlett, who is leaning right into me, trying to hear who was on the other end of the call.
“Good Morning Mrs. Silver. I’m very well, thank you. How are you?” Scarlett’s eyes widen and a huge smile spreads across her flawless face.
“I’m good, thank you for asking. Well Tally, I was calling you this morning to offer you the job. I was really hoping that you accept and come down to the studio sometime today or tomorrow so we can go over all the details for you to start.” With wide eyes, I look at Scarlett. A big smile creeps across my face and my big sister knows exactly what has just happed. She starts jumping around the store. I try to stifle my laugh by biting down on my bottom lip, but it doesn’t work very well.
“Oh my God, Mrs. Silver, are you sure? I mean umm yes of course yes. I would love to come and work for you, oh my. Wow. Thank you so much. Um, would tomorrow be ok, as I am working today?” Mrs Silver gives me the time to pop around to Exposure and go through all my work details. I’m in shock. Scarlett and I are dancing around the store like a pair of kindergarten children. I have to phone my parents and Cassidy. I know that Cassidy will inform all my friends.
Scarlett stops dancing and says, “We have to go out and celebrate.”
My alarm wakes me at six am. It’s my first day as an Exposure and I want to be up and ready. It’s been just four days since I was offered the job and I haven’t been sleeping that much since. I have been nervous about this very day. Scarlett is in the kitchen. I come down stairs all dressed and ready to go. I am wearing pale blue skinny jeans, a black Exposure t-shirt, and my black flats. The t-shirt is a little too tight for my liking, but it’s uniform. I don’t wear a lot of make-up, but today Scarlett told me to wear just a little. I walk into the reception area and the receptionist greets me. “Good morning, Natalia.” I smile politely and return the greeting.
“Good morning, please call me Tally. I don’t know your name.” She cocks her heard to one side.
“You’re new, so it will take some time for you to learn eve
ryone’s names. Hi, I’m Isabella, but my friends call me Bella.” I smile at her and know that we are going to be good friends. She has that down to earth vibe about her.
“Well I’m hoping that I will get to call you Bella. I’ll catch you later.” I smile and walk around the desk and up the stairs. Sam meets me the top and kisses me on both cheeks.
“Morning Miss Tally, I hope you’re ready to get started. We have a fun family week, lots of screaming children and bitchy mothers who want the perfect family picture.” I can’t help but giggle at his comment. We walk down the corridor past a few of the studios that Carlos showed me on the day of my interview. We stop at Studio Five. Sam looks at me with a big grin on his face. “You ready?” I nod and he pushes the door open and hushes me into the room. “This is all yours, Tally.”
The studio is fantastic, all white walls with three windows; it has all the equipment that an everyday photographer needs. “Is this really all mine?” I turn to look at Sam; he nods with a big smile on his face.
“I will leave you to your studio.” He kisses my cheek. ”Welcome to Exposure, Natalia.” Sam leaves the studio. I wonder around my studio, getting familiar with all the equipment. The hair and make-up stations are all neat and tidy, all the costumes are hanging perfectly. Just the way I like things. My studio phone rings and I walk over to my desk and answer, “Hello?”
“Tally, it’s Bella. Your ten o’clock is here. Shall I send them up to your studio?”
“Um, I have a booking this morning? I didn’t know.” There a small pause from Belle.
“Tally on the desk next to the phone you will find a clipboard with a list of you clients for the week, okay?” Panic starts to rise in my head. “I will send your clients up to you now.” With that, Bella hangs up. I look around my studio. I can feel the color creep over my body. I hear shouting children running in the hallway. God help me!
My first week goes pretty fast. Sam was right, lots of screaming children and very bitchy moms, but it wasn’t just one day, it was a whole week of it. Every night I went home with a headache and every night I would just jump straight into bed. It’s Friday. I’m cleaning my desk and I glance at the clock. It’s six fifteen. Carlos comes into my studio. “Hey Tally, how’s today been? Any better?” I raise an eyebrow at him.
“It’s been crazy. I don’t think I have stopped all week, let alone all day. Is every week like this?” I have a pleading look on my face now. Carlos smiles at me, put his arm around my shoulder, and pulls me out of my studio.
“Let’s get you a strong drink, shall we?” We meet Sam and Tanner, who are at the bottom of the stairs discussing a photo shoot that is coming up.
“Hey Tally, you had a fun week?” Tanner asks. I smile.
“I need a drink, who is buying?” The three hot men all smile and laugh as we exit the studio. We are sitting in a bar with most of the Exposure’s staff. Everyone is enjoying the night, chatting about their week about any awkward clients. Sam buys everyone tequila shots as a celebration of my first week as a full time Exposure employee. We all down our shots, lick our salt, suck our limes, and demand more. Bella and I are dancing with each other. I know we are really going to get along just fine. Cassidy will love her. I feel my head spin slightly and I know that’s my cue to stop drinking. I head to the bar and ask for a bottle of water. I turn towards the dance floor and see Bella dancing, when Tanner comes up behind her and starts grinding into her. She is enjoying it, by the look on her face. Their dancing is sexy and everyone is enjoying the show, not looking surprised by their intimate dancing. I didn’t realize they were a couple, but then again maybe they aren’t. Carlos stands next to me by the bar and leans back on his elbow on the bar. “Tanner has had a thing for Bella for some time now. It’s nice to finally see him make a move” I smile.
“They look like they need to go home and get rid of some of that bottled up sexual frustration.” We burst out laughing and Carlos goes to speak, but stops and looks behind me.
“They won’t be the only ones going home for some relieving. Be safe, Tally.” Carlos kisses me on the cheek, winks at me, and walks away.
I continue to look at Carlos in a confused manner. What did he mean by that? My body stiffens as I can smell him, then I can feel him. Wilde presses his body flush against mine, my back to his hard front. He places his arm around my waist and holds me there. “God, you smell good.” I stand there, unable to move. James slides my hair to one side and lightly kisses my neck “I have thought of nothing else since our kiss. I want to kiss you more Tally. I can’t seem to think of anything or anyone else but you.” His grip tightens and my body burns with desire. I turn in his arms to face him, his grip not letting go.
“Why James? I don’t get why you like me. Why do you want to kiss me?” He looks into my eyes. The alcohol is making me more confident.
“Why not? God you are so sexy. You have the softest lips I have ever kissed, and I want to kiss them again, and again.” He stops, closes his eyes, and when he opens them, I can see that he means what he is saying to me. “I want to kiss every inch of your body Tally, please let me. I won’t hurt you.” That threw me. What did he the hell did he mean he won’t hurt me?
I pull out of his hold. “What the fuck do you mean you won’t hurt me? Have you been talking to Scarlett again?” James looks just as shocked and confused as me.
“Look Tally, I haven’t spoken to your sister it’s just … the way you reacted when I kissed you the other night, it looked to me that you have had your heart broken before.” I’m looking at Wilde and softening towards him when my phone rings. I answer without looking at who it is. I keep my eyes locked on Wilde, he staring right back at me.
Chapter 6
“Hello?” My stomach falls when I hear sobbing on the other end. It’s Josh. “It’s Cassidy, oh my God Tally! Cass and I were in an accident tonight. She is at the hospital. I didn’t see it until it hit us.” The color drained from my face, my legs went weak, and James holds me close to his chest. He takes the phone from my hand. I heard him speak into my phone.
“Okay, I’ll get her there.” I’m not sure how long I stood there but I was unaware that all my co-workers are now standing around me. James explained to them what has happened. They all hugged me one by one but I couldn’t feel anything. I’m completely numb. The next thing I know, I’m sitting in James’s car and he has his hand on mine, squeezing lightly. The drive took forever, James weaving through traffic to get me to the hospital as quick as possible. We arrive at ER and James talks to a nurse at the nurses’ station. He pulls me in close and holds me tight, for which I’m grateful, and we walk into the elevator. I look up at James. His eyes are so soft, the way he is looking at me. He runs his thumb over my cheek. “What floor are we going to?” I ask.
“Sixth floor. Cassidy is in the OR already baby. We will know more when we get up there, okay?” He runs his fingers over my cheek again, soothing me some. I have only now noticed that I’m holding James tight against my own body. I think if either of us let go I’m going to crumble to the floor.
The door opens and James supports me as we walk out. I see Cassidy’s mom, Karen. She is rocking in her chair while Cassidy’s dad tries to comfort her. Josh is pacing the room. There are two police officers talking to a nurse. I walk towards the family and Karen looks up. She comes darting towards me with open arms. James tries to step away but I grab the bottom of his shirt. “Don’t leave me.” James nods his head and stands by my side once again, holding my hand.
“I’m not going anywhere, baby.” I try to comfort Karen as we both sob on each other shoulders. She finally lets me go and I hug Joe, Cassidy’s dad. All the while I’m still holding James’s hand. Josh can barely keep still. He has a broken arm and a cut on the left side of his chin. I sit down next to Karen and James sits next to me. I look at Josh and he sits opposite us. “What happened, Josh?” He looks racked with guilt.
“We were walking back to my car after we saw a gig in one of the clubs.” He
stops and put his hands on either side of his head. “I didn’t see it Tally, I swear.” I’m confused.
“See what?” James tightens his grip on my hand, sort of signalling to back off of him and let him speak. Josh continues.
“A cab lost control, mounted the sidewalk, and hit us. Cassidy was on the outside, so she took the full force of the impact.” I gasp. How could he have stopped this? He couldn’t have.
“Josh, there was no way in hell that you could stop any of this. You do know that right?” He looks lost, but doesn’t answer me. Time passes slowly as we wait for news on my best friend, my non-biological sister. I pray in my head for her to be alright. I don’t know what I would do if anything was to happen to her. James has finally left my side and has gone to get everyone a coffee. This is the first time he has left me since we got to the hospital, and I’m so grateful that he has stayed. I think I would have fallen to pieces if he wasn’t here with me.
Joe stands and taps Karen on the shoulder as a Dr in blue scrubs walks through the double doors, the same double doors that we have all been staring at the past few hours. They all stand and walk forward. “Mr. and Mrs. Blake? Hi, I’m Dr. Benson. I operated on Cassidy. She suffered internal bleeding, which we managed to control. Now she did lose a lot of blood, but she should make a full recovery. Everything has been repaired and there shouldn’t be any long term damage. She is still sedated, and will be for up to forty-eight hours. You can go and see her in about thirty minutes after we get settle her into her room.” Joe and Karen hug and get hold of Josh also. I fall against the wall and sink to the floor, my legs just buckling underneath me. The tears start to roll down my cheeks and I can’t stop crying. James arrives back with everyone’s drinks and sees me on the floor.
