by Angela Blake
“Hey,” Blaire said defensively. “How do you know it wasn’t Sienna who said something horrible?”
“Because Sienna hasn’t called me sounding very guilty,”
“Right, okay well, let’s just say it’s bad.”
“You need to go to her, apologize and get to know your little girl. She really is a wonderful girl.”
Sienna
Sienna squinted as she pursed her lips and put one hand on her hip, the other twirled a loose piece of fabric around.
“How are those pictures looking, Sienna?”
“Fine,” she called out as she bit her bottom lip. She didn’t like the lighting on the second one, so she’d have to wait till she could recapture the picture, but she was sure she could do it. It would just take longer than she had expected.
Her phone began to vibrate in her pocket, and she smiled as she pressed the phone to her ear.
“Hi, mummy,” her daughter’s sweet voice came wafting in through the speakers.
“Hey, baby girl, what are you up to?”
“Guess what mummy? Grandma and I made chocolate chip cookies,” she could practically hear the sugar rush from her end, and she shook her head knowing that she had a long night ahead of her.
“Really? I used to make those with grandma when I was little too,” she smiled wistfully, remembering how she’d sneak bits of the cookie dough into her mouth and grin unapologetically when her grandma caught her doing it.
“Grandma has the best recipe ever,” Gracie announced, and Sienna could hear her happily munching on a cookie.
“I know, sweetie, listen I’m going to be home in an hour, what do you want to do tonight?”
Gracie said, “Hmmm,” really loudly and Sienna could picture her getting that far off look on her face while she thought of things to do. “Can we watch home alone and make two different types of popcorn and mix them together?”
“Sure, bud. Like salt and caramel?”
“Nooo!” She dragged her out O’s when she was trying to make a point.
“Nope, I want salt and cheese,” she declared.
Sienna wrinkled her nose then shrugged. “Okay, Gracie bear, I’ll see you soon then.”
She pressed end and checked her watch, realizing that she had time for a quick bite before she had to hit the road.
She was walking towards her dressing room and texting someone when she walked right into another person. She looked up at the person, an apology already formed on her lips, “Oh.”
Blaire looked as handsome as ever, with his black hair flipped to the side, a form fitting sweatshirt and baggy jeans. He had his thumbs hooked on his pockets, and his blue eyes shone apologetically.
“What do you want?” Sienna crossed her arms over her chest and starred at him in mild annoyance as she tapped one foot impatiently.
“Okay, I deserve that, but just hear me out, I called Mark, and I apologized, and I called my mum, and she told me about the decision you all made to keep me out of Gracie’s life until she was older, a decision by the way, that you should have consulted me about.”
Sienna opened her mouth to protest, but Blaire cut her off by bringing his finger to her lips, “Let me finish, please.”
Sienna nodded and he removed his finger. “But I understand why you did it. I’m not crazy about the idea, but I know why.”
Sienna stared at him for a beat. “So you want to get to know Gracie?” She let the question hang in the air between them, knowing that his answer could make or break a lot of things.
“Very much so,” he said quietly.
Sienna smiled at him gratefully. “This means a lot to her, really.”
“I hope it does, but Sienna there’s one more thing,” Blaire shoved his hands in his pockets and fidgeted for a minute before his blue eyes met her hazel ones. They were shining with hope and fear.
“I want a second chance with you. My desire to have a relationship with Gracie has nothing to do with it, I’ll be her father no matter what, but I really want to try again with you, you’re the only woman I’ve ever loved.”
Sienna studied him carefully, “We’ll see,” she said finally.
She uncrossed her arms and took out her keys, “I’m going to go pick up some things to make some dinner at home, would you like to join us?”
Blaire looked surprised but delighted, “I’d love to.”
They made their way to the grocery store and picked up a few things, then drove home. Sienna almost laughed at how nervous he looked. She knew Gracie would love him the second she saw him, bless her.
They stood outside the door for a moment while Sienna fished out her keys.
“Are you ready to meet our little girl?”
“More than ever.”
Sienna swung the door open, and a little voice immediately yelled out ‘mummy’ before a tiny little body came barreling into her from the living room.
“Mummy you’re back, you’re back!”
“Yes, my darling!” She hoisted her up and gave her a big sloppy kiss.
“I missed you,” she threw her arms around her mum, and they both stood there, mother and daughter locked in a beautiful embrace.
“Mummy,” she pulled back, her bright blue eyes gazed at Blaire with curiosity. “Who’s that?”
“Well, Santa told me all about your wish, and look who I found outside the door.”
Gracie looked confused for a second before her face broke out into a huge grin. “Daddy?”
“Hi, Gracie,” Blaire said almost shyly. Gracie had no such qualms; she squealed and reached out for him. She held onto both her parents and gazed from one to the next adoringly.
“Look, we’re standing under a mistletoe,” Gracie gestured upwards. “Merry Christmas,” she yelled as she hugged them both tighter and gave them each a big wet kiss on their cheeks. Out of the corner of her eye Sienna could see the look of pure adoration written all over Blaire’s face, and she was glad she had decided to seek him out. After all, there was something magical about Christmas, and it was a time for miracles.
The sound of their laughter echoed inside the house as they went in to make the first of many family dinners together.
THE END
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BILLIONAIRE BOSS
By Angela Blake
Chapter One
Selena looked at herself one more time in the mirror. She wasn’t particularly happy with her white mini skirt. It just made her feel so exposed but she liked how it showed off her long legs. It also paired well with the large looped earrings May bought for her birthday. The only problem was that her skin was already quite pale and her crimson hair seemed to blend in with what she wore.
“This isn’t going to work,” she told herself and went back to her closet. In the end she traded her clothes for a black laced mini skirt and a backless black sleeveless top. All the black further accented her red lipstick, pale skin and red hair. She never really liked wearing black but this was better than looking like a pastel painting.
Her phone buzzed and she checked to find several messages from her friends. They were already at the party. She didn’t bother replying as she left, grabbing her purse and car keys on the way out of her apartment.
Getting from her place to the venue took longer than she expected. It was a private party, in some rich guy’s house, but her friends knew a guy that knew the guy so they were able to get invitations. She didn’t really care. All she wanted was a chance to drink, dance and forget about work for a while.
As she drove, Selena tried to clear her thoughts. She had been working as an interior designer for the past six years but the company recently got into financial issues and she was one of the many that were laid off. She needed a job, any job.
To drown out her thoughts she played a few songs as loudly as she could, trying to pass the time in traffic as peacefully as possible. It was after a while
that she realized she had been playing songs from Roxette, Bruce Springsteen and White Snake and it made her feel old.
“Good luck getting a job,” she told herself as she took a left turn. “I’m probably older than my boss.”
In truth she was only twenty-seven but companies these days were constantly looking for the impossible. Often she’d find an advertisement looking to hire a single female, with no children, aged twenty-one to twenty-three. Somehow they also expected to hire someone with at least a year or two of experience. With each hiring post she found she discovered they were looking for someone young and single.
“What’s with these requirements,” she once asked. “Are they hiring a designer or a model they can seduce and fuck?”
Just a few minutes after sorting her thoughts she took the last turn and found herself in a very fancy neighborhood. All the houses on this street were big enough to swallow her entire apartment building and more. Just a few more houses down and she found a corner with a lot of cars parked in front of what she could only describe as a genuine mansion.
It took her a while to park her car but when she did she found her friends, Ayesha and May, were already outside waiting for her.
“Took you forever,” Ayesha said as she took Selena by the hand.
“Sorry, I couldn’t find something to wear,” Selena answered.
May rolled her eyes at that and said, “You couldn’t find something to wear that wasn’t black but still pretty to look at.”
The girls giggled and Selena acknowledged May was right.
“So what’s going on,” she then asked.
Ayesha led them through the front garden, where there were already a lot of people drinking and chatting away, “Well, we saw Gilbert flirting with Mylene. They were over in the basement playing beer pong with a few people.”
“Gilbert’s such a man-whore,” Selena responded as she waved at a few familiar faces on their way into the house. “Can’t believe I actually dated that idiot.”
“I can’t believe you slept with him,” May stated. “He’s probably got more diseases that a flea bag hooker.”
Selena’s jaw dropped and she nudged May with her elbow, “Fuck you.”
“You know it’s true, though,” May told her. She then opened the front door and they walked into a large reception area where couches had been moved in and a lot of people were randomly talking, standing, dancing and drinking. They quickly identified a few people they knew – the party constants such as themselves.
Selena also identified the big guns, the real people that belonged in this kind of occasion. She could tell a person was upper class just by the way they dressed or walked around. Unlike her and her friends, the genuinely rich people wore everyday clothes. They didn’t need to dress rich or make an effort to look elegant and refined because they already were.
“Is that Nicole?” she then asked Ayesha and May when she spotted a girl sitting atop a guy’s lap.
Ayesha nodded, “Yeah. The guy she’s flirting with is Garett Owelheim, by the way. He owns that big car dealership down Cicero.”
“Damn,” May responded. “No wonder she’s doing her best to keep him glued to her. I’d drop my panties too if it got his attention.”
“You’re such a bitch,” Selena said playfully and picked up a glass of champagne from a nearby table. She took a sip and said, “You know, we are here to have fun.”
May and Ayesha both looked at each other with a devious smile on both their faces.
“What?” Selena had to ask. She knew they were up to something.
“Well,” May started, “we already booked you for something.”
“Huh?”
Ayesha took a glass herself and sipped before explaining, “We met someone just before you got here. We told him about you and he wants to meet you.”
“You sold me out,” Selena said dryly. “Great, now I’m a whore. Did he pay you well?”
Both May and Ayesha laughed at her sarcastic – but somewhat true – remarks. Ayesha continued, “Well, let’s go talk to him. He’s not going to wait forever, you know.”
“Did you even ask for his name?” Selena prodded for more information before she set her glass down. “Is he cute?”
They didn’t bother to answer her and led her through several hallways. Selena’s eyes grew wide when she saw just how many rooms the house owner had built. She passed by a gaming room, two dining halls, two bedrooms and even a large playroom, which was where most of the guests were socializing in.
Eventually they reached the third floor of the house and she was brought into what appeared to be a large solar. There was a fireplace and a large rug in the center. It looked like there must have been shelves of books and an office space judging by the size and shape of the room but they have been replaced with couches, tables and an open space for people to party in. She also saw a large door leading to a wide veranda that overlooked the backyard, where she could hear people partying by the pool.
Few people were in here though, no more than a dozen or so. Seated in one large recliner was a man in a grey shirt and jeans. He was well built, with sleek muscles that rippled across his arms but he wasn’t grossly large like a body-builder. He also had short, trimmed black hair and she surmised he may have been in the military. He was drinking a bottle of beer and his gaze was glued to his phone.
Oddly enough, it was this man that Ayesha and May led her to.
“Hey, Tom,” Ayesha said to the man as he looked up from his drink and phone. “Here’s the girl I was talking about, Selena.”
Tom reached out for Selena’s hand and gave it a firm shake, “Hi, hope you’re enjoying the party. I’m Tom Sellick. Come, have a seat.”
The girls sat on the couch. May and Ayesha pushed Selena to the side closest to Tom.
“Well,” Selena replied. “I just got here but it looks like everyone’s having fun. I’ve never been to a house this big before though.”
“But you have been to other parties in the neighborhood?” Tom asked.
Selena nodded, “I’m not a gold digger, if you’re worried about me hanging around well-to-do guys.”
“Oh, I never implied that,” Tom said apologetically. “I was just curious about your own sense of wonder. I do apologize for the house. I often host parties here to fill up the rooms. It’s quite dreadful when I’m all alone here.”
Selena went blank for a second. She wasn’t just talking to some rich guy or someone pretending to be fancy. She was talking to the actual owner of this gigantic mansion and host of the party. Selena looked back at Ayesha and May and silently mouthed “How the fuck?”
Chapter Two
Selena stared back at her reflection as Ayesha and May retouched their lipstick. Fortunately, the powder room was large enough for all of them to squeeze inside. Over the last thirty minutes Tom conversed with all of them but Selena felt his gaze glued solely on her.
“He was staring at your boobs the whole fucking time,” May said as she puckered her lips.
“He was not,” Selena replied. “I caught him a few times. He was looking at my face.”
Ayesha laughed, shook her head and said “No, girl, he was staring at your body. I think I even saw him lick his lips.”
Selena’s eyes grew wide and she shook her head, “No, no, no he was not.”
“What’s wrong if he’s checking you out?” May asked. “It means he digs you.”
“I’m not meat for sale,” Selena answered.
May raised an eyebrow, “You single?”
“Yep.”
“You looking for a hookup?”
“Yep.”
“Then you’re on the market, girl,” May concluded. “It may not sound right to your ears but you got to admit it, you’re on sale and he wants to buy.”
Selena prodded her friend on the shoulder, “Fuck you.”
“Yeah? When and where, honey, I’d spread for you,” May replied jokingly.
Ayesha chuckled and started getting ready to hop out of the powder room and back to the party, “You guys are fucking stupid. Let’s go. They’re waiting out there. I think that guy David was checking me out. I don’t know about you, Sel, but I’m on the market and if he’s going to pick me up tonight I’m all set to check out.”
Selena and May both laughed and headed out of the powder room. Outside, in the hallway, there were still a lot of people going about the house drinking and dancing. It seemed like there were even more people than when they first arrived.
When they got back to the solar Tom was out on the balcony drinking alone. His friends, David and James, were seated back inside with a few other guys that the girls hadn’t met yet. Selena tried to get them all together but Ayesha pushed her out towards Tom.
Ayesha and May settled back in with David and the others, leaving Selena on the balcony and she quickly approached Tom.
“Hey,” she said as she walked up to his side.
“Hey,” he said back and smiled. He took a step to the side, nudging himself a bit closer to her. “Your friends seem to have abandoned you.”
Selena chuckled and looked over her shoulder to spy her friends, “They said it’d be good for me to spend some time with you.”
Tom looked back at her with a grin, “I don’t really understand.”
“It’s nothing, really, just some stupid shit girls say when drunk,” she replied.
“You don’t look drunk,” he said. “Want another glass of wine or something?”
Selena shook her head, “I’m not like your other guests. I didn’t grow up drinking fancy bottles of wine or vintage liquor. Give me a can of beer and I’ll be a whole lot happier.”
Tom laughed and gave her a look of approval, “All right, all right, I can appreciate that. I like it when a person’s real. To be honest, a lot of the people partying here right now are just fucking hypocrites. They think they’re fancy and above everyone else when really they’re just hoping others will think that way about them, not realizing that everyone else is also a pretender.”
