by Angela Price
“”Well, Lucas Sutton is here, kissing on the model like there’s no tomorrow, and Steve Madden is here doing the shoes, and there’s enough hair and makeup talent here to choke a mule. The first of the major shots have been taken, but they’re waiting for the sun to start setting for the last ones. Everyone’s drinking champagne. I hope I make it out of here alive!” Emma re-positions the phone, so she can hear me better.
I catch the first sentence and immediately stop packing. My stomach plummets and my scalp prickles.
“Oh, Lucas Sutton, huh? Teddy’s friend from school?” I know I can fish with Emma; she doesn’t have any inkling about Lucas and me.
She laughs. “That’s the one!” Now what are you doing?”
“Oh, keeping busy, babe. Listen, I know it might seem weird, but will you take your phone and send me a picture of Lucas and Violet? You know, I worked so hard on that placement. I have a huge investment in her wearing Anna’s dress. None of the Rosenstein staff were invited to the shoot. Will you do that for me, now?”
Emma is quiet. “Sadie! Are you saying they didn't ask your team to come here? That’s just wrong. I’m so sorry. You should be celebrating right now, with the rest of us. I feel terrible.”
I hear her moving.
“Listen, I just took five pictures. I’m sending them to your phone. I love you so much. I’m sorry you aren’t with me right now.”
Jesus. You’d better be glad I’m not there. Because if I were, I’d kill that two-timing bastard this minute. She whispers into the phone. “Look, Sadie, we’re all about to move out onto a rooftop for the sunset photos. Can I call you back? “
“Em, I appreciate it. You can call me later. I saw Sal yesterday and he wants us all to meet up - Natalia is making spaghetti early next week. I was hoping we could all get together. Can you and Teddy swing it?”
“You bet we can. Give me a call over the weekend, okay?”
I promise, and we ring off with a chorus of “I love you”. I’m once again indebted to my best friend. I regret not being 100% honest with her, but later, when I tell her everything, she will understand why.
I open my SMS screen.
There they are. Each shot might as well be an arrow to my heart.
Lucas, holding Violet from behind, his eyes closed. His hands are splayed across her waist.
Violet kissing Lucas’ lips, her blue eyes open, her full lips smiling. Her hair is flying in the breeze.
Lucas touching Violet’s hair. His expression is serious. There are little violas stuck in her locks, on blonde bobby pins. She looks magical.
Lucas and Violet, looking at each other, laughing.
In the last frame, Lucas is sitting in Violet’s makeup chair. He’s looking at his phone, a thoughtful expression on his face. She’s in the background, moving off camera with an entourage. I can see the feathers on Anna’s skirt, floating in the breeze.
He’s probably reading my text. Fucker.
I’m filled with the most powerful disgust I’ve ever felt. I literally feel murderous. And hurt. And intensely stupid. You did it again Sadie. But hey, fool me once; shame on you, Fool me twice; shame on me. I get that old adage. I do.
It’s after four o’clock. I unpack my clothes, and put them away. I’m going nowhere.
I call a local locksmith, and ask how quickly the locks in our apartment can be changed, and how much it will cost. The guy on the phone tells me he can be out in twenty minutes, and gives me a reasonable estimate, so I ask him to proceed.
I call Calvin on his cell, and tell him I’ve had a change of plans. I thank him for bringing me out to Queens, and tell him I’ll see him at work, tomorrow. He thanks me for the update, and tells me he hopes I have a good night.
A few minutes later, the locksmith arrives and sets to work. He changes out both the deadbolt and the doorknob locks. I pay him in cash when he gives me the bill, and he gives me three sets of keys: one for me, one for Jenny, and one for our landlord. All of them work perfectly. I feel better already. I text Jenny that I’m leaving her key in the locked mailbox down in the lobby – and I trot down to secure it for her.
With that done, I lock the main door and go to my room.
In private, I pull my phone out. I look at each photo in turn, and I cry as if my heart is breaking. When I’m done, my face is literally swollen. I believed him. Oh, I did. I’m a classic fool. And now Lucas Sutton has been proven a liar. Even worse, if he enjoys Violet’s company, he has to be secretly mean. I’ve seen her in action. I know how she operates.
I visualize Peter Emery’s face, saying: “Our Lucas isn’t all that cruel or weird, is he?” to Sidney Poole. Oh. Yes. Apparently, he’s both.
My wonderful day now in shambles, I SMS the first picture Emma took to Lucas’ phone.
And then I block him from my inbound call and text list.
My skin is blotchy, and my eyes are pink from weeping. I turn off my phone, lock my bedroom door, wash my face and fall onto my bed. I’ll deal with all this tomorrow.
I fall asleep with a pillow between my arms. At least I’m holding something.
Thursday morning comes with a torrent of rain. Water beats against the side of our building, and it’s unnaturally dark. I call Anna around 7:30AM, and leave her a message saying I’m going to stop by the atelier today around ten o’clock. I want to run something by her.
She must have been in the shower or something, because within minutes she texts me that she received my message and can’t wait to see me. I smile.
The one person I can count on.
Anna.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“Love the Way You Lie”
Eminem, featuring Rhianna; Recovery
The next person I call is Bain’s personal assistant, Sandra. She tells me he can arrange to see me at noon today. I thank her, and ask her to reserve the time. We ring off, a smile in both our voices.
Smiling is coming easy to me today. I know exactly what I have to do. And nothing in this world is going to stop me.
I get ready, and dress warmly. It looks cold out there. I grab my umbrella, and a raincoat. I take the stairs, avoiding any post Lucas may have on my door. I know how much he hates to lose. I have a distinct feeling that’s what all this was about anyway.
I look both ways when I get to the stairwell entrance on the first floor, and take the alley exit. I merge into a stream of human beings headed to the subway station, all dressed in black, grey and other somber colors. New Yorkers are such a predictable bunch! I laugh at how similar everyone looks.
I take the Blue line to midtown, and walk the rest of the way to Anna’s studio. I detour a few blocks and stop by the bank, have a cashier’s check made out to Bain Sutton, and I drop it into my portfolio. Then I walk back, and breeze through the front door, looking for my old boss.
She’s waiting for me in her office.
Anna takes one look at me and does a double take. She frowns. “Sadie. Something’s wrong. What’s going on?”
I realize I look tired and my eyes are still red, but there’s nothing I can do about it. “Oh, Anna. Everything’s completely fucked up. I was an idiot. I slept with Lucas Sutton, and he asked me to move in with him…just, a lot has happened. Yesterday Emma had a piece of jewelry in the Cosmo shoot and she sent me five incriminating photos of Lucas and Violet Emery. I’m pretty devastated. I just need to figure out what I’m going to do now. Everything I thought was important…suddenly just isn’t.”
“Sadie, could you have possibly misinterpreted the photos? I’m just being the devil’s advocate.”
I hand her my phone, wordlessly. She puts on her cheaters.
She uses her finger to swipe through the pictures, pauses, and hands the phone back to me.
“Well, that settles that” she says with finality. “Exactly” I say. We both sigh.
“Okay, so now what?” she looks at me; open to whatever I say next.
“I’m going to fulfill my contract to Sutton Shield, but I’m doin
g it in an unconventional way. I can’t work in the same building as Lucas. I’m going to Bain to tell him that I’m going to do something different. And, I’m returning my bonus so he can use it to pay for another space for Sexy Sadie. I feel like I have a little bargaining chip.”
She nods. “Okay, that sounds fair. Then what?”
“Then I’ll design like crazy, and churn this line out with a vengeance. I have a huge packet of orders for fetish lingerie from Monday night. I’d like to develop a line of specialized items that are…um…sanitized for the general public. Could you get behind that?”
She laughs out loud. “I can. Let me see the designs before you show them to Bain. I don’t want him to fall over unconscious, or anything.” She hoots with laughter. “Honestly, Sadie. You get yourself into some scrapes, don’t you? For such an innocent.” She smiles, and her eyes do too.
“I don’t know, Anna. I seriously don’t know what to think anymore. I came into all of this completely naïve. I wish I could go back there, now.” I drop my head. She comes over to hug me, and I leave my head on her shoulder for a minute.
“Sadie, everything’s going to work out for you. You’ll see.”
A couple of tears squeeze between my lashes, but I wipe them away. I look at the time, and realize I’d better get cracking if I’m going to meet Bain Sutton at noon. I thank her for giving me license on the fetish items, hug her one last time, and head down Fifth Avenue.
I arrive at Sutton Shield a few minutes before noon. I smile at the receptionist, and head to the top floor of the building. I exit the elevator, and Sandra greets me warmly when I come around the corner to the entrance to Bain’s office. She looks at the clock, and inclines her head toward the door to his private study. “They’ll see you now, Miss Graves.”
They.
Not good.
I take a deep breath, knock on Bain’s door and enter quietly.
This is going to be hard, but I’m ready.
Lucas and Bain are sitting at a round table, to my left. Lucas rises quickly, acknowledging my presence. Bain gets up, too, and looks genuinely happy to see me. Lucas is wearing his poker face. Fine. I can play that too.
“Sadie! I’m glad you arranged this meeting. Lucas asked to join us; I hope that’s okay with you?” He knows. He’s asking permission. That’s new. I nod, acquiescing.
“It’s your company, Mr. Sutton; I just work here. I won’t say anything to one of you that I won’t say to the other.” My voice sounds strong. Whew. That’s good, because I feel like turning around and running through the door.
Bain’s eyebrows shoot up. “Very good. What’s on your mind, Sadie?”
“I wanted to talk to you about two things, Mr. Sutton. The first is a big order for fetish lingerie that I was given on Monday night. I talked to Anna, and we both think it can be developed for mainstream consumption, provided it gets sanitized a little. I’m working on the prototypes now – in fact, I got five of them done yesterday afternoon. I wanted to clear it with you; pursuing this direction as a sideline. I’m sure you’ll want to talk to Anna about it, but she told me this morning she likes the idea.”
“Interesting. What do you need to move forward with everything, Sadie?”
“I’m not sure. Just time to create the patterns and test fits, I think. I can sandwich that in between working on the regular line. I’m not afraid of hard work, and I can get both done on deadline.”
He smiles. “I have no doubt.” He looks at Lucas, who hasn’t said one word. “Do you object, Lucas?”
“I don’t. Though right now, I think if I did object Sadie would probably tell me to go fuck myself.” He looks directly at me. He looks terrible – sleep deprived and probably dehydrated. There are dark circles under his eyes. I was avoiding looking at him, but now I’m glad he looks like shit.
Terrific. Poetic justice.
Bain looks a little uncomfortable. “Well, that sounds like a no-brainer, Sadie. If you think there will be a market for something, I think we should take a chance on it.”
“Okay, I’m glad that’s settled. Now, for my second request.” I reach into my portfolio, and pull out the envelope with the $175,000 cashier’s check in it. I hand it to Bain, casually. He pops open the envelope and looks inside; his eyebrows immediately knit together. “In light of recent events, I don’t think I’ll be able to work effectively on the 10th floor. I’d like to return this to you, so I can use it to secure a different design space, away from this building. Jenny Whitson will be starting in a few weeks, so I need to move quickly to find something suitable. I’m not asking for this, actually. I’m telling you. I won’t be working here in this building, but I’m committed to fulfilling my contract. I wish I hadn’t signed it now, but it’s too late, so I’ll make the best of it.”
Lucas swallows hard, and looks slightly ill. Bain’s eyes open wide for a minute, but he resumes his composure quickly. “You regret this? Really?”
I exhale. “No, Bain. I regret this.” I gesture to Lucas, and back to myself.
I get up from my chair. “I appreciate your time today. Thank you for the meeting.” Both men stand, and I get my portfolio and my raincoat.
Lucas moves toward the door, as if he’ll walk out with me. I get closer to the door and then turn and raise my hand, palm out, to him. “Stop. I work for you, and that’s it.” He looks stricken. “Sadie, please. I know what you think you saw. I…”
I cut him off. “I have multiple pictures, Lucas. There’s no mistaking what I saw. If you need something from me as my boss, I’ll be happy to discuss it. Otherwise…”
I go through the door, and walk to push the down button on the elevator. He follows me. He’s irritated now, and he starts to shout. I feel like shushing him.
“Do you know that Violet is like my sister? I’ve never slept with her. I haven’t. I know she’s crazy about me, and I should have done a better job of pushing her away. I had to tell her on Monday that I can’t oversee her career anymore, and she was devastated. That’s why she showed up at my apartment on Monday night totally inebriated. I can’t spend time with her anymore, Sadie. Because I want to spend my time with you. I only went to that fucking shoot because it was such a big moment for Violet. She called me fifty times, begging me to come. And when I got there she kissed me right away, and everyone was acting like we were a couple. But Sadie, I don’t want her. I want you.” He’s followed me into the elevator, and we’re alone. It would be easy to be convinced by his sincerity. Yeah. If I were a complete dumbass.
He pushes me into a corner, and starts kissing my neck. He groans, whispering, “Oh, baby. Please.” His hands reach behind me and cup my backside. Then he pulls me forward, toward him. My arms go out, pushing him away. He pulls my arms down to my sides, gripping my wrists. “Shh. Sadie, don’t fight me” he says. He pushes me against the wall, and keeps kissing my neck, moving up to insert his tongue in my ear. Every hair on my body stands on end. I’m pinned, and he starts to rub against me.
He has an erection.
I’m immobilized.
Sadie, don’t fight me. I want you.
Oh, God.
I feel panic start to paralyze me. My windpipe closes, and my chest feels like it’s going to burst. I start to fight Lucas, hard, now. He pulls back, confused, and looks at me full in the face. My chest. Oh. I need air.
I pull in one deep breath but it goes nowhere. My mouth is open, alarm on my face.
I croak, “No, no, Dust…”
He isn’t fast enough to catch me before I hit the carpeted floor of the elevator. On the way down, I feel my head bounce hard against the brass handrail. After that, everything’s dark.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“The Chain”
Fleetwood Mac, Rumours
I wake up to a blurry scene. My head feels like it’s on fire. I’m on the couch in Lucas’ office, legs hanging over the edge. Louella, Bain and Sandra are all nearby, and I’m being ministered to by paramedics. Lucas is on his knees beside
the sofa, his hand clasping mine.
I try to keep my eyes open, but it feels like work. So I lie quietly.
The paramedic in charge is explaining to Lucas that I’ve most likely incurred a concussion. He suggests that they don’t leave me unattended for any length of time. I can eat, if I like. But if I have any of a host of symptoms, I’m to be transported to a hospital. Lucas has obviously put himself in charge of my care. He is speaking to the EMT as if we’re in a long-term relationship, promising to look after me. Ugh. What a bastard. He runs his fingers across my temples and to the back of my head. There’s a goose egg back there, and it’s throbbing.
The paramedics pack up to leave.
Louella offers to move a meeting both men are scheduled to attend this afternoon, and both Lucas and Bain think it’s a good idea. She leaves the room to take care of it.
Bain comes to stand at the end of the sofa, and speaks to Lucas and me, with a low voice. “Look, you two. I’m not really clear what’s going on here between you, but in no way am I okay with your relationship getting in the way of business. Lucas, leave Sadie alone for now. She very pointedly asked you to; I don’t know if your hearing is off, or what.” He turns to me. “Sadie, I’m sorry about your head. Rest until you feel good enough to go home. Calvin will take you, when you’re ready.” I nod.
“Dad, I’m trying to convince Sadie that there’s nothing going on between Violet and me” Lucas says, not dropping the point.
“If you’re a one-woman man, Lucas, it will show itself eventually. Until it does; stop making an ass out of yourself in front of my star designer, hmm?” He turns and leaves the room.
Louella appears at the door. “There’s a man downstairs looking for Miss Graves, Mr. Sutton.”
He looks surprised. “Who is it?”
She looks at a Post-It note stuck to her hand. “Jonathan Tierce is the message I got from the desk. The owner of the nightclub Latex? ”
Lucas looks up, and his face hardens instantly. “Get him on the house phone.”
