Clean Money [studxstud].

Chapter Five: Suicide Safety.

[Aida in media above]

Aida had gotten home late, around midnight, and for someone who usually clocks to bed by nine and wakes up to gym at four in the morning, she was working with about three hours of sleep. That was bad. Sure, she'd manage for the most of the morning but her schedule today had her hands tied; she had a meeting at nine, Aida had to prepare her models to meet Mr. Cliff by one, and attend to some paper work for the rest of the evening. Today was going to be a looooong day.
"And what will you have today?" Chloe, the green-eyed blonde bombshell behind the register, asked.
"A black coffee." Chloe smiled.
"To go?" Chloe asked. Aida nodded. Honestly Aida didn't think she'd come here again but she did, the little coffee shop Jae had suggested the night before was relatively busy during the day. Aida only showed up because she was in a hurry, she hadn't eaten anything and this place was right on her way to work. Aida had to admit, Jae did have a good eye for restaurants, even during the day the coffee shop still held the same peaceful ambiance as the night before; people sat at their tables reading, some enjoying breakfast, and others simply chatting up some of the staff. Aida turned around momentarily...she couldn't shake the feeling of someone watching her.
"Thank you." Aida smiled. Chloe grinned.
"Anything else?" She asked. Aida shook her head paying for the coffee before heading out. Hmmm...maybe Aida was just being paranoid, after all, hunger can sometimes lead to disillusionment. However, it didn't ease her gut feeling, she couldn't shake that burning glare at the back of her head, turning again, she glanced around and nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
"Hello?"
"Good morning Miss Kimani, I was just wondering when you were going to get here? We still have to meet with Mrs. Tillman." Kyra informed. Aida's gaze swept over the crowded streets once more. Still nothing. It was probably nothing, just her own jacked up nerves from a lack of proper sleep or nutrition this morning.
"I'm on my way." With that, Aida got into her car and drove off to her first meeting.

*. *. *.

Out of all the meetings she had today, Derek Knight had to be the most important; he is the most famous and talented designer in New York, working with him is his divine makeup and wardrobe team. Derek Knight has the talent and skill to bring just about anything you imagine to life, and the resources Aida is going to need for her models, having Derek working with her on the Epicene Project would heighten her chances of a perfect master piece!
"Aida my dear!" Aida smiled greeting the robust tall man.

[Derek Knight in media above]

Derek rose from his half eaten plate of bacon and scrambled eggs to greet Aida.
"Good morning Mr. Knight-"
"-Oh, always with the formalities!" Derek laughed, pulling Aida into a hug. Derek was a very friendly man, a jolly man and sometimes it can be overbearing, but Aida knew she had to tolerate his enthusiasm even if she may not share it.
"How have you been?" Aida asked.
"Quite good. Please, sit." Derek said, motioning to the seat in front of him. "Have you eaten yet?" He asked.
"No."
"Excuse me? Can you get my friend over here some food?" Derek asked, calling over a waiter.
"Yes sir. What can I get you today sir?" The waiter, Ron, turned to Aida.
"Ron...I'm a woman." Aida corrected.
"Pardon me ma'am." Ron blushed.
"I'll have a black coffee, and fruit salad." Aida smiled. Ron noted it down and left, Derek bursting into laughter immediately after.
"Oh my little androgynous child." Aida chuckled. Derek always got a kick out of people mistaking her gender, it always put her in very awkward situations, such as the time she was invited to the movie premiere and was hit on by both men and women on the presumption that she was a man.
"So, what is it you wanted to discuss?" An hour later, Aida had closed her deal and had her makeup and design team, plus a full stomach. Aida and Derek arrived at the office by ten. Derek made a call to his people, notifying Aida that they would be there in about thirty minutes, and thirty minutes later, Aida had transformed the entire floor into a perfect working area for Derek and his team, just as the models started rolling in. Each model needed to be cross examined, measured, weighed and then, Derek and his team would begin their work. Everything seemed to be going fine...until Aida realized she was short of one model.
"We had ten models...why am I only counting nine?" Aida questioned. Before Kyra could respond, Jae appeared. Attempting to sneak into the studio unnoticed. Of course. Aida marched over to her, startling Jae in the process.
"Do you know what time it is?" Aida hissed.
"I'm sorry-"
"-Don't be sorry, be punctual." Aida snapped. Jae resisted the urge to make a stark remark, noticing Aida's distraught look. Ordinarily, Jae wouldn't care about any female she'd ever been with, including how long she'd kept them awake the night before (usually because she'd disappear by dawn and they'd never hear from her again). Jae could work with three hours of sleep but it was obvious to her that Aida was exhausted, dark bags had formed under her eyes and she was clearly stressed, probably hyped up on caffeine.
"Did you get any sleep?" Jae asked. Aida looked slightly confused by Jae's question. Why would Jae even care whether or not she got any sleep? If anything, the only reason she was this tired was because she got home late from the night before. In a sense, Jae was the reason Aida was sleep deprived.
"Does it matter?" Aida asked.
"That's not an answer." Jae frowned in concern her smooth fingers tracing it the dark circles under her eyes. Aida didn't know why but she felt a small tingle ran down her body at her touch. Weird. What was even stranger was how Aida just stood, her gaze never leaving Jae's. Jae's frown faded, her hand gaining a mind of its own, outlining Aida's strong jaw and rounded chin, her plush pink lips contrasted perfectly with the golden hue of her smooth skin. Jae titled her head up slightly, licking her lips in the process. Aida stood a masterpiece of her own caliber, an absolutely beautiful masterpiece.
"He's here!" Aida blinked back into reality, to the sound of scuffling feet and murmuring. Wait...why was she even letting Jae touch her? If anyone saw them, they would get the wrong idea. Only now did she notice how close they were, Aida could practically feel the heat radiating off Jae's body, and it made a peculiar warmth spread through hers. No...stop it! This is wrong! Aida shook her head, took a step back, slapping Jae's hand away.
"Great." Aida's tone dripping with sarcasm.
"Who is that?" Jae asked, sighing in disappointment. Great, their moment was ruined.
"My boss. He's supposed to evaluate all the models. Just go through there and get your weight, height and details checked." Aida pointed at the black board on the other side of the floor.
"I'm sorry-"
"-Like I said before Miss. Brown. Don't be sorry, just be punctual." With that, Aida scrabbled to her office, away from Jae, as fast as she possibly could, without another word. Oh god. What the hell was that?! What the hell was she thinking?! Why did she let Jae touch her like that? Why didn't she stop it? Why didn't she pull away? Did she like it? What's wrong with her?! Aida rubbed her temples, pacing around her office, but it didn't sooth her racing heart.
"Are you okay?"
Kyra had been seated outside her office at her desk, on the phone but immediately hung up as Aida entered her office and followed her in.
"-Marvelous. Have you spoken to Mr. Cliff?" Aida asked, diverting the subject. Work. Aida had to stay focused on work.
"Actually, he's going through the models profiles. Aida, how'd you manage to get Derek Knight to work with us?" Kyra asked, clearly impressed. Working with someone as prolific as Derek Knight gave her a huge advantage but the only problem is that people like Derek don't come cheap and if she could strike a deal with him, she might have to stretch her personal wallet because the company's budget sure as hell wouldn't fund him for her, especially now that the money is split between both her project and David's. Speak of the devil...
"May I help you, Mr. Ville?" Aida asked. It was more than unusual for David to associate with Aida by choice, and he rarely ever disrupted her once the projects began. Both their offices rested on two different floors so David had no reason to be lurking in her territory.
"Miss Stone...could you kindly give us a moment?" David smiled at Kyra but his tone left no room for negotiation. Kyra glared stubbornly at him, she didn't like David at all (nobody did really) and at times, she couldn't understand how Aida hadn't managed to rip his head off! He was constantly taunting them both because he didn't believe either of them earned their position in the company. Kyra dreamed of the day she'd beat his ignorant chauvinist ass into a grave, so she wasn't about to take orders from him.
"It's okay Kyra." Aida sighed. Kyra sucked her teeth refraining from making a comment that would get her fired, and obliged. After all, Aida had asked her nicely.
"On a first name basis are you?" David smirked. In addition to mocking Aida's work, he was hell bent in planting a seed of doubt in her professionalism by forever insinuating that her relationship with Kyra was more than it seemed, which obviously wasn't the case!
"I'm here to make you an offer." David said, he sat in one of the black leather seats across the black wooden desk, smiling at Aida. What the hell does he want?!
"I humbly decline."
"You haven't even heard it." David whined playfully. "Listen, instead of wasting all that time and money on a project that is obviously going to fail, why don't you just join me? I'd make you my second in command. It would be easier for the both of us. Less hassle. It'll be cheaper, we'll be able to use the company's money to its full advantage and make off with a little extra." David smirked. Aida knew exactly what he was implying and she was not about to be caught up in some stupid scandal to 'make off with a little extra'.
"I don't need to. I don't plan on cutting corners. I never have and I never will." Aida said. David rolled his eyes.
"Come on Aida!" He groaned, standing up to an elevated six two. "I get it, you want to represent your people and that's quaint. However, who do you think will really want to fly all the way to Paris, to watch a bunch of dykes dressing up as men? Do you think people will pay to see grown men in skirts and grown women in suits? Aside from your community faggots, nobody will want to see such deplorable behavior." Aida paced around her chair, her fingers beginning to shake angrily. Ten...nine...eight...seven...six...five...four...three..two...one...
"You'd rather play it safe. You know florals are going to make a comeback, the market is bigger and we will be bound to pull in more customers. We'd make a ton of cash-"
"-Thank you, Mr. Ville." Aida cut him off. Once Aida had finally cooled down, she turned to David. "I don't know about you Mr. Ville but I take my work seriously. You patronize me about the fact that my idea was inspired by the LGBT community but what do you have to offer? Nothing. We did florals last season just like every other company did, and did we make sales? No. Your work dragged us into the mud because there was nothing new, no originality and our competitors had the same ideas just presented differently and at cheaper prices. You took our company down by twenty percent." Aida leaned on her desk, folding her arms as she watched the rage in David's eyes flare. "Are you mad? Are you afraid that maybe my work might just be the push this company needs? I don't mind the extra hours, I know it's going to be hard work, I know they'll be financial sacrifices because I don't ever settle for cheap. I know my way around the market and I know how to get what I need for reasonable prices and good quality." Aida shrugged. "If I were you...I'd be working instead of trying to pick petty fights with someone who is." Aida said. David clenched his fists, raging towards Aida, but Aida stood her ground, leveling her stance with his.
"You are going to regret this." David seethed, his words laced with a venomous promise. One that told Aida that this time he meant it.
"Is that a threat Mr. Ville?" Aida glared.
"You have made a big mistake."
"While I find the use of vulgar language rather unbecoming, I suggested that if you have nothing else better to do, kindly get the fuck out off my office." Aida smiled. With that, David Ville turned his heel and left, Aida sank down into her chair with only one thought in mind;

She couldn't play safe anymore.

*. *. *.

> I'm not sure about this chapter. I'm not really liking it. It's kinda boring 😕I also thought it was kinda short but let me know what you think 🙌
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