Amelia
I stepped into the elevator pressing the button to my floor, with my mind showing me a glimpse of the past that I was too embarrassed to remember. Lucien had followed me but his presence didn't trouble me it was the memories I had been left with.
It was stupid for me to think about it because every time I remembered I was left with a lingering embarrassment. In the end, I was human after all needing love and care. I knew I would be having a hard time looking at Karl for the night, especially until the memories were washed away.
"All I need you is take this one last job for me. I promise to never ask for another one again ever," Lucien broke the silence with his false promise and I just closed my eyes in frustration. This was not how I planned my night to be at all. I didn't give him a reply just stepped out of the elevator when my floor came down.
I moved towards the suite room Karl and I were staying in and Lucien followed me. I wanted to leave him at the mercy of Karl but that would be absolutely evil of me and I was anything but evil. Flashing the card I opened the door and Lucein hovered over me.
"Lucien," I was going to tell him not to make a sound.
"I do not care!" Karl's angry voice left me stunned and I pushed the door open to see Karl pacing the floor with a phone in his hand. He was just wearing his pajama bottoms and the same shirt that he had most probably worn two days back. I had hardly seen him as he was resting in his room and it was in the same T-shirt.
"I just do not care, that's what I'm telling you," Karl told whoever it was on the phone frustratingly. I could sense his agitation. He was angry and frustrated right now in the moment.
"I didn't do anything," Lucien whispered and I could sense that he was uncomfortable more like scared. I was just worried about what disaster awaited us.
Closing the door, I approached Karl cautiously, sensing his frustration and agitation. Noticing my presence, he motioned for me to wait but one look behind me and his eyes were back looking at me angrily. I just shrugged my shoulders giving him a sorry smile.
"They were sent the design that they asked for. Just because they had second doubts doesn't mean that they can get the other designs that they had themselves rejected in the last moment," he spoke fiercely to whoever it was. He listened to whatever the other person was saying on the other line.
"This is highly unappreciated. We gave you everything and you rejected one of our pieces, even after that, I didn't say anything. I was respecting the business relationship we have had for too long but this is highly unethical of you." It looked like Karl wasn't going to calm down even a bit. The other person said something only to get Karl furious that he was going to throw the phone away but one look at us and he stopped. He was looking behind me and I turned around to see that it was Lucien who had prevented him from throwing the phone by motioning him to wait.
"Maybe I can help you?" Lucien stepped ahead slowly as if he was going to diffuse a ticking bomb and for the first time, I really appreciated his effort. Karl was nothing less than a ticking bomb. Lucien reached for the phone and Karl gave it to him looking at him skeptically.
"Hello, this is Lucien here," he waited for the other person on the line to reply and I saw him hearing him carefully. "Hmmn," he made the humming sound whenever he was listening to something with great interest. When he had given me my first chance he just stood straight as I told him about my pieces. He wasn't that interested but my boss had been able to persuade him to give me a chance.
"Okay give me a few minutes and we will get back to you," he said before ending the call.
"So you sent a consignment and the store rejected one of your pieces. Now they want the same piece back in exchange for another one, right?" he asked Karl and he just nodded to him in affirmation.
"Have you sold that piece?" he questioned.
"No," Karl replied and I remember a piece coming back after rejection. The piece was sent back and we had just locked it up in the vault. We had yet to decide what to do with it. We were dealing with platinum and diamonds, overall the piece was stunning and we were perplexed when it was returned.
"We have the piece they want but you don't want to do an exchange."
"Yes, and when I denied they threatened me that they would send the whole consignment back. This is highly disturbing. If one does this then others will follow," Karl explained with his temper gone down by a bit.
"I understand that," Lucien said with fingers over his chin, a telltale sign that he was scheming something.
"What I can do is sell the one they want in exchange for a higher price. We will take back the one they want the exchange but let me add a few words here and there, I'm sure I could run up some numbers and we could have a price that would cover the labor for the ones that they want to send back," he gives us a solution and I just look at Karl. I have never been much involved with meetings and all. Yes, I knew finances but decisions were not my niche. It was one of the biggest reasons I was with Karl he at least knew what he was doing. However, I felt like it was a good idea.
"What do you think about it, Amelia?" Karl asks me taking me by surprise. His eyes watched me intensely and then back to Lucien before landing back on me. He didn't require my advice but it was more about what Lucien wanted from us. I saw his eyes moving towards Lucien while facing me and it meant that I had to strike up a deal with Lucien.
Whenever it came to Lucien I had to be the one to deal with him.
"It all depends on what Lucien wants from us," I walked towards them. The sketches were still in my hand and Lcuien was eyeing them with a smile. Stopping beside Karl, We both waited for Lucien to say something.
"One piece of jewelry," he says sheepishly. "But by the end of next week, I get half commission."
"No," Karl's reply came instantly. "Not by the end of next week, even if it's one piece."
"Karl," I turned to him and he immediately pulled me to him wrapping a hand around my waist. Having his hands on me had flash of memories of that night through my mind. How he had touched my face, how the same hands had pulled me to him. The taste of his lips and the way his hands roamed over my clothed body. I took in a sharp intake of breath but it went unnoticed due to the ringing of Karl's phone.
"Time is ticking guys," Lucien said waving the phone's screen in front of me.
"Within two weeks and without consultation. You will talk to the customer," Karl negotiated.
"Within two weeks and one of you goes down to get the idea what this person wants," Lucien gave a counteroffer.
"Then I will have to cut down on the commission," Karl replies back. "Thirty percent it is."
"Forty and its deal," Lucien and Karl looked at each other while all I could think was, what was my role in all of this?
"Forty but we start work after coming from our vacation by the next mid-week and it is subject to the condition that you get done what we ask for," he paused. "And no more pushing her on that favor thing."
"Deal." Lucien picked up the call and now he was pacing in the living room. I couldn't keep up with the words.
"You are always too easy on him," Karl whispered to me while his eyes were still on.
"I have always told you that I'm bad at negotiating," I felt all giddy with the way he was holding me. "Can you let go of me?" Karl moved away his hand almost immediately.
"Sorry," he paused. "I just didn't want Lucien to take advantage of your non-negotiable skills. You surely would have been persuaded to his techniques of emotionally blackmailing you." I just smiled at him sheepishly because, in the end, I knew I would have.
"I know," I replied looking at Lucien who was now speaking furiously on the call. He surely wouldn't have thought of doing something like this when he approached me.
"You look relaxed," Karl's words had my head turn towards me. He was looking at me curiously. A smile played on his lips as he looked at my attire from head to toe. I wanted to know what he thought of me but I didn't want to to merge the lines between what we had and what we desired.
I didn't want to ruin a friendship for something temporary.
"I was relaxing in the bar, drinking wine and sketching until Lucien arrived. The live music was really a nice change." It was a soothing experience.
"No date, no man trying to woo you?" His question took me by surprise and I just laughed it off but the smile no longer graced his lips. The expression in his looked a bit heated. We were standing close. I followed the moment of his tongue as he wetted his lips.
"I'm fine the way I am, there is no need for any other man in my life," the way his eyes looked at me I knew I said too much. "I'm sure no man would ever keep up with my working schedule. Why try and end up losing something I already love which is my work?" I added giving a sad smile. My words only spoke of half the truth. The pain of love had burned me so fiercely that I had been scarred in all the places of my heart. I was scared to burn in the same misery and anguish once again. My heart couldn't trust anyone, it didn't want to any longer.
I might have moved on but how did I forget the pain that still left me with nightmares even though four years had passed?
My eyes teared up for a moment. Why was I remembering the past today? A past that I had let go was suddenly haunting me. The memories were passing through my eyes and I wanted it to stop. The roses, the blood, that accident, those cruel words, that article, the way he had discarded me all those memories were trying to drown me.
"Amelia," hands over my cheeks drew me out of my thoughts. Karl cradled my face his eyes staring into mine. I looked at him through my blurred vision.
"Forget it, whatever you are thinking. Think about how you built yourself again. Think about anything but the past," he ordered me and I blinked my eyes letting the tears roll down my cheeks. He knew me like the back of my hand. He knew that I had a past that drove me to death. He never sought to know what it was, who it was, and why I was the way I was. He just accepted me as I was.
"Think about me, how my hands feel on your skin even right now in this moment," I stared at him as he wiped my tears from his thumbs. "There is no past here between us. It's just us, you and me, together and our work. I'm what you all need," His fingers are over my skin, the grey of his eyes with those specks of green keeping me locked over his yes. The memories in my mind rushed away coming to a halt and disappearing. The past that troubled me was receding back into whatever corner it was in. All I could feel right at this moment was him in front of me. The heat of his skin rolled over him as we stood so close. The way he looked at me, all I could remember at the moment was the kiss we had shared. The taste of his lips, the dance of our tongues. I could feel that heat rising to my cheeks.
"And let's not forget my piece of jewelry," Lucien spoke breaking the moment between me and Karl. I chuckled at his words as my hands rose to wipe the remnants of my tears as Karls's hand receded from my skin. Karl's eyes were still watching intensely and all I could give him was a small smile.
"It means you worked your magic with your numbers," I asked turning towards Lucien.
"That I truly did, and a little bit more. You can have one of your staff deliver the piece to them and they won't need to bring anything back." I looked at him quizzically.
"I have persuaded them into buying both the pieces and sold the one that was with you at a bit higher price. They understood that it was their fault and they needed that piece because someone had got a glimpse of it and wanted that only. Taking advantage of the situation I did what I thought best and told them to contact me if any situation arises in the future."
"That means you are not retiring for the foreseeable future. My reputation proceeds me," Karl deadpan.
"Only if you let have more on the commission," he gave his witty reply and all I could do was laugh seeing Karl's face. They both were fighting over the commission while I was just trying to breathe and survive.
........................................................................