The room is light and airy, sun shining in through the glass roof, illuminating the entire space. Alice and I have each just finished a bowl of cheesy, tasty carbonara. She'd insisted on a lunch meeting, adamant she would be paying for all of my time and food.
Picking up my half-drunk glass of prosecco, I watch as she lifts each sketch, eyes scanning every detail of the options.
I stayed up all night attempting to sketch at least ten ideas for Alice, desperate to show her how serious I am, and to turn up prepared. Sav had stumbled into the room at five in the morning, begging me to go to bed until I showed her the pile of balled up rejected designs on the floor beside me.
"What do you think?" I ask Alice, smiling across the table at her.
"These are all incredible." She grins. "I'm going to have a hard time choosing."
"I can adapt each one with aspects from other ones," I reply, pointing between the pages.
"That would be amazing," she exclaims, before we descend into silence once more. I take the time to glance around the room. The numerous people who are dining here are clearly of a wealthier status than myself, their pristine clothes and elegant movements giving it away. I'm just glad I put on the long flowing navy dress I made myself last week instead of my pink mini-dress.
"Would it be possible to use this neckline?" Alice points to the sketch on her left, the cleavage dipping dress staring back at me.
"Of course." I nod, flipping my notepad to an empty page and hastily writing it down.
"And I love the waist on this one," she adds, pointing to her right as I continue to scribble. "Obviously I wanted it long... but I'm not sure which hem I like best." She sits back and bites her lip.
"I can sketch out everything else you like with varying hems?" I offer and she smiles.
"You're way too accommodating, Becky!" she exclaims. "I would love that though."
"I'm expensive," I correct her with a cheeky smile. "I need to make sure what I make is one hundred percent what the client wants."
"Looks to me like you're heading towards having one incredibly happy customer," she replies before turning and looking around the room. "I think we need another glass of champagne. What do you think?" She smiles.
"I would never say no to free alcohol," I answer honestly and she laughs before summoning the waiter over.
*~*~*
It's over three hours later before Alice and I part ways, her giving me a tight hug on the sidewalk before hopping into a cab and disappearing down the street. I hug my bag to my chest, unable to wipe the infectious smile from my face at what just happened.
I don't know whether it is purely from the alcohol, but I adored my first proper meeting as a designer, from the very minute it started until the second it ended. The way Alice smiled at my suggestions, how we debated over exactly what would work best. For the first time in my life I feel like I am getting somewhere, and it's fucking fantastic.
"Becky Gordon?" I recognize the male voice as it calls out, furrowing my eyebrows as I attempt to place it. Whirling around, I grimace at the sight of Savannah's boss, the absolute bane of my life over a year ago.
"Eric," I greet my old colleague.
"Fancy running into you here." He smirks, stepping closer, his hands shoved into his loose black pants.
"I was just leaving," I retort, making a move to turn away.
"Wait!" he exclaims and I grit my teeth before looking at him once more.
"What?"
"What are you doing here?" he asks before his eyes trail down to the paper hanging out of my bag. "Attempting to have a meeting with a potential client? When are you going to learn, Becky? Designing isn't for you."
"What I'm doing with my life has absolutely nothing to do with you," I snap, glaring at the idiot head on.
"Let me guess, the only reason you're here is because Savannah set you up with someone. After all, she's the one with all the contacts now, right?" he continues and I grip tighter onto the bag in my hands, desperately attempting to stop myself from punching the guy.
"Eric, you don't know what you're fucking talking about," I argue, despite the fact that what he's saying is completely, one hundred percent true.
"Sure I do. This is," he gestures behind us to the restaurant, "where we tend to meet our wealthy clients. So who was it? Jane Goodman? Elaine Albright? Clara Debington?"
"Excuse me?"
"Which client did Savannah try to palm off on you from Tommy Ross?" he continues and I roll my eyes.
"Let's get something straight. Savannah has done nothing wrong, nor has she given me any of your clients," I snap. "If I am meeting people here it is because they are genuinely interested in my designs, and have therefore come to me for help. If that's so hard for you to believe then so be it." I scoff, turning away.
"You'll never make it, Becky!" Eric calls after me. "Some people just aren't made for this kind of life!"
"Screw you, Eric," I yell over my shoulder. Absolute rage is boiling inside me, threatening to break loose outside the wealthy restaurant full of potential clients. I need to control myself, to maintain a dignified appearance here, not let my reputation fall in front of any of them. Word travels fast between socialites and as such, I have to take the high road. But fucking hell do I wish I didn't have to. What I wouldn't give to smack that dickhead Eric right on the nose.
Stay calm, Becky. Keep walking, and get out of here!
I don't look back, tuning out his snide remarks as I hurry down the street towards home, ready to get started on designing Alice Winters her dream gown.
*~*~*
"He's a dick," Sav observes, scoffing as I tell her what Eric said this afternoon. I nod, taking the clean knife from her and dropping it into the kitchen drawer.
"He is," I agree. "I just hope he doesn't take it out on you."
She shrugs. "He didn't say anything when he came back to the office after lunch, so..."
"Doesn't mean that he isn't saving it up for ammunition in the future," I remind her and she pouts.
"Hopefully I'll be long gone from that place before he decides to hold that ridiculous accusation over me."
"You will be," I assure her with a grin.
"We'll see." She shrugs. "I'm going to watch a movie in my room if that's okay tonight?"
"Of course." I smile at my best friend as I shut the kitchen cupboard, watching as she wanders off to her bedroom, grey robe trailing out behind her. The door shuts and I'm left alone, staring at the mounds of fabric on the table in front of me.
With a sigh, I sit back down, cutting up the samples and stapling them to each sketch, ready to provide Alice with more options when we meet once more.
I'm in my own world, happily continuing with my work as the sky outside the windows darkens, the sun setting quickly, or maybe it's just my concept of time that's lost when I get so invested in my work. I've been on a high all day, unable to stop what I'm doing, determined to get everything done. This is my one chance to get it completely right.
A sudden knock at the front door has me jumping out of my skin, dropping my pencil and cursing at the grey smudge that results from it. Damn it!
Huffing under my breath, I stand up, making my way over to the door and wrenching it open, glaring as though my life depends on it, because let's face it, the person on the other side deserves it.
My mouth drops open at the grinning guy, shock and panic filling me as I glance back to see my best friend's door still firmly shut.
"What are you doing here?" I hiss at Ellis.
He shrugs. "You literally haven't answered your phone all day. I was worried."
"I don't live on my phone, you know?" I retort, a small smile on my lips at the thought he cares.
"I know," he replies. "Doesn't mean I wasn't worried."
"This is too risky! Sav could come out of her room-"
"Better hide me somewhere then." Ellis smirks, pushing past me and entering the open plan apartment and instantly causing palpitations in my chest. "Where to? The bedroom?"
"Sure," I reply, shutting the door quietly before shoving him in the direction of my room, my eyes darting from him to Sav's doorway. As soon as we enter my room I slam the door shut behind us, my hand still holding onto it when Ellis turns and grins at me. "What the hell made you think it was a good idea to come here?"
"You didn't take much persuading to let me in," he replies and I narrow my eyes.
"You pushed past me."
"You could have said no," he argues and I grit my teeth, stepping away from the door.
"So. Fucking. Annoying," I snap and he smirks.
"All part of my charm."
"It definitely isn't," I counter.
"How did your meeting go?" he asks, stepping aside and glancing around my room.
"It was good," I tell him. "Alice seems really nice."
"She is," he says and I raise an eyebrow. "Come on, Brett is my best friend. Of course I know his sister. I grew up with her."
"Did you ever..." I trail off as I raise an eyebrow suggestively at him.
"Gross, Bec! She's ten years younger than me."
I grimace, unable to stop the peal of laughter escaping my lips. "I'm sorry, I had no idea she's that much younger." I giggle and he shakes his head.
"Believe it or not, I haven't actually slept with every woman I've met."
"Alright." I smirk. "Only ninety percent of them then?"
"Make it eighty seven percent," he counters with a laugh before turning his attention to my closet, pulling out a flowing yellow dress. "I never saw you as a girl to wear yellow."
"And why not?" I retort, reaching out and pulling it from his grasp.
"It's too sunny for you," he replies with a grin and I roll my eyes.
"Jerk."
"What's this?" he asks, pulling out the bundle of black fabric, my eyes widening as I remember my trusty red item that's inside.
"Uhh nothing," I answer, reaching out to pull it away from him.
"Seems like it is something." He grins, beginning to unwrap the electronic device.
"Ellis!" I hiss, attempting to jump and grab it from his hands, absolutely futile as he holds it above his head, eventually revealing my vibrator as I slump down onto the bed, defeated.
"A red one?" He smirks, looking over at me as I shrug.
"Why the fuck not?"
"Becky?" A small voice sounds from the other side of my door before Sav knocks. Shit! I shoot a warning glare to Ellis, who shuffles to the other side of the door as I grab onto the handle and peer around the corner, opening it slightly.
"Sav?" I smile innocently as she peers at me curiously.
"Do you have someone in there?"
"No," I reply, shaking my head.
"Okay." She furrows her eyebrows at me.
"I'm just watching a movie at the moment," I justify and she nods. A sudden touch to the back of my legs startles me and I jump slightly, Sav's eyes widening.
"Are you okay?" she asks as Ellis' hand continues to graze under my skirt, up the center of my thighs.
"It's just cold," I reply quickly and she nods.
"It has taken a strange turn this April. I hate the cold," she agrees, wrapping her robe around herself.
"Me too," I manage to get out, Ellis' fingers spreading my legs wider from behind, pools of lust already gathered between my legs as he pulls my underwear to the side.
"Well, I just wanted to come and see if you wanted to watch something together?" she asks, just as I feel something cold and buzzing sweep up the inside of my legs. The fucking devil.
"Umm... I... I think I might just curl up in bed tonight," I stutter out and she grins.
"I don't blame you! I'll do the same. Tomorrow instead?" she asks and I nod quickly as Ellis works my vibrator over my clit. My legs are shaking incessantly, my grip on the door tightening as he adds his fingers to the mix, using both to stimulate every last inch of my core.
"Absolutely," I answer.
"Should we get a takeaway too?" Sav asks and I inwardly scream, begging her to fucking leave.
"Sure."
"Chinese? Or Indian? It's been ages since we had a good pizza too?" she ponders and I bite my lip to refrain from screaming at my none the wiser best friend. Ellis turns up the setting on the little red thing, the buzzing loud enough for my ears to hear, already panicking that Sav can hear it.
"Why don't we just decide what we want tomorrow evening?" I ask and she nods.
"Good plan. I never know what I want until the day anyway." She laughs and I force a grin onto my face as Ellis pumps two fingers inside me, sliding easily against my wetness, coating the top of my thighs in it as he swirls his fingers around expertly.
"Okay then, night!" I smile before she nods, stepping back as I shut the door, resting my head against it in an attempt to catch my breath. Ellis' head is suddenly at my throat, resting his lips on my skin as his fingers speed up, the vibrator working its way around his hand, making sure to touch every spot that he isn't. I'm completely destroyed, a sucker for him and his touch, not wanting to move from the door.
With the greatest amount of self control I can muster, I reach behind me and shove him away. He stumbles back, red vibrator in one hand, the other up in surrender.
"What?"
"Are you fucking crazy?" I whisper hiss. "That was so fucking obvious!"
"She didn't suspect a thing." He smirks.
"You are out of control!" I retort.
"And you love it." He grins his cheeky yet innocent smile that always has me drooling. "Talking of, why do you even have this anymore? You have me."
I scoff. "Have you? We aren't even having sex."
"So?"
"A girl has needs," I retort and he shrugs.
"If you have needs from now on, you come to me," he orders and I raise an eyebrow.
"I think I'll be just fine with myself, thanks," I reply, jumping up once more to try and take back what's mine from his hands.
"Nope." He grins and I groan.
"Why are you such a dick?"
"You don't need this, Bec," he says, twirling the device around in his hands like it's a fucking knife or something.
"Yes, I do."
"You'll be fine without it," he replies, quickly sliding around me and opening my door, slipping out before I can comprehend what he's doing.
"Ellis!" I exclaim in a whisper, petrified that Sav is outside in the kitchen making one of her legendary midnight snacks. "What the fuck?" I follow him out, relieved to see that Sav is nowhere in sight as he heads for the door. "Get the hell back here!" I order and he shakes his head, looking at me with a smile on his face.
"I'll see you in a few days," he says and I clench my hands into fists.
"I swear to God, Ellis," I start as he opens the door and steps out, "I will make you wish you were never born!"
"Oh, really?" he teases, leaning forward, his head angled towards mine, both hands behind his back.
"You bet!" I promise, my own head moving towards his.
"Bec?" The sound of my best friend's voice from behind me has me slamming the door shut, heart hammering against my rib cage as I pray she didn't see him. "Who's at the door?" she asks as she turns to face me.
"Uhh... cold caller. Someone wanted to sell us some magazine," I hurriedly reply and she rolls her eyes.
"I hate people like that," she replies and I nod, stepping away from the door.
"Me too," I agree as she walks over to the kitchen and pulls a packet of chips out of the cupboard.
Damn, that was way too fucking close.