The billionaire’s true love

Part 7

I eyed my reflection in the mirror, making sure I looked all right. Today was my first day at work, and I was excited, or maybe nervous, I couldn’t really tell the difference; all I knew that I had this funny feeling like my stomach was filled with bouncy balls, which I got everytime I was either excited or nervous.

The door of my bedroom opened and Jose dragged himself in, looking haggard. “Hungover?” I asked, but one look at his face gave me my answer.

“Not really, but kinda,” he answered, his voice thick and raspy.

“Drink juice or coffee, whatever helps you,” I said. I looked all right; once I made sure that Jose was all right, I would go to work.

“What happened last night?” Jose enquired, throwing himself on my bed.

I frowned while glancing at him through the mirror. “You don’t remember?”

“All I remember is fucking a girl name Maggie or was it Mindy, I don’t remember,” he groaned. So he didn’t remember seeing Trent as a bartender, that’s good. I had to keep Trent’s secret, even though I didn’t want to; but Hailey had gotten me so used to keeping secrets, that now if anyone told me to keep something a secret, stranger or not, I would.

“You said you weren’t so drunk,” I pointed out.

“I pretend I’m not, doesn’t mean it’s true,” he mumbled.

“Who pretends not to be drunk? I mean, aren’t drunk people not aware of their inhibitions? If you were drunk, how can you say you weren’t as drunk as you really were?” I questioned.

Jose held his head with his hand. “Oh my God woman, shut up. I didn’t understand a word you just said. And stop asking me these brainy questions. Ugh, I need Maggie or Mildred.”

“I thought you said Mindy.” I chuckled.

“Please stop fucking my mind, I can’t take it. Fuck my body but not my mind, please.” Jose groaned again.

“Been there, done that.” I grabbed my cell phone from the vanity table, making sure it was charged before slipping it in my purse.

“Are you going somewhere?” He asked.

“Yes, I am going to work,” I replied.

“No. Stay with me. I need someone to take care of me,” he whined.

“Jose, stop acting like a baby,” I uttered.

“But I can’t go home. Nobody is there.”

I didn’t know why but I felt a pang of guilt and sympathy for my friend. He lived alone in his apartment; I mean, he only went there to sleep since we became friends, he spent most of his time in my apartment. And just like that, I had an idea, although I wasn’t sure if it was the right decision or not.

“Jose?” I called his name.

“What?”

“Why don’t you move in here?” I suggested. Since Hailey had moved out, I had a spare bedroom. If Jose moved here, I would get company and Jose wouldn’t feel so alone.

He raised his head and looked me in the eyes. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah. I have a spare bedroom, you can take that if you want,” I offered.

“You really mean it?” It was like he didn’t believe me.

“Yes,” I stated.

The next I heard was Jose shouting a “Yes!” before I felt him wrapping his arms around me from behind. “Thank you. I’ll move in here by the time you get back from work.” He kissed my cheek.

“Eww. Brush your teeth, you reek!” I slapped his arms away, before grabbing my purse. “I’ll see you later. Wish me luck.”

“Good luck. But you don’t need it,” Jose replied, a lazy smile on his face.

With another smile, I strode out of my bedroom, my heart beat increasing with every step that I took. I just hoped my first day wasn’t a total disaster, or worse, I got fired. Nobody wanted to get fired on their first day, and I was no exception.

~*~*~*~*

As soon as I entered the studio, my gaze landed on Trent. He was wearing a gray suit with a white shirt. His hair was mussed up in a sexy way, making him look drool-worthy. He was smiling while talking to a blonde holding a camera. As soon as he saw me, his smile faded and a strange look entered his eyes. I felt a sudden pang in my chest as I saw his smile fade. Was he not happy to see me? I mean, I knew he didn’t like me, but to outrightly display his disdain towards me…that hurt.

The blonde following Trent’s gaze turned to me. As soon as she saw me, a bright smile lit up her face and she came bouncing over to me. She looked perky and adorable. She had the bluest eyes I had ever seen on anyone. Her blonde hair was tied in a high pony tail, and the smile that revealed her small, perfect white teeth, made her look breathtaking.

“Hi, you must be Amanda, I’m Madigan.” She grabbed my hand and shook it vigorously.

“Hello, nice to meet you.” I had no idea what else to say.

“I have been waiting for you for two hours, and now you’re finally here!” God she was cheerful.

My brows furrowed. “Two hours? Am I late? I was told to be here at 9:00 and it is 9:00 am.”

“Oh no, you’re on time. I was just imagining how you’d look,” Madigan said.

“Uh why?” Was this girl one of those creepy ones?

“Well I wanted to imagine how the woman I’d be photographing will look, obviously. It’s a photographer thing. When we don’t have the real person, we tend to imagine him or her,” she explained.

“Doesn’t everybody do that?” This girl was strange, but cute.

“I guess, but I like to believe it’s a photographer thing,” she replied.

“I think it’s only your thing.” For a second I thought I had offended her, but the giggle that followed after that told me otherwise.

“Maybe. But whatever, nice to meet you, and I’ll be your photographer so we’ll be working together, I’m looking forward to it.” She gave me another beaming smile.

Throughout our exchange, Trent stood at the back, his eyes never leaving us. He didn’t utter a word, just kept eyeing the both of us. It was only after Madigan finished speaking did he open his mouth.

“We should get started. My flight is in three hours and I want to end this session before then,” Trent said before turning around and heading to a room.

“Right. We must hurry.” Grabbing my hand, Madigan rushed me after Trent.

The room I entered was spacious. There were various couches placed in different areas of the room. Fixtures and other decorations adorned the room. The equipment was already set up, causing me to trip on a wire.

“Okay. There’s the rack of clothes.” Madigan pointed to the rack on the left. “You’ll be photographed in all the dresses but today you’ll only do three dresses. So, go put on the first one. Hurry.”

Grabbing the first dress from the rack, I headed to the changing room. It didn’t take me long to put on the turquoise dress. Once I was out, I was grabbed by team of hair and make up artists, and after thirty minutes, I was led to the couch, where I spent the next forty minutes being photographed from pose to pose. Madigan was an amazing person to work with. I had a great time with her as she took my photographs.

However, despite her cheery attitude, I was nervous and it was because Trent’s gaze never left me. While Madigan kept on chatting while taking pictures, I could feel Trent’s gaze on me. He stood in a corner, but his eyes were solely focused on me. Twice one of the coffee girls had to snap her fingers in front of his face to grab his attention. And after he had taken his coffee from her, he went back to staring at me. And soon, his gaze was the only thing I was really aware of; even Madigan’s constant chatter couldn’t help me focus.

“All right. One down, two to go. Why don’t you go change into the second dress.” Madigan told me.

“Can we take a break? And can you ask one of the guys to get me some water?” I requested, trying to stretch without being too obvious about it. I didn’t want Trent to think I was tired after only one shoot.

“There are no guys here, only girls,” Madigan said, pushing some buttons on her camera.

I frowned. “What do you mean?” I tried my best to ignore Trent.

“I mean, there are only girls here, but I’ll get you your water.” She turned and strode out of the room.

“You’re tired. I didn’t expect that from you,” Trent said as soon as I stood up to go change.

“Who said I’m tired?” I didn’t want him to know that I really was feeling a little stiff.

“You were stretching your muscles,” he stated.

“Well yeah, wouldn’t you after sitting in the same pose for so long?” I raised my brows.

“You weren’t in one pose,” he argued.

“But my body was stiff,” I countered.

“You should do yoga, it’ll help you be more flexible,” he suggested in a condescending tone.

“Thanks for the suggestion but I’m fine.” I turned to leave but his voice stopped me.

“I want you to do yoga,” he stated.

“And I told you I’m fine without it,” I responded.

“And I’m telling you I don’t care. I want you to do yoga, and you are going to do it, are we clear?” He stepped forward.

My ire sparked at his words. “I said no.”

“Are you forgetting you’re under contract for the next five years?” His question was rhetorical, but I still answered,

“I know I’m under contract, but this is my body and what I do or don’t do with it is my choice. Nobody tells me what to do,” I said with conviction.

Trent cocked his head to the side and I spotted a flash of arrogance in those hypnotizing eyes. “I am your boss, and in this profession I do get to tell you what to do with your body. I want you to do yoga, and you’re going to do it, got it, bumblebee?”

“I am fine. What is your bloody obsession with yoga?” I asked irritably.

“Let’s just say, I like my girls flexible,” he replied.

The fuck?!

“That made no sense. I’m fine, I don’t want to resemble an elastic,” I uttered.

“I’ll have a yoga instructor for you here. You’ll spend two hours with her three times a week,” Trent stated.

My temper flared. “I don’t want a yoga instructor. Stop imposing!” I nearly shouted.

His eyes flashed dangerously. “Lower your voice. Don’t forget who’s the boss here,” he hissed.

“You don’t get to tell me how to talk,” I seethed.

“I do. And shady, you’ll soon know exactly what I can make you do. For now, you are going to do yoga, and I don’t want to hear any arguments,” he replied.

I scoffed. “Go ahead, it’s not like you can tell if I’ll attend class or not. You’re leaving aren’t you?”

“Yes. I am going out of country for two weeks. But that doesn’t mean I won’t be getting daily reports regarding you.” This man was insufferable.

“So now you’re a stalker?”

“Maybe. Maybe I’m just a concerned boss,” Trent said.

“Right.” I scoffed again.

The sound of my phone ringing snapped me out of anger. Picking my cell phone from the table beside me, I answered it when I saw Jose’s name flashing.

“Hey, you feeling better?” I asked.All content © N/.ôvel/Dr/ama.Org.

“Yes. And guess what, you got a new apartment mate!” Jose said excitedly.

“Wow. I don’t feel so lonely anymore,” I replied, chuckling.

“When will you be done?” He enquired.

“In a couple of hours,” I answered.

“Good. I’ll come pick you up from the studio.” He told me.

“All right. See you soon.” I ended the call.

“Who was that?” Trent asked.

“Jose,” I responded nonchalantly.

“And he couldn’t wait to call you after work?” Trent sounded annoyed.

“I’m taking a break,” I argued.

“But you’re not off the clock,” he stated, making me roll my eyes.

“It won’t happen again, boss,” I said venomously.

“Why did he call?” Trent asked, ignoring my outburst.

“Because he’s my friend,” I replied.

“I’m asking you the reason why he called, bumblebee,” Trent clarified.

I sighed. “He wanted to tell me he has moved in my apartment.” I told him, wondering where Madigon was with my water.

“Why is he moving in your apartment? Doesn’t he have a place of his own?” He queried.

“What’s it to you? You might be my boss here but you’re just a stranger outside of this studio,” I stated.

“You reall know how to piss off a man, don’t you shady?” The nerve of this man!

“The hell?! What did I do to piss anyone off?” I demanded to know.

“Maybe I’ll tell you someday. Right now, I’ve got a flight to catch. Be a good girl while I’m gone, bumblebee.”

“You said you’ll leave in three hours.”

“Yeah, but now I’m going to leave now.”

Just then Madigan came back holding a bottle of water. “Here you go. Sorry, I got late, I started talking to the new girl. Here’s your water.” She handed me the cold water bottle.

“Thank you.” I unscrewed the cap and took a small sip.

“Mr. Alan, you’re leaving so soon, I thought you said you’ll leave in three hours.” Madigan looked at Trent with confusion.

“Change of plans, Madi. I’m leaving now. May I have a word with you before I leave.” Trent took her to a corner and both of them talked in hushed tones, leaving me staring at them like an idiot. Didn’t Trent know that whispering while other people were around was downright rude?!

Well of course he didn’t, otherwise he wouldn’t be doing it! My subconscious snapped.

Trent talked to Madigan for quite a while before he finally nodded in acknowledgement and sauntered out of the room. Madigan came back once Trent was out of sight.

“What was that about?” I asked her.

“Apparently you’re getting yoga classes from Monday. For two hours, three days a week,” she answered.

“What?! No!” I couldn’t believe he would actually go through with it.

“Yes. Boss’ orders.”

Curse you, Trent!