Chapter 2
Act I, Scene II: TA Studio, Hackney
Titan
T he golden street light shone through the gauzy curtains and woke me with a start.
Fuck. I hadn’t meant to fall asleep. The blonde woman from the expo lay beside me; her breathing slow and her arm draped across my chest. With some careful manoeuvring, I slid out from under the comforter and away from her embrace.
I ran my palms over my face and willed myself awake.
Dark piles of clothes were strewn across the floor, leaving a path from the door to the bed. I followed each item, locating my jeans, shirt and sweater from the trail.
My watch flashed with a notification: one a.m.
Well, shit.
Once I’d discerned nothing was left behind, I tiptoed toward the open door.
‘Titan…’ the woman murmured.
‘Hey,’ I whispered.
‘Could you let Roxy out when you leave?’ She sighed then turned over.
‘Sure.’
‘I had fun,’ she mumbled.
‘Yeah, thanks,’ I mumbled in response.
Small snores emanated from the bed.
I hurried down the stairs where I was greeted by the large German Shepherd I’d met earlier. ‘Hey , girl.’ I rubbed her between her ears. She spun around in circles in front of my legs as she urged me toward the door. ‘Okay, okay, I need to get there first.’ I nudged her with my knees and opened the French doors to the backyard.
After giving her a secret little treat, I locked up and did one last check. I tapped the pockets of my jeans: keys, phone, and wallet.
My leather jacket and helmet hung on one of the hooks in the entryway. I shrugged on the jacket and looked up at all the framed photos on the walls.
Faces I’d never see in real life and people I’d never meet.
I often wondered, during my meetups with these women, if I’d get along with their friends and family.
With one last glance I shut the door behind me.
With my head dipped low I made my way into the brisk night air. The city was illuminated, and the streets littered with people ending their nights.
I firmly believed that no good decision could come after one a.m.
My motorcycle was parked nearby, and as much as I’d regretted falling asleep, I enjoyed pushing the speed limit.
Fifteen minutes later I arrived at my studio. The moon brightened the otherwise eerie space through the large windows. While checking my inbox, I used the light on my phone to guide me through the entryway and up the spiral wrought-iron staircase.
My calendar had already been filled with appointments and meetings, and one look at the timestamps of the requests told me Scarlet had been up way later than I’d expected.
I shook my head as I reached the landing on the mezzanine floor. She never rested, no matter how many times I’d insisted. Maybe I’d buy her those shoes she’d been eyeing for weeks. She deserved it for putting up with my shit and for being a really great assistant.
Having her around when we’d missed out on so much time together wasn’t too bad either.
With five hours before my work day—and three hours of sleep the previous night—I wasted no time in showering and climbing into bed. A deep urge to forgo my morning gym session came over me, but I needed it to stay sane for the day ahead.
Besides, the kiss from Kalina kept my mind running for a while. A weird request, but not unwanted. Her lips were soft and she smelled amazing.
I turned in for the night with a triumphant smile at the thought of Jesse’s unimpressed expression.
‘Stacey, can you put your hand up like this?’ I asked and demonstrated to the model how to adjust her pose.
She mirrored the movement.
‘Yeah, hold it right there,’ I said and looked through the viewfinder of my camera before I snapped a shot. I looked at the display then adjusted the focus before retaking it. After twenty minutes we got the shot I’d been looking for. Relief washed over me. It’d been four hours of non-stop shooting and I needed another coffee.
Maybe a double shot.
‘We’re done. Thank you,’ I said without looking up. I walked over to the table along the edge of the studio to set down my camera when the unmistakable click-clack of high-heeled shoes echoed on the concrete floor.
‘So, a couple of us are going out for a bit of a boozy lunch. Do you want to join?’ Stacey asked. She tossed some of her bright red hair over her shoulder and narrowly missed taking my eye out.
‘Thanks, but I don’t mix business with my personal life.’ It wasn’t a complete lie.
‘Are you sure?’ she asked. She brushed her fingers along the deep vee of her black dress.
I was way too sleep-deprived to deal with this. I wasn’t in the mood to go out with this specific group who gossiped behind one another’s backs. I’d worked with her so-called friends enough to know an afternoon spent with them would leave me full of regret.
Besides, my roster had been filled up—workwise and the more unprofessional kind.
I opened my mouth to reply when Scarlet bolted toward us, her dark blonde curls bouncing around her shoulders as she stepped between Stacey and me.
‘Stacey, we’re gonna need the dress and shoes, if you don’t mind. You can leave it in the dressing room. Thanks.’ Her voice dripped with false sweetness.
Stacey spun around and marched off in a huff. I didn’t have to see Scarlet’s face to know a smug expression was plastered across it.
‘You’re welcome,’ she said sarcastically then turned to face me. It was like looking in a distorted mirror. Same eyes, same hair colour, but her skin was tawny brown to my beige.
‘Thank you, Scar.’ I reached out and rubbed her head. She let out a disgruntled sound as she tried to duck out of my reach.
‘You are the worst.’
‘We’ve missed out on a lot of sibling bickering. I need to make up for it.’
She gagged but a small smile tugged at her lips before she turned away.
Scarlet’s move to London meant we could catch up on the years we’d lived apart. While I visited her and her mother often, the last ten years were the hardest after my mother’s passing.
‘I don’t know what I’d do without you here. So, thanks,’ I tilted my head toward the dressing room. ‘For, you know.’
‘You don’t pay me nearly enough to manage your little black book,’ she replied.
‘I appreciate it nonetheless.’
‘Is everything okay? You seem off.’ Her gaze focused on mine. Is this what Kalina had meant? It was a little unnerving.
‘Yeah, everything’s fine.’ I scrolled through the images on the camera, then looked up to meet her hard green gaze. Was that what I looked like when I was upset?
‘You’re lying.’
‘I’m not,’ I said and looked down at my camera again.
She crossed her arms over her chest. ‘Are we going to talk about the kiss at the expo? Or should I pretend I didn’t see you making out with my friend and roommate?’ Scarlet plopped down in the seat at my white lacquered desk. She lifted her booted feet to rest on the tabletop.
‘I knew her before you did,’ I said.
‘But I’m her close friend and confidant which trumps friends by association.’
Ouch.
I sat in the black executive office chair. ‘Everything aside, we were not making out.’
‘There was obvious lip-on-lip action from where I stood.’ Scarlet inspected her red nails. They were perfect, thanks to her bi-weekly manicures on my company card.
I reclined in my seat. ‘I can’t tell you why, but she asked me to kiss her and I was being a good friend.’
‘You both seem to have the same definition of friend. Which is a terrible definition at best.’
‘Both?’ I tried not to sound too intrigued but failed dismally.
‘Ah ha.’ Scarlet pointed an accusing finger at me. ‘So, there is something going on.’
‘Nothing’s going on.’
‘For now.’ She smiled.
‘She wanted to get a rise out of Jesse, and given how irate he was, it seemed to work.’
Scarlet frowned. ‘She was quiet for the rest of the day. Even when we got home, she went straight to her room. I’ve never seen her like this.’
I had. After the wedding, Kalina was quiet in the car ride home. Her smile from the dinner had dropped as soon as the door had shut. ‘If he wasn’t Ted’s brother, I’d have wiped the constant shit-eating grin from his face.’
Ted and I’d been best friends since we met at uni nearly eighteen years ago. He was like a brother to me, but I’d wanted nothing to do with his actual brother from the moment I met him.
‘Jesse’s an immature piece of shit. Lina’s lucky you were around.’ There wasn’t a hint of sarcasm in Scarlet’s voice.
I didn’t feel lucky. I hadn’t done enough to stop him from hurting her in the first place. When I’d had a feeling he was messing around with her a few months ago, he’d actually been using her to gain information about her family and their hotel group.
But she put on a brave face and I never pushed. ‘She doesn’t need me. She can take care of herself.’
‘True, but it’s good to know you have friends who would commit a felony for you.’ Scarlet pulled her phone from her pocket then laughed at something on the screen.
Our conversation ended, but my thoughts still ran rampant. Even if I went back in time, there wasn’t much I could do to stop Kalina from seeing Jesse. I couldn’t tell her how to live her life.
Scarlet giggled profusely.
I raised an eyebrow at her in a silent question.
‘Something my friend sent me.’
‘Friend. Sure…remember what I told you. Men cannot be trusted.’
‘Oh, you’re one to talk.’ she scoffed
‘Exactly why I said it.’ I leaned my head back against my interlocked hands.
Stacey emerged from the changing room. ‘You sure you don’t want to join us?’
‘Thanks, but maybe some other time.’
‘Okay, see you soon.’ She dropped the dress and shoes on my desk with a loud thud before she sashayed out of the studio.
Once the metal door shut, Scarlet groaned aloud. ‘Finally, I thought she’d never leave.’
‘As I was saying, you can never trust men.’
‘Really? You think I go around believing what they say when I have such upstanding male role models?’
‘Low blow.’ I crossed my arms over my chest and pushed aside the discomfort there.
Scarlet’s eyes widened. ‘Sorry. I know you’re not like him, but you’re doing the same thing he did.’
The him she referred to was our father.
‘It’s not the same thing. The women I meet know it’s purely physical. No feelings. Or promises.’
She scoffed. ‘You think it’s better?’
‘It’s called being honest. Everyone knows the expectations, or lack thereof, and nobody gets hurt. And most importantly, I’m not cheating on anyone.’
‘You’re too afraid to let anyone get close to you. Close enough to share them with the people in your life. To let them get to know the real you, and you can keep lying to yourself all you want, but you’ve left a trail of broken hearts in your wake. You can’t be so intimate with someone—more than once—and not expect feelings to develop.’
‘We’re all adults and no one’s complaining. It’s the perfect arrangement with no emotions.’
Scarlet shook her head. ‘Firstly, eww. Secondly, there’s no such thing.’ She returned to scrolling on her phone.
I was about to counter her comment when she nearly toppled out of her seat and onto the floor as she flung her feet off my desk. ‘Check your phone.’
I reached into my pocket and yanked it out, scrolling through my notifications until I saw the email.
From: Mae [email protected]
Date: Oct, 06th, 12:45 PM
Subject: Application: Brand Photographer
TA Studios.pdf
Good day Mr Andersson,
Thank you for applying to DB Diamond for the photographer position. Please note you have been shortlisted and will be contacted in the next two weeks with the information for your interview.
Please find attached the specifications for the material needed during the interview, this includes a brief for a photo-shoot, in your specific style, to showcase your work.
If you have any further questions, please feel free to email or call me.
Looking forward to meeting with you.
Sincerely
Tiffany on behalf of Mae DuBois
‘T, this is huge.’ Scarlet jumped out of her seat.
I was speechless. This was something I’d done one night on a whim—and maybe one drink too many—and now I was shortlisted?
‘Aren’t you excited? You were excited when you told me about the application.’ Scarlet’s face dropped.
‘I am.’ I shook my head. ‘Sorry, I didn’t think I’d be considered if I’m being honest. Mae is particular about her brand. It’s a little terrifying.’ She was all about tradition, values, and legacy. All things I had very little experience in.
‘Why are you so hard on yourself?’ She reached out and squeezed my arm.
I exhaled. ‘You know why I do this. His voice plays in my head.’
‘Don’t let it rule your mind. It’s already affected your actions.’ Scarlet walked around the desk and wrapped me in a hug. ‘You should appreciate what we’ve gotten from him—our really great looks—and leave everything else behind.’
I choked out a laugh, which didn’t feel genuine, but it made Scarlet smile. ‘Thanks.’
‘Want to go out tonight? Celebrate?’ She shimmied her shoulders.
‘It was an acceptance of my application. I haven’t gotten the job.’
‘Yeah, but we haven’t gone out in ages. You’re getting old and cranky,’ she teased.
‘You can come with me to Savi and Ted’s engagement party.’
‘Did I miss something?’ Scarlet tilted her head.
To anyone else, the statement would seem normal. But Scarlet had the right to be confused.
‘No, her parents missed out on all the traditional celebrations after they’d eloped, so they’re making up for it by having every single traditional wedding event you can think of. Savi is their only child after all.’
‘Do the parents know they’re already married and expecting a baby?’
Trust Ted and Savi to forge their own paths. After they were legally married, Ted travelled with Savi to South Africa for two months, where she finished her hotel management course, and came back with more than a certificate of qualification.
I laughed. ‘Yes, of course. There’s going to be great food, drinks, and dancing.’
‘Sold. Sounds fun.’ She typed away on her phone.
My phone vibrated on the tabletop, and we both looked down at the screen to see our father’s name. His ears must’ve been on fire.
‘You going to get that?’ she asked.
‘Nope.’ I pressed decline. ‘I don’t want to start the night off in a bad way.’
‘Fair… Oh, let me ask Lina for something to wear.’ Scarlet bounded off while she typed away on her phone.
The mere mention of Kalina had me thinking about the kiss at the expo.
And the taste of her cherry lip gloss.