4. Macy
Macy
The world has lost its color. Little by little. Ever since I left those men in that room yesterday morning. My heart has been inside out.
I went to the club to fulfill my fantasy and blow off some steam. A big fuck you to my boss. But what I got was so much more. Love with two men who held me like I was a precious stone.
How can I fall in love within the course of a night? Is it the orgasms? Lust I’m mistaking for love? Maybe. Callum and Graham probably spend most Saturday nights canoodling with women. They’re members of an elite sex club. This is probably a normal thing for them.
But in my heart of hearts, I know that isn’t true.
I’ve been in enough shitty relationships to recognize a special connection when I see one.
And I really wish I could’ve stayed. I wish I could be with the two of them.
But they have no idea who I really am. They won’t want me once they know I’ve lied. And stolen.
They don’t even know my real name. That’s the one regret I had. Listening to them say my boss’s name and not mine. What else did I think would happen?
Callum and Graham will not appreciate my lie. That’s if they even care that I’m gone in the first place. Maybe I just made it easier on them.
Heartbreak rattles my bones like a broken window in the wind. But I have to pull myself together. There’s too much work to be done, and I can’t afford to miss a minute.
I spent my last dollars on the best night of my life. It was everything I wanted. But I didn’t consider how hard the fallout would be. How difficult returning to normal life would be. It feels like I’m missing limbs or core parts of me. But I have to get up and keep going.
That’s the worst part. I have to act like nothing happened. I’ve got to pretend that I didn’t find and lose the one soulmate connection I’ve ever felt.
The brakes on the bus squeak. I feel like I’m on autopilot as I get off and start to walk down the street. There’s so many people. As always. Instead of feeling frustrated, I’m just happy to feel invisible in the crowd.
It means I don’t have to paste a smile on my face just yet. I get to be sad for a few minutes longer. Tears stream down my bare face. I couldn’t get myself to put on makeup today. I tried, but I couldn’t stop crying.
Using the sleeve of my sweater, I wipe them away, taking in a shaky breath as I come to the doors of my job. The glass reads ‘Henson’s Designs’. I know the moment I open them, it’s going to be chaos.
My boss is the most sought-after designer in the city. This season anyway. The New York fashion industry is a harsh cycle. You never know when your seconds of fame are ending.
Not that I would know what fame is like. Elena has never deemed any of my designs good enough for her to use or spend time creating. That reminder only makes me more depressed.
I push open the door. Kaia is sitting at her desk, right in the front.
“Good morning, Macy.”
“Morning,” I murmur.
She gives me a look. “You okay? You look like you’ve been crying?”
Shit. Probably shouldn’t have let those tears flow or brought some sunglasses.
“Just a hard weekend.”
“I get that. Um, would you like me to tell Elena you couldn’t make it today? Maybe take the day off to,” she gestures at my face. “Heal.”
I can’t help but laugh. “I wish. I need the money. But I’m going to spend the day locked in the design room. Try to keep Elena away or text me if you see her coming down.”
“You got it.”
Kaia hands me a tissue before shooing me off towards the elevator.
As long as I can make it to the basement where the design room is, I should be clear.
There’s no way I want to see my boss today.
Not only because I look awful and she’ll definitely have some smart-ass comment to say, but because I don’t know if she knows I took the invitation.
I’m not sure if she was expecting it or if it was sent as a surprise.
All the rules and logistics are a little unclear to me.
“Macy.”
I freeze, turning around. Elena is standing in the doorway of her office. Her bright orange pantsuit is sticking out like a carrot amongst snow.
Shit. Shit. Shit. I was so lost in my thoughts, I didn’t hear her door open.
A sense of panic starts to fill me.
“Um, yes?”
My voice is shaky. There’s no way she doesn’t notice.
“Could you come in here, please?”
Guess that answers my question. She knows about the invite, and I’m totally getting fired.
Kaia glances at me. Sympathy in her eyes. I’m really going to miss her. She’s the one good thing about this place.
Shuffling into Elena’s office, I keep my eyes pinned to the floor. I’m too cowardly to face her now that she knows my crime.
“Look, Elena,” I start, still not looking up. “I’m really sorry I took your invitation. It won’t happen again.”
“Invitation? What are you talking about?”
My head shoots up. A gasp escapes me when I see the two men filling up the chairs in front of her oak desk. There’s something familiar about them. Their eyes remind me so much of the ones behind the masks on Saturday night. I must be seeing things.
“Um, why did you call me in here?”
“I wanted you to meet our next clients. They’ve asked to work with you directly. Why I don’t know, but what the hell is this about you taking my mail?”
The man on the right clears his throat. “Mrs. Henson, perhaps that could be dealt with at a later date? My friend and I are anxious to get started.”
Hairs stand up on the back of my neck. It is them. I know that voice. Just hearing it, I feel my nipples harden, and my panties soak through. My body doesn’t react like that for anyone else.
Callum and Graham are sitting in my boss’s office. The one I think is Graham flicks a look at me. His eyes are like a shot of whiskey. Intoxicating. I’d be worried they are going to rat me out, but I guess I kind of already did.
Still, why are they here? Is this a coincidence, or did they track me down somehow? They wouldn’t have, would they?
“I suppose,” Elena hisses, her smile tight.
She wants to scream at me. I can tell. The greens of her eyes are boiling like a witch’s cauldron would. I’ve been on the receiving end of that look many times. And I’m honestly, I’m getting a little sick of it.
“Macy, they are wanting to design uniforms for their club.”
“Club?”
“Yes,” Graham says. “Callum and I own Unmasked. You may have heard of it. It’s an elite club here in the city.”
My face flames. The humiliation is a lot to handle. They’re not here for any other reason other than to torture me. To let me know they’ve found me out. I almost wish Elena would just fire me. Designing costumes for their club would be too much. It would fucking suck, actually.
“No, I’m not sure I have. But either way, I can’t help you.”
“Excuse me?” Elena says.
I meet her eyes for the first time all morning. They are so dark, nearly black like her short hair.
“I quit.”
Her jaw drops, but I don’t stick around to hear what she has to say.