Once Upon A Time(26)

MY BODY HUMMED as I rode the elevator down, making my way out of the building of Black Enterprises. It knocked me off axis for a moment. I walked with my head down, keeping my gaze locked on my shoes. The moment the midday heat hit me as I stepped outside, I dived into my purse, pulling out my cell.

Opening up my contacts, my finger instantly went to Kylie’s cell number. I should’ve been calling Kate first, but right then, I needed my best friend.

“Gah! How did it go?!” Kylie screamed, her enthusiasm coming off in waves.

“We've got a huge motherfucking problem,” I stated, my voice never wavering as the weight of what I was about to tell her pounded hard against my temples. “Mr. TDD is now a client of Blue Stone PR.”

I’m met with silence as I spotted a cab. Flagging it down, I got in the back and gave the cabbie my address while waiting on Kylie.

“Have I killed you?” I asked after a few more beats.

“I’m calling Quinn. Get your ass back here, I'll get the supplies. This is a problem, Pay.” She sighed, her voice more serious than I’d ever heard in all the years I've known her.

“Understatement of the century, Kylie. What the hell am I going to do?”

“Calm down. Get back here and we'll work it out. It'll be fine.”

“I'll be twenty minutes,” I said, ending the call as I held on for dear life as yet another cabbie tried to kill me with his ridiculous driving.

An hour later and I’m drowning in ice cream, wine, chocolate and my best friends. Both Quinn and Kylie greeted me at the apartment and the moment Kylie saw my horror-stricken face, she ran to my bedroom. Seconds passed before she emerged with my secret stash of Nutella from under the bed. I could've kissed her.

“What in the hell happened?” Kylie screeched as she opened the jar and placed it into my waiting hands.

I noticed three wine glasses sitting on the coffee table, alongside a large tub of chocolate chip ice cream with three spoons, and a bottle of red. My friends knew me well.

Dumping my purse on the ground, I pulled out the contract and took a seat on the sofa. Kylie and Quinn followed suit, sitting next to me. I threw the contract on the coffee table, narrowly missing the ice cream tub, which earned me a glare from Quinn.

“That’s what happened.” I groaned, bringing my hands to my face as I leaned back. “He’s what happened.”

I peeked through my hands as I watched Kylie grab the contract, flicking to the back page where Gabriel Black’s signature graced the page.

“You need to explain this to me,” Kylie said, confusion written all over her face as she stared down at the contract.

Quinn still hadn't said anything; well, he couldn't considering he was diving into the ice cream like an excited child.

I sighed, pouring a glass of red.

“I had sex with Gabriel Black in Omega. I slapped him in the face afterwards and left the bar. I woke up this morning and shrugged it off. Another one bites the dust… only to find Mr. Black is the potential client Kate wanted me to sign.”

God damn, it was a mess.

“Did you know his name when he screwed you?” she asked, still flicking through the paperwork. The question was seemingly for Quinn’s clarification than hers.

“No, he said he valued his privacy and like an idiot I am, I let it go.” I sighed, taking a large gulp of wine before turning to Quinn. “Will you stop stuffing your face with ice cream, I’m having a major crisis here!”

“Bput its spoooo gooood,” he said, his voice muffled from all the chocolate chip ice cream he’d shoved in his mouth.

“Look.” Kylie threw the contract back on the table, turning to me. “You didn't know his name when you had sex; as far as you were concerned, he was just a one night stand in New York. The odds of seeing not each other again were on your side. You just got unlucky. But you have to tell Kate.” She said, raising her brow.

“I can’t. He’s a client now, I could compromise the entire business relationship. I could lose my job, Kylie.”

My last statement made Kylie pause; she knew what my job represented. Having an income that let me pay my bills and have a little extra to indulge on nice things was something I took pride in, not to mention the money I sent home to my parents each month. I had what my parents couldn't give me: a comfortable lifestyle that didn't mean mac and cheese every night, living paycheck to paycheck. I was risking my job. I could lose my job if I told Kate.

“Okay,” she finally said. “Kate’s the point of contact for him, right?”

I nodded.

“Then you have nothing to worry about. Most of Kate’s clients meet her for lunch at that restaurant she’s always eating at or she goes to their offices. You won’t even see him or her, for that matter; she’s never in the office anyway.”