The billionaire’s true love

Part 5

I placed the steaming cup of coffee in front of Jose before sitting down next to him. The moment Jose had come to my apartment, I told him about Trent selecting me for his fashion line. Just like I had expected, Jose was ecstatic; he picked me up and twirled me in his arms before letting me down.

“I told you so! You are gorgeous, there’s no way he could reject you.” He kissed my cheek once before letting me down. Knowing how much Jose loved coffee, I immediately prepared a cup of coffee for him.

“So, are you going to take it?” He asked, sipping his coffee.

“I’m not sure. Trent really insulted me.” I told him.

“True. So is that a no then?” Jose gave me a quizzical look.

“I don’t know. What do you think I should do?” I queried.

Jose didn’t say anything for a while. I could see the cogs turning in his head as he thought about what I should do in regards to this opportunity. I was not going to deny it, the job had its advantages and disadvantages, but I wasn’t sure which weighed more.

“I think you should take it. You should agree to model for this Benson guy,” he finally said.

“Why?” I asked.

“Because the only downside I can see is the asshole of a boss you’re going to have. Other than that, there is nothing wrong with this. I mean, you’re going to be making your mom’s dream come true. You will be popular. And doing this might give you the opportunity to model for other high end designers,” Jose rattled off the points using his fingers.

“So you’re saying that I should suck it up with Trent because he is giving me a chance to make my mom proud?” I was not going to deny it, but I liked the sound of that. Jose wanted me to take the job and that was all I needed to hear.

“Yes. But, just suck it up, do not kiss his ass. He might be the one to help build your career but don’t let that asshole destroy your self respect.” Jose told me. Right then, he sounded more like my older brother than my friend.

I nodded. “All right. I have to go tomorrow and meet with Darla Vince. She is going to go over the details of all this, and you are coming with me,” I said.

“Of course I’m coming. You think I’d let you do this alone?” Jose scoffed.

“You know I love you, right?” I smiled at him. I wanted to tell Hailey the good news but I was going to wait until it was official, first.

“It’s impossible not to love me,” he replied cheekily, before grabbing the remote from the coffee table and turning on the T. V.

“Of course,” I muttered sarcastically, and couldn’t help but laugh when Jose shot me a mock glare.

“What do you want to watch?” He asked, flipping the channels.

“I don’t know. Not really a fan of T. V,” I responded.

“Oh, that reminds me. Since I’m being such a nice friend and accompanying you to the devil’s lair tomorrow, you have to come with me to a club,” Jose stated, pausing on a channel displaying plants of various specie.

“Club? Why?” I enquired, stretching my legs on the table.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

“Because it’s been a long time since I got laid,” he answered flatly.

“Okay.” I stretched the word. “But you can do that without me,” I tried to reason with him. Truth was, I hated going to clubs, I didn’t know why, I just knew I hated it.

“No way. You are going to be my wingman,” he argued.

“You do know that wingman is suppose to be a man, right?” I really didn’t want to go, but I knew I would have to as Jose was quickly becoming my male best friend.

“No, I do not know that. And since there is no rule book about it, you are going to be my wingman…you can dress up as a guy, I don’t mind.” Jose chuckled.

“I’ll pass, thanks.” I rolled my eyes. “Do you think Trent has an ulterior motive?” I questioned, my mind wandering off to dangerous territory.

“Ulterior motive? Like what?” Jose raised his eyebrows in question.

“I don’t know. Maybe he selected me to give me a false sense of hope, so he can ruin my career before it even starts.” I told him my suspicion. I wanted to believe that Trent selected me because he saw my photographs and was impressed, but I just couldn’t. Maybe he had insulted me so much, I couldn’t help but question his every move, even one made out of kindness. Did that make me ungrateful or cautious?

“I can’t really say much, but what I can say is, you’ll know what his intentions are once you work with him,” he replied, looking very pleased with himself.

I, on the other hand, had the strongest urge to bang Jose’s head against the wall, but I chose to flick his head with my hand. “Thanks for stating the obvious.”

“Ow! What was that for? I just answered your question,” he defended.

Shaking my head, I wished that Hailey was here. She would’ve told me if my suspicions were right or not. I missed her so much, I wonder how I was going to survive without her.

“So you want to go to the club because you want a one night stand?” I asked Jose, who nodded.

“Yup. There are going to be lots of hot chicks for me to feast on.” Jose licked his lips, like he was about to have his favorite meal; while I gave him a look so filled with disgust, it was a wonder Jose wasn’t affected.

“You are an animal.” I flicked his head again, before getting up from the couch and walking over to my kitchen to make myself a sandwich.

“Hey, are you making food? Make some for me, too,” Jose hollered from the living room.

“No. You don’t deserve it, you animal!” I bellowed.

“Animals need food to live, as well.” He just didn’t know when to act human.

“Yeah, you can have your food at the club.” I took a few slices of bread and begun preparing a sandwich for me and Jose.

“But we have to go there tomorrow, not today,” Jose whined, causing me to shake my head in disbelief. How on Earth did we ever become friends?

“Yeah well, serves you right for your barbaric behavior.” I chuckled, slapping mayonnaise on Jose sandwich.

“Barbaric?! You’re kidding! I was mainly acting like a hungry human being.” He feigned innocence.

“Have you ever thought about acting? I think it would be the perfect profession for you,” I remarked, placing both the sandwiches in separate plates before exiting the kitchen.

“No thanks, I think I’ll stick to photography. Acting is not for me. I like staying behind the camera,” he stated.

“Being in front of the camera is not so bad,” I argued.

“For you it might not be, but I hate being in the spotlight. I rather be the one controlling things rather than the one being controlled,” he said, taking a bite out of his sandwich.

“You have trust issues,” I said.

“Now who’s the one stating the obvious?” Jose gave me a lopsided grin before taking another bite of his sandwich.

“I’m just saying what you can’t say,” I defended.

“And someday I’ll tell you why I have trust issues,” he replied.

“Why can’t you tell me now?” I asked intrigued.

“Because I don’t want to spoil the day. Come on, let’s watch a movie.” With that Jose got up and strode over to my movie collection, while I sat on the couch and wondered who was the monster that made my friend have trust issues?

~*~*~*~*

I clutched my hand to stop it from shaking like a leaf, but my heart was something I couldn’t stop from pounding. Even though I had been here just a few days ago, my anxiety levels were still off the roof. Maybe it was this place that got me on the verge of having a panic attack, or maybe the people.

“Would you calm down, it’s not like you’re here for a trial shoot. You have now been selected to model the dresses, why are you so nervous?” Jose chided, giving me a concerned look.

“What if they make a total fool of me? What if Trent called me here because he wanted to publicly humiliate me?” I began chewing on my thumb, trying to distract myself.

“Seriously? Now I’m starting to worry how will you act when you’ll actually become famous.” He looked at me like he was helpless to stop me from having a nervous breakdown.

“Fuck this, let’s get out of here. Fuck the fame, fuck everything!” I stood up only for Jose to pull me back down on the same purple couch that I had sat upon the last time I was here.

“Shut up. I swear once we go to the club, I’m getting you high,” he stated.

“I don’t think we’ll be going to the club because I think I’m going to die.” I was now rocking back and forth, the top of my thumb still wedged between my teeth.

“Hello, Ms. Lawson. It’s good to see you again.” The rocking stopped, my thumb was released as I heard Darla Vince behind me. I stood up and plastered on a fake smile before turning around to meet her.

Darla Vince was dressed formerly as usual. She was wearing the same attire like the last time, except her jacket and skirt were purple while her blouse was silver which she paired with a pair of silver stilettos.

“Mrs. Vince, it’s good to see you, too. Thank you for having me.” I tried my best to be polite, when in reality, I wanted to point a gun at her face and demand to know any plans she or her boss had of ruining me forever.

“Don’t kiss her ass,” Jose chided in a whisper.

Right.

“If you will come with me to my office, we can discuss your contract and answer any questions you might have.” Without waiting for my response, Darla turned and strode towards her office, leaving Jose and I to follow after her like a couple of dogs.

“Relax, I’m here.” Jose grabbed my hand and gave it a comforting squeeze, and for that I felt extremely lucky to have a friend like Jose.

Darla’s office was exactly like her-professional. There was nothing personal in the stark white walls of her office. A desk which looked to be made of mahogany sat in one corner, with a PC sitting on top of it. There was a bookshelf against one wall, crammed with binders and various other files. A couple of picture frames hung on the walls, with dummies wrapped in sheer garments. It looked as if anyone could have occupied this office, as there was no personal touch.

“Please sit. Would you like some coffee?” She asked, sitting on the red swivel chair, while Jose and I took the visiting chairs.

“Yes please,” I spoke for the both of us.

Darla picked up the landline and ordered two coffees before putting the receiver back in the cradle. She picked up a green file which was already sitting on her desk and opened it before pushing the file over to me.

“This is the contract, you can take your time and read through it, and if you have any questions you may ask,” Darla stated, before turning her attention to her iMac.

Jose and I brought our heads together and begun reading the contract, trying to be as thorough as possible. Darla didn’t disturb us as Jose and I discussed the different terms of the contract. These people were giving me a five year contract, and in that time period I would not model for any other brand. I was going to be their model only. Every month I was to come for a photoshoot and the photographs would be featured in The company’s magazine. After five years, I was free to model for any other brand.

“I like the terms, I think you should agree,” Jose said softly, trying not to let Darla hear.

“Yes but five years. I mean, if I agree to this, I will be like their personal property. And what if I get a better opportunity before the five year period is over, what am I going to do then. If I back out, I am going to be sued,” I whispered back.

“Maybe we can negotiate the terms,” Jose suggested.

I nodded before raising my head to talk to Darla. “Mrs. Vince?”

“Yes Ms. Lawson?” Darla turned her to head to look at me.

“I have a question about the time period. It says here that the contract is for five years and in that period I will not be allowed to model for any other line.”

“Yes, what is your question?” Darla looked impatient.

“Can you shorten the time period to three years?” I asked, hoping that she would agree.

But my answer did not come from Darla. No, it came from the man who was an expert at making my blood boil.

“We don’t negotiate, Ms. Lawson. The contract says five years, and five years it will be,” Trent spoke from behind me. I turned my head to see him striding inside Darla’s office, looking handsome in his suit.

“But contracts can be negotiated. Maybe, for three years she’ll work solely for you, but the remaining two years she can be allowed to model for other companies,” Jose said, coming to my rescue.

Trent shook his head. “This contract is non-negotiable.”

I stood up. “Then I’m sorry, I can’t take this. Thank you for the offer, but I am going to have to decline.” I barely restrained myself from snarling at him.

Trent smirked. “Ms. Lawson, why don’t you and I have a little chat outside, just the two of us. Maybe, we can come to an agreement.”

Oh good, he wanted to negotiate. Maybe Jose was right, Trent found me too pretty to pass up. Well in that case, I was going to play this to my advantage. With a nod, I allowed Trent to lead me out of Darla’s office.

“So you agree to the three year term?” I asked, feeling confident.

“Oh no, bumblebee, I agree to nothing. I just brought you here because I think you should agree to the contract,” Trent said, amusement sparkling in his eyes.

“And why would I do that?” I asked.

“And why wouldn’t you? It’s a great opportunity. You are getting a hefty salary, a five year long contract, basically everything you wanted is being handed to you on a silver platter, don’t be stupid about it.” He told me.

“And I already told you, five years is way too much. What if some other company wants me to model for them?” I argued.

Trent shook his head. “They won’t. No company will hire you, trust me on that, shady,” he stated.

My eyes widened and my confidence cracked. “Why? Do you think I’m not good enough to be hired by any other company?”

“Oh no, I didn’t say that. No will hire you because I won’t let anyone else hire you. You are going to be my model only.” Trent came closer to me and whispered the words that left me no choice.

“Sign the contract, bumblebee, because if you don’t, I’ll make sure no company in this world hires you.”