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Sofie took the card from the woman’s beautifully manicured hands, noticing her short neat fingernails.
Lesbian nails?
Or conservative and sensible?
Before Sofie could reply, she heard Marlee call out the latte order. Leaving her quickly, Sofie turned to grab the coffee, presenting the order to the customer. “Here you go. Yes, I do. I’m a recent graduate of the New York Fashion Institute.” She completed the payment and returned the credit card to the older woman. Assuming their exchange was over, Sofie breathed a sigh of relief, having avoided any attitude from the customer. Sofie concluded, “Thanks, see you soon.”
But the woman remained in front of Sofie, her index finger slowly circling the top of the coffee lid in a seductive manner.
Her fingers…
She appeared to be thinking about something as her eyes traveled hungrily down Sofie’s torso. Sofie felt the examination of her body, and it was exciting yet nerve-racking.
She has to be flirting. She’s undressing me with her eyes. I feel naked.
The woman licked her lips, keeping her eyes on Sofie. She carefully pulled out a small square card from her purse. “Here is my business card. My office is only a block from here. I have an opportunity for you that you won’t want to pass up, believe me. If you are as passionate about fashion as you say you are, then you need to call me.”
Feeling slightly shocked, Sofie was at a loss for words. Wide-eyed, Sofie took the card from the customer. “Oh, wow, okay! Thank you, I will.” The woman merely grinned and nodded. “Iexpect to hear from you soon. Opportunities like this have an expiration date.” The woman turned on her heel and exited the coffee shop, leaving a trail of expensive perfume in her wake.
Once she had left, Sofie glanced over at her coworker, her eyes wide with disbelief. She held up the business card, her face squeezing into a joyous expression. Marlee wrinkled her brow, looking confused as she asked, “What is that?”
Gabriella Galena
CEO
DELUXE REDUX
Sofie felt sheer excitement flooding through her veins as she held the expensive looking card. The CEO of the biggest fashion magazine in New York. Of course.
Oh my god!
5
“Oh wow, what a day!” Gabriella muttered to herself as she unlocked the door to her penthouse. While she was grateful to return to her luxurious and spacious environment, Gabriella felt a painful sting in her heart; she was not yet used to returning home alone.
Checking the clock, Gabriella noticed it was 8:13 pm. Gabriella’s mind was racing, and she wanted to unwind, but a restless energy coursed through her veins. As she suspected, returning to the magazine would be difficult, but she needed to prepare for many changes and disruptions to the company’s processes.
Gabriella had worked hard for the success of Deluxe Redux Magazine, and it was frustrating to see it start to split at the seams. Furthermore, the email she received today from Ms. Rutherford caused an anxious reaction in Gabriella.No, no. I refuse to feel guilty. I have done everything correctly, and this is what my therapist recommended. I needed this time away to heal.
Gabriella swore to herself that she wouldn’t let a much-needed break impede the company’s continued growth; she just needed to exercise a little creativity and a healthy amount of authority.
Cascading across the ample marble floor, Gabriella traveled toward the bar at the end of the living room. Pouring herself a neat glass of scotch, she sank into her cream-colored leather couch and distracted herself with a television show. It had been months since Gabriella had clicked on the remote. And the simple act of selecting a show caused her chest to ache.
For the past two days, she refused to think about Madison, although it was challenging, especially when speaking with Romi, her replacement. But now that Gabriella was alone, thoughts of her ex-wife flooded back. Over her leave of absence, Gabriella was able to train her mind to allow some distance between the memories of her marriage and the devastating incident that catalyzed her divorce from Madison. But there were some nights when it seemed impossible to escape her pain.
Taking a sip of the amber-colored liquid, Gabriella breathed in the potent vapor, allowing the liquor to soothe her insides. She marinated in a sea of strong emotions, imagining the valves of her heart muscle clenching and expanding with sorrow and disbelief.
“And the shittiest part was that you were anexcellentphotographer, the best that Deluxe had ever seen. The best thefashion worldhad ever seen. Why did you have to fuck it up?” Gabriella asked aloud, aware she was addressing a clear glass of booze. Shaking her head, Gabriella tried to erase the gut-wrenching memory from her psyche, which was the last time she had seen Madison.
After a few fidgety minutes on the sofa, Gabriella realized that she wasn’t going to relax this evening. Even after a year, the divorce still felt too fresh and painful. These days, Gabriella’semotional relief came only through her work, so she decided to switch gears.
Moving to her home office, Gabriella switched on the laptop, searching for business distractions. Given the multiple issues, she wasn’t even sure what she wanted to focus on.I hate to admit it, but Romi was right; I do need an assistant.Gabriella also recognized that her resistance was rooted in her addiction to work. She didn’t want to free up her time so much that she was left with nothing but her thoughts about her broken marriage.
As Gabriella tried to immerse herself in various tasks, including catching up on details of the upcoming gala, she thought about the beautiful young barista from Sunny’s Coffee. Gabriella couldn’t help but salivate at the thought of the young woman’s warm smile and petite physique.Mmmm, I could eat her up; I’ll bet that she tastes as sweet as fresh strawberries on a summer’s day.
Being in the fashion industry for as long as she had, Gabriella had always been surrounded by gorgeous women, including her ex-wife; it was one of the perks of being a mogul within the business. But to Gabriella, the young barista was different; there was an innocence and humbleness about her that was unlike the bratty models and entitled fashion-industry types she had encountered.
Gabriella sensed a lack of ego from the young woman and a keen interest in serving. Regarding her sexual appetite, Gabriella always preferred submissive energy; she had always seen herself as an alpha both in business and within the bedroom. And now, Gabriella was faced with the issue of offering the barista a job at Deluxe; she realized now that it had been an impulsive offer, which stemmed from sexual attraction rather than a planned and rational decision.
