The Hourglass (11 page)

Lounging on my couch that night, I flipped through the channels in search of a good Friday night movie, and was scarfing down a bag of
Reese’s Pieces
when I heard a knock on my door. Startled I got up and made my way to the door, opening it a crack to see who was there. “Luke!” I shouted as he lifted me up, my feet hovering inches above the ground while he twirled me around. “What are you doing here?” I asked between forceful kisses.

Pushing the door closed with his foot, he grinned. “It’s Friday,” and before I could respond, he shoved his tongue into my mouth and walked us both into my bedroom.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Brooke

I WAS FURIOUS,
each pound of my heel as I stomped up the walkway sounded like war drums in my head. Lisa came running my direction, looking completely flustered. She’d called me an hour earlier in a full-blown panic attack about the event I’d spent the last week arranging perfectly, going up in smoke. Poor Lucas had been so disappointed when I darted out on our weekend getaway, and now Lisa would suffer a wrath that had been bubbling up inside me for weeks. “Ms. Reid, I don’t know what happened. All of your instructions, they’re gone,” she blurted out as soon as I was within hearing distance.

I put my hand up to silence her, pinning her in place with a glare. “Lisa, I don’t have time at this moment to hear your excuses. Everything was arranged and all you had to do was follow some simple instructions while I enjoyed a much needed weekend away. Rest assured, once I repair the disaster you have created, I will deal with you.” Pinching the bridge of my nose as a headache began to take hold; I let out a deep breath. I didn’t get how this could happen, and I was terrified of what Monica would say about this mess. Lisa stared at me looking frazzled, catching the attention of every passerby. Leaning close I whispered, “And for God’s sake, compose yourself. You are an employee of the top fashion magazine in the world.” I pushed past her and made my way to the cocktail party. Every bigwig in the company was in attendance, and it would make or break my career in this industry depending on how the night went.

Smoothing out my dress and pasting on a smile, I stepped into the banquet area that was decked out and looking amazing. At least one of the tasks I‘d delegated had gone right, I thought, suddenly thankful I had printed that all out and made design boards for the team so they would know exactly what I expected. Monica glanced over at me as I stepped in, and I made sure I appeared calm and collected, despite the concern I was currently quashing down. The entire evening schedule was gone and the backstage people were lost as to what to do and when to do it.

I waved a few members of the team over and started giving out orders and getting things squared away. The entire night was spent dealing with constant miscommunications, lack of direction, and every other issue that arose thanks to the missing files.

Finally, the night was done, and everyone was heading back to their hotel rooms to sleep. As Monica walked out, she paused in front of me, the main investor in Hourglass standing beside her. “Nathan, this is our newest design editor, Brooke. She is the one responsible for this evening,” she said nonchalantly, glancing at me and then back to Nathan who gave a slight nod of his head. My stomach clenched in fear, unsure of what that meant. Was the night considered a success or a disaster? I thought I had covered well and that there were no outward signs of the turmoil behind the scenes, but knowing Monica she saw all.

Nathan waved his hand forward gesturing for Monica to carry on. Monica tucked her clutch under her arm, and shifted her weight to start walking out the exit, leaving me a puddle of nerves behind her. I wondered if I needed to type up my resume. Just as she passed, I heard her soft voice speaking again. “Great job, Brooke. You may go home now.”

A sigh of relief slipped past my lips as my shoulders sagged.

I was exhausted, but as the faint smell of vanilla perfume assaulted my nose, I knew there was one more thing to deal with. Straightening my back, I turned around and came face to face with a stark-white Lisa.

“Ms. Reid, I am so sorry. I truly don’t know what happened.”

Shaking my head that was now pounding, I couldn’t do it. I lacked even a drop of energy to deal with her after taming the disaster she had created. “Lisa, I apologize for snapping at you, but we just can’t have events like this be anything less than perfect. Monday morning, be in my office so we can discuss what happened tonight.”

Monday came far too quickly, and as I trudged into work I felt like I’d been run over by a freight truck. Lucas had disappeared over the weekend, and begrudgingly I was grateful for the extra sleep, even if it had been restless. Walking past Lisa’s vacant desk, I half wondered if she would even appear today.

A knock at my door, caused me to look up and see her quivering form in my doorway.

“Come in, shut the door,” I ordered, my exasperation evident.

Lisa shuffled in quickly, closing the door with a click behind her. “Ms. Reid, again, I am so sorry. I have thought this over a million times this weekend trying to figure out what exactly happened. I have replayed Friday repeatedly trying to rack my brain. I was at my desk, finalizing some things you had asked me to do when Ms. Prescott walked up and asked about my plans for the weekend. I even stopped what I was doing to answer her so I wouldn’t be distracted and make a mistake.” Pausing I could see her frying her brain trying to recall her day, just as what she said finally registered in my own.

“Wait, back up,” I shouted, leaping to my feet. “Savannah was at your desk?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Lisa nodded her head.

“What did you tell her?” I interrogated.

“Just that I would be seeing to your instructions at the event while you were out of town,” Lisa hesitantly replied.

That
bitch
! I knew in an instant that Savannah was responsible for the screw-up. She must have known I was going to go enjoy a weekend away with Lucas, and sabotaged the reception. Probably still irritated I’d called her out on those photos. It shocked me that Savannah would risk my job knowing how important it was to me.

“That is all Lisa, get to work,” I grumbled, effectively sending Lisa scrambling out of my office back to her desk.

“Ms. Reid,” Lisa’s distorted voice came over my phone intercom, bringing me back from mentally plotting Savannah’s murder.

“What,” I barked into the phone.

“Umm, I apologize. I just wanted to let you know I confirmed the models for the photo shoot on Wednesday. Would you like me to forward the details to Ms. Prescott?”

“Yes, thank you,” I attempted to rein in my anger since ultimately, Lisa was just naïve to Savannah’s manipulation tactics. It wasn’t her fault my best friend was a back stabber.

Standing up I slipped my heels back on and then walked toward Savannah’s office, unsure what I planned to do or say, just needing to confront her. As I approached, her assistant scurried away, glancing over her shoulder at me, terror in her eyes. With a laugh I slipped into Savanna’s office.

Giving the mouse a shake, I saw Savannah’s computer was on and unlocked. “Oh tsk, tsk Savannah, you should know better,” I said aloud. I slid into her chair and quickly pulled up her email program. There was the message from Lisa confirming the photo shoot. Without a second thought, I dragged the email to one of the random folders on the left side. That way she couldn’t use the excuse she didn’t get it. Poor Savannah, how would she ever make it to a photo shoot if she didn’t know it existed?

Clicking over to her calendar, I saw an appointment with her doctor this afternoon. Quickly I scribbled down the phone number. Then I put everything back how I had found it and snuck back to my desk. As I took my seat, I twisted the piece of paper in my hands, mulling over what to do with the information but knowing full well what I wanted to do. Glancing at my desk I saw a folder sticking out from the event planning I had done. Instantly, all my anger and exhaustion came rushing back. Oh, Savannah deserved everything I could dish out and more.

I picked up my phone, quickly dialed the doctor’s office, and connected with the receptionist.

“Hi yes, this is Savannah Prescott, I have an appointment at two this afternoon, I was wondering if I could speak with a nurse real quick. I have a few questions.”

“Of course Ms. Prescott, I’ll transfer you right now,” she replied in a courteous tone before placing me on hold.

Within minutes a new voice came over the line. “Ms. Prescott, this is Julie. How may I help you?”

“Umm yes, well I have some… oh my gosh I am so embarrassed. You see, I have some concerns and I wanted to know if I could get them checked out today as well. I am having some discomfort down there. I think I may have caught something from one of the men I was intimate with.”

“Well Ms. Prescott, umm, we can certainly run some tests and take some swabs while you are in. Are you not using protection?”

“I was, but you know, sometimes I just have one too many drinks and don’t think about it in the heat of the moment. Oh gosh, I wonder if that’s why I’m two months late on my period as well,” I rambled on, hearing the nurse on the other end gasp.

“Ms. Prescott, I have noted your patient record. I will get this to the doctor so he can review your file before your appointment. I would suggest you consider being more cautious in your personal life, and we will run a slew of tests while you are here to ensure you haven’t contracted any diseases, or an unwanted pregnancy.”

Muffling a giggle I spoke, “Oh Julie, thank you so much. If I could also just ask, could you be my nurse today? As you can imagine, I am quite ashamed of this all and would rather not have to repeat myself in the office, where people can overhear.”

“Of course Ms. Prescott, I will see you this afternoon,” Julie responded before saying goodbye.

Setting my phone back on the receiver, I fell back in a fit of hysterics. Well that should make for an interesting visit to the doctor.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Savannah

WAKING UP MONDAY
I felt completely refreshed and rejuvenated after spending the past forty eight hours in bed with Luke. Much to my surprise, when he showed up unexpectedly on Friday evening, he never left. We spent a blissful weekend tangled up in each other’s bodies, enjoying every second together. When Monday rolled around, I decided to sleep in for a bit after Luke woke me to say goodbye, but now it was time to head out and deal with a shoot for our spring collection.

I grabbed my things and rushed out of my condo, heading for the Colorado Convention Center where our shoot would take place. I was pleased to see that everything was just right and my models were ready to go upon arrival. I began snapping picture after picture. Everything was perfect, the models, the scenery and most importantly, the lighting. Thinking back to Brooke’s comment regarding my last set of photos reignited my anger, but it also made me rock the session to prove to her that I was the best. Wrapping up three hours later, I thanked the team and gathered my things before speeding off to my gynecologist appointment that I was already running late for.

Julie, a short, chubby nurse delivered me to the examination room. “Ms. Prescott, if you would change into the robe, Dr. Carter will be in shortly.”

I stepped behind the three-panel room divider and shimmied out of my clothes then pulled the robe on before heading for the examination table. Julie was looking between my chart and the medical supplies on the counter as I sat down. Before she excused herself, she walked over with what looked like a goody bag, handing it to me as she spoke. “Ms. Prescott, I’ve prepared a few items for you to take home, I’ll set them next to your purse. Just consider them a gift from us to you and your health.”

Smiling, I nodded, and she walked out of the room, leaving the goody bag on the counter. Curiosity piqued my interest, so I snatched the bag and opened it, only to find a variety of condoms, scented vaginal wipes, and two at-home pregnancy tests.
What the hell?
I thought to myself, wondering if this was the new way gynecologists thanked their patients for their loyalty. Chuckling I tossed the bag into my purse just as the doctor and Julie entered the room.

As usual, it was second nature for me to flirt with Dr. Carter. He was handsome, and I’d always imagined that one day my little office visit would turn into more than a standard checkup. “Well hello Dr. Carter, it’s always a pleasure to see you,” I said in a flirty voice. Julie scrunched her eyebrows, and Dr. Carter sat in his rolling chair, all business. “Legs up Ms. Prescott, we’ve got a lot to do today.” A bit taken aback, I pushed my legs into the stirrups and lay back as he began the examination.

I was usually in and out in a matter of ten minutes, but this examination seemed to be taking longer than normal. After a half-hour, Dr. Carter stood up from his chair. “Julie will show you to my office, and I’ll meet you there in five minutes.” Dr. Carter left the room and Julie stayed behind, waiting for me to change.