I’m already on my third glass of champagne and I’m tipsy as hell. Emmanuel ordered some Dom Perigon to drink before we head out, continuing the celebrations and good mood.
Luckily I’ve already applied my makeup and tonight I’ve decided to wear one of the dresses I bought from my shopping spree. It’s simple but definitely makes an impact.
It’s a Herve Leger light coral bandage dress that shows off all my curves and is also incredibly short.
Feeling good, I let my hair out and give it that sexy tousled bed head look and drape myself in my fine gold chains and diamond studs. Some red lippy and nude colour heels and I have to admit, I’m looking really good, although it could just be that the alcohol is making me see things.
Suddenly my phone starts ringing and I stumble around like a drunk person trying to find it. I finally locate it lying on my bed hidden amongst all my clothes and see Mel’s name come up.
I entrusted Mel to look after all my orders while I was away in New York and she’s probably already stuffed something up.
“It’s all good Mel, calm down, what did you stuff up, we can fix it,” I say tipsily to her.
“Um…okay have you been drinking?”
“Just a few celebratory drinks,” I giggle back to her.
“Okay, well anyway I’m not calling because I stuffed anything up. Quite the opposite in fact.”
I sit down on the chair against the window overlooking New York.
“Okay what’s up then?” I ask her.
“Well that’s just it. Your orders have skyrocketed. In the last hour, you’ve had a thousand sales, and looking at your sales just now, that figure has increased to almost two thousand orders,” Mel says perplexed.
“I don’t understand. Are you sure you’re reading it right? I average two hundred orders a day Mel, and that’s on a good day. Are you sure you’re reading it correctly?” I ask her confused.
“Check your laptop.”
“Okay give me a sec while I boot it up.”
I run over to my laptop sitting on the study desk and open up my orders screen. And sure enough, Mel is right. I have had almost three thousand orders in the last two hours along.
What is going on?
“Mel your right, I’m seeing the same thing.”
“Well duh, of course I’m right! But how is this happening? Is Barneys advertising for you? Do you have some advertising going on that I don’t know about? Because I can’t keep up with the orders at this rate!”
“Shit, I don’t know, no I mean no advertising, I only just signed with Barneys New York today. I don’t understand,” I say perplexed.
“Well, I mean the sales are a good thing. It’s just insane. The phone is ringing off the hook here with orders, and your online site is going nuts, I just keep getting order after order. I’m going to have to call some of my friends over to help me out with this.”
“Thanks a bunch Mel. Of course I’ll pay you all, but I’m going to figure out what’s going on first and I’ll call you back.”
“Yeah no worries babe, I’ll be in touch,” Mel says before hanging up the phone.
I find Emmanuel putting on his shirt in his bedroom. “What’s wrong Soph?” he says turning to face me while I stand there looking confused
I relay everything that just happened with Mel, telling him about the sales and how they keep climbing each hour.
“That is pretty weird. I mean it’s a good thing, but it makes you wonder why sales have soared like that. Have you done something different? Been advertising somewhere?” he asks.
“No nothing different Em. And now I don’t know how I’m going to keep up with demand. If sales keep going like this I’ll be out of stock in a couple of weeks.”
Em finishes buttoning up his shirt, while looking at me in the mirror. “We will call the supplier’s tomorrow- I’ll deal with them. Don’t worry; I’m here with you to help you out. Tonight let’s just celebrate okay?” he says with a smile.
“Okay.”
“Good now let’s get going,” he says smacking me on the butt.
*******
As we get into the cab I realise I have no idea where Em’s taking me.
“We’re going to Da Silvano. A gorgeous Italian restaurant that is highly recommended by my clients. Right in the heart of Greenwich Village. Oh and by the way, I’ve invited some of my clients and friends,” he adds.
“Cool, sounds good,” I slur back to him.
Emmanuel and I crack up laughing in the car. That’s the great thing about Em, we’ve both had shitty upbringings, where we spent most of our life hiding away and being harassed and ostracised. Now we laugh and everything with Em is funny. I don’t know what it is- we just have to look at each other and we’re in tears.
We pull up to the restaurant and there seems to be a long line to get into the place. It is crammed with people.
Emmanuel walks straight up to the front waiter and tells him we have a reservation. The waiter walks to a table outside that already has people on it. I’m about to say something until I see Jase sitting at the table.
Jase spots me and immediately looks at me in complete and utter shock. I don’t know why he’s shocked – he would have at least known I was here. Me on the other hand, not so much. I wish I could’ve said to Em to give me a heads up, but he knows nothing about the drama that has unfolded between Jase and I.
I didn’t want to ruin their friendship or working relationship. So I kept things to myself. I guess Jase probably thought I hadn’t said anything either considering he was invited by Em.
I look back at Jase and he still looks sexier as ever and that just pisses me off more.
I notice he’s dressed in jeans and a khaki coloured button down shirt with his sleeves rolled up exposing his tattoos. The colour brings out his extremely tanned skin. The outfit makes him look so god damn sexy, but it’s those piercing green eyes that make me nervous. They’re what got me in to trouble in the first place. Maybe if I avoid eye contact with him I will be fine.
Emmanuel introduces me to all his friends, three guys – including Jase, and one girl named Silvana.
I say my hellos to all of them shaking their hand and I do the right thing and am polite to Jase and act like nothing ever happened. He’s still looking at me with his mouth open and right now all I want to do is sock in the jaw.
Why’d he have to be here when it’s my celebration night !
I tell myself that tonight is about Em and I and I’m not going to let anyone change that. The seating is weird too. Silvana and two of Em’s friends are seated on one side. Jase is sitting on the edge of the other side and there is no way I’m sitting next to him. So I try to go and sit on the edge of the table but Emmanuel isn’t having it.
“Sophie! No no, you my dear are in the middle, tonight is a celebration for you!”
“Sit, Sit,” he tells me patting the chair in the middle. I grind my teeth together and force a smile.
For fucks sake Sophie, get it together. Be an adult!
So I do. I Ignore Jase and laugh and eat and drink with Em and his friends.
“I want to make a toast,” Emmanuel interrupts halfway through dinner. “To the only girl in my life who I could love.” He pauses and looks at me and smiles. “Sophie, here’s to you and one very successful future. You are a star baby. You can do anything. May all your dreams come true,” he finishes by giving me a massive kiss on the cheek.
“Cheers,” we all say clinking glasses and drinking.
By now I’m drunk, very, very drunk. I’ve never gone beyond my two glass limit, and now I’m on my fourth, and I know I’m going to have on very serious hangover tomorrow. But right now, I don’t care. I’m having one of the best nights in my life.
I feel as if I’m floating, and I can’t wipe the stupid grin off my face. I even momentarily forget Jase is next to me. But that peace is short-lived. For some silly reason the alcohol in me has made me lose all inhibitions, and I actually turn and face him. Realising immediately it was not a smart thing to do, I pretend to go back to eating my food while Emmanuel carries on the conversation for the rest of the group.
“You don’t even want to look at me, is that how much I repulse you, Sophie?” asks a very familiar male voice seated on my left.
I slowly turn and face Jase. I really look at him, giving him by full attention. And it is a mistake because I immediately gasp at just how gorgeous he is. It’s like I forget, or like words aren’t justice and I’ll be prepared when I see him again. But nope. Seeing him again is like seeing him for the first time. Again.
“No you don’t repulse me. I just don’t have much to say to you. You made it clear last time I saw you that there wasn’t anything to be said between us at all,” I say nonchalantly.
He searches my face, for what, I don’t know. He puts his cutlery down and angles his body towards me to show me he’s giving me he’s undivided attention. Everyone else seems to be too engrossed in laughter and conversation to realise what is happening between us.
“I’m sorry, Sophie. You may think the worst of me, maybe even despise me. And I deserve it. I was an asshole. But there is so much I want to tell you- need to tell you. Explain to you. So when Emmanuel called me tonight and told me to come and celebrate for your deal today, I just had to see you again.” He pauses and looks down, deep in thought before continuing. “I haven’t stopped thinking about you. I…I wanted to call you. I wanted to stop you before you walked out at the hotel. But you looked so hurt, so upset and angry. I just wanted to give you space. I honestly thought you would be a girl I could forget about, but I can’t get you off my mind.”
How can he say that to me when he’s in love with somebody else? How can he have the audacity to continue to be here with me? Is he really that much of a lying cheat?
“Oh you can’t get me off your mind? Is that what you say to Sarah? Where is she tonight by the way? I’m sure she’d be really impressed with you,” I reply coldly.
Jase’s face loses its colour again and he looks down before speaking. “No she wouldn’t be impressed with me at all.”
What is up with him?
I wish Jase wasn’t the lying cheat that he was and I wish so much there wasn’t another girl involved, because I feel everything Jase said and more, the passion, the intensity, and the love.
“I need to explain who Sarah is,” he says looking back at me.
“I don’t want to hear it.”
“Damn it Sophie, Just listen to me. Give me the chance to explain and after that, you never have to see me again,” he says grabbing my hand.
I pull my hand away, his touch igniting emotions in me I’d rather keep hidden.
“How are sales going Sophie?” Jase says in his confident voice, changing the subject, acting as if nothing just happened.
“Why are you asking…,” I pause and look him with anger in my eyes. “What did you do Jase? What the hell did you do?” I ask again, anger rising with each breath I take.
“I will explain everything, I promise you. Tonight. But you need to come somewhere with me first.”
“Are you out of your damn mind? I’m not going anywhere with you!” I scream.
Everyone stops they’re talking at the table and looks over at Jase and I. We’ve even managed to attract the attention of the surrounding tables and some waiters.
“What’s going on?” Em asks looking at both of us.
“I have a surprise for Soph, Em. You mind if I take her tonight for a bit- I’ll return her in the morning?”
I look between Jase and Em, absolutely horrified.
Is Jase out of his mind? And of course Em will be fine with it, he thinks we’re fine.
Before I even have the chance to object, Jase pulls me to my feet and hails a cab faster than I can get out of my chair.
“I’ll catch you later Soph,” Em says giving me a kiss on the cheek and then smacking my ass which sends me catapulting towards Jase.
Jase smiles and grabs my hand, pulling me into the back seat of the cab.
“Just down to Times Square,” he tells the cab
“What are you doing?” I yell at Jase.
He drapes an arm around me and looks at me with a devious grin. “I let you go once; I’m not letting you go again Sophie. I saw you tonight and I couldn’t take my eyes off you. It killed me that you couldn’t even look my way.”
I sit there stunned at his words, and basically shocked at the fact I’m back with Jase in a cab going to Times Square.
“You’re with Sarah. You love Sarah. When all along I was loving you, you loved somebody else. Why won’t you just leave me alone? Let me go!”
“No,” he says with a confident stare.
The cab driver looks in his rear view mirror, taking in the scene unfolding in the back. I could only imagine what he sees going on in the back seats of his cab.
“I will never let you go Sophie. Ever.”
I look at him in disbelief. I try to digest the words he’s telling me, telling myself he’s lying. He’s playing me again. But when I look into his eyes, I come up short. Because all I see is his sincerity and genuineness.
What is going on?
Before I can even form words to ask why and what the hell is going on, the cab pulls over before it hits the busy strip of Times Square. Jase pays the cab and pulls me outside. We stand on the sidewalk, amongst the other hundreds of people who also cover the footpath.
“What are we doing here?”
“Look up Sophie, Look around you, and tell me what you see,” Jase before swirling me around to face all the flashing commercials and signs in Times Square.
And then I see it. I see it everywhere. My Jewellery line, is on every billboard sign, every flashing sign, large, bright, and colourful. All of the signs are all about my jewellery. I can’t believe it. I can’t believe what I’m seeing.
I stare at Jase in disbelief, “Did you do this?”
He nods at me. “And I have your jewellery site on billboards all down Broadway and even in LA. I got in touch with Em, told him to keep it a secret.”
I just stare at Jase. I don’t even know what to say. Part of me is grateful; the other part is annoyed for him helping me. He doesn’t call after the hotel incident and then this?
As if reading my thoughts, Jase turns to me, “I wanted to call you, text you, fly down and see you. But I knew you wouldn’t answer or hear any of it. I knew you’d tell me to go to hell. And I’m not good with words. So I put a plan in place to show you.”
“If you had of called or texted, if you tried something; I would’ve at least known you were thinking of me. But you didn’t,” I respond back to him.
“I mean I’m grateful Jase, don’t get me wrong, it all makes sense to me now why my sales have skyrocketed, but why are you doing this? You don’t owe me anything. And we’re done. This is just a reminder of you.”
“Tell me you love me again,” Jase says with intense eyes.
“I don’t love you,” I lie back.
“This was not the way I wanted to tell you, but I guess there was never going to be a good time or place,” Jase says looking away, taking a deep breath. “Just walk with me and sit down. I’m going to explain Sarah.”
My heart sinks. I don’t know that I want to hear this. But I guess some part of me does. Who is this girl and why hadn’t he mentioned her before? I knew Jase was hiding something, right from the beginning. I guess this was his secret. And it was time I knew.