Free Wilde Velvet by Deila Longford Page B

ride and she toots the horn as she drives away. I fix my bag onto my shoulder and I push open the heavy restaurant door. It’s busy and it looks as if I have arrived just in time. The three other servers looked rushed off their feet. I scramble to the back and I tie my black apron around my waist. I fix my hair and then I begin my evening of busting tables.

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Six
     
     
     
     
     
    My phone wakes me the next morning. I slowly reach over and I scowl when I see that it’s Jonathon who is calling. We haven’t talked since our little mishap. I don’t know if he is still mad at me or if he has gotten over it. My heart starts to race as I slide to answer.
    “Hey,” my voice is sleepy.
    “I’ll be twenty minutes. Be ready when I arrive.” His voice is shallow and rude. He must still be annoyed about what happened the other day.
    “May I ask what we are doing today?”
    “Must you always answer with a question?” he says in a dark voice. I blush –that’s me told. “We’ll start with a workout and then hit the studio. That’s if you still wanna work with me.” I clear my throat.
    “Of course I still want to work with you. It’s just … what we talked about, is still very much a factor. Our friendship, working relationship whatever you wanna call it can’t go beyond professional. I would really like it if you could accept my conditions and move on. I really wanna work with you on my music.”
    “Babe, I’m already over it.”
    “Really?”
    “You sound surprised, why?”
    “No reason, I’m glad. And to answer your question, I’ll be ready by the time you arrive.”
    “Good,” he hangs up. I jump out of bed and run towards the shower. I quickly wash and I part-dry my wet hair. The door buzzes and I scramble to find my footing. I fall, but I manage to pick myself up. I brush off my anxiety as I pull open the door. There he is, standing in front of me. He is wearing black Adidas shorts and a white soccer sweatshirt. He looks so hot. Focus Ashley. He looks down at me, in my tiny shorts and extra tight tank top. My wet hair is caressing my skin and it tickles. I hold in my smile as he ushers me with more demands.
    “Let’s go . Now.” His voice is urgent. He must be in a hurry. I throw my bag across my shoulder and it falls and rests onto my hip. I step out into the hallway and then I follow Mr Gucci down to his car. As always he opens the door for me. I climb into his car and I sink into the white leather seats. He jumps in beside me. He starts the engine and pulls away. We drive in complete silence to the gym. Then we work out in that same silence. We grab some food at a local diner, again in silence. He drives us to BeatBox records, but this time we have the music of Kanye West to fill the silence. He ushers me out of the car and into the building. I feel uncomfortable in my tiny workout clothes. I feel that everyone is staring. I hate being the centre of attention. I try to compose myself as I follow Jonathan up the stairs. We reach the top floor and Emily –Mr Wilde’s assistant is walking towards us. She has a clipboard in one hand and a BlackBerry in the other. She smiles when she reaches us.
    “Good morning Mr Wilde . Miss Harper.” she greets us in her sweet voice. Jonathan briefly smiles at her as he continues to walk and signals for us to follow him.
    “Do I have any messages?” he asks in a firm tone.
    “Yes sir, your father called again. Do you still want me to tell him that you’re out of town?” I shift my eyes onto his. Why is he lying to his father? I shake myself. It’s none of your business.  
    “Hmm … no … I’ll deal with him later. Is there anything else?” he says urgently. He briefly pauses as Emily checks over her notepad.
    “No more messages sir, but may I remind you that you have a meeting at 1.30 ?”He nods as he starts to walk again. I follow him.
    “That’s all for now Emily.” 
    He leads me to his office