“Just finishing up those resumes,” she explained, forcing a smile and returning to her desk. “There are some great candidates. With any luck we’ll be up and running in a few weeks.”
“So what’s the problem then?” Natalia crossed her arms, the look of concern on her face worthy of Olivia’s own mother. “You’ve been moping around here all week.”
“Everything is—”
“Stop,” Natalia commanded with a flourish of her hand. She strode across the room and slipped gracefully into one of the chairs opposite the desk, looking every bit the powerhouse executive in her crimson suit. “I realize we don’t know each other that well yet, and it’s going to take time for us to get to a level of trust where we can be brutally honest with one another, but girl, you look like someone just ran over your puppy. So how about we just skip all the BS and you tell me what’s bothering you? I’m a pretty good listener.”
Olivia contemplated Natalia’s offer. She couldn’t possibly explain the messy situation with Cole. She wasn’t even sure what the situation was herself. Correction: what the situation had been. It was definitely nothing now.
“Besides,” Natalia prompted, with a spirited grin, “tomorrow is our biggest fashion show of the year, and I can’t have people thinking that long face of yours comes from working here. How would that look?”
Olivia sighed. “I’m just upset about what happened at PBA. Cole pulled strings behind my back to get Jonathan to offer me that partnership, even though he knew it would make people talk. He didn’t care. He just did what he wanted to do so I would sleep with him again.”
Natalia leaned back in her chair, studying Olivia. It was hard to read her body language and she had no idea what the other woman was thinking.
“I’ve known Cole Bennett for a long time,” Natalia finally said. “He doesn’t invest easily. I understand that his interference irritates you. It would irritate me too, frankly. But don’t be too hard on the guy.” Natalia stood and smoothed her jacket. “I think you know as well as I do that if all Cole had wanted from you was sex, he’d have gotten it without going to such lengths.” She pulled two all access passes for the fashion show from her pocket and tossed them on the desk. “Now chin up, sweetheart. You’ve got work to do tomorrow. Try and look happy. You’re a Vixen now.”
…
Cole groaned, cursing the throbbing in his skull. He felt around blindly and found a pillow, which he pulled down over his head. Would the incessant pounding never stop? He promised himself he’d never touch a bottle of Scotch again if it would just go away.
He sighed with relief when it finally subsided, but his relief was short lived. The living room blinds were thrown open, the harsh light of the morning sun blinding him in his hung-over state. “What the fuck?” he mumbled, as the bottle of Scotch was snatched from his grip.
“What the fuck is right,” Anna replied, hand on her hip. Cole attempted to shield his eyes. It didn’t help. In fact, it seemed highly possible his skull would crack open at any second, which might actually be a blessing compared to the alternative. With the sun at her back, Anna looked like a tiny Amazon warrior ready to kick his ass. “You look like hell.”
“Thanks,” Cole muttered, dragging himself to a sitting position. He scrubbed a hand over his face, getting a not so gentle reminder that he needed to shave. “Remind me again why I gave you a key?”
“For emergencies, obviously.”
“I hardly think this qualifies as an emergency.” Cole groaned and buried his face in the couch pillows. If this was Anna’s idea of emergency care, he was getting that key back before she left today. “Can you please close those blinds? You’re killing me here.”
“The pain is good for you,” she replied from the kitchen, where she was pouring his last bottle of Johnnie Walker Black down the drain. “It reminds you that you’re alive. Do you even know what day it is?”
“The better question would be, do I care what day it is?”
Anna returned to the living room, sitting on the coffee table in front of Cole. She twisted the top off a bottle of water and handed it to him, along with two aspirins he desperately needed.
“What’s going on? You haven’t returned a single one of my calls this week. I was worried about you.”
“I’m fine,” he lied, knowing full well Anna would never believe him, given his present condition. “Just taking a few personal days. People do that, you know. Take time off.”
“You are quite obviously not fine.” Anna gestured around the room, which was littered with takeout containers and empty liquor bottles. In the light of day, he could see the whole place was a disaster. Hell, he was a disaster. “What in the hell happened to you?”
“Olivia Masterson happened,” Cole groaned.