Getting ready later that evening was probably the most difficult of all bookings. It wasn’t my first rodeo but I was extremely nervous. I had never been booked by someone I actually knew before and what concerned me the most was not knowing if he knew he was booking me in the first place. Kyle and I had an intense history that I had always hoped thats where it would stay, in the past. Before I had the chance to reflect further on the past I heard a knock at the door and knew it was time for Hair and Makeup. I walked to the door in my cream silk robe with nothing but my matching white bra, underwear and garters. I knew this was what Kyle liked based on past experiences so no matter what happened that night, he was definitely going to get his money’s worth. As I looked through the peephole I saw my best friend Giselle. I flung open the door, not concerned with how I would looked and launched at her, squashing her into a huge hug. Her tiny figure crumbled beneath my embrace, she dropped her suitcases and squeezed me so hard it knocked the breath out of me. She had definitely been working out. A few moments later, when we had finished screaming she picked up her suitcases and we walked inside the suite. I poured us both a drink as Giselle went about setting up her things at the table in the living room next to a full length mirror and desk.
“So what are you thinking for tonight?” she asked as she placed her makeup brushes in a row and began unpacking the remainder of the first suitcase contents.
“I really don’t know G. Tonight’s not the usual dress to impress kind of booking.” I said cautiously. Giselle knew everything there was to know about both sides of my life, all the secrets and had been my best friend for years. She never judged my choices and was always a great soundboard when my head became too clouded to make any sane decisions. It was after my first red carpet appearance that she had done my hair and makeup for that I asked her to become my personal hair and makeup artist. I loved what she always came up with. My looks were always discussed as understated and sophisticated in national and international tabloids and I had decided earlier on that I always wanted to be classy vs. slutty.
“Oh really! Why’s that?” she asked looking up at me, obviously not understanding what I had meant. I sat down in the chair in front of her and stared at my reflection in the mirror. I could feel the tears welling up before his name even left my mouth. The past was definitely something that I didn’t like revisiting but this time, I didn’t have a choice.
“It’s Kyle” I said almost inaudibly. She dropped her brush with a loud clunk on the table and spun around to face me.
“As in Kyle Richardson?” she almost screamed in anger.
“Yes” I knew that she was going to be pissed off when she heard this. She had been there throughout the entire Kyle Richardson debacle and hated him with a passion.
“Antonia! WHY WOULD YOU EVER AGREE TO GO ON A BOOKING WITH HIM! Especially after what he did to you.” She screamed. I knew she wasn’t angry with me but I felt myself cower under her disappointment.
“G, I didn’t know until I landed here. I literally got off the plane, jumped in the car and saw his name on the brief. I have fought with myself over this all afternoon but I can’t pull out now. I don’t even know if he knows it’s me.”
“How can he not know, you only work on referrals.” Her reminder of this fact put things into perspective. How could he not know?
“Look, I really can’t go back to that time. I only have to spend 36 hours with him and as soon as it’s over I will call the agency and tell them to never book me for him again.” I said trying to end the conversation.
“You know I don’t usually have any judgment about your work but seriously A, Are you sure you are going to be able to handle this?” I knew she was concerned about me and I sincerely appreciated it.
“I don’t really know. What I do know is that if I pull out now and he does know it’s me he will know that he hurt me. I’m a professional and this will be like any other booking. Can we please just get on with it?. The sooner I get ready the sooner it will all be over.” She didn’t argue any further, instead she pulled my hair up into a bun and began working on making me look glamorous.
As I sipped on my water and watched my transformation take place with each delicate brush stroke on my face I felt my mask slip into place. I was definitely a professional and no matter how much this client had hurt me in the past, he wasn’t going to hurt me again. I was after all, Antonia Reid...an international success...at what I still hadn’t figured out.
* * * *
The next morning as I climbed out of bed I felt the hangover of a lifetime begin to kick in. I had an incredible time with the girls at Copyright the night before and hadn’t arrived home until well after 3am. I had almost forgotten about meeting Kyle Richardson until, as I slipped off my pj’s and caught a glimpse of a small bruise on my left ribcage from hitting the wall the night before. It hadn’t heart until I saw it and once my mind registered the pain it became something I couldn’t escape. I jumped into the shower and turned on the hot water in hopes that it would sooth the pain I was now registering. The hangover I was now dealing with made me question whether I would ever drink again. It must have been the final bottle of champagne that was causing the blinding headache, well that was my excuse and I was sticking to it.
I pulled myself out of the shower twenty minutes later and wrapped a towel around my body before I heard my phone ringing. I ran to get it from the bedroom nightstand and tripped over my shoes that I had cast aside as bed began calling in the early hours of the morning. When I picked myself up from the floor, cursing at myself for leaving my shoes in that inconvenient spot, I picked up my phone and the caller id told me that the number calling was withheld. I didn’t usually answer unknown numbers but in my current state of mind I didn’t really care.
“Hello?” I answered while rubbing my sore ankle.
“Hello Antonia” said a smooth and confident male voice on the other end of the phone. I began to regret answering my phone as I tried to place the voice but failed miserably.
“Who is this?” I asked cautiously.
“Forgotten me already?” The man responded with a slight chuckle in his voice.
“Ugh, you have the wrong number” I said before hanging up, throwing my phone on the bed and limping to my walk in robe to get changed. A few seconds later my phone began ringing again but this time I refused to answer it. After putting on a pair of jeans and white tank top, I pulled my long dark curls down from the top of my head and allowed them to flow nicely over my top. I applied a small amount of lip gloss and mascara but opted for a more natural look for breakfast with Tash later that morning. Once I finished applying a think layer of gloss I head my phone ringing again. I walked over to the bed and picked it up, noticing that it was a blocked number again.
“What?” I snapped as I answered it.
“Well thats a nice way to answer your phone” said the same voice again. It was then that it clicked. It was Kyle...but how did he get my number.
“How did you get my number Kyle?” I said a little angrier than I expected.
“I have my ways, that’s not important though. What are you doing for breakfast?” he said in a seductive voice.
“I have plans.” I responded, immediately forgetting that this man had somehow gained access to my unlisted mobile number.
“Really?” he asked almost like he didn’t believe me.
“Yes Really!” I snapped back.
“Well what about lunch?” he said, I knew what he was getting back but I was more than sure I had made my intentions clear the night before.
“Look Kyle, I’m sure you’re a nice guy but I am really not interested” I said grabbing my handbag and keys, worried that I was going to be late and Tash was going to be angry.
“I don’t believe that. You wouldn’t have answered your phone again if that was the case.” It made me wonder why I had answered my phone. Surely I had known it was him deep down.
“You wouldn’t have stopped calling if I didn’t” I knew right then that I had known it was him.
“Ah, So you do want to talk to me!”
“I never said that at all. Look, I don’t have time to talk right now Kyle. I’m running late and I really have to go” I said as I exited my apartment and began walking through the lobby.
“Well why don’t you let me take you where you need to go and we can discuss our impending dinner plans.” He wasn’t going to take no for an answer.
“You don’t know where I live and even if I did tell you where I lived, you couldn’t get here fast enough. It would be quicker to get a cab.” I responded smugly as I stepped out into the open street and looked around for a cab.
“Well it’s just your luck that I’m right in front of you.” I stopped dead in my tracks and saw him standing on the opposite side of the road by his black Aston Martin.
“What the fuck?” I said in shock.
“Well I think its a little early for that, at least let me buy you dinner first!” he said laughing. I hung up my phone and shook my head at him. I had done a little research on this man before I had passed out last night laying in bed on my phone. He was definitely a very resourceful man so I really shouldn’t have been surprised that he would be able to find out anything he wanted to know about me. It should have scared me but I had to admire is tenacity. It was clear when he wanted something that he would do everything in his power to get it. I looked up and down the street and considered my options. I could hope to catch a cab and ignore this mysterious stranger once again or I could accept his offer for a ride and never speak to him again. He didn’t move any closer towards me as I thought but I could feel his gaze burning in my direction as leaned up against his car. I walked towards him and crossed the road carefully. As I approached him, a sexy but very cheeky smile crossed his face. He knew he had won out on this one. I stood within inches of him before speaking.
“You have five minutes to get me to Potts Point safely, and to fail miserably at convincing me to have dinner with you, but this calling on a blocked number and turning up at my house shit has to stop. It’s stalkerish behavior and I’m not adverse to calling the police” I said, death staring him but laughing inside. He didn’t speak. Instead he ran to the other side of the car and opened the door. I was a little caught off guard by his lack of response but also by his gentleman behavior. I walked over to the other side of the car. As I stood looking at him he finally spoke.
“All I need is five minutes and I definitely won’t fail.” He said before I jumped in the car thinking how wrong he was...little did I realize that I was the one who would be wrong.
* * * *
Once Giselle had put the final touches on my hair and makeup I felt so much more confident than I had been a little under an hour before. Kyle Richardson may have been one of the most exciting and gorgeous men I had ever met, but he also had a very dark side to him. I was stronger now than I had been a few years earlier and this time I would resist any form of charm that he wanted to throw at me. I was immune to his charisma and power and nothing he could say or do would be able to get under my skin. I decided with my new found confidence that I wanted an outfit change. I rummaged around in the closet and found my latest purchase, a red backless, halter-neck dress that accentuated my ample cleavage, with a diamond broach on the stomach and a large split down the side. I picked up my red peep-toe pumped and slid them gently on my feet before Giselle walked in and fluffed up my curls so they fell naturally over my shoulders
“Damn Girl you sure know what you’re doing. This is definitely going to make him sorry he ever fucked with you” Giselle said as she stood back and took in my appearance. I had to agree with her, the person staring back at me had been transformed from a plane jane into a smoldering temptress. It was then that I realized that this was what I was good at, putting on a mask and playing a character that was so far from my fragile reality and that suited me just fine.
“Here’s hoping” I said, feeling my confidence soar when I finally accepted that no matter how hard I tried, I knew my past was going to catch up with me at some point...and there was no time like the present to begin dealing with it.
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