Chapter 3 Vip

• Kiara.
• Six years later.
• I breezed through the mannequins and slipped through the side door. Quietly I moved to the reception area and settled down behind the counter. The computer screen beeped and I typed my pass code. The beeping stopped and a man appeared from the door, his eyes heavy from lack of sleep. "Is my order ready?"
• "What's your name sir?" I asked, ready to type into the computer. We got customers like this who moved from the first floor and up to the fourth where I worked just for trouble. Looking at him, I could tell he was here to fight but then again I tried to be open-minded. I didn't want to judge someone simply because of how they appeared or how rude they sounded so I remained as neutral as I could be.
• "Don't look at me like that!" He said.
• "How so?"
• "You're talking back, huh?" He leaned forward over the counter to touch my cheeks. I slapped his hands away and looked in the direction of security. If I so wanted, I would tear this man limb from limb but this was my big break. I couldn't afford to jeopardize it now.
• We broke into an argument and as he tried to touch me again, I told him off. The moment he walked out of the shop, I breathed in and out.
• "Stop acting foolish at the very least!" My boss said from behind me. "Why would you speak to the customer harshly?"
• I swallowed. "You didn't even ask why I had to do that."
• "Again with the flimsy excuses!" She yelled.
• I'd thought it unfair and not deserving of a shout but it seemed she derived a certain kind of pleasure in seeing me swamped up with work. "I work such long hours and someone comes in here…"
• "You can just as well quit and find somewhere else to hide your pitiable self then, huh?"
• I sighed and balled my hands into papery fists. I couldn't say much to her. It was true that she was not the best boss and always tried to incite me with mean words every chance she got but I had a responsibility now. This was not a choice I'd been given. I have to survive.
• I thought back to the night my sister had both betrayed and left me for dead. I'd had to crawl my way around this new life, hoping for the best. I hadn't spoken to my family or to Chase in years which was a good thing. My family was doing well and Chase… last I heard of him was that he was out of town. I could not care less anymore.
• My boss turned swiftly. "How many times do I have to tell you that standing there makes you the face of my fashion shop? At least, look the part or pretend to."
• "I'm doing my best," I said.
• "No, you are not," she replied, coyly. "Do I have to do all the work around here too? Stand upright or you'll push the clients away with your sour face."
• I said nothing. I'd since found out that it was better to say nothing to her and let her continue until she got too exhausted to add more. She had always been mean to me since the first day I got here and as much as I'd tried to ignore her completely, I'd soon found out she was difficult to ignore.
• "And you are not exactly the kind of person to be left alone," she said. "That's the issue with you, Kiara. You just don't understand the dynamics of running a business."
• "I should get back to my post then," I said, circling with a hand on my waist. It felt aimless, my turning, but standing in one place made me feel too tired.
• The doorbells jingled from the other side of the shop. I glanced toward the sound, oblivious to the words she was spewing from her mouth. I don't need that now. "We have a VIP," I said, turning to her.
• She looked in the direction I was pointing and her eyes brightened. It burned with want because she knew that a VIP meant more money and more money meant she didn't have to put up with anything else. I also knew she wouldn't be able to let me go. If she could, she'd have fired me. I was her best designer and if there was an important client, she was going to choose me. It was just the way of the world, I reckoned.
• She walked away and I heard her laughter ringing out to where I stood. If she was laughing so hard, it meant the VIP wasn't simply an important client. He was more.
• I went to the back and saw that my boss had taken the VIP to the measuring room. I heard the chatter from the closed doors.
• My boss, Erica, was louder than normal. But she sounded nothing like she used to talk around me. In actuality, she sounded excited, high-pitched, and giddy like a woman speaking to her crush. I tiptoed to the door to the measuring room and pushed it open slightly, just enough to see the man's broad back and Erica shuffling her feet.
• "You've not been in here in three years," I heard her say in that off-handed way she called out faults. Only this time, there was a delicate calm to her words like she couldn't bear to offend him. "I thought you'd abandoned my shop."
• He chuckled. It sounded velvety. I didn't know him but I imagined what he looked like. That, he sounded like the kind of man anyone would want as a client, as a friend—as anything. I shut my eyes and imagined he was a friend who'd be willing to get me out of here.
• I loved what I did for the clients; loved the look of satisfaction on their faces when they saw the magic I'd made for them but I wasn't stupid. Erica was stealing my designs and claiming them as theirs to the clients and I should hate it enough to confront her but I needed the job.
• "I haven't been in town in five years," he said to her.
• Erica put a hand on her chest to finger the necklace around her neck. "I did hear about the carnival for the company. You missed it."
• "Gillian made sure I didn't miss anything," he said and placed a hand on the sleek tabletop, the only one in the room. "But I'm back in town now and hoping to stay."
• "You're welcome here anytime," she said. "You're my favorite customer, just so you know."
• He nodded. "I love it when you act like I'm all that important."
• She whistled and he laughed and I could tell that it was a running joke between them and that she was right—he was important in all the right ways.
• I started to turn away when Erica's eyes met mine. "I was just about to call you. Hurry out here, will you?"
• At least there was a measure of politeness when she called out to me which I sort of appreciated. I knew it wouldn't last though. I just reveled in it for as long as I could and licked my lips. I pushed the door wider and felt the warmth emanating from the man. How long had it been since I'd felt this way in front of a man? Of course, he still had his back to me but it almost felt like I knew him.
• I moved fully into the room and held the measuring tape closer to my chest. It was my shield against the harsh words of my boss who now stood by the side of the seemingly important client. I'd seen my fair share of expensive-looking clientele but as I stood by the door, watching them, I realized that he seemed different. He had an air around him that I couldn't place; something that made him feel like he would be the most important client I'd meet in a long time.
• Finally, my boss noticed me and rolled her eyes. "Well, don't just stand there."
• The man's voice sounded amused. "Let her be, Erica."
• She nodded and smiled a tight-lipped smile at him. "We wouldn't want you looking bad at the reception ball although I highly doubt it. You'd frankly look good in anything."
• "Well, if you are putting her up for the measurements then I don't doubt her skills."
• My boss glared at me for a brief second and then she smiled pretentiously. She'd do anything to get such expensive people trooping in but this man, whoever he was, beat the others.
• I stepped right to him just as my boss stepped back. "I'll leave you to it then."
• I tapped his shoulders and willed him to turn around to look at me. Slowly he turned, about to say something else to me but he stopped. The smile changed, replaced by a frown and an angry set of eyes while color drained from my face.
• Chase?