Chapter 8

• AMY’S POV
• Regret.
• The one word that has been eating me up since I woke up on Liam’s bed this morning. My gaze wandered from hers and went down to my knotted fingers on my laps.
• As if my silence was enough to answer.
• She signed and put her hand on top of mine. Her hand was calloused and warm, and it was comforting.
• "Amy," she took a deep breath, "you've done what any woman who found themselves in your position would have done to advance their career. You're not the first model in the entire world to have had to do something sordid in order to progress, and you won't be the last one either."
• I could feel her tightening her fingers tightly around mine to hold me up. "And besides, it was only one night, right? One night for a life-changing opportunity. That's not such a bad bargain, if you ask me.”
• My stomach twisted up.
• One night?
• I fucking signed my body to him for two years along with the modelling deal.
• But I couldn't tell her that, I couldn't talk about the contract to anyone, not even her.
• I grind my teeth and clenched my jaw, trying hard to keep the words in.
• Britney, unaware of the battle that'd taken place in me, grinned and elbowed me with her arm. "Okay, serious question—how was he?"
• I flinched. "What?"
• She glared at me with a raised brow. "Liam Carter, Amy. How was he in bed?"
• I blushed. "Britney—"
• “Get real, Amy.” She raised an eyebrow. "Not every girl gets fucked by one of the sexiest billionaires in New York. You're living every woman's dream right now."
• I laughed on pause, attempting to play along with this. "Oh, yeah, sure. A real fantasy."
• Britney snapped her fingers again, "That's the attitude! No thinking, no guilt-tripping yourself—just take the payoff."
• I wish I could actually do that.
• However, tonight, I was going to pretend, To convince myself that I hadn't sold my pride for a deal. That I hadn't lost myself entirely in the bargain.
• So I set the champagne bottle down on the table, poured our glasses full and handed one to her. "To the future," I said as an expression of optimism.
• Britney smiled. "Now you're talking."
• We drank the two bottles of wine, laughing and talking, not caring what reality was. And then we finished, and we slept on the couch with our body entangled with each other.
• *******************
• The continuous ringing of my phone woke me up from my sleep.
• I groaned and opened my eyes. My head throbbed, and mouth parched. Britney slept right over me, half-on top.
• I slowly pulled myself from underneath her and grabbed my phone.
• I had five missed calls. Three from an unknown number and two from Liam.
• I groaned at the sight of his name.
• A message shot by.
• Unknown Number: Hello, Ms. Walters. My name is Kayla. I'll be your personal assistant, always at your service and help you with whatever you need as the new face of Lords of Fashion. Can't wait!
• I smiled at the message, then typed one back immediately.
• Me: Hi, Kayla. Can't wait to work with you either.
• Another message popped up. This time from Liam.
• I rolled my eyes as I opened it.
• Liam: Did you go visit the doctor and get a shot?
• I rolled my eyes again and sighed. Of course
• Not a "good morning" or a "how are you doing?"—Just business as usual.
• I'd glanced at the message for maybe a second before I did log off the chat and abandon it on read.
• There was another one from Kayla.
• Kayla: Ma'am, your test shoot is scheduled to take place in two days time at 11am. You also be meeting the team that you will be working with. Let me know if there is anything you might need before then.
• Even amidst all of that, a small smile was able to find its way into the edges of my lips.
• This was really happening. I was really going to be the face of one of the top fashion companies in New York City. It was really a dream come true, and I'm going to live and enjoy every bit of it.
• No guilt-tripping myself anymore. No regrets. I was going to take credit for the choice I had made.
• My phone rang again.
• Liam.
• I growled and rolled my eyes for the nth time this morning. He's probably calling because I read his message and didn’t respond.
• I took a deep breath and picked up the call, keeping my voice firm.
• "What do you want, Liam?"
• *************
• LIAM'S POV
• "What do you want, Liam?" Amy’s voice shot through the phone with irritation the moment she answered.
• I clenched my teeth. The attitude. No respect. No regard. As if I was some annoyance in her life.
• Of course I was, but she agreed to it, and she would have to deal with it for two years.
• I exhaled a searing heat. "That is not the way to greet your boss, Amy." I told her in a dead, cold, threatening tone.
• "And that is not the way to talk to a lady who made you drip all over your pants yesterday," she shot back.
• I tensed up in an instant.
• The memory flashed before my eyes– the way she took me in her hand and drove me to an edge. It took all the ounce of self-control in me to not fuck her right there on my desk yesterday.
• I gripped the phone fiercely in my fist, the nails of my other hand digging deep in the palm.
• "That's what I thought." my brain snapped back to the present by Amy's cold voice.
• I swallowed hard, trying to suppress the heat burning in me. "Got the shot?" I struggled for composure.
• "I wouldn't want to risk having anything of you growing inside me, Liam. So yes, the shots wasn't something to think about.” she shot back
• I rolled my eyes. "Good. Did the team reach out to you?" I asked.
• "Yes," she growled.
• "Okay, see you in two days then." I hung up without waiting for her reply.
• I placed my phone on the arm of the couch and rubbed my temples.
• This woman.
• How could she have so much effect on me?
• She could have me around her finger, toy with me, get in my head and made me believe I wasn't in control of my own body.
• The greatest part was–I was always in control. And I wouldn't let her change that.