“I told her she wasn’t my boss anymore and couldn’t dictate my friends or…” Maddie paused. Ouch. “…um, romantic interests.”
Okay, that sounded so bad in the retelling.
Natalii’s eyebrows shot up.
Maddie gave her pizza a sheepish look. “We kind of backed away from that mess. But then she said she wasn’t divorced yet, and she couldn’t risk anything, she’s the boss of half the fucking universe, and why can’t I understand that?” That really had stung.
“Madeleine, why did you let her think this other woman might be of romantic interest if she was not? Ahh.” Natalii snapped her fingers. “You wished her to be jealous. Green!” She smirked. “Well then, this game of amour, it is on!” She raised her glass and drank, as though she considered Maddie some sort of master tactician.
“I didn’t want her jealous! And I’m really just mad at how she feels too afraid to take a chance. I wish she would.”
“Did you forget the bit about how she says she is not divorced yet. She wishes to be considered. Later.”
“Yet I asked her to talk to me more about this, and she just left. I’m tired of being the one who has to piece everything together. Why can’t she just, for once in her life, stop being so cryptic? Can’t she remember she’s The Elena Bartell! This is hard for us mere mortals.”
She gulped down the rest of her wine and stuck her glass out at Natalii, who refilled it.
“It appears that you are overthinking this thing,” Natalii said. “What we need is to get you drunk so you do not. You need to relax more. You are far too uptight. And in my divine outfit no less? Non, I did not design this for you to be all so pent up.”
Maddie glanced down at herself and was appalled to find she was sprawled all over the sofa in Natalii’s designer outfit. “Oh! Oh God!” She sat up. “I should get changed. I’m so sorry.”
Lifting a stilling hand, Natalii shook her head. “It is okay. It is yours to wear as you please. But get changed anyway, for I plan to make you merry enough to forget your woman.”
Maddie stood. “Oh, that reminds me. Perry Marks? At Style New York? He wants to feature your line in a spread.”
“Does he now?” Natalii’s eyes sharpened. “And what did you tell him?”
“I said I’d ask you.”
Natalii’s face broke into slow smile that Maddie was sure did not bode well for someone. “Thank you for passing this detail to me. I will talk to your Perry myself tomorrow. Now go…find a garment that says ‘drunk and carefree with my stylish friend Natalii’.”
Maddie laughed and headed to her bedroom to change.
* * *
Maddie woke with a throbbing head, unable to believe she was still alive given the hangover she was experiencing. She rolled over and cracked an eyelid. A glass of water and an aspirin came into view with a note. She picked it up and tried to focus.
Thank you for the excellent night, dear Madeleine. I’m gone now. A meeting, it is now set up with your Perry. Drink up, and call me later. We will do dinner, oui? Natalii.
Maddie groaned. The thought of food was excruciating. Her gaze fell to her cell phone beside her bed. God, the time! It was almost eleven.
There was a sharp rap at her door.
She struggled to her feet and made her way there on autopilot. She was already opening the door when she realised she hadn’t brushed her hair or changed out of her sleeping shorts and tank top.
Elena Bartell stood there, face like thunder.
Maddie blinked at the furious woman, unsure whether she was dreaming. No, she was fairly sure that if she was dreaming; Elena would not be looking at her like this.
“Ele…” she began.
“What is this?” Elena said with a hiss, barging past her and slamming the door behind her.
Maddie winced and held her head. “Not so loud. And please, come in,” she added sarcastically.
Elena waved a piece of paper at her as though it explained everything.
Maddie tried to read the words, but Elena was flapping it too hard. “I thought I had made my position clear. And then you run off with her?”
“I…what! Who?” Maddie blinked.
Elena glanced around the room, pausing on the two wine glasses and pizza boxes. “She loves greasy food, I take it? Hunter?”
“How the hell would I know? I didn’t take anyone home, least of all that arrogant woman.”
Elena’s nostrils flared. “Two glasses, Madeleine. Were you merely drinking for two?”
“Natalii was here. She wanted to see how her outfit went.”
That gave Elena pause. But then she straightened, and her expression took on a whole new type of wrath. “Ah, yes. Natalii. Which brings me to this.”
She flapped the paper under Maddie’s nose again. “Her conditions for agreeing to be featured in a Style spread are that I must present myself to you, alone, and talk for ‘no less than one hour about matters that do not relate to work or fashion’. What nonsense is this? Why did you demand this? Well?”
“I didn’t.” Maddie sighed and rubbed her face. She was in no condition for this meeting. “I just woke up. This is the first I’ve heard of it. Natalii probably thinks she’s being helpful.”
Elena stopped and stared at her properly, her gaze raking Maddie’s sleepwear and then settling on her hair. It was an odd expression.
Maddie reddened. “On that note, I should probably get some clothes on. Um…make yourself at home. Or leave. Whatever. I won’t force you to stay. I’ll tell Natalii you did what she demanded.”
