Crazy Bitch (Bitches and Queens) (2 page)

One Year Later

A medium once told Willow Jane
Mallory that she was an old soul. The medium was a crack head, so his
interpretation might have been wrong. If by old soul, he meant that she was
open-minded, generous, and not overly impressed with the materialistic things
of this world, then she was as ancient as they come.

Usually. But this could be her
big break. Around these parts, they don’t come much bigger than Hannah
Fairbanks, and in Texas,
everything
was big. She was in her final year
at the University of Texas, studying fashion design. When she first heard that
Hannah Fairbanks was starting her own label of lingerie, she had been pretty
hyped, but when the news circulated that she was actively seeking interns,
Willow had been downright ecstatic. Out of the thousands of other applicants,
she never really believed she would be selected for an interview, but then
Hannah called last week and asked if she would be able to come in and discuss
her portfolio. Willow had been a jumble of nervous excitement ever since she hung
up the phone.

She knew she needed to pull it
together, but every time she tried to calm herself, all she could think about
was that this was the kind of opportunity that could catapult her to success. Now
that they were face-to-face, Hannah was impossible to read. She held her
features in an unnatural stillness, giving absolutely nothing away. And she was
quite stunning. In person, Hannah was even more beautiful. She reminded Willow
of an anime angel, almost too perfect to be real.

Focusing on the task at hand,
Willow pointed towards the portfolio that was stretched out on the table
between them. She started to answer Hannah’s question but was interrupted.

“You don’t need to justify your
work to me. You wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t impressed,” Hannah said calmly.

Had it really been six months
since she’d seen her last? Willow certainly looked different, but she was
actually wearing clothes this time. Hannah could still remember the guttural
reaction she felt the first time she saw her. It was the night of Sam’s
surprise birthday party. Finn Sullivan, the event planner of Austin, had
suggested Willow’s burlesque act for the centerpiece. Two weeks before the
party, the entire theme had to be changed at Kate’s insistence. Hannah had been
so busy flying back and forth between Austin and New York that she didn’t have
the time to meet her before the party. Willow was supposed to be a present for
Sam, but the moment her nearly naked silhouette stepped through the burnt edges
of the cream-colored screen, Hannah’s first and only thought was
Fuck Sam!
This one is mine.

Now she was here. The
anticipation very nearly drove her insane. It felt strange feeling so attracted
to another—like nothing she had ever experienced before. Her emotions churned
tumultuously. One moment she wanted to pull her close and never let her leave,
and the next she wanted to reach out and scratch her eyes out. Perhaps it was
the change in Willow that threw her?

The last time Hannah had seen Willow,
she had been wearing only a transparent black veil. The memory of her luscious
body had been branded upon Hannah’s mind. With no effort at all, she easily recalled
each and every glorious curve of Willow’s body. Today, the siren was properly
covered with a high-waist, gray pencil skirt and white blouse, but the sultry
energy remained unchanged. It was like trying to put a blanket on top of Mt.
Everest and then proclaiming it only a hill. Willow’s aura brimmed with sex.

Hannah’s only disappointment
was that she had cut her hair. At the party, her long, inky black tresses
cascaded over her flawless alabaster shoulders and fell down the curve of her
spine. Now she was sporting one of those layered bob cuts that framed her
delicate jaw. Well, maybe not her only disappointment. As soon as Hannah saw
Willow’s portfolio, she knew that she would never be the perfect pet. Her
designs, like the woman herself, were too avant-garde, too boundless, too
creative, to ever be restricted by conformity. But Hannah refused to give up.
She hadn’t went on a six-month hiatus from work and ventured into a new line of
business, all so she could get the object of her obsession, only to let her
slip away. If Willow wouldn’t play, she would have to think of a new game.
Although she had yet to decide upon the rules, Hannah was determined to win.

As she absentmindedly fingered
the strand of pearls that rested against her skin, Hannah further explained, “I
wanted to meet you to see if we would be compatible. As you are no doubt aware
of, I have a reputation of being difficult. On a good day, I am impatient and
demanding.”

“That’s a good day,” Willow laughed,
starting to feel slightly more at ease. “What’s a bad day?”

“On a bad day, I’m a crazy
bitch,” Hannah admitted.

“I can do crazy,” Willow
answered.

“I can’t work with someone who
will fall to pieces every time I throw out an F-bomb. And trust me—there will
be a lot of them on a regular basis.”

“I had an unconventional
upbringing. It left me pretty thick-skinned. There isn’t a single profanity in
the dictionary that I haven’t heard or been accused of being at some time or
another. I don’t fall to pieces. I have a fairly laid-back personality, but I
do occasionally snap back,” Willow answer succinctly.  

Hannah nodded wordlessly. “I
understand you are due to graduate at the end of next semester, but I will need
at least a six-month contract. There is simply no way get this up and running
in less time. That would push your graduation date back until the summer. Will
that be problem?”

“No, it wouldn’t be a problem.”

“And I will retain all rights
to any designs that are created by you during the internship. You would be
allowed to use them in your final presentation, but afterwards, they will
belong solely to me,” Hannah explained.

“Yes, I was aware of that.”

“Good,” Hannah murmured. “One
last thing, you would be required to sign an exclusivity clause. As this is a
paid internship, you would not be allowed to seek or maintain any other
employment opportunities.”

For once, her answer didn’t
come so easily. The other two requirements were fairly common in the industry,
but she had never heard of another internship that required an exclusivity
clause. Obviously, she knew she couldn’t create designs for Hannah and another
competitor, but her other employment opportunities were completely outside the
industry. If she didn’t work, money would be tight, but this was too good of an
opportunity to pass up. She would have to make some concessions. It wouldn’t be
the first time she skimped by. What was six months of drug store shampoo and
Ramon noodles compared to a chance like this?

“I would be willing to do that,”
Willow answered.

“Are you sure?” Hannah
questioned. “You hesitated for a moment.”

“No hesitation. I’m sure,”
Willow affirmed.

“Good. I have a few other
candidates to interview, but I will be making my decision sometime next week. I’ll
be in touch.”

Hannah stood and walked her to
the door. Once it was closed, she let out a deep breath. After she was certain
Willow had exited the building, she let out a piercing, loud screech. Feeling
only slightly more relieved, she walked over to her desk and sat back down.
After six long months, she finally had her. Of course she had her—she had all
but handed Willow her life’s dream on a silver platter. Who could possibly
refuse? Let the games begin.

Later that afternoon, Hannah
met Sam for lunch. In the middle of October, it was a perfect day for their
favorite outdoor café. After the waiter disappeared back inside the restaurant
with their orders, she looked up and found him watching her with a quizzical
expression.

Hannah frowned. “Don’t say it.”

“Say what?” Sam teased. “I was
just thinking that the last time I saw you eat anything that wasn’t green or brown,
and plucked straight from the earth, we were in grade school. You look radiant,
by the way.”

“I look like a fucking
plus-sized model. I started eating six months ago, and I haven’t stopped since.
I’ve gained twenty pounds. Last week, I flew out to L.A. and some paparazzi
snapped my picture. Now, I’m on goddamn bump watch. How ridiculous is that? Me
of all people, pregnant. And what the fuck am I supposed to do with these?”
Hannah hissed as she grabbed her breasts. “I prayed for a rack like this when I
was twelve, but now, at twenty-seven, it is just absurd. I thought there was a
cut-off date for puberty.”

“Are they real?” Sam asked as
he stared at her breasts.

“Of course they are real! I am
on hiatus—not trying to make a splash in the porn industry.”

“Well, I think they’re lovely,
but I’ve always been a fan of breasts,” Sam said as he sipped his glass of
water. “Speaking of your hiatus, have you made any more progress?”

“I did,” Hannah said with a coy
smile. “Only this morning, I interviewed a fabulous intern. You would love her.”

Sam sat his glass of water on
the table as he silently watched her. After so many years together, he knew
exactly how her slightly twisted mind worked. “No,” he denied flatly. “The only
person I’m fucking these days is Kate, and I guarantee she’ll never let you
watch.”

“Ah, Kate,” Hannah murmured.

“Don’t start, Hannah,” Sam
warned.

“Kate is a saint,” she denied
with wide-eyed innocence. “She would have to be. If you bailed on me while I
was dying in the hospital, I wouldn’t be so quick to forgive you.”

“I didn’t bail,” Sam grumbled.

“Sorry,” Hannah apologized. “Perhaps
bailed isn’t the right word. Maybe I should have said, while you went off on a four-month
cocaine binge.”

“I had my reasons for leaving.
You know that. Kate knows that too,” Sam exclaimed angrily. “The reason I
invited you to lunch was because I wanted to tell you that I asked Kate to
marry me, and she said yes.”

“Congratulations,” Hannah
chuckled. “Who knows, maybe the third time will be the charm for you both?”

“Hannah, this is important to
me. I don’t want you to do anything that might ruin it,” Sam warned with a
lethal chill.

“Me?” Hannah hissed. “I won’t
have to do anything. You’ll manage to fuck it up on your own. Just like you did
the last time.”

“All of that is in the past,
and I mean it. If you do anything, if you say anything that might ruin this for
me, I will expose you. The whole world will know all your dirty secrets.”

Hannah started to reach for her
glass but stopped. For a moment, she eyed her old friend, and was shocked to
realize that he fully intended to do just as he promised. It hurt more than she
anticipated, yet a small part of her swelled with pride. Her baby boy was
finally ready to leave the nest. Knowing she had taught him all she knew, she
decided it was time to let him fly away, but he wouldn’t escape without one
final dart.

“Contrary to what you think, I’ve
only ever had your best interests at heart,” she started. “I’m just concerned
is all.”

“There is nothing to be
concerned about.”

“If you say so,” Hannah
shrugged. “I just find her sudden forgiveness a bit much to believe. I know you
had your reasons, but they were shit reasons. I told you that then. I just know
that if were me lying in a hospital recovering from heart attack while you were
partying your way across Europe, I wouldn’t have said yes. Unless…”

“Unless what?” Sam questioned
defensively.

“Unless I was setting you up
for a fall,” Hannah said quietly.

“Not all women are vindictive
bitches like you,” Sam growled.

“Yes they are. Some are just
better at hiding it.”

After their lunch, Sam had
planned to go back to his studio, but instead went to his condo where Kate was
working from home. She seemed surprised to see him. Although he of all people
should know better, Hannah had gotten to him. Vicious and cruel, the damn woman
was a menace to society. He thought for the ten-thousandth time in his life,
Why
am I friends with her?
Privately, Sam used to wish Hannah would meet
someone who could beat her at her game, until he realized it would never happen.
Hannah would never be beaten. She would destroy herself first.

“Hey, I didn’t expect you until
later,” Kate called out with a wide smile and then grimaced. “How was your
lunch?” Unlike Hannah, Kate didn’t even try to pretend she liked the other woman.

“Hannah grew boobs,” Sam said.

“What?”

“I know. I was just as
surprised as you,” he said as he walked over and sat on the couch beside her.

“That wasn’t what my ‘what’ was
for. Why did you notice?”

“It was hard not to,” he said
as he held his hands out in front of his chest.

“Yuck,” Kate groaned. The last
thing she wanted to think about was Hannah or her breasts. They were probably
fake anyways, just like the rest of her. “You came home in the middle of the
afternoon to tell me about Hannah’s boobs?”

“No, that was just a side note.
I just wanted to stop in and see how you were doing.”