Reckless (Bertoli Crime Family #2) (26 page)

“What the hell?” April persisted, peering me up and down as if the
real
me had vanished and had been replaced with some nut from the psych ward. “Do I need to call for help or something?”

“No. I’m fine.”

“Well it doesn’t seem like it,” April muttered, unconvinced. “I’ve never seen you act like this before.”

“That’s because I’ve never been this happy in my entire life!”

“What do you mean? What’s going on?”

“I’m quitting!”

April gaped. “What?”

I grinned. “It’s my last day working for the unbearable witch. The only thing I’ll miss is you and Gabe, but I’m sure we’ll still talk from time to time.”

April frowned. “Vicky . . . are you sure about this? You’re basically giving up your career if you walk out on Christine.”

“No, I’m not.”

“You’re not? You must have really lost your mind then. Christine will make sure you never work in fashion again. You know as well as I do that she has a penchant for being vindictive.”

“I won’t need Christine’s referrals. I’ll be able to make my own work.”

April peered at me warily. “Oh yeah? How’s that? You’re just starting out in this business with virtually no contacts. How in the world do you expect to get the resources to become successful?”

I smiled sweetly as the elevator door opened. “Tyler Locklin.”

“What? Tyler Locklin—Vicky, what have you gotten yourself into?”

“Sorry, April. Gotta’ go. I’m itching to tell the witch what I’ve been wanting to say for months. I’ll be sure to stop by and tell you and Gabe bye before I leave.”

“Vicky, wait! You’re making a very big mistake!”

The elevator doors slid closed on April before she could finish her protest. I really didn’t know why she was bothering. I was done with Christine for good.

On the top floor, ready to kick ass and take names, I marched purposefully to Christine’s office and kicked her door open.

Seated at her desk with a man who looked vaguely familiar standing behind her, Christine jumped, startled by my brazen entry.

What the hell am I doing?
I thought in a moment of panic.

“Victoria!” Christine barked with surprise. “What on earth do you think you’re doing marching in here like that?”

“Shut up!” I snapped.

I can’t believe I just said that,
I thought, my heart pounding wildly within my chest.

Deafening silence descended upon the room, and the man standing behind Christine turned white with shock.

He probably thinks I’m crazy, talking to the queen of fashion like that
, I thought, trying to quell my trembling limbs.

“Pierre, will you please allow me to deal with this . . . problem,” Christine said quietly after a stunned moment.

“Certainly.” He bowed his head with respect to Christine and walked out of the room, shaking his head as he passed me.

Christine centered her burning eyes on me like a hawk. “What did you just say to me, young lady?”

“I said shut up,” I repeated.

“Do you realize who you’re talking to?”

I giggled, fighting the tremors of anxiety rolling through my legs. Despite my anxiousness, I felt powerful. I was finally going to be free, and it felt good to be able to tell the witch what I’d been wanting to say since my first day on the job. “Sure I do. An unbearable, miserable, narcissistic, old hag who is so unhappy with her dull life that she makes a career out of giving young girls poor self-esteem issues.”

“How dare you!” Christine raged, jumping to her feet and gripping the edges of her desk with rage, her eyes blazing.

“How dare I?” I demanded, my body shaking from head to toe now. “How dare you! You’ve treated me like shit since I first started working for you and made my life a total hell. You know, at first I thought it was worth it. I thought that, hmmm, maybe working for this vile, evil woman would open doors for me one day, and I’ll only have to suffer for a little while before I can find my own way. But you know what? Eat shit! Because it’s not worth putting up with it anymore. I quit!”

The look of utter shock on Christine’s face made my day and I let out a burst of maniacal laughter that I’m sure made Christine think I’d gone stark-raving mad.

This time, I didn’t laugh as long as I had with April, and when I was done, I turned to leave but stopped to add, “Oh and by the way, you can save your little threats about how you will ruin me and how I will never work in this city again.”

I flashed one last triumphant smile the witch’s way and swirled around and began to leave the office. But the sound of Christine’s voice brought me up short a second later.

“Victoria.”

I should’ve ignored her and kept going. After all, I’d gotten the last word in, and there was no reason to engage her further and listen to her empty threats about how she would ruin me, but for some reason, the tone in her voice made me freeze. I
had
to hear what she was going to say.

Slowly, I turned around to see Christine regarding me with amusement in her eyes.

Why is she smiling
? I wondered.
I just told her off. She should be steaming mad and wanting to kick my ass out of her office.

“Do you recall when you first came to work for me?”

“Yeah? It was on a day that—”

She interrupted me, obviously not looking for me to actually answer her question. “You signed a contract.”

Her words were like a sucker punch to the stomach.

I licked my lips that had suddenly gone as dry as a desert. “So? What does that matter?”

Now it looked like Christine was the one holding back maniacal laughter. “Do you recall what was in the contract, Miss Young?”

The room began to spin around me as panic began to seep in.

I’d been so desperate to get the job working for Christine, I hadn’t thought to go read through it all, eager to sign my soul away for the chance at a future career in fashion. A chance at reaching that first step in achieving my dreams.

“No,” I admitted.

Christine grinned. “The terms and conditions were that you cannot terminate your job with me without at least a sixty-day notice for any reason outside of a medical or family emergency without opening yourself to legal ramifications.”

It took a lot to steady myself. Any second and I was going to faint.

Christine looked me over while speaking with glee. “And since the only emergency it looks like you’re in is a dire need to lose another twenty pounds off your enormous rear end . . .” Christine’s smile took over her entire face. “I could sue your fat ass off.”

It was all I could do to stay standing. “Y-y-you can’t do that,” I stammered.

Christine crossed her arms across her chest. “Watch me.”

"That's not legal. Besides, it’s not like I actually
have
anything to sue for.”

Christine uncrossed her arms and leaned forward across her desk, boring into me with suddenly cold, calculating eyes. "Do you really want to take that chance with me, Victoria?”

When I didn't reply, Christine let out a chuckle, a heartless, evil sound that felt like a knife was being jabbed in my side. "I didn't think so." She snapped her fingers and did her customary ‘shoo the fly’ gesture. "Now go make my coffee."

* * *

"
S
he's just doing
this to keep me chained here!" I sobbed into my hands. “She’s too sadistic to let me out of my contract and pursue my own career elsewhere."

"I'm sorry, Vick," April cooed, "but you should've known better than to try Christine. In fact, I'm in shock that you're still here. Telling Christine to shut up and calling her a miserable hag?" April shook her head and let loose a chuckle of disbelief. "No one has ever dared to say anything like that to her before . . . at least no one who has lived to tell the story, that is."

I sniffed, taking the back of my hand and wiping at my tears.

April and I were sitting at a small table. I had an untouched bagel with cream cheese on it while April had one celery stick. I don’t know why she bothered. She might as well have had a plate of cotton balls in front of her for all the calories it contained.

News of my insubordination had spread like wildfire. I’d had people casting furtive glances my way and whispering to each other. I knew what they were probably saying. Something along the lines of,
Did you hear about what Victoria said to Christine? She must have been born with a set of balls.

“I know, right? I should be gone. If anyone else had said what I said, they’d have been fired in a New York minute. But me? She threatens to sue me to keep me working for her. It just goes to show how much she delights in my misery.” I shook my head angrily. “She hates the fact that I’ll be able to make a career for myself without her help."

"Will you though?" asked April skeptically.

I sniffed and then stared at her. "Will I what?"

"Be able to make a career for yourself? You still have a lot to learn, Vicky.”

"Yeah.” I paused. “Tyler said that he would help me in any way he can." I quickly outlined Tyler’s offer to help me fund my career and maybe start a business together.

April studied me for a long moment before speaking. "You know I love you, Vick, but I'm sorry. Do you honestly believe this guy? You seriously can’t be that naïve, Vick. The dude’s a major player. He probably tells girls stuff like that all the time just to get them in bed."

"No, it's not like that, April," I hissed irritably, surprised at the anger dripping in my voice. I paused for a moment, sucking in a deep breath to calm myself before continuing. “At first I was like you, thinking he was a big time player, but I’ve since found out that he’s not like that at all. He’s got another side to him.”

Who am I trying to convince? April or myself?

“I hope you’re right, Vicky.” April really didn’t believe me, and a small part of me wondered if I didn’t believe it myself. “But wait . . . didn’t you find out that the guy is like your stepbrother or something?”

I shrugged. “Yeah? So?”

“So? Isn’t that like kind of . . .”

I rolled my eyes at her insinuation. “Oh please, we’re not related. Heck, we were total strangers until not so long ago.”

“I guess you’re right on that,” April conceded after a moment of thought. “But either way, it’s still going to make everything even more difficult. Besides, Vick, Christine owns your soul.” Her eyes seemed to say to me what she wouldn't say,
maybe it’s for the best.

“But that’s the thing . . . maybe I can get out of my contract.”

April shook her head, taking a quick nibble on her celery stick. “Are you kidding me? Christine has like an army of lawyers. You’d never get out of it. I don’t care what Tyler is telling you. Once he knows you’re that much of liability, he’d drop you like a hot potato.”

“You think so?”

April nodded. “I know so.”

“Hey bitches!” chirped a familiar voice. Gabe came walking up to our table with a tray of food. Unlike April, he actually had food on his plate, a big fat hot dog and a side of fries. Gabe was as skinny as a rail, but he could eat as much as he wanted without getting fat. It was so unfair. So, so unfair.

Animated as a cartoon, Gabe sat his tray down on the table and then took his seat. “Hey Vick, you're like my fucking bitch of the hour! I hear you totally told Christine off.”

I held in a groan. I really didn’t feel like talking about anything right then, least of all my confrontation with Christine. “You heard right.”

“Hell yeah!” Gabe picked up his hot dog and took a huge bite out of it before asking me his next question with a mouthful of food. “Tell me exactly how it went down. I want all the details!”

I shook my head and picked up my bagel, only to find my stomach turning. I had absolutely no appetite.

“You don’t wanna know.”

A
fter Victoria had left
, I’d taken a hot shower and started getting ready for work. I was buttoning my last cuff when Jonathan appeared at the top of the stairs.

“Is there something wrong, Master Locklin?”

I turned away from the mirror to regard the older man with irritation, who was peering at me with a look of concern. “What did I tell you about calling me Master, Jonathan?” I demanded. “It makes me sound like a damn slave owner.”

I turned back to the mirror and rolled my shoulders, examining my appearance. There was a sparkle in my eye and a glowing flush to my skin. I knew I was handsome, but there was something more going on here. I looked . . . alive. More alive than I could ever remember.

It’s Victoria
, a voice in the back of my mind said.
She’s done this to me.
It was scary, the way she made me feel. Even scarier, the way she made me lose control of rational thought.

What was I thinking, offering her something like that?

What the hell did I know about fashion? Better yet, I don’t even really know what
she
knows. How could I offer to fund such a thing? I was supposed to be a damned businessman.

I’ll just explain to her later that I didn’t really mean what I said
, I thought.
Much later.