The Claiming of Sadie Graves (16 page)

“I do. And Calvin and Edgar will be there in a few minutes to stand watch over you. You’re mine, Sadie. Remember what I said about taking care of my own.”

“I have more questions” I say, bolder now. “Do you tie up all your women, eventually? Do you want to hurt them – hurt me?” I feel brave; I’m tired now.

“Sadie, at one time I thought I’d lost everything to the lure of aberrant sex. Now I know; I didn’t lose anything I wasn’t supposed to. When I saw you for the first time, I felt like I found myself again.
I can’t believe it’s only been a week. It’s not about how you look, though you
do
look
fine
. It’s about what you project: femininity, and confidence and humility – all those things. There’s something about you that’s just…good. That’s why I’m starved for you. Not for your design skills, or your potential. I want you because you’re made for me. Mine. No one else’s. If anyone else tries to sleep with you, I pity them. I’ll go insane. I’ll never stop caring about you. Never stop protecting you. I’d like you to get used to it.”

I mull this over.

“You didn't answer my question.”

“Yes, Sadie.
I’ve seen some sexual things that probably pushed me to the edge of what you might call ‘normal’. Sure, I want to tie you up, so I can touch you however I like. I want carte blanche; anything I want, whenever I want it.” He takes a deep breath. “But I can’t do that if you keep running away from me. And that’s where we are right now. I know it’s soon. We just met. But you trusted me enough to give yourself to me for the first time. And now, I want more.”

“But Lucas…what happens when it ends? When you meet another woman? There were so many at that party tonight – all of them gorgeous. You’ll meet someone else, more in tune
with your wants. And then…what?” I feel like crying. How did we get into this conversation?

“Sadie, stop now. Once you’re mine, I won’t be able to give you up.
Shit, I
already
can’t give you up, and you’ve never consented to anything
close
to being mine. Not in that sense. I want you to think about it. After tomorrow’s meeting, I want you to consider moving in with me. Bring a change of clothes and all your toiletries to work tomorrow; I have plans for you.”

I’m quiet for just a minute.

“I have to hang up now, Lucas. I’m tired.”

“I understand Sadie. It’s late. I’ll see you tomorrow, at your work.
Goodnight, baby.”

I sit there, gaping at an empty line.  

A minute later, there’s a knock on the door. It’s Edgar. I introduce him to Jenny, and he agrees to stay inside the apartment on the couch for the night. We both relax a little in his presence.  He explains that Calvin is doing street duty, keeping watch on the first floor of the building. They will both stay in place until further notice, per Mr. Sutton.

Jenny gets a sly look on her face, and heads to her own bedroom to turn in.
But not before she turns to me and mouths, silently. HE LOVES YOU.

She smiles, and whips around before I can throw something at her.

Yeah. Right.

I’m still smi
ling when I get to my own room, until I turn off the light. What an incredibly weird day.

“Dreams”

Brandi Carlisle,
Give Up the Ghost

The alarm goes off early, and I realize today is going to be a landmark day for me. Either I’m about to become a Sutton Shield devotee, or at five o’clock I’ll be spectacularly unemployed.

Both options feel surreal.

I get out of bed, shower, get ready and eat the last piece of cold pizza I shoved into the fridge last night. Edgar is already up and gone, leaving a note for Jenny and me. He and Calvin will be taking both of us to work, and will be here to pick us up at eight fifteen sharp.

I pick my outfit out carefully. Black crepe pants
, tall suede boots, a charcoal grey tank, and a deep grey ribbed open cardigan. I have a fuzzy scarf in shades of medium and dark grey that I wind around my neck. I put my hair up, loosely, and apply a little makeup.

I obey Lucas and pack a bag of work clothes and other necessities, as if we will spend tonight at his place. I add a pair of high-heeled pumps, a skirt and some stockings, in case we decide to have dinner somewhere. I’m just going on what he said. We’ll see.

I call my dad while I wait on Edgar and Calvin to meet us downstairs. He answers, and I hear the sounds of dishes clanking, pots rattling in the background. “Sadie! I’m glad you called. Sorry we missed each other on Sunday?”
Ugh. I cringe over how that day turned out.

“Hey, daddy.
Everything is really crazy right now. Something’s happening today, and I don’t know how it will affect me at work. But there are going to be some changes.”

His tone gets serious. “Are you about to lose your job, babe? You know if anything happens, you can come back here until you find something else. I mean it.”

I laugh a little. “I appreciate that. I have no idea what will happen today, but there’s a big meeting of higher-ups going on at the studio. As soon as I know, I’ll call you, okay?”

He sighs. “I hate that your job hinges on someone else’s decisions, Sadie. But everything happens like it’s supposed to. Call me when you hear, all right? I’ll be thinking about you until then.”

“I love you, dad.”

“You too, babe.”
He hangs up, but not before I hear the clatter of plates of eggs, sausage, bacon and biscuits flying over the counter as we disconnect. Patrick Graves in in his element. That makes me happy.

Jenny comes out of her room, ready for work, and we both take the elevator to the ground floor after locking up. Edgar and Calvin are waiting for us outside; Calvin standing at attention outside the limousine.

We both slide in.

I think, just for a
second, that after today my life will either be drastically different, or totally worse. And then we pull away from the curb, and speed through traffic to Manhattan.

We drop Jenny off first, and then
pull up to the sidewalk outside the House of Rosenstein. I thank both men, grab my duffel and head inside.

The first thing I notice is that there’s a meeting already taking place, even though it isn’t yet nine o’clock. Anna’s office door is closed, and I can hear her voice and at least two others inside. Hers is raised, at the moment.

Not a good sign.

I can’t hear exactly what’s being said, but I can hear the tone. She’s irritated, but trying to control it. The men’s voices are calm in rebuttal. There’s some back and forth. I catch, “You have got to be kidding me!” and a few expletives. That’s Anna.

Bain’s voice booms, but his words are muffled. They go back and forth for a minute or so, and I decide to get out of the line of fire. I head back to my own office, and call Salvatore’s cell. Today is fabric shipment day. I’m both excited and nervous.

Sal
answers and his voice instantly calms me. “Sadie! Good morning, my friend. Are you ready to meet me at the factory today? I have the truck loaded and everything is ready for you.”

“Oh, Sal.
You’re a lifesaver. Something is going down at the atelier today, and I’d love nothing better than to bail out of here. What are your travel plans?” The factory is in New Jersey, no too far outside the city limits.

“I’m about to head that way now. Can you meet me there in, say, an hour?”

“I can. The owners already have the patterns and everything. So I’m just showing up to give them a partial payment, in advance. They’ve only sewn for us two times before, so they’ve asked us to show due diligence.”

“Okay.” He laughs over the phone. “I think you’re good for it! I’ll see you later.” Sal hangs up, and I start to gather my portfolio and handbag.

Anna’s voice comes over the intercom system. “Sadie? Are you in your office?”

“Yes, Ma’am” I reply, wondering what I’m about to get into.

“Come to mine, please” she orders.

Uh oh.
My stomach does a half gainer. I’ve dreaded this moment since Lucas stopped me outside the subway last week.
Fuck. Please, let this work
, I think.
Let it be a good move for everyone.

I walk down the back hallway of the atelier to Anna’s private office. The door is closed, and I knock before entering. When she calls out to me to come in, I open the door cautiously.

There are six people in the office, not including Anna. Everyone on the other team has on suits. There’s Lucas, of course, and Bain Sutton; but there are also two other men and two women. I look around, shocked at the sheer magnitude of humanity shoved into Anna’s small studio. Anna is standing, wearing a cream, floaty diaphanous tunic and brown leggings. She has on brown stiletto boots.
Ah, she wanted height
. If she’s upset, there’s no sign of it on her face at the moment. I close the door behind me.

“Good morning.” I say to the assembled party.

“Hello, Sadie”, Bain says softly. Lucas looks at me with burning eyes, but is quiet. The people I don’t know step forward quickly to introduce themselves. There’s Ron, the comptroller; Stanley, the accountant; Rebecca, the marketing executive, and Karen, the product stylist. They all either smile at me or shake my hand. After everyone settles down, I look back to Anna. “You wanted to see me?”

“Yes, Sadie. I have some wonderful news for you. Sutton Shield has agreed to represent our
products for the next five years. The thing they most want to develop is the lingerie line. Lucas had mentioned his intention last week, and I’m delighted about it for both our sakes. For the next two years, I’ll receive royalties from the lingerie line. After that, it will become its own entity, and you’ll be free to pursue your own agreement with their organization. They’ve asked that your office be moved to Sutton Shield, and that you be allowed to choose your own team to work there with you. We’ll market our products together for a while. It’s a huge win for me, because Sutton Shield will spend millions on my brand. And it’s a win for you, because you will become a brand on your own.”

She moves forward to hug me.

“Step outside?” I say.

“Sure.” She smiles.

We walk outside the office door and close it behind us. 

“Jesus. Anna.” I blow a hu
ge gust of air out of my lungs, and shake my shoulders to release the tension.

She laughs, hard. “Sadie, I acted out a little in there this morning, but this is a dream come true for me.
We both get a sign-on bonus. I’ll be totally out of debt after today. And ‘Anna Rosenstein’ just became ten feet tall and bulletproof. I’ve fantasized about something like this, and literally I might never have had it without your little bras and panties. I could kiss you!”  She hugs me to her.

I pull back. “Are you sure you aren’t upset with me? I promise; I wasn’t jockeying to get something you wanted.” I look in her eyes, and she looks back at me with the strongest expression on her face I’ve ever seen. “Sadie, you are a
wonderful
young woman. We’re going to be working together for years to come, though you’re going to be able to do the things you want to, now. Let’s enjoy this. Come, let’s go back inside.”

We turn, and step back into the room.

“Is everything okay?” Bain asks, looking from Anna’s face to mine.

“It is.” I say. Anna nods her head and smiles.

“Good” he says, and everyone starts talking at once.

“Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow”

Amy Winehouse,
Lioness; Hidden Treasures

I’m late to meet Sal, and I slip out after another fifteen minutes to make my way to the factory. Lucas asks me to meet him later this afternoon at Sutton Shield’s offices on Fifth Avenue.
Aha. So that’s why I saw him near there.
I agree, and take my leave from everyone in Anna’s office. They all shake my hand; every last person. Lucas holds my hand instead, and walks me out to the street, his left hand pressed against my lower back. He kisses me softly at the curb, and I wonder again at the softness of his lips. He whispers how proud he is of me, right before we part.

Edgar pick
s me up and drives me across the river, so I don’t have to take the subway. That’s Lucas’ doing, and it makes me smile. In the car, I wonder at my good fortune.

Here I am. Last week I was looking at my face in the mirror – lonely, but joyful in my life in New York. Today, I became a designer for the world’s most famous luxury retailer. My name is going to be on advertisements in every woman’s magazine in the world. I’m spending the night with the most handsome, interesting man I’ve ever known. I have great friends.
I’m in a limo. Holy cat
. I need to pinch myself.

We go through the Holland Tunnel and head toward Jersey City, and I light up when I see Sal’s truck parked next to the small factory building off Montgomery Street. He and two other burly guys are unloading fabric into the cargo bay, and they’re being helped by the factory’s warehouse foreman.