Positive/Negativity (15 page)

…and as Declan’s professionalism held him in smiling postures through his rage, he refused to allow Marisol to unsettle his composure…

T
Ticking Time Bomb – Skylar Grey

TT
Bad Girls (Nick Thayer Remix) – M.I.A.

TTT
Out of My Way – Seether

Declan continued to make eye contact with me all through the various poses and photographs. He looked dashing and worldly, and his smile was making me melt. Eventually, the woman who was trying to get his attention noticed that his interest was directed at me. She then channeled a few looks in my direction as well, though none were as loving as Declan’s.

I spent the remainder of the day attempting to ignore her, focusing my attention on my own work, and giving Declan my attention whenever I looked up. I didn’t want him to feel that anything was amiss so as not to distract him from his work. When the shoot was over, and he began to walk toward me, I was relieved. I couldn’t be happier to see an engagement end. Not realizing how tense I had become with the presence of that woman and her constant fixation on Declan, I felt myself relax when the shoot ended.

He headed over to see me as I gathered my things to place in my briefcase. I heard the photographer speaking with the woman. While eavesdropping, I learned her name was Marisol Franzi. It was a name I would not soon forget…

I saw Marisol glance at Aria several times. Knowing her reputation for creating a scene, I didn’t want to have Aria exposed to her or her temper tantrums. At the completion of the shoot, I immediately walked toward Aria, momentarily declining to remove clothing and make-up. I chose to ignore Marisol and had turned my back toward her, but she approached with catlike precision. I saw Aria out of the corner of my eye and knew that she was witnessing our exchange.
T

“Hello, Declan. I’ve missed you,” Marisol purred in her heavy accent. “You ran away the last time I saw you.” Placing a pointed finger on my chest and looking up at me through thick eyelashes, she attempted to project a familiarity that she and I did not share. “You were a
bad boy
running away from the party. That wasn’t very nice,” she said in a mocking chastisement.

“Marisol,” I said as I nodded my head toward her to acknowledge her presence. “I don’t believe when I left was any of your concern. You were drinking and must be mistaken.”

She became indignant. She didn’t take kindly to defiance from anyone, or being put in her place, so I witnessed the flame that instantaneously shot up in her eyes. She had come here with an agenda, and she recovered quite quickly.

Placing a smile on her face, she moved closer to me. Resting her hand on me familiarly, she ran her hand up my thigh. “Oh, you devil. You’re such a bad boy, teasing me.”

Almost making it to her intended destination, I gripped her hand, hard, around the wrist, hurting her. She had pissed me off and I spoke to her through gritted teeth. “You shouldn’t touch without asking.”

She narrowed her eyes at me and then turned her head to look at Aria, who now regarded Marisol with daggers in her eyes.

She knew the game she was playing. She could tell that Aria was someone special to me, and she was going to use me to dismiss her. She looked back at me, leered, and smiled with my hand still gripped on her wrist.

“Ooo, baby. I know your games. I just forgot that you like control.” She looked down at her hand in my grip, attempted moving her fingers, then lifted her eyes to gaze at me while licking her lips. “Lover,
please
?” she said, in a sexy voice, and came within inches of my face.

I wanted to be certain that the meaning of my next words were crystal clear to her. I also wanted to say them boldly enough for Aria to hear them. I didn’t care if I made a scene. I looked into Marisol’s black eyes with a stare that could form ice and contained no misunderstanding. Speaking slowly and succinctly, I was within an inch of her face when I spat these words to her;

“You haven’t got the goods to afford the merchandise. Got it?” I flung her wrist away from me as if she were dog shit.

Launching myself out of her reach, I searched out Aria. I was done with this charade. As far as I was concerned, Aria and I were done here. I was going to gather my things, and would resign to call my agent tomorrow.

I wanted to break out into a monumental smile, but I kept my composure and remained stone-faced. Declan commanded such power and enormity that I felt hindered by the space in the room. His significant posture throughout the encounter had just filled it. There was no time for smiles or pleasantries to be exchanged as we exited. An astonished hush had fallen on all of the personnel involved that were still present within this theatre. Declan’s distaste for Marisol was evident, and the fact that he had made it, not only blatantly clear but publicly evident, registered on her face. Her agitation was sourly unleashed in her expression. Once Declan had dismissed her, she turned her resentful stare to me. It appeared that she now declared who the culprit of her disgrace was, and she decided that my involvement with Declan was the core and cause.

Although I didn’t and likely would never have reason to engage personally with Marisol, it seemed as if she was going to make it her mission to make it personal between us…

Declan’s changed demeanor insinuated that we weren’t going to stay here a moment longer than necessary, so I gathered my personal items from the theater seat. Our plans were to have a nice dinner and do some “touristy” things in New York, at my request, since all of this was new to me; however, I wasn’t certain how his encounter with Marisol would alter those plans.

Looking around at all of the people it took to make a product campaign successful, I had a newfound appreciation for the profession he had chosen. He worked very hard at insuring his representation for his clients was to the best of his ability. There was so much more involved than just looking pretty and taking good pictures. I was extremely proud of him and his work, and I had enjoyed seeing it firsthand.

Declan came over to me and kissed me, but I felt the underlying rage.

“Baby, I’m just going to grab my things, and then we’ll go. Do you want to come with me?” he asked.

“No, I’m good. I’ll be right here,” I said.

He looked around and seemed a bit worried.

“I’ll be right back, okay?”

I nodded my head in affirmation.
TT

While he had stepped away to gather his items, a sultry, female voice came from behind me. “He is a most pretty man, is he not?” I heard in a Latin accent.

As I turned, I saw Marisol; the same woman with whom Declan had just had an altercation.

“
Pretty
, isn’t a word that I’d use to describe Declan,” I said sarcastically, and I offered no other comment. This woman caused my “bad news” radar to go into overdrive and I did not want to encourage conversation.

She wasn’t going to give up without a fight. “Perhaps there are better words to describe him,” she said. “At least, parts of him.
Thick
…
Hard
…
Big
…I’ve always enjoyed it,” she emphasized each word as she leered at me, challenging.

“We haven’t met,” she said. “I’m Marisol Franzi—a very…
Special
…friend of Declan’s.”

I know that my face reflected composure, but my stomach was revolting. Although I hadn’t eaten, I was nauseous, and I feared that I might vomit on her Louboutins.

By nature, I’m not a woman who likes confrontation of any sort. In fact, I’d go out of my way to avoid it. However, it occurred to me that I tried to avoid confrontation when it addressed
me
.
This
topic, unlucky for her, addressed
Declan
. A foreign, protective feeling began to arise within me, and I could feel myself straighten and stiffen. Feeling as if I had a spine of steel and a stare of the same, with rigid self-possession and controlled confidence, I looked her square in the eye to address her—the bitchy snake.

“I would have introduced myself to
you;
however, Declan found you so
exhaustively insignificant
that he didn’t deem it necessary to mention knowing you to me. As
I
know him to be an
excellent
judge of character, I believe I will follow his lead. As for you being Declan’s
girlfriend?
I don’t believe he shares that opinion. It would appear that your relationship with him exists
delusionally
…only in
your
absurd, little mind. I also know him to be a man of high caliber, again something which you are not. From the exchange
I
witnessed a few moments ago,
you
appear to be a waste of his time, and now mine. Now get the
hell
out of my way!” I stared into her face as I said it, though my knees were threatening to shake.

The vicious anger she felt was now apparent on her face. “Who the
hell
do you think you are?” she spat at me. “You fat, little puta bitch! You can’t compete with
me
in any way! You are nothing but a—”

With that, I saw a large hand grip her upper arm and spin her around.