Beneath The Surface

Auri felt emotionally exhausted as she walked out of the French Red Inc. building. They had signed the contract there and then. Sharon had read it over and she had been very satisfied with the deal. She had studied law in university and knew her way around a contract. She had instructed Auri to sign the contract and then they both had walked out. Nicolas had said he wanted Auri to start immediately. Auri had been in too much shock She did not think she could forget this day. All of it was playing over and over in her head. She remembered the way the pen had glided across the pen as she sealed her fate. As she signed her way into the next big phase of her plan.

Now that she was out of the building, the sun kissed her skin and its heat seemed to revive her. She was a French Red model now. She was closer to the man who had harmed her friend. She would make him pay.

She looked over at Sharon who was looking at her. Side to side they just stared at each other over their shoulders. Both were glowing in the afternoon sun. Sharon smiled at the younger woman. Auri smiled back. Sharon thought Auri was here for the glamorous career. Auri was not going to break that illusion. It was better if only she knew what she was doing.

"Is today real?" Auri asked.

There was a breathless shock in her voice. A wonder that many would only see in movies.

"My model is a French Red model," Sharon said in a gasp full of marvel.

"I'm a French Red model," Auri was not quite believing her new status either.

Her stomach rumbled and she placed a hand over it.

"It's lunchtime," Sharon said in amusement, "Want to go grab some celebratory lunch?"

Auri smiled back and said, "Yes, please. I was so nervous I skipped breakfast."

Sharon laughed and led Auri back to where she had parked her car.

Auri realised she had just signed herself up for another car ride from hell and cursed her memory. She wondered if she could offer to drive or if she could take back her agreement for lunch. She wracked her brains but could not come up with anything.

You got a contract with French Red, she told herself as the joy took over again.

This is more than you wanted. The heavens are shining on you, Sharon and her questionable driving skills will not kill you.

Auri watched as Sharon got her keys out and clicked the button. The lights blinked and Auri could hear the doors unlock. She looked at the vehicle with a little dread. She did not think she would be ready for a meal after a car ride with Saron at the wheel. Sharon walked over to the car and opened the driver's side door. She put one foot in and seemed to realise Auri was not moving to get closer to the car.

"Aurelie," She called out and Auri looked at her, "Come on! I have another appointment after lunch so we have to make it quick."

Auri nodded and moved to the passenger side of the car. She got in just as Sharon bounced into her seat and put the key in the ignition. Auri closed the door and strapped on the seatbelt. She put her hand on either side of the seat and clutched it. She hoped that Sharon would not drive as crazily as she had done on their way here.

"So where would you like to eat?" Sharon asked.

"Anywhere would be fine," Auri said carefully.

She wanted the place that would make this car ride as short as possible but she swallowed that part down and watched as Sharon started the car and lowered the emergency brake. She put the car in reverse and carefully got out of the parking spot.

A few minutes later Auri scrambled out of the car at another parking lot. She was glad the car ride had not been eventful. There was only one near-collision experience but that was while they were looking for a parking spot which was an improvement. They were in front of a burger place. Sharon locked her car and the two walked in together.

They got a table and waited for service. Auri looked around the establishment a new feeling filling her up. How could this place feel the same as the last time she had been here when her world had changed so much? She felt like she was a new person. She had new motivations. New goals. She was not just a university student interested in jewellery design and business studies. No. She felt like there was a change in her that should be obvious to the rest of the world. She was more vengeful. More focused. More single-minded. She was grieving. She did not have Mara by her side. She was not as happy. Her insides did not match her outsides.

"It's surreal, isn't it?" Sharon asked.

Auri looked at Sharon and smiled. For all Sharon knew she was in awe of making it big in her career.

"Is it obvious?" She asked her agent.

Showing her excitement of being close to Nicolas and hoping Sharon would read it as the joy of breaking through in her "dream" career.

"Only to me," Sharon's smile was knowing.

 "I still can't believe it," Auri leaned forward and whispered to Sharon across the table.

A humorous gleam lightened Sharon's eyes she leaned forward her face suspiciously grim.

"Do you want to know a secret?" she asked.

Auri's humour faded as she wondered what Sharon was going to tell her. Judging by her facial expression, she thought it was something important.

"Neither can I," Sharon whispered dramatically and began to titter as Auri scowled at her.

Auri's scowl softened into a smile as she watched her agent giggle like a schoolgirl. She guessed that Sharon was probably in her mid to late thirties. She had never asked. She respected her like an older sister and the other woman guided her well around the world of fashion. She was professional and knew more than she should. Auri knew she could count on her.

Auri's phone buzzed in her purse and she fished it out. She saw it was a message from her best friend, Rachel and she smiled. She opened the message and read it.

I have news! We have to party tonight!

She grinned and texted back.

I have news too... We have to celebrate!

"Who is it?" Sharon asked as Auri clicked on send.

"Rachel," Auri said with a grin.

"The girl from your high school class?" Sharon frowned.

Auri had introduced them once.

"Yes," Auri's grin was wide.

She could not be happier. She and her best friend both had news.

I deserve this, she told herself. Just one night of fun. I have earned it. I am going to a party tonight.

***

 Nicolas smiled at the signed contract on his desk. He had her. He would make a star out of Aurelie. She was already a star, he just needed to show her that. He just had to wait for her to report for duty in a week's time. He could be patient. In the meantime, just by the brief glance he'd had of her he finally had an idea for the design of the dress he wanted added to his next line.

He picked up the file from his desk and he put it in his drawer. He picked up his leather jacket and his back pack and walked out the door. He was done for the day. He turned off the light and left his office lit by the city beyond his window and Shadows.

He looked around his reception area and it was deserted. His long legs took him to the elevator. He got in the elevator and took out his phone as it descended. The elevator stopped and Nicolas lifted his gaze. He immediately recognised that he was not looking at the underground garage. Two women and a man stepped into the elevator. The man nodded at him respectfully as did the women but they had flushed faces and bashful expressions on their faces. The man pressed the button to the ground floor and the women huddled together and stared at Nicolas from the corners of their eyes.

He made quite a picture too. He was dressed in tight leather pants and had his white dress shirt over it. His muscles could be seen stretching over the material. One of the women leaned back a little when she thought he wasn't looking to get a peek at his bottom. Her friend smacked her. The man who was with them rolled his eyes. It was okay. His front was interesting too. The top buttons of his shirt were undone and the sleaves were pulled back so that his forearms were on full display. Any fool could tell that he worked out. He had his leather jacket and backpack in one hand and he had a phone in the other.

The elevator's descent halted. A speaker chimed and the doors slowly slid open. Nicolas watched as One of the two women and the man walk out of the elevator. One of the girls stayed back. Nicolas held in a sigh as he watched the other woman look back at him and quickly looked back in front when she saw he was looking at her. Another chime and the elevator doors began slide closed. The other woman in the elevator had her head ducked and was peering at him from under her dark bangs. He ignored her. He was not tempted tonight. And he had learnt his lesson about jerking around where he had to work.

The speaker chimed and Nicolas shifted impatiently as the door slowly opened. He slid out of the metal box before the doors could fully open. He was not in the mood to evade advances tonight. He also had better places to be. He walked to his bike and put his backpack over the seat. He put on his leather jacket in smooth practiced movements and zipped it up to his chin. He felt around the pockets of the jacket and drew leather riding gloves. He put them over his hands and flung the backpack onto his back.

With the grace of a martial artist or a dancer he flung his leg over the bike and straddled it. His phone buzzed and he fished it out of his pants pocket. He looked at his screen and noticed that his friends were reminding him he had a get together to attend. He rolled his eyes and put the phone back in his pocket. He unclipped his helmet from the handle bars and slid it over his head.

With a swift practiced move, he lifted the kickstand with the back of his booted foot. He was going to party tonight.