Chapter 6
Rose comes out, behind her is the designer woman. Wearing tight black cargo pants that do justice to her curves. With a polyester cream top that contrasts her warm tan skin and insinuates her small waist, hair swinging from side to side as she promenades.
“Look what the cat dragged in!” Alonso’s jaw-drop.
Leo shoots her a lingering gaze, scrutinizing her petite structure and looks away when her intense eyes meet his.
“Damn, you are so hot, it’s a shame you use your beauty to whore around.” Alonso says, biting his lip.
“Quit talking nonsense.” Leo taps Alonso’s chest.
“Come on, even you have to admit it.”
“What? Please, don't”—Leo’s voice comes trembling.
“Man..I swear you are a 50 year old trapped in a 26 year old’s body.”
“Whatever.” He licks his dry lips.
Anger flares in her eyes but she disregards him.
“Let’s get going, we have a lot to do and I have to leave for Tierra Bomba soon.” Leo says.
“It's best if you go with Reina or whatever she calls herself because I have a few things to get done in Bogota.”
“I suppose, I will take my new shadow with me.” Staring at her in a sardonic way.
Leo and Rose approach his office. Side by side. They stand at the door, her head brushes against his bicep with a light sudden movement to propel inside. He bends his head to look at her and leans his sturdy figure to the side jamb of the door to allow her to pass. With minimal effort, he is able to touch the top of the door frame.
She ogles the place with a glint in her eyes.
Fashion design portraits are scattered randomly on the wall like in an art gallery. And a captivating, overpowering smell of coffee. Leo finds his chair and she sits on a white leather sofa across his table with her feet dangling like a small child..
His telephone rings. “Yessss?”
“Good day sir, Marcus Adams has arrived.”
“Thank you, Kendra, you may let him in.”
“One more thing sir, he is still asking questions about Demetria Jordan.”
“I hope you told him what I said you should.” Leo states.
“Absolutely, sir.”
Rose gazes out the window taking in the beautiful view of the sea.
A knock emerges from the door.
“Come in!” He shouts.
“Leonardo Sal, the ex-convict.” A man with black sleek hair majestically walks in. Heel to toe, heel to toe, he moves his beanstalk-like figure. Dressed in a green suit that creates a color ramp with his cunning blue eyes and porcelain complexion.
“You have a lot of nerve showing up here, don’t you?” Leo says with a poker face.
“I had to visit you, my old friend. I had to see how you are doing. I mean, how are you holding up?.” Marcus sits down with crossed legs pointing in Rose’s direction.
"Yeah, I am sure you are very concerned. You always have been, right?” Scanning through the papers in his hands.
“How could I not, I was looking forward to you participating in the competition. I mean, a lot is going on, hey. Speak of negative publicity.” Marcus steeples his pale long hands, his index finger tips beating against each other.
Leo laughs out loud and hurriedly stops. Shameless bastard. Oh !He is praying for the right time to kick him in the gut.
“Anyway, please don’t waste my time. What do you want?”
Marcus pretends like he didn’t hear the question and starts fixating on Rose.
“ Lucky bastard! You are always surrounded by young women.” Marcus rocks his leg above the other..
“I thought I asked you a question? And if this is your way of gloating, think again.”
“Alright, Mr grumpy, you know being too ill-tempered will make you old quickly. In fact, I can already see a few wrinkles forming.”
Leo gets up and poses at the door, holding its stainless steel door handle. Grinding his teeth together.
“Very well then, I just wanted to ask the whereabouts of my lover that works here. She has been missing for a week, and I thought maybe you would know.” Marcus says.
“You must be kidding right? I don’t keep track of what happens in and out of my employees’ lives. And am I supposed to know who you sleep with?”
“Oh, my bad. I mean Demetria Jordan." Marcus fixes his collar for the millionth time. "She was working here for a month or so, it’s inevitable that you wouldn't know something. Don’t you think so?”
“Wow! So, you get involved with cleaners or should I say ‘floor technicians’ as you call them . Interesting!” His tone is playful with his fingers drawing quotation marks in the air.
Marcus laughs and slowly gets up from the chair. With an upright stance, stroking his chin. “Don’t be so shallow, or jealous either. It really doesn’t matter, love compensates for it all. Plus, I don’t expect you to understand.”
Leo scoffs. “Love you say?”
“Yeah, I do want a family of my own of course. I don’t plan on dedicating my whole life to an office, however I can’t say the same about you.”
“Ahg. I don’t give a fuck you,hear me.”
“Of course you don’t. What woman will want an orangutan ,right?” Marcus bores his eyes at Rose.
“Alright, get out of my office you son of a bitch.”
“I am not leaving without you telling me about her whereabouts.” Marcus leans back on the chair.
“She no longer works here! I find it weird she didn’t tell you she quit, since the two of you fuck and all. Besides, she recommended her friend or whatever, the woman sitting right there.”
Her eyes open wide. Astonishment creeps up on her as the two men keep exchanging words about Demetria and her. Referring to her like I am not in the room is so disrespectful.
“My dear, do you have any idea of where she might be?” Marcus asks her in a darling manner.
Confusion circulates in her, and struggles with the right words to say.
She opens and says the first thing that comes to mind "I really don’t have the slightest idea. She didn’t say where she went.”
“Alright, alright, alright. Leave already. Or are you sticking around to get more inspiration from my work? Mmm?” Leo puts one foot above the other leaning against the door, with his hand swinging in the air as he talks while one folded towards his chest.
Marcus laughs out loud like he is being tickled. “Goodness, this is so sad. Sure, blame everything on me, right? Quit inventing stories about your stolen work because nobody cares, you lost fair and square.”
“I know it was you, and I swear we will get even. You have no shame, you didn’t even make a huge change to the loctus piece statement.
“It’s not my fault I am a bit of a competition to you. Did you really think you were going to hold the designer of the year title?” Marcus furrows his thin eyebrows.
“I swear if you say one more word I am going to lose it..”
Marcus runs his tongue over the floor of his mouth. “Well, I have a multi-million company to run therefore I will see myself out. And I will leave you my business card. If you hear from her please give me a call.” With a bright smile, he takes out a card from the pocket of his shirt and hands it to her.
Pacing towards the door, stopping halfway, he turns around and says "You didn’t give me your name, sweety?”
Leo looks at her with concentration, anticipating her next move.
“It's Rosalia, Rosalia Nuñes but call me Rose.”
“Rose..” Marcus echoes her name aloud.
She simply nods.
“Alright, I will see myself out. Leonardo, I hope to see you at the function for you to see the real stars not wannabes, well..you know.” He leaves the office.
Leo expels the door and pounds his fist against it and Rose shifts at the edge of the seat, her hands firmly clutched on both sides of the seat.
A couple of hours goes by, and Leo is working non-stop. He has a lot of emails to respond to, shut the press up, and deviate them from publishing trash about his company. Especially now that he lost Colombia’s biggest competition in the world of fashion because someone stole his collection that he was supposed to showcase.
He dials the reception "Kendra, please see to it that at five everything is set please.”
“I am on it, sir.”
He stands at a shelf and takes a big red file, containing designs he drew and are in line to be created. Takes a seat in his study, analyzing different fabrics spread on the hazelnut smooth table.