Laura is currently dripping in diamonds, and her nostrils flare at the dig. I’m not a naturally rude person, but I’ve dealt with girls like this the whole of my life. I was a messed-up teenager for many reasons, and the other kids at school didn’t help. I’m not a kid anymore, though. I’m a grown woman confident in her appearance, proud of her boyfriend, and absolutely thrilled with his thoughtful gift. I will not be taking any shit from Little Miss Queen Bee or her friends.
She ignores my question and looks me up and down. I stand tall and strong, refusing to hide away or feel embarrassed about myself. “I do like your dress though, Ellie. I tried one of those on myself. I had no idea they went up to a, what, sizeten?”
“Twelve actually,” I announce proudly, running my hands over my hips. “I think a lot of designers these days are looking to cater for all kinds of women, you know? Ones with curves, not just the straight up-and-down kind who’re only held up by their silicone implants.”
Again the nostrils flare. That was mean of me, but she deserved it. She’s glaring now, all pretense at niceness gone. I didn’t crumble like she intended, and I suspect she doesn’t know what to do with that.
“He’s good in bed, isn’t he?” she says, a saccharine smile on her face.
I blink in shock. Could she actually be talking about Maddox?MyMaddox? “I remember he especially liked going downtown, if you know what I mean.”
I do know what she means, because she’s hardly subtle. She winks, and I want to slap her smug face. I remind myself I’m at a Jamestech charity event, and their VP of Marketing getting into a brawl with one of the guests would not be good publicity. “You know Maddox?”
“Intimately. We were together for a while. I heard he was slumming it at the moment. Nobody thinks it will last, Ellie. He’s just experimenting, I guess. Sowing his wild oats before he settles down with somebody more appropriate. He’s too much man for you. I expect he must feel embarrassed even being seen out with you, or else he’d have been glued to your side all night. Can you imagine fitting in with his family? It’d be like a pride of beautiful tigers adopting a baby hippo.”
Her friends snigger, and my cheeks burn bright. Goddess, give me strength. For a moment I feel a flash of that fire and temper I keep buried deep in my gut, and I genuinely have to restrain myself from scratching her eyes out. But I’m not usually a violent person, and I would never stoop to such levels. I will use my words though, because I’m good with them. This is one of those occasions where I can hide my feelings and not give her the satisfaction of seeing that she’s upset me.
“Hmmm,” I murmur. “But baby hippos are so cute and lovable, aren’t they? Unlike snakes in the grass. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do. Be sure to collect your gift bags on the way out now, won’t you? I believe some of them contain gift vouchers for free Botox. You should try and get one of those. Thin women age so badly, don’t they? All those lines and wrinkles.”
Her hands fly to her face, and I slip away while she’s still thinking up a reply. Obviously the gift bags do not containvouchers for Botox. Not that I’d judge any woman who wanted to use it—to each their own, we all want to feel good about ourselves.
I’d never normally be the kind of girl who picks on another person’s appearance because I am very much a woman’s woman and firmly believe in the sanctity of sisterhood. But…well. Fuck it. Sometimes the only way to beat a bully is to fight back in a way that they understand, using their own weapons against them. I’ve been bullied enough in my life, and I made a promise to myself long ago never to tolerate it again. If that means temporarily taking a trip into Bitch Town, then so be it.
I should forget all about it. The problem lies with them, and not with me.
So what if she used to date Maddox? I know he has a past. I don’t exactly like his taste in women if Laura is an example, but he was young and mixed-up. My dating record isn’t exactly stellar, either.
I circulate some more, check in with Laurence and Michelle again, and have a brief chat with Mason about the videographer we’ve hired to capture the evening’s events. We’ll use some of the footage on our socials, but I have the grain of an idea that it could be more. That there’s a bigger story here. A documentary even, looking at the work of the charity and our involvement in it. He nods and tells me we’ll review it after the weekend. It’s one of the many things I like about Mason—he’s always open to hearing an idea from out of left field. People assume that the business world is dry and dull, but there’s always room for creativity if you work with the right people.
The night progresses, and towards the end a photographer asks if he can take a group shot of the James family. “And partners,” he adds, smiling in the direction of Amber.
I mean, of course. Amber, Mel and Amelia are absolutely stunning, and King is like an alternative supermodel with hiseasy grin, stubble, and all his tattoos. They all assemble while I make sure the Jamestech branding is visible in the shots, because that’s one of the things they pay me for. They all look so good, I think. Especially Maddox, so handsome in his suit. He’s the only one without a partner, though, and I’m not at all sure if I should step forward. The others are wives and, in King’s case, husband. I’m just a girlfriend. And a relatively new one at that.
Plus, deep down inside me, a teeny, tiny part of me remembers what Bitch-Face McNo-ass said—that I don’t fit in with them. That he must be embarrassed by me. Speaking of which, she’s standing right there on the sideline, gawking at Maddox. A sickly simper on her face, a hand on her jutting hip like she’s trying to showcase what he could have instead of me.
The photographer is about to start shooting, but Maddox holds up his hand. “Ellie, get on in here, baby.” He looks at the man behind the camera and grins. “Sorry to hold you up, but I need to get my girlfriend in shot. Is that okay?”
The rest of the family join in, shouting at me to get my ass over there. Their acceptance makes me feel gooey inside. Maybe they do see me as part of the family. Who says tigers and baby hippos can’t get along beautifully?
The photographer looks around, catching Laura Boswick in all her slender, diamond-draped glory and immediately waves her towards the front. “Come on sweetheart, don’t be shy, get in there with your guy.”
She laughs, obviously delighted at the mistake, and shoots me a poisonous glare. She even jokingly starts to take a step forward, but Maddox holds out his hand. He doesn’t touch her, just puts his palm up like a stop sign. “No. This isn’t my girlfriend. That’s my girlfriend.”
He points over to me, and I wish the ground would swallow me whole. The photographer scratches his head, and shrugsin a what-the-fuck way. I guess Laura looks a lot more like a potential James family partner than I do.
I draw in a deep breath and make my way towards them. Maddox slips his arm around my waist, pulling me in close while the camera flash explodes around us. I smile for the picture. Completely fake. Completely out of my depth.
Chapter 26
Ellie
An hour later we’re back at Maddox’s place. I keep a few of my things here now, but I still like sleeping in his old Foo Fighters t-shirt. I was quiet on the ride home, and as soon as we got here, I disappeared off to the bathroom to get changed.
Maddox joked earlier about ripping my dress off me, but I’m not feeling it right now, and being the emotionally intelligent guy he is, he gave me my space. I’m upset at how the night ended, but also, I love that dress, I couldn’t abide the waste of a beautiful piece of clothing like that being destroyed. I hang it up carefully, let my hair down, wipe my face free of makeup, and stare in the mirror. I’ve removed the surface-level glamour, and now I’m just me. A size twelve girl with crazy hair. Is that enough for him? Will I ever feel enough for him?
You did until tonight, Ellie.
I go back into the living room and find him on the couch. There’s music playing in the background. Aretha Franklin, I think. He’s made us both some cocoa, which is normally one of my absolute favorite things in the whole world. I sit at the other end of the couch and cradle my mug between my hands. Even the delicious aroma can’t quite knock me out of my funk.Maddox is still in his gorgeous tux, but he’s undone his black tie. It trails down the front of his shirt, and he looks like an off-duty James Bond. If James Bond was sober and knew about chakras.
