Valeria sat in her office, facing her small window through which she could see the sky. To the left, on one of the extensions of her desk, was a picture of her mother, her little sister, and her. The three of them looked happy... very happy. It had been happier times. She couldn't say that everything had changed since her mother's death, because they had never had much money, but at least Alice didn't get so sick before. She sighed, looking up at the sky. “Is it wrong to be strong, Mom? Is it wrong to want to feel powerful even though I'm not? I get trampled on enough, can you imagine if I were a submissive woman on top of that?” She shook her head, looking at the photo. “No, Mom, you taught me to be a warrior. I'm not going to keep quiet, I'm not going to lower my head, and if he has his tastes, I have my character and I'm not going to change for anyone, no matter how handsome he is.” She rubbed the glass with her fingertips and kissed the photo before returning it to its place.
Valeria had never been to a fashion show for distributors before, but it was obvious that it was considered a very important event, because twenty-four hours earlier they had put a huge clock with a countdown in the middle of the Design Studio break room and the real commotion began. The models were going back and forth, the Production girls were fitting everyone, and the designers were doing last minute alterations. Valeria and Oli looked at each other excitedly that they had both been asked to participate. All they talked about was Andrew Davies and the multimillion-dollar contracts that his visit always represented. He was one of the most coveted distributors by any design studio because his department stores were in more than fifty countries. “Are you ready for this?” Oli asked, adjusting Valeria's beautiful wide-sleeved blouse. “Are you ready?” “The worst thing that can happen to me is getting fired. You, on the other hand...” laughed Oli. “The CEO will choke me with his bar
Richard elbowed Elliot's chest looking at the corset. “That's what I want!” he exclaimed to the general astonishment. “What? The girl or the corset?” Elliot asked, thinking out loud. “Can it be both?” Richard raised an eyebrow looking at Valeria but it was obvious he was making a joke, so those who understood laughed, and those who didn't laughed, too, to save face. The only one who didn't offer half a smile was Nick. “Can I take a closer look?” asked Richard and Valeria nodded, standing up and approaching him. Richard turned her around several times in front of him. “Is this model yours?” he asked, gawking. “That's right”. “It's fantastic!” said the man. “I love it. If I close my eyes, I can see it on every woman in front of me. Did you sew it?” “No, no, I just designed it. I have a close friend who is very good at sewing,” Valeria replied. “Nick, why didn't you present this as part of the collection?” Andrew asked, and Nick clenched his fists and forced a smile before answ
Andrew looked at his sons, who looked quite excited. “Nick, Layla, if you don't mind, I'd like to be able to talk to my sons for a moment,” he asked his hosts politely, and they promptly left. Andrew sat down across from Richard and Elliot, his boys, even though they were in their late twenties, and held up his hands. “What do you think?” he asked. “We should steal her from the Bennets,” said Elliot. “What for? We don't have a design studio. We're distributors,” his brother reminded him. “Well, we could have a company of our own. Everyone starts with something and that girl... is an excellent designer,” Elliot replied. “That's right, but we should ask her if she has more of that. That collection alone is not enough to launch a good lingerie line, we need more,” added Richard. “Dad, would you ask her? I get the impression you're the only one Nick respects enough not to choke on the spot.” The three of them laughed knowingly. “Yeah, I think there's a weird vibe between Nick and
Putting aside the incident of Mr. Davies, who had left her office a little nervous, Valeria felt that the rest had gone perfectly. Layla was delighted, and had invited her and Oli for a drink afterwards to discuss Oli’s move to the Production department. Valeria was ready to leave when a girl from the Economy department put twelve colored folders on her desk. “Miss Williams?” she asked. “Yes, it's me.” “Our CEO sent you this. It's the specifications for the materials you used in your collection and he needs you to set a budget for tomorrow.” Valeria looked at that mountain of folders. It would take her a couple of hours to come up with an acceptable budget, but she could do it. She'd end up scratching the clock, though. “Okay, thanks,” she mumbled as she opened one, but before the girl could leave, she stopped her. “Wait, please. These are not the materials I used in my collection.” The girl wrinkled her brow. “Are you sure? Those are the ones our CEO requested.” “Yes, I'm pre
He could have made a thousand excuses for what he was doing, but the truth was that that woman made him desperate. She drove him crazy; he wanted to spank her ten times for the simple fact of breathing, let alone for taking off her clothes in front of others. He tangled his fingers in her hair and forced her head back against him. He invaded her mouth with desperation as if kissing her was the worst of punishments and yet he could not avoid it. He played with Valeria's tongue. He felt her eager and as desperate as he was. His hands gripped her hips as Valeria's arms went around his neck. His kisses trailed down the soft line of her jaw, down her throat. He heard her moan in pleasure and smiled inwardly, for just that sound was the one he wanted to rip out of her. He closed his hands over her buttocks, like claws, and pulled her closer to the edge of the table, against him, as that fierce erection made contact with her sex and was evident above his clothes. He could feel the heat gus
Valeria left Alice at her desk at school and kissed her head before leaving, earning a smile from her. She arranged her hair and went out to hail a cab just as she had planned. Luckily, she was on time. Mr. Davies had given her the address to a restaurant where they would meet at nine in the morning, and Valeria had plenty of time to get there. Already in the cab she made sure that her clothes were discreet and elegant, no fancy corsets. The purpose of the pieces was fulfilled and it was important that Mr. Davies saw her as a designer; she did not want any misunderstandings. At nine o'clock she entered the restaurant and was told that Mr. Davies was already waiting for her. The magnate greeted her courteously and the conversation ran smoothly from there. Andrew modified some important points in the concepts of the collections, always explaining to Valeria what he was looking for. “It's not just about design, they also have to be apt to sell well, and I think with these adjustments
Nick held back the urge to punch Andrew Davies full in the face, but they had just signed the company's most important contracts in several years, so he stopped himself. “I'm not so sure I'll let Valeria go,” Nick replied. “Well, that's not entirely up to you, is it? We'll see what happens in the next few months,” Andrew smiled before saying goodbye. He watched him go to Valeria's office and give her a tentative and very brief hug that made him fume to the roots of his hair. He hadn't finished leaving when Nick was already bursting into Valeria's cubicle like a lion fresh out of the cage, not caring that people were watching. “What was that about you not being easy with the first guy who passed you by?” Nick hissed, slapping his palms on her desk, causing her to raise her head. “What was that about you not being jealous of me?” she replied, raising an eyebrow in amusement. “Don't change the subject, Valeria! What was all that hugging about?” he demanded. Valeria closed her eyes