The Designer and the Model

Chapter 8 - Alone in the workshop

Chapter 8 - Charlottes Point of View

"That'll be $26.50 ladies."

"Here. Keep the change, come Charlotte." Lucinda ordered and I got out, waiting on the sidewalk as Lucinda came around the back end of the cab. Cringing I glanced up as droplets fell on my face and bare arms and all of a sudden it poured down on us, I heard Lucinda curse and I rushed with her around the corner to the workshop doors. Getting out of the rain I noticed Lucinda not stopping as she continued up the stairs, I glanced at the doors behind me but the clicks of her heels holted and I saw her up the first flight leaning against the wall looking at me expectantly.

Letting go of a sigh that was building in my chest I followed her up to the workshop. I dropped my new bag on the work bench and scanned the room for Lucinda as I bushed off my damp arms in front of a heater vent on the wall.

I really didn't want to try on anything, I just wanted to get my heels and dress off and get in bed but as I saw Lucinda appear around the workbench I braced myself to be here for a while. Leaning against the bench I started to wish I'd stuck with water as I knew I was going to regret this bubbly drunken feeling tomorrow.

Draping her coat on the back of her chair, Lucinda sat. Facing me, my eyes dropped for a moment to her tattooed cleavage and I almost slipped off the bench as I felt her catch on to my strange lingering.

"You've improved, you are nowhere near a professional but you have proved yourself to be motivated. I am loyal to Drake and as long as he believes you are what he wants then you will keep your position in the company."

Shaking my head I smoothed my fingers through my damp hair as I tried to keep my thoughts in my head. Standing up out of her chair Lucinda closed the space between us, intimidating me under her stare I could feel burying into my head as I kept my head down.

I could smell her perfume she was so close and as I breathed her in I found myself following my eyes up to her plump red lips.

"I know you must have over heard me talking of you at the gathering and I assume that's where that question came from but like I have told you before. We don't need to be friends, I just need you to work with me-"

Biting my lip I clenched the bench corner in my grip as I tried to focus.

"-and you need to stop looking at me like that." Her Russian voice almost sounded like it had a purr to it which drew me in imidiantly.

Lighting strike drew us apart as it lit up the whole room.

"You can stay until the rain dies down, you know where everything is." Lucinda said quickly as she withdrew herself back to the middle of the wall-length mirror, sitting on the daybed as she opened her laptop. Just before she slammed it closed I heard it... A moan.

Her cold eyes blazed dangerous at me as she picked up her phone and kept like that until her back pressed against the wall.

Quietly I opened the mini-fridge and ducked down to get a Fiji water, smirking to myself behind the door I uttered "you want something?"

Nothing was said behind me so I took that as a no and proceeded to take a seat at the other end of the daybed as I sipped my water. I felt Lucinda looking at me but I couldn't bring myself to check so as I carefully swallowed. I lent down, taking off my heels. Blood rushed to my head as I bent down and I tried to catch myself from toppling sideways.

A strong warm hand grabbed under my arm securely, "jesus, I've never met someone so-" inches from Lucinda's lips I felt a tingle serge down my body so quickly didn't feel disy anymore, just as I smelt the sweetness of a strawberry dacory on her breath she pulled away.

"Just lay down Charlotte." Lucinda groaned in dismissle and stood up, intensely I watched her as she knelt in front of me. Taking off my last dangling heel from my ankle, she placed it with my other before going over to the work bench to collect her vape. I could notice the wobble in her step even when I could see on her face she was concentrating pretty hard on the ground, she disappeared as she walked around the workbench.

Her laptop.

I stared at it and it killed me trying not to open it, I was overloading with curiosity. With a quick glance over my shoulder I couldn't see her coming so I hastily slid it over.

Pushing the laptop away I sat up straight as Lucinda came around the corner with a cloud of smoke on her trail. Out of her dress and into a white singlet and black silk shorts I shamelessly stared.

"Is that Daenerys on the Iron Throne?!" I practically yelled as I saw it in realistic detail on Lucinda's thigh, smiling excitedly I wanted a closer look and as I glanced up at her I dropped the smile quickly as she stood close to me. I expected to be ignored or told off for looking at her but she didn't, lifting the material of her shorts up she let me have a closer look.

"That is so fucking awesome, I love Danny so much. It's s-"

Her warm hand covered my mouth, "don't talk about the new season if that's what you were going to do. I'm saving it and it's been hard enough to dodge every bullet like that online anyway."

"You haven't seen the last season!" I yelled in her hand and I saw something slowly change in Lucinda's expression, moving her hand away she looked away as she sat on the other side of the daybed.

"Ahem, so don't talk about the new season around me Charlotte" staring at the vape pen in her hands she took a hit, sighing it out of her nose I couldn't help but think about the change that quickly came over her and wondering what it was.

Laying back Lucinda glanced at me and it stirred something inside of me, it was like a magnetic pull and I started to imagine myself touching her. Feeling her tattooed skin and seeing what more was so find underneath her clothes.

"I'm sorry when I look at you it makes you uncomfortable. To be honest you're so interesting to look at Lucinda, you're like a living work of art."

My heart bounced in my chest as her cold blue eyes judged me. Hugging my arms around myself I tucked my legs in as I leant against the glass wall, knowing that was maybe too far to say or that I might have crossed another boundary.

"I can understand that," Lucinda said in a uncharacteristically small voice, dragging her eyes from me she slid over the vape pen in her hands over to me. Gesturing to try it I carefully picked it up and held it to my lips.

It wasn't working for me, I clicked the button and inhaled but nothing came out, just before I was about to give it back I stiffened as Lucinda moved right next to me. Cupping her hand over mine while she readjusted my fingers, a shaking sigh fell from my mouth and I lent in. Pressing my lips to her cheek.

Unmoving Lucinda closed her eyes, "Charlotte..." her chest rose and fell deeply, her hand was left not moving from mine, "I've told you, I'm not-"

"Does it matter? I'm haven't been...Just want..." my pitch heightened, dropping the vape through my fingers I held her hand in mine as I shifted closer to her neck.

"You should go. You're fucking drunk." Lucinda stood abruptly and grabbed my bag off the bench, throwing it down at my feet before pointing her blackened arm at the door.