10
1689 Words
The clicking of the cameras as she posed in the wedding dress was drowned out by thoughts of her father’s recent curtness. It had been three days since Russell seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth, but she knew better.
Missions were a part of their lives, just like their jobs. Though he didn’t have one that she knew of, Russell once confided in her that he had a few hundred thousand tucked away. He always paid for his downtown apartment in full for the entirety of his lease. It ensured he always had a place of his own to escape to when he needed time away from it all.
“Okay, can we get you to look up, Ms. Marks?”
Skylar tilted her head, her movements flowing naturally as she curled her hand under her chin and looked up at the man working with her. Her deep, hazel blue eyes captured the light, sparkling brightly.
The photographers’ announcement was grounding, bringing her back to the monotonous business as usual. “Great! That’s our money shot, right there. Now, Dalton? You need to hold her as if she’s the most important person in your life. That’s perfect. Just a few more… and we’re done.”
The routine comforted her slightly, reminding her of the professional facade she had to maintain. Sighs of relief filled the room as Skylar relaxed and smiled at Latoya. After changing into her street clothes, she went to talk to the woman who owned the boutique. Walking over, she felt a hand close around her elbow. Turning, she came face to face with her current work partner, Dalton Fuentes.
She pried his hand off of her, taking a step back to let him know that he was too close. Yet, he didn’t seem to get the hint. “Hi, was there something you needed?”
“Well, see, I was hoping—”
“Oh! There you are! Ms. Marks, you have a call from home,” her assistant declared, handing her the cell phone.
Dealing with the call quickly, she turned to smile icily at the man. “Dalton, was it? I’m so sorry, but I’m going to have to respectfully turn down any kind of invitation out. I have a boyfriend.”
“Oh? Then where is he?” Dalton sneered.
Defaulting to her mafia training, she squared her shoulders and shook her head. “That’s need-to-know information, and you don’t need to know. Honestly, you really must learn how to take no for an answer, Dalton. Not all women are desperate enough to throw themselves at you for a cheap date.”
“Oh, come on. Just admit you’re scared to date a real man,” he crowed, laughing. “I could give you the world on a silver platter, and all you got to do is look as gorgeous as you do now.”
Her patience reached its end as she glared at the phone that had gone silent. Her demeanor changed as she stood straighter. “Listen, you little s**t-stain. My father raised two kids on his own, and the most valuable lesson he ever taught me was to never let another living soul determine my worth.”
“You won’t find better than me,” he persisted.
She rolled her eyes. “What the hell do you think this is? A dating game? Keep work professional or quit. Your choice, but either way I don’t care. However, do not keep expecting women to bend to your will just because you want them to.”
Skylar scoffed, grabbing her coat and handbag. As she fished her keys out, she sighed. Looking back at the man gawking at her, she shook her head. “Another thing, don’t promise someone the world if you can’t deliver. Besides, I could fly to Italy tomorrow if I wanted to. Hell, pick a place on the map, and I can travel to it with no problem.”
“You make it sound like you can actually afford it,” he countered.
“I can,” she replied. Smirking, her words dripping with sarcasm, she said, “I have friends in high places, and I have a trust fund worth more than your putrid advances. I also have quite a few friends in low places. Very, very low places.”
Dalton paled until he spotted his father walking up to the building. His smile returned, “Are you threatening me, Ms. Marks? You know, I have ways to make bad girls be good. Maybe I should talk to your sibling about it.”
Her eyes flashing dangerously, Skylar’s hand itched to pull the revolver from her bag. Instead, she forced herself to relax. Inhaling, she caught the scent of musk. Not just any kind of musk, but one that smelled of pine and open country air. Turning, she locked eyes with her boyfriend and ran to him. “Russell, I missed you so much! Are you okay? Your family said you couldn’t be reached.”
“I’m fine, baby. I, um, I had an episode, but I’m okay now. It wasn’t work, per se, but I was working on me before I could get back to you. I’m sorry if I made you worry,” he replied.
Too happy to care, she turned to Dalton and flipped him off. He stomped over, stopping when he was grabbed by his father.
“Dad!” He cried out, exasperated that he didn’t get his own way this time.
“Let’s go,” his father snapped.
Vince Samms walked over, handing them a folded piece of paper. “Your behaviour today leaves me no choice, Dalton. You’re fired.”
Twisting from his father’s grasp, Dalton walked up to her. “How dare you have my career cut short?! You filthy w***e!”
Unbothered, she shook her head sadly. “I told you I had a man. You persisted, then threatened to “talk” to my little brother?”
Suddenly, he was on the ground with a very irritated red-head glaring down at him. He glanced up, his eyes going wide as he looked at the colours she was wearing. “Who the hell let a biker in here?”
“You damned cockroach! If you so much as spit in Jaxon or Skylar’s direction, and your family will be on a scavenger hunt to all over this beautiful province of ours because that’s what going to happen if you go after my chosen family. Now, if you don’t want to die young, pull up your big boy pants and get lost. You don’t want to make an enemy out of a Scorpion,” Kennedy snarled.
Sky smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Dalton, I’m so far out of your league that we’re not even on the same planet at this point. you think that having money means you can get whatever you want, but I’d bet dollars to donuts that you’re not half as financially well-off as I am.”
Still not getting it, Dalton sneered. “I’m worth three hundred grand, baby.”
Having had enough of his incessant badgering, Skylar grabbed him by the balls. He gasped, wincing and tearing up as he stiffened from the pain. “Three hundred grand? You can afford to be a little more humble than you are, then. I’m done dealing with you. I’m so over your idiotic behaviour, and I’m absolutely disgusted by you as a person.”
His face was turning red, his veins straining as he struggled to handle the mass amount of pain she was dealing him.
“For another thing, this job is so I can have the satisfaction of earning my own money, not for me to look for a side piece. It’s adorable that you assumed I had no funding of my own when my bank account is nearly triple yours.” Letting go, she watched him drop to the concrete.
Dalton sobbed as a woman ran over gasping in indignation. “Mario, do something!”
The older man got up, walking over as Sky and Kennedy got into the car with Russell. He wrang his hands, praying that she understood that he, too, was sick of his son’s behaviour. “Ms. Marks? May I have a word?”
“Mr. Fuentes, I really don’t have time. If your son continues to make an ass of himself, I’ll make sure he never works in this province, let alone the city. Imagine, threatening me with my sibling just to get a date? It’s pathetic, needy, and completely unnecessary.” She snapped.
The woman, angry that her son was hurt, ran at Skylar, “You b***h!”
“Kenni, do you know her?” Sky asked, referring to her friend’s commonly-known nickname.
Falling into the conversation easily, Kennedy smirked as she scrutinized the situation. “What? Hell, no.”
“Oh, then she must be looking in a mirror because there is no way she’s talking to me like that.” Sky said.
Dalton’s mother shrieked, “You hurt my baby!”
“Oh, I see. You’re the reason why he’s such a walking disaster. You should call my father for lessons in how to raise decent children. He did it on his own, and my brother and I turned out to be perfectly capable young adults with an education and manners to match.” The brunette said, a false cheerfulness to her voice.
Her husband nodded. “Again, Ms. Marks, I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. I’ll deal with his behaviour myself. Please, enjoy the rest of your day.”
Once they were gone, he turned to his son and sighed. “You’ll be working at the company from now on. Trina, this is not the time to baby a full-grown man. Let’s go.”
“But, Dad!”
Grabbing his son by the collar, he snarled. “Remember a month ago, when your uncle was found dead? Well, that was the girl he insulted. Unless you want to join him, I strongly suggest you grow up.”
- Writer
