ZORA'S POVI walked into my office with Cheryl close behind me. I settled down before turning to her. "So, what am I to do today?" I inquired. After a glance at her iPad, she said, "There isn't very much to do today. All you have on your schedule is two commercials. That's all.""That's all?" I echoed, both relieved and surprised. Cheryl nodded. Since I had moved here, today was the least tasking day I had had. Coming to work these days almost literally meant working non-stop with little breaks in between. Having just two commercials meant I could go home on time, spend time with my kids, and also rest a little, considering the fact that my Saturday was stressful in more ways than one. "When exactly am I due for the commercials?" I asked Cheryl. "You have one by noon and the other...they requested that you tell them when it would be convenient for you."I thought for a moment. "Tell them I will be free by... 1 pm I should be done with the first commercial before that time."Havi
ZORA'S POVAfter a wait of about fifteen minutes, the petite secretary of Sleek and Chic who had ushered us in, made a second appearance. I was almost half out of my seat, thinking it was Elliot. Seeing it was only her, I gave a disappointed sigh and sat back down. "Is he going to be much longer?" I asked tersely with a pointed stare at my watch. She smiled apologetically. "I am so sorry about the delay, Ms Walter. I just came to tell you that he said he would be with you shortly. So, please exercise a little more patience."I turned away with a disgruntled sniff. The wait was already fraying my already-stretched nerves. "Can I get you both something while you wait?" she asked. I made no reply. I shifted uneasily in my seat."Nothing, thanks," Cheryl replied. The girl nodded and left. I looked at the gleaming leather desk, in front of which Elliot was to sit in a few minutes. I caught sight of my face on its surface and realized that I was frowning. I quickly did my best to scho
ZORA'S POVFinn held unusually still while I brushed his hair. He was better this morning, but I could still see the terror of last night lurking in his eyes. "Off you go now," I said as cheerfully as I could. "The driver will drop you off at school but I promise to come pick you up myself. Freya will join you at school tomorrow. Is that okay?"He nodded and glanced briefly at Freya who sat on the living room sofa looking a bit pale and wan. "Off you go, Finn," she said and waved her hand imperiously in the direction of the door. Finn rolled his eyes and shouldered his backpack. "Bye, Mum."I bent and he planted a kiss on my cheek. He was almost out the door when he hesitated, turned back, ruffled Freya's neatly combed hair, and ran outside before she could react. Freya smiled and looked fondly after him. It felt as though she wanted to go after him but couldn't. I was still worried about her and that was why I did not want her to go to school today. I wanted to take her to the
ZORA'S POV"Alright people... Ms. Walter, I think that is a wrap on the commercial for today," said the director. Quickly, I relaxed my rigid posture. There was a collective sigh of relief from the technical crew and the girls assisting me. The bright lights which were trained on me went off and I stepped away from the backdrop which I had been standing against. A glance at my phone told me that the time was 5 pm already. I was supposed to have finished the commercial at Sleek and Chic about an hour ago but the director had taken a lot of time and had kept me filming scenes until he was satisfied. I was so tired and I could not wait to start heading home."Great work, Ms. Zora," the director said, a man with a lot of nervous energy. "It's been a pleasure working with you today.""Likewise," I murmured. The director turned to a man who had been assisting him, who looked really tired. The director began speaking to him as they both headed out the door. "For the next commercial, see
ZORA'S POVAs soon as I opened my eyes the next morning, I knew I was in big trouble. My head was banging like crazy. It felt like the world's biggest band practice was going on there. Thankfully, the room was in darkness. The electric lights were off and the drapes were drawn. But even the little sunlight I could see from a tiny portion of the drapes sent waves of pain through my skull. I moaned softly and held my head in both hands as I struggled to remember what had happened last night, and how I had ended up in this pitiable condition. I remembered drinking, ordering for more drinks from the barman, and downing the drinks faster than he could pour them. Then I remembered trying to get to my feet, with the vague intention of somehow getting myself back home. I recalled that I had staggered and almost fallen. Strong hands had effortlessly held and kept me upright. The rest was blank. I looked around the room which was mine. I took in the familiar objects in it and muttered silen
ZORA'S POV "Shit!" I exclaimed as I banged the table repeatedly. "Shit! Shit! Shit!" I was in big trouble. There were more photographs on the site but the first one was the most damning one. It encapsulated everything that had gone wrong last night. There were a lot of comments attached to the post but I did not bother going through them. I knew that all those who had been trolling me on social media would have a field day. I quickly dialed Trey's number. He picked up at once. "I was just about to call you, Zora," he said in a choked voice. "Never mind who is supposed to call who," I said impatiently. "You were here earlier, so why the hell didn't you tell me what happened? Someone just called me and told me about those horrible pictures circulating online." "Zora, I-" "Trey, do something for heaven's sake before all this comes crashing down on our heads. I even thought you would have handled the situation before it- it blew up in our faces." "I honestly didn't know that it w
ZORA'S POV I was so shocked that I could not even pull away. A part of me was wondering what had brought this on. A larger part of me was thrilled at the prospect of rediscovering the taste and feel of Elliot's lips. His tongue probed my lips, urging them to open and let him in. I tried to remind myself of where we were and why we shouldn't be doing this. He was married and I was a model who had just been in the news for the wrong reasons. But the more I tried, the more my objections to returning his kiss flew out the window. Elliot had a trick of flicking his tongue across my lips when kissing. As soon as he did that, I was lost. Someone moaned and seconds later I realized it was me. My hands of their own volition crept up and fisted themselves in his hair. I massaged his scalp and drew him even closer. His scent filled my nostrils, leaving me feeling light-headed. My response seemed to be the signal Elliot had been waiting for. He deepened the kiss and continued with such inten
ZORA'S POV I looked up at Cheryl. She quickly averted her eyes. She looked at my chair, the ceiling, out the window, everywhere but at me. Her recent attitude was undoubtedly occasioned by the scene with Elliot that she had witnessed. I knew she was nervous and didn't know how to act around me now. If I were in her shoes, I would have acted the same way. But her attitude was actually ruining my day at work as Cheryl was the one I worked most closely with. Once again, I cussed myself for letting my hormones get the better of me. If Elliot had only kissed me and I had not responded, Cheryl and I would have been laughing about the incident by now. I sighed, sank further into my seat and slowly massaged my temples where I could feel a headache gradually building. Damn, Elliot for putting me in this sort of situation with the world, and with Cheryl who I had so far had an easy working relationship with! Wearily, I gestured toward the chair right in front of me. She hesitated. Walki