Chapter Twenty-Three

Chastity

I’d woken up to about a million notifications on my phone. I rubbed my eyes and stared groggily at the screen for a bit, trying to make sense of what I was seeing. After yawning wide and stretching, I read the text from Patrick.

Did you see this? OMG Chastity, we need to handle this, pronto!

He’d sent me an attachment, but I didn’t have time to look at it before heading into work – I had a meeting bright and early with another designer who wanted to collaborate on a collection with me. It was something I was actually super stoked about and wanted to be focused and ready for.

In the back of my mind though, I couldn’t forget Patrick’s text, so as soon as I stepped into my office, I closed the door. I had a few minutes before the meeting so I pulled up the link Patrick had sent me.

My heart sank as I read the big, bold title from Hollywood Reporter.

Childes’ Model Caught in the Act with Mogul’s Boy Toy.

Of course, none of that made sense without the image – which was clearly of Jordan, naked with his privates blurred out, kissing Jessa, who was also naked.

I stared at it for a long time, trying to process it all while shaking in anger. How dare he? And with one of my models? That son of a bitch. That goddamn son of a bitch. Who did he think he was?

I didn’t have time to be angry, though. I had to pull it together as a knock sounded upon my door.

Patrick opened the door and announced, “Ms. Waterstone is here.”

“Send her right in,” I said, putting my phone away.

Layla Waterstone stepped into the office looking every bit the fashion icon she was known to be. Her raven black hair was cut in a short bob that framed her delicate face. Her style was similar to mine – black slacks, a statement top with a belt and accessories galore. Her dark eyes were highlighted with large, black glasses that made them pop even more, almost giving her an ethereal look.

I was in awe of her, but she was the one who said, “Chastity Childes, you look stunning as usual.”

I blushed, feeling a little intimidated by her presence. This was a woman, who like me, was someone who had worked her way up through the fashion industry. She was a bigger name than I was. A name recognized far and wide – which was a feat I was hoping to accomplish for myself by partnering with her.

“Why thank you,” I said, feeling like a beached whale already with the bloating going on, but my lacy top flowed outward, hiding most of my quickly growing belly. “And you, wow, you look amazing. Of course, you always do. Please, have a seat.”

Layla took the seat across from me, and studied my office with a scrupulous eye. I was acutely aware of every flaw in my office – the small chip in the paint, the picture that was crooked, the slightly worn patch in the carpet. It was insane, but I suddenly felt like my entire office was trash. An indictment of my own personal style and taste – and that Layla Waterstone would just stand up and walk out, refusing to partner with somebody so shabby and tacky.

“Thank you so much for meeting me today,” I gushed – maybe a little too hard as I tried to compensate for my pauper’s office.

“My pleasure,” Layla said, giving me a made-for-TV smile. “I’ve really taken a liking to your work, Chastity. You have great style and a great brand. I’m honored you’d consider partnering with me.”

Her words set my pulse racing and the butterflies swarming in my stomach. I couldn’t believe I was receiving a compliment like that from such an accomplished woman. One I admired and respected a great deal.

“Oh, god, I’m the one that’s honored,” I said. “More than honored, actually.”

I felt sick to my stomach in that moment, and suddenly regretted my breakfast choice of peaches and cream. It was an odd choice, but at the time, it sounded delicious and hit the spot, but now, the dairy was causing my tummy to ache. Most definitely not what I needed in that moment.

“I would really like to set something up with you,” I said. “I think we could do some wonderful things together.”

“I believe so too,” Layla said.

My excitement grew exponentially as I realized how close I was to achieving a dream of mine. Partnering with Layla Waterstone would mean great things for my company. For me personally. It was the start of something bigger and something more wonderful than I’d dared imagine a year ago.

Even though I was filled with joy, my mind brought the trending news story of the day back into focus and I had to wonder if Layla happened to know about the latest drama in my life – and if that would be a problem. As I contemplated it, I automatically started trying to find ways to mitigate the PR nightmare it was. I tried to find ways to reassure her that I was already on damage control and that my personal life would most definitely not spill over into my professional life.

Honestly, all of that was even more reason to keep my distance from Jordan – as hard as that would be. In my mind it justified my decision to have him removed from the project at my place. With the arrow on my company pointing upward all of the sudden, I needed to be as streamlined and drama-free as possible.

Staying away from Jordan would be difficult, I didn’t doubt it. Especially given the fact that he was the father of my child. I knew that wasn’t something I could – or even should – hide forever. For now, I needed to focus on my company and avoid the drama as much as possible.

Which meant avoiding Jordan as much as possible too.

*

The meeting went well, was incredibly productive, and I really seemed to click with Layla. I was excited about the opportunities coming my way. After she left, morbid curiosity, mixed with a powerful sense of foreboding made me to check my phone again. More messages. Of course. Some of the messages were even from Jordan himself. I deleted them without even bothering to read them. No need to get worked up, I thought. Not while I was on the verge of something huge. Patrick knocked on the door a few minutes later, coming in and sitting down across from me.

“So, Layla Waterstone?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I know, right?” I beamed. “Totally exciting.”

Patrick didn’t look as thrilled as I felt though – which, I thought was odd.

“Does she know about all of the drama surrounding your little boy toy?” he asked, a strange tone in in his voice and an inscrutable look on his face.

I cocked my head and looked at him for a moment, not exactly liking the way he was talking to me. He really seemed to be overstepping his bounds – and that was very much not okay with me.

“He’s not – you know what? It doesn’t matter. I’m sure she does because it’s all over the news,” I said with a shrug, trying to pretend like it was no big deal, but knew I was failing. “We’re over. Jordan and I are history, so whoever he wants to sleep with, he’s free to do so. I don’t give a damn, Patrick.”

Patrick didn’t look entirely convinced. “Uh huh. Well, I just hope it doesn’t blow up too big. I’d hate for you to lose such a big opportunity because of some jackass.”

Clenching my teeth, I told myself it wasn’t worth arguing. No need to get all worked up. Not to mention the fact that Patrick seemed to be a little too interested in my private affairs for my liking. That was something I was really going to need to nip in the bud.

“Patrick, I have to make some calls,” I said. “And I know you have some shoots to schedule. Let’s not waste our time on idle gossip. It does nobody any good.”

I tried to hold my head up high. I wasn’t about to let Patrick get to me, or show him that this drama was affecting me. I needed to stay strong and remain in control – even if I was hurting inside like I never had before.

Patrick looked at me for a long moment and then excused himself. After he’d closed my office door, I let out a long breath and then picked up the phone. That ominous sense of foreboding settled down around my shoulders again as I dialed up Jackson Construction. I knew what I had to do now. With this drama, I couldn’t continue working with Jordan’s father’s company. Not even with Jordan off my remodel. I’d have to find someone else to finish the work. I just couldn’t have it anymore. There was suddenly too much at stake for me.

Jordan’s dad answered on the first ring, and the knots in my stomach tightened painfully. I took a deep breath and after saying hello, I just came out and said what I needed to say.

“I’d like to cancel the project,” I said. “Unfortunately, there’s just too much going on right now, and I can’t be connected to Jordan or his company anymore.”

I was no longer concerned about getting him in trouble with his dad. This was about me. About protecting myself, my company, and the child growing inside of me. If Jordan wanted to fuck around with my models on the side, then so be it. They were adults and there was nothing I could do about it. But, I wanted absolutely nothing to do with him from now on.

Even as I broke the news to Nick Jackson, I felt a gnawing sensation growing inside of me. A slight pang of doubt. There was still some small part of me that wanted to believe Jordan wasn’t sleeping with Jessa. Who took the photo? How did the press get it? There were so many questions and I had no answers to any of them. Even worse, I didn’t even know where to start going about getting answers to them – or if I could believe them even if I did.

All I knew for sure was that Jordan was clearly naked with Jessa. That much was obvious. Which, didn’t look good for either of them. Or me. Or our future child.

After finishing my conversation with Nick Jackson, who was clearly upset, I felt that small pang of guilt shoot through me one more time. He’d been disappointed and I knew that all hell was going to break loose on Jordan. I couldn’t concern myself with it. He’d made his own bed and now he had to lie in it. I had one more call to make. Taking a deep breath, I called the doctor I was referred to – one of the best obstetricians in Manhattan.

“Doctor Hellman’s office, this is Maya speaking.”

“Yes,” I muttered, speaking lower than usual, almost like I was afraid someone might overhear me, “I need to schedule an appointment.”

“Are you a new patient?”

“Yes, I am,” I said. “I just found out I’m pregnant and I’d like to come in for a checkup. I was referred to Dr. Hellman by a friend.”

“Congratulations!” Maya said, her voice extra cheery. It put a smile on my face hearing her sound that excited for me. “We can schedule your initial consultation with Dr. Hellman, and you can bring up any concerns or ask any questions at that time.”

My head was swirling – there’d be tests and pre-natal vitamins, classes and nursery shopping. So much to do, and while nine months sounded like a lot of time, it really wasn’t. Before long, I’d have a baby in my life. I’d have someone who depended on me for everything. It was exciting in one way and downright terrifying in another.

“Thank you,” I said, feeling my mood improve as I spoke to Maya.

We went over a few more details – the last day of my last period, my personal information, if I was on the pill. I wasn’t, because I’d had no intention of dating anyone. That obviously hadn’t gone as planned. With the appointment scheduled, I was actually feeling better about things. At least someone was excited for me – even if it was a random receptionist at a doctor’s office.

I looked up and saw that my door was open just a crack. I didn’t recall anyone knocking, and I swore Patrick had closed it when he left – or did he? I stood up and walked over to the door, glancing out. Patrick was sitting outside of my office, at his desk, typing away. He looked up when he saw me and smiled. There was something in his eyes that sent a chill right through me.

“Chastity,” he asked, smirking much like he did the night before at my apartment, “Are you all right? You don’t look like you’re feeling too good.”

“I’m fine,” I said, not taking my eyes off Patrick.

Had he heard me on the phone? Had he left the door cracked open like that on purpose? Or was I just being paranoid again? Had I imagined that almost sinister look in his eyes?

I closed the door and went back to my desk, a million different thoughts and emotions swirling around my head. All of the good feelings I’d had after speaking with Maya evaporated like smoke on the wind, and were replaced with something darker and more ominous.

I hated feeling the way I did and had no idea what I’d done to deserve any of it.