Chapter 25
Madison
I really didn’t want to go back to the gallery, but I had left a bunch of my personal belongings behind when I rushed out last time. The air was chilly as I walked quickly along, hoping to be in, out, and back home before the sun went down. I told Charlotte where I was going, and she wanted to come along, but I knew if Lee was in a mood, it would just make him cockier with an audience. He was an asshole, but he tended to get over things pretty quickly, so I hoped that I had given him enough time to cool off. Either way, I wasn’t there to fight with him. I just wanted to grab my things and go.
As I walked along, I flipped through the messages on my phone, sighing at the multiple unanswered ones from Zach. I knew that what he did landed me this gig in Manhattan, but he also may have tarnished my name for any other place. An artist couldn’t just work for one gallery for the rest of their life. It would be like designing covers of the Auto Magazine. Very few people would ever really see you for who you were as an artist, and in fifteen years, you would find your art at a church rummage sale or backwoods auction house.
Still, I couldn’t deny that I missed his touch, his words, and his smile. I actually hadn’t been able to get him off my mind for the last three days. I took a deep breath and stuck my phone back in my pocket, realizing I needed to stay focused on the task at hand. Once I had gotten my things and gotten back to the apartment, I would think about giving him a call.
When I reached the gallery, I looked through the front windows, not seeing Lee anywhere. I took a deep breath and carefully opened the door, holding it until it closed. I walked slowly toward the back and peeked around the corner to see if I could see Lee in his office. He was standing and pacing, his back turned toward the window. I crept along quickly, scooting past before he noticed I was there.
I walked into my office and switched on the desk lamp, not wanting to make too much noise. I pulled everything from the drawers and shelves that was mine and piled them on the desk. As I turned to grab a box, I froze, staring at Lee standing in the doorway. He was scowling at me and tapping his fat fingers against the doorframe. Shit. The Cameras. Lee had put security cameras in the entire place since we were in Brooklyn and people like to steal shit out here. He must have seen me creep by on the monitor in his office.
“What are you doing here?” I could tell instantly he was still angry.
“I just wanted to get the rest of my things,” I stammered.
“Your things? I fired you, they belong to me now.” He chuckled.
“Lee, don’t make this hard, just let me get my stuff and I’ll go,” I replied.
“See, that’s the problem with little sluts like you,” he said, stepping forward. “You walk around all high and mighty because you have some rich boyfriend, and you think you can do whatever you want. Well, guess what sugar tits, you can’t.”
“Leave me alone,” I snapped. “Just get out of my way, and I’ll never come back.”
I backed up, piling my belongings in my arms slowly. He watched me with his shifty eyes as if he were planning something in his head. My phone buzzed in my pocket, but my arms were full and I couldn’t answer it. I wished at that moment I could have answered it, no matter who it was calling.
“You are a dirty, useless, worthless piece of trash,” he said angrily. “You don’t deserve that billionaire boyfriend of yours. Does he know how conniving you are? Does he know how you shake your ass at every man that walks by? Oh, yeah, you didn’t think I didn’t notice you flirting with me?”
“Please,” I scoffed, getting angry. “Not in a million years.”
“You think you’re better than me? Is that it? Well, I have news for you Madison. You are nothing more than a pathetic piece of trash. You don’t deserve that gallery. In fact, you don’t deserve anything other than a cold, muddy ditch.”
I couldn’t believe the things he was saying to me. He was so angry, it was scaring me, and at the same time, he was keeping his composure like the things he was saying were normal. It was terrifying on a whole other level than his normal angry outbursts. I could see the evil in his eyes. I picked up as much of my stuff as I could handle and slowly stepped out from behind the desk. My phone vibrated again in my pocket, and I glanced down wondering if I could reach it.
“Oh, who’s that? Your little boyfriend? Well, sweetie, he’s not here to protect you.” He smiled.
“It’s not my fault,” I said angrily.
“What’s not?” He reached up and picked his teeth, his tongue making a sucking noise, causing me to wrinkle my nose.
“It’s not my fault that you are a sham, a useless piece of garbage that tries to act like he’s so talented,” I said, tired of cowering in the corner. “Your art sucks, you have no talent, and everyone in the business laughs at you behind your back.”
“Is that so? You hear that from that hot little blonde bitch, Sarah? Well, I can promise you, sweetie, your opinion means as much as the shit in my toilet.” He puffed out his chest. “New York will chew you up and spit you out, and before you know it, you’ll be pedaling that sweet ass on the corner for a few bucks. Don’t worry. I might even throw you a bone every once in a while and let you blow me.”
“That’s it, get the fuck out of my way,” I screamed.
Lee laughed maniacally as I stepped forward, but he pushed in front of me, blocking my way. I grabbed the stapler from the desk and tossed it at his head. He ducked, and his smile quickly faded into an angry scowl. He lunged forward, trying to grab me, so I dropped my things and dodged him, running from the room toward the back door. I grabbed the handle and pulled, looking back to see if he was chasing me. The door needed a key. A key. I jammed my hands in my pockets and pulled out my keys, flipping through them. Front door key, desk drawer key, stock room key. I found every key to the place but that one. I turned, thinking I could make a break for the front door, but I stopped as Lee stepped out of my office, rubbing his head and growling. He looked around and smiled, realizing he had me trapped in the hallway. I had nowhere to go. I slowly pulled my phone from my pocket and held it down by my side. I ran my fingers over the buttons and hit the one, enabling my speed dial. It was Charlotte’s phone, and all I could think was I hoped she wasn’t listening to music.
“Lee, you don’t need to do this,” I said, putting up my hand. “Just let me leave. I just came for my stuff.”
“You know what’s funny?” He completely ignored my plea and continued walking toward me, running his fingers down the walls. “Every day you came into the gallery, acting like you were just so in love with art, but in reality, you just wanted the fame. I never pegged you as a fame kind of girl, but then again, I never pegged you as a gold digger, either.”
“Lee,” I said, my voice cracking. “What do you want? Just let me go. Do you want a show in Manhattan? I’ll arrange it.”
“Please,” he scoffed. “I sold all my art at my own show. Why would I pay some fraud gallery half of my money?”
As he got closer, I could smell the sweat on his body, and it churned my stomach. He stepped toward me, his black leather shoes squeaking from the weight of his fat feet, and pulled his hand up to my face, brushing my hair from my forehead. I closed my eyes and turned my head as he pulled his face close to mine. I could smell the garlic and coffee on his breath, and I closed my mouth, whimpering at his touch.
“No, what I want is so much simpler than that,” he said. “See, you and me, we aren’t so different. We both want to be famous artists, we both have style and class, and we both are motivated beyond a normal train of thought. I guess I can’t be too mad at you. I probably would have done the same thing had I been in your shoes.”
“Please,” I muttered, tears pulling at my eyes. “Just let me go.”
“I’ve always thought you were so sexy,” he said, pushing his hand down the front of my chest and caressing the exposed skin right below my neck. “I could tell you liked being close to me by how you never jerked away when I brushed up against you.”
Just the thought of Lee’s body anywhere near me made me want to vomit. I opened my eyes but didn’t move, trying to think of a way out of this. I glanced down at my phone, and the screen was counting so either she was listening or she was getting a voicemail. As I moved my vision back up, Lee slapped the phone from my hand, and I watched it tumble into the corner. I held back a cry and tried to move, but he was so close that I was now pinned to the door. His chest was pressed against my shoulder, and his hand was still on my face. I gritted my teeth and turned toward him, staring him deep into his eyes.
“I’ve wanted to fuck you since the first day I met you,” he said. leaning in close again.
“Never,” I muttered. “Just let me go.”
Lee’s face twisted in anger at my response and boldness. He grabbed my face hard and slammed my head back against the door. Rearing his arm back, I watched as his hand flew toward my face, backhanding me across the cheek. I grabbed my face, moaning in pain and seeing stars. He grabbed my hand and shoved it against the door while squeezing my chin with his other hand and forcing me to look back into his face.
“Shh,” he said in my ear. “See, that is the only reason I ever hired you. You are the most expensive fuck I’ll ever enjoy.”
As his lips brushed my cheek, I closed my eyes and tried to imagine something, anything, that would take me from this place. I was so terrified that I was frozen, and now my phone was in the corner out of reach. After living in New York my whole life, I never imagined that I would find myself in a situation like this. Maybe mugged in a subway or robbed on the street corner, but never cornered in my office by my boss.
Visions of Zach and his strong arms flashed through my head, and I thought about how if I had just answered his call, he might be here helping me get my things right now. At the same time, I wouldn’t need to if it hadn’t been for him. I shook my head, realizing it was no time to let anger or sadness enter my mind. Lee was getting closer, and I had nowhere to go.