Chapter 1
There were twenty or thirty people gathered in a circle around Elmira. They were watching her perform her now renowned Get Me Bodied dance routine made famous by Beyonce... The dance floor was cleared for her and she strutted up and down. Her trendy boots clicked rhythmically as she swung her ample hips from side to side. Ivy Park athleisure outfit hugging her full figure faithfully. She ended the routine with a split which elicited enthusiastic applause from her devoted fans slash college mates.
As she headed to the drinks table to quench her thirst, she was accosted by no less than three frat boys; a blonde entitled sophomore, followed closely by a hopeful red head she recognized from her history of government lectures. The brothers kept their distance though; too busy chasing Becky's tail to bother with her big round ass. She didn’t mind too much; it’s not like she wanted them. She looked around the room but no one really caught her eye. So she shrugged her shoulders, took her drink to go and left the party to do something more fun; update her blog.
In the morning she woke up, Sascha groaning in the other bed, a redhead she’d gone after earlier attached like a barnacle to her bosom.
Elmira opened her eyes blearily managing to lift her eyebrow sardonically.
“She awake?”
“Girl, I’m not awake yet.” Sascha replied.
Elmira nodded and slipped out of the room quietly, leaving Sascha to scrape the redhead off of herself and out of the house.
By the time Sascha stumbled downstairs, almost, but not quite, pushing the girl out of the door, Elmira had showered and was on her second cup of coffee.
“House is empty.” Sascha noted while tossing the number Chancy, or Candy, or Chandra, or something, had given her. She took the mug of coffee Elmira offered gratefully.
“They’re all tying up loose ends. You got shit to do today?”
Sascha shook her head. “One final at two, and then I’m done.”
“Yeah, I’ve
got a required attendance at senior seminar. Meet you back here at
five?”
Sascha nodded; dry washed her face and stumbled, in a
baseball shirt and black socks, back upstairs, presumably to shower.
*****
Elmira sat in the large lecture hall reserved for all of two dozen students taking this senior seminar. The professor mumbled on and Elmira started making a list of people she needed to call.
There was polite clapping.
She looked up, eyes widening in surprise. Sitting on stage was Debbie Simpson, CFO for the Boston Consulting Group. Elmira sat up straight to listen. She knew they’d been hired by the New York Fashion Week to make suitable changes concomitant with the growth of social media. If Debbie Simpson was on campus maybe they were recruiting. This just might be her ‘in’.
Her future on a
plate.
Class let out and Elmira slung her backpack over her
shoulder. She was halfway to the door when one the aides on stage
with Debbie, Charlie something, called out her name. Elmira turned.
“Me?”
“Hello Ms. Olivette, we’re here as a
favor to professor Patel, but I would have come anyway. I’ve
been following your work for a while now.”
“Wow, you
really must be bored if you don’t have anything more
interesting to read than a senior thesis on the impact of cultural
dynamics on the clothing industry.”
Cliff laughed and Elmira
immediately felt a little insecure; why was he laughing at her?
“Your blog, I’ve been following your blog.”
“Oh, yeah…who
hasn’t? Look, I’ve gotta…” she gestured with
her head.
Cliff’s hand remained on Elmira's elbow.
“Have dinner with me.”
“What?”
“It’s not a date, it’s a discussion.”
“Yeah, sure. Give me your number and…”
“Tonight, six thirty, Daniel.”
Elmira shrugged. “Sure. Free food.”
“Clear priorities. I appreciate that.”
*****
Sascha's eyes widened at the news, which was actually a cool thing to see when it happened. With her cat eyes and this enigmatic squinty tortured girl thing she had developed in freshman year- when she found it reeled in the girls- it was a rare thing to see her eyes so round. It seemed like it was so long ago that they’d both forgotten how young and wide-eyed-innocent Sascha had looked once.
“Stop making such a big deal about it.”
“He’s taking you to ‘jacket required, French dining’ Daniel. This is a huge deal. What if he wants you to cover fashion week?!? This is like all your dreams come true in one fell swoop!”
“I think we both need to calm down and not get ahead of ourselves. We don’t know what they want with me or if this guy just wanted a date. For all you know he wants to fuck me that’s it.”
“You and that ‘managing expectations’ thing El. You gotta live a little sometimes; dream a little.”
“Whatever. Everyone but you, me and Julius will be gone tomorrow. Did you get me a budget?”
Sascha handed her a folded and stained sheet of notebook paper.
“We’re good and leaving a lovely legacy to the next class.”
Elmira nodded. Sascha may be capricious, slightly crazy, and the stereotype of the lesbian wanting to have sex with your bicurious girlfriend, but her numbers were never wrong.
She circled some numbers and handed the list to Julius, “Get a repair crew, a cleaning crew, and some painters in. Try to get guys who need community service time. Then we can count it towards our com-serv time. Gotta go.”
*****
Sitting in what could be considered a romantic restaurant with Cliff was a little awkward and a little annoying.
“So…” she began as Cliff looked at her expectantly.
She raised an eyebrow and finished her beer. “Why do you care about what I have to say?”
“I don’t.”
Elmira put her beer
down and gave a half smile. “At least you’re
honest.”
Cliff sat back.
“Your blog, ‘Fash Ho’ is well written and it boils the technical aspects of fashion down into manageable views. But you could be reviewing the new Fall TV shows for all I care. What I need are your ratings. You get between two and three million hits on new entries. People are still reading your older entries. As you know, two or three of your pieces have gone practically viral with the way they were quoted.”
“ And what? You want your own non-paying gig?”
Cliff laughed again.
“I’ve got a paying gig. I’m in charge of creating an online presence in the ‘youth market’ he used air quotes and rolled his eyes, “for our client.”
“ And which client is that?”
“ New York Fashion Week.”
“Well slap my ass and call me Sally...”
“Yep.”
“ And what does my blog have to do with your client?” Elmira felt like her heart had stopped beating.
“We want to invite you to cover New York Fashion Week as an independent correspondent. You get to sit in the front row at all the shows, receive complimentary items from designers, backstage passes and after party access. Is that something you’d be interested in?”
Elmira sat back.
“I get to sit in the front row of fashion week, and then tell my readers about it…you’re asking if that’s something I would like? Let me think.” Elmira made an exaggerated thinking face complete with tapping her chin.
“Also you get some walking around money and of course, luxury accommodations for the duration.”
“Slow down dude…my heart can only take so much.” Elmira actually placed her hand on her heart. She really didn’t know how to process all of this...
Cliff leaned toward her, “Listen Elmira this is the deal. I need someone, well, let’s say, telegenic and relatable, who also has a strong point of view and a built in reader base. That’s you.”
“I don’t exactly have a model figure.”
“You’re the one we want. Look…” Cliff handed her a stapled legal document. “This is the contract, including benefits, and what’s expected of you. Realistically it’s a temporary gig, so, if you still want to bus tables…”
“Grad school. I’m going to grad school.”
“Okay, well if you still want to go to grad school, go ahead. But promise me you’ll think about it?”
Elmira finished her dinner and pushed her plate away. “Yeah, I’ll think about it. How long do I have?”
“Ideally, by the end of the week.”
Elmira nodded and left, not even bothering to shake Cliff's hand.
*****
Back in his hotel room, Cliff poured himself a drink and sat back on the bed, flipping through the channels till he found Sports Center. He thumbed through his emails and finally hit Sven’s number.
“You’re calling me in the middle of Sports Center.”
“Should I call back?”
“No, I’ll TiVo it. What’s wrong?”
“Who said anything’s wrong.”
“Well, you sound wrecked, and you went to see the hot chick with the racy blog, right?”
“It’s not racy, she takes the…”
“I know, I
know. So what’s wrong?”
“ I thought she’d
jump at it. She didn’t.”
“So she’s cautious. That’s not a bad thing.”
“Yeah…I just. I wanted to get this win for you, y’know?”
“Cliff, I have faith in you. That’s why I gave you this assignment. I knew you’d choose the right people.”
“She’s hot though, really hot. Even if she is on the bigger side.”
“Which is a problem, how? It’s all about inclusivity these days, no? Is she as well spoken in person as she is in type?”
“More so.”
“And she’s hot. So telegenic and articulate. I’m failing to see the crisis.”
“She doesn’t want the job.”
“She’s playing hard to get.”
“Or she really doesn’t want the job.”
“You think she’s the only good looking girl with a personal take on this shit?”
“No, I just think…”
“Yeah, I know what you think. You okay?”
“Yeah, I’ve got scotch and some whiskey for later. I’ll be back late tomorrow. Deal or no.”
“You’ll
come back with the deal, Greenberg, or I’ll personally kick
your ass.”
Cliff laughed. “You only win because I’m
not allowed to hit my boss.”
“Yeah, well I shouldn’t be hitting my underlings either but it never stops me from smacking you upside the head.”
“Goodnight Sven.”
“Night Cliff.”
*****
Elmira was sitting on the second story deck of the frat house, her feet resting on the last keg of her college career. Sascha sat down next to her and lit a cigarette, squinting at the sky and then at Elmira. “What are you looking at girlie?”
“Nothing, I was just… you know, thinking.”
“Girl you got through four years of college without doing that, why you gonna go start that kind of shit now?”
Elmira looked over at Sascha. “What are you doing next year?”
“What?”
“Where are you
going? You got into like, fifty grad schools. You pick one?”
Sascha
shrugged, flipped her cigarette butt over the ledge, and lit another.
“I figured I’d go where you did. It’s not like you
didn’t get into fifty schools your own damn self.”
“You’re…”
“Shhh, shit, don’t get all teary eyed on me. It’s good fiscal sense. I need a roommate wherever I go. You I can live with, and sixty five percent of the time, I don’t wanna kill you.”
“Only sixty five?”
“Yeah, sometimes you get a bit obsessive with the social media thing and don’t talk to me for days. Plus you leave your freakishly large shoes all the fuck over the place to trip me up when I come home blind drunk.”
“Yeah. Which is different than you bringing a different girl, or group of them, up there nightly and purposely putting your gym socks under my pillow.”
“Damn straight it is. That shit doesn’t bother me.”
“So wherever I go, huh?”
“That was the plan.”
“Read this for me?”
Elmira held out Cliff's offer. Sascha backed away. “Girl, are you like, suing me? I swear it wasn’t me that knocked you up.”
Elmira smiled. “I promise I won’t ask for child support. I just want your input.”
Sascha lit another cigarette. “You should see the wall in the great room. Those fuckers did a crap ass job; we may have to get them back in here to fix it.”
“Or we could hang a picture over it.”
Sascha nodded, distracted by the document on her lap.
Elmira moved the lamp closer and went inside. “See ya.”
Four hours later Sascha walked into their room and dropped the sheaf of papers onto Elmira's stomach.
Elmira was hunched over; absorbed in her phone, writing a thread on twitter about Kylie Jenner’s lip kit and the various ways it could be better. She sat up. “Well?”
“Everything’s covered from car service to make up; gifting of clothes, in your size, especially with brands looking to stand out in that way, backstage previewing – which I’m accompanying you on fyi, I don’t care how - a new iPhone to take pictures with; Instagram takeover with Just Jared; basically they’re treating you like a blog-ebrity; and the thing’s legit. I did some research.”
“So we’re…”
“We are going to NYFW girl! I always wanted to find out if that Hadid chick swings both ways.”
Elmira let out a long breath. “I’ll call the guy tomorrow.”
“No, let him wait. We gotta find a place to live, and you gotta make him squirm on the hook girl, there might be more money available. Gotta figure he’s holding out. Can’t look lame taking the first offer that comes your way.”
“I don’t know...”
“Girl, have I ever steered you wrong?”
“There was that civil war history class you convinced me to take.”
“That was sophomore year and I didn’t know it was like a hotbed of confederate douche bags. I’m Spanish Taino; I grew up in Puerto Rico. It was all new for me too.”
“Okay, we’ll both take the hit on that one.”
“Yeah, but girl, you can’t, you know…”
“What fuck this up? I wasn’t really planning on that but thanks for the reminder bitch. Just what I needed right now.”
“I was gonna say you can’t let that voice in your head bring you down. You’ve gotta just… I don’t know… be you.”
“You think two million people would read my shit if they knew I’m not anywhere near as awesome as Beyonce? I’m not trying to be a poster child for the fat-shamed, dark skinned, insecure masses.”
“Your life girl. So we lock up the house on Friday and spend the weekend in Colombia. Get our letters of intent in, and find housing, right?”
“That’s the plan, oh, and take the multimedia job that pays enough that we may never have to eat ramen again.”
“I’m all over it.” Sascha's smile was almost genuine.
*****
Cliff was feeling dejected and kinda like a total loser when he got back. Sven was in make up for some pundit battle show he was booked on. Cliff talked to him while making eye contact in the mirror.
“So you didn’t get the wunderkind, so what? I’ve read her shit. It’s good, but you’ll find someone. You’re just whiny because you haven’t gotten laid in like, forever.”
“That’s so not the issue.”
“It is, but you’ve forgotten what anything other than your right hand feels like. Why don’t you call Debbie for some, you know,” he shimmied his shoulders in a disconcerting way.
“Sex with the ex.”
Cliff shook his head. “If I wanted to have sex with her, I wouldn’t have designated her an ex. Besides, it’s been three months since we broke up.”
“Five.”
“Five?”
“Five.”
“I need to get laid.”
“Yeah, you do. So…” and he never got to hear what Sven was going to say because a PA interrupted him to say that a young African American woman was asking for him.
Cliff pushed the hope down to a reasonable level and walked out to the lobby. “Elmira.”
“Charlie, right?”
“Cliff.”
“Right, right, Cliff. It’s a weird name.”
“So I’ve heard. What can I do for you?”
Elmira held out the contract.
“I didn’t need it back. I have copies.”
“Signed ones?”
“You’re taking the gig.”
“Well, do you have an office or anything, because…”
“Right, right, do you want something, water, coffee?”
“Water would be great.” They walked down a long hallway and Elmira sat down in what was presumably Cliff's office, frosted glass, and mahogany colored wood trim.
“So you’re accepting our offer?”
“I’m making a counter offer.”
“Really?”
“I want more walking around money; twenty percent more to be exact. I want to keep the rights to my personal entries. Those that are designated so. I’ll guarantee at least two non-designated entries per show.”
Cliff stared at her. He was relieved that she was here; no matter his friendship with the company CEO, his job was still in jeopardy. There had been too many losses and not enough wins lately. Getting Elmira Olivette on board definitely went in the win column though. Sven would be very pleased.
“Ten percent bump in offered stipend, you can keep the rights to designated personal entries, but I need at least fifteen total non-designated for the weeks.”
Elmira smiled. “Deal.” She held out her hand. Cliff took it, and felt how soft and warm it felt in his. He could see why Sven had insisted on this one. Her charisma was palpable.
“I’ll have the papers drawn up. Can you be in Monday to sign them?”
“Yeah. I’ll be here.”
“Good, then I guess we’ll see you next week for fittings. “
Elmira walked out of Cliff's office, and the building, shoulder’s square, head held high and as soon as she sat in the rental car next to Sascha she deflated. “Fuck.”
“What? Mami don’t tell me you caved.”
“No, I got what you said we wanted.”
“Excellent.” Sascha pulled into traffic. “We have an appointment to see a place in a half hour, so woman up sister.”
“I just… Sascha, what the fuck are we doing. We both got into grad school at Colombia and NYU. We could have drifted through two more years, hell five more for a doctorate, without even having to think about it.”
Sascha nodded. “Drifting rocks. But you know this is too good to pass up. This is your dream; sitting on the front row at fucking New York Fashion Week? Girl, you can’t pass this up. You’re like a fuckin’ genius and you’re…”
“What? Wasting it at one of the best schools on the east coast?”
Sascha rolled her eyes. “It’s time for you, for us to move on.”
“When I crash and burn and am writing obituaries for the local suburban free paper, I’m gonna remind you this is all your fault.”
“Deal.”
Sascha focused on driving and smoking and cursing at people. Elmira tried not to think about the risks. Not thinking about things had gotten her through most of high school and all of college. The only thing that had really changed was that they were paying her instead of vice-versa.
The place was nice, open, bright, two bedrooms, large living room, and kitchen. The previous residents were Grad students at NYU, thus the availability. They signed the lease. Neither Elmira nor Sascha gave a shit about what it looked like. The part they appreciated were the bedrooms, larger than the ones at the Zeta Tau Alpha Zeta Tau Alpha house and on opposite sides of the space. Privacy for the first time in years.
They were back in their hotel room. “You realize we have shit to buy, right? I mean, I don’t know about you, but I don’t own a bed.”
“Yeah.” Elmira finished her beer and opened another. "We’ll get that done. Rent a truck to get our shit down here, and maybe I gotta buy a car."
“It’s New York. There’s a subway…and taxis.”
“This fucking job better be worth it because this is a lot of hassle.”
“Life after college is a lot of hassle. Didn’t anyone tell you that?”
“They might have. I think I just ignored it since I wasn’t gonna get tested on it and shit. Gimme my laptop.”
“Girl you’re gonna go pouring your heart out for free when you just got hired to do it for actual money?”
“I’m gonna do it for free because… I don’t know… I feel like it. Might be the last time I can do this because I just wanna.”
“Whatever. Babes at the bar. See you later?”
“Yeah.”
*****
Elmira waited impatiently for Cliff on Monday and was surprised when she was escorted to another office instead. Apparently Cliff’s boss wanted to see her. She didn’t know what to think about that but followed the assistant to his office, straightening out her Reformation Avalon Bodysuit, tightly laced because this was a business meeting. The assistant let her step into the room before introducing her to perhaps the most beautiful man she’d ever seen. She heard the name ‘Sven Marcel’ but there was mostly just ringing in her ears. The man smiled at her, his gray eyes open and friendly. And with that shaggy brown hair he might have looked like just another innocent college student except his suit was Armani; he was the CEO of Boston Consulting and behind the open friendliness in his eyes was a hint of calculation that Elmira did not miss. She felt her lips widen in a smile, which was a relief. At least her body had sense memory on how to behave like a human being because she was drowning here.
Sven indicated the chair in front of her and bade her sit before he put the contract in front of her. Elmira checked for the changed clauses and signed. They stood up, and Sven handed her an envelope and a folder.
“There’s info about your fashion week itinerary, and getting an ID as well as an advance. Will you have a drink with me to celebrate?”
“Now?”
Sven indicated the side board, “I have champagne.”
Elmira turned to look, “Really? Never really had that in the middle of the day before.”
Sven
stepped to the makeshift bar, “Well we’re about to change
that.” He said pouring a drink into two glasses. He handed her
one, they toasted each other, and drank.
And then Sven was kissing
her, his hands on either side of Elmira's face, his lips pressed
softly against Elmira's, his tongue, god, his tongue, pushing for
entrance and Elmira met him halfway. Their bodies pressed close
together. Sven pulled back first, flushed. “I’ve wanted
to do that since I saw you.”
“Oh really? Like five minutes ago?”
“Actually I saw you at the Miu Miu spring/summer show; someone was trying to get you to give up your place for some starlet running late. You stood your ground. I knew we had to have you right away.”
“So that you could be my boss and sexually harass me? Kinky.”
Sven
seemed to get flustered. “It’s that sense of humor…bleeds
into your writing. I love it. I would have introduced myself sooner
but I didn’t want to influence your decision.”
Elmira
laughed, pecking Sven's cheek. “You’re good, but no one’s
good enough to make me do this for a kiss.”
“Oh.”
“But the sexual harassment thing?”
Sven looked like all the blood had drained out of his face. “Yeah?”
“Keep it up. I like it.” She nodded and left. “I’ll be back on the first to start work.”
“Do you know what your work schedule’s gonna look like?”
“Why? You planning on stalking me?” Elmira was walking backwards down the hall and Sven tilted his head as if considering it.
“I’m your boss. I have a right to ask.”
“Oooh, I love it that you’re going all Mr. Control on me. Gives me goose bumps.” Elmira was smiling lasciviously.
Sven rolled his eyes and turned to his office. Elmira laughed, turned around, and met Sascha outside. “Met the big boss. I think he likes me. This is gonna be fun.”
“Girl! Girl! You can’t fuck the guy who writes the checks.”
“I didn’t say I was gonna fuck him. I haven’t decided yet. Let’s go buy beds so if I do decide to fuck him into the mattress, I have one to fuck him into.”
“I want to be on record as against this.”
“We’re not Tau Alpha’s anymore. We don’t have house meetings and records.”
“Tau Alpha till I die isn’t that what we made them repeat a hundred times a night for two weeks.”
“Yeah, but your system is supposed to be cleared of the Kool-Aid.”
“Whatever. It’s still a bad idea.”
“So is everything I do, but it always manages to work out.”
“For you, but there is always collateral damage.”
“I promise I won’t rope you into this.”
Sascha followed the GPS directions and didn’t say another word about it.