Hey guys hope you got my previous note, thank you for being so patience! I managed to get something out of my brain! Hope you like!
Chapter thirty-three – and so it begins…
Tyson nibbled on the liquorice stick in his mouth, his temple veins already throbbing and the day had only just begun.
"Tyson, are you okay?" Hilary glanced at the young man "your head seems to be…vibrating"
"No, no NO! Okay, okay OKAY!"
Hilary simply stared at him.
"I'm stressed" Tyson said meekly.
"Gee, you think?" Hilary gave him a look before sighing "Tyson things will be alright! You have me, and everything will go well! You will go down in history while I will be forgotten like those awful puffball skirts"
Tyson smiled "I'll remember you"
"Why thank you" Hilary approached the busy corner of the 'Saks' store and noted the areas was cut off by a barrier "look we had the power to do that"
"Yeah"
"Do you have your pass?"
Tyson patted at his chest, and Hilary gave him a 'I'm-looking-at-what-now?' look. He frowned and looked down and moaned.
"I think I…do you have my camera?"
"No" Hilary sighed loudly "go back to your car"
"Going!"
Hilary held up her pass and nodded to the guard as he stepped aside.
"Hilary!" Mariam bounded up to her "How are you?"
"Fine, you're nice and early!"
"Yeah, I dragged Max too" she pointed to the sulky cute blonde "Are we too early? Kai is here!"
"Mmm, that's nice…anyone else?"
"No" she shook her head.
"Well, it's eight…the shoot starts in half an hour…let's wait shall we?" Hilary led her over "we'll get you dressed and in make up"
XxXxXxXxXx
"It's almost nine" Hilary paced in front of Tyson "where's Brooklyn and Ray?"
"I dunno, don't care really" Tyson said airily.
"Hilary, I'm sure all this pacing is not good for the babies"
"Shut up Tala"
"Okay" he cowered in his seat.
Hilary paced more and looked up and saw Kai observing her with what she hoped was disdain…but then again all of Kai's looks were the same…devastatingly gorgeous. She shook her head and walked away.
"RAY!" she screamed, causing people in the area to stop.
The dark haired model sitting in the make up chair looked up "Something wrong?"
"Yes, you're fuckin' late…this is a large scale project we cannot afford to get behind on time, a few minutes can turn into days in seconds!"
"Wha-" Ray blinked at her sentence.
"Never mind!" she let out a growl.
"I've been here since eight-thirty!"
"No you haven't!" she snapped.
"I forgot how bossy you were" Ray said sulkily.
Hilary turned and smiled "me too" she walked in between the people running round and was grateful to see Tyson starting.
"You look gorgeous" she said to Mariam.
"I'm so scared, my first real pose alone…I feel sick"
"That is a seventeen thousand dollar dress…NO" Hilary warned.
"Okay" Mariam nodded and held her hand to her stomach. Her hair and been put into wild waves and her eyes rimmed so they were extremely large. She was wearing a plum coloured corset dress and looked…amazing.
"Okay, um, erm…argh, get me some coffee and 'Red Bull'" he clicked to Hilary and gave a small whistle.
"I'm pregnant not a dog" she turned to get Tyson's coffee.
"Okay, hold up your dress…no, damnit Mar, you know what my mean…yes, like that"
Mariam lifted the skirt up so it was a few inches off the floor.
"Look into the distance…okay wait that's perfect…hold it" Tyson bent down and snapped "Look over- damn you've got it again"
"I'm a natural" she laughed.
"Dude" Tala said a few metres away "Tyson's hitting on your girlfriend"
"Whatever" Max said gruffly.
Tala raised an eyebrow and looked forward "Heard your mother's got engaged to some doctor"
"He's not even one yet" Max snarled "The bastard-"
"Hey!" Tala waved his hands "I don't want to know…euch, teenagers"
"Mr. Valkov, your top hat"
"Why thank you"
"Not like that" Hilary appeared and adjusted it on his head.
"You know you move awfully fast for someone is your situation"
"Ssh, man"
Hilary fussed with his tie and collar and sleeves, while she was doing so he cast a look over at Kai, who wasn't his usual grumpy self…now ever since Russia he had this kind of sad look about him, it was almost…pitiful.
"Why don't you go say hello to him?"
"He doesn't care about me" Hilary said quickly. She had been replaying that particular scene in her head again and again "Maybe it's for the best, we're too angry and annoyed at upset at each other for anything to work right now"
"Well…"
Hilary gave him a look which slowly silenced him, it wasn't a sharp or unfriendly look but rather a sad one "Let's just leave things be, please Tala?" she pleaded.
He nodded slowly and she squeezed his shoulder and turned away from him.
XxXxXxXxXx
"Mathilda, I promise I'll be back soon. I just have to make an appearance and I'll be gone!" Tala said outside the loud building "…love you too"
Tala really only did want to make an appearance, the first day was tiresome and it was a constant juggle of Hilary, Brooklyn (when he finally did arrive) and Kai. He wasn't sure whether he could handle that for the next couple of weeks but on the other hand if he needed entertainment all he had to do was stick Brooklyn and Kai within a few metres of each other.
Kai may have been sad/tired BUT he never backed down from a fight.
"Mr. Valkov" said the burly, dark man "welcome"
"Hey, thanks" Tala nodded "how are things?"
"Natasha" he showed pearly whites to a woman "fine thank, Mr. Valkov, Natasha will take you up"
"Thanks" Tala frowned and followed the woman in the LBD.
The entrance hall was crème, plain yet sophisticated, instead of taking him forward and into the music, she led up leftwards and up a set of stairs. Tala frowned and walked up to her "shouldn't I be down there?"
"No sir" she held the door handle and looked at him "you're VIP"
"Oh" his voice was drowned as the door opened to the VIP section.
The VIP section overlooked the main party, comfy, sultry booths were set up. Tala noted several important people from the fashion industry and entertainment. He dug his hands into the Fendi suit trousers and sighed.
Who would he have to say hello to before he could get out of here?
"Tala"
"Oh…hey" he held out his hand.
"I'm Katie Li, Versace's head rep"
"Oh nice to meet you" good, all he had to do was wink at this lady a few times and then disappear.
"Glad you could make it, I would love to chat but I have other guests to attend to" she had pretty brown eyes.
"Of course, thanks" Tala nodded.
He smiled and went to turn.
"Tala, Tala, Tala"
Tala froze, he knew that voice all too well, he turned slowly and faced the movie star and his fellow Russian "Bryan"
"How are you?"
"Fine"
"Heard, you were shacking up with Mathilda Bryson, talented little thing…in more ways than one"
Tala's temple twitched at that but for old times sake he merely gave a crooked smile "Whatever"
"Come to our area, it's V-VIP"
"V-VIP?" Tala snorted "very inventive"
"How come your so cold?" Bryan observed him with cool eyes.
"That's because I'm not stoned anymore"
"Oh yeah, you sobered up" Bryan said in a tone that Tala couldn't decipher was admiring or dripping with disgust.
"You know me"
Bryan stopped at a red rope "you sure you want to come in? It may be too hard for the poor baby"
"I can handle it" Tala said coolly, he should have walked away but Bryan blatantly made a challenge and he never backed down from one.
"Let him in , okay?" Bryan signalled to another bouncer-type figure in a tuxedo. The guy nodded and let them in.
Bryan plonked himself down on one of the many soft cushions. It was decorated in a boudoir type, exotic, Arabic feel. Beautiful women and men Tala recognized surrounded a large golden table.
"Remember Tala?"
"Oh yeah"
"Sit" a softer redhead pulled him down, Tala jerked away.
"Easy, this one has a girl" Bryan teased.
"Whatever man, whatever" Tala growled, this was a big mistake.
His eyes wandered over the small bags of powders and tablets and he mused, he was hardcore party animal but this was not him. It wasn't him at all these people were way out of it for his liking…
"Tala" asked DJ, a sitcom star he USED to hang around with smiled at him, his pupils the size of quarters "have a hit" he waved the dollar bill and the small mirror.
Tala stared at him, his eyes wide and full of horror, his blue eyes flittered about nervously.
"Old times sake" Bryan said innocently "we missed you man, it's been boring with you"
"No" Tala shook his head, but not too convincingly.
"Just one"
"Go on" a blonde whispered from his right.
"One hit man, I hear you got that super-duper new contract with Versace, how will you deal with it"
"Just fine"
"Really?"
Tala closed his eyes, it was like two years ago, Bryan talking. Bryan's voice would work it's way into your brain and control you and get you to say what you really wanted to say…when it was usually for the worst.
"I mean, it must be damn stressful"
Tala found himself giving a small nod. He lied, today wasn't just tiresome it was fuckin' stressful.
"One hit, can last for days…" Bryan's eyes locked onto his "and you won't get high, all that work you did will not go to waste. I assure you"
"One...no, no, no, no!"
"Fine, just offering…it's only one!" Bryan said in a child-like tone.
"Okay…"Tala took the mirror and placed it in front of him. He took out a bill and rolled it. It was like getting into an old routine…
He lifted it to his nose and bent down, his eyes looked at the lines and he sniffed it up. It hit his nose and it felt funny…like when water went up for nose, it burned your airway but the feeling on your brain felt good.
"Whoa" Tala blinked.
"Feels good"
Tala's eyes went wide and he nodded again and bent for another, another and another…and another…and even I the author lost count.
The last image Tala had was everyone laughing at him and him falling into the punch bowl…but feeling oh so good about it.
That was the hardest chapter to write…ever! I mean not content wise but like when you dig up for ideas after a nice big slice of writer's block! Bah anyway you know the drill, review please!!! Thank you!!! xxx