The Design of Everything Perfect by Barbara Winkes

Author:Barbara Winkes [Winkes, Barbara]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: lesbian, romance, Fiction, Novella, Designer, Police, New York, City, Adult
Amazon: B01HBPECUU
Goodreads: 30733971
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Published: 2016-06-29T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

Days like this, Payton didn’t give a damn about what people thought about drinking before the afternoon. It wasn’t even ten, but she’d hidden in her spacious bathroom adjacent to the office, with a bottle of whiskey she’d been gifted by…she had forgotten. It didn’t matter.

She had proof now, and the reports were even worse than she’d feared. Her first reaction was wanting to close the sites and give the women a severance package.

It wasn’t as easy as that, she’d been told.

Nothing was ever easy.

She hated that this had happened in the first place. Whatever she could do to repair it, there’d be a stain remaining on her reputation and her conscience.

Payton wanted to call Rose, just to hear her voice, but she aborted the idea quickly—some celebrity blog had broken the story about the connection between Rose and Daisy, another reason to keep her distance for a bit. The trouble was, Payton didn’t want the distance. She wanted to opt out of all the troubling responsibilities, and not feel their weight, just for a moment. She couldn’t afford any more mistakes, in her life in general, and this relationship in particular.

“Payton? Are you okay?” Claire called from the other side of the door. “I’ve got Ms. Dumont on the phone.”

“Tell her something came up. I had to leave town, but I’ll be back in time for the fashion show.”

The lie came over her lips a little easier with the help of the alcohol. Payton felt sick at the thought of what could happen if someone found out about the harassment incidents. “All right.”

She heard Claire’s retreating footsteps and leaned back against the cool wall. Why did all of this happen at once when all she needed was a small break? Work things out with Rose.

“Payton.” It was Claire again. “I’m sorry to bother you, but Angela Romero is here. She says she doesn’t have a lot of time. Could you see her?”

Her stomach was lurching. As Payton pulled herself up and took a look at her reflection in the mirror, she wasn’t sure whether she could. No one cared though. If the story broke that PS Originals were made through cheap labor and fear, it wasn’t something Romero would want to show off at the Oscars.

No one cared.

The show had to go on.

She washed her face, brushed her teeth quickly and went back to her office where Claire had provided Angela Romero with a cappuccino. The actress rose when Payton came in, and they shook hands.

“Payton, it’s good to see you. Thanks for making time for me.”

“No problem at all.”

“As I told your assistant, I can’t stay long, but I said I’d call, and there was never time.” She smiled ruefully. “You know how it is.”

“Yes, I do.” Payton was glad to sit. She might have reason to drink, but doing it on an empty stomach was a bad idea. She felt dizzy.

“I assume you know why I’m here. I’m afraid we’ll have to go over the details another time, but I wanted to let you know I’ve fallen in love with your work recently.

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