Fashioned For Sin

Chapter 4

Leonardo Julian Rhodes

I paced around the room, trying to think of a better way to tell Blair about this entire disaster.

She's been working really hard for her collection, I didn't really have the best insight of her at first, but my opinion has changed.
These past few weeks have been really hard for both of us, but we're managing through it.

She bursts through my office door, breathing hard and sweaty from the heat outside.

The tension in the room elevates, trying to process the gravity of the situation. Blair's eyes were wide with worry as I delivered the news. "Blair, I just got some news. It's about the gala. We have a serious problem."

Her face paled, and I could see her struggling to maintain her composure. "What's happened?" she asked, her voice trembling.

"I don't even know how to put this, Blair.. everything we've worked, you have worked for, is just gone. The venue is a disaster, your collection stolen." I say, trying to keep my calm.

Her reaction was immediate. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she tried to hide them with a shaky hand. I felt a pang of sympathy and frustration. I understood how much this event meant to her-it was crucial for her career.

And even though I could have found someone who already had a high profile, I chose to help her to help her career because that's part of my job as well, making people well known.

"The cameras caught someone stealing your collection, trashing the entire venue, broken windows,walls smashed, the stage as well. I'm so sorry. It's unlikely that the renovations will be ready until our gala." I say, taking a deep breath.

Her face covers her hands, and she cries silently, "This is a mess."

I feel so bad, I wish I could comfort her with a hug, but she's definitely going to dread it later.

I walk in front of her, "We'll figure this out somehow, okay? Just calm down, and we can talk about everything over a coffee or something at my place at 4 pm. Bring the extra sketches you saved." I say softly.

"Okay, I appreciate your kindness, Leonardo. I know I'm not the best most of the time, but thank you still." She says, chuckling a bit as she wipes her wet pink cheeks from crying.

When Blair leaves the room, it falls quiet, the exhaustion already getting to me, and the day isn't even over yet.

I run my hands through my dark brown hair, sighing. I hear my phone ring out of nowhere, breaking the silence.
"Hey dumbass, why aren't you checking the groups messages." I hear Julian say, my best friend.

"I don't really have time right now. Everything is a mess. Tell the others as well that the venue literally got destroyed and trashed, and Blair's collection got stolen. The next few weeks are gonna be hell." I say over the phone as I sit at my desk, taking everything I need to meet Blair later.

"Shit, man, that's awful.. but listen, tonight Theo is hosting a party at his place, he's inviting alot of people since graduation is coming up in a few weeks" Julian says with a soft tone, clam, unlike I am feeling right now.

"I don't know, man. I'll see, maybe I'll come if I have time, yeah?" I say, closing my office.
"Yeah, sure, man, also see if you can bring Blair and Karissa, Matthias has a thing for Karissa. Apparently, they're in the same psychology class. So maybe he'll get laid tonight, you know, " He says, and I chuckled.

Blair met my group of friends a week ago. They all came to help me with the venue and spend some time with me since I barely have time.

Let's just say Blair might like them more than she likes me, especially Max. They formed a bond from their unhinged thinking and sass.

Blair had a few heart to heart conversations with Max about her childhood. She was adopted at 6, both her parents died in a car crash, and she luckily survived.

Must be hard on a small child to lose their parents, so young.

"Hey, you there?" Julian says, breaking me from my thoughts, "yeah I'll talk to them see if they want to come, I don't know if Blair wants to since party's aren't really her scene but I'll see what I can do." I reply, some of the stress starting to go away as I light a cigarette.

"Thanks, man, you're the best. See you tonight at 9pm." He replies shortly after ending the call.

A party would be a nice distraction, but the reality was that there was no escaping the responsibilities waiting for me. Still, the thought of seeing Blair in a different setting away from the stress and the chaos was something to look forward to. Maybe this party wouldn't be such a bad idea after all.

I finished smoking my cigarette, pulling up at the Dino' Café where I usually take my coffee, get my usual and headed out home, me and Blair will be working on all of this at my penthouse, I think it's better to work in a more quiet and free zone.

I walk home since I live really close to the coffee being really strong, just what I needed to push through the rest of the day. I could still taste the bitterness on my tongue as I made my way back home, the quiet hum of the city around me. But no amount of caffeine could shake the image of Blair from my mind.

I hadn't planned on thinking about her. I'd tried to focus on the mess at hand-the stolen collection, the gala - everything we had to fix-but every time I closed my eyes, I saw her.

The way she looked at me when I broke the news, the way her eyes filled with tears, but she refused to break down completely. She was stronger than she let on, more resilient than anyone I'd ever met.

And damn if she wasn't beautiful.

I pushed open the door to my apartment, the familiar scent of leather and wood welcoming me home.

I shrugged off my jacket and tossed it onto the couch before heading to the bathroom. A hot shower would clear my head.

I strip my clothes and turn on the shower. The water was scalding as it hit my skin, steam filling the bathroom in thick waves. I stood under the spray, letting it beat down on my back, willing it to wash away the tension knotted in my shoulders.

I leaned forward, bracing my hands against the cool tiles as the water poured over me. My mind drifted to the way her hair fell over her shoulders, how her lips parted slightly when she was deep in thought. How she'd stood so close to me, close enough that I could catch the faint scent of her perfume, something subtle and intoxicating.

My dick twitched, craving to be touched, I shouldn't be thinking about her like this. I'm certainly not meant to jerk off thinking about her, but I can't help it.

My hand slides down my abdomen, reaching my overly hard cock, I grasped it, taking slow strokes.

God how her lips fall perfectly as she's thinking, how every piece of clothing wrap her little body, showing all her curves, damn me.

If she were my woman... God help me.

Blood rushes to my dick as my stokes get faster and faster. My breath panting, has she ever touched herself? So many dirty questions are unanswered. I feel disgusted. She's my work partner, but my dick reacts to my thoughts quickly, my body twitching as my sperm shoots on my showers glass wall.

Fuck me.

I get out the shower, steam coming out as if its a sauna, I pay myself dry, putting on a pair of boxers and dunk myself on the bed to take a small nap till Blair arrives at 4 pm.