Wickedly Wicked

Chapter Four

The main course had arrived, and Thomas was still on the phone with his back to her, looking sexy as hell. 

When she had spotted him tonight, the rug had been pulled from underneath her. There he had stood, brooding like a dark angel. Tempting, yet forbidding. The tabloid's photographs didn't do him justice. 

Upon seeing her alone, the attentive server had educated Lilliana about the gastronomic affair. As Thomas had suggested, she had started the dinner without him, expecting him to return shortly.

Actually, no, he had deigned to show up and then had royally ignored her. He had deemed her a low priority in the grand scheme of things that made his universe.

"Miss, do you need any more wine?" The young server appeared again. He looked ready to fill her glass. There was no judgement in those eyes or pity. His discretion made her feel better.

"Can I have the check, please?" she requested. 

Despite how the evening turned out, she would show her gratitude for the hospitality provided to someone who could barely afford the place. It was a matter of her integrity.

He hesitated. "I'll be back in a moment." 

Lilliana nodded. Her eyes reverted to Thomas. She had thought she would be inured to him, but he still made her world spin as no other man did. The only difference was that she had learned to live her life without him.  Although his curtness had stung her, but it was to be expected. They were no longer close. 

The maitre'd appeared, looking perplexed. "Miss Burton, my staff tells me that you have finished and wish to... If you're done, I'll inform Mr. Sullivan."

"No," she cried.

The maitre'd looked curious.

Cheeks burning, she explained, "If you can bring me the check, I would appreciate it. Thomas and I are old friends, and sometimes, we take turns to pay for each other." Real smooth, Lilliana. Her spin on the tale even amazed her.

"Yes, but let me tell Mr. Sullivan that you—"

"The call is important," Lilliana cut in. "Let me take care of things, and we won't have to interrupt him."

The man looked torn. 

She added, "Thomas told me not to disturb him. And besides, this is the twenty-first century. It's no big deal. Women are climbing Mount Everest these days." That did the trick to convince the reluctant man.

Lilliana's eyes widened at the cost of the meal. If she were earning a minimum wage, she would be washing dishes right now. Regardless, she paid for the dinner and left a generous tip for the flawless service.

As an afterthought, Lilliana took out her business card with her company's logo emblazoned on the front. Flipping it over, she wrote, 'Thank you for the lovely dinner and your company tonight. Like always, it was a pleasure to see you. Regards, Your Lilliana'.

Shit. Lilliana reached inside her handbag for another card, but her hand grasped thin air. Heart in her throat, she rummaged through her bag and found she had none left.

Exhaling, she crossed out 'Your' several times to obliterate the word on the only card she had left, so it read 'Regards, Lilliana.'

She used to write that to him. It had been her way of telling Thomas how she felt about him, but he had never cottoned on. So, it had become a sign of familiarity, and an ode to their years of friendship, but now it didn't sound right. 

Their disagreements, even the one that had ensued after she had witnessed the aftermath of his one-night stand, had been private. It had provoked Lilliana to do the unthinkable and drive the girl away. Jealousy had coloured her rationality. Not surprisingly, a rift had developed between her and Thomas, the chasm yawning wider as time went on. But tonight was a whole new level. He had cruelly dismissed her in public.

Lilliana had kept him at a distance despite his efforts for reconciliation. She had been in love with him, and it had remained unrequited. He socialized with people with deeper pockets, and she had been relegated to the shadows.

Chagrined, she left the hotel in a cab. A dull ache throbbed in her heart, but she ignored it. She berated herself, Silly girl, when will you learn?

Not only had Thomas treated her with caution, he hadn't bothered to find out what she wanted from him. Boorishly, he had kept on talking to whoever it was on the phone. She had feigned to everyone in the restaurant that nothing was amiss, but inside, she had died from mortification.

Today was a lesson to her that she was dispensable to him. Her heart had finally accepted it. He was irrevocably changed. Earlier it had refused to listen to the sensible side of her. A faint hope had lingered within her that he would help her out. Once a fool, always a fool.

The setbacks she and Lara had faced in their business had shown them the lowest of the lows in life. They both had slept in the office when money had been tight to even spare for rent. Then, there were days with no clients, only debts and pangs of hunger.

But they had persisted. L&L was now a profitable venture. It was her labour of love, and it made her proud. She wouldn't give in without a fight. It wouldn't become a fallen aspiration. She just had to find other ways to get money.

At home, Lilliana found Lara on the couch, thumbing through a fashion magazine in her PJs. Looking up, she let out a whistle. "Look at you. All dolled up. Who was the poor guy?"

The poor didn't even describe him, she thought. "A random date. Nothing to worry about." It was better to lie. There was no point in dashing Lara's hopes further. "I had a long day. Just wanted to see what you are up to before I hit the bed. Goodnight."

"Wait, Lilliana," Lara called out. "What about our existing dilemma?"

Knowing that her friend wouldn't let the matters rest till Lilliana gave her two cents, she said, "I think we should talk to Kevin and re-negotiate the terms, and if worse comes to worst, we can re-mortgage this house."

"What if we are unsuccessful?" Doubts clouded Lara's face. "I know I pushed for this, but this is a big step for us. We're now targeting women who live and breathe brand names. They have very distinctive tastes."

"They're not better than us. Even if we fail, we go back to our roots, online sales. And from there, we target influencers. They have far more reach to the masses," she replied. Her eyes flashed with dogged determination.

Shocked, Lara held her hands in the air. "Whoa. I just meant we've never dabbled in this market before. Besides, if we use online celebrities, it would dilute the brand. I want us to be more distinctive."

Their business was Lara's pet project. Lilliana could always return to being an architect, even though it would kill her creativity rather than nurture it. Like her, she had also found her calling in making jewellery. Yes, in the beginning, the hours had been long, and it had been a rough ride, but it had been therapeutic. And the company was theirs to claim.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you." She rubbed her temple, feeling tired. "It will work out. Have faith."

"Was it a crappy date? You seem in a bad mood." Lara shot her a sympathetic look. "You can tell me all about it."

"Nah. He isn't worth wasting time over." Lilliana wanted to forget about the disastrous dinner. "Now, tell me more about Alicia's birthday party. How crazy will it be? Honestly, we both need some fun in our lives."

"Ohhh." Lara's eyes suddenly shone with excitement. "She's inviting two hot guys. They're firefighters, and you never know what may happen."

"You're such a flirt." Lilliana laughed and threw a cushion at her.

Lara caught and lobbed it right back. "It's called living one's life. You should try it, Lily. Sometimes taking risks pan out. You might hit it off with one of the firefighters."

She shook her head. "I'm swearing off dating for a while. Men are just not worth the drama, and tonight was proof enough."