Infidelity 2/?
Early the next morning as sunlight began to filter through the un shuttered windows, Andrea awoke to the sound of her phone alarm, groggy at first then slowly waking to consciousness it all came crashing back to her, Miranda and that man in their bed, doing things she did not want to even think about.
Getting up she relieved her bladder and got dressed again. Heading down to The Closet she chose her attire for the day and put it on. Just in time too, as the workers for the day began to arrive she was already packed away and heading out the door, no one would know she had even been there.
Emily arrived 20 minutes later beginning her day with the placement of the magazines and the chilled Pellegrino on Miranda’s desk. Walking into the bathroom to check that it was all in order she noticed that things had been moved since she straightened them out the night before.
Shrugging she continued, passing her hand over the wrinkled couch she felt the warmth left by a body, stopping still she ran her hand over it again, noticing that it was only just starting to cool, telling her that the person that had been sleeping on that couch had only just left.
Looking in the supply closet she spied the rumpled pillow and badly folded blanket, knowing that Miranda would never leave something in that state her mind instantly jumped to Andrea. Why would the woman come here? She wondered then she remembered the frantic phone call from Miranda late last night. Miranda had been in a right state, not the cool and collected woman she normally was. She had half pleaded, half ordered Emily to ring Andrea, email her, anything just to find out where she was.
Emily had done so and gotten no reply to any messages she had left or sent out. It was like the woman had dropped off the planet, but now she knew differently; it took just a phone call to the night guard who was just knocking off for her suspicion to be confirmed, Andrea had slept in the office last night, something that had not happened before.
Deciding to keep this from Miranda was hard to do for Emily, but she needed to talk to Andrea first, find out what was going on.
Andy was at work, she had already been into her editor’s office and requested desk time, working on the papers website or proof reading articles. He had given her a weird look at her request, knowing her enthusiasm at being out in the thick of it but he granted her request anyway. She needed no reason and he didn’t ask for one.
At mid morning break Emily rang Andy from her personal mobile, Andy picked up the phone without even bothering to look at the screen to see who was calling saying Sachs in a clipped tone. “Andrea” the sound of Emily’s voice on the other end of the line made Andy rise from her seat and disappear into a private conference room.
“Hey Em, how can I help you this morning?” “I know you slept here last night Andrea” Andy audible swallowed “don’t worry I didn’t tell Miranda, she isn’t in yet anyway, but I need you to tell me what’s going on, why did you sleep here last night and not in your own bed with my boss?” “I can’t tell you over the phone Emily, it’s a face to face conversation” “Ok then how’s tonight at 8 at Mistique sound, because the new you is delivering the book tonight so I get the night off.” “Sound’s good Em, will see you then, and bring a note pad with you so you can share with Serena what we say” They said their goodbyes and went back to work.
Miranda walked through the doors at 10am that morning, 2 hours after she was meant to be at the office but she really didn’t care. She had spent most of the early morning washing herself from top to toe and back again under scalding hot water, she felt revolting in her body and in her mind, flashes of how things had gone down the night before kept flashing through her mind, it made her want to throw up and then some but she had nothing in her stomach.
The main thing that stood out as she rinsed herself for the fifth time was the look on Andrea’s face when she had walked in, two years of wonderful love and companionship gone in a night of debauchery that wasn’t her fault, wasn’t of her doing and most certainty not what she wanted.
She had been drunk, she knew that, but on what and the actions leading up to Andrea walking in and that door slamming against the wall were a haze of fragmented images, blurry around the edges and hard to make out. The group of people she had been entertaining last night had all left around 9pm to return to their homes, except one man who wanted to go through a spread he was designing for her, he was charming she had to admit and close to her age but she didn’t roll that way anymore and he knew it, he must have slipped something into her drink for her to be so pliable to fall into bed with the man, however when Andrea had walked in, she had broken out of the stupor she was in and realized exactly what she had done and realized exactly what he had done to her. He would not see out the week in the fashion industry, she would see to that.
Her next stop after the shower and dressing was to her private GP who took bloods and a rape kit and put a rush on them to make sure that she had no STD’s and to see exactly what he had slipped into the glasses of wine he had been pouring for her.
Leaving the Doctor’s office she swept into the car, giving orders to be delivered to Runway and once there, she swept out of the car, through the barriers and into the empty elevator. Resting her head on the wall she took a deep breath and sighed, composing herself into the ice queen façade she stepped out into the halls of Runway where she was met immediately by both Nigel and Emily, Emily looked at her strangely and then curbed her expression into the fawning look she usually had on her face, Nigel handed her two layouts and followed her to her office.
“Emily” she said and Emily scurried in “ I am expecting an express letter from my doctor this morning, please get it yourself, do not entrust it to that incompetent out there, on second thoughts fire her and tell HR to send you more resumes” “fifth one this week” Emily said under her breath but out aloud said “Yes Miranda” and walked out shutting the door behind her.
The letter arrived promptly at 11:30 “Miranda your letter has arrived” “Yes Emily I am not blind I can perfectly see it clutched in your skinny hand” holding out her hand she snatched it from Emily’s grasp and dismissed everybody in the room with her customary “That’s all” she had a letter to read, and a girlfriend to win back.
TBC: Maybe.