Falling For My Playboy Boss
Chapter 31

Cora's

POV

"Dear Lord," I think as I hear that annoying voice ring out as I have my back to her.

"Who is that?" I heard Franco's voice in my ear as he was still hugging me and I replied to him "That is Collin's model ex-girlfriend Maddie Summers".

"Thank you for the heads up on her and keeping Mateo from letting her on our runway baby girl. She is awful", Eric says as he leans into me.

"You have no idea how ugly she is on the inside," I told them in a low tone and turned around. Now that I am standing on my own, I see exactly when Maddie notices me and starts in on me quickly, "Trying to get with your boss Cora, now that Mateo is through with you? That seems a little desperate, even for you. You have no business out in public with Collin" Maddie said.

"I am not trying to "get with" Collin, he isn't supposed to even be here, it was a girl's night out dinner for me, Catherine, Ava, Marlowe, Emily, and Abigail, that just happened to grow larger. Not that it is ANY of your business". I tell her. "Well, you couldn't get him if you wanted to, he is used to beautiful women, and frankly, you are you, pathetic, and not worth dating. I don't even know why he keeps your ugly face around to be perfectly honest with you", Maddie tells me. "Probably because I do an excellent job at my work, unlike you who can't go five minutes without being ugly to someone. Speaking of jobs, the word is getting around about you being difficult, and the modeling industry lasts such a brief time in the small window of your appearance. If I were you, I would clean up my act and go to college and learn another profession. But we all know that you won't, and you're probably going to spend the next 5 years of your looks trying to piggyback off of people who can help you advance your career and try to get your jobs off of their name. Like you just tried to do off of Collin at the last show. Good luck with that because you are making a name for yourself, and it isn't a good one", I said to Maddie.

"You b***h!" Maddie says and walks straight up to me aggressively.

"You go ahead Maddie, and do whatever you want to do, just remember there are at least three cameras recording you right now. Three lawyers just in this group alone, I won't have to do much to take you all the way down to the ground, you will have done all the heavy lifting for me. I can take a hit, can you? Because I guarantee you this, if you hit me, I will hit you back, and I will make it count", I told her.

Maddie steps back and looks around and, indeed, there are about five cameras recording her right now, just in our group: Olivia, Iris, Mateo, Franco, and Eric. There are camera phones filming in two other groups near ours. I just look at her, because although I am not quite as tall as Maddie is, all of us, Iris, Olivia, and I, went to Iris's uncles' gym in the Bronx in the summer when we turned 15, and we all learned to box. I know how to make a fist, I know where to punch someone, and I know how to fight. Since we live in New York City, it was a fairly good idea to be able to defend yourself from guys, as we were getting close to dating age and Iris' father, whose brother owned the gym, was kind enough to train us all, not just Iris.

"Never mind it, you aren't worth it for me to hit. You are a nobody, just wanting to be somebody. I see how you've looked at Collin, you want him, but thankfully you will never have him. He is only interested in beautiful women, and that group, unfortunately for you, doesn't include you", Maddie states, and then walks back into the restaurant.

"I turned back around and looked at Mateo, Ella, Franco, Eric, Iris, and Livi standing behind me and I changed my mind. I know that I am about to cry, and I don't want to do it in front of this group. I need to leave right now. I look at Livi and she nods in agreement and steps forward and says, "I am so sorry guys, but Cora has decided to eat somewhere that doesn't include a raging b***h. I have to agree with her, and we will find a less combative place to eat tonight. Thank you for trying to include us in this, but we respectfully petition you to leave now. I hope you all have a great dinner and evening. Catherine, please consider coming to eat brunch with us tomorrow. You know where we will be. Please, everyone, continue to enjoy your night".

We all start to walk off with Ava calling and coming after us, but when she gets in front of Cora and sees the tears, she says, "Never mind, we will see you at 10 for brunch, just us girls". I nod at her and we leave. We end up in an Italian restaurant where we eat and laugh together, and I forget that Maddie just outed me to Collin.

"Cora, I know you don't want to talk about this, but I just want to say one thing. Maddie is completely 100% wrong. She is jealous of you. She is a spiteful and vindictive woman. Her head would probably explode off her shoulders if she ever found out that you were Shea. She is an unhappy and spiteful woman who keeps getting madder because she already knows what you just told her was totally correct, she just got mad because you said it in front of Collin. I will also say that he does seem to be interested in you. I watched him backstage when you were out on the catwalk from the exit, and he was also interested in Shae. He just doesn't realize that you are one and the same," Mateo gently tells me.

"Ava told me that he is interested in us "both" but like I told the guys earlier. I want him to love my bare face, nerdy, math-loving self. Not just me being glammed up and looking like arm candy. I want him to see me, the me I am right now, and love that person. But he is out with Eden right now, and after Maddie being the a*s she is, I just couldn't sit at the same table and watch him with her. How much suffering am I supposed to go through?" I asked them as I took a deep breath and sighed before continuing, "I just can't wait for Monday now. It is probably going to be right up there with the day I walked in on him and Maddie having s*x on the desk, or the time Lyra hit me in my ribs the day before the first show. I am good at my job. Collin hasn't made a complaint since Catherine left, and I am highly effective at where I am at. But I am seriously considering just giving up my position if anything else bad happens and just going to work for Jerry. I know there will be a cut in pay, but there will also be a cut in bullshit too and that is worth a lot to me", I said to them and looked around the table to see what they thought. I see Eric tearing up and I reach over and squeeze his hand as I tear up and look around the table sadly.

"I feel like I am doing the best that I can, and every time I turn around, something else bad happens. Not you guys, you are the best friends ever, but I try so hard to be a good person and help my parents and friends, and I just absolutely feel I cannot get ahead. I am so frustrated, and I hate being a downer because I know every single one of you is carrying stress too. But right now, at this minute, I feel ashamed and embarrassed that, apparently, I am so easy to read. That everyone there, and everyone else filming now knows that I have a "thing" for my boss. That is all I need is to be on the cover of a gossip rag with a video of this trying to twist me into an evil person. Perception by the public is a fickle thing and I will not let my screwed-up life affect Mateo's clothing line. It is causing me severe stress right now. So, if you need me to bow out for the next show, Mateo, I will completely understand." I said to Mateo.

"I think you may be just extremely upset right now, Cora, I think this will blow over quickly. No one saw you cry, so, it looked like we just decided to leave because Maddie is a terrible person. I would just go to work and act normal. Just stay calm and be professional. I think you may be overthinking this, and as women, we tend to do that when we are stressed out. I think it will be OK, and if needed we can discuss it again tomorrow at breakfast. It will be just fine, honey, I already know it will be forgotten quickly", Livi tells me. "Yes, don't quit on me Cora, I have so many ideas for you for the fall, winter, and resort lines before Christmas, and then we get like a two-month break between shows. You are a natural at being a runway model and you have a body that is so easy to design for. I am already up to next May with designs that I and Ella are looking at making come to life and trying to decide on which ones will be best for you. So, do not quit on me. We are all in this together and we make an awesome team!" Mateo tells me.

I will stop my pity party now, I think, as I look at all my sweet friends trying to love and comfort me. I need to let this go. I never admitted I had any feelings towards Collin, and I and Maddie argued all the time. I will just let it go, they are right, it will totally be OK.