Dancing in the Gray

  Dancing in the Gray

  By Eydie Maggio

  Copyright 2013 Eydie Maggio

  Smashwords Edition

  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy.

  Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

  Adult Reading Material

  Chapter 1

  “You’re not leaving!” said Elise DePaul pouting like a child. It was the last day of work for her best friend, Ashley Graham since she was going on maternity leave and would no longer be Elise’s assistant.

  Ashley and Elise were assigned as dorm roommates their freshman year at NYU. Ashley was enrolled in the College of Arts and Science, whereas Elise was enrolled in the Stern School of Business where she ended up graduating summa cum laude with a minor in Marketing Science and Advertising.

  They were both only children so their relationship developed quickly to be something that looked more like sisters than friends even though they each came from completely different backgrounds. Elise came from a struggling single parent household and was raised by her mother. Ashley’s parents were still together to this day, and her family was very wealthy.

  They were the ying to each other’s yang. Once they both graduated, Ashley helped Elise build her beauty company from the ground up. She was a 20% shareholder and chose to be Elise’s assistant even though Elise begged her to take executive roles numerous times. Ashley was the one who put up the money to start the company. Elise products were an overnight success which allowed her to pay the loan back with interest within 18 months.

  Ashley met the man of her dreams two years ago, and they were married and pregnant in no time. Caleb Graham worked on Wall Street for a brokerage firm so there was no need for Ashley to work; not that the fact that her family money wasn’t reason enough. Elise was responsible for Ashley and Caleb meeting. They were at a bar after work when Caleb and his co-workers sat at the table right next to them. Ashley was instantly attracted so Elise, who is known to make things happen, grabbed Caleb and dragged him over to the table to introduce him to Ashley. Two drinks later, Elise was declining a third gentleman’s advance, and Ashley was in love.

  When Ashley told Elise that she wanted to stay home with her child, she was so happy for her and supported her decision. Even though they were in the final stages of the interview process to find a replacement for Ashley, it did actually hit Elise until today. She was in full-on temper tantrum mode.

  “Leesie, I have one month left of my pregnancy, and we talked about this already.” Ashley was the level headed, calm, and realistic one – Elise was not.

  “I didn’t think you were serious! How can you just up and leave me?”

  “You have two assistants to choose from. Either choice will be a great one. They are both fabulous candidates.”

  “But I want you!”

  “Elise, do I need to get the wine?”

  “See, how will these people know that there comes a point where a glass of wine is necessary?”

  “I’ve already done a field test with the applicants where we ran through scenarios to see if they could gauge what situations would be “wine required.” The final two scored the highest.” Elise knew she was serious. That’s the kind of thing that Ashley did. She thought of everything, and that’s why Elise loved her so much.

  “No one will ever replace you, Ash.”

  “Aww, Leesie!” Ashley was fanning her eyes, “You know I’m hormonal.” Ashley reached for the box of Kleenex on Elise’s desk and started dabbing the corners of her eyes.

  Elise walked around her desk and gave her best friend a hug.

  “Hey bitches! Did someone say wine?” Elise’s number two, Jeremy Anders, made his usual grand entrance into her office. Jeremy was the Executive Vice President and Creative Director of EDP Cosmetics. Jeremy was also a 20% shareholder and Elise’s other very best friend; although she referred to him as her gay husband.

  Elise had many jobs in college. One job was working at a cosmetic counter in Neiman Marcus where she met Jeremy. She knew absolutely nothing about the industry, but the pay was phenomenal and worked around her school schedule. Jeremy loved her instantly and took her under his wing so she wouldn’t lose her job. He was a freelance make-up artist who worked at the cosmetic counter for a steady paycheck, but had a pretty nice sized private client base.

  He brought Elise along for some of his freelance jobs, and she noticed that depending on what type of event the client was going to depended on the technique Jeremy would use to apply the makeup. If he was doing makeup for a photo shoot, he had to cake on the makeup which looked fabulous in the pictures but horrible in person. If his client was going to a live event, her makeup looked fabulous in person, but horrible if her picture appeared in the newspaper or a magazine. That was the moment that EDP Cosmetics was born.

  Elise was a genius, literally. She had a weird photographic memory where she absorbed and retained information very quickly. She did some research about the cosmetic industry and the science behind the makeup. Most makeup that was out in the market couldn’t hold up to the flash and lights that photographers, cinematographers, and runway’s used, that’s why Jeremy would have to cake on the color. She ended up creating a few prototypes of foundation, eye shadows, and lipsticks that Jeremy used on Ashley’s mom before a couple of big events. When Ashley’s mom appeared in the newspaper and her makeup looked just as fabulous in print as it did in person, Elise knew she hit it big.

  She patented the formula behind her cosmetics and created a micro-line with the money that Ashley let her borrow. The word of mouth press that she received from Ashley’s mom and her connections, coupled with Jeremy’s talent and network, took EDP cosmetics from their small Manhattan apartment five years ago, to being a household name. Elise had been approached many times by other beauty companies that wanted to buy her out or become partners, but she held out, wanting to grow her own business. But now, she had a major player that wanted to get into bed with her, and they had an offer on the table that would be stupid for Elise to refuse.

  The deal they offered was an over $100 million dollar buyout where Elise would remain as the face of EDP Cosmetics strictly for marketing and publicity reasons. She and her shareholders, Ashley and Jeremy, would split the initial payout, receive stock options for the company, and contingent consideration which are incentive based payments depending on how well the makeup line continues to do.

  When she received the offer months ago, she brought it to Ashley and Jeremy to get their thoughts. They both thought she would be stupid if she didn’t take the deal. All of her hard work and ingenuity would payoff big time, and Elise would be able to take care of everyone she loved. They were scheduled to close on the deal in a few weeks or so, but Elise continued to work her ass off like she normally did. She refused to think about all the free time she would have on her hands once the deal closed.

  “Elise, what the hell are you still doing here? I thought your flight was leaving this afternoon?” Jeremy looked down at his watch.

  “It is, but Ashley’s leaving me today.” Elise was putting on her best pouty face hoping it would change Ashley’s mind. She knew, deep down, it wouldn’t.

  “And? Darling, you know this day ha
s been coming for months now. You missing your flight to Paris will not change the fact that Ashley is going to abandon us for very selfish reasons.”

  “Jeremy!” Ashley shrieked.

  “I’m kidding, Ash!” Jeremy went to Elise’s desk and grabbed her purse. “Here!” He grabbed Elise’s arm and started pulling her towards the door.

  “I can’t go yet, Jeremy. I don’t even have a replacement hired for Ashley, yet. I just need to reschedule the Paris trip.”

  “NO!” Both Ashley and Jeremy yelled at her simultaneously.

  Jeremy started in on her first, “Elise, you have worked your ass off since you were in high school and you planned this trip as a reward for all of your success. But, you continue to reschedule it, and this time we aren’t letting you.”

  Then Ashley chimed in, “And, you deserve to go out there and have some fun. Remember fun, Elise?”

  “I have fun!” Elise felt compelled to defend herself.

  “Honey, we all love Fun Elise! But let’s be honest, we haven’t seen her since before Rixby.”

  Elise’s eyes widened and her lips were in a very firm, thin line. “What is the rule about saying his name?”

  “NOT to.” Both Ashley and Jeremy rolled their eyes and spoke in unison.

  They were talking about Rixby Storm - the infamous rocker. He and Elise had a fling her senior year in college. Ashley thought that he was Elise’s one true love. The only problem was that he was married at the time. He pursued Elise relentlessly claiming to be in a bad marriage. She finally gave in to him and after a nine month affair, he broke her heart. Well, he actually ripped it out, stomped on it, used it as a punching bag, and then rolled over it with his tour bus.

  Elise was semi-comatose for about three days after the break up. Ashley and Jeremy were about to get her mother involved because they were seriously concerned about her. But on the fourth day, she came out of her room and told them she didn’t want to talk about it, ever, and that his name was not to be mentioned in her presence ever again. If his song came on the radio, the station was changed. If he was on TV, the channel was changed. If he was within a hundred mile radius of her, she would leave the state on a business trip. It had been over six years since his name had left her lips.

  Elise carried on with her life. She was determined and focused when she graduated, and she made a really good name for herself. She dated a few guys here and there, but none of them were really serious. She wasn’t the same Elise that Ashley met as a freshman. Rixby stole a very small part of Elise, roughly 5% or so. Ashley thinks its happiness, Jeremy thinks its passion, but they both know something just wasn’t the same, and they both hoped that one day she would find that small part of her to make her whole again.

  “Elise, you have been Focused Elise, Smart Elise, Beautiful Elise, Caring Elise, Corporate Elise, and sometimes Crazy Elise, but what Jeremy means is that Fun Elise doesn’t make an appearance as much as we’d like her to.” Ashley cared for Elise like a sister, and she wanted to see her enjoy the benefits of her success.

  “Ash is right. Go to Paris….see the city…..fall in love ……. or have an affair. But find her. Find Fun Elise and bring her back here for good.” Jeremy grabbed Elise’s arms and shook her. He was such a drama queen.

  “What about my assistant?” Elise hated the thought of having someone new here when she returned.

  “Jeremy and I will make the final decision. You’ll be in Paris for 6 days so by the time you get back, you will have someone in place and trained. We promise.” Elise trusted Ashley completely.

  “Alright. Will you guys check on my mom for me?”

  “Absolutely. I’ll take her out to dinner so we can catch up. You know I love me some Martie.” Jeremy and Martie got along really well. He loved her like a mother, and she loved him like a son, which is more than Jeremy’s actually parents felt for him.

  Martha “Martie” DePaul was Elise’s mom. She was a legal secretary who raised Elise all on her own. She never explained to Elise the story about who her dad was and why he wasn’t around. Elise tried to have the conversation with her mom once, but her mom barely got through the first couple of words before she started to choke up. Elise couldn’t see her mom go through that, so she dropped it and never asked again.

  Once Elise’s company took off, she bought her mom a brand new townhome and took care of her financially. Elise also bought a townhome in the same development so she could split time between New York and Virginia, which was where she grew up and where her mom lived. It was just the two of them, so Elise always made sure that her mom was taken care of, even if she left town for a few nights.

  “Make sure the new assistant knows about what she needs to do with my mom and her finances.”

  “I’ll take care of all that Elise. Please go pick up your luggage and head to the airport. I have a car service waiting downstairs for you as we speak.” Ashley gave her a hug then wobbled to the office door and opened it. “Go Elise. Have fun!”

  “Bye-bye doll! See you in a week!” Jeremy kissed her on each cheek.

  Elise ran out the door and down to the car service before she changed her mind. She was excited to finally go to Paris and actually enjoy it. No business meetings, no buyers, no work – just fun.

  ~

  “Did you see her face when you said Rixby’s name?” Ashley looked up at Jeremy who was standing right by her as she was seated behind Elise’s desk.

  “Yep. Not good.” Jeremy shook his head.

  “It’s been six years.” Ashley breathed out a huge sigh. “When will he not have that power over her?”

  “When Elise finally lets him go. She needs to open herself to another man like she did with him.”

  “She’s dated tons of guys since him.” Ashley spoke in Elise’s defense.

  “But she hasn’t allowed herself to be the Elise she was with Rixby - the crazy, fun, wild Elise…the Elise that you and I instantly fell in love with.”

  “I know but she’s not the same person she was six years ago! None of us are. We’ve all grown up.”

  “It’s not about growing up. It’s about that beautiful brunette girl that carried herself so confidently that she grabbed the attention of a man, who was the center of millions of people’s attention. When everyone’s eyes were on him, his were on Elise. That’s the girl I’m talking about. I just hope she finds that girl again. Maybe with the buyout she will allow herself to let go again. At least she’s making the first step in the right direction – she’s finally taking the trip to Paris that she wanted to.” Jeremy truly wanted to see Elise happy again. “Anyway, so back to finding her an assistant.”

  Chapter 2

  Elise arrived just a little late to JFK International airport. But, by the time she got through security and checked her bags in, she was literally running to find her gate because her flight was scheduled to depart in 15 minutes. Once she raced to her terminal, the British Airways attendant saw her running and yelled, “Are you Elise DePaul?”

  “Yes, I’m so sorry.” Elise called out nearly out of breath.

  “That’s quite alright, Ms. DePaul. Let me scan your boarding pass, and you can take your seat in first class.” The nice young lady calmed Elise’s nerves. She was sure she was going to miss her flight. “Ms. DePaul, there are only a few passengers in first class so your trip won’t be too crowded.”

  “Oh, that’s great to hear.” Elise’s trip was already starting out in the positive.

  “Ok, well I think we have all we need here. Please go ahead and board. And Ms. DePaul, have a wonderful time in Paris.”

  Elise smiled sweetly at the young lady and headed down the jet way to board the aircraft. She knew she was seated on Row 1 Seat E. When the flight attendant welcomed her aboard, Elise noticed that there were only about five people including her that were sharing the eighteen seat first class area. The young lady wasn’t kidding when she said there were only a few passengers. There was an older couple that was seated towards the back of the f
irst class area, one gentleman that was seated on Row 1 Seat C, and another gentleman seated right next to her on Row 1 Seat D. Of course, in an almost empty section there would be someone who was sitting right next to her. UGH!

  The first class section of the plane had two seats on one side of the plane, a single row of seats down the middle of the plane, and another two seats on the other side of the plane. There were aisles on both sides of the middle row single seats. She barreled through the aisle to her window seat and buckled in getting ready for her nearly eight hour flight. Elise purposefully schedule her flight to leave in the evening knowing with the distance and time change she would be in Paris early the next morning. She figured that she would take the time on the flight to sleep, and she could start her French vacation off as soon as she lands.

  It wasn’t until Elise had been seated for a while and the plane was taxying down the runway that she even looked over to her left to see the gentleman that was sitting next to her. He was a pretty good looking guy. He must have been over six feet tall because he filled out the first class seat. She couldn’t imagine this poor guy having to travel coach. His long legs were stretched out in front of him which is the exact reason why Elise tried to get Row 1 any time she flew – the leg room.

  He was dressed in business attire, but it seemed as though he was trying to get comfortable for the flight. His suit jacket was off and it was laid over the back of his seat. His sleeves were unbuttoned and rolled up and the top button of his shirt was unbuttoned. There must have been a tie around somewhere that he just took off. Elise tried not to stare, so she kept looking over at him in her periphery.

  He had dirty blond hair that was cut short and styled in this sexy faux hawk, and he had light eyes, either blue or green. His nails were manicured to perfection, and he had a nice golden tan. His facial features were very manly; square cut jaw, cleft in his chin, and what looked like five o’clock shadow growing out on his face. He also smelled wonderful. His cologne was very familiar, and she figured by the end of the flight she would recognize it. He was reading an article in the Times and had little square frameless glasses on. He hadn’t looked up from the article since she got there.