Page 12 of In the Safety's Zone
“And I’m wrong?”
He was trying to be coy but I wasn’t dumb. “I love women.”
“I know. What time are you meeting Ashlei with an i tonight?”
“Mind your tone, Aphrodite. I’m your father and I deserve respect.” His voice was still low but he’d tried to harden it like he could intimidate me.
I turned to him with a bright smile on my face because he didn’t scare me. “I would think that I as your daughter, I would deserve the respect of you not openly making plans to hook up with people that aren’t your wife in front of me. You’re not just disrespecting her, you’re disrespecting me as well.”
“You’re grown now, you know how it is.” His grin was sly and he ran a hand over the thick crop of curls he kept on his head. They’d been dyed black to keep him looking young but it gave away his age more than anything.
I raised my brows sarcastically and looked away from him since I knew this conversation was going nowhere. “You did it even when I wasn’t so I really shouldn’t be surprised.”
“Are you done bitching? I came to this thing for your benefit.” My father’s face was frowned up and as though I was truly bothering him.
“Dad, you didn’t have to be here if you didn’t want to. I could’ve happily turned it down. We can always tell them you’re not feeling well and end this right now.” I hadn’t wanted to dothis shoot anyway but my mother told me it would be good. What she meant was it was going to be something to make my father feel better about himself and his career being over. You’d think his being fifty years old would’ve forced his bitterness to ebb but this man was holding on tight to it like fate had fucked him over.
“Why would I do that?” I could see the panic and the way he’d try to flip this back on me if I canceled being here. It might have looked bad on me but I wouldn’t have cared.
“You just said you came for my benefit and I’m telling you it’s unnecessary. I’m sure you’re going to want to get out of here early anyway—” I shrugged because I truly didn’t care either way after that interview with Ashlei.
“Are you trying to be smart?”
His hands went into his slacks as his posture went rigid. This was his silent way of bullying someone into getting his way. Instead of cowering I spoke to him honestly. With all these people around, he wasn’t going to cause a scene.
“I’m being honest, Dad. It’s clear you don’t really want to be here and I don’t want you to feel forced to be.”
“Let’s just see what they have for us before you cross the line to disrespect.”
He kept using the word as if he didn’t understand what it meant. He was the most disrespectful one but I took it in stride. He just hated being called on his shit but I was over biting my tongue.
I didn’t say another word but continued down the hall to the fitting room that they’d directed us to. Dad was tapping away on his phone and I was sure by the smug look on his face he was already setting up something with Ashlei with an i. As badly as I wanted to feel bad for my mother I knew she wouldn’t do anything about his infidelity. From the few times I’d attemptedto interfere, she would only blame me for bringing negativity into the house.
The wardrobe room was brightly lit, with racks of clothing and people everywhere. I could see assistants and helpers running around getting outfits to their respective wearers. It felt like backstage at fashion week and I waited a few minutes just watching what was going on. Dad, of course, wasn’t concerned since his phone held his attention.
Someone was walking by and I needed to get her attention since we weren’t sure who we needed to look for. “Excuse me—”
“Oh, my goodness you’re Aphrodite Harper! How are you? I’m so excited to meet you, I’m such a huge fan!”
The woman in front of me was grinning broadly and I felt like she was the first person who was real since I’d gotten here. She wore the creative type of clothing that weren’t trendy but were beautifully tailored to her body. I knew it was something custom because I had never seen the pieces before. The drape was beautiful and the stitching was impeccable. My mother made sure I understood how to dress and ways to look for quality. She might’ve enjoyed money and loved spending it but she wasn’t going to buy some bullshit. That was one of the few lessons she’d taught me that I appreciated.
“Thank you for having me. What is your name?” I reached out my hand and she shook it with a broad smile.
“I’m Rachel and I will be taking care of you today.”
She had tan skin and long brunette hair with perfect highlights. I knew she paid somebody a sizable chunk of change to make them look as natural as they did. Being fashionable in New York was an expensive and cutthroat occupation. She was still smiling so she must have been successful or at least not yet jaded.
“Thank you, Rachel, I can’t wait to see what you have in store for us.” I was now getting excited about the shoot becauseI thoroughly enjoyed dressing up in something besides athletic clothes.
“Even though my daughter is being rude, I’m Ashe, the other half of the talent for today. How are you today, Ms. Rachel?”
When her brows dipped I knew Rachel was my kind of girl because she wasn’t about to fall for my dad’s bullshit.
“I’m sorry, Ashe who?”
This girl was absolutely going to the top of my list for people I liked today. My father looked aghast that someone didn’t know who he was. Since everyone in the area knew who he was, especially since he was a part of today’s photoshoot, she had to be doing this to knock down his ego.My kind of girl.
“I’m AsheHarper, are you sure you should be the one doing this because you don’t even know the families you’re dealing with?”
