The billionaire's sweet editor
Chapter 41: Iris: The meeting

Chapter 41: Iris: The meeting

FAKE, FAKE, fake!

That’s the only thing I’ve been saying all morning, and I’m still thinking about it. It’s fucking afternoon. I’m supposed to be going over the details of a meeting I need to be having with the fashion and photography team right now, but here I am, reeling over the word like a kid who just learned about it today in an English lesson, forgetting to hurry with clearing my shit and going to the meeting.

I know why I’m hell-bent on the word like this. Lucas. I have a crush on him, a huge crush. A crush that I don’t want to acknowledge yet, because acknowledging it would mean doing the one thing I never thought I would do anytime soon.

Giving him a piece of me.

Iris, focus. Maybe you’re just horny.

Yeah, after last night, I think I am. I did sleep with Lucas, but for the first time since we started hooking up, he just cuddled me to sleep. It was nice though and I appreciated the gesture. He was very warm and soothing, and it helped me calm down.

But now I’m frustrated because of it.

Taking my iPad and clearing my desk, I head over to the elevator. Everyone is in the board room when I arrive moments later and the only seat left is next to Lynn. Taking a breather, I sit next to her. The chief fashion designer gives me a pointed look, a strained smile on her lips but she doesn’t say anything.

"We have decided that we need to hold another meeting tomorrow to discuss how we’re going to handle next month’s article."

Lynn nudges my arm, extending her notepad with the time she recorded for the meeting. It’s being held tomorrow at nine AM.

Ugh. Annoying much?

"Hey," Lynn whispers when she’s close enough to my ear.

"Hi," I reply accepting her note and copying the notes.

"How are you and your boyfriend?"

Okay, weird way to start a conversation in a meeting.

"We’re good, how are you?" I whisper back, pushing her notepad at her. She whispers she’s okay before she’s back to sitting straight in her chair, giving me the ample space and comfort I need to carry on the meeting.

Maybe she means well, who knows, but I still am not comfortable around her. She hasn’t tried any tricks on me since last week, which is good. That day after I told her a bitter truth in Lucas’ office, she hasn’t been as constant with her visits to our department as before.

She listened to me, and I’m proud, but I believe people can’t change in one day. I’m pretty sure she’s plotting to get back at me someday in the future when I have forgotten what I did to her unrequited love life.

I just hope she doesn’t catch me off guard.

The meeting carries on, each of the departments giving me a presentation of their work and how it’s been edited until finally, it’s my turn. I stand, ready to give my presentation on how we’re going to go about editing the final draft that’s going to be published when all of a sudden, the doors open and our HOD walks in, carrying himself in the mighty royalty aura he oozes of.

"Please continue, I’m here as one of you."

Oh yeah? Tell that to my brain, won’t you?

Lucas gives everyone a polite smile, sitting on the edge of the leaf crest. All of Adder’s boardrooms have leaf crest-shaped design tables, differing in size and design as you go up the ranks—and the elevator.

Pulling myself together, I look above his head, a trick I learned from therapy when we were building my confidence. I just need to look above everyone’s heads and not their faces, that way I’ll be fine even if everyone is looking at me.

Greeting everyone, I begin with my presentation, momentarily making myself forget I’m in the presence of the man I’m fucking, who also happens to be my boss.

"For this month’s issue, the errors are less. We have to crop the pictures in the fashion section, page twenty-eight. The paragraphs there are squished in one column, and that’s making the content less valid when it’s supposed to be the main attention-getter. We are promoting our new matte lipstick and it needs to get all the attention it can get."

Everyone writes it down, and a few open the magazine to check out what I’m saying before finally agreeing with me.

"Another one for the photography team, the models on pages fifty and sixty-eight are stunning, but the picture quality is lower than the other photographs. If there’s a way to correct that then please do it before this Friday because that’s the deadline before printing begins nationwide."

Again, pages flip. Lucas joins them this time. My eyes are on him when he pauses, clearly reaching the pages and scanning them. He nods at the first picture, looking at the photographers pointedly giving them the instruction to do as I said.

He’s flipping to the last page when someone from the photography department, a woman who looks like we’re about the same age raises her hand.

"Yes," I give her permission.

"There is no error on page sixty-eight, the image is supposed to be blurry." The other photographers nod at her words, murmuring in low voices amongst themselves.

My cheeks heat up. Did I make a mistake whilst looking for errors to edit out last night? I open the documents on my iPad, swiping so fast the pages go by like a fucking whirlpool. It doesn’t take long before I’m on the said page.

I fight the urge to scoff. What the fuck does she mean it’s supposed to be like that? The model’s face is blurred.

Flipping my iPad around, I point at the blur. "Are you sure the face is supposed to be blurred?"

"Yes, the models agency asked us to hide his face. He is currently involved in a scandal and it could affect business," another photographer, the HOD, replies.

"Then remove his picture. Fans and haters could notice him just by looking at his body."

"For that, we’ll need an entire budget plan to call in a new model. Our department has already reached the limit of our budget for this month because we’ve been going all out trying to make pictures that hook the audience in."

"What if this picture becomes not only your department’s downfall but the company’s and the magazine’s end as well? Don’t you have any more pictures that could cover up the vacant spot?" I retort, about to reach my breaking point.

This is simple maths. If one apple is bad but you have another, toss the bad one away and enjoy the good one.

"That won’t be possible. Aside from the fact that it kills the aesthetic we were trying to build, the clothing set the actor was wearing is a new piece that just came out this month."

"We can just put it in next month’s issue," Lynn offers, shrugging and looking around.

"Finally, someone who gets it," I breathe a sigh of relief.

"Next month’s theme is cultural and monumental to bringing back our African clientele. We can’t be mixing this posh outfit with that, it’ll ruin the chief editor’s image."

My eyes land on Lucas, whose eyes are still set on the picture. Boyfriend my ass, he’s not even supporting me when I need him right now. Not to mention, these guys are about to fuck up the only thing he treasures, and he doesn’t seem to care.

I don’t know if it’s yesterday’s frustration, or if it’s because I’m annoyed Lucas is ignoring me, or both, but I’m so fucking mad right now.

"Are you going to just sit there silently and let them publish this shit in the next article even though we all know it is bad?" I spout before I can control myself. Murmurs fly around and I think I catch someone whispering "couple’s quarrel" in the crowd.

Lucas doesn’t seem to notice I’m talking to him, because he continues to look at the picture. Gripping my iPad because I’ve suddenly developed a love for getting angry, I slowly walk over to the tip of the leaf.

My hand wants to slap onto that book and make him flinch, but I can’t do that because it would raise unwanted gossip around the company. So like the good employee I am, I give his forehead a strained smile and lean in a little.

"Mr. Andrews. Are you going to give your opinion on this matter or shall I let them put that picture in the magazine and probably ruin its chance at making it to number one?"

That does the trick. He slowly raises his head to face me. We make eye contact and I give him a pointed glare to know I’m not pleased with him.

"No, remove the picture."

Finally, he’s supporting me.

"But sir—"

"Don’t worry. Set the studio and make everything ready for a photoshoot. I’ll be the model for this set."

Everyone goes mute. Even me. I’m pretty sure everyone is shocked, not because he volunteered, but because of the fashion piece he wants to wear. It’s a three-piece menswear bedroom set.

Small shorts that I’m sure will clasp his juicy butt paired with matching white undies that have a rim that’s supposed to show on top of the shorts. Then there’s the shirt. It has buttons, but the model is supposed to show his chest.

All of it.

"Iris, you’re coming with, just so you can make sure the pictures are to your liking," Lucas adds as if tickling my senses just to see how far they can go.

His eyes glint with mischief as if he’s taunting me to the challenge. Of course I oblige, my pride won’t let me back down in front of everyone.

"Yes, sir. I’d be very much pleased to do so."

Bothmeandmybody.