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Chapter 06 - Exchanges

I loved baths. Popping those relaxing balls made me forget my troubles. Next to it were a glass and three bottles of imported wine. I tried each one. I know practically every type of wine because I drink it every day and night. They were good. Of course, they were. A man like Carbon Moz wouldn't have a cellar of bad wines, let alone offer them to someone like me.

"You see, Amelie?" I asked her. "We can have that if we want it. Dorian and Axel wouldn't do that for us," I said, informing her. Amelie wanted a relationship. I mean, if she was going to stick with one person for the rest of her life, it had to be someone who was financially well off. Carbon was more than perfect for the job, as well as, of course, accepting us completely. The boys were incapable. But no, I wasn't in love with money. It wasn't all about money. I had money, and the boys had money.

The cell phone rang while I was submerged in the foam of imported fragrance. It was Axel. My heart always raced when it came to him. All the memories of our casual sex came to mind. His manly body, his voice, everything. But I didn't want to tie myself to anyone. I was already stuck with Amelie. I didn't need any more chains.

"Hello," I said, as I took a sip from my glass of wine. It really was delicious. I had to write down his name to buy it eventually.

"Amelie, where are you? Dorian has just arrived, without you," he said, visibly angry. I used to be responsible at work. I mean, Amelie used to. The store was of no interest to me. I didn't answer right away. "Amelie?" he asked.

"He upset me, that's all," I said. The line went silent. The guys really knew us. The moment I spoke, he knew. Axel didn't treat Amelie the way he treated me, and the same went for Dorian. We had different priorities for each of them.

"EVE? What are you doing at this hour?" he wanted to know, emphasizing that he didn't often see me at that time. It was a surprise for me too. I wasn't in the way of Amelie's work, and she wasn't in the way of mine. Not that we had any real control over when we swapped. We didn't.

"Dorian offended Amelie and me, so we got a call from Carbon, and I was kidnapped to a fancy building. I'm here now, and Amelie isn't here. I don't think she'll be working today, so take care of everything, okay?" I said it calmly as if none of it was serious.

"Are you with that client? What are you thinking, EVE? You're not on duty, stop it," he said seriously. "What's Amelie got to do with it? Stop getting her into trouble," he warned. I was surprised to see him defend her so much.

"Actually, the call and the kidnapping were with her. I only showed up to lighten things up. If it's any consolation, I threw a bouquet at him," I said, laughing as I remembered the scene. It was hilarious.

"So, it's only a matter of time before you're on top of him, and he's fucking you," he said, even more seriously. Visibly jealous. I liked that. In fact, I was quite used to that kind of attitude from him, since we were close all the time.

"And what was all that about Amelie? Don't tell me you're dumping me for her," I said, changing the subject. He remained silent as if searching for words. I didn't worry, because I knew he preferred me. Amelie was just a good friend to him. I was sure of it.

"Just know what you're getting into," he said. "If Amelie comes back, ask her to come to the store. And you, know there's plenty to do tonight. Don't listen to this guy," he said. I agreed, although I didn't need him to tell me any of that. "By the way, I know Dorian will apologize to Amelie, and maybe to you. Be nice to him," he asked me. Dorian and Axel knew exactly what each other liked, but they liked to pretend they didn't, so they wouldn't fight. It was more for Amelie's sake than mine. I didn't mind so much, because I had no serious interest in anything. Dorian was my friend, and Axel was my fuck.

I chose a light gold dress. It was just as beautiful as the evening sparkler. I was used to fancy clothes. Our stock of clothes was grandiose in every sense of the word. "What would life be without these dresses?" I asked the universe. Amelie didn't care about any of it. I did. My existence allowed me to enjoy those luxuries, and then I would live them without regret. Then came the shockwave, and I lost my sparkle.

"I can't believe you let it get to this," I said, staring at myself in the mirror. EVE really is a naughty girl. She gives herself up so easily for this life. I can't believe I'm wasting my time with this guy again. She really left us in that situation. I thought the bouquet incident would put an end to things. I should have known she'd go further.

The cell phone rang again. Axel, again. I answered, and then he fired. "Dorian's out of patience. I told him, and he's coming to get you, EVE," he said, just as seriously as last time.

"Amelie," I said, correcting him. "Don't let him come, Axel. Don't let him cause trouble," I ordered, as I tried to adjust my dress so that it wasn't as short as EVE had left it.

"He's gone, Amelie," he said, putting strength into my name and realizing that it was really me and not EVE. "Think about the situation before you get into it," he said. It was like a punch in the stomach, but then it wasn't my fault. I wouldn't have put us in that position.

I tried to straighten up and finally went down to the restaurant, to avoid Dorian putting on a show of embarrassment. Not that it was his style, but there was always a first time for everything.

"Ah, EVE. Finally," Carbon said, getting up from his chair to greet me. I felt like picking up some flowers and throwing them in his face, but I didn't have time for that.

"It's Amelie. And I have to go," I said, walking straight through the hall. One of the security guards stopped me. "Let me through, Carbon," I demanded angrily.

"We agreed we were going to eat. Then we'll eat. I don't care if it's with Amelie or EVE. I care that it's you," he said, stepping closer.

"That speech is very vague and means nothing to me. Dorian is coming to get me. I don't want a scandal, so let me through," I demanded once again.

"He's not going through security, so don't worry," he said. "Come on, sit down and eat with me," he ordered, signaling the table.

"If you know me as well as you think you do, you know I won't go," I said, trying to get past the guards. "Just let me go. You have a meeting with EVE tomorrow. Be nice and wait," I said, losing patience.

"I can't do that, Amelie. I'm sorry, but you'll be eating with me," he said. "Dorian can talk to you first, but I want to too. Please have lunch with me," he asked, proving to be the same polite young man as the night before. I was ready to refuse when I saw Dorian coming and being barred.

"He's strong, he'll get through them," I said. Carbon said that wouldn't be necessary, and then cleared the way for Dorian to get to me.

"You've got ten minutes," he said before going to sit down in the chair.

"Does this guy boss you around now?" Dorian asked me. "I'm sorry, Amelie. I didn't mean to offend you, you know me. Let's go to the store. Leave the other part of your life for the evening. Let's get out of here," he said, taking my hand.

"What if I want to stay?" I asked as if I'd already made my answer obvious.

"You or EVE?" he asked me.

And then I didn't know how to answer.

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