A Slice of Life - 13. Chapter 12 - Clouds on the Horizon

“Well, consider me impressed, Charity, this is phenomenal,” Xavier shouted as he looked through the details of the collection launch. He frowned and raised an eyebrow at Charity when he opened the next folder.

“Boss, you are a hit, there is no way that we are leaving your photo off the cover. Every preview market returned raving reviews and demand more. What can I say, my boss has killer good looks,” Charity teased before getting back to business. “The invitations were sent out for a small preview event; also, I intend to use the event as a recruiting opportunity amongst some of the newer faces added to the list.”

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Anyone watching from the outside would think that Kyle was living a perfect life. Good looks, money, and a promising career, he seemed to have it all. Kyle frowned as he watched a repeat of his latest game-winning interview. He played the game of his lifetime leading his team to another championship. He took a drink of his favorite whiskey when his phone rang; from the ringtone, he knew it was his agent. “Steve, talk to me, I know you must have something urgent to tell me if you are calling me at this hour.”

“I will keep it short; you have received an exclusive invite to the Galant Industries Collection Preview,” his agent excitedly proclaimed. He had been pushing Kyle into new endorsement opportunities for months, and this one practically landed in his lap.

Kyle rolled his eyes, “You can represent my interests at the event...” he started before being interrupted by Steve.

“Your usual manner dodging these events will not work this time as it was explicitly stated for you to attend, but I believe this is an endorsement opportunity of some kind, and you, the potential merchandise, will need to be on display.”

Kyle grumbled; he would much rather spend his time chasing the next pretty thing to bed. Kyle perked up at the thought – maybe this could work to his benefit after all. “So, they might be looking for another pretty face, which means there will be some very attractive people there,” Kyle questioned, much to the chagrin of his agent.

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Jasper took a drink to calm his nerves as he placed himself near the bar. He had not seen Xavier in person in years, and although there was not a meeting scheduled with his firm until the end of the month, Harold insisted that he represents the firm at the launch preview.

“Jasper!” Charity called out as she made her way over to him. Despite Jasper playing for the other team, he could still appreciate feminine beauty. “I am pleased that you could make it to the event, enjoy yourself, and drinks are us tonight.” Charity gave him a brief hug and smile; she seemingly glided away mingling into the crowd.

Jasper continued to sip his drink when he spotted Xavier amongst the crowd entertaining who he could only assume were investors or business partners. As much as he wanted to go over and get reacquainted with Xavier, he knew that this was neither the time nor place.

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“The tabloids do not do you any justice,” Kyle turned as a stunning woman sauntered over to his table.

“I apologize; I do not think we had the pleasure of meeting.” Kyle turned on his game face knowing that Steve would chew him out if he did not make a good impression at the event.

Charity stated, “I am the one responsible for this evening’s events and leading the new direction of Galant. How would you feel being one of the new faces of our new product line?”

“Honestly, this is where Steve, my agent comes into play, but he insisted that I attend this event myself,” Kyle shrugged.

“Wise advice, we have already reached terms with your agent, the only approval that we are waiting for is a solid yes from you,” she smiled.

Kyle laughed; he should have known better. “I guess you got the one up on me,” he smiled.

“Pleasure doing business with you champ; we will be in touch.” Charity walked away mingling with the other guests.

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“Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to thank you for joining us this evening. I am sure that you are all aware that Galant Industries is seeking a new more inspiring direction. With that, I will turn it over to our very capable woman in charge,” Xavier smiled and clapped as Charity made her way across the stage. His part now complete; he quietly made his way off stage and faded into the background.

Kyle, who did not expect to see Xavier tonight, once again felt the pain of loss as he watched what he thought was the love of his life walk away out of sight. To distract himself, he quickly ordered another round while blatantly flirting with the waiter going as far as to slip a card containing his contact information into the waiter’s breast pocket.

Charity laid out the plans for her new vision and direction causing the crowd to brim with excitement for the reveal. “Without further delay, let the show begin.”

Over the next several minutes, various models made their way down the catwalks. Kyle nearly choked on his drink when he saw Cheryl strut down the catwalk. He had not seen or talked to her in years; seeing her here and now only served to reinforce bad memories that he was trying to forget.

The models underwent several outfit changes; the music provided energy for the crowd who was loving it and eagerly awaiting the next outfits or accessories to be presented. Jasper was taking everything in with business at the forefront of his mind. He could see this business partnership being quite profitable with several ideas as to which clients they could groom and provide. During an intermission as he was working away on his tablet, he noticed Kyle several tables ahead of him nearly surrounded by multiple empty glasses; for his benefit, he hoped that Kyle would be able to keep himself contained.

The audience erupted into cheers as Charity returned on stage as she soaked in the moment of success and enjoyed the looks of approval from the board and Xavier himself off in the distance. “Now, we have a special treat for you all; we asked that there be no video recording or photography for this portion of the show.” Charity stepped aside as the curtain parted revealing a large screen. “Our lovely man in charge works hard behind the scenes, as you can see, he easily slipped away from us all,” Charity laughed along with the audience. “However, maybe, we can convince Xavier that he belongs in front of the camera more often,” Charity winked as the screen lit up revealing Xavier’s complete photoshoot to the crowd.

Jasper, while not surprised as he had seen the cover shot, was thoroughly impressed. Xavier’s photos exuded confidence, control, poise, and sexuality. The man before him unlike the boy he knew all those years ago was sensory overload, and he was salivating with anticipation to have a proper sit down with Xavier.

Shocked, Kyle’s glass stopped just before it reached his lips as his mind tried to process the overwhelming information being presented to his eyes. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Xavier, who dared to look pleased with himself as people swarmed showering him with compliments. Kyle swallowed the contents of his glass in one gulp slamming the glass down causing it to shatter; he pulled at his tie as he stalked over to Xavier, but Kyle felt himself being pulled back and pushed into a dark corner of the event space.

“Go home Kyle, do not make a scene here,” Jasper gave Kyle a very stern warning as he pressed him against the wall. Kyle is not accustomed to being manhandled at least not now as a recognized star athlete. In his mind, he seemed to get his way most of the time despite the reality of his repeated failures highlighted in various tabloid articles.

“Did you see him posed like a slut for all the world to see?” Kyle slurred as he stared up at Jasper with angry eyes. “I bet he was between more legs in high school than me.” In Kyle’s inebriated state, he convinced himself that Xavier belonged to him regardless of the absurdity of the idea.

“That's enough,” Jasper growled. “Go home Kyle, be glad for our friendship and the fact that this event is a big deal for Xavier, or I would have dropped you where you stand.” By this time, there were a few people who started to take notice. Jasper quickly straightened them up and dragged Kyle outside just as a service car was pulling to the curb. “Do not ruin this for him, go home, sleep it off, and remember at the end of it all, the decisions you made are partly to blame for the circumstances you find yourself in today. The Xavier you see today is not the same person from high school, so you need to accept that fact.” Jasper roughly pushed him into the car.

“How could this have happened? What happened to him? What have I done?” These questions raced through Kyle’s inebriated brain as he drifted off into unconsciousness.