Talia didn’t know how long she remained under the burning water, her skin was red and scrubbed raw, her body somehow had ended up curled up in the bottom of the shower, her back against the cold tiles as the water continued to batter down on her form, slowly getting cold as her tears continued to run down her cheeks. The sound of her phone the only thing pulling her from her self-contained nightmare where she was reliving the last few hours. The tone was one she knew well, it was the one associated with Emily, the sound made her sob harder as she ignored the tone unable to face speaking to Emily at the moment. Finally, she managed to scramble from the bathtub slamming her hand on the handle to turn the now cold water off. Her naked form settled on the rug, wet and cold as her hands moved to wrap around herself.<br/><br/>By the time Talia forced herself to her feet her body was dry and the night sky had settled outside of her room. She wiped her eyes and told herself she had to forget about it and move on, she wouldn’t let him destroy her the way she had Emily, she had to be stronger. Throwing on her favorite worn pajamas she curled up on the sofa watching mind numbing tv, her eyes glanced towards her phone to see 8 missed calls, 3 from Emily, 2 from her mother, 1 from her new boss and 2 from her best friend. She texted her mother, sister, and friend quickly a very brief ‘ Sorry been busy today. Need to sleep, will give you a call tomorrow’ she had no intention of calling any of them tomorrow but it would keep them off her back for a little. She would call her boss back in the morning, she was due to start in three days, she still needed to unpack and get herself sorted.<br/><br/>The next few days she focused on pretending the encounter with Culler have never happened, she threw herself into unpacking and making her apartment into a home. She had gone shopping for some new work outfits and even food, she was finally beginning to settle into the new place, she had talked to her mother briefly for a few moments but had kept the call short and had stuck to texting Emily. Tomorrow she would start her new job, she had been asked to report to the main office and they would get her sorted. She wasn’t going to let Culler destroy this, this was her dream job, plus she would never have to see him again.<br/><br/>The next morning Talia woke up early taking her time to get dressed, wanting to make a good first impression. Her makeup was perfect, gold eyeshadow which framed her sapphire eyes, the foundation making her skin look almost flawless and a dark blood red on her lips. Her raven hair was straightened and settled around her face. She was dressed to impress, a black pencil skirt which clings to her form highlighting her curves, a dark red blouse unbuttoned enough just to show the black line of a tank top. A black blazer settled around her top half, the line of the collar pulling the eye towards the rise of her cleavage. On her feet for black pumps, around 3 inches, making her small frame a little larger and making her legs look longer. She arrived at the office fifteen minutes early and was met by an older man. He was the head of the marketing department, her new boss.<br/><br/>James Kingston was in his late thirties with dark brown hair and brown eyes, slender build and a winning smile. As soon as he saw Talia’s form her had reached out and shaken her hand before beginning to lead her towards his office where he went through the job and what was expected of her. “So, your role is going to be looking after a few of our artists. You will have one main contact, who you will work with day to day, then a few others who you’ll need to check up on every few days. Giving feedback and making sure deadlines are met.” Talia nodded and smiled “ I understand. So do you have a list of the artists for me? I’d like to give them a call and perhaps organize a chance to meet with them if possible.” James smiled “That's what I like, someone whos ready to throw themselves into the deep end. Actually, your main Artist is in the office today, he has his new cover art. We asked for it by today, I’ve already talked to him and I think he is going to be working in his studio room the rest of the day. Your welcome to go talk to him and maybe spend the day with him, see his art style and how you think you can motivate him. Artists are such fickle people at a time. But don’t say I said that” A laugh escaping his lips, Talia nodded “That would be great”  James equipped her with her work laptop, phone and materials before leading her towards an outbuilding that was pretty small. “This is his spot, he likes to be a little isolated from people. But it keeps him happy and he is a really important artist. So please make sure you keep him happy. Anything you need feels free to find me. Anything you need should be on the laptop along with a budget you can use to keep him motivated.” James paused at the door and opened it a touch glancing inside but didn’t see anyone “He’ll be inside somewhere” Talia stepped inside following him when James’s phone began to ring and pulled it out answering it before beginning to make her way towards the door. “Sorry, Talia. I have to take this. Just head in and I’ll catch up with you later alright ?” Talia nodded and took a few more steps inside.