Crazy Bitch (Bitches and Queens) by Rachael James Read Free Book Online

at their first fashion show, Willow was starting to come alive
with excitement. Sitting in the front row beside Hannah, sandwiched between so
many A-List celebrities and socialites, it was hard not to be excited. Willow
lost track of the times one of them came up to Hannah and told her it wouldn’t
be the same without her on the runway. Like a sponge, Hannah soaked up each and
every one of their lavish praises.
    Halfway through the first show,
it occurred to Willow what was off. It wasn’t her lack of sleep or Hannah’s
morning bitchiness. It was the fact she had stepped inside Hannah’s world. From
the outside, it always seemed like such a luminous, enchanted place, but once
she crossed the threshold she discovered it had its share of dark, shadowy
corners and shallow people. Since she was a little girl looking at the famous
magazines in the drug store aisles, she dreamed of being here. She thought it
was the one perfect place left on this earth, but this was no Eden. What
disturbed her the most was that Hannah had been living here for over ten years
and hadn’t seemed to figure that out yet.
    On the third day, they attended
a brunch held at the Ritz. Several famous designers, fashion moguls, and other
celebrities were in attendance. Despite Hannah’s early exuberance about having
Willow all to herself, Willow had already figured out her place in Hannah’s
life. Here, in Hannah’s world, she sat in a very distant backseat. Most of the
time, Hannah seemed to forget she had brought Willow along.
    Although Willow had never considered
herself the jealous type, she was very annoyed when Hannah dropped her like a
hot potato whenever Lola Carmichael, former model turned socialite, came into
the room. Hannah had started raving first thing this morning that they were
sitting beside Lola at the brunch. Having enough of chasing after her like a
lost puppy, Willow decided to stay behind with the personal assistants and
behind-the-scene employees.
    As soon as the glittering stars
disappeared behind the closed doors, she was instantly besieged by Lola’s P.A.,
Raul Rodriguez.
    “I heard the rumors, but I had
to come meet you for myself. May I say, you might be the bravest woman I’ve
ever met. My name is Raul; I’m with Lola.”
    “Hello, nice to meet you,”
Willow answered politely. “Why do you think I’m so brave?”
    “You’re Hannah’s P.A.,” he said
with a shrug, as if that said all there was to say.
    “No, I’m actually an intern,”
Willow corrected.
    “Good Lord,” Raul exclaimed
dramatically. “You’re not even getting paid to put up with her shit. I don’t
know how you do it. That woman terrifies me.”
    “She’s really not that bad.”
    “Whatever,” Raul said as he
rolled his eyes. “That bitch throws stuff at me every time we are in closed
quarters. And Lola says she’s a dead aim. Hannah misses on purpose to avoid
lawsuits.”
    Willow started to chuckled but
stopped when she heard Hannah yell out from across the room.
    “Willow, what the fuck are you
doing? Get your ass in here,” she yelled impatiently and started snapping her
fingers.
    Willow’s eyes narrowed lethally
as she crossed the room. “Don’t call me like a dog,” she gritted through her
teeth once she reached Hannah.
    Hannah shrugged defensively. “Seriously,
what in the hell are you doing in here? What do you think you’re going to learn
from them …?” she asked with disgust. “How to answer my phone and run out
to buy me toilet paper whenever I need to wipe my ass? You’re here to learn the
business—not how to be some goddamn parasite.”
    Once inside the large
conference room, which was filled with several round tables that were cloaked
with starched white linen cloths and adorned with the finest china dishes,
crystal goblets, and beautiful floral arrangements, Hannah showed Willow to her
seat and then promptly ignored her for the entire meal. She was utterly
engrossed in Lola, and the two of them picked apart