Rules of Intercourse (1)

Walking on the busy streets of New York, Ashleigh Slayton’s bright blue eyes widened as she noticed breathtaking purple satin peep-toe pumps that she was compelled to purchase in order to continue breathing. It wasn't for any special occasion - when did girls start needing special occasions to get new shoes..? - but Ashleigh felt as though she were incomplete without those perfect foot decors. She knew right away which outfits she could throw them together with, heck she had already started to plan multiple looks complementing those to-die-for pumps.
As she battled her way through the packed store, kicking shins and pulling hair, something shiny caught her eye. It was something made of crystal, like a pendant, or maybe earrings and it shone so brightly that she felt blinded by its beauty. For a minute she had entirely forgotten about the one object that she thought to be vital. But she snapped right out of it, setting her priorities straight - breathing before crystals- she rushed over to the counter with the brilliant peep-toes. A swipe of the credit card later, Ashleigh felt like she had accomplished something absolutely crucial, but as she returned to where she had spotted the crystal mystery object, it was gone. She looked around for a while and after a few looks here and there, she shrugged and walked out happy.
The next morning before leaving for work, Ashleigh admired the ensemble she put together to accentuate the purple on her feet. When she realised time flew faster than she had thought, she looked down from her penthouse windows and sprinted (yes in her heels) to the cab waiting outside her apartment building. The driver was staring right at her from his rear view mirror as she sat on the back seat, closed the door, and pushed her silky, wavy blond hair back and said,
- "Well unlike you with your aimless life, I don’t have the luxury to take all morning to get somewhere; now why don’t you pretend like you have a real job and step on it."
The cabbie resentfully stepped on it and the car raced through the bustling American Fashion Capital. On the way, Ashleigh brought out her pocket mirror and admired her perfect porcelain skin and applied scintillating red gloss to her plump lips, this woman was beauty incarnate.
As she had just finished powdering her thin nose, the cab stop abruptly in front of the Smile Magazine building, resulting is excess powder on Ashleigh’s face. She inhaled loudly, and then, wiping the makeup off her porcelain visage excessively annoyed, she scowled at the cabbie:
- If only you were useful. I honestly don’t see how you could actually be making any money...
She got out of the car and slammed the door behind her. Once in the building, she quickly regained her good humour and stomped her way to the elevator. While she waited for what seemed to her an eternity, the staff on the ground floor were holding their breath for the Bitch of the West had entered her layer. The sound of her pumps tapping the floor was enough to make the receptionist tremble in her little cozy lime green chair behind the long glass reception desk with modern metallic accents. Everyone thanked the sweet lord as the elevator doors opened and the devil walked into it.
- Miss Slayton, you have Marchesa waiting on line two and Celestino on line three, I also have your dry-cleaning. They sent it in a few hours ago. Would you like me to have them delivered home right away...
said Elaine the intern holding coffee in her hands as Ashleigh arrived to her office floor. Elaine was a hard worker, she tried very hard to please everyone, more importantly to please her boss the Slayer, the one person who could either make her or rip her apart.
- You know Elaine, said Ashleigh throwing her flock of lavishing white winter fur on the girl’s face, taking the coffee and walking towards her office, if I paid you to talk endlessly and bore me with your annoying little voice, you would have been a millionaire by now. But look at you, you’re still here making copies and answering phone calls, what does that tell you?
- That, I should, not bore you with my annoying voice...
- See, I knew I saw some form of brains behind that sad thing you call personality, and that’s why I hired you, she smiled.
Walking into her office, leaving the poor intern crushed and broken, Ashleigh closed the door and sat on her magnificently comfortable black leather chair. She picked up the phone and did what she did best, that is to charm her clients and associates off their behinds with her irresistible ways with words. As a matter of fact, there were few things on this planet that she couldn’t get with the combination of her words, brilliant smile and a bat of those ever so seductive lashes.