The Billionaire’s Prodigal Wife
Chapter 51

Mackenna stood in awe of her surroundings. Alessandro had brought her to his office spaces, spaces she hadn’t even known he’d had.

His administrative assistant Rosie, a large woman with mahogany skin, big luminous brown eyes, and a natural afro as wide as her shoulders was ordering two dressmakers around. Alessandro had retreated to his office to manage a matter with a supplier and from the tone of his voice, even though she couldn’t hear the words, she knew someone on the other end was getting an earful.

“Mackenna,” Rosie motioned to a curtained area, “there is a robe in there for you to change into. Please go get into it.” The woman was all business and returned to looking at her tablet and tapping at it furiously.

“Okay,” she swallowed unused to what was happening. She had never been in this situation before. She had never been treated like one of Alessandro’s models. She had been backstage at his shows during the first year they were married and had watched the glitz and glamour but as five portable wardrobes were pushed into the area all with her name on the covered bags, she was flabbergasted. She felt herself wishing Savannah or Nuncio were with her, but the doctor was at work and Nuncio had left with Carlos when they had been dropped off to the office building.

She closed the curtain behind her and tried to figure out how to get out of the clothes she was wearing. Alessandro had saved her a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, and he’d helped her get dressed but after banging her hand twice on the metal pole. She felt tears sliding down her face from the pain of it all and she wanted to fling herself down on the floor and give up on the endeavor. She knew Alessandro was excited to show her the clothes he’d created for her, but he was in his office.

The sound of a familiar voice caught her ear and ducked her head out between the curtains. “Samuel?”

“Mac?”

“What are you doing here?” they asked in unison before both laughing.

Samuel, wearing a see-through black shirt with embroidered flowers over it, paired with a long black skirt and platform white sneakers, rushed toward the curtain with a wide smile. “Oh my god girl, tell me my Mac is Alessandro’s Mackenna. It’s true isn’t it!”

“Yes, what are you doing here?” She was aware she was only half in/out of her t-shirt, and she was trying to keep it pulled down over her braless self.

“This is my day job darling,” he stepped into the dressing room with her and pulled the curtain behind them. “I was worried for a bit he was going to change his mind and pull up shop and leave. What a cluster-f of a mess,” he shook his head. “How are you holding up my girl? Now I know it was you who has been through hell I’m feeling terrible for you.”

“I’m surprisingly okay,” Mackenna smiled grateful Samuel was with her.

“You don’t look it,” he swirled his fingers around her face. “Bruises and lumps and what happened to your arm?”

“Tripped over an area rug and fell into a glass and metal coffee table.”

“No!” he clapped his hands over his mouth. “You must be hurting.”

“Not as bad as I was hurting when I saw my husband had thrown out my entire wardrobe this morning,” she grimaced. “He wants me to try on some things he designed but I don’t know if I can with this. It really hurts.”

“Well good thing I’m here, girl. I will be your fairy godmother,” he winked, “emphasis on the fairy.”

She giggled at him as he told her to turn around using his fingers. She put her back to him as he gently lifted her t-shirt up.

“Don’t go anywhere,” he poked his head out the curtain. “Esme, grab me the white lace strapless bra and the matching thong panties.” He left his hand outside the curtain as he huffed at how long it took for his assistant to do as instructed.

He helped Mackenna into the bra and then slid the robe which had been hung in preparation for her. He got her into it and then told her to wriggle out of her shorts and then helped her into the underwear.

“It’s so hard,” she whimpered.

“Try having to tuck girl,” he grinned at her as he spun her around. “There, now you have the basics,” he tied the robe around her waist. The sound of Alessandro calling her name made his lips twitch. “Not a minute too soon.”

“Ta-da,” Samuel flung the curtains open and stepped out ahead of Mackenna. “Come my queen, let’s do a fashion show.”

“Samuel why were you in the closet with my wife?” he narrowed his eyes on his flamboyant design assistant. “I’m not sure how much I like you seeing her half-naked considering I know you swing in every direction possible.”

“Because your wife is my friend,” Samuel shook his head. “If I had known my Mac was your Mackenna, I would have been on time this morning.”

Alessandro waved his fingers between the two, “you know each other.”

“Yes!” Mackenna smiled genuinely at him for the first time since she’d arrived at his offices. “I’ve seen Samuel perform his routine so many times I probably could be his understudy.” She paused, “in fact, I sent Nuncio and Savannah to watch Friday night.” She looked to Samuel, “he knows right?”

“Yes, it’s on my resume darling,” he smirked. “I design all my own costumes and they are in my portfolio.”

“Samantha Pantha,” Mackenna made a claw with her hand and purred at him, and they both laughed.

Alessandro stared at his wife incredulously. Every time he thought he had caught up on all he’d missed with her, she was throwing something else his way. “You like drag?”

“I love drag,” she admitted without embarrassment. “We should take in the next show. I’d love to watch it with you.”

“Okay,” he shrugged no longer fazed by the woman his wife had become. “We will go.” As his assistant and his wife both hopped up and down like schoolgirls, he rolled his eyes. “Focus,” he clapped his hands. “My wife needs to see her new wardrobe.”

“I put her in the strapless lace bra and thong,” Samuel was suddenly all business as he snapped for Esme to bring rack number one closer. “We’ll start with work clothes, move to the casual clothes and then dinner, dancing, evening wear. Lingerie,” he looked to Alessandro, “I’ve had packed up in boxes and will allow you to get your own fashion show at home. We don’t need to be part of it.” He turned to Mackenna, “I know you’re hurting, so maybe a drink to take the edge off?”

“It’s ten-thirty in the morning,” Mac laughed at him.

“Daria, make the lady a mimosa.” Samuel ordered with a wide smile as he looked to Mac. “This is a celebration my darling.”

Alessandro nodded his agreement. “Yes, this should be fun and exciting for you Mackenna.” His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he reached for it lifting it to his ear. He pointed to Samuel, “start with the black pencil skirt and the champagne pink blouse, the black heels with the pink bow.”

He turned his back and barked into the receiver in full business mode.

“You heard the man, let’s go,” Samuel clapped his hands.

Mackenna felt a champagne flute being pressed into her good hand and then someone was tugging her hair up into a messy bun behind her head, “oh,” she said as her head was jerked back with vigor.

Alessandro turned to look at Mackenna at her yelp, “Daria, take it easy on her head please. She has a concussion and she’s not used to rough treatment. She’s fragile.”

“I’m not fragile,” Mackenna grimaced and looked over her shoulder, “do what you need to do Daria. I’m grateful for you.”

“Sorry Mackenna,” she whispered embarrassed, “I got on the stool and almost fell off and used your hair. I’m surprised he didn’t fire me.”

“Fire you?” Mackenna turned sideways to look at the woman who was probably close to her own age. “Does he fire people a lot?”

“I’ve only been with this team a month and I really like it, but I’ve messed up a couple of times.”

“You can’t grow if you don’t fail,” Alessandro eavesdropped openly as he ended his call. “You’re going to screw up Daria. I expect it. If you came to me knowing everything you would be of no use to me.”

Mackenna almost heard the woman’s relief.

Alessandro continued, “Daria, we haven’t worked much together as I’ve been back and forth so much from Milan, but you’ll learn, while I do have a quick temper, I do not often fire people on a whim. I demand a lot, but I expect you’ll learn a lot from me.” He smiled softly at Mackenna, “go get into your new outfit. Esme will help you dress.” He pointed at Samuel, “stay away from my naked wife.”

“I’ve seen her naked before,” Samuel shrugged.

At his words Alessandro turned slowly to look at his wife.

Mackenna’s cheeks flushed as she silently cursed her friend. “They had a fan appreciation night and Savannah, and I were,” she tried not to laugh at Alessandro’s facial expression, “drag kings for a night. Samuel helped me prepare.”

Samuel was pulling out his phone, “I have photos Alessandro, I’ll show you.”

Mackenna hooted with laughter and then disappeared behind the curtain with Esme. She looked to the girl, “I give him five seconds before he pulls you out of here and tells me off. Five, four, three,”

She didn’t get to two, the curtain was pulled open, Samuel’s phone was in her face and Esme was unceremoniously pulled from the tiny changing room. It was truly tight quarters with his towering frame.

“Don’t be rude,” she scolded him. “Esme did nothing wrong and neither did Samuel. If I were one of your models, she’d be walking all over the place in her underwear, and she wouldn’t even have the robe. You’re being prudish.”

He held the photo Samuel had shown him up to her face. “This is you?”

“Ha, I hadn’t seen this one. It’s pretty good huh? Samuel did a great job with my make-up.”

“You are naked from the waist up.”

“It’s a cabaret show and if you look closely, my breasts were covered,” she used two fingers to zoom in on the photo, “see, no n*****s showing.” She peered closer. “The contouring really made me almost flat-chested, it was pretty neat.”

“You will not do this again,” Alessandro ordered furiously.

“Pfft,” she waved her good hand at him. “You were on some shoot in Asia with Dulce for a spread in a magazine and there were photos of her with only her fingertips on her nipples.”

“I am not married to Dulce,” he ground out.

“And at the time this photo was taken, I considered myself very much legally separated from my husband. I did nothing wrong, I’m proud of being brave enough to step outside my comfort zone and I’d do it again if I felt so obliged, regardless of what you think you can dictate me to do.”

“Mackenna,” he spit her name as if he were trying desperately not to scream it from the top of his lungs.

“Alessandro,” she mocked him with wide eyes, flashing brilliantly with laughter. “Look at the photo and tell me I didn’t look amazing.”

“You did look amazing, even for an attempt at being a man, but I don’t like everyone else looking at what is mine.”

“Welcome to the club,” she retorted. “You think it’s easy? Wherever we go you spin heads of men and women so hard they get whiplash. You flirt ruthlessly and you don’t even have to speak, and they get aroused but throw in the damn Italian accent and women have instant o*****s and men walk around erect. Do not,” she poked him in the chest with her index finger, “come at me telling me I don’t need to attract attention when you do it just by breathing.”

He ran his fingers in his dark hair, opened his mouth, and closed it, then growled with frustration before throwing the curtain wide and instructing Esme to get her into the first outfit.

Esme giggled as she closed the curtain, “I’ve never seen him at a loss for words.”

Mackenna grinned back at her. “Take notes Esme, I’ll show you who’s really boss.”