Black Diamond

9. Chapter 9

Kamella stared at the paperwork in front of her without seeing a single word on the page. She chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully, replaying Taeyong’s words over and over again in her head. It was like a song she heard on repeat for a week straight.

Be my first everything too.

She sighed, dropping her pen on the table in frustration. Kamella had been fighting a battle with herself since Taeyong had made his request. Truth be told, she was afraid. If she truly became Taeyong’s first everything, their attachment to each would become something tangible, and that was bad for them both.

It wasn’t as if she was against the idea -- on the contrary, the suggestion thrilled her so much that it shocked even Kamella herself. It was the fact that they were too different, too far apart, and too dangerous to each other’s daily lives.

If the public found out about Taeyong’s entanglement with her, his entire career would be ruined. And if Dealer found out that Kamella and Sung Joon were not only lying to him, but planning her escape from the club… No one would escape unscathed, Taeyong included.

Her mind was telling her not to do it; to leave Taeyong alone, and not take their relationship a single step further. They were already much more involved than she had anticipated anyway. Kamella had always made it a personal goal to never get so involved with a client, but with Taeyong, she was constantly breaking her own rules.

“Boss Lady?”

Kamella looked up to find Koko standing in front of her desk, her vibrant blue eyes examining her curiously.

“Oh, hey Koko.” Kamella replied, with a gentle smile. She picked up her pen and made a pitiful attempt at looking a little busy.

“Hey? I called your name like five times,” Koko pointed out, lifting her eyebrow.

“Sorry, I’m a little out of it. What’s going on?”

“The GM is on his way down. Everyone’s freaking out up front!” Koko told her excitedly, and Kamella furrowed her brows in confusion.

“What’s he coming down here for?”

“The photoshoot? Boss Lady, did you forget the group from SM is coming today?!” Koko gasped in disbelief.

“. That’s today? . I completely forgot.” Kamella stood up from her desk, grabbing her radio, and moving to stand beside Nokomi. The younger woman looked over at her boss worriedly.

“Kamella… Are you ok?” Koko finally asked, after a pause. She had never seen Kamella this flustered before.

“Yeah… I just… I have a lot on my mind,” Kamella replied smoothly, hoping that Koko would know enough to drop it.

“Like what?”

Kamella sighed, “Just some personal stuff.”

“Well, think about it later! We’re about to see some fine idols!” Koko teased, patting Kamella on the back. The gesture made the older woman laugh.

“We don’t even know what group is coming,” Kamella retorted, chuckling as the two of them made their way to the front desk. Belle hurried over to them just as the elevator dinged at the other end of the lobby. The hotel’s General Manager appeared with a posse of higher level employees around him.

“Here comes the GM... you two cut it close.” Belle murmured, watching the group head towards the front desk. All the employees behind the counter bowed their heads as their superiors approached them.

“Carter-ssi, our important guests are on the way. Bring six employees and come with me to greet them at the door.” The GM ordered, and Kamella bowed again in response. When the group of men headed out of the front door, she finally raised her head and went to work.

“Koko, Belle, you over there, and you three, come out with me. Make sure you focus on your instructions and put your best face forward.” The employees scrambled to attention, lining up one-by-one with Kamella. Once she had inspected everyone’s appearance, she lead them out to the hotel’s entryway.

The sky began to darken overhead.

“Is it going to rain?” Koko asked softly, though like usual her whisper, it could be heard by several people.

Kamella glanced up at the dark clouds, wondering the same thing. A loud rumbling of thunder appeared to answer their question.

“Great,” Kamella muttered, feeling frustrated. She was barely prepared for the day as it was, but if it rained, her silk press might get a little puffy. She glanced at Koko, who was winding a lock of hair around her finger. It seemed she was thinking the same thing.

Two black vans appeared at the end of the driveway as another rumble of thunder erupted from the sky. Kamella caught the eyes of her employees and bowed, the others following suit. A handsome man stepped from the passenger side of the first van, rushing over and opening the van’s double doors wide. When Kamella lifted her head to take a tiny peek at the MVPs in the van, she inhaled sharply and had to fight the urge to bolt back into the hotel.

Her Ace, Lee Taeyong stepped out of the van first, his sandy brown hair styled in a way that showcased a bit of his forehead. His smooth, flawless skin practically glowed even under the darkened sky. He was dressed simply in black, ripped skinny jeans, and a fitted t-shirt, a matching black choker around his neck. Behind him, Johnny, Yuta, and Jaehyun climbed out of the van, one after the other. They were all just as gorgeous as they were the night Kamella met them at the House of Cards.

Kamella was struggling to steady her breathing, and beside her, Koko gasped softly, bowing her head lower to cover her mistake. Kamella fought the urge to groan out loud.

Of course NCT would have a photo shoot at her hotel, of all the places in South Korea. Just her luck.

The GM met the guys halfway down the walkway, greeting everyone and welcoming them to the hotel. Kamella prayed that he wouldn’t call her over to introduce her to the guys, but the moment the crowd got near the rows of employees, the older man did just that.

“And this is our Front Desk Manager Kamella Carter-ssi. If you need anything from her, or her team, she’ll be close by to assist you.”

Don’t look at him, don’t look at him, Kamella thought to herself, adjusting her position so that she could step forward and introduce herself without being too obvious.

“Please let me know if you need anything,” She told the group demurely, bowing her head while she spoke to avoid their gaze. At the last second though, she looked in Taeyong’s direction, and already, it was too late. He was staring right at her, his eyes wide in surprise.

They hadn’t seen each other in a week, and even though they communicated through text, she hadn’t called him either. He knew that his latest request was a step towards a serious commitment, and Kamella was still deciding how to answer him. He didn’t want to pressure her into a response, so Taeyong had been doing his best to give her time.

But the moment her soft voice reached his ears, he realized that he never once considered her lack of response was because of something else. On top of working at the House of Cards, Diamond was working a daytime job too.

Taeyong’s eyes roamed over her face for a fraction of a second, and then he remembered where they were, replacing his reaction with another smile.

“Thank you for your help today... Ms. Kamella Carter,” Taeyong stressed each syllable of her name, making Kamella shiver involuntarily as he spoke. Since he had always called her by her title from the club, it was unusual to hear her real name on his lips.

“Let me show you the space we’ve prepared for the photoshoot!” The GM said cheerfully, leading the large group inside towards the lobby. The man cut his eyes at Kamella, instructing her to follow as well. She nodded at Bella and Koko to join her. The three of them stepped behind Jisung at the end of the group, who kept glancing back at the three women over his shoulder.

They approached the hotel’s elevators, and Belle ran forward to press the call buttons for all of the elevators at once.

“We’ll have to take the elevators down to the basement,” The General Manager explained, just as two of the elevators reached the lobby. As each member of NCT filed onto an elevator with an employee or manager, Taeyong edged closer and closer to Kamella. More than half of the group was gone by the time the third elevator opened up for them.

“Jisung-ah, was there anyone else behind you?” Taeyong questioned gently, making Kamella turn in his direction. He wasn’t looking at her, but she was sure he had waited behind on purpose.

“No, hyung, I’m the last of our members.” Jisung replied cheerfully, already moving to hop onto the elevator. Kamella followed the young man, standing at the back corner of the elevator as the others proceeded to pile on as well. Taeyong somehow managed to get the spot right beside her. She faced directly forward, determined to not let him distract her.

“Kamella-ssi, huh?” Taeyong murmured out loud, so softly that only she could hear him. She turned to face him, opening to warn him that someone would overhear his words, but Kamella stopped short from the look on his face. She had never seen the emotion on his gorgeous face before, but she recognized it immediately.

Taeyong was mad.

It wasn’t just the look on his face though; it was the air around him, the way he set his arms across his chest -- everything about him radiated his distraught feelings. Lee Taeyong was legitimately mad at her, and he was so upset that it had slid past his mask of professionalism.

Kamella swallowed nervously, her mind frantically searching for something, anything, that would work as an explanation. Of course, there was no way Taeyong would have a fight with her right there in the elevator, not in front of everyone, but she knew just as the rain would surely come, their first fight was brewing.

Thankfully, the elevator doors opened, revealing the group members that had been waiting downstairs for them. The moment the doors opened completely, Kamella lifted her head and like a wave, the members of NCT that knew her face all had a reaction at the same time. Jaehyun gasped in surprise, Johnny’s eyes visibly widened, and Ten… was not even looking in Kamella’s direction. She looked around her briefly to see his eyes had sought out Koko first, his eyebrow lifting curiously.

As they filed out of the elevator, Ten finally looked in Kamella’s direction, recognition crossing his features while he pointed at her. Yuta chuckled loudly, quickly taking hold of Ten’s hand, and pulling him to face the other direction. Taeyong resumed his place at the front of the group, and together they traveled down into the hotel’s basement, where photographers, stylists and makeup artists had already gathered to start setting for the shoot.

“I’ll be leaving Carter-ssi here to serve as my eyes and ears. Should you need anything from me, please don’t hesitate to tell her,” The General Manager explained to everyone. The group bowed in farewell as the General Manager ran off to do whatever he had had been doing.

Kamella wanted to beg her boss to stay.

“We’ll stay out of your way, so just let us know if you need anything.” Kamella explained, pointing towards an empty corner of the room. She, Belle, and Koko posted up on the back wall, in a spot that gave them a great view of the entire basement room.

Taeyong watched the ladies walk away, his focus zeroing in on Kamella’s back. He really couldn’t believe it. Kamella had kept the truth from him. Again. It was so hypocritical of her to demand that he never lie to her when that’s all she was doing. Her behavior was starting to make him mad. He had never judged her for any aspect of her life, and he never would. If she had simply explained everything in the first place, Taeyong was sure he could handle it all. He had told her as much, but instead, she just kept being vague with him.

Was there entire relationship a lie? Did she actually care about him as her Ace? Could he even continue to be her Ace when he hadn’t even known her real name?

“....Taeyong-ssi?” Taeyong turned to a stylist that was calling his name, plastering a smile on his face. The other members watched him, shaking their heads. Though most people had a hard time seeing when Taeyong was upset, it was easy for them to tell that something had upset their leader.

“Whoa. Someone’s mad,” Doyoung commented, furrowing his brow. He looked in Kamella’s direction, jumping in surprise. “I-Is that-?”

“That’s exactly who you think it is. But what’s she doing here?” Johnny added, turning his back so that the girls wouldn’t overhear him.

“Hyung, she clearly works here,” Ten pointed out, fiddling with one of his earrings. He glanced in the direction of the hotel employees, his gaze shifting to the dark skinned beauty standing beside Kamella, “...I wonder if that’s her natural eye color?”

“I wouldn’t have known that was Diamond-noona if I hadn’t heard her voice. She looks so different today.” Taeil didn’t have to ask who the others were talking about as he approached the group. He knew right away.

“Different how? She’s still beautiful, either way,” Jaehyun peeked around Johnny’s shoulder, but when Belle tilted her head curiously in their direction, he averted his eyes.

Yuta ran over to the members, throwing his arm around Jaehyun’s shoulder, “I’m not crazy, right? Isn’t she ‘that’ Noona?”

Lucas glanced in the corner and ran over, covering his open mouth with his hand, “Hyungs!” He gasped in a stage whisper.

“We know, Xuxi, we know,” Yuta replied, patting Lucas’ arm reassuringly, “This place must be where she works during the day time.”

On the other side of the room, Kamella was shifting her feet uncomfortably. She knew that the truth of who she was would spread through the guys quickly. When Lucas glanced her way, she was sure they were discussing it, though she couldn’t hear them.

“Is there something on my face?” Belle asked worriedly, turning to Koko, who rolled her eyes.

“Girl, they aren’t looking at you. They’re peeping our y Boss Lady. If I was a guy, I’d be staring at her too,” Koko joked, nudging Kamella’s shoulder. The light-hearted jest made Kamella relax a little.

“Ten definitely wasn’t looking at me just now,” Kamella replied, with a soft laugh.

“I knew it!” Belle pointed at Kamella, who cut her eyes at the younger girl for being too loud. Belle giggled nervously and lowered her voice, “So you’re a fan of NCT? You said you weren’t though?”

“I wouldn’t call myself a fan exactly…” Kamella mused, her eyes seeking out Taeyong once again.

It wasn’t hard to find him because he stood out amongst his fellow idols and employees like a sore thumb. Taeyong was facing her direction while getting his makeup done. Their eyes met from across the room, and Kamella felt a rush of heat to her face. It was seriously a crime for someone to be that breathtaking.

“Bad news! Bad news!” Someone shouted near the clothing rack, running over to grab one of the group managers and a photographer. Taeyong apologized to the makeup artist that was working on his face and excused himself, making his way over. Kamella moved towards the group as well.

“What do are we going to do?” Kamella overheard a stylist asking when she finally reached the group.

“Is there something I can help with?” Kamella politely asked the group, keeping her tone as light and professional as possible.

“The models got into a car accident on the way over from the rain, so there’s no way they’ll make it here in time,” A photographer explained to her worriedly, as the stylist nudged the shoulder of the head makeup artist beside her. Taeyong’s dark eyes met Kamella’s gaze again, and she looked away from him before someone took notice.

“Now we won’t have any models to pose with the members. That ruins our entire concept for this shoot!”

“Should I head upstairs and get the General Manager?” Kamella asked, already reaching for her radio.

“No,” The stylist replied slowly, circling Kamella. She tucked her finger under her chin, “Tell me, Carter-ssi, what size are you?”

“S-Size? Why?” Kamella blurted out suddenly. She coughed to cover up her unprofessional retort.

“Ah, I was thinking the same thing! ...You have a great body, Carter-ssi,” This came from the makeup artist, who joined the stylist in circling around Kamella’s form. “I can see it, even with that uniform on.”

“Thank you, but I’m not interested in modeling for your photoshoot.” Kamella stated evenly, leaving no room for doubt.

“We’ll make you so beautiful that no one will be able to complain! Don’t you want to dress up?”

“We can pay you!” One of the managers added, and then the others joined in. Taeyong chuckled at the antics of those around him, knowing exactly how to deal the killing strike against Kamella. They were bound together by a contract, after all, and he felt particularly petty right now.

“It would be really nice if you could help us out this time,” Taeyong interjected nonchalantly, trying to downplay his actions, “I wish you would model for us, Carter-ssi .” He finished slyly, gazing directly into Kamella’s eyes, knowing she’d pick up the hint.

Kamella froze under Taeyong’s stare, recognizing the precise way he voiced his request. He had some nerve, giving her a request right now. If they were in any other situation, she’d probably compliment him on his underhanded tactics, but their current predicament was too precarious.

“Lee Taeyo-,” Kamella caught herself at the last minute, and there it was, that y smirk that got her involved with him in the first place. She wanted to pinch his pretty face.

Instead, Kamella huffed, crossing her arms, “Fine. But let my employees participate as well. You’ll get more models that way.” She added, indicating her two other employees that sat waiting in the corner.

“Deal! Come with me, and we’ll get you three dressed!” The stylist grabbed Kamella’s arm, who waved at Belle and Koko to get their attention. The three girls were escorted out of the room, and the members converged on Taeyong all at once.

“Taeyong-hyung, what’s happened with those three? Did they get in trouble?” Jaehyun asked curiously.

“Did you know Diamond-noona worked here?” Yuta added, hoping Taeyong would answer them both.

“None of us knew. Does that mean Susie-noona works here too?” Johnny wondered out loud, with Lucas nodding in agreement.

“Are those her real eyes?” Ten asked softly, picturing the pretty face of the umber toned girl with blue eyes in his mind.

Taeyong turned to Ten in confusion, “Who are you talking about?”

“That girl with Diamond-noona. Her eyes are blue. You didn’t notice?” Ten replied, as if the answer was completely obvious.

“Both of the girls with her had blue eyes, Ten-hyung!” Lucas explained, wondering which of the two younger women Ten was referring to.

“Taeyong-hyung was too busy being mad to notice anyone else,” Doyoung pointed out, and Taeyong frowned, his earlier frustrations coming back to the surface. Now, he was even more confused, because Diamond had-

No, Kamella is her real name, Taeyong corrected himself, committing her true name to memory. She wasn’t Diamond at this hotel. Her coworkers probably had no idea what she did at night.

But she had acknowledged his wish, right away, unlike the last request he’d made. It stilled some of the anxiousness fluttering in his chest. At the very least, she had just proved that she still acknowledged him as her Ace.

With the ladies gone from the room, the members of NCT 2018 were able to get their hair and makeup finished, and get changed. As they were being instructed on the concept of the photoshoot, the three hotel employees returned in three very different outfits.

Kamella was dressed in a pair of high waisted black harem pants and a white, off-the-shoulder crop top with thin high heels. She had been given a pair of muted hazel circles lenses, and they’d taken her down from her work appropriate bun, leaving her mahogany hair sleek and straight at her back. The annoyed look on her face only made her look all the more appealing, and Taeyong had to turn away from her to will himself to stay mad.

Bell was adorably cutely in a blue gingham, knee length dress and white wedge sandals. They had styled her brown hair in cute pigtails and she was obviously excited about her clothes as she beamed warmly at everyone in her path.

Nokomi looked the most comfortable in oversized overalls and a simple tank top. The stylist instructed her to remove her shoes, and she did so gladly, sticking her tongue out playfully at Kamella and Belle, who both had to wear heels.

“Wow,” Johnny uttered, watching the three ladies move over to the makeup stations. Kamella sat with her arms crossed as the makeup artists spoke to her, clearly sulking.

“I think I’m in love,” Jisung said with a dreamy sigh, leaning his head on Taeyong’s shoulder as they watched the girls for a moment. “That Noona looks so cool.”

Taeyong chuckled, not even bothering to explain to Jisung that Kamella was nearly ten years old than him.

“Uh-oh, Taeyong-ah, our Maknae’s set his sights on her,” Johnny teased, making the other members laugh as well. While the girls got their makeup done, the members started on their individual shots, and then it was time for the couple photos.

“Everyone, please say hello to Kamella-ssi, Belle-ssi, and No…..” The manager began by introducing the girls, but he stumbled over Nokomi’s name.

“Just call me Koko,” She corrected, smiling at the manager that was stumbling over her name. Ten smirked, mouthing her name to himself.

“Koko-ssi. They’ll be modeling with us for today due to some mishaps. This is their first time modeling, so please help them in anyway you can.”

It wasn’t Kamella’s first time modeling, but she definitely didn’t want to talk about the House of Cards holiday calendar that Dealer made them pose for in the past.

“Since Kamella-ssi has the most mature appearance, I think we’ll have her pose with the older members. Let’s do our best!”

Kamella nodded, moving towards the set first. The photographers positioned her on a wine colored couch, and then called in the members. Johnny was the one to start them off.

“Long time, no see, Noona!” Johnny greeted her with a wide smile, and Kamelle sighed; there was no way she could hide now. “Does Susie-noona work here too?”

“No, she works somewhere else.” Kamella murmured, smiling softly for the camera.

“So you both work two jobs?”

“Hey, a girl’s gotta eat, right?”

The camera flashed three more times, even as they spoke quietly to one another. In no time, Johnny’s shoot was up, followed by Yuta and Taeil. Jaehyun was the fourth person to step onto the set.

“I’m not sure which version of you I like better, Noona,” Jaehyun mused, smiling warmly at Kamella, “You’re always so pretty.”

“Jaehyun-ah, you’re so sweet,” Kamella cooed, giving the camera a satisfied smile. The photographer loved their chemistry. and said as much, while he took more pictures of Kamella and Jaehyun together. From the sidelines, Taeyong was biting his nails, knowing his turn was next.

“Taeyong-ssi, it’s your turn,” The photographer called while Kamella remained seated on the couch.

“Ok,” He answered simply, taking Jaehyun’s place beside Kamella. The poses started out fine, although a bit awkward. The two of them maintained a safe distance from each other, causing the photographer to sigh.

“I’ll need you two to sit closer,” He instructed, motioning for them to come closer together. Taeyong moved over a smidge, but even he knew it wouldn’t be enough.

Kamella gave a frustrated sigh, moving completely into Taeyong’s personal space and putting her arm over his shoulder, “If we do this right the first time, it’ll go faster.”

“Then, I’m going to keep doing it wrong so that it takes forever,” Taeyong admitted softly, turning to meet her annoyed gaze with one of his own. “You should have told me.”

Kamella was surprised to hear him say the words out loud, but she had known this was coming. It wasn’t the accusation in his voice that upset her though. It was the look of absolute disappointment on his face that made her chest hurt. But he had decided to do this, right here in front of everyone, so all she could do was help him let it out.

“Taeyong-ah, are you upset with me?” She murmured lowly, baiting him to continue.

Taeyong bristled, leaning into Kamella, lifting her chin up, determined to let her know he was upset, “What do you think, ‘Kammie-yah’?” He mimicked Sung Joon’s nickname for her, and Kamella met his gaze head on, hoping he would at least try to understand her. The camera’s lights flashed continuously in front of them.

“And you’re being disrespectful now too? You’re really upset about this.” Kamella her lips, attracting Taeyong’s attention to the dark lipstick she wore on . “Tell me why.” The lights and crowd faded from their attention as they argued quietly, ignoring the many people around them that had no idea what was really happening.

“You should have been honest with me, Noona. I’d never judge you,” Taeyong released her, leaning back on the couch to run a hand through his hair in frustration, and Kamella reached for his hand and hair, threading their fingers together, and never breaking her gaze.

“No one knows me. No one knows my name.” She told him earnestly, and the expression on her face made him pause. It was tinged with a hint of sadness.

“He does,” Taeyong bit out, and neither of them questioned who he was referring to.

“And now, so do you.” Kamella leaned her forehead against his, filling his lungs with her sweet cinnamon scent and clouding his mind. She touched her nose tenderly against his, knowing exactly how she had hurt him. But she was already bearing down on the walls he had built up around his heart, as if he actually was important to her. Her words reassured him a little, but it certainly wasn’t enough.

“You told me to never lie to you. You said that lies would put us both in danger,” He reminded her, closing his eyes as he remembered the time they watched the sun rise together at the park.

Kamella cupped his face in her hands, leveling her gaze at him, “I never lied. Everything I’ve done was for your safety.” She knew that Taeyong was hurt by her actions, but he had to understand that their relationship was breaking so many rules. Too many.

Taeyong shook his head in disbelief, though a part of him was fighting the overwhelming urge to forgive her. Her hands slid from the sides of his face to the back of his neck and without any warning, she hugged him. Taeyong was still for a moment, doing his best to stay upset, but it was hard to do that with Kamella in his arms. He returned the gesture, his expression softening.

“You’re always trying to keep me safe. But you never once gave me a chance to protect you,” The words were whispered lowly into her ear, so softly that she was straining to hear them all. Taeyong’s warm breath gusted against her cheek, making her feel light-headed, but before she could answer him, thunderous applause erupted from everywhere around them.

Startled back into the present, Taeyong and Kamella finally remembered that they had an audience. The entire crew and all of the NCT members were clapping loudly, though some of them were also blushing furiously.

Taeyong inhaled slowly to calm his frazzled nerves, hopping off of the couch and moving away from Kamella immediately. He was two seconds away from kissing her in front of the camera, and knowing her, she would have let him do it.

“That was intense! These are going to be the best photos I’ve taken in a long time!” The photographer was ecstatic at the images he had captured, and Taeyong wasn’t sure he could handle looking at the photos right now.

Kamella stood up from the couch quickly, “Do you mind if we take a break for a little?”

“But, Kamella-ssi, you still have one more member to-”

“It’s no problem! I’ll take my pictures with the lovely Ms. Koko instead,” Ten interjected quickly, waving flirtatiously in Koko’s direction. She waved back shyly.

With that matter settled, Kamella stepped off of the set, excusing herself from the room for a moment. She almost made it to the elevator before Taeyong came rushing after her.

“Noona,” he called out, and Kamella pushed out a breath. Her heart was pounding when he had grabbed her during their photoshoot, and she was sure by the way he bit his lip as she left that he was feeling the same way. She pressed her hands to her cheeks, keeping her back turned, trying to calm down.

Taeyong touched her shoulder softly, and Kamella turned around, pressing a hand to his chest to keep him an arms length away.

“I’ll do it,” Kamella whispered breathlessly. She wasn’t look at him as she spoke, her mind racing while figure out why her entire world was getting turned upside down by a guy nearly three years her junior, “Taeyong-ah, I’ll be your first everything.”

Taeyong’s eyes grew to the size of saucers in surprise, and Kamella took her hands off of him, rushing into the elevator and letting the doors close between them.

End Chapter 9