into that restaurant looking like this, I told myself. A few seconds later, Brody Mason strode out of the restaurant, his pointed soft black leather shoes dashing through the puddles toward the car. Reaching downwards, he himself opened my door, and I instantly felt special. There were a couple of well-to-do model types standing over by the door, obviously hoping to get into the place without a reservation, and they looked over curiously to see who was going to get out of the car - perhaps expecting someone as pencil thin as they were. But I saw the look of surprise on their faces when they saw me get out. I obviously wasn't the type of girl they were expecting. There I stood, with Brody Mason in front of me, his steely eyes going right through me and latching onto my very essence,
“How wonderful to see you again Jenna, I'm so glad you could find the time to see me.”
Find the time to see him! It was hardly like I had a busy schedule, or that there were men beating down my door to take me out. I noticed Brody's eyes moving downward along my curves but he checked himself, and held his arm out for me to link onto his.
I was sure my eyes had gotten wider than they'd ever been before, and I only too happily linked my arm through his, and couldn't fail to feel impressed by his muscular biceps,
“I was so surprised when your driver came to find me.” I told him.
Brody walked me to the door and I passed the two shocked women who were quite obviously wondering what I had that they didn't. The head waiter gave Brody a slight bow and with his outstretched arm motioned for us to go up by the elevator to the third floor. Brody turned to me and said,
“I must confess, since the last time we met, I've not been able to stop thinking about you, you really made quite an impression on me. So I've layed on something I think you might quite like.”
“Oh, anything's okay, you really don't have to make a fuss for me.” I said, enjoying the fact that he had gone to some trouble anyway. Only, I didn't know at that point exactly how much trouble he had actually gone to.
The lift arrived and we got in, but when the doors opened on the third floor I noticed there were no other customers, there was only a line of waiters standing formally rigid and waiting for instructions. As we walked further in, it was then I noticed all the paintings hung up on the walls. I walked over to the first one I saw, a painting by Warhol, Looking at Brody shocked I said,
“This painting isn't even supposed to be here! This painting is always in the Lock gallery.”
Brody smiled as he looked at me, cocking his head slightly to the side in amusement as he observed my wonderment. I moved onto the next painting and realized that it was a rare piece by Kandinsky! Whoever Brody Mason was, he must have had some serious connections to borrow those two pieces.
“How did you... I mean, what did you do to get these here?”
Brody shrugged his broad shoulders,
“Where there's a will, there's a way.”
A waiter was standing close to us, but not so close as to be stifling, and was obviously waiting to serve us. Brody said I must be hungry, which I could only agree, but he could see how much I wanted to look at all the paintings,
“It's okay, we have time. I hired this whole floor for the entire night.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Just for you.” He replied, so nonchalantly that it seemed like it was the easiest thing in the world to him, and it probably was; but getting all those well-known paintings in there cant have been.
“Over here, our table is waiting.” Brody said.
He took me over to a table that was beside one of the large windows facing out the back of the restaurant over looking a subtly purple lit river. The view was beautiful, and Brody himself pulled out a chair for me to sit down on. I sat, and then two waiters soon arrived with Brody undoing the buttons on his suit jacket and also sitting down. A third waiter placed a cloth napkin over his lap, and then mine. I felt quite heady with all the attention.
Brody signaled it was okay for me to begin eating, he must have noticed I felt a little out of my element,
“You look half starved, as am I. Don't hold back.” He said, “I certainly won't be.” and he began to cut into his steak with gusto.
I looked down at the food, and a quick rough-guess calorie count told me that what I was about to eat was really going to put on the pounds. I paused, and tried to go for the vegetables first, strangely thinking that perhaps if I started with them, that it would be better than starting with the garnished steak.
Brody seemed to know what I was thinking,
“Food is for enjoyment and pleasure, and so what if it puts on a few pounds? You look great as you are.”
It was the first time any man had told me that in years. Brody was trying to show me that I was attractive with my curves. Putting his hand in his suit pocket, he pulled out his wallet and took a photo out,
“What would you say if I told you I used to look really very different to what I look like now? In my line of business, I found appearances really mattered.”
Brody handed me a slightly tattered picture, and I stared at it in disbelief. Standing there, was Brody, about a hundred and twenty pounds heavier than he now was. Nowhere to be seen were those tight muscles that were quite obviously under that suit of his, I looked up at him and back down at the picture several times, and he was amused by my surprise,
“Hard to believe right? But that's me, that's what I needed to do from a professional point of view. But if I'm being honest, I actually miss what I was like then. In some ways, I felt more comfortable within myself. So to be honest Jenna, when I look at you, I see something about myself I've lost, something I wish - in some ways - I still was. So eat what you like Jenna, because I can assure you, not doing so will make you as miserable as I sometimes am.”
It was all I needed to hear, if a man like Brody Mason didn't care if I was what some people might refer to as 'overweight', and also found it attractive, well, I certainly wasn't going to care much about it. As I tucked into the tender steak, I felt totally free for the first time in years. Each mouthful seemed to be laced with a joy that was unto-fore known to me. And it only helped that Brody was watching me with a look that could only be described as admiration and happiness at seeing me satisfied.
“Brody, I still don't know what you're business actually is?”
Brody placed both his hands on the table and finished chewing his food,
“It's really quite boring, I'm in gold speculation, and I built my business up from the ground, more from necessity rather than passion. I'm like you, I always wanted to be involved in the arts but just didn't have the time or money, but now I have the money, I still have no time,” he shrugged, “quite the irony I suppose. But I do collect works of art, which actually brings me onto the proposition I have for you.”
“Proposition... so quickly.” I joked, then felt my face get flushed.
Brody laughed,
“I wonder Jenna, if you've ever considered putting your knowledge of the art world to good use, I mean it seems like quite a waste not to.”
“Well, I'm really not sure what I'd do with it, and my job takes up most of my time.”
Brody began turning a fork in his hand and looked thoughtful at me,
“How about if you were to be my personal curator of sorts? I've collected works of art for years, and wish to make it one of my businesses, but I don't have the time or knowledge; and the art experts I've previously had dealings with, have all seemed to be a little too conventional for the kind of collection I have in mind. But when I met you, I realized you were a breath of fresh air. You were exactly the one I've been looking for.”
My heart sank. He was offering me a job I would love to do, but at the same time, I'd thought he was just attracted to me. I didn't know what to say and pushed some of my food around the plate a little.
Brody sensed my reluctance,
“I'll pay you well, I'll double your present salary, and I promise to always treat you the way you deserve. There are perks too, you'll get yo
ur own car, an expenses account, and I'll even give you a percentage of the sale of any art work you have chosen, which I'll then possibly resell at a later date.”
Brody waited for me to respond. I looked at him. There was this rich, handsome guy just patiently waiting for my response. I knew I was attracted to him, but was he actually attracted to me? I wasn't sure anymore. I didn't want to get heartbroken again with some futile chase, but at the same time, I did want to get out of my job as a para-legal secretary, and if I didn't do it now, I might never get the chance to. Perhaps this was Brody's manner of courtship, I wondered. I knew I couldn't bank on that, but just to be around him would at least give me the chance of something maybe happening, but if I refused him, it never would.
I put the cutlery down and looked at him seriously,
“When would you want me to start?”
Brody beamed,
“As soon as possible, I can't wait to see what you are going to come up with.”
I had to smile back at him, his enthusiasm was so captivating,
“Okay, but I'll need to hand my notice in, that's only fair, so it'll be a couple of weeks before I can begin at least.”
“Of course, I understand. I'll wait, I mean, there's no one else I want for the position except you anyway.”
We continued to eat and make small talk. It surprised me how relaxed I had come to feel around him in such a short space of time, but then something unusual happened. His cell rang, and