“ So how do you know James?” I asked after a while, to make conversation.
“Oh-“ he seemed slightly surprised for a moment. “We uh… we run in some of the same social circles.”
“Ah.” I buried my face in my wine glass for a moment. I knew some of the clubs and activities James liked to frequent. Perhaps he was a regular at one of the gay bars. Or even one of James’ exes. I couldn’t help but feel slightly disappointed at the notion.
The waiter had somehow snuck into the room and was hovering as unobtrusively as possible to the side.
“What would you like?” Rick asked.
“What are you having?”
“Hmm. Probably a steak.”
“Sounds good to me. Medium rare.”
He grinned, and ordered for us.
“ Well, then.” He leaned forward, clasping his hands and leaning his chin on them lightly. “I suppose we’d better talk shop.”
“Sure.” I nodded, placing my glass down, and after a moment’s hesitation, picked up the bottle to pour more. I noticed his glass was nearly empty, and topped it up too.
“Well. Where do I start… I don’t have time for much of a social life, Jessie. When I do go out, its work related.”
I nodded, listening patiently.
“I was married, for a few years. It… ended badly.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” I wasn’t, entirely.
He smiled. “ Never mind. Anyway, my point is — like anyone else, I’d love to have companionship. But I haven’t found time to get to that point with anyone. I’ve dated, but haven’t found anyone I clicked with, to be honest. I’m tired of it.” He looked at me, with a half-smile.
“I thought you wanted to hire me, not… date me,” I said hesitantly.
Rick chuckled to himself. “ This is hard to explain. Forgive me. I do need an assistant, but its more than that. I’m looking for a companion. Not a — a girlfriend — just someone to share my time with. If that’s as far as it goes, that’s fine by me.” He picked up his wine glass, and took a long, slow drink, his eyes locked on mine.
I couldn’t hide the fact that I was taken aback. “You want to pay me to spend time with you?” My right eyebrow raised of its own accord, and all my pretence of a professional demeanour went out the window.
“Pretty much. I’ll pay for your accommodation, expenses, and provide a generous allowance. Of course, with work and — hopefully — a little social time, it may be long hours.”
I swallowed. This could not be real.
“If you’ll allow me to be honest, for a moment, Jessie…” He raised his eyebrows, as though asking me for permission.
A small laugh burst from my lips. “Of course.”
“I think you are a very attractive woman. And not the type of woman I normally meet. I knew there was something different about you from the first time I saw you.” He gave a wry smile, still looking into my eyes. “I realize I barely know you — but I’d like to. And if we end up as friends, well, at least I believe you’re the type of friend who’d be honest with me. I have enough yes-men.”
Breathing out a soft breath I didn’t realise I’d been holding, I laughed quietly in disbelief. He couldn’t be serious. Guys like him didn’t go for girls like me — they wanted stick-figures like the receptionists at Tableau, not women with big boobs and asses. A thought occurred to me, and before I could stop myself, I’d already blurted it out.
“Are you gay?” I asked, feeling my blushing reaction to my own stupidity before the words had even left my lips.
“I’m sorry?” And he laughed.
“I wondered if you were looking for… like, a… a beard. I’ve done the duty for James a couple of times. When meeting his parents and whatnot. They didn’t know about his orientation until recently-“ I stopped short, realising I was babbling. “Oh god.” I murmured quietly, grabbing my glass and downing my wine. “I did not just ask my potential boss that question.”
Rick laughed again. “It’s okay.” He said in between chuckles. Then he reached his hand out and briefly patted mine where it lay on the table.
I looked up, meeting his sparkling eyes and lopsided smile, and blushed some more. But an answering smile spread on my face, and I found myself giggling.
“No. I’m most assuredly not.” He said with a grin, after I had finished laughing.
Our food arrived, and we ate quietly for a few minutes. We discussed salary and perks and other work-related things. The steak was outrageously delicious and the salad fresh and crispy. I kept drinking wine, despite feeling increasingly clumsy with my comments. I tended to put my foot in my mouth enough sober, without adding to the issue.
“So…” I said quietly, still holding a fork in my hand and watching him eat. “You want to give me accommodation, pay me to travel, socialise, and do some typing on the side? Oh”- I added, “and hang out with you.” I didn’t voice the other thought that was running through my mind — that what he wanted was some kind of ‘Kept Woman’… a prospect that, to be honest, wasn’t entirely unappealing anyway.
“Pretty much.” He nodded, speaking with his mouth full.
“Wow, sign me up.” I said, and took a big bite of salad.
“Really?”
“Hell, yes,” I enthused. “You know what I do at work right now?”
“You… tend bar.”
“Yeah, I get paid to serve drinks to drunk people, fend off perverts and occasionally clean up vomit in the bathroom.”
“Ah, I see. It sounds more interesting than what I do.”
I giggled. “Yeah, it probably is.”
He was smiling. There was an intensity in his eyes that I noticed most when I teased him like that. I enjoyed it.
We finished the meal, and another bottle of wine was fetched.
“Why did you book this entire room? Too good to eat with the regular people?” I asked, somewhere into my fourth glass.
Rick scoffed. “Well, no. But I hate noise and interruptions. Don’t you?”
And like ill fate, I heard the ringtone of a phone. It buzzed on the table next to him. He stopped, sat up straight and picked it up to look at it. Then, to my astonishment, he screwed up his face, turned the phone upside down, and dropped it into his drink.
I think that’s the moment when I decided I wanted to jump him.
Rick ordered dessert. I ordered iced coffee. And I kept shaking my head no when he offered me a bite of his mud cake, even though I secretly wanted to feed it to me like in one of those cheesy chick flicks.
It was a surprisingly nice time. After the initial work talk, we forgot all about business and talked about inconsequential things. Favorite movies. Music. Philosophy. Time passed quickly, and at around ten o’clock Rick looked at his watch.
“Ye ah, I suppose we should be going.” I conceded, smiling, and feeling slightly tipsy.
“Hmm? ” He looked up. “Oh no, I was just thinking I don’t really feel like going home yet. Do you?”
I shook my head earnestly.
“ Where do you like to go on Friday nights?”
I didn’t want to tell him that for the last few weeks, I went home to watch movies and fall asleep on the couch.
“Well… I sometimes hang out at the place I work,” I said, which was true, when my friends weren’t all busy. “It’s actually a really fun club.”
“Well then, let’s go the re. Unless you’re tired?”
I grinned, liquid courage coursing through my veins. “ That depends,” I said coyly. Do I have the job?”
He stared into my eyes with that intense gaze. “Yep.” He said sombrely.
“Not even going to take any of the other candidates out for dinner?” I teased.
“No.”
He wrote a check, and offered his arm to me as we left. I snickered at his proper, gentlemanly manner which seemed so incongruous with his appearance. Hell, he wasn’t even dressed up enough for the club. I laughed louder, thinking about how funny it would be if they refused him due to dress code.