Master of the Game

"No. But it's not because they aren't out there trying, darling. George is very rich. You might say he has everything: looks, money, social background." And Eve skillfully changed the subject.

When Eve asked for the check, the captain told her it had been taken care of by Mr. Mellis.

Alexandra was unable to stop thinking about George Mellis.

On Monday afternoon, Eve called Alexandra and said, "Well, it looks like you made a hit, darling. George Mellis called me and asked for your telephone number. Is it all right to give it to him?"

Alexandra was surprised to find that she was smiling. "If you're sure you're not interested in - "

"I told you, Alex, he's not my type."

"Then I don't mind if you give him my number."

They chatted a few minutes more, and Eve hung up. She replaced the receiver and looked up at George, who was lying next to her on the bed, naked. "The lady said yes."

"How soon?"

"When I tell you."

Alexandra tried to forget that George Mellis was going to telephone her, but the more she tried to put him out of her mind, the more she thought about him. She had never been particularly attracted to handsome men, for she had found that most of them were self-centered. But George Mellis, Alexandra thought, seemed different. There was an overpowering quality about him. The mere touch of his hand had stirred her. You're crazy, she told herself. You've only seen the man for two minutes.

He did not call all that week, and Alexandra's emotions went from impatience to frustration to anger. To hell with him, she thought. He's found someone else. Good!

When the phone rang at the end of the following week and Alexandra heard his deep, husky voice, her anger dissipated as if by magic.

"This is George Mellis," he said. "We met briefly when you and your sister were having lunch. Eve said you wouldn't mind if I telephoned you."

"She did mention that you might call," Alexandra said casually. "By the way, thank you for the lunch."

"You deserve a feast. You deserve a monument."

Alexandra laughed, enjoying his extravagance.

"I wonder if you would care to have dinner with me one evening?"

"Why - I - yes. That would be nice."

"Wonderful. If you had said no, I should have killed myself."

"Please don't," Alexandra said. "I hate eating alone."

"So do I. I know a little restaurant on Mulberry Street: Matoon's. It's very obscure, but the food is - "

"Matoon's! I love it!" Alexandra exclaimed. "It's my favorite."

"You know it?" There was surprise in his voice.

"Oh, yes."

George looked over at Eve and grinned. He had to admire her ingenuity. She had briefed him on all of Alexandra's likes and dislikes. George Mellis knew everything there was to know about Eve's sister.

When George finally replaced the receiver, Eve thought, It's started.

It was the most enchanting evening of Alexandra's life. One hour before George Mellis was due, a dozen pink balloons arrived, with an orchid attached. Alexandra had been filled with a fear that her imagination might have led her to expect too much, but the moment she saw George Mellis again, all her doubts were swept away. She felt once again his overpowering magnetism.

They had a drink at the house and then went on to the restaurant.

"Would you like to look at the menu?" George asked. "Or shall I order for you?"

Alexandra had her favorite dishes here, but she wanted to please George. "Why don't you order?"

He chose every one of Alexandra's favorites, and she had the heady feeling he was reading her mind. They dined on stuffed artichokes, veal Matoon, a specialty of the house, and angel hair, a delicate pasta. They had a salad that George mixed at the table with a deft skill.

"Do you cook?" Alexandra asked.

"Ah, it's one of the passions of my life. My mother taught me. She was a brilliant cook."

"Are you close to your family, George?"

He smiled, and Alexandra thought it was the most attractive smile she had ever seen.

"I'm Greek," he said simply. "I'm the oldest of three brothers and two sisters, and we are like one." A look of sadness came into his eyes. "Leaving them was the most difficult thing I ever had to do. My father and my brothers begged me to stay. We have a large business, and they felt I was needed there."

"Why didn't you stay?"

"I will probably seem a fool to you, but I prefer to make my own way. It has always been difficult for me to accept gifts from anyone, and the business was a gift handed down from my grandfather to my father. No, I will take nothing from my father. Let my brothers have my share."

How Alexandra admired him.

"Besides," George added softly, "if I had stayed in Greece, I never would have met you."

Alexandra felt herself blushing. "You've never been married?"

"No. I used to get engaged once a day," he teased, "but at the last moment I always felt there was something wrong." He leaned forward, and his voice was earnest. "Beautiful Alexandra, you are going to think me very old-fashioned, but when I get married, it will be forever. One woman is enough for me, but it must be the right woman."

"I think that's lovely," she murmured.

"And you?" George Mellis asked. "Have you ever been in love?"

"No."

"How unlucky for someone," he said. "But how lucky for - "

At that moment, the waiter appeared with dessert. Alexandra was dying to ask George to finish the sentence, but she was afraid to.

Alexandra had never felt so completely at ease with anyone. George Mellis seemed so genuinely interested in her that she found herself telling him about her childhood, her life, the experiences she had stored up and treasured.

George Mellis prided himself on being an expert on women. He knew that beautiful women were usually the most insecure, for men concentrated on that beauty, leaving the women feeling like objects rather than human beings. When George was with a beautiful woman, he never mentioned her looks. He made the woman feel that he was interested in her mind, her feelings, that he was a soul mate sharing her dreams. It was an extraordinary experience for Alexandra. She told George about Kate, and about Eve.

"Your sister does not live with you and your grandmother?"

"No. She - Eve wanted an apartment of her own."

Alexandra could not imagine why George Mellis had not been attracted to her sister. Whatever the reason, Alexandra was grateful. During the course of the dinner, Alexandra noted that every woman in the place was aware of George, but not once did he look around or take his eyes from her.

Over coffee, George said, "I don't know if you like jazz, but there's a club on St. Marks Place called the Five Spot..."

"Where Cecil Taylor plays!"

He looked at Alexandra in astonishment. "You've been there?"

"Often!" Alexandra laughed. "I love him! It's incredible how we share the same tastes."

George replied quietly, "It's like some kind of miracle."

They listened to Cecil Taylor's spellbinding piano playing, long solos that rocked the room with arpeggios and rippling glissandi. From there they went to a bar on Bleecker Street, where the customers drank, ate popcorn, threw darts and listened to good piano music. Alexandra watched as George got into a dart contest with one of the regular patrons. The man was good, but he never had a chance. George played with a grim intensity that was almost frightening. It was only a game, but he played it as though it meant life or death. He's a man who has to win, Alexandra thought.

It was 2:00 A.M. when they left the bar, and Alexandra hated for the evening to end.

George sat beside Alexandra in the chauffeur-driven Rolls-Royce he had rented. He did not speak. He just looked at her. The resemblance between the two sisters was startling. I wonder if their bodies are alike. He visualized Alexandra in bed with him, writhing and screaming with pain.

"What are you thinking?" Alexandra asked.

He looked away from her so she could not read his eyes. "You'll laugh at me."

"I won't. I promise."

"I wouldn't blame you if you did. I suppose I'm considered something of a playboy. You know the life - yachting trips and parties, and all the rest of it."

"Yes..."

He fixed his dark eyes on Alexandra. "I think you are the one woman who could change all that. Forever."

Alexandra felt her pulse quicken. "I - I don't know what to say."

"Please. Don't say anything." His lips were very close to hers, and Alexandra was ready. But he made no move. Don't make any advances, Eve had warned. Not on the first night. If you do, you become one of a long line of Romeos dying to get their hands on her and her fortune. She has to make the first move.

And so, George Mellis merely held Alexandra's hand in his until the car glided to a smooth stop in front of the Blackwell mansion. George escorted Alexandra to her front door. She turned to him and said, "I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed this evening."

"It was magic for me."

Alexandra's smile was bright enough to light up the street. "Good night, George," she whispered. And she disappeared inside.

Fifteen minutes later, Alexandra's phone rang. "Do you know what I just did? I telephoned my family. I told them about the wonderful woman I was with tonight. Sleep well, lovely Alexandra."

When he hung up, George Mellis thought, After we're married, I will call my family. And I'll tell them all to go fuck themselves.