“Leo, it’s a valid question.”
“Get your ass back to your desk and do what I said. Now.”
Asshole. I mutter to myself as I close his door.
“I heard that, Alexa.”
Great, I’ll pay for it later. Whatever, it was worth it. I go through Leo’s calendar, at least today is a light day and easy to rearrange. I’m stunned and thrilled, two days in a row Leo was cutting his day early for me. He really meant what he said.
A buzz of happiness is running through me as I bring up the questions. The title of the small half page feature is 5 Questions with, whoever is being featured that week. But I’m looking at fifteen questions. I’m so not in the mood for more than half of these questions. I get that they are supposed to be witty and light, but they’re just stupid. Taking a deep breath I try to channel light and playful, yet still witty and not an idiot.
It takes a hell of a lot longer than I thought it would. I answer and erase more than once. A few times I look to Miguel’s email for help. The man had sent me a veritable book of an email. I had only been able to glance through it to get the highlights. Everything was in here, the common things of what to say and a long ass list of what not to say, things I should always have with me, from a sharpie to Kleenex to business cards. I hit print on it while I’m thinking of it to read through it later.
Over an hour later, I’m done and call over to Jenny to let her know we’ll be leaving soon. She’s cool about handling my inbox and Leo’s while we are out. Her boss is content to let Jenny fill in, and one of the admins is happy to take over Jenny’s work secondary to what Leo needs to be done.
I send the questions back to the man who sent them and cc Miguel like he asked me to. Two seconds after I hit send Miguel is calling me.
“Hello?”
“I’m so happy you finished the interview questions. Don’t forget two o’clock you have the photo shoot, I won’t be there. My partner and gorgeous boyfriend will be, he’s better at working with Graham. You’ll get the call for the interview from Jason Janikowski around noon today. Nice guy but he gets flirty with anything under forty, so just be aware.
“I’m meeting with the head chef at Fernando’s today to go over the menu for the launch. Is there anything you would like to have? Leo mentioned his favorites from there are the arancini and mini-cannoli. What about you?”
Fernando’s? One of the most
sought-after restaurants in Chicago, is going to cater a party in a bookstore? Oh right, Drake was a co-owner. Leo calling in a favor, for me? “I’ve never been so I don’t know. I trust your judgment.”
I look up to see Leo standing over my desk, his impatience clear. “I have to go Miguel. Leo is waiting.”
“Any questions at all, do not hesitate to call me or text me during the interview with Janikowski.”
“Okay.”
Ending the call, I send a message to Jenny that we’re leaving now. If she needs anything to text me. “Two minutes. I’m shutting down.”
“Did you call for a car?”
Shit.
He sees the answer. “We will get a cab then.”
“Where are we going anyway?”
“Shopping, if you are cringing over the photos I do not trust you to bring the several changes of clothes that will be needed.”
“I don’t have a picture on the back of the book for a reason. I’m—uh” The words dissolve on my tongue with Leo’s warning bearing down on me. No way am I going to say because I didn’t want my fat face on the cover. “Okay.”
Leo is eyeing me like he knows what I was going to say. He lets it go then goes back to his phone. A cabbie brakes hard in front of us, Leo opens the door and pushes me in. All the resistance I had dissolves because the root of it all was I didn’t want to be seen, looked at and judged and found lacking because I wasn’t beautiful. Only Leo thinks I’m beautiful, a man who has fucked the contents of a high fashion lingerie catalog, women with one percent body fat and bodies to die for, and he thinks I’m beautiful. Tension flows out of me in one long slow sigh.
***
Leo
The day I thought would be a trial, an obligation of my own creation for setting up the photo shoot in the first place has become well worth my time away from work. It started off deliciously erotic in the dressing room when Alexa refused to try on the clothes. They were too expensive, she couldn’t afford them, and she refused to allow me to buy them. I sent Lydia on a break, telling her to give me fifteen minutes to settle things. Lydia only smiled before she said Alexa seemed pretty mad. I was going to need longer than fifteen minutes, to just text her when everything was sorted.
This place is serenely quiet, no women wander around shopping alone, they have stylists from the store or their own with them. There are single dressing rooms the size of studio apartments dotted strategically throughout the floor, there is not just bottled sparkling water on offer there is wine and champagne available. The kind of shopping done here is a leisure activity. I do not make a habit of shopping with women. However if I am going to do it anywhere, I prefer the peace and quiet of this store.
When I stepped into the large dressing room. Alexa jumped up from the tufted chaise lounge she was pouting on. “What are you doing in here? It’s not going to work whatever you’re thinking. I’m not letting you buy me a six-thousand-dollar dress. I know what these designers cost, it’s not happening.”