“How do you like the wine?” she asked, fitting the last pin into her hair.
She saw Jim take another surprised sip of the white wine before he said, “It’s very good.”
She came out of the bedroom and smiled, patting her head once more for luck. “I’m glad you like it,” she said, taking the glass he handed her. “It’s one of my favorites but recently I found a merlot that I like even better.”
He nodded his head and looked around the small apartment. “Did you take all these?” he asked, indicating the pictures on the walls.
Helen smiled with pride. The walls were filled with her photos, some framed, some not. “Yes. I’ll splurge on a good bottle of wine but not necessarily frames,” she laughed derisively. “Some might say I have my priorities out of whack but that’s okay. I’ll accept that there might be some truth to that statement and thrive as I open my next bottle of perfect wine.”
He walked over to one of the walls and started examining the photos. “They’re extremely good,” he said after he’d walked by one wall, looking at each carefully. “You have real talent, not just at picking out wines, though,” he winked at her.
“Thanks”, she smiled back, truly appreciative of his compliments. He walked around the room, asking questions about the pictures while they drank their wine. Helen was glad to answer all of his questions, not concerned about what they might reveal about herself. She knew that writing was a little more self-expressionistic but photography revealed only the inside of the subject, if the photographer was good enough, the lighting and angles just right and the subject willing. She could feel the pain or joy of a person when she developed a photo of a person and she could feel that same joy or sorrow when she photographed landscapes.
They finished their wine and Jim said they should get going. He was an easy man to talk to and she learned a lot about him on the way over to the party. The main thing she learned, unfortunately, was that she was not attracted to him in any way. That thought depressed her initially but she told herself to enjoy the evening with him anyway. He was very nice and intelligent. So what if he didn’t stir her senses like some other man who wouldn’t be named….or thought of….or considered at all during the next five hours while she was with another man, she told herself firmly.
“Wow!” she said as they turned down the driveway of the house where the party was to be held. “Is this a hotel or something?” she asked, staring at the enormous mansion looming in front of them. It was magnificent. The white brick highlighted the large windows on three stories with ivy growing up two sides. The drive curved around the front entrance which was lined with flowering trees. She had no idea what kind of tree flowered this late in the season but she couldn’t believe how beautiful it looked.
Jim laughed softly. “No. Not a hotel. Just a residence. Although not like anything I’ll ever be able to afford,” he said smoothly. He stepped out of the car, handed his keys to the valet who efficiently slipped into the vehicle. Jim came around to the passenger side of the car and offered his arm to Helen who was still staring up at the enormous house. She’d lived with her father during the summers so she understood wealth. Her father lived in a mansion sitting atop a cliff in Athens with extensive gardens and more rooms than the man knew what to do with. But this was on a whole other level than even her father who was considered extremely wealthy by many standards.
A bad feeling seeped into Helen’s bones. “Jim, who is hosting this party?” she asked nervously.
“I told you,” he laughed softly. “My boss asked all of his upper management to a cocktail party to celebrate the latest acquisition. I was lucky enough to be on the proposal team. This is my second time here but I’m still a little awestruck by the man and his house, to tell you the truth.” They were walking up the steps behind several others who were dressed in conservative dark suits for the men and the black cocktail dresses for the women. Many were wearing pearls at their throats but a few had diamonds. One or two were wearing white cocktail dresses but Helen’s red outfit was by far the most colorful. One might even say outrageous in this company she thought, considering the high necklines and severely tailored dresses on the other women. The most daring accessory she saw was a woman wearing a double strand of pearls, Helen noted, hearing her gold chain tingle as she moved slightly.
“Please tell me you work directly for someone other than Alec Dionysius, Jim. Please, please tell me that your immediately supervisor is not the owner of your company.”
Jim puffed up, a proud smile on his face. “Of course I have managers in between, but I interact with Mr. Dionysius on several issues now that I’ve been promoted over the years.”
She started to pull back and Jim looked at her questioningly. “Is something wrong?” he asked.
Helen swallowed painfully. “I can’t go in there,” she whispered, dropping his hand and starting to walk backwards. “I’m sorry,” she said to him as he walked beside her, the worry already in his eyes. “I just can’t do it and you wouldn’t want me to be with you anyway. Alec hates me. So I guarantee I’ll be a liability to your career.”
Jim laughed and grabbed her hand, stopping her and turning her around. His blue eyes were amused as he looked at her. “Helen, I don’t think Mr. Dionysius even remembers that you were there at Edna’s party so don’t worry. Besides, with you on my side, I’ll be guaranteed to have the prettiest woman in the room. You won’t be a liability. You’ll be a huge asset. Trust me.”
Helen shook her head at the last statement. “You don’t understand. He’ll definitely remember me from the previous occasions.” She didn’t go into the details of her kiss with Alec but she could tell that her face was heating up at just the thought of how she’d felt in his arms. Shaking off that memory, she turned to Jim and looked him right in the eyes. “Alec blames me for messing up the smooth operation of his executive staff. It’s happened twice recently and each time he’s been furious so you don’t want to be seen with me.”
Jim laughed harder. “Come one. The car is already gone to some distant parking space and you can’t wander around the grounds alone.”
“No really,” she said, pulling out of his light grasp. “I’ll be fine. I’ll just wander over to that tree and wait until you’re done. It can’t be very long. I’m sure Alec will send all of his staff home early enough so they can still get in a few hours of work before you retire for the night.”