by Celya Bowers
Dante Jackson instantly appeared, filling the doorway with his six foot, one inch frame. His gray suit complemented his brown skin. He smoothed his mustache, preparing for Brendan’s Irish temper as if to say ‘bring it.’ “You yelled, Brendan?”
Brendan smiled. Try as he might, Dante was always ready for him. No matter what Brendan threw at him, Dante never once appeared frustrated. But today Brendan needed some advice.
“Sorry, Dante, sit down.” He pointed to one of the two wingback leather chairs in the large office.
Dante obliged, folding his large frame into the chair. “What is it? Is Vicente still crying he needs more display space?”
Brendan sat on the corner of his desk. “Well, yes, but that’s not what I want to talk about. I need some advice about a woman.”
Dante gazed at his boss. “You know women aren’t my domain. Why would you ask me, anyway? Women seem to fall at your feet.” Dante smiled, taunting Brendan.
This was pretty hard not to sound like a racist. He would have to apologize to Peri for that remark. “Well, this woman I met is like you, and I thought maybe you could give me some pointers.”
“You mean her parents forced her into an art career, too? Or is the more obvious reason? We’re both African-American. I’ve never seen you have problems with a woman before. You usually have them parading through here like the contestants for a Miss America contest, but obviously this sista got you all worked up.”
“Yeah, she does. I invited her to the showing Saturday so I could ask her on a date properly.”
Dante laughed. “This woman must be all that. Why can’t you just call her up and asked her? Why this elaborate scheme? You know rumor is that Mr. Big Stuff may make an appearance at the showing. My connection at headquarters had to make plane and hotel reservations.”
Brendan really didn’t care that the elder Maza was going to make an appearance. He was more concerned about Peri. “She appears to have been hurt by someone, and it sure is making my way hard.”
Dante nodded. “I know. I just hate when that happens.”
“Any suggestions?”
Dante stood and walked to the open door. “Let me work on it, boss. I’ll have you singing ‘Ebony and Ivory’ before you know it. But I have to meet this woman before she’s presented to my baby.”
“Too late, Chelsey met her last Saturday.”
* * *
The evening of the gallery showing, Peri was a nervous wreck. “Calm down, Peri,” Kyla said as Peri pulled on her dress for the millionth time.
“I am calm.”
“Not when your hands are constantly moving and you’re that quiet.”
“I’m fine. Really.” She wasn’t; she was in definite need of a confidence booster.
Without another word Kyla pulled into a convenience store parking lot and parked. “Be right back.” She rushed into the store and was out before Peri could figure out what was going on. She had a bottle of Coke in her hand. She handed it to Peri and opened her glove compartment and retrieved a small bottle of Jack Daniel’s.
Peri stared in disbelief as Kyla poured a healthy shot of the brown liquid into the bottle. “Your bottle of courage. Drink up.”
“Kyla, I wasn’t serious.”
“I am. Peri, you’re nervous about going to the gallery showing, and it’s understandable. After a few sips you’ll be calm and ready to face Brendan.”
Peri knew Kyla was right. Her stomach was already giving her fits and they were nowhere near Dallas yet. She was going to have to calm down or she’d be face down in the toilet. She took a sip and let the cool liquid flow through her body. “Thanks, Kyla. You know me better than I know myself.”
Kyla resumed driving. “I know you don’t believe me, Peri, but it happens to everyone else once in a while.”
They arrived at Maza’s Gallery, and Peri thought she’d died and gone to heaven. The gallery had always amazed her when she drove past it during the day as she headed to work. Tonight, illuminated with elegant lighting, it looked like something straight out of Rome. “This place is awesome, Kyla.”
“And there’s valet parking,” Kyla commented as she maneuvered her Lexus in the long line of cars. “Looks like they’re moving pretty fast.”
Peri watched in amazement as people were quickly and efficiently, being helped out of their cars. The passenger door opened and a young uniformed man offered a pale hand to Peri.
“Welcome to Maza’s Art Galleries, ma’am.”
Peri took his hand and exited the car as Kyla did the same. She reached in her purse to tip the young man, but he shook his head. “No tips, please. Just follow the red carpet inside. Have a nice evening.”
Momentarily confused, Peri nodded and waited for Kyla to join her on the said carpet. “So this is what opulence feels like,” Peri murmured as they walked inside.
“Good evening, ladies. Welcome to Maza’s Art Galleries. May I have your invitation?” a young man outfitted in a tuxedo asked.
Peri handed them over. The host opened the invitation and his entire non-existent facial expression changed. “M-Mr. Brendan Donovan actually gave you these?”
“Yes, he did. He said if there was any problem to call him. I think the number is on the invitation.”
“No, no, everything is wonderful. We don’t have to bother Mr. Donovan.” He snapped his fingers and a woman with a tray of champagne appeared instantly. “Jeanine, these women are personal guests of Mr. Donovan, please introduce them to Mr. Corozone.” After Peri and Kyla each took a glass of champagne, Jeanine handed the tray to the host.
“Of course. This way, please.”
Peri darted a glance of surprise at Kyla and whispered, “What’s going on here?” They followed the young woman.
Kyla took a sip. “I don’t know, let’s just enjoy the ride. This champagne is smooth.”
Peri took a sip of champagne. It tasted wonderful, not like any she’d ever had. She was going to have to watch the amount she drank or she was going to be in a lot of trouble when she came face-to-face with Brendan.
After meeting the artist of the evening, Vicente Corozone, Peri didn’t think he was all that. Pretentious definitely, with a little bit of a jerk mixed in. She quickly guided Kyla to the other displays. “That guy is not an artist. Well, not what I call an artist. Yeah, he had paintings, but his attitude sucks,” Peri said as they left. They visited the various sculptures, oil paintings, watercolors, pencil, charcoal, and black and white photography on display. Peri was in heaven, much to Kyla’s dismay.
“That is Edward Weston. He was a really great photographer in the fifties. Ansel Adams was big from the forties through the seventies,” said Peri excitedly. “He’s famous for a lot of photos, but my favorite is ‘The Moonrise over Hernandez.’ It’s in black and white, but it’s still a gorgeous shot. I wish I had that kind of talent.”
Kyla shook her head. “Too much. Please stop! I feel like I’m in elementary school on one of those awful field trips.”
They heard a masculine laugh behind them and turned around. Brendan was smiling at them. He looked very dashing in what Peri surmised had to be a designer tuxedo. “I was beginning to wonder if you guys were still coming.”
“My fault. Traffic,” said Kyla apologetically.
Brendan stared at Peri as he spoke, heating her blood something awful. “You both look very nice.”
“Thank you,” they said in unison.
“You look very handsome tonight,” said Peri. She said it so softly that she didn’t think he heard her. She was about to repeat herself, a little louder, when they were interrupted.
“Mr. Donovan, could I have a word with you about the auction next week?” A distinguished gentleman seemed to appear out of nowhere to demand Brendan’s attention.
“Of course, Mr. Maza. If you ladies will excuse me.” Brendan stepped away from them to speak with the gentleman. They ended up walking to a secluded area.
“I wonder what exactly he does here. It seems that ev
eryone is deferring to him,” commented Peri, staring as Brendan was now speaking to a group of people. The minute his lips stopped moving, those people scattered like mice and he went back to speaking to the gentleman.
“I think he’s in charge of buying all the art here. You saw how that usher reacted when he saw Brendan’s name on our invitations,” Kyla noted.
“Yeah, I remember.” Peri exhaled, hating herself for checking Brendan out. “Well, Armani fits him very well.”
“How did you know that was Armani?”
Peri did not want to appear that interested in him, so she shrugged her shoulders, avoiding Kyla’s eyes. “I saw the label when he pulled his business card out for that guy.”
“I see a few nice looking men walking around, maybe my second husband is here somewhere,” Kyla commented sarcastically. She was still happily married to her first and had no intention of ending her marriage.
Peri glared at her friend, and they both laughed. “Why would he want to date me? He could have any Barbie doll here.” And there were too many to count for her taste.
“Maybe he doesn’t want a toothpick. Some men do like their women to have a little meat on their bones. They like to have something to hold on to. Maybe he would like to have an intelligent conversation about art. He doesn’t seem the type to jump into bed.” Kyla tried to boost Peri’s confidence about the handsome Irish art director.
“But why me?”
“Peri, you will have to ask him.”
“You know I won’t.”
Kyla looked at her with sympathetic eyes. “Why don’t you tell me more about those awful paintings?” Kyla guided Peri to another display.
Peri had been looking forward to the evening and already just a few gorgeous women prancing around in next to nothing shook her confidence. She took a deep breath and began showing Kyla the artwork when Brendan interrupted them again.
“I’m sorry for the interruption, but there is a huge auction in New York next week. I’m trying to get out of going,” Brendan said.
Curiosity was killing Peri. She was biting her lip in an attempt not to ask him, but she had to. “Why do you want to get out of it?” She loved art and would consider it to be a dream trip.
“I don’t want to fly to New York for a day. It’s too much time in the air,” Brendan said. The words were barely out of his mouth when they were interrupted again. Again, the women watched as Brendan left to talk to someone else. Peri and Kyla resumed looking at the art.
“Man, it’s like these people can’t spit without his approval,” Peri complained.
Kyla laughed and pointed to the waiter. “Oh, don’t worry. Somehow I think we’ll be seeing Brendan again, before the night is out. Or at least you will.” She winked at Peri.
“Ma’am?” The waiter nudged the cheese tray toward her.
Peri shook her head. She wanted a Brie-topped cracker, but she was already drinking the champagne, and didn’t want to overdo it. The strapless dress was very form fitting and didn’t allow for too many snacks.
“Try this, Peri. It’s really good,” said Brendan as he returned again, not giving her chance to refuse. He took the cracker from the tray and popped it in her mouth. When his hand touched her lips, they lingered for just a second. That was all it took. She felt a tingle up her spine and down to her toes—something she had not felt in years, even when she was happy with Robert.
She drank some champagne to get the feeling out of her head. She either succeeded or was getting light-headed from the bubbly. Brendan smiled at her reaction and was about to speak when they were interrupted again. Again, the women watched him go talk to someone else.
* * *
Thirty minutes after being interrupted for the third time, Brendan retreated to his office for some strategic thinking. It seemed fate was playing an awful trick on him tonight. He had hoped to gain some ground with Peri by being able to introduce her to Vicente and to show her around, but his over-eager staff beat him to it.
Brendan watched Peri from the balcony upstairs. He wanted to ask her out, but the night wasn’t going as he planned. Hopefully Dante’s plan would work. He smiled as he watched Peri guide Kyla to the displays. He knew that it was killing Kyla, because she didn’t have the enthusiasm Peri had for art. It spoke volumes about the women’s relationship.
Peri’s dress fit as if it were made for her body. It showed off all her wonderful curves and her gorgeous legs. He watched them as they interacted with another couple. He walked back into his office and called his secretary.
* * *
Peri and Kyla were talking to some other guests when an usher found them. “Miss Reed, would you follow me to Mr. Donovan’s office, please?” Peri gave Kyla a pleading look.
“This mile you have to walk alone, honey,” Kyla said.
“I know. Don’t leave, please.”
“Never.”
Peri gulped the last of the champagne. Then she followed the usher up the winding staircase down to the end of the very long, dimly lit hall. He opened the door labeled B. DONOVAN, ART DIRECTOR, nodded to her and left.
“Come in, Peri. Sit down, please,” Brendan said as he noticed her hovering outside his office door.
He stood at the fax machine reading some kind of paper. “I’m sorry this evening has been such a mess.”
“No, it’s been great.” Peri sat down in the plush leather chair. She discreetly tried to pull her dress down, but it refused to cooperate. Slowly, it crawled up her thighs.
“No, there have been all kinds of problems. They sent the wrong champagne, and Vicente was over an hour late from the hotel across the street.” Brendan took a deep breath, reeling in his temper. “That is not why I asked you here.” Brendan leaned against the desk in front of her.
“Why did you ask me here?” Peri fidgeted with her purse. She dragged her eyes upward.
“I enjoyed dinner with you, last week. And I was wondering… Are you busy Friday night?”
Peri hesitated for a minute. “No, Friday I’m free.”
“How about dinner?”
Peri stared at him. The brilliance of his blue eyes blocked out everything else in the room. Those eyes had haunted her dreams for the last week. In her head, she could hear Kyla’s voice screaming at her to accept the invitation. “Dinner sounds good.”
“Really?”
Peri smiled. “Yes, I would love to go dinner with you.”
Brendan breathed a sigh of relief. “Do you like Shakespeare in the Park?”
“Yes, I do, but no one else I know does.”
“You know me. I have tickets for next Saturday night’s performance, if you would like to go. I think it is Much Ado About Nothing this year.”
Peri watched him for a moment and decided the pros and cons of going to her favorite Shakespearean play with this white man. They both loved art, and he was willing to be seen with her in public, unlike Robert. She sent up a silent prayer and agreed. “Okay. Are you sure you can stand me two nights in a row?” Peri asked as she pulled her dress down again.
“I am sure I can.” He smiled.
His intercom buzzed, interrupting their conversation. He reached across the desk to answer it. “Yes?”
“Mr. Donovan, Hong Kong on line two,” a female voice answered him.
Brendan looked at Peri and his smile widened. “I will call them back Monday.”
“Yes, Mr. Donovan.” The female voice ended the call.
“If you need to take it, I can leave.” Peri wanted to get out of that office and maybe this was her chance.
“No, that’s okay. I told them Monday, I meant Monday.” He pushed the intercom button again. The female voice answered him immediately.
“No interruptions until you hear from me.” Brendan’s Irish accent and his tone made him sound very demanding and used to getting what he wanted. For one split second he reminded her of Robert, and that scared her.
They stared at each other. Peri was shaking. She needed a drink to calm her nerves. Bre
ndan took her hand and made her stand up. He still towered over her. “You are very beautiful.”
“No, I’m not,” Peri said, breaking the eye contact, staring at the floor.
Brendan placed his hand under her chin, making her look deep into her eyes. “Yes, you are. I think your eyes are beautiful. I feel like I could get lost in your brown eyes,” Brendan said honestly.
She wanted him to kiss her, but he didn’t. He simply gazed into her eyes. Time stretched between them and still he stared. She felt him caress her bare arms and she exhaled a shaky breath.
“Why are you so nervous?” Brendan asked, as he caressed her face. “I want you to be comfortable with me.” He wrapped his arms around her.
She took another deep breath and inhaled his cologne. To her surprise, she hugged him back. He tilted her head back and kissed her ever so gently. She was not sure if he had actually made contact or not. Maybe, she imagined it. He lowered his lips to hers again and this time she was sure. The gentle kiss quickly escalated to some serious tongue dancing. After they both got their breath back, he reached across his desk, not relinquishing his hold on her. He gave her a business card. “You can call me anytime.”
Peri looked down at the card in her shaking hand. She noticed that he had written three lines on it. Each line had a different phone number. One was to the gallery, one to his home, and the last was his cell phone number.
“I-I had better get back downstairs.” She put the piece of paper in her purse and headed for the door, but he was on her heels.
“I probably should make an appearance downstairs, too,” Brendan said as he opened the door for her. “I’m sure someone is looking for me.”
Shakily, Peri went back downstairs, checking her lipstick before she got to the crowd. The same usher who had taken her upstairs now offered her a glass of champagne. He winked at her, making her blush. She searched the crowd for Kyla, smiling as she spotted her talking to a group of people.
Immediately Kyla was at her side asking a million questions in one. “Well?”
Peri laughed, admitting she had kissed him. “I kept thinking how good it felt. You know on TV, how they push everything off the desk and have sex right on the desk. That didn’t happen, but came real close. I think he sucked my brain right out of my head!”
