by Angela Price
I smile, wondering if he knows how low my confidence is in the two of us together. I’m so afraid of being hurt. “I like waking up with you, too, Lucas Sutton. A lot.”
He hugs me to him, then releases me and turns off the water. We both towel dry, and get ready. I wander into the kitchen to make some tea, and start the coffee pot for him. It’s eight o’clock, and I know Edgar will be picking us both up shortly. Time just seems to fly whenever I’m with Lucas.
When we arrive at Sutton Shield, I spend the morning picking out furniture for the office (all cream, with simple lines) and a sunny yellow paint for the walls. I want my work space to be happy; vibrant. I call my dad and explain exactly what happened with the meeting yesterday, and that I’m now officially employed by Sutton Shield. He’s overjoyed at my news, and tells me he’s going to come to New York to celebrate with me, but it may be a few days. I get excited, and tell him I so. We say goodbye, and I call Emma.
She’s in a meeting, so I leave a message asking her to call me back on my cell as soon as she can. While I’m waiting for her to call back, I call Jenny. She answers brightly. “Sadie! I’m glad you called! What’s up?”
“Listen, Jenny, something major has happened. It’s too much to tell in a phone call. I was hoping you could have lunch?”
She says she can. We agree to meet at a little Japanese place by her office in thirty minutes. I text Lucas, to see if he wants to go along.
CAN YOU GET AWAY FOR LUNCH? I’M MEETING JENNY. Sadie
My phone chimes in response quickly.
I’LL HAVE TO MEET YOU. WHERE ARE YOU GOING? LUCAS
TO A LITTLE JAPANESE PLACE BY HER OFFICE. IT’S CALLED AJISAI, ON 9TH IN BETWEEN 43RD AND 44TH. Sadie
I’LL BE THERE IN AN HOUR. LUCAS
K. Sadie
I wrap up everything I’m doing, and head for the building’s entrance. In the elevator, I run into Bain Sutton. I light up with a smile when I see him.
“Mr. Sutton! I’m glad to see you today.” He steps into the elevator and stands by me.
“How’s it going, Sadie?” he smiles a little, too. “Well. I’m getting my design bay set up today, and ordering furniture. I owe you a huge debt of gratitude. I’m not sure I’m comfortable with the…envelope Lucas gave me yesterday, but I appreciate the thought very much.”
“Oh, Sadie…that’s customary here at Sutton Shield. Your line is going to be a huge success.”
“Listen, do you think you and Anna could meet with me later this week? I have something to discuss with both of you. It’s about some orders that came in on Monday.”
“I’m sure that can be arranged. Why don’t you call Sandra, my PA, and get something scheduled?”
“I’ll do that. Thanks.”
The elevator dings its descent, and we part company.
I decide to walk the few blocks to meet Jenny, even though it’s cold outside. It’s sunny, and I can use the ‘think time’.
I realize; I’ll have to move my personal belongings out of Anna’s atelier. I wonder why I feel so sad about it. It’s like home, that little space. I’ll miss Lottie and the rest of the staff. Of course, there’ll be future events where I can return as part of the group, and I secretly look forward to them.
My dad is coming. That means, I won’t get to spend the night with Lucas during his visit. I wonder why that thought makes me feel lonely already. I probably need to be careful, and cultivate my own interests, in case this whole thing doesn’t work out.
It’s not going to work out, Sadie. What does ‘working out’ mean anyway, short of marriage? I’m nowhere near that kind of commitment, and neither is he. But I do love making him laugh, seeing his face in sleep, touching him. It’s like he was custom made for me; a perfect fit. In every way.
I keep walking, and in a few minutes I’m at Ajisai. Jenny is already there, sitting at a little booth in the back of the restaurant. I plop down opposite her and grin, an excited look on my face.
“Okay, Miss Cryptic. Spill the beans. You’re killing me.” She looks stern.
I laugh, and start from the beginning. Meeting Lucas at Violet’s fitting. His interest in the lingerie line; the flowers, the chance meeting at Beauty and Essex. Finally, the events of Friday, Saturday…and Sunday. As quickly as I can, I take her to Tuesday’s meeting, and my current circumstance. I’m a Sutton Shield designer. I have to say it in hushed tones; it doesn’t seem real. She follows along until I get to the part about being an employee of Lucas’ company, and then her eyes get as big as saucers.
“Sadie, my God! This is, like, epic. I’ve never known anyone who leapfrogged into the big time like this. You might as well have won the lottery. What are your plans? “
“Well, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about. Jenny, I don’t want to seem presumptuous. But Lucas asked me to put together a team of my own, and the first person he suggested was you. I need a partner to help me manage all this. I know you’ve enjoyed working with Mr. Kors, and I think you like your job. But would you consider joining me at Sutton Shield? I know the stress of living and working together would be overwhelming, so we can both get different addresses. But I think the Suttons would bring you on board at a generous rate, and you’d have a long career there.”
She looks dumbfounded.
“Sadie…I don’t know what to say.” She swallows hard.
“Oh, Jenny! I’ve offended you. I’m so sorry. That’s the last thing I wanted to do.” I feel my eyes fill with tears. Jenny has been a good and loyal friend, and she’s special to me.
She pauses just long enough to blow out a deep breath.
“Are you CRAZY? Work with you? At Sutton fucking Shield?” She leans forward, whispering. “That would be a dream come true!” She reaches across the booth and hugs my neck. “Where do I sign? What do I do?”
I laugh out loud, and grab a paper napkin to wipe my eyes. When I’ve gotten the tears off my cheeks, Lucas walks through the front door of the restaurant, sees us, and heads toward our booth. “Aha.” I say. “Here’s the boss now.”
He walks right to our seats and looks at Jenny, expectantly. “She’s told you?” he asks, quietly.
“Yes, she has.” Jenny says with sincerity.
“Did she discuss job opportunities with you yet?” he queries.
“She did, but we haven’t talked specifics. How would you like me to proceed?” she looks at Lucas’ handsome face, respect on her own.
He smiles. “I happened to bring a contract with me. I hope you both don’t mind. That’s why I needed a few extra moments before I could meet you.” He looks sideways at me, and his eyes search mine. “Have you ordered yet?” I shake my head.
He hands the contract across the table to Jenny and picks up a menu.
She opens the envelope, pulls out the piece of paper inside, and looks at it carefully from top to bottom. Her mouth opens involuntarily at one point, but she keeps going. When her eyes reach the bottom of the page, she looks at Lucas with one eyebrow raised.
“May I sign this now?”
He barks out a laugh. “Most certainly, Miss Whitson.” His eyes crinkle with amusement.
She fishes in her purse for a pen, finds one, signs the piece of paper and hands it back to him. “May I please have a copy of that? For my own records?”
“Of course.” He thinks for a second. “Why don’t you give me your email, and I’ll have Louella zip you a copy later today?”
“Louella is Lucas’s personal assistant, Jenny”, I whisper.
She smiles and palms her business card to him.
“I’ll put my notice in this afternoon, Lucas. It will be an honor to work for you, and to be on Sadie’s team. I can’t thank you enough for considering me.” She looks like she’s going to cry, a little.
He chuckles. “You’ll earn that, Jenny. And more. This is going to be big.”
The waiter approaches and we all order lunch. When he walks away, Lucas turns his attention back to Jenny. “I need to speak to you about so
mething else, Jenny, and it’s kind of personal.”
She looks at him earnestly. “Shoot” she says.
“I want Sadie to move in with me, permanently. I know this is awkward, because I’m not sure she’s fully ready to do so. But I don’t want to spend any nights away from her. So if I have to pay her half of the rent, or if you need financial support getting a new roommate or moving to a new apartment, I’ll foot the bill.”
I look at him, incredulously. “Lucas, please. I’m sitting right here. Can’t we agree on this before you discuss this with Jenny?” I’m mortified. And, oddly I’m delighted – but I try to keep it off my face. It’s real. He really wants this.
Wants me.
Jenny smiles softly. “I would never have suggested this before, but since I’ll be more financially secure; I might want to buy an apartment of my own. Just a little one. And I’d like to get a dog. Maybe something in Manhattan, if I can afford it?” She looks at both of us, waiting on a response.
Lucas brightens. “You know Sutton Shield has its own property division, right? Jenny, why don’t I have our sales team get to work finding properties for you? And, of course, you can use your contract as proof of income. I think you’ll be surprised how many suitable places there are out there for young professionals.” He pauses while the waiter brings our food to the table and serves each of us.
Jenny nods. “I think that’s a great idea, Lucas. When were you going to move Sadie’s things?”
I feel like they have everything decided, and I’m just here for decoration.
“As soon as she’ll allow me to arrange everything. Today, if I could.” He puts his hand on my thigh and squeezes, and everything south of my navel responds. Whoa. Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Lucas is asking my roommate to let me move in with him. I almost laugh at the thought.
Instead, I eat my salmon teriyaki and thank my lucky stars…grateful for everything that’s transpired over the past two days.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Every Word”
Sade, Lover’s Rock
When we’re finished, we both hug Jenny goodbye outside the eatery, and wish her luck giving notice. Then Lucas and I get into the limo, which has appeared from out of nowhere to pick us up. Lucas asks me, when we’re inside, where I do my banking. I tell him I’ve been using a Chase Bank location near the atelier, and he asks Edgar to drop us there.
On the way, he explains that I need to deposit my bonus, and also he’d like for me to sign an employment contract. We’ll get it notarized at the bank. I agree, and we talk about his morning on the way. He’s got a new art deal in the works, auctioning a group of small drawings attributed to Leonardo Da Vinci. They’ve been in a private collection since World War II, and the owner has recently died. Lucas is a little worried that they were stolen from a Jewish collector during the holocaust, and he’s spent two weeks authenticating their ownership over the years. He has pictures of the sketches on his phone, and they’re lovely. I can see why people commit crimes and do weird things to get their hands on such rare pieces. He uses a reverential tone when showing me the photos, and tells me about their history.
I love hearing him talk about his work. He gets so excited about being a part of the transfer of beautiful things. He tells me a few anecdotal stories about collectors, and says he can’t wait to introduce me to some of them. I feel a sense of happiness for the first time, thinking, I might actually be the girl on his arm. At parties and dinners, I’ll be with him. It doesn’t seem possible.
We get to the bank, hop out of the car, and go inside. Lucas moves me toward a string of remote offices on one side of the bank’s lobby, instead of the teller line.
“May I help you?” a middle-aged lady says, eyeing Lucas’s face and physique. She has on a bank nametag; it says LORNA SYKES, in bold black letters. “Yes, Ms. Sykes” he says pleasantly. “Miss Graves has a large deposit to make, and we need to get a document notarized. Can you help us?”
She springs into action, taking us into her private office. I’m reaching for my wallet, and a deposit slip, when Lucas touches my arm and makes a little ‘it’s us against them’ facial expression. I almost laugh out loud. I compose my own expression, and we sit down.
“First, let’s take care of your deposit” she says officiously. I open my wallet, extract a deposit slip, fill it out, and hand her the check from Sutton Shield along with it. She looks at the check and makes a little face. “May I see some identification, as well?” she asks. I hand my driver’s license to her. For just a second, I’m glad that my photo turned out decent at renewal. I actually have some color. We went to the beach the weekend before I had it made. And the DMV officer let me smile naturally in the picture. I feel pretty certain Lucas can see it. Or will see it.
Lorna looks hard at my photo, and back to my face. When everything appears to be in order she processes the check into my account. Her lips are turned downward. Lucas looks at me sideways and I can tell he feels like laughing. It’s a lot like being in the principal’s office.
Then Lucas produces an envelope from the inside of his coat. “Your contract, Miss Graves” he intones. He pulls out a short sheath of legal-sized paper, and unfolds it. “You can notarize this, Ms. Sykes? Our company prefers that these items are officially validated.” She nods.
He hands the paper to me.
I look down the page. There are limits to the length of the contract; it’s set for twenty-four months. My duties? I’m to design, produce, perfect, and market a full line of lingerie for Sutton Shield, under the auspices of the house of Anna Rosenstein. I’m responsible for fit, quality, fabric and customer satisfaction. I am given my own staff (with a budget of up to $300,000 per year for employees), my own studio (now listed as a space on the 10th floor of the Sutton Shield corporate offices), and my own brand name (listed as Sexy Sadie, LTD). My mouth opens involuntarily, just like Jenny’s did, on that note. Oh my God. Sexy Sadie. That has to be Lucas’ invention. I’m not sure whether to laugh, or roll my eyes. So I just keep reading.
My salary is $335,000 per year.
Jesus. That’s a fortune.
I’m to be given bonuses on sales exceeding 2.5 Million USD, and those bonuses increase exponentially with each million USD sold. I keep reading. From my understanding of the document, the overall bonus is roughly equal to 15% of sales, once the breakeven of 2.5 Million USD is reached. The verbiage seems concise enough.
I’m responsible for my own financial brokerage or management, my own 401K and retirement benefits, and my own transportation…unless I’m traveling on company business. In such case, the company jet or other transportation will be requisitioned for my use. I may have to share travel time with other staff or employees of Sutton Shield.
I may use the corporate offices for promotion of the Sexy Sadie LTD brand. Budgets for events must be approved by management. I will be called upon to promote the brand on television, in interviews and other media.
I’m expected to behave in a way befitting Sutton Shield’s reputation. Misdemeanor or felony arrests may void my contract. I smile at this. At all times, I am representing Sutton Shield, and I’m to be mindful of their brand and status.
Okay, then.
I produce a pen and sign on the dotted line. Lucas signs on behalf of Sutton Shield.
Ms. Sykes reviews the document and impresses it with her notary seal. Lucas sighs, loudly. I put my pen away, and shift in my chair to look at my new boss. Boyfriend.
Lover.
Whatever.
Geez. This could get complicated.
“Sadie” he says with a smile, “you’ve just made my day, month and year.”
We rise, shake her hand, pay Ms. Sykes for her services, and head for the exit. Lucas uses the push-to-talk function on his cell to call Edgar, and he picks us up in front of the bank’s entrance.
On the way back to corporate headquarters, Lucas raises the privacy screen in the limo and proceeds to kiss off every last bit of my lip gloss.
So far, this is the second-best day of my life.
I spend the afternoon drawing and cutting patterns for my friends at the “Secret Society of Sex.”
Well, that’s what I’m calling it. I suppress a little smile. I want to meet and discuss the viability of a line geared toward them, but first I have to have something to show Anna and Bain. I plan on bringing my sewing machine to work tomorrow, which means I have to slip out to Kew Gardens to pick it up.
I have patterns made for the top five items within a few hours. I text Lucas that I need to run an errand, and I head out to get a change of clothes or two, and my power tool. Did you know that a sewing machine is a power tool? I think people don’t give much credit to clothes, but they do make civilized society possible.
Calvin drives me out to my apartment in a town car. I get the aforementioned gadget and a week’s worth of work and play clothes. It’s barely 3:30PM, and I suddenly realize I haven’t heard from Emma yet. I try her cell again, while I’m rummaging through my closet.
It’s my lucky day. She picks up. “Angel girl!” she cries.
“Oh my heavenly days. Are you really available?” I laugh into the phone. She laughs back. I can hear a lot of noise in the background. “I am, but literally only for a minute, precious. I’m on this Cosmo photo shoot, and it’s a madhouse.”
I’m immediately on alert.
You have jewelry in the shoot, Em? You know its Anna’s dress that Violet Emery is wearing.”
“Well, she looks like two million bucks. Yes, my silver bell necklace is in the shot. Don’t ask me how that happened!” she giggles.
“Tell me what’s going on?” I ask, wondering how Anna’s brand is being portrayed.
