She breaks into a laugh and I do too. The jig is up. “You are such a bitch, Alexis. You so had me going.” She perks up, her voice light and happy, still chuckling.
“I know I almost failed a few times. I guess I sound very manly.” I can’t stop laughing I rub the tears from my eyes.
“You sounded like a drag queen but I wasn’t going to be rude.”
“Gee thanks. I guess I need to take tips from Brad then.” I giggle.
“Oh so you’ve talked to him? Have you two hooked up?” she sounds concerned.
So much for the funny hello chat.
“No Amy. I’m not going to sleep with your brother, don’t worry. My hooker cooties won’t get to him. I promise,” I reassure her. I’m not angry and I can’t blame her for wondering. I’d be over protective too if he was my brother.
“That’s not what I meant Alexis. I don’t care if you sleep with Brad. He’s a grown man. I meant hooked up in a not sexual way. Like, do you two like each other?”
I scoff a laugh. “Funny Amy. I’m an escort and you want to know if we like each other. You’re even crazier than I thought. But you know that can’t ever happen. And yes I like him. He’s hot. Why I never knew you had a hot brother, I have no idea. But he is. Anyhow. I do want to come this weekend. I’ll be in sometime Saturday afternoon and leave sometime Monday later in the day if that’s cool. Is mama going to be around or no?”
“I’ll call her and tell her that you’re coming and I’m sure she’ll be here. It’s been too long since you last made it up. I’ve missed you woman. We need to talk more. Brad said he called to get some sketches for his apartment.”
I laugh. “No he called to ask me to be his friend and hang out. But then when he told me he called you to get my number and I told him to make an honest man out of him I’d do some sketches for him anyhow. I’m dropping them by today actually.”
“That’s great, Alexis. I know he’ll love those. He’s asked to steal the bigger one out of the pink room. If you get time I’d love for you to do a few more for me to put up around this place. People always ask about them when they stay. And our busy season will hit in about three weeks when the leaves start to fall.”
We finish up our conversation. I missed Amy a lot. She’s a sister to me and her mama is amazing. I love Ruby.
I finish up all the odds and ends, get ready and so does Becka and we head out of the door just in time to meet the limo on Astoria, both of the art canvases in our hands. I lay them inside the limo first to make sure they are safe. And seems as though they should be just fine and with the clear coat of spray it will keep them from smearing.
We hit Barneys first, per Becka’s request. After we dropped by Brian’s, of course, to pick up the ten thousand dollars in cash.
Standing in the dress section, I pull out my phone and text Joseph.
Me- What kind of event is this? Very class or more casual? And ten thousand is way too much for an outfit, mister.
J- It’s very fancy, black tux and elegance. And ten grand is nothing compared to the beauty you will bring to the room as my date.
Me- Stop sucking up—I’m already going. XOXO see you tomorrow. I’m out shopping, thanks.
“He says fancy,” I tell Becka.
We hit the expensive gown racks and some of these are ranging from a few grand up to over ten. I guess this is what he was expecting. That’s why he wired so much money over. He’s crazy.
I select a Kate Ermilo off the shoulder full flare black trumpet gown for about four grand. I choke at the price tag but it will fit beautifully and make me radiate elegance. For shoes I go with a pair of black lace Manolo’s with a pointed toe. They’re only three inch heels so I can walk easier in them. And they only hit a little over seven hundred. We hit the jewelry and I nearly shit a brick on the expensive crap. I refuse to spend money on this stuff; it’s not even real diamonds or gold and they want hundreds of dollars. The dress was enough but this is way beyond okay. So I opt out and we leave to hit a more price conscious store.
We take the limo to Saks next and find a pair of crystal earrings that would pair perfectly with my gown and shoes. I allow Becka to buy some earrings and a two hundred dollar dress. I buy Amy a Bond No.9 New York five perfume set, a Clinique pretty pinks and plums makeup set and a five hundred dollar taupe cashmere throw. I have to spoil her when I’m coming to visit. It’s only fair to share the fruits of my labor as she cooks for me all weekend and charges me pennies to the dollar to stay the entire visit. I pick up mama Ruby a box of truffles and a Ralph Lauren poker set. I know it’s outrageously priced but Joseph is paying for it, not me. I have a few thousand left and I tuck it into my purse and we find out way out the store and track down a nice hair dresser around the corner. I stop in and hand them a fifty to get taken right back. My hair gets fancied up and they have a makeup artist on staff so I have her play up my eyes and lips and have them do Becka’s makeup too. By the time it hits five thirty we are finished with our day and I hand Becka a fifty to take a cab home. I have the limo driver drop me by a gourmet food store a block from Brads. I pop in and buy him a small bottle of sixty dollar truffle oil, a bottle of ice wine and a small bag of gourmet pretzels. If I have to drink wine, ice wine is the only kind I like. It’s tasty and fruity and doesn’t have that strong flavor that most wines do. That’s what turns me off to them.
We stop outside of Brad’s high rise building. It’s huge and in the expensive part of the city. I go inside like I did with John’s except my driver helps me because I’m now carrying my purse as I wear red heels, jeans and a red t-shirt and my black jacket. And I have two canvases and the other gifts. We stop at the security desk with the guard.
“I’m here to see Brad Saunders.”
The guard peers at the guest list. “I’m sorry but you’re not on the approved list,” he observes with a straight face.
“I have art for him.” I point to the canvases my driver is holding for me. Next to the elevator bays. There’s four in this building.
“Doesn’t matter ma’am if you’re not on the list you’re not allowed up.”
Shit! I pull my phone out of my purse and call Brad.
“Hey Alexis. You’re not backing out are you?” He sounds worried.
“No, I’m downstairs they won’t let me through. I’m not on the approved visitors list.”
“Yes, you are. I told Raul this morning.” He’s angry.
He hangs up without a goodbye and the guard’s phone immediately rings.
He peers down and back up to me and waves me ahead, profusely apologizing to Brad as I enter the elevator with the driver.
“He’s on sixteen,” he states and I press the number.
“Thanks and thanks for helping bring these in.” I nod to my artwork. “They are a bit of a pain.”
He smiles. “That is no problem, madam.”
We arrive at the floor and thank the lord Brad’s standing the hall right outside the elevators. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s fine. Can you help carry these in please?” I hand one of the canvases over to him and I take the other and dismiss the driver to leave. He smiles and takes the elevator back down. We get into his apartment and I tilt mine against the wall and he follows suit, placing the second canvas beside mine.
He steps back from them for observation.
“Those are amazing Alexis. Wow. I thought the ones at the B&B were great. These are even more beautiful.” He takes a step closer to examine the details. In most of my art you can capture tons of details if you look close enough and the bigger the canvas the more details I am able to encompass.
He pulls a blank check out of his pocket and hands it to me.
“Fill this in with as much money as you want for these. A million or two hundred thousand I don’t care,” he orders, still staring at the art.
I take the check and rip it apart and hand it back to him.
“I don’t want any of your money, Brad. I told you, this was a gift. I already told Amy i
t was a gift and she’d kill us both if you paid for them,” I say to add a level of guilt if he does press hard to pay for them. I know he loves his sister and I know Amy well enough that she doesn’t take shit from anyone.
“At least let me pay for the canvases,” he interjects.
I shake my head. “Nope, not even those and here.” I hand him a bag of goodies. “Consider all this a welcome to New York or house warming present. Or something,” I smile warmly.
He pulls out the gifts. “You have really good taste. This truffle oil is amazing, chocolate covered pretzels are one of my favorites and Ice wine. Thank the heavens, I hate regular wine. Finally someone with real taste,” he chuckles and heads into the living room. I gaze around and the place is nearly bare. When he said he just moved in, he wasn’t kidding.
He notices me checking out the space. It’s huge and beautiful but a blank canvas with only a single frat boy beanbag chair on the floor next to a laptop and a small plant stand he’s using as an end table. “I haven’t had time to get any furniture yet.”
“I see that,” I giggle and admire the view. It’s another spectacular one, even better than John’s. “So what do you sleep on if this is all you have as a living room?” I point my gaze at the beanbag chair and bite my bottom lip.
His nose crinkles and he looks almost pained. “An air mattress in the master bedroom.”
I shake my head, stupefied. “How long have you been here?”
“Three weeks. Almost four. I’ve been dealing a lot with Andrew and going out all the time. He likes his nights out and he really enjoys Anne. So that takes up a bunch of his time too. So between working on the new business, keeping track of my others and being entertained by Andrew, I’ve let the important stuff falter.” He shrugs. “I know I shouldn’t have asked you over but I needed to get the pictures here.” A shy smile erupts for the corner of his mouth. “I’m sorry, I know this isn’t fancy or anything special.” He jams his hands into his jean pockets and rocks back on his heels.
“Brad, this is still a beautiful place. I can help get you some furniture. If you don’t have time I can collect some catalogs from places I know. If you want this place to be homey, or an artsy retreat or an entertainment space, I can help with it all. I’ve got some free time during the day.”
He frowns. “Why are you so nice?”
Okay, frowning and asking why someone is so nice isn’t a very good way to put two and two together.
“I just am. Your sister is one of my closest friends and I like your mom better than my own. So let’s just say I’m your sister’s friend who wants to be nice to her kid brother,” I tease, offing him a friendly smile. He’s not buying it. His face is still drooping. He’s obviously not a very trusting person.
“I don’t like that answer. But okay. I do need the help. You can decorate it however you want, I don’t care. I’ll give you a budget and you stick to it and it’ll all be fine with me.”
I shake my head. “No way can I decorate a space that’s not mine. This is yours. I need some input,” I scold, pulling my freshly done hair out of my face. It’s a little fuller than usual and it’s loosely curled.
“Fine, I want it homey and a place to entertain. I like blues and creams. I hate overly bright colors and designer shit doesn’t matter to me. I like darker woods, not light ones and I need a TV in the living room and not in the bedroom. I need everything down to the kitchen utensils and colanders. I do cook a lot and I’m a very good cook. Most of the menus on all of my restaurants I’ve created. So if you decide to buy me Walmart pans I won’t be happy. That’s the only name brand stuff I require. Plus, I need a bed that’s medium in firmness and I hate memory foam pillows,” he rattles off. I can’t believe I agreed to help and now I am the one doing it all. This is strange. I am going to bring stuff with me to Amy’s this weekend and make her help choose. That only seems fair.
I swallow hard. “Ok, I feel like I needed to get that recorded.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not hard to please. If you don’t want to do it, I’m fine. But you said you wanted to help. So I say have at it. I should be able to swing about fifty thousand maybe a bit more for furnishings. All the appliances are already here. Come take a look.” He waves for me to follow.
In tow we go from the large open living room that’s right off the open kitchen, which has a huge island and dark walnut cupboards. It has a double wall oven and a four burner gas range with a built in grill and giant stainless hood. The counter tops are a tan and white granite. There’s a huge industrial sized modern stainless steel fridge. His island can sit about six but has no stools. That’s one thing I have to add to my list. I pull out my phone and open up my grocery list app and type it inside there. His dining room is nice sized. Down the hall is three bedrooms all with attached baths and there’s a small half bath that’s close to the living room off of the dining room. The master has two walk-in closets and the en suite has a spacious two person whirlpool tub and standup glass walled extra-large steam shower. There’s a dark walnut double vanity with tan marble top. The floors are a brown and cream travertine. The other two bedrooms have standard closets, each bath has a shower tub combo and a single sink. The whole place is extremely spacious. I’d guess close to two thousand square feet, maybe a bit more.
“Can I paint the walls?” I ask once we come back out into the living room after I got to check out the place.
“If you want to yes, I own this place free and clear. So whatever you want is fine. But make sure it’s low fume paint; I don’t want to have to wait forever to be able to set foot in here.”
I nod understanding and am still in a little bit of shock. I went from agreeing to make him art and dropping it off, to decorating an apartment to my specifications. I’m going to make this place the nicest he’s ever dreamed of possible.
“I’d like the art you’ve made to be showcased in the living room. If you eventually decide you want to actually be paid for more art I’ll pay you to do a romance piece for my master but I don’t want one unless you’ll accept payment.”
“What kind of piece?”
“I want a large one of a man and woman loving on one another. No sex. Just holding nude. Make it special and beautiful,” he remarks.
I think he might be a closet romantic. Not sure, but possibly. Now that would make him more perfect than he already is.
“If you have a photo of one specific scene you like I could play off that. Or if you want to pose or give me a photo of yourself I can draw you into the canvas.” I offer.
He laughs sarcastically. “Not me.” He shakes his head, disgusted. “All of this—” he motions to his thick body. “—Looks terrible without clothes on.”
I shake my head, blatantly rolling my eyes. “There is no way,” I gesture up and down with my hand towards his body, “That all of that is unattractive under your shirt. I see enough of it with a shirt on and I can tell it’s got the perfect amount of definition to portray in my art.” I smile at him to help boost his confidence. It’s lacking big time.
He blushes. “You seriously are way too nice. You have to stop.”
“No, I’m not, I’m honest. And the truth is, Brad, you’re an attractive man. Sure you’re not stick skinny. But honestly the beefiness is in and it’s hot. Plus it suits you. The tats on your arms and the faux hawk, the facial hair and all that it works in your favor. A thirty-six or thirty-eight inch waist and a 2XL shirt with bulky muscles isn’t gross—it’s quite the opposite,” I state evenly, drinking in his sexiness. It gives me a reason to finally be able to stare at him and gawk openly. He’s gorgeous. Sure when I’m around him I feel like a mouse next to a giant gorilla but he’s a sexy gorilla and I like the feeling of a man encompassing me. I’ve never had that before. I’ve been with heavy men. But there’s a difference between thick with muscles and some fat and just a fat guy. Brad’s stomach is flat for the most part, his chest is thick but not with man boobs he has pecks. He doesn’t have love handles or anything else th
at I can see. He’s smoking hot.
He walks quickly across the distance between us and he grabs both of my arms and shakes me a little. “What?” I giggle. The butterflies tickling my insides.
“I was just making sure you’re not a figment of my imagination that I made up.”
I step on his foot with shoes on. “Nope all real. But I think I better get going. I hope you enjoy the snacks and the wine. Although I’m sure you’ll be stuck sucking it out of bottle. Let me know when you want to start the purchases and I’ll get right on it.” I head towards the door.
He follows me and pulls a credit card from his wallet. “Use this to buy whatever. If you buy any purchase at one store over twenty thousand call me and I’ll call the company to let them know it was authorized. Other than that just use this, it’s signed so they should accept it. If not they can call me.” He opens the door for me.
“Thanks Brad.” I step out and he escorts me to the elevators and pushes the button down for me. I get on and he waves to me when I leave. The visit was about an hour. I wish it was longer and now I’m starving. I didn’t eat a thing yet because I thought I might have dinner with Brad. I guess that was false hope. And just as I thought I was going to stop seeing him I do the stupid nice thing without thinking and offer my services to decorate his apartment. I’m an idiot.
My phone beeps once and I’m in the back of the limo. Heading home.
Brad- Sorry, I was going to ask you to dinner tonight. Kind of skipped my mind after the apartment stuff. Thanks again for offering to help. You’re too nice of a person.
Me- You’re welcome and that’s okay I’m going to grab something to eat on the way home. Probably some egg rolls and maybe some lo mein.
Brad- I was thinking Chinese too. Great minds think alike.
I don’t text back. I don’t need to get closer to this man. I already did the unthinkable. I would never offer to help with anyone else’s apartment. It’s because my body and brain like him way too much and he’s Amy’s brother. A double whammy.
Artful Attractions Page 14