by BWWM Club
“Well, sweetie, I could think of a number of reasons,” Athena started. “For starters, you are always busy and never get time for yourself and two, you just hired a head chef. The best one in all fifty states…okay the second best one since you are the best one.”
“Yes, but still…” Carla started but Athena shook her head.
“No buts. You need to have some time off every so often, remember?” Athena said. “You are always saying that to me. Maybe it’s time you took your own advice.”
Carla looked around and sighed.
“I have to admit, I have respect for this Rubio guy but I honestly…” Athena didn’t give her time to finish what she was saying.
“You should really have more days off, you know. If anyone deserves it, it’s you,” Athena said as they sat down. She looked at Carla and shrugged. “Besides, I am here celebrating something special.”
Carla was about to ask what it was they were celebrating when a waiter brought a menu to their table.
“Thank you,” Athena said with a smile. “But we already know what we want.”
“We do?” Carla asked and Athena nodded.
“We’ll have the fettucine and Rubio’s special chicken cordon bleu.”
Carla frowned.
“You want to have pasta with chicken cordon bleu?” she asked.
“Not just any cordon bleu. Rubio’s special,” Athena whispered.
“Drinks? Wine maybe?” The waiter asked. “The Savannah Red goes really well with that particular dish if I must say.”
Athena looked at Carla and smiled.
“Two glasses of Savannah Red then.”
“This place better be all that, Athena,” Carla said in a low voice.
“Rubio is a four star chef. You are a three star chef,” Athena said. “For once just chill out and be the one at the other end of service.”
“It’s not exactly easy,” she said. “It’s like telling Mel Gibson to take a back seat in some low budget production.”
“And I am assuming in this case you are Mel Gibson and this place is the low budget production?” she smiled.
“Precisely,” Carla nodded.
“Again I say, Rubio four stars and you three stars,” Athena said again.
Carla shrugged again.
“It doesn’t matter,” she said.
“Actually, it does. That one star is the very reason why…” Athena shook her head. “I am not having this discussion anymore. This is not the reason why I brought you here.”
“Yeah, you mention the celebratory mood you are in,” Carla said. “What is this about? Did you get a promotion or something?”
Athena smiled.
“You could call it that.”
“Wait, there is something different about you,” she said. “You are not so uptight anymore. It’s like…you are glowing or something.”
“Glowing, really?” Athena asked and Carla nodded.
“I’m not sure if that is it but I think it is,” she said. “I just….I just can’t put my finger on it. But you come clean first and then I will bite your head off about why you were unreachable the whole weekend.”
“I’m sorry about that…my phone…” Athena started.
“Was off. I know. I tried it like seven million times.” A smile played on Athena’s lips.
“Alright here goes,” she started. “The reason you couldn’t reach me is…I was with Evgeni,” she finally said.
“Hot billionaire Russian dude from the benefit?” she asked and Athena nodded. “Holy shit, you got your groove back.” There was a certain excitement in Carla’s voice that Athena never knew was possible.
“You don’t have to say it like that. It’s not like I’m Stella or anything,” Athena said.
“I don’t care. You’ve been holding out for the last two years…” Carla started.
“Two years, two months,” Athena corrected her.
“Well that is still a hell of a long time to go without getting laid,” Carla said before she leaned forward. “So, how was he?”
Athena blushed.
“Amazing!” she said in a whisper. “And he is hung…like seriously hung. Plus he said that it had been long for him too but it didn’t feel like it. He was slow and gentle and passionate…” she sighed as her cheeks flushed even more. “I never thought I would feel like that with anyone else after Evan.”
Carla looked at her and smiled.
“Look at you, glowing in your post coital glory.” She pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. “My little girl is all grown up now, huh?”
Athena smiled and nodded.
“I guess you could say that.”
“Wait, so…I couldn’t reach you for a whole two days,” Carla started matter of factly. “You were there all this time?” Athena nodded. “How much sex can someone have?”
Athena laughed.
“Apparently, a lot.”
“And you are not sore?” Carla asked and her friend shrugged.
“I thought I would be but I am actually fine. I could go on if time allowed it,” Athena said.
“Whoa, nympho much?” Carla asked. “And to think, I can never go for more than two rounds at a time. Hank would love for me to have stamina like yours, that’s for sure.”
Athena laughed.
“Remember when you first hooked up with Hank and all you guys did was fuck?” she asked and Carla smiled. “At the time I was wondering where you got all that strength from.”
“In my defense, I hadn’t had sex in nine months,” Carla pointed out.
“Well, in my defense, I had not had sex in two and a half years,” Athena said.
“Seriously? I thought it’s just been two years and two months since Evan’s…you know,” Carla said and Athena nodded.
“It has but at the time, we agreed that he needed something to look forward to. So four months before the wedding we stopped having sex,” Athena said.
“Four months? Are you kidding me?” Carla asked as the waiter came back with their food and wine. “That was a whole new definition of strong, if you ask me.”
Athena smiled sadly.
“And we almost made it too,” she said as she took her glass and raised it. “To a good memory, one of the best memories I have.” Carla nodded and picked up her own glass.
“And to you finally moving on,” she said.
“To me finally moving on,” Athena said as she clinked her glass with Carla’s before she took a long sip of her wine.
“Holy shit, that waiter was right,” Carla said. “What wine did he say this was again?”
“Savannah Red,” Athena said as she took a sip of her own wine. “This is good.”
“I know. I should start serving this at my restaurant,” Carla said before she took another sip of her wine. “Maybe I might just get that one star to match this Rubio…” Her voice trailed off when Athena put up a finger.
“Will you just shut up about this silly competition?” she asked.
“Fine, I’m sorry.” Carla took a bite of her food and for a long minute she was quiet.
“It’s okay. You can say it,” Athena said before she took a bite of her food.
“Say what?” Carla was taking another bite.
“That pasta and Rubio’s special chicken cordon bleu is deliciously perfect,” Athena said and Carla shrugged.
“It’s not bad,” she said.
Athena smiled. She knew that there was no way her best friend was going to admit that her competition was as good as she was, let alone better.
“So, my best friend is fucking Russian billionaire Evgeni Markovic. What are the odds?” Carla asked.
“It’s more than just sleeping together really,” Athena said.
“Really? Your feelings for him are that strong?” Carla asked and Athena shook her head.
“I’m scared because I don’t know him that well but I just don’t know…I just don’t know.”
“Don’t over think it. Just go with the flow,” Carla
said and Athena nodded, smiling. “What?”
“He told me some things about him and then he told me he was falling for me,” she said.
“Why do you always end up with the whirlwind romance stories?” she smiled and Athena shook her head.
“I guess that the universe just sees me as a whirlwind romance kind of person,” she said. She took another bite of her food and saw a man walking towards them. He seemed to be in his fifties or perhaps older and he was walking right towards their table, smiling at her. There were two more men walking behind him wearing dark glasses and black suits. It was as if he was some kind of celebrity or important person she should have known about because those two men seemed to be his bodyguards or something of the sort.
“This guy walking towards us,” Athena started.
“Which guy are you talking about?” Carla asked and Athena gestured behind her. Carla turned around just as the man approached their table.
“Can we help you?” she asked when the three men got to where they were.
“I’m sorry,” the old man started with a smile. “I was just walking out and then I noticed you and I couldn’t shake the feeling that I know you from somewhere.”
Athena shook her head.
“I’m sorry…but you don’t look familiar,” she said politely. She could not help but notice the strange accent in his voice. It was like suddenly her life had become a magnet for men with strange accents.
“I know but….I’m not saying that we have met or anything but…wait a minute.” He reached into his pocket and the two ladies watched as he typed something on his screen. “I knew I had seen you somewhere. This is you, right?” he held his phone in front of Athena. It was an article about the benefit at the Aquarium.
She smiled. She didn’t think the benefit’s success had actually warranted an article that mentioned her in person. She was actually embarrassed with herself for not knowing about the article earlier.
“Athena Davis, from GoCreative? Right?” the old man asked again and Athena nodded.
“Guilty as charged,” she said and the man sighed.
“What are the odds that I would come all the way from Ireland just to bump into the one person I need?” he asked and Athena raised an eyebrow over the other.
“Excuse me?” she asked.
“I am a businessman and I am supposed to be holding a cocktail party for a new partnership deal I just closed in a few days but I just don’t have a good events coordinator I can entrust this thing to.” He looked at her. “And my assistant did her homework and told me that GoCreative is one of the best, if not the leading party planning company in Virginia. But she also mentioned that I would need to work with an Athena Davis.”
Athena smiled.
“I don’t know what to say,” she said in a soft voice.
“Are you kidding?” Carla asked looking at Athena. “The man came from Ireland to find you. Plan his damn party.”
Athena smiled and the man nodded.
“Wise woman. I would listen to her if I were you,” he said with a smile.
“My best friend, Carla, who also happened to cater the benefit at the Aquarium,” Athena said.
“I just hit the jackpot then,” the man said. “Please ladies, make this Irish man happy.”
Carla looked at Athena and then at the man.
“I go where she goes,” she said.
“Then you are the defining word here, Miss Davis. Tell me you will plan my party,” the man said. “I will make it worth your while.”
“I am not a free agent, like Carla. You still have to go through GoCreative,” Athena said.
“Then I will come to GoCreative and specifically ask for you,” the man was persistent. “And if you agree to plan my party, then I will even throw in an extra ten grand for you personally and of course another ten grand for your friend.”
“Whoa,” Carla said in a whisper.
“Sir, you don’t have to…” Athena started before the man shook his head.
“If it’s not enough, I can always give you more. I just want the perfect party.”
“No, it’s not that…it’s already too much,” Athena said as she looked at Carla.
“Please, Miss Davis, I need someone like you…no, I need you,” the man said and Athena shrugged.
“Well, alright then,” she said smiling. “Mr…ahem…”
“Cromwell,” the man said as he handed her his card. “Isaac Cromwell.”
Chapter 8
As Athena rode in the elevator to Isaac Cromwell’s Virginia office, she still felt like everything was a dream that she had to wake up from. She turned around and looked at her reflection in the mirror and sighed. She had chosen to wear a cream colored elbow sleeved midi dress, green suede pointy toed shoes and a red long sleeved jacket. She had straightened out her curls and held her hair in a loose bun leaving a few strands to frame her face. She was not sure that she was wearing the right outfit. Somehow, she felt she was a little too sexy but then again, she was seeing Evgeni later and she wanted to blow his mind. And the dress she had on was one that screamed sexy professional without being trashy.
When the elevator doors opened, she walked out and came face to face with a small blond haired woman.
“Miss Davis?” she asked and Athena nodded with a smile. “Mr. Cromwell is expecting you. Right this way.”
Athena followed her down the hall until they got to a door to a corner office. The woman opened the door for her and she walked in. Isaac who was on the phone, waved her in and she walked to one of the chairs in front of his desk.
“I’m sorry about that,” he said when he hung up. “I am very happy to see you again.”
“You gave me no choice,” Athena said with a smile. “Or as Carla would say, you gave me ten thousand reasons.”
“I would have offered more but you wouldn’t let me,” Isaac said and she shook her head.
“I used to work for one of the leading Fortune 500 companies in the country and one thing I know is that when someone is offering a lot of money, then he probably has a lot to hide or a lot to lose,” she said. “So, which one is it?”
“I have a lot to lose if my new partners are not impressed,” Isaac said.
“Do you mind my asking who your new partners are?” Athena asked.
“A Bhutanese Sultan has taken interest in one of my ventures and considering he is royalty…I need the very best. And you Miss Davis, are the very best,” he said.
“Please, just call me Athena,” she said with a smile. “Miss Athena makes me feel like I should be next in line for some crown or something.”
“Fine, Athena
but you also don’t get to call me sir, I’m not a knight or anything,” he said.
“Alright, Mr. Cromwell,” she said.
“Please, Mr. Cromwell is so damn weird.”
“Weird? Really?” she asked.
“Well, yeah. No one has called me that in years and if you can tell by my years, they have been very many years indeed,” he said and she smiled. “I know I just insulted myself there but just so you know, I am the only one allowed to do that.”
“Well, I wouldn’t dream of it.”
“Maybe I wouldn’t mind it, if it was just you though,” he pointed out. “A beautiful woman like you would definitely make me feel like a young man again,” he added with a smile and she shook her head.
“Much obliged, sir…I mean, Isaac but I am not exactly single.” Isaac leaned forward and smiled even more widely.
“What do you mean by not exactly single? I mean, you either are or you aren’t.”
“I just started seeing him the other day. It’s a relatively new thing.”
Isaac leaned back and rubbed his chin.
“So you are still in bliss. That moment in paradise before you define the relationship,” he said and she forced a smile. This conversation was getting weird.
“Yeah I guess,” she said as she pulled a notepad from her bag.
“He must
be a very lucky man, this guy you are seeing,” he said as he looked at her and she shrugged.
“Well, enough about me,” she started in a bid to change the topic. “Why don’t you tell me about this cocktail party you're having. What do you have in mind as far as the theme is concerned?”
Isaac took a long deep breath.
“Well, for starters, he is royalty so I will need something big, pompous if I may use that word,” he started. ‘But this merger is also cultural. I still have to remain Irish in my theme.”
Athena looked up and smiled.
“So, a lot of booze.”
“Definitely,” Isaac said laughing. “Gin, whiskey, scotch…you name it.”
“Well, I have just the man for that job,” she said. “So consider the drinks sorted.”
“But you can also throw in a few bottles of wine for the ladies. And some champagne of course, we are celebrating after all.”
“Noted.” Athena scribbled in her notepad. “And do you have a venue in mind?”
Isaac rubbed his chin again and sighed.
“I was thinking I would leave that to you. As well as the menu.”
“That’s great. I will send you an invoice with everything itemized but meanwhile have a look at this,” she said as she handed him her company’s prospectus. “It will give you an idea of what to expect as well as the price range you will be in. I mean as far as the guest list is concerned and everything.”
“Well, this all seems fair but I also have this for you and your friend,” Isaac said as he pulled the top drawer of his desk.
“What is this?” she asked as he placed a yellow postal bag on the desk.
“Twenty thousand dollars. For you and your friend as promised,” he said.
Athena’s eyes grew wide. She quickly opened the paper and looked inside.
“Holy shit,” she thought to herself as she looked at the crisp hundred dollar bill bundles in the envelope.
“Is everything alright?” he asked and she looked up still shocked.
“You were giving the money in cash? I thought it would be a check and….I didn’t even think you were serious about it,” she said and he shook his head.
“I have to write this off as petty cash,” he said. “Otherwise my CFO will have my ass.”
“What do you mean, petty cash?” she asked. There was no way twenty grand would ever pass for petty cash in her books. Not even when she was at Jameson & Klein.