A Gentleman's Affair

by Linn, A. J.

  As I place the last item of clothing into my leather duffle bag, I see the piece of paper that Gina had given me as I dropped her off yesterday sticking out of the back pocket of the jeans that I had on. I pull it out, looking at her number and thinking about how gorgeous she was. I fold the paper in half and shove it into the back pocket of my jeans.

  I will be driving past her town right around lunch time. Maybe I’ll call her. She was the one who suggested it actually…and you never know where and when you might meet “the one”.

  I stop for gas and decide: What the fuck, call her. I pull my phone from my pocket along with the piece of paper and punch in her number.

  She answers. I clear my throat before speaking. “Gina, it’s Donovan Hart…from yesterday?”

  “Oh, sure…hey Donovan. How’s your weekend going?”

  “Well, it was great…over too soon, as usual.” I laugh as I reply. “I’ll be passing by around 1:00. Would you still care to meet for lunch?”

  She doesn’t answer right away. Instead I hear a voice in the background, muffled by what I can only guess is her hand covering the phone. “Sorry about that…and yes, I’d love that. Meet me at P.J.’s Deli on College?”

  “Perfect, I know exactly where that is, so I’ll see you in a bit.” I answer, as I remove the gas hose from my tank and get back into my Hummer.

  “I’ll see you at one.” And she quickly hangs up.

  That was weird.

  I begin my drive back to Malibu, now burdened with an uneasy feeling about that phone call. Maybe I’m just becoming paranoid at this point…but red flags are red flags. I could just go home. No harm, no foul. I don’t know the girl, but…if I don’t take some chances, I might end up a lonely old bachelor with a toupee still trying to find “the one”, but by then it’ll be too late. Fuck it. I’ll just keep the lunch date.

  I pull into P.J.’s parking lot looking for her car. Realizing that it may still be broken down, I park and go inside. There are two people sitting at the long bar on stools. No sign of Gina, so I decide to go and wait outside for her.

  After about ten minutes, she pulls up in her car and parks. I walk over to meet her. She has a big smile on her face as she gets out, closing the car door behind her. “Hey, you.” She throws her arms around me and hugs me as she continues, “It’s good to see you again.”

  I return the hug and the smile as I reply, “I see you got your car running.”

  “I did. It was the starter…or something, I don’t know.” She laughs and begins to walk toward the deli.

  And before I even have the chance to get another word out, a man appears from the front of the building yelling, “Hey asshole, get the fuck away from my wife!”

  Wife? Christ, here we go.

  I back away from Gina, my hands up in front of me to motion for him to back the fuck off. “Hey, she never told me that she was married,” I say. “Take this up with her.” I quickly turn and walk back to my Hummer.

  “Not so fast, mother fucker.” I suddenly feel a hand on my shoulder. He spins me around, and before I know it, I have his fist coming toward my face. I block his punch, grab his arm and twist it behind his back holding him in place.

  “I don’t want to hurt you…but I will. Now, I’m going to let go. I suggest that you take your wife and walk the fuck away.” Furious, I look over at Gina, my eyes filled with rage. Fucking bitch!

  I let the asshole go, and as Gina walks away, he grabs her and shouts, “If I see you near her again, I’ll fucking kill you. Got it?”

  “Richard, stop. I told you that it was over two weeks ago,” Gina shouts back at him as she pushes him away before running to her car.

  I shake my head, happy to have dodged that bullet. I get into my Hummer, screech out of the parking lot, and pull onto the road. I can hear the happy couple shouting as I drive away.

  I turn the volume up loud on my CD player, roll down the window for some fresh air to cool off my fuming red face…and forget that I ever met that fucking whack job.

  Chapter Three

  ~Enter, Scarlett~

  Monday always seems to come too fast, but, Gina aside, the short weekend away was perfect. My brain needed time away from the non-stop madness that comes with owning a hotel.

  This morning I meet with Scarlett Montgomery, the interior decorator and owner of Elite Interiors. I hope that she has what it takes to redecorate a hotel of this size: it will be quite an undertaking.

  I look around my office to see what might need sprucing up in here. The furniture is old, as it is what Dad had put in here way back in 1985 when he and Mom first opened La Fuga. When I took over seven years ago, I either didn’t have the heart to change any of it…or didn’t have the time—maybe a little bit of both. I had always hoped that Dad would change his mind and come back, but that never happened. In any case, I think the room could use an overhaul. It’s time.

  The old wooden desk that I sit behind is pretty worn, displaying carvings that I had done as a child and a lot of wear and tear from the years. Dad would bring me here on the weekends when he worked, and to keep me occupied, he would give me his old dull pocket knife to create my masterpieces on his desk. I seemed to like to draw boats back then: boats and cows. The boats I understand, as I was brought up in the Marina on a forty-five foot yacht home that my parents bought after I was born, but the cows I don’t get. I was a weird kid. In any case, I’ll give Dad a call later and see if he wants to have it moved to his house. I can’t see just letting this old desk just get tossed. It’s full of too many memories.

  My assistant buzzes in on the intercom to let me know that Miss Montgomery has arrived. I tell her to go ahead and escort her into my office and to bring me another cup of coffee. I rise from behind my desk as they enter, smoothing down my tie with my hand as they enter. Patrice sets my coffee on the desk as she announces, “Miss Montgomery to see you, sir,” and with her bright friendly smile, she quickly leaves us to our business.

  “Miss Montgomery, I’m Donovan Hart.” She moves toward me as I extend my hand to meet hers. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. Please, have a seat.” I motion to a chair as I sit back down behind my desk, trying to ignore the fact that she’s extremely attractive. Her long chestnut hair is curled around her face, falling past her shoulders. Her eyes are big and innocent, a beautiful shade of dark brown. She is wearing a black pencil skirt and matching jacket, just a hint of a light pink blouse showing underneath the jacket. She’s younger than I had expected—twenty-seven, twenty-eight maybe. I am really trying to ignore the fact that this girl is fucking hot. Donovan…focus! Keep your head in the game, I tell myself.

  “Thank you, sir…and it’s Scarlett, please.” She takes a seat in the oversized chair on the other side of my desk, quickly pulling a black notebook from her briefcase. She clears her throat, preparing to begin her pitch.

  I take a sip of coffee as I watch her closely and out of her briefcase comes notebook number two, then three. I was under the impression that she was new to the decorating business and has done very few jobs to date…but it seems that she has much to share by the look of all of these notebooks.

  “You have come quite prepared, Scarlett.” I chuckle as I lean back in my chair.

  “Well, this is a wonderful opportunity for Elite Interiors, and I’m going to do my best to win you over, sir,” she responds with a sincere smile. She places notebook number one on my desk and opens it to the first page. “I have some pictures of past jobs as you can see, and I’ve taken the liberty to put together some color schemes, as seen by the swatches here.” She points to a collection of swatches all arranged in rows: some for the suites, some for the lobby, some for the restaurant. Impressive.

  “I like what you’ve done with The Connelly’s house—the dining area to be exact.” I point to the second page of the notebook filled with pictures of their dining room. It’s all done with deep burgundy tones and touches of black. “This is the exact color scheme that I had in mind for the restauran
t here…it’s bold, yet very understated at the same time. Very nice work, Scarlett.” I nod as I continue flipping through the notebook to see what else she’s done in her short time in the business, thinking to myself that this color scheme would also work nicely in another part of the hotel…the part that I won’t be mentioning to her just yet.

  “Thank you very much, sir. I’ll let you look through the rest of my work, and then I can show you the rest of my ideas for the hotel.” She sits back trying to appear relaxed, confident. But I can see that she is anything but.

  “That won’t be necessary. I’ve seen all that I need for now. I’m very impressed with your work, Scarlett. Would you like a tour of the hotel while I have Patrice draw up a quick business contract?” I rise from my chair and walk around to the front of the desk as she stands, smiling widely as she has just realized that I have indeed, hired her for the redecorating of La Fuga.

  “I’d love that, of course. Thank you.” She quickly gathers up the notebooks and carefully places them back into her briefcase before grabbing the handle then following me to the door.

  “Why don’t you leave your briefcase here? We’ll be coming back to my office to look over the contract. There’s no need to carry it around.” I take the case from her, setting it on top of my desk. “Shall we, Scarlett?”

  I step aside allowing Scarlett to leave my office before me, asking her to wait in the corridor as I speak to my assistant, Patrice. “Prepare the contract for the overhaul of the interior of the hotel based on the figures that I’ve given you. I’m just going to give Miss Montgomery a tour. I’d rather not be interrupted unless it’s an emergency.” I thank her before joining Scarlett in the corridor.

  “All set.” I give her a knowing nod and we begin to walk down the corridor that leads out to the lobby of the hotel. We discuss everything from paint to furniture before proceeding to the restaurant that is located on the main floor as well.

  “This is already a beautiful space, Mr. Hart. What specifically are you looking to change in here?” She begins to walk slowly through the restaurant observing everything from the wallpaper to the linens, the furniture and the lighting fixtures, then the artwork on the walls followed by the carpet.

  “Well, to begin with, the carpet. It reminds me of something that you’d see in a cheap Las Vegas hotel.” I chuckle as I lead her through the dining area back to the hostess/waiting area. “You can see how worn it is here in the entryway. My father replaced it in 2001, just a few years before I took over in 2005.”

  “Yes, I see that. How do you feel about hardwood floors? I think they would really compliment the room.” As she awaits my answer, I can see that she’s nervous, yet confident, about her suggestion. I can also see that she is trying very hard to please me.

  “I have to agree with you, Scarlett. You have a very good eye.” We make our way back through the dining area and she takes a small camera from her purse, taking pictures of the room.

  “It’s my job, sir.” She smiles at me then puts her camera back into her purse.

  “If you have everything that you need down here, let’s move on to the suites next.” I smile back, leading her down the corridor to the elevators. “And, it’s Donovan.” The elevator doors open and I step aside, letting her enter before me.

  “Okay then, Donovan. Do you know what you want to do with the suites?” The doors open up to the first floor, we exit and I lead her to a vacant room about ten feet down the corridor.

  “I’m not an expert in this area Scarlett. I’d much rather hear your thoughts.” I slide the master key card through the slot and push the door open.

  As we enter the suite, I can see the wheels turning inside of her head. Everything inside of these rooms, aside from the beds and night tables, is extremely outdated and in dire need of some major assistance.

  “Okay, well…It could use a fresh coat of paint, new window treatments and duvets. Other than that, I don’t see much else wrong with the suite. It’s cozy in here.” She smiles, seemingly pleased with her assessment of the room. Again, she takes out her camera and begins to shoot the room.

  “I have to agree with you on that. We can go over the color schemes for the suites when we return to my office.” I lead her out of the room, down the corridor and into the elevator.

  “I trust that you looked over the list of rooms that I had Patrice fax to you last week?” She nods as the doors open and I lead her to a room with two large double doors. “The last room that I showed you is what we call the Superior Suites. Those are our lowest-priced rooms, starting at $325 per night, and they occupy four of the eight floors here at the hotel.”

  I slide the master card through the slot and open one of the two large doors, letting her enter ahead of me once again. “This room, as well as the suites on the next three floors, are the Presidential Suites, and as you can see, they are much larger. They all have their own private Jacuzzi, two bathrooms, a large living room with flat screen TVs. The works. These run $500 per night and up.”

  “This is so nice, Donovan.” She walks across the room, opening the large glass French doors that lead to the small terrace over looking the ocean. “What a beautiful view! Who cares what the room looks like when you’ve got this to look at?” She laughs as she walks back in, closing the doors behind her.

  “I couldn’t agree more; the view is quite spectacular.” After she finishes taking photos of the room, we walk down to the end of the corridor to my private elevator that will take us up to the top floor. “This is the final stop on the tour, my penthouse. I occupy the entire floor, of course.”

  The doors open and we step into the grand entryway complete with marble flooring and oversized roman columns on either side. Scarlett’s mouth immediately drops open at the sight of living room just five feet in front of us—the far wall made up of nothing but windows.

  “Now this is what I’d call spectacular, Donovan! This space is nothing but light. And the view...” She walks over to the window and stares out at the beach, then turns, smiling as she looks at me. “I get to re-do this space, also?” Her eyes widen at the thought. She is like a kid in a candy store.

  “Of course, this is part of the package, Scarlett.” I have to laugh. Her reaction to the penthouse is endearing. “Let me show you the rest of the place. Follow me.”

  After we wrap up the tour of the hotel, Scarlett and I take the elevator down to the main floor where my office is located. We walk through the lobby, then enter the reception area of my office. I see that Patrice's desk is empty, and I assume that she's gone to lunch already. I glance at the clock on the wall and realize that it’s well past lunchtime.

  “It looks like we’re on our own here. I believe that my assistant is out to lunch.” I open the door to my office stepping aside, allowing her to enter before me, which shows what a gentleman I am and gives me a great view of her ass at the same time.

  Just because I have a hard rule about dating women that I do business with doesn’t mean that I can’t still appreciate a nicely-toned bottom— especially one in a tight-fitting pencil skirt. But I digress.

  “Would you like something to drink?” I am now playing host until Patrice returns. “Coffee, tea, water?”

  Scarlett looks up at me with a bright smile, shaking her head. “No, I’m fine right now but thank you.” She takes a seat in the chair in front of my desk, and I can see her scan the room knowing that she’s redecorating my office in her head.

  “Let me know if you change your mind, alright?” I walk around the desk and sit down behind it. Placed neatly on my desk is the completed contract that Patrice had prepared for me earlier. “Perfect. Let’s see if we can’t get through this quickly. I’m actually pretty hungry, and I’m sure you’d like to get some lunch yourself.” I begin to flip through the pages making sure that everything is in order.

  “You’ll see here on page three a detailed description of the work to be done here.” I slide the set of papers across the desk to her. “I know that you’v
e already told me what your regular fee is, but I think that you’ll be pleased with my offer. I will expect you to commit solely to this project, and I have provided generous compensation as you will see on the last page.”

  After looking everything over, obviously pleased, she looks up at me grinning from ear to ear. “Where do I sign?” Then she holds her hand out in front of her. “Do you have a pen?”

  “Yes, of course.” I chuckle as I take a pen from the holder on my desk and hand it to her. “You sign on the last page, Scarlett.” After we both sign, I get up and walk into the reception area to make her a copy, seeing that Patrice still hasn’t returned from lunch as of yet.

  I return to my office just minutes later, handing her a set of papers. “Here is your copy of the contract. If you have any questions before the start date, don’t hesitate to call Patrice or myself.”

  “I will. And thank you so much for this opportunity, Donovan. I won’t let you down.“ I nod as she stands, extending her hand to me. She has quite a firm grip for such a petite woman. As our eyes meet, I notice the flecks of gold in her eyes for the first time. I find myself mesmerized and unable to look away. Perfect, now I am staring. I release her hand and take a step back.

  “It’s my pleasure, Scarlett. Allow me to escort you out.” We leave my office and I suddenly find myself at an uncomfortable loss for words. I lead her through the lobby then to the large double glass doors at the entrance of the hotel. I push one of the doors open, allowing her to walk through.

  “Enjoy the rest of your day, Scarlett.” I flash her a smile and watch her as she walks away…in that dangerously sexy, curve-hugging pencil skirt.

  Chapter Four

  ~Breaking ground~

  The meeting with Miss Montgomery went very well, and we are all extremely excited about the much-needed facelift here at La Fuga. Now that I’ve accepted that Dad won’t be returning to run the hotel, I feel that it needs to be a bit more contemporary. Dad never did like change much. It’s bittersweet, but after seven years, it is what it is.