by Katie Dowe
“You got it boss! That guy will fear you!” Rebecca chuckled.
“He should, I will be paying him,” Janet said.
Kitty was thinking something else in her head, “Fuck!”
Janet and Rebecca did not know whom they were playing with. Bilal had told Kitty that Brian also held a Law degree and there was a team of the most fierce lawyers behind him all the time. She could sense that Brian alone was capable enough to chew Rebecca’s head.
“Oh God! Please let it all pass quickly!” Kitty prayed closing her eyes.
“Hey, what are you thinking?” Janet asked her. She was seeming a little cheerful after knowing that Brian was going to dance to her tunes after signing these papers.
“Nothing, I just have this headache,” Kitty came up with an excuse.
“You should go home. There is nothing for us to do today now,” Janet said.
“Yup, I think I should,” Kitty started packing her stuff.
“I can't wait to meet this Englishman.” Janet said with a cunning smile. “I am going to eat him alive if he ever tries to turn on me.” Rebecca’s paperwork had given her a new confident. But Kitty was worried about her friend. She could not warn Janet about how wrong she and Rebecca were.
“This will go down like clockwork. With all this paperwork, he is literally our employee,” Rebecca boasted, making Janet chuckle.
“I am leaving. See you tomorrow,” Kitty was finally ready to leave.
“Take care,” Janet smiled as Kitty left the room.
“Fuck!” Kitty muttered on her way out.
Chapter 6
“He is late,” Janet said checking her watch.
“He is not late, we are early,” Kitty corrected her, but Janet was in no mood to listen to anybody’s argument today. This morning she came prepared to dominate the playing field. For her, this was the moment when she would tell Brian Watson that she was the boss and he was just an employee.
“I don’t care. When somebody gives you an appointment, you are supposed to show early,” Janet argued.
“Let it be.” Rebecca said going through a magazine. “He must be feeling so weird in this city. New York has that effect on outsiders.”
“These two have no idea who he really is,” Kitty thought.
“I think this venue is not right,” Janet said looking around.
“What is wrong with this place?” Kitty was surprised for Janet had always loved this fancy restaurant. This was one of the best and most expensive places in New York.
“Well, I am afraid this might be too much for him. I have been to London and no restaurant there could match this one.”
“What is your point?” Kitty asked.
“He might feel a little out of place here,” Janet chuckled.
Kitty could see her friends behaving like bitchy high school girls who had no clue about how things actually work in the real world. But by now she had given up, leaving it all to fate. Now she just wanted all this to pass as soon as possible.
“Wait, is that him?” Rebecca looked at the door.
Kitty and Janet looked in Rebecca’s direction and there he was. A tall blonde man with an impressive built and gait, walking elegantly like a proud lion towards them.
A waitress escorted Brian to the table where the three ladies were sitting.
“Good morning!” Brian said in a cheerful British accent. “I am Brian, Brian Watson.”
Rebecca was the first one to offer her hand. She shook his hand with a weird smile. Kitty could see she was under Brian’s charm, but she could not blame her. Brian was one hell of a guy.
“So which one of you is Janet?” Brian asked while sitting down.
“It's me.” Janet said in a cold voice. “And I prefer we call each other by our last names.”
“Gosh! Why is she being such a bitch?” Kitty said to herself.
“I am sorry, I didn’t mean to offend. It's just that in our arrangement…” Brian looked around making sure nobody heard him, and then lowered his voice, “It would seem a bit odd if we will call each other Mr Watson and Miss Crane.”
Kitty could see that this man came prepared. He knew more about this arrangement than Janet and Rebecca. And now Kitty was feeling bad for her friends.
“I guess you have a point.” Janet agreed to Brian. “So how do we begin?”
“I was hoping you could tell me that.” Brian smiled. “I guess we all are aware of what both of us are expected to do in this arrangement.”
“Yes, we are.” Rebecca cut in. “You are to be paid 1.5 million US dollars for one year until the termination of this arrangement. During which you will have to pose as Janet’s lover. You cannot talk about this to anybody other than your lawyer, me and Janet. Understood?”
“Yup. Where do I sign?” Brian said excitedly.
Janet and Rebecca were surprised to see how calm and excited this man was. They were expecting him to get nervous and ask a lot of questions, but he was doing just the opposite.
“Have you done this before?” Janet asked looking at Brian suspiciously.
“What? Getting in fake relationships with rich women?” Brian asked with a smile. “I am afraid this is my first time. I hope my lack of experience will not disqualify me from this job.”
Kitty wanted to laugh, but she remained quiet. She was having more fun by just being a mute spectator. Janet and Rebecca’s faces were worth all the hassle — the two of them were not able to understand how to deal with this man. Janet was all set to dominate this man, but he was playing with her and Rebecca like they were little children.
“Well, are we going to eat something, or just discuss business? I don’t know about you but I have grown quite an appetite since I arrived in this city.”
Before any of the ladies were able to say anything, Brian raised his hand and voice. “Excuse me!” he said in a soft yet commanding voice.
A waitress appeared at the table within seconds, “Yes sir.”
Brian picked up the menu and started browsing. “I would have a Sauerkraut Tart to begin with and then we can come to the main course.” He then looked at his female companions. “Pardon me ladies, where are my manners.” Looking at the waitress, he signaled her to go to the ladies, “Please take their order first, you now know what I want.”
The waitress waited for the ladies as they gaped at Brian.
“It's bad manners to keep your waiter waiting.” Brian reminded them in a friendly tone.
Coming out of the trance, the women ordered for themselves and the waitress left with a smile.
“So with that out of our way, what else do we need to discuss today?”
“Well there is all that paperwork that we need you to sign,” Rebecca said.
“I understand. But I also want to know what you expect from me? It would be very helpful to know what duties I will be fulfilling as your fake lover.”
“I guess the basic requirements are self implied,” Rebecca explained. “Like public appearances, public display of affection…”
Janet cleared her throat loudly, interrupting Rebecca.
“Within a limit, you know.. just remember you are fake lovers and not real ones.”
“I get it.” Brian nodded.
“Also, you might need to appear on TV or radio shows with her. She is a pretty big deal here.” Rebecca was now boasting.
“Oh yes, I read a bit about you,” Brian looked at Janet. “Your work is both wonderful and inspiring. Young women could learn so much from you.”
Janet was filled with a sudden joy. This stranger was complimenting her for doing what she does — something usually nobody did. Most of the people would talk about how much money she had earned or how many companies Janet had created and sold, but rarely somebody told her how important her work was. And suddenly, Brian did not seem that bad anymore to Janet.
“Now, pardon me if I offend anybody here. But I would like to know about my living and sleeping arrangements.”
This time Janet decided to an
swer and she did not sound cold like before. Instead, her voice had the warmth of a friend. “Starting from today, you will move in with me in my penthouse. We will be sleeping in different rooms. This will continue until the end of this arrangement.”
“Wonderful!” Brian cheered. “So when do we sign the papers?”
“After lunch,” Janet smiled.
Brian replied with an equally warm smile and together they waited for their meal to arrive. Meanwhile, Brian kept them busy with his trivia of the places he had been to. To her surprise, Kitty could see a sudden change in Janet’s behavior. Where she wanted to show Brian who is the real boss, she was now talking to him like a friend. And Rebecca; well she seemed like a fangirl who had just met her celebrity crush. Kitty could see how Rebecca stared at Brian without even blinking.
The lunch arrived and Brian kept the ladies entertained. Everybody enjoyed the food and Brian’s conversation. Janet even laughed at his jokes. All this time, Brian did not seem like he was making an effort to please Janet and her friends — he was a natural charmer.
“That was a delicious meal. Please pay our compliments to the chef,” Brian said placing his credit card in the bill folder.
“Hey, you don’t need to pay for this meal.” Janet tried to stop Brian, but he had already handed the bill into the waitress’ hands.
“Please!” he turned to Janet. “You are going to pay me 1.5 million for this. The least I could do is pay this bill. Consider it a token of our friendship.”
Janet could tell this man was trouble.
*****
After the lunch, the team reached Janet’s penthouse.
“This place is lovely!” Brian paid his compliments looking around.
“Thank you. Please make yourself comfortable.” Janet took off her coat.
Rebecca quickly pulled out her briefcase that contained all the document. She started spreading them on the table before Brian.
Brian checked the documents and found that they already had Janet’s signatures.
“All we need are your signatures and we begin right away.”
“Marvelous!” Brian picked up a pen while reading the documents.
“This, is a standard non disclosure agreement.” Rebecca started explaining the documents to Brian. “It makes sure nobody talks about this arrangement outside this group.”
“Understood.” Brian signed on the papers before Rebecca could say another word.
“Would you like to discuss these documents with a lawyer?” Janet asked.
“Oh don’t worry, I am a lawyer!” Brian said signing another document.
Suddenly, the floor disappeared under Janet and Rebecca’s feet. They did not know anything about this Englishman being a lawyer. Together they looked at Kitty for an explanation.
“Fuck!” Kitty said to herself as Janet and Rebecca’s eyes pierced her soul.
“So, what else? I guess you might have also prepared some sort of a liability contract.” Brian’s eyes searched for the said contract on the table. “Aah, there it is.” His sharp eyes picked up the right stack of paper.
Janet did not like it a bit. This man was too smart for this arrangement, but they had already entered the arrangement by signing the non disclosure agreement, and now it was too late to back off from this deal.
Reading the liability agreement, Brian quickly signed both the copies.
“This is some good paperwork. I tip my imaginary hat to you madame,” Brian complimented Rebecca as he looked at all the remaining paperwork on the table.
“And what do we have here?” he started reading another document, “Pre-nuptial agreement? Smart! Though there is no possibility of us getting married, but this.. is smart.”
With another quick signatures, Brian moved onto the next set of papers.
“Okay!” he read. “So I will have to pay 3 million US dollars to you if I fail to follow the given instructions.. Phew!”
Janet was sure that Brian would try his best to get out of this one, but she was in for another shock.
“Alright! I hope this is the last one,” Brian said while he signed the document.
Janet, Rebecca and Kitty were surprised to see Brian signing the last document without any opposition. “You did not have any problem with the last one?”
“The one with 3 million dollar fine?” Brian chuckled. “Naah! It's actually fair that you are protecting your interest, and I respect that.”
Janet heaved a sigh of relief.
“But, there was a problem in that contract. You forgot to define the instructions specifically. There are so many loopholes a smart man could take advantage of. So in a way, that last one was kind of useless.”
With a fake smile, Janet turned to Rebecca who had “Fuck!” written all over her face.
Kitty on the other hand could see what this man was capable of.
“So I believe we are lovers now. At least by this paperwork!” Brian smiled at Janet. “Anything else?”
Janet looked at Rebecca and Kitty and shrugged after they did not remind her of anything else.
“Good! I am off to bed then. If you would please direct me to the room I am supposed to sleep in.”
Janet pointed towards one of the rooms.
Brian stood up and smiled at all three of them. “Thank you ladies. I shall see you after my nap. I will bring my stuff in the evening. Enjoy your afternoon.”
Nobody spoke a word until Brian entered the room and closed the door behind him.
“What the fuck was that? I thought you said that the paperwork was air tight! He just laughed in our faces reading your last contract.” Janet quietly burst out at Rebecca.
“Sorry!” was the only thing that Rebecca said.
Janet waited for her to say something else, but Rebecca made sure not to make eye contact with her.
Frustrated, Janet then turned to Kitty who knew her number was up.
“And you forgot to tell us that he is a fucking lawyer? How did that happen?”
“My sources failed to mention it to me.” Kitty lied through her teeth to save herself. She knew if she would tell the truth right now, a lot of things would unfold.
“Did you know what just happened here?” Janet asked Kitty. “We were thinking this was a gullible man who was doing it only for money, but now I think we are dealing with somebody who is smarter than my lawyer and assistant combined.”
Rebecca wanted to say something but she remembered that she was in no position to do so.
“What else is he hiding?” Janet looked at Brian’s room. “Now I have a complete stranger living in my house and I am not sure whether I have control over him.”
“Don't worry, we will fix this.” Rebecca tried to calm Janet down.
“And how exactly are you going to do that? Please tell me.”
Rebecca had no answer at the moment, but she quickly thought on her feet. “We must look into his background. I am going to hire a PI to run a thorough background check on him.”
This alarmed Kitty. She knew a background check on Brian would reveal everything about him and it would open a can of worms.
“Are we sure we want to do that?” she asked Janet and Rebecca.
“Why not?” Janet asked.
“Well, by running a background check on him, we are involving a third party into this arrangement. And so we will be increasing our risk of getting exposed. What if Brian’s information lands in wrong hands?”
Kitty had a point, but Janet really wanted to know who this man really was.
“Alright, lets keep it open for discussion for some other time. Right now, I want to get some rest.”
“Do you want us to stay here?” Rebecca asked.
“No! I can take care of myself. You guys go home.”
Kitty and Rebecca exchanged glances before getting up.
They all bid each other farewell and soon Janet was all by herself in her main hall.
“Who are you?” she said looking at the closed door.
*****
Brian and Janet stood together by the pier in the golden hour. Janet was looking at the horizon while Brian seemed a little confused.
“May I ask why are we here?”
“It's a part of our public appearance,” Janet replied.
“I thought it would have photographers and some people asking us questions.”
“Well that would also happen. But right now we need to be seen in public,” Janet explained. “Get it? Public appearances…”
“Quite literal. I like it.” Brian smiled.
Janet looked away from Brian and then slowly turned back to him.
“Tell me Brian, who are you?”
Brian did not understand what Janet meant to ask and so he just looked at her.
“I did not know you were a lawyer. What else is there that I do not know about you?”
A beautiful smile danced on Brian’s lips and he looked straight into Janet’s eyes. “Right now Janet, I am anything you want me to be. There is only one thing I can tell you about myself — that I am here to help you.”
There was something in that assurance that made Janet feel secure. But suddenly she realized that Brian had cleverly skipped her question.
“You didn’t answer my question,” she reminded him.
“Janet, tell me what do you know about me?” Brian asked a counter question.
“Not much!” she replied.
“Didn’t that answer your question? Think about it.” Brian smiled. “There is only a little that you know about me. The rest of it you will get to know while we are together. We will learn a lot about each other during our arrangement.”
Janet finally had her answer. Though it was not what she had in mind, but she was not able to complain either. And so together, they both looked at the setting sun.
Brian accompanied Janet to several events. Her company had still not rolled out her success story and so the registrations were moderate. But Janet was taking Brian everywhere with her — to parties, special events, talks, seminars and TV and radio shows. She made sure Brian was noticed by everyone in her circle and industry. And after two weeks of parading Brian around, she finally gave the go ahead to her marketing team.
The next day many tabloids and web magazines published the story about new boyfriend of Janet Crane. Headlines like — “CookUp founder seen with her British friend” were plastered all over the internet and after the small players, it was time for the big fishes to pick up this story. Huffington Post was the first one to contact Janet regarding Brian.