Moments Lost and Found

by Olivia Jake

  Sam laughed, “I was told that you had very high expectations. Let’s see what I can whip up.” She winked as she got up and went into the kitchen. She made coffee while she arranged the pan au chocolate and croissants on a platter and put the mixed fruit in a bowl. Sam had stopped at the store on her way over knowing that she wouldn’t have time to make breakfast, and now she was very glad she did. Still essentially naked, she brought that out to him, knowing that he got a good view of things coming and going. She came back with the coffee for both of them.

  “Impressive, Samantha, the maid. You just, as you say, whipped up these pan au chocolate and croissants in there?”

  Sam laughed and wasn’t sure what the right answer was, so her answer was more of a question, “Oui, monsieur?”

  “Tsk, tsk, Samantha. You should know that I take honesty in any employee, even a maid, as a very important trait. And if someone is dishonest,” he sighed an exaggerated sigh as a very mischievous grin spread across his face, “well, dishonesty must be dealt with. Do you understand?”

  “Oui, monsieur?”

  He laughed, “you seem to be unsure of your answers young lady.”

  “I’m just a simple maid, sir. Perhaps you can, uh, clarify things?”

  “Oh, I’m sure I can.” He laughed again. “First, why don’t you share this meal with me. You should know that I am making an exception for you, as I don’t normally eat with my employees. But I have a feeling that, since you’ll be with me throughout the day, you’re going to need your strength.”

  “Thank you, sir, for making an exception for me. I promise you I’ll show you my appreciation.” Sam said as she sat, very aware that she had nothing on, she flinched a bit when her ass hit the chair. Laurent noticed and chuckled.

  “Take off your bib and lay it on the chair so you can sit on that, and so I can see that pretty pink pussy of yours.” He took a sip of coffee as he watched her untie her apron, “and we’ll see just how appreciative you are.”

  Sam made a point of turning all the way around and bending at the waist as she lay the apron down on the chair so that Laurent could get a nice view of her bending over. When she sat down she crossed her legs. Immediately, Laurent said, “Uncross your legs, Samantha. I told you, I want to see your pussy.”

  “Yes, sir. I’m sorry, sir.” Sam blushed and knew she would pay for that.

  “I see you’ve shaved everything, Samantha. That gives me a very clear view. Did you do that for me?”

  Sam whispered, “Yes, sir.”

  “Well, that’s very thoughtful of you, Samantha.”

  “It is, after all, your birthday, sir.”

  “Indeed it is. And I never mentioned that it was. You’re, uh, very resourceful for a maid, non?”

  “I try to be.” Sam was getting so excited with their role playing she knew that he could see how wet she already was.

  Laurent leaned in and whispered, effectively breaking character, “Thank you, Cheri, for a great birthday present.”

  Sam leaned in and whispered, “You’re welcome, Laurent. You’re a very difficult man to buy anything for, so the only present I could come up with was me.”

  He kissed her lips tenderly and said, “I could not imagine a better present.” Then he leaned back and said, “Now eat. I have lots of plans for you.”

  “Yes, sir!”

  After they exhausted the maid’s duties, Samantha became the assistant, which consisted of taking ‘dictation’ where Laurent bent her over and took her from behind while she typed at his computer. Needless to say, there were quite a few typos.

  “You know, Samantha, as my assistant, I am very disappointed in your typing inaccuracy. You do realize that I have standards, and if those standards aren’t met, there are consequences.” He said as he continued to slide in and out of her.

  “Oh, yes Monsieur Román, I am very aware.”

  “Really? If I didn’t know better, I’d say it sounds like you’re looking forward to whatever those consequences might entail.”

  “I’m just interested in learning how I can be a better assistant to you, sir. Whatever your teaching methods, I’m sure I will learn invaluable lessons.” He laughed, never breaking stride, but for added emphasis thrust harder and harder as he gave her more dictation. Though the typos had to be dealt with. And Laurent’s belt was just the tool for that.

  By the end of the day, after more outfits, roles, sex and punishment, Laurent suggested they take a bath as they were both exhausted. As they soaked in the tub, Sam leaning against his chest as he idly caressed her, he again thanked her, “That was a lot of fun, Cheri. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. It was a lot of fun, wasn’t it?” Sam turned her head to look at him and he smiled as he kissed her, nodding.

  “You’ve raised the bar, Cheri.”

  “Hmmm?”

  “This was quite a birthday present. I have a lot to live up to now. Especially given that your birthday that’s coming up is a rather important one, non?” he brushed her hair to the side and kissed her neck and shoulders.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m only 28.” Sam tried to play that off, she could feel him smiling against her.

  “Really, only 28, eh? Hmmm, my mistake, Cheri. Ok, nevermind. Nothing special about turning 29. I guess I won’t put much thought or effort into such a meaningless birthday.”

  She laughed. The truth was, she hadn’t put much thought into the fact that she was turning 40. So much had happened in the last year, not that she usually put a lot of thought into birthdays anyway. But, they were always a good time to take stock of where she was at in life, though she never made a big deal out of them. Even still, it was hard not to think of turning 40 as being just that: a big deal.

  CHAPTER 13

  Sam knew that at almost 40 she was in a great place. Never before did she have as full of a life as she did right then, and she knew that was because of her relationship with Laurent. Her business was doing better than ever before, also in no small way due to Laurent. She had never really thought about just how much a part of her life he was now, not that it wasn’t obvious but the reality that she had so many eggs in one basket startled and concerned her. Her business had always been her own, and it still was. But with so much of the agency billings coming from The Network account, she couldn’t help but be a little worried. This internal tug of war was her only real conflict, not that there was anything to do or change, but the realization that without Laurent in her life, it wouldn’t just be her personal life that would change, it had the potential to affect her career too.

  Everything was going great with him, so there was no reason for alarm, but it was a good reminder to her that she had to diversify, and all the more reason they needed to win the TimeCap account. The billings weren’t as much as The Network, but they would be a very big piece of the agency pie if they were to win it.

  Sam knew that it would be a juggling act though. She knew that Laurent wanted her only on his account. She would have to work on this with him. He would need to understand that, for the health of her agency, she had to be a part of other things. This was not a conversation she wanted to have, but she knew she needed to.

  This being business, Sam approached it the way she would any other account. She scheduled time with his assistant and sent him an email outlining her agenda. She purposely made it separate from their standing Friday morning meeting so that he couldn’t accuse her of already intruding on time spent on his account.

  While it had always ben Sam’s desire to have separation between business and personal, she’d be lying to say that it was really 100% possible. After all of the ‘non-business’ things that they did during their business meetings, she’d be a hypocrite if she said that there was a clear line in the sand. Even still, they both were at a place where their meetings were professional and focused, but truth be told, they started and ended most meetings with a kiss, and that right there made for a grey area. Sam knew she couldn’t just turn off their p
ersonal relationship. But she did feel they had struck a respectable balance. Especially after their last meeting where she had blurred the lines. Since then, she was even more aware of keeping things separate.

  Sam chastised herself for being nervous before the meeting. She hated that she felt that way. She didn’t want him mad or upset, and logically, she knew that it was unrealistic to think that everything would be perfect all the time. But she knew Laurent. She also knew that she was probably overly-sensitive to the situation. If it were any other client, she actually would probably be more deferential, but because it was him, she felt like she had to be even stronger so that there would be no question of special treatment for him. Of course, the only ones who would ever know if it were special treatment were Sam and Laurent. But she couldn’t get over the nagging thought that anyone out there might question her merit.

  Sam walked in and was greeted by a very officious Laurent who simply said, “Samantha, you wanted to meet?” Even though they were her rules, it was so odd that she was lying in this man’s bed just a few hours before, and now he treated her like he couldn’t even give her the time of day. He wasn’t rude, he was just, well this meeting wasn’t a priority for him during his busy day.

  “Yes, Laurent. Thank you for making the time.” She was thinking that their roll playing for his birthday was less roll playing than this. “As you know, I’m involved in pitching and winning new business for my agency. When you first awarded us your account last year, we agreed I’d be dedicated to it for the launch, and now that we’re nearing year two, as things have changed, so has the need for my full time dedication to it.”

  “Yes, we’ve discussed that.”

  “And you’ve been very accommodating, thank you. I wanted to start discussing year two launch goals and ideas, but I also want to plan for things in the event that our agency wins a new large account. Typically, I wouldn’t discuss this with another client, but given that it could potentially affect our working relationship, I wanted to make sure there were no surprises and that you were comfortable with what we will hopefully both agree is an equitable solution.” Sam had to focus on keeping her voice strong. It was surprisingly difficult not to just relax and talk like the couple they were. But she would not give in.

  “I see. Well, I would be most comfortable with you only working on my business. I believe that the size of the account as well as the agreement we had at the outset warrants that.” He clearly was not going to make this easy for Sam. She knew he was teaching her a lesson. If she didn’t want special treatment, he would give her the Laurent Roman everyone else deals with.

  “I understand, and you’ve been very gracious to relax those stipulations. What I would like to propose is the following: We’re already working on season two launches for the various returning shows, and you’ve seen some of them. We have ideas for an overall brand refresh, but there needs to be a discussion if it even needs one, or if it would confuse consumers at this early stage. We’ve done preliminary brand research and have a good idea of how The Network experience is resonating with audiences versus how the specific shows are, and whether or not the brand is important to users. There are arguments that show audiences don’t care how they find their entertainment, they just watch the shows, and there are other stats that show the user experience is one of the things that gets them there in the first place.” Sam could see that she had his attention and he liked where this was going. She hadn’t ignored his work at all. Though he was a very good poker player and didn’t give very much away at all.

  “So, I’d like to actually increase the frequency of our meetings over these next few weeks as we ramp up for season two. We’ll be ready to present two very different campaigns, each supporting a different argument. That way, we’ll have creative to react to which we think will help guide the decision and direction for next steps. Once you’re comfortable knowing that season two is as important to us as everything else we’ve worked on, then I can review what the rest of the schedule will look like vis a vis our working together and my dedication to your account.”

  “Very well. Set up the meetings with my assistant. Thank you, Samantha.” And with that, he turned to his computer and started typing. Sam was pretty sure that she was dismissed. More than that, she wondered if he was just making a point, or if he was this much of a prick to everyone he wasn’t sleeping with.

  CHAPTER 14

  Sam left Laurent’s offices and headed straight to a prelight for a photoshoot. She had worked with many photographers over the years, but when she had her choice, she always chose Alex Marché. There were a lot of photographers in their niche industry who had made names for themselves, and Alex was one of them. She had been shooting talent for almost as long as Sam had been in the business and they worked really well together.

  They were both no-nonsense women in male dominated fields, though Alex was a lot easier going than Sam, which, given Sam’s personality, wasn’t difficult to be. And that was one of the things that made Alex such a great photographer. She was so easy and natural with the talent that she put everyone at ease, and on a photoshoot, being able to get what’s needed out of Hollywood stars is half the battle. The other half of course is the work. Alex’s lighting was beautiful. No matter how many people said they could match her lighting or give their work the ‘Alex Marché look’ few ever could. Her work was never overly treated or trendy, it was always just great.

  Sam and Alex had had drinks together over the years, and on some location shoots had a chance to get to know each other better. But with both of their lives being as hectic and busy as they were, usually, the only time the two women got a chance to see each other was when they were working together.

  Perhaps as important as her photographic skills was the fact that Sam trusted Alex and vice versa. And in this industry, that was saying a lot. In fact, Alex was on a very short list of people Sam trusted. The fact that Alex was a fellow native Angeleno and pit bull owner sealed the deal practically guaranteeing a friendship between the two.

  Sam didn’t need to be at the prelight, but she was a bit out of sorts after her Laurent meeting and for once, didn’t feel like going back to the office and burying herself in work would solve everything.

  “Sam! What a nice surprise!” Alex gushed when she saw Sam walk on the set. Alex put her camera down and came over to give Sam a big hug.

  “Hey, Alex, God it’s good to see you!” Sam replied as they hugged. She was so genuinely happy to see her.

  “You look great!” they said in unison to each other and then laughed. Alex always did look great. Tall, slim, and she was in her signature outfit: white tank top, jeans that hung on her hips and tennis shoes. She was a natural beauty. And, holding a 5-10lb camera all day almost every day gave her arms any pilates devotee would die for.

  “So, to what do I owe this honor? You checkin’ up on Steve?” Alex said loud enough so Steve would hear. He just rolled his eyes as he walked over and gave Sam a knowing hug.

  “Meeting go that poorly?” Steve asked.

  Sam shook her head, “No, actually, it went surprisingly, um, fine. He agreed to all my points and suggestions, so, yeah…” Sam trailed off. Alex looked at Steve and then at Sam.

  Steve looked at Alex and said in a hushed tone, “Boyfriend issues.” Sam gave Steve a punch in the arm “Ouch! That hurt!” Sam glared at him, “It’s not my fault that you and Monsieur Román are having a hard time finding that work / life balance.”

  Sam wasn’t sure she wanted to air her dirty laundry here, but Steve already knew all her shit. He was one of the only people who had any idea what really was going on with her and Laurent, not that Sam shared much. But he was typically the one who Sam would end up talking with since most of her issues with Laurent revolved around work.

  “I haven’t seen you in so long, Sam. The last time I did, you had just won the account. Have we seen each other since you’ve been with him?” Sam shook her head no.

  “It’s been kind of a whirlwind
.” Sam said apologetically.

  “Oh honey, you don’t owe me any explanation! I was just trying to remember! The only way I know when something happened is by tying it back to a shoot. Some people say, ‘oh yeah, that happened in 2008 when our daughter started first grade.’ The only way I know is by thinking back to who I shot!” Sam chuckled. She knew exactly what Alex meant. For her, it was when they won or lost an account.

  “You know, if your prima donna creative director here is happy with this last setup, then I think we can wrap and walk up to La Luna Cantina to grab a margarita.” Alex teased.

  “Like you could ever light anything I wouldn’t love. You know it’s perfect! Plus, I think you girls could use a little time to catch up… and I’m guessing Sammy here could use a margarita or two!”

  Sam smiled and held up two fingers. Steve looked back and raised his eyebrows, holding up three fingers. Sam laughed, “Well, I’m not shooting tomorrow, so maybe I will have three!”

  “I’m just going to tell the guys that we’re all set and finish up with them, give me 5 minutes.” Alex said as she started walking over to her crew. Which gave Sam a few minutes to talk with Steve.

  “Ok, so the meeting went well… yet you’re here, at a prelight? You know me, Sam, I’m no good at math but something doesn’t add up.”

  Sam rolled her eyes, “Do you practice those lines, Steve?”

  “My cuteness just comes naturally.” He flashed her a grin and put his fingers into his dimples earning another eye roll. “Ok, so are you going to tell me what’s up?”

  “Honestly, Steve, I don’t even know. He was completely professional. Like really, really professional. Like a total stranger professional.”

  “Honey, you’re not going to want to hear me say this,” as he said that, Sam crossed her arms defensively and he smiled, as he gently peeled her arms away and replaced them down at her sides, “That’s better.” She promptly crossed them again. “Whatever. Anyway, Sam, you’re the one who keeps harping on this whole separation of work and personal. So, he’s finally giving you what you want. And now you’re pissed?”