Chapter 19: Chapter 19 - Ignorance Is Bliss
In my bathroom I had soft music playing as I took a hot shower to decompress from the events of today. 'Why of all times did she have to show up?' The whale exhibit was a place that whenever I wanted to relax and not think. The slow melodic movements of the whale sharks, the dark room, and the quiet was what I wanted but I could not even enjoy that.
'What exactly did Felix tell her about us? What has he told her about... me?' These thoughts crossed my mind at least a hundred times in the car ride home and even now as I washed away the soap. Though I kept a lot of things secret from Felix, we still had a long history. I have known him since I was in middle school and especially in college when we started dating.
That was a lot of years between us that he could share with her. Normally that would not matter, between my friends, all know at least one thing about me that the others in the group probably doesn't know. But its the fact that I know nothing about her that scares me.
I could look her up or investigate her but my pride stopped me from doing that. I am a firm believer in 'ignorance is bliss'. The less I knew the better.
I turned off the water and moved over to my vanity. Putting on my robe after I had toweled myself off, I began to work on my skincare. Unknowns like that were scary, it could be trouble. They were variables I could not predict. 'Lets just settle on keeping an eye on her movements and act only when she gets too close.'
Fiscal quarters usually ran every three months in a year. The next fiscal quarter would begin in a little over a month and a half. I had just that amount of time before at least the announcement of the art exhibition at the Cortez family annual gala. If he were to give artists of various mediums enough time to submit their work, most he could give if he kept it at the next quarter would be four months from today.
'I should probably hire some extra hands or offer some overtime hours for the team so we can handle our regular seasonal work as well as this project.' It was full steam ahead to match the probable deadlines.
The next few weeks flew by in a blur. I was going back and forth between my house and the studio and headquarters to approve billing, contracts, finalize decisions among other things. Soon enough the date the invitation stated for the gala was in less than a week.
Dean has been bugging me every so often asking to meet. I haven't had the time until today to fulfill his request. As I headed over to his office as surprisingly he was there I couldn't help but grumble a bit. 'This better be about work.'
I was in the middle of looking at casting profiles to see who could be the next ambassador for my jewelry company. It was a mix of singers and models and actors and actresses. I wasn't sure on who could fit the best. I managed to narrow it down to two but each person gave off a different vibe.
Fallon is a singer who is known for her eccentric style which was very avant-garde. She is bold and flashy which made me think she could be great for styling as she experiments with different textures and themes. Her attitude is also well known to be very polite and hard working which is ideal as I didn't want a pain in the neck.
The other was actress Joan Creed. She is an reputable actress who recently won an Oscar for her role in a major film. Visually she was stunning and her looks were more clean cut so styling her would be like working on a blank canvas. She has a lot of potential. She is also described by others as professional. She also would not be a bad choice.
Each of them have worn my pieces a few times to events so I felt that gave them each extra brownie points from me. I eventually made it to the tall building and walked up to the center information desk.
A free attendant immediately took me over to a specialized elevator and keyed in a code to take me to Deans floor. 'How fancy.' When the doors opened again I saw Dean sitting at his desk typing away on his laptop.
His look was totally different than the various stages of sober and drunk I have seen Dean in. He actually looked like a regular business man. His hair was neatly combed and he was in a crisp white long sleeve button up. Compared to his office which was decorated with various art pieces and seemed more woody with the neutral earth tones, he seemed out of place.
"Finally you made it. I am starving. Lets go out to eat." He stood up from his desk and began to make his way towards me. The rest of his outfit, which was now visible, was actually more like him. His pants were loose black slacks and he had a pair of beaten Converse on. He never really was one to dress up formally unless he had too.
'This sun of a gun.'
Why even have me make my way all the way downtown to his office if he wasn't planning on staying there. "Now princess don't give me that look trust I would never want to purposely waste your time." He shrugged on his usual leather jacket and led me out of his office and using the elevator it shot all the way down to the parking garage below.
He pulled me into a dark vehicle which had crazy tint on the windows. "I would never want you to come down if I could avoid it. Coming here was a pretense so anyone following you thinks we are just doing business."
I wanted to strangle him. "We ARE doing business." I said through gritted teeth. He laughed. "Princess you do know how to make me laugh. I know we are doing business but my way of doing business is by mixing it with pleasure. Having you come ensures that others don't say things that make you uncomfortable. I am trying to be considerate of your reputation."
"Besides, I haven't eaten and I wanted to see how your project was coming along. My apartment is just around the corner so we get privacy and I can relax."
I was a shocked and tad touched. In my haste I forgot we started this whole thing because of me and my reputation. For someone who couldn't care less of what others thought of him he still ensured my needs were met.
His apartment was this classic red brick building and of course he had the top floor to himself. He used a key to open the metal panel in the elevator to reveal the button to his floor. As we passed each floor to reach his home I felt my heart race a bit.
I was going to be alone with Dean in his home.
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