indicated.
This was a very strange job.
I finished dressing, examined myself, and decided I looked as good as I was going to. I headed downstairs shortly after seven.
Andrea had a room she referred to as "the library". I went in, found a book about ancient Crete I hadn't read, and settled in.
Andrea came downstairs at seven-twenty. I heard her call my name. "Library," I said. "Coming."
I was putting the book back when she stepped in. I turned around, and she was stunning.
"All right," she said. "Let me see you. Hmm. Dress is under-stated like a little black dress should be. Those shoes look new."
"They are."
She stepped closer. "However, you are inadequately adorned. Come with me."
I followed her to her back upstairs to her room. "First, let us make a few very minor adjustments."
She brushed at my face with her cosmetic brushes and otherwise fussed at me for just a moment. "There. Now, adornment." She stepped to her dresser and opened a large jewelry box. "Come here, please."
I stepped up next to her. She held one set of earrings to my ears, then another. "Maybe these," she said with the third. Then she went through her necklaces. "Hmm. None of these. We'll break out the big guns."
I watched as she disappeared into her closet and returned after a moment with a jewelry case. The case looked expensive.
"The jewelry is a loan," she said. Then she draped the most amazing white gold, diamond, amethyst necklace around my neck and fastened it. "Yes, that works, but not with these earrings." She selected a set of earrings, removed the ones I was wearing, and replaced them with hers. "There. Much better."
She pulled me to a mirror and I gawked at myself.
She looked at me once more. "One more touch." She stepped to her closet and returned with a pashmina. She draped it over my shoulders. "Perfect."
I was too stunned by everything to say a word. Instead I followed her meekly down the stairs and back to her car.
As we drove, she said, "You are my date tonight. I hate attending these events alone. I had a very nice gentleman lined up, but he was called out of town on business. It is way too late to call anyone else and say, ' You were not my first choice, but would you come anyway?'"
"I understand," I said. "Except about the date part."
"That is probabl y a poor word choice on my part," she said. "In an earlier age, I might have asked you to escort me to the event. But now that word has come to mean something else entirely."
She paused while she navigated traffic.
"It is easier for me to tell you what I don't mean. I am not attempting something that would result in a sexual harassment lawsuit. On the flip side, I would prefer you don't flirt with any gentlemen tonight. But I don't want you to act as an assistant, either. Perhaps 'companion' is a better word."
I thought about it. "A date without the sexual undertones."
"Is that all right?"
"Yes. I am looking forward to it. Does that mean you're going to hold doors for me?"
She laughed.
We drove in silence for a few minutes.
"I want to ask something, but I don't know if it's something I am supposed to figure out without asking."
She laughed again. "You can always ask. Nothing is a test."
"Am I being groomed for something?"
She didn't answer right away.
"Does silence mean 'yes'?" I asked after a minute. "Or does it mean, 'I am not answering that'?"
"Silence means, 'I wasn't expecting you to figure it out'. At least not so fast. Yes, you're being groomed. Do you mind?"
"No. Is tonight part of the grooming?"
"Yes. But before you ask, yes, there was a gentleman. Yes, he cancelled this week. I've had tonight's tickets for months. However, I wasn't upset he cancelled, because it gave me an opportunity to invite you." She paused. "You're going to be around some fairly high powered clients in the future. This gives you a chance to get used to it when it doesn't matter."
"All right," I said. "Thank you for explaining."
The event was back downtown. We pulled off the
This was a very strange job.
I finished dressing, examined myself, and decided I looked as good as I was going to. I headed downstairs shortly after seven.
Andrea had a room she referred to as "the library". I went in, found a book about ancient Crete I hadn't read, and settled in.
Andrea came downstairs at seven-twenty. I heard her call my name. "Library," I said. "Coming."
I was putting the book back when she stepped in. I turned around, and she was stunning.
"All right," she said. "Let me see you. Hmm. Dress is under-stated like a little black dress should be. Those shoes look new."
"They are."
She stepped closer. "However, you are inadequately adorned. Come with me."
I followed her to her back upstairs to her room. "First, let us make a few very minor adjustments."
She brushed at my face with her cosmetic brushes and otherwise fussed at me for just a moment. "There. Now, adornment." She stepped to her dresser and opened a large jewelry box. "Come here, please."
I stepped up next to her. She held one set of earrings to my ears, then another. "Maybe these," she said with the third. Then she went through her necklaces. "Hmm. None of these. We'll break out the big guns."
I watched as she disappeared into her closet and returned after a moment with a jewelry case. The case looked expensive.
"The jewelry is a loan," she said. Then she draped the most amazing white gold, diamond, amethyst necklace around my neck and fastened it. "Yes, that works, but not with these earrings." She selected a set of earrings, removed the ones I was wearing, and replaced them with hers. "There. Much better."
She pulled me to a mirror and I gawked at myself.
She looked at me once more. "One more touch." She stepped to her closet and returned with a pashmina. She draped it over my shoulders. "Perfect."
I was too stunned by everything to say a word. Instead I followed her meekly down the stairs and back to her car.
As we drove, she said, "You are my date tonight. I hate attending these events alone. I had a very nice gentleman lined up, but he was called out of town on business. It is way too late to call anyone else and say, ' You were not my first choice, but would you come anyway?'"
"I understand," I said. "Except about the date part."
"That is probabl y a poor word choice on my part," she said. "In an earlier age, I might have asked you to escort me to the event. But now that word has come to mean something else entirely."
She paused while she navigated traffic.
"It is easier for me to tell you what I don't mean. I am not attempting something that would result in a sexual harassment lawsuit. On the flip side, I would prefer you don't flirt with any gentlemen tonight. But I don't want you to act as an assistant, either. Perhaps 'companion' is a better word."
I thought about it. "A date without the sexual undertones."
"Is that all right?"
"Yes. I am looking forward to it. Does that mean you're going to hold doors for me?"
She laughed.
We drove in silence for a few minutes.
"I want to ask something, but I don't know if it's something I am supposed to figure out without asking."
She laughed again. "You can always ask. Nothing is a test."
"Am I being groomed for something?"
She didn't answer right away.
"Does silence mean 'yes'?" I asked after a minute. "Or does it mean, 'I am not answering that'?"
"Silence means, 'I wasn't expecting you to figure it out'. At least not so fast. Yes, you're being groomed. Do you mind?"
"No. Is tonight part of the grooming?"
"Yes. But before you ask, yes, there was a gentleman. Yes, he cancelled this week. I've had tonight's tickets for months. However, I wasn't upset he cancelled, because it gave me an opportunity to invite you." She paused. "You're going to be around some fairly high powered clients in the future. This gives you a chance to get used to it when it doesn't matter."
"All right," I said. "Thank you for explaining."
The event was back downtown. We pulled off the
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