“I am late for yoga.” Athena told the woman mildly.
“You can miss one class? We have business to discuss.”
“You know how I hate discussing business especially when I have exercise to do.”
“You hate discussing business period.” Sandra Moncrieff told her with a frown. “We need to renegotiate the contract and I need your input Athena.”
“Send me an email and we will talk, in the meantime, I have to dash.” Without giving the woman time to protest, she hurried away, avoiding the rest of the crew in the process.
*****
“Mother…!” Alan looked up from the contract he was perusing as Deidre walked gracefully into his office. “How can I help you…?”
“I told the assistant not to bother announcing me.” She took a seat at the edge of the chair and stared at the handsome blonde man seated behind the massive oak desk, a prod feeling in the pit of her stomach. “We need to talk about the function for Saturday.”
Alan stifled a sigh and put away the document. “Isn’t that the party for the advertising campaign?”
“The one you were supposed to show up for this morning?” His mother asked him dryly.
“Yes.”
“I am sorry….”
She lifted her hands to stop him. “I know that you were in a meeting all morning and could not get away. But I really would like you to show up for that party. Your father and I have a function on Saturday and will not be able to make it.”
He sent her a retiring look. “I will try and make it.”
“I need more than that darling and your dad and I were thinking that you could take Rachel with you.”
His thick blonde brows lifted. “Is this some sort of intervention?”
“Darling, she is a really nice fit for you, and we like her a lot.”
“Mother…!”
“I know that it seems like we are interfering, but we want what’s best for you.”
“And you decide that in order to get what you want, you are going to push Rachel and I together.”
Deidre clasped her hands together in her lap. “We want to see you married and with a couple of grandchildren running around.” She got to her feet gracefully as his intercom sounded. “I guess that’s my cue to leave you to it.”
Alan watched her leave with a furrow on his brow before he reached for the button.
*****
“God…! It’s so great to see you.” Athena stepped out of his arms and took a long swift look at him. “And you look like you lost weight,” A frown touched her smooth brow. “What’s going on?”
“Can we at least have a seat?” Jeff Bolan said with a laugh as he took her hands and squeezed them. “I promise that as soon as we polish off the delicious roast beef and baby carrots that this place is famous for, I will get right into it.” He held her at arm’s length. “Wow!” his dark brown eyes glowed. “You are a sight for sore eyes.”
She struck a pose, a wide smile parting her cranberry coated lips, revealing white teeth. “You are looking at the new face of ‘Self-Absorbed’. I did the first commercial today and was told that it was a hit.”
Jeff stared at the striking woman in front of him that he had always thought of as an African goddess with her flawless dark skin, beautiful smile and large dark brown eyes. He had entertained thoughts of being with her but had to acknowledge that he was gay and there were two ways around it. They had become fast friends several years ago when they had been doing an anti-discrimination commercial and he was grateful for her friendship. She kept him steady and stopped him from getting crazy when life got too hard to bear. His parents were middle-class people who refused to accept his way of life and the way he was. Even though they had not cut him out of their lives, they never stopped pushing girls at him, wanting to ‘cure’ him of his ways. “You are glowing. And no one deserves that break more than you.” He took his seat and so did she.
The besotted waiter came rushing forward, his eyes on Athena as they placed their orders.
“I see you have garnered another admirer,” Jeff teased. “It’s a wonder you are not settled down with two kids and a house with a white picket fence.”
Athena grimaced as she sipped her Perrier. “I hate white picket fences. Give me something with a grill – maybe wrought iron or chain link fence and I am good with that.”
“And you are straying off the subject.”
“Who is straying?” She grinned at him, the grin fading as she took in his lean face. Jeff Bolan was a handsome man whose beauty looked haunted enough to attract both males and females to him. He had a compact and neat body that was slight with a coffee and cream complexion, a legacy from his white mother and black father. His hair was a mass of curls that had been clipped short at the sides and at the back and large dark brown eyes that always had a sad and pensive look to them. Athena knew his past and the fact that even though his career as a model was very successful, he was not happy. He had been through a number of pretty abusive relationships that makes her want to tear out her cropped curls at how gullible he was. He made her want to tuck him under her arm and never leave his side. People took advantage of how passive and kind he was. They had two very different personalities that she wondered at their close friendship. Athena was aggressive and very outspoken; never allowing anyone to get away with anything but Jeff was afraid of scenes and always took the easy way out.
She waited until their meals had arrived before she said anything. “You look like hell.” She told him quietly.
He laughed softly and picked at his beef. “I can always count on you to be straight with me. I just saw Cynthia, my agent and she told me how wonderful I look.”
“Cynthia is a lying bitch and is more concerned on stroking your ego. While I am your friend….”
“My best friend.”
She looked at him, her face softened, her eyes examining his delicate features closely. “And you are getting maudlin on me darling. What’s going on?”
“It’s Pierre.”
“Oh Jesus!” Athena practically threw her hands in the air. “Don’t tell me you are still seeing that asshole Jeff! He is a player and is only into you for what he can get out of you. What did he do now? Max out another credit card? Cheat on you with some lowlife!”
“He is dead.”
Athena placed the glass carefully onto the table as she stared at him. “How?”