Art of Love, page 5
Wow, this all just kept getting better and better, didn’t it?
Shit! I thought I actually had a shot at doing this, but now I knew exactly why John was all buzzed up about Hunter’s work. He had to have known he was getting the real deal straight from the loins of Peter Belmont.
I was surprised Carla didn’t know that, but maybe John thought it would be more interesting if Hunter shared that info, as opposed to looking like he’d considered him for the job purely because of that. Yes, it was that. John was mindful of things like that.
“Well, Jia, over to you.” Carla smiled at me. She was giving me her usual warmth and encouragement. I just didn’t know how I was supposed to follow that up.
I couldn’t very well say ‘HI, I’m Jia Callahan, daughter of Pricilla Callahan the beautician, and Bruce, I’m not sure what his surname is and didn’t care to find out because as far as I’m concerned, my father was just a sperm donor. And as to grandparents, my grandmother made homemade jam for a living before she died, and my grandfather worked in a grocery store. The same one he started to work in when he was sixteen.’ At least that showed he was diligent.
I was momentarily stunned, and I really didn’t know what to say to make myself sound good.
“I’m Jia.” Great start. “I was the only person in my family to go to college. I came across John’s work back in high school, and I worked hard ever since to have a chance to be part of Impasso. I got that chance, and due to unfortunate circumstances, I had to cut my length of internship short, but I’m here again for another shot.” Nutshell. All in a nutshell, and it was all the truth.
That specifically was me. It was the woman I was outside of all that had happened to me in the last few years, and I guess beyond that. I could have said, too, that I got a scholarship to go to Columbia University. That was perhaps the first good thing to happen to me in my life because there was no way that Mom would have been able to pay for me to go to college otherwise.
Carla smiled, but the look in her eyes showed she kind of expected me to say a little more than that, but I really couldn’t follow Hunter’s declaration that he was the grandson of one of the greatest artists of the twentieth century.
“Cool. Okay, now that’s done, let’s get to the meat of the meeting.”
Carla walked over to us and handed us each a folder.
“This looks interesting,” Hunter stated when he opened up his folder.
“It is and very well thought out.” Carla looked proud. “Part A consist of your team work tasks, which I will personally oversee and grade. John thinks of me as the heart of this establishment, so, guys, you have to convince me that you can work together for those tasks. I want to see initiative and collaboration. Communication and a process where you both work through what you want to achieve and get it done in a way that blows my mind.”
John was a tough cookie to crack, but Carla could always see through bullshit. There would be no tricking her or fooling her in any way.
She cleared her throat and continued. “Part A is fortunately made up of one task I created for you to fulfill together. It is simply this. As artists, think of something that will be a great opener for the guests as they enter the show. You, or whatever idea you come up with, will be the first thing they see when they enter Impasso. What we need to see is listed there in your folders.”
I read the top paragraph:
Design something creative either in keeping with the show or Impasso as a whole. This thing should be striking, bold, and so stunning that guests will barely want to leave you to see the rest of the exhibition.
I stopped reading because my brain went blank. This was completely different to what I had to do years back when I joined.
“So, it could be us or a thing?” Hunter asked, sounding like he’d already come up with an idea.
I glanced at him out the corner of my eye. He did seem like he had come up with something.
“Exactly. The first show is in two weeks. So, you have two weeks to plan and design your idea.”
“Okay, sounds simple enough.”
“Does it?” I had to cut in because to me it did not. “And that’s such short notice. The shows you guys pull off are pretty amazing. How are we supposed to come up with something in two weeks and get it ready for show standard?”
Carla simply smiled. “That, my friend, is part of the test. Putting together something on a whim’s notice and making it amazing enough to outshine the main event. It’s like upstaging a bride at her wedding.”
“I’m pretty certain we got this,” Hunter chimed in.
“I love your positive attitude, Hunter.” Carla gave him a look of appreciation.
“I’m just happy for the opportunity. Can’t complain, really.” He smiled that slow easy smile, and I suppose that was him trying to do the same thing I did earlier by attempting to make him feel uncomfortable.
It was working because I felt even more uncomfortable than I already did the minute I found out who his grandfather was.
He’d pretty much served me my own sauce with that one and handed me my ass.
“I know exactly what you mean. Anyway, that is just part A. Part B is where John gets involved, and winning him over is a lot more work than impressing me. We have eight shows in the next sixteen weeks. You will be required to work every night the show runs from seven until nine, but you must get here an hour before show time to get ready. On the first two weeks of the tour the show days will be Monday through Saturday, after that Tuesday to Saturday. Your team work piece will run for the first six weeks of the tour. Each show runs for two to three weeks showcasing the art work of each of the permanent members of Impasso. Aside from the teamwork assignment, you must work with the assistants and artists. You will be given a two-week period at the end of the tour to work on your individual portfolios on which you will be judged by John. That time will be for you to create your collection, but I suggest you start your prep before. The topic he wants you to focus on is elements.”
“Elements like water, fire, earth, and wind?” I asked with narrowed eyes.
She smiled. “ The elements are actually based on the creation of Impasso. John wants your answers to be reflected in your collection. He’s given you some clues listed in the instructions, but I’ll quickly go over them. They are: Something he loved from his childhood, something that inspired him to create the company, a year of reckoning for him, and lastly, the worst thing that ever happened to him.”
Hunter and I exchanged glances.
The kind that showed me he was as surprised as I was about the tasks. I didn’t know what he knew about John, but I knew for darned certain that those questions, or whatever they were, were vague. The only clear one could have been something that inspired John to create the company.
Most people knew that was his love for abstract art. He wanted to create something unique that blended techniques and brought them together to create something wonderful. Very much like Peter Belmont’s work, but John was more eccentric. That led me to believe that the answer wasn’t as simple as that.
“You will find clues to those things in the exhibitions you see from the other artists,” Carla continued. “But it’s for you to work out what you think the answers are and create something based off that. You will have all the answers to those clues by the end of the third exhibition.”
“And we have to work together for that?” I couldn’t see how.
“Not exactly, but I leave that to you, bearing in mind the ethos we live by here and also that you are competing against each other. This will give John the chance to see what you’re made of.”
I saw the twists and turns of this.
I glanced over at Hunter again but looked away when he looked at me.
I didn’t like any of it one bit.
“Any questions?”
I shook my head.
“Not from me,” Hunter answered.
“Well, I‘m here at your beck and call if you need help. Or need to talk about ideas. John’s asked Diedre to step in, so I can be free to help you guys, please don’t be afraid to ask me for any assistance. If you don’t, I’ll assume you’re both okay. Clear?” She put her thumbs up.
“Clear.” I nodded, and so did Hunter.
“Good. I guess that’s all from me today. Your time starts now. Feel free to use everything at your disposal. This room is yours, so do whatever you need to in here and use what you need. The exhibition floor is also nearly finished for the first show. Juliana Lordes will be doing that. I think she’ll be in later, so you can ask questions if you want. John is busy until tomorrow. Stephan is around later, and I think a few of the others.”
I was meeting Stephan later. At least that was a plus. Maybe I could ask him a few questions to get my mind together or on track.
“Thank you,” I told her.
“Yes, thanks.”
“Great, good luck, guys. I’m rooting for both of you.”
Although ultimately only one of us could get the job. I suppose if I wasn’t successful, I could use my time here as something.
But if I wasn’t successful, I’d only have a job until the end of the year. For me that was what it boiled down to. Not like Mr. Big Shot Lawyer.
Silverman’s.
I couldn’t even conceive the type of salary he must have been on. Why would he give that up to do this?
Stupid question. I knew why. It was the same reason I moved across country when I had a stable job at the accountancy firm and the hospital.
Chasing the dream of something you really wanted to do.
Carla left us, and instantly, silence filled the room.
Hunter and I sat side by side, not speaking.
I was pretty certain I was barely breathing. That part wasn’t down to what Carla just laid out. It was simply us.
Him and me. I still couldn’t remember what had happened between us, and it really, really got to me.
In my stupor of worry yesterday, it never occurred to me to go to the drug store to get the morning-after pill. And when it did occur to me, I wondered if I really could take something like that. I wasn’t against anyone who would be; it was just me. My own personal preference. Besides, there was a reason why it was called the morning-after pill and not the night-after. I didn’t think it would work if I’d taken it last night when it crossed my mind.
I turned my head slightly and looked at Hunter’s handsome profile.
What is he thinking?
It was funny how out of the two of us, he seemed the calmest, and I was the one who’d worked here before.
Then again, out of the two of us, only one of us was worried she was pregnant.
God, I’d have to gear myself up to buy a pregnancy test. I didn’t even know when would be soon enough to tell. There were those two-week ones that First Response did. They had them at the hospital.
“Jesus, woman. Your thoughts are deafening,” Hunter suddenly spoke, shocking me.
“You can’t hear my thoughts,” I snapped back. “Or is that another specialty of yours?”
He twisted to face me. “I can feel the tension rippling off you.”
I couldn’t argue with that. “Well, excuse me. I can’t exactly help it.”
He looked at me and bit the inside of his lip. “Do you want to get out of here?”
Déjà vu.
Those words made something click in my mind. Like he’d said it before...
Must have been at the bar the other night. I remembered him saying that, and I remembered feeling turned on.
He smiled. “Having a memory?”
“Why would you think that?”
“Your cheeks are red. I was hoping you were thinking about the other night.”
“I’m not sure why you think my misfortune is funny.”
“You think sleeping with me is misfortune? Love, most women would kill to sleep with me.”
I looked at him and blinked several times. The thing was, I didn’t doubt what he was saying. I just couldn’t stand men who were full of themselves.
“Not me.”
“And yet you did, and all because you thought I looked like Brad Pitt.” He chuckled, looking like he was loving this far too much.
“Maybe if you didn’t idolize the man, I wouldn’t have thought that. Who knows, your accent may even be fake.” I didn’t know why, but I seemed to lose my nerve around this man and start acting like a teenager who didn’t think before she spoke.
He laughed, and the sound reached deep inside me. “Dearest Jia, I can’t do much for you if you think my accent is fake, and I can’t do much either if according to you, I look like and now idolize Brad Pitt. Thanks for the compliment. Now, as much as I love these battle sessions of ours and would love to continue with them because it’s sort of sexy to watch you pout like that, we need to get down to business and get to work.”
It was the way he spoke. That was what made me crazy. The combo of the accent and what he said.
“I’m not pouting. I’m scowling.”
“Okay, it’s still sexy. And we still need to get to work.”
“I don’t want to work with you.” I shook my head.
“Ouch. Can I ask why?”
Now I was pretty sure I was full-on scowling. “Really? Does two nights ago ring a bell?”
He leaned forward, too close, and I could smell the alluring scent of his aftershave. I caught a glimpse of his tattoo on the edge of his neck, and my eyes lingered there.
“Jia.” He tilted his head to the side, and his locks fell across his shoulder.
“What?”
“Can you really say, hand on heart, that you’re mad at me because what happened two nights ago was all my fault?”
“Well...”
He was inches away from my face, and it was hard to think about the question when he was so close I could see the slight changes to the hue in his eyes.
“Well, what? Am I required to assess how drunk you are when both of us set out to drown our sorrows in a bar load of drinks?”
I knew what he was saying. I knew he was right. I was still so mad though, but mad at myself. More than at him. He was just a reminder.
“No. I guess not.”
“Also, can I point out that you could have done worse? Thank God, you just happened to see me first. You could have ended up with Bubba.”
“Bubba? I don’t remember any Bubba.”
“You don’t remember anything,” he pointed out. “Anyway, I think we have bigger fish to fry. In case you didn’t notice, if John thought either of us were that special, he would have made up his mind already and not put us through all this. That means we each have an equal chance, and to get that, we at least have to pass the first hurdle.”
I sighed. Again, he was right.
“The first hurdle. Creating something spectacular to outdo the main exhibition, so he can tell if we have what it takes to woo a crowd when it comes to doing our own.” That was the full analysis of it.
“Sure, what you said. So, back to my initial question. Do you want to get out of here?”
“You want me to go somewhere with you?” I gave him a pensive look.
“Yeah.”
“To do what?”
He chuckled. “Don’t worry, there will be no reruns of the other night. Yet.”
“Yet? Excuse me? What makes you think I’d make the same mistake twice?”
“Dear Jia, I kind of know now how to seduce you and what buttons to press. Also, now that I’ve seen you naked, it’s an image I can’t quite get out of my mind, but that’s a discussion for another time.”
“You are a jerk.”
“Maybe. Anyway, I don’t know about you, but I don’t get my creativity from being cooped up in a room. I’ve also seen Juliana’s previous exhibitions and the other two that follow hers. We’re going to have a hard time coming up with something in two weeks. So,”—he stood up—“you coming?”
I sighed and stood too. I guess I was going wherever he was planning to go.
What a damn mess.
Shit.
Chapter 7
Hunter
***
I took her to Ceroc. A fancy little diner by the river.
We sat outside in a private booth.
She looked uncomfortable from the minute we stepped inside, and just now, when the waitress came to take our orders, she asked for a glass of tap water and a bread roll. That was it.
“Aren’t you hungry?”
“I don’t eat much during the day,” she answered. Her eyes didn’t quite meet mine, and that beautiful color flushed over her cheeks.
Once again, I found myself thinking back to the other night, but not for her gorgeous body. I was thinking about what she’d told me, and from what she’d said, I knew she was broke. So, I decided on doing something my grandfather encouraged me to do. Mom couldn’t stand his sayings, but I loved the stuff he would come out with.
Easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to get permission.
Grandfather had a little book with quotes he’d picked up over the years. That one was from Admiral Grace Murray Hopper. I’d heard people use the saying a lot. Today was the first time I found the need to call on it.
“Do you eat meat?” I asked her.
“Yes.” She looked at me now.
“Fantastic.” I signaled for the waitress to come back. She marched over with her pen and notebook in hand.
“Hi, how can I help?”
“My friend’s decided she’d like to break her diet. I don’t know why she thinks she needs to be on such a thing. Look at her. She’s completely perfect.”
Jia’s cheeks flushed, and she tried to keep up her usual annoyed look with me but failed. “What are you doing?”
“Getting you food, love. Don’t want you to waste away.”
“The roll is fine.”
“The roll isn’t fine,” I argued.
“It is.”
“It is not.” The waitress giggled at our silly back and forth argument. “My lady will have a roast chicken salad sandwich with ...” I scanned the menu before me. Jia looked like a sweet potato fries girl. I loved them. “Sweet potato fries. And can you grab us both a large mug of your deluxe chocolate?”
