Authors: Thomas McDermott
“ Oh my God! I’m so sorry!” The young woman with chestnut hair was reaching to the ground for her purse. Taylor was irritated but unruffled. “I hope you’re alright.” She grabbed her bag and stood up looking him directly in the face. She stopped talking and began to stare. He stared back at her. Did she know him? How could that be possible? In all of Paris to run into someone from his past? Unlikely and yet she seemed so familiar to him. Her eyes. He knew those eyes and in one second he felt as if he knew everything about her. The moment passed quickly as logic began to fall into it’s proper place and the sense of disorientation faded away.
“No harm done.” He smiled at her. She was looking dazed as if she too recognized him. “Do we know each other?” He offered up as an ice breaker.
“No. I mean I don’t think so.” She continued to stare. Her eyes were wide with wonder She was very pretty with a full sensuous mouth and the prettiest hazel eyes which somehow reflected the colors in her hair. He felt as if he could stare at her all day. “I’m really sorry about this. I just have a lot on my mind and I’m running to get a coffee before I go back to work.” She continued to stare at him as if she couldn’t quite believe he was real. It was unnerving.
“Really everything’s fine. I’m just glad you ran into me before you got the coffee. I have a meeting in there with a very important lady. I would have hated to have to go in here looking like I drooled all over myself. He smiled an gave a little laugh and found himself glad to see her smiling back at him.
“I have a meeting with the president of the company at ten thirty.” She didn’t know why she was telling this to him. Maybe it was because out of the blue here was another American right in front of her. Now that she thought about it, she spoke English to him instead of French which was a very odd thing for her to do. She was definitely out of sorts today. “I have a meeting with the president at nine this morning! What a coincidence!” The more he looked at her and talked to her the more he was sure that they had met somewhere before. Maybe years ago in college and he just couldn’t remember. There was something so familiar about her. He just couldn’t place it, nor did he have the time. “I really must be off to this meeting though..Hey! What’s she like?” He nodded his head in the direction of Celgen.
“I have no idea. I’ve been an employee of hers for four months and I never met the lady. I’m hoping she’s nice” Sasha tried to make herself stop staring but couldn’t seem to manage it.
“Well, I hope for both of our sakes that she is very nice. It was nice running into you.!” He laughed at his own weak attempt at a joke. Thankfully, she laughed too.
“Yes, it was very nice. We should do it again sometime.” She tried to match his light mood. Still she just couldn’t stop staring. She thought she must be approaching rudeness at any second now. He smiled again and waved as he went toward the ominous doors of Celgen’s headquarters. She watched him walk assuredly in as if he belonged there. She still watched even as the building swallowed him up. She couldn’t believe it. This guy, this random stranger on the street was the man in he dream last night. The man she met and kissed underneath the trees was the man on the sidewalk. That was why he looked so familiar! She put her fingers to her lips as if expecting to find them swollen from a night of lovemaking. The dream seemed more like am memory than something her mind cooked up, especially when the main character from it shows up in her life the next day. She was completely dumbfounded. How could this be? She wanted to shrug it off as some mistake on her part but she was absolutely sure. The clothing was different of course, an the hair as well, but he was definitely Etienne from her dream. There was no doubt. She realized she did not need the coffee anymore. She was no longer nervous about meeting her boss. All she could think about was if and when and how she was going to meet him again. He was even more impressive in real life in the daytime! She waited for a few minutes before going back inside. She did not ant him thinking that she was following him.
Taylor flashed his pass at the security guards and spoke in his awful French.
“Bonjour!” They ignored his greeting and stared at his clearance pass. Taylor scanned the guards and found it unusual that these hovering giants with mass and muscle were in the lobby of such a fine place. These were the kinds of thugs one finds at the side of a merciless dictator. He made a mental note to check on security issues. He could see that they both carried guns which was very unusual for a make up company. After looking at his pass for an eternity they handed it back to him and directed him to the elevator.
“The fifth floor to the right.” With their officious tone they dismissed him. Taylor waked briskly to the evaluator and looked behind him. He was hoping the woman outside was somewhere near. He suddenly wished he had asked her name, or offered to take her out to lunch. He was sure they had met before, maybe long ago and wanted to find out where that would have been. He was still thinking of her when the doors swished open and let him in.
“Good Morning Mr. Hamilton.” A very pretty and well put together woman with black hair greeted him. She rose from her desk and extended her hand. Such tiny hands. He took one of them in his own and offered a professional handshake while sizing her up. Was everyone at Celgen beautiful? For a moment he amused himself thinking that it was a corporation full of beautiful women who planned to overthrow the male dominated world. Still, it might be e necessary in the beauty business to surround oneself with the best that the gene pool had to offer.
“Good morning. I have an appointment with Miss D’Aumont but I see you already know that.” He sadly let go of her hand.
“Of course she is expecting you. Please follow me.” She walked over to an ominous glass door making sure each step clicked loudly on the priceless marble floors. He followed her almost sheepishly .
“Mr. Hamilton, this is Ms. Celine D’Aumont.” Taylor didn’t speak. He had assumed they were going to be on a first name basis but decided to let her set the tone. Sitting behind a long high tech desk was Ms. D’Aumont. She was much more striking in person. The photos really did not do her justice. She was perfectly dressed, like everyone else in this building. He was beginning to feel like the poor country cousin. She certainly had a palpable presence about her. He could feel her sitting there as much as he could she her. She had not spoken a work yet and already he was starting to imagine fascinating things about this woman. He had a feeling that this woman he was looking at was nothing more than a carefully crafted disguise, and that the real Celine D’Aumont was someone else altogether. Someone that very few people had probably ever seen She was too perfect if there was such a thing. Her smile though friendly was fixed. It was like watching an actress in a role and he was simply another player in the plot. He needed to find out that the story line was before he began to play. She was definitely disarming. He had come prepared with and flattery but that all left his head the second he lay eyes on her. This was going to be a very interesting assignment without a doubt. Taylor could profile people better than anyone else he knew. Within the first two minutes of meeting her Taylor knew that Celine was using him and probably anyone else she could manipulate to push forward some unknown, yet immensely important agenda and he knew that she would stop at nothing to get what she wanted. He had met women like her before, though none to the perfection at which the CEO of Celgen possessed. He wanted to applaud her composure and her obvious insincerity for they were rarely ever played with such precision and imagination that Celine was capable of. He knew instantly that she was formidable in a way that he had never encountered before. If she wanted to keep something from him, she certainly would be able to do it without a problem. His mind instantly began searching for ways to get underneath the slick and polished exterior that Celine wore like battle armor. His lip curved up at the right in his familiar mischievous smile. He was going to enjoy this far more than he had ever anticipated and he was absolutely sure now that she was hiding something. It had to be something big to go through this much trouble to make him comfortable and he was getting the exclusive interview. He knew that Celine must view him as an underling and a pawn in some game, he wanted to maintain and encourage this illusion she harbored for it would grant him a little time and eventually the upper hand. It was beginning to feel like a game now and the strange thing was that the game felt old and familiar as if he had picked up a chess piece after an eternity of pondering and put it into play, resuming the game once again.
“Mr. Hamilton.” Her voice matched her face; Smooth and flawless with false tones of empathy. “May I call you Taylor?” She did not offer her hand like the secretary. It seemed like something beneath her and he got the feeling that she would have much preferred him to kiss one of her glittering rings in an action of subservience. That was it! He tried not to change the smile on his face. She liked to dominate people and he was ninety nine percent sure that she loved to dominate men in business and in life and most definitely in love. She was a force to be reckoned with and in thirty seconds he ascertained that she was from an old regal European bloodline that boasted of kings and queens in times past. Even the way she moved was regal and the jewels on her fingers were the kinds of huge gems that were passed down from generation to generation. They did not make jewelry like that anymore. The huge mine cut emerald did not have many facets and did not shine like a modern laser cut stone but he knew that it was worth more than his entire holdings including property and he guessed that most likely her great great grandmother wore the same stone on the same finger. She was magnificent.
“Of course! I insist you call me Taylor and may I say thank you for such a warm reception and wonderful hotel in the heart of Paris. A journalist does not usually receive such a welcome and I have to tell you I truly appreciate it.” He suddenly felt groveling and timid which was something he had no experience with.
“And you must call me Celine!” Her voice was sharp and crisp and echoed across the stark office. He could almost feel the heat emanating from her body. She moved in toward him and greeted him in the French manner with a kiss on both cheeks. Her lips felt cold. It was not what he expected. “Please have a seat.” She motioned for him to sit in one of the square black leather chairs that looked very modern and very efficient. It was surprisingly comfortable.
“Thank you Celine.” He tried to appear as casual as possible. She moved back behind her desk placing it between them. It was a typical alpha male move. She was in control of their first meeting on her home field and now she was going to explain the rules of this game. She was the boss. She offered him a glass of water from a black rectangular vase into a round crystal glass with no ornamentation which he accepted simply so as not to appear rude.
“Taylor. I am very excited about our interview on Wednesday. I just wanted to make sure that we are clear on a few issues. Her voice became more fixed; the echo became sharper.
“Here we go” He thought as he smiled blankly at her. He took a sip of the water. It was the coldest and most refreshing glass of water he could ever remember having and he had to hold himself back from gulping the whole thing like a cow.
“Of course Celine. I must be completely honest with you and let you know that I am not the original reporter for the job and I may not be as informed as she as to your company and the beauty business and such. You see I usually cover wars and conflict. I’m afraid I’m out of my league and would appreciate and be grateful if you tell me exactly what you want our article to say about you and your company. My company is so honored that you chose us and we only wish to accommodate you.
“I’m so glad you feel this way Taylor. “ For the first time there was no disingenuous tone in that lovely voice. “I like your honesty and now we can relax and enjoy this process because we understand each other.” Now it was beginning to feel like they were friends. He took another long sip of the icy liquid. She moved about some papers on her desk and poured herself a crystal tumbler of the water. She drank it in one continuous motion without missing a beat. She licked her upper lip unconsciously and Taylor was transfixed. God! It was so true about what the world always says about the women of Paris. They are without a doubt the most beautiful women in the world. She put the glass down and began to speak.
“I want you to understand something from the beginning. I want this article to be about my company and not about me.” She was no nonsense now. “I do not want some tawdry expose on who is Celine D’Aumont. I’m not a celebrity for God’s sake. I am a scientist. I’m not Estee Lauder. I am a serious scientist who have always applied science to the art of beauty. I want this article to be about my team of doctors and scientists and geneticists and how they came together to help solve one of the world’s most tragic ailments.” She was cocky and very sure of herself. Taylor wondered if she had a lover.
“And that is?” He raised his eyebrow inquisitively which made him adorable and Celine lost her train of thought for a second. She had forgotten how handsome he was. His lean nose and dark hair with the mysterious eyes nestled underneath thick unruly lashes. They were the lashes that women die for.
“Why aging of course! What did you think?” She laughed heartily and poured them both another glass. “I am about to announce a breakthrough in genetic technology which will revolutionize the beauty industry forever. People want to look young forever.. This is universal, no?” She continued without waiting for a response. “Too many newspapers here want to explore the creator of Celgen and I want the world to meet the people at the core of this revolution. There are also so many gossip papers that want to exploit a rich French woman and create scandal after scandal. You will see Taylor after a week with me that I am really a terrible bore. All work and no play.” She arched her own eyebrow mimicking his own. ”Well, a little play. You see, I will welcome any questions about my company, my finances, my laboratories and all of my employees.” She paused and took another long drink and the water appeared to give her a little lift in her energy and determination. “What I will not welcome however are any questions about my personal life. The European press is already having a field day. I was hoping the Americans would be more interested in what we are doing on the scientific frontiers right before we launch this technology into the public, and not spend their time finding out how many lovers I have had, or if I have one now.” She laughed again. “I understand your magazine is very serious and very interested in business as well as political matters. I was hoping you would be my vehicle to speak to the world. I hope you don’t prove me wrong.” She tapped her nails on the glass top of her desk and then reached into a drawer and handed him a thick envelope.