"Oh my god, Jillian, yeah! I mean she's just lying here on his couch. I walked in a second ago and here she is! This little puppy that wandered into his office… No, no, Jillian, not a real puppy. The girl, remember? It's a clear sign that I need to up my game, if this woman is allowed to mosey on into his office without a word…Yeah, yeah…Okay. Sure girl, I'll hit you back later. Ciao!"
Olivia's shrill voice pushed Christine out of her dreams. It was a nice dream too, she thought. Warm hands, that dark, rich smell. I felt so cozy…Wait, where am I? Did I hear somebody talking? She opened one eye a slit to see her surroundings.
She lay on a plush couch in the middle of a large room with dark, wood-paneled walls. Shit! The office! Christine groaned as she started to get up, more humiliated as the reality set in in waves.
"Umm, hellooo? Yeah, hi, my name is Olivia and I would love to know what you're doing sleeping on my boyfriend's couch?" The woman cocked her perfect hip and looked at the confused girl expectantly. Baffled, Christine began to mutter her apologies when Erik stormed in.
"Olivia, get the hell out! I told you I was busy this afternoon, I suggest you busy yourself as well."
"But baaaaaby, I wanted to see you before I met Claire at the salon." She fiddled with his tie, pressing herself against him as she look up at him through her long lashes. "I thought we could talk about, you know, what we were talking about yesterday?"
Dark stare.
"E.E., the ring we were talking about yesterday?" She pouted her lip at him, hoping that her pet name and a good fat lip would help push the subject that Erik had only too quickly pushed aside the day before.
"Liv, I will not discuss this with you right now. Leave us."
"Fine! I'll ring you later so that you have time to ready your apology for that girl being here alone with you! Olivia rolled her eyes and stomped out of the office in her red Gucci shoes, ginger hair waving behind her.
Christine sat, watching the commotion before her, feeling the twinge of envy at the mention of commitment between them. Although glad to see Olivia leave, she was terrified to once again be alone with Erik. The results last time ended with her drooling, passed out on the couch.
"Uh..hi..sorry. I can't believe, I get really nervous, sorry?"
"Unnecessary apology, I assure you." He cleared his throat. "Now if you are feeling up to it, I would like to get to the reason I asked you hear in the first place."
Christine sat up at that, adjusting her clothes and attempting to steady her mane of curls, trying to look presentable in front of him. "Yes, yes, of course. Gwen, er Ms. Martin, told me you were looking for some designs for the winter showcase?"
"Yes. Please come over here and look at the plans and schedule for the night so that you can see the type of art that will be displayed. I'm sure this will help with the direction for your inspiration. Also, please note that you will be compensated handsomely."
"Oh…that's really not necessary," she blushed.
"I insist. We can work out the fee later, but for now we'll deal with the designs themselves."
And so, they stood there for another hour, hunkered over the plans while Christine gathered information from Erik, their unorthodox first meeting forgotten. The conversation flowed freely and Christine began sketching ideas.
"I like those drawings there," he pointed to one of several pages laid out on the table. "What is that, a mask?"
"Yes, actually. One of the more elaborate ideas for the night, I thought I'd do a range of ideas from simple to extravagant and see which ones you like best."
"Well definitely keep working on that one, it suits the musical theme for the show."
"Really? That was a question I meant to ask, what types of music will be performed?"
"Are you familiar with any operas, my dear?"
"A few, but if that's the direction of the showcase, I'll be sure to listen to a lot more. That should help." She jotted down a short note for herself on the corner of the page with the sketched mask Erik had noticed.
"Good idea." He smiled a little to himself at that, noting to himself to play some of his favorites when they met again.
Sometime later, Erik excused himself for a moment to make a phone call. Olivia had left more than a few messages, demanding to know if he was still with her. He promised to meet her later if she'd stop the incessant bothering.
Before he walked back in to join Christine, he could not help but peek out at her leaning over the table. He watched as she casually tapped the end of the pencil on her mouth, occasionally puckering her lips as the eraser continued to graze the surface. She had her feet planted firmly on the ground, shoulder width apart and she leaned on her elbow over her sketches. Her hair, now free of her ponytail, hung loose on her shoulders, making the setting sun dance across it through the open windows. Erik sighed as he watched her, his breathing becoming quicker the longer he stood in the doorway. He had to admit, aside from the initial fainting, their meeting was going famously. Her stuttering had ceased and she seemed oddly at ease with his company.
He was disappointed that their first evening would need to come to an end soon, knowing he would get greedy if he let it go on too long. He was optimistic though, her attitude during this meeting made it seem like she would agree to another with no problem. Erik did not dare to dream that she would ever come to him as more than just a fellow employee or friend, but he had hope that maybe in time, he could be closer to her than just seeing her across the café.
"Ahem, sorry to interrupt your thoughts, my dear, but it's about time for us both the leave," he approached her slowly. "Is there anything you need from me before you go?"
"Oh, it's that time already? Well, I," she looked up to see him gazing down at her and gulped loudly. Was he that close to her this whole time? Did he always smell that good?, "I…um…no, no that's it. Well, I would like to show you my ideas in a few days…um, if you want. You probably won't like them." Her neurotic ramblings had begun again.
"Yes, of course. How about this time next week? Preferably without the fainting." Was that a wink she saw him give her? She flushed in response.
"Okay, yes…better go. It was nice to finally meet you, sir…Erik…Mr. De Lorme?"
"Please, Erik is fine."
She nodded as she backed out of his office, giving him one last uncertain smile before turning and heading to the elevator.
It was in the elevator that Christine felt herself let out the breath she didn't know she had been holding. Pressing her cheek to the cool metal of the wall, she silently berated herself for her outrageous behavior tonight. Fainting? Stuttering? Hell, backing out of the office? What are you, 5 years old? She exited the elevator and made her way to the parking lot, eyes downcast as she went. The only other car in sight was a champagne, Porsche Cayenne, sitting on it's own in a private lot just outside the music building. I wonder whose…? No way, it couldn't be… Christine whistled at the thought as she reached her own car, a modest royal blue Ford Escape Hybrid that her parents had gifted her only 4 years ago. She started the engine and tapped her fingers on the steering wheel to the beat of the radio as she drove home.
Erik watched her walk to the parking lot, making sure she reached her car safely. Once she had exited the campus, he closed the curtains and sat down at the piano. He loved this instrument. He'd designed his office specifically for this piano, and no matter how many years of practice, still felt a rush of pleasure as his fingers glided over the keys. Playing quietly for a few minutes, he closed his eyes and dreamt she was still there with him, humming the melody into his ear.