And then he walked out, shutting the door behind him.
Chapter 6
Sarah wasn’t sure what to say. She had the distinct feeling that she was being manipulated and she didn’t like it one bit, but she was completely overwhelmed at how fast everything was moving. Only a week ago, she was thinking of cancelling her interview and now she was in New York. Grabbing her phone, she hoped to catch Mia. Lisa and Chloe were with her, so Sarah found herself filling her friends in on everything that happened. She was glad that her friends couldn’t see her when they were hooting and laughing over the kiss and her falling asleep.
At Chloe’s urging, she surveyed the closet and drawers giving her friends an inventory of what she found. When she pulled open one drawer, she grew silent as she took in its contents. At her friends’ urging, she described the beautiful silk and lace lingerie.
She was interrupted by their muted chatter. “Hey, I can’t hear you. What’s going on?”
As the girls got back on the phone, Mia spoke up. “Listen, girl, it sounds like this guy has some plans for you. Now, if you’re okay with that, that’s fine, but we think that you need to show him the spitfire we know that you can be and give him a taste of his own medicine.”
“What do you mean?”
“Dress up. We mean REALLY dress up and flirt. We’ve seen you smooth talk those poor cattle buyers at the auctions. Pour it on thick and have some fun.”
As the girls continued to chat and plot, Sarah looked through the closet and settled on a Chinese red silk dress with a side slit that went halfway up her thigh.
After unpacking what few things she brought with her, Sarah took a long shower. As she dressed for the evening, she spent extra time on her make-up and brushed her hair out into long waves. The dress was tighter than she would normally wear, but when she looked in the mirror, she was impressed at how good she looked. The dress hugged her curves and accentuated all the right places. Slipping on a pair of Louboutins, Sarah couldn’t believe how good they felt on her feet. She was definitely taking those home with her.
At ten minutes to seven, she exited her room to meet Vitaly in the living room. When he saw her reflection in the window, he turned to greet her and caught his breath. She looked beautiful.
Smiling, she walked up to him. She had to admit to herself that he looked fantastic in Armani. The dark suit color complimented his complexion and she smiled at the red tie. One might even think that they coordinated their attire for the evening. “Are you ready?” she asked.
“Would you like something to drink before we go?”
“Oh no, I’m good for now. Might change my mind later,” she said as she gave him a small smile before heading to the door.
*****
As they rode over to the restaurant, Sarah asked whom they were meeting. Vitaly informed her that it was representatives from the two port authorities along with two union reps. His goal was to secure a place in both ports so they could begin doing business on the east coast. As they drove into the meatpacking district, Sarah was surprised at the number of clubs and restaurants. It was still early and yet the streets were alive with people. As they pulled up outside the Aero Club, Sarah asked if he owned it.
“Yes. I took it over when the original owner went into bankruptcy. The restaurant is on the second floor and the dance club is on the third. I opened the fourth floor up as a private area with a view of the club and the top floor is for private parties.”
As Vitaly escorted Sarah in, he was surprised at her transformation. She wasn’t the shy young woman he had grown accustomed to. Instead, she was practically vibrating with energy.
As they entered the lobby, Sarah was surprised at how crowded it was. The industrial building was at least one hundred years old and still had much of its original charm. The thick-planked floor and heavy ironwork gave the whole space a sense of openness. As they walked up the stairs, Sarah looked around. “You do like open spaces.”
“What did you say?”
Pointing at the interior of the building. “Open spaces. It’s like the tenth floor at the office and the apartment here. Everything is wide open.” Vitaly stilled as he looked at her.
“I do not like to be confined,” he answered as his mouth compressed tightly.
Before Sarah could respond, they entered the restaurant where they were met by four men and two women. Sarah was introduced to Bart Sullivan and Bill Hanson, along with their spouses. They were the union reps for the two ports. Steve Markos was with the New York Port Authority and Nicolai (Nico) Demolios was from New Jersey. While no one said anything, they were all surprised that he would bring an intern with him and the women suspected that there was more to her than simply a summer position as his personal assistant.