The Billionaire's Marriage Contract(22)

“The suite was one of those great big penthouses with a sweeping view of the city skyline, the kind of place it’s hard to believe exists. Anyway, as soon as I walked into the room, I saw that he had laid two dresses out on the table, and there was a note with them. It read: Chicago Classical Museum, Maria will help you with the rest of your preparation.”

“So it was a date?” Hank asked.

“It was an ambush,” Amy replied. “There were two things I had thought Ethan knew about me, one was my name, and the second was that I did not, under any circumstances, become personally involved with my clients, no matter how charming or wealthy or handsome. But he apparently knew my dress size, my shoe size, and my taste in fashion.”

“So what did you do?”

“I decided to fire him as a client.”

“How did that go over?”

“Well, I never did. I’ll get to that in a moment,” Amy replied.

“I’m sure you will,” Hank replied. “Would you care for a drink?”

“Sure,” Amy replied. She looked out the window at the snow falling on the dark mountains. “I called him up, and he assured me that there was an actual crisis, and that he needed me to join him at the museum, and that he would explain everything once I had arrived. Then he asked me which dress I had chosen. I told him the black one. And he said he knew I’d pick the black one. Anyway, I got dressed up, decided I had to take Ethan at his word, and then made my way to the museum.

Hank stood up and walked over to a small bar next to the fireplace. From a crystal decanter, he poured two glasses of scotch. He walked back across the room and handed Amy a glass. “Please, continue.”

“Night had fallen, and the front of the building was lit up from below with great big spotlights. They even had a red carpet. For the first time in my life, I felt like a celebrity as I walked through the big front doors of the museum. Ethan was waiting for me inside. He was wearing a tuxedo, and, well, I think my heart skipped a beat when I saw him standing there.”

“Is that when you knew?” Hank asked. While Amy had been telling the story, Hank had poured himself a second drink, and he sat back down in his chair as he waited for Amy to continue.

“No,” Amy replied, “not then. It happened later. When Ethan greeted me, he gave me a hug and whispered into my ear that everything had been taken care of. I pushed him back, and scowled at him for a moment. He made me fly to Chicago just to tell me he didn’t need my help? As soon as he saw that look, he grabbed my hand asked me to walk with him. He led me to the gallery. We walked past the crowd, and a member of the museum staff lifted a rope to let us into a closed section of the museum. He walked over to a bench, and sat in front of this enormous old painting and asked me to sit with him.

“I should probably mention that Ethan was on the board of directors at the museum, a position I had suggested to him as he tried to fine tune his public image after one too many dates with Ms. California and Ms. Georgia. He lowered his voice and said, ‘You can’t stand me, can you?’ He had turned his full attention to me, and I could almost see my own reflection in his deep blue eyes, and I felt my anger melt away. I could tell that there was something he wanted to tell me. ‘I can’t stand myself either. The public me, the person we’ve created, he’s great for the company and the stock price and the tabloids, and boy am I keeping your company flush, but I kind of hate myself right now.’

“He stood and walked right up to the painting hanging on the wall. It depicted a young woman. She was beautiful, and she was looking up at this swan. The swan’s wings were spread wide, and it hovered just over the woman, and I remember sitting there and wondering whether the look on the woman’s face was fear or excitement.

“Ethan asked me if I had ever heard of the myth of Zeus and Leda. I told him I had, and that I preferred the version where he simply seduced her. Then he asked me who in the world would choose to be Zeus. ‘I suppose you think I’d identify with him: the world at his command as he strutted about in his disguise. If anyone else in the world had compared himself with Zeus in a bout of self-pity, I would have slapped him, but I kind of got what he was saying. He had been playing a role for years, a role I had helped write out for him, and it had started to take its toll. ‘I asked you here tonight because I wanted out, and I knew you’d have none of it. I asked you here because I wanted someone who could see through to the real me and understand for a moment. Knowing you’d be here, knowing that you could call me out on being unhappy when I’m more successful than even I had ever dreamed possible, that got me through this day. Thank you, Amy.’