Him Her Them Boxed Set (25 page)

I look around the space and notice one other desk, besides my own. It's almost bare, except for three bright pink file organizers arranged neatly across the edge and one lone pencil placed perfectly in the middle. My bottom lip is raw from my teeth gnashing at the sensitive flesh. My nerves in overdrive. I've been at my new job for forty-five minutes and I still have yet to meet the Great Giovanni Torlo. The walls are lined with his majestic, award-winning photographs. Apparently he just got back last night from a shoot in Argentina for National Geographic; at least that's what Tim, my contract manager, told me.

Tim let me into Mr. Torlo's studio and directed me to the upper floor, where my desk is located. He said Mr. Torlo would arrive shortly and then left. If over forty-five minutes means shortly, I'd hate to see what he considers a long time.

I hear movement in the stairwell. I look over and a very tall man appears and moves to the desk opposite me, the one with the pink organizers. He is busy fiddling with his cell phone and doesn't notice me. He drops his brown leather messenger bag with a loud thud on the floor by the desk, swings out the desk chair and elegantly, if not swiftly sits, propping his feet up on the desk. His caramel colored leather soles of his shoes blocking his face from mine.

He makes a noise, a grumble and I notice his black, thick hair and light grey jacket. Since his face is pointing down at his phone, I have no idea what he looks like. Should I say something? Go over to him and introduce myself? Perhaps Tim couldn't get ahold of him and he doesn't even realize I am supposed to be here.

I am starting to panic. My brain is over thinking this so my body's reaction is not to move. A good minute passes before he kicks his feet off his desk, puts his phone down and lifts his head to see me. His dark brown eyes focus on me as if I am a puzzle to be pieced together while his head cocks to the left in curiosity.

What I notice immediately --actually it renders me speechless like a gawky teen finally being noticed by the quarterback-- is that this man with his pink organizers and leather bottomed shoes is gorgeous. No, gorgeous isn't a good enough word to describe him, he's...he's...bewitchingly hypnotic in a handsome way. I suddenly feel a little drool escape my lips and realize my jaw has dropped open.

I snap my jaw closed and clumsily wipe at my mouth, cringing at my own ridiculousness. He is getting up and walking over to my desk, leaning against it like it's the most natural thing to do. I look up at this ancient Roman god in a light grey wool suit, tailored within an inch of his body. Did I mention his body? I don't know if I can form the words in my mind to describe how, even in a wool suit, I can tell this man is not unfamiliar with exercise. My eyes drift down his frame taking everything in, but seem to settle to what is right at eye level. I think you can figure out what I am looking at.

He clears his throat causing my eyes to shoot up to his.

"I'm Giovanni Torlo, and you are?"

Oh. My. God. He's Italian. Not just Italian American, he is full blown Italian with the rich floral accent that causes women to turn to dust.

He is staring at me with a slight smirk on his face and I realize I haven't answered his question. Wait, what did he ask?

"Your name, bellissima?"

My nose crinkles and I smile. He called me beautiful in Italian. I have to say when an Italian man calls you pretty in his native tongue it does things that, well, you can't ever come back from.

"Oh, yeah, my name. Sorry, I...uh...I'm...um...Luna. Luna Baxter, your new assistant."

I give him a quick smile and hope I don't appear as idiotic as I feel. A cool grin spreads across his face as his dark eyes drift lower to my chest and then back up again.

"Well, Luna Baxter, it is certainly a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Tim did message me that I had a new and talented assistant, but he seemed to leave out the important details, such as your beauty."

While I am flattered that this man, this gorgeous god that had me drooling just seconds ago thinks I am beautiful, something doesn't feel right. It's my first day and he's hitting on me. While I may have stumbled noticing how utterly handsome he is, I would never verbalize my observation. It's not proper for work. Am I being weird here? He seems to notice my unease.

"Miss Baxter, it is Miss correct?"

I nod my head, not trusting my mouth function properly and not hang agape again.

"Miss Baxter, forgive me for being so forward. You are my assistant and I want you to feel comfortable. I meant no harm in simply stating the obvious. I guess where I am from people are a little more free with compliments. Forgive me."

"Of...course Mr. Torlo. I'm just a little nervous. It's been my dream since I was a young girl to be a photographer, and working for a talented man such as yourself, well, I couldn't ask for anything better. I just want there to be mutual respect, since you are my boss."

He stands and turns, smoothing out his jacket. I take the opportunity to nervously wring my hands.

"Of course Miss Baxter. But please call me Geo. Only my lawyer calls me Mr. Torlo. Here, we will start over."

Geo reaches his hand out to me.

"Good morning, my name is Geovanni Torlo, but you can call me Geo, and you are?"

I stand with a small chuckle escaping my lips and take his hand to shake.

"Nice to meet you Geo, my name is Luna Baxter, but please call me Luna."

He stops shaking my hand, turns it slightly and brings the back of it to his lips imprinting a small kiss to the skin. I feel a flutter in my heart, especially as his eyes never leave mine. Logically I hope nothing happens between us as it might cost me this amazing job, but at the same time with the look he just gave me I am really reconsidering my strict rule of no office fraternizing. This isn't good.

He raises his head and lets my hand go.

"Well, Luna, let me give you a tour."

His body moves around in a circle with his arms angled to point out the room.

"As you can see this is it. Your desk, my desk, against the wall is the printer/fax machine, small kitchenette along the wall and there is a small bathroom in the corner. We will usually be on location or in DC or New York for meetings, so not much need for a lot of office equipment. Downstairs is where the good stuff is located. Follow me."

Geo waves his hand for me to follow. We walk down the dark stairs that lead to two doors, one is the door to the street where I entered this morning and the other is to his studio. He takes out the keys from his pocket and unlocks the brass door knob.

Once we walk through the threshold my mouth falls open again. The room is huge, with red brick lining both sides of the wall. At the far end there is a white wall with a white backdrop laying on the floor and some large studio lamps and adjustable hanging lights. As we walk further inside, I notice large white shelves that hold leather wingback chairs and-- is that a couch on the second shelf? What the...?

There are smaller shelves beside it with various color blankets and cloth. In the corner I notice a black semi-circle sliding door, as if we are in some space age movie.

"What is that?"

I point to the odd door as we walk up to the studio lights.

"Oh, that's my dark room. Some of my cameras require film, like my Hasselblad. I'll show them to you later. We'll do some test shots, you can use me as your model. Get the feel of the different cameras and lighting angles. It will give me a sense of your work, Luna."

My name, being an actual Italian word, rolls off his tongue, does a triple somersault in the air, and smashes into my professional wall like a honeyed sledgehammer. Damn him and his Italian accent. Despite his tonal seduction, all this talk about cameras, darkroom and shots have me giddy. I can't wait to get my hands on his camera! Wait, that didn't sound right. Anyway, despite his obvious attraction to me and my crazy hot attraction to him, I think this job will be wonderful for my new career.

When my father died, it's as if whatever was holding me back from taking risks died too. Watching him wrestle for each last breath made me realize life is too short not to follow your dream. If that meant struggling financially for a while, so be it. I'm single, I'll manage.

My head is almost dizzy, taking all this in when suddenly Geo wakes me from my photographic fantasy.

"Luna, I hope you don't mind me saying but your smile it is
spledida
! You must let me photograph it sometime."

"Oh, I don't know." I shyly look away feeling very self-conscious all of the sudden.

"La prego, devo."

I furrow my brow trying to figure out what he is saying. I am unfamiliar with Italian, other than a few common words. He grabs my hand, cradling it in both of his and brings it to his chest.

"It means, please, I must."

I nod.

"Oh, well, does it have to be today?"

"No, we can do it anytime you wish, I just have to capture that smile; it is too perfect."

I look away feeling the heat rise in my cheeks and know my pale skin looks as pink as the organizers on his desk. Finally I nod, but still can't look at him and instead make my way over to the large shelves holding the couch.

"Alright Geo, you may photograph me. Maybe in a few days when I have learned a little more about the job."

"
Eccellente
! Now let me show you the dark room."

I turn and follow him. He presses against me as he slides the rounded black door shut, revealing a pitch black room. With my sight taken away my other senses immediately perk up and I notice his heartbeat as his stomach presses into my chest. I hear his breath hitch, but suddenly he is gone. A few seconds later the lights come on and I squint to adjust to the light. It's a small rectangular room with cabinets and a counter lining one wall, a large metal sink lining the other with four large metal vats containing liquid and four large metal trays with nothing in them, and a multi shelved drying rack and large metal closet.

He explains that the vats are filled with chemicals for film and print processing and the racks and the closet are dryers.  After a while he has me do some test processing of film and then we print some pictures in another dark room he has set up attached to the processing room. The time flies by and before I realize it, my stomach is growling.

I look at the clock on the far wall of the studio and notice it's three o'clock! Geo notices my reaction.

"Oh Luna, how rude of me. I completely forgot but I take all my new assistants out for lunch on their first day."

I smile and nod my head. Before I know it, he hails a cab and we head downtown to an expensive seafood restaurant. The meal is delicious and he has such charisma that I lose track of time again with his conversation. Perhaps it's because he is Italian and so incredibly good looking, but this man could probably charm a raccoon into giving a high five.

Geo is telling me one of his exotic tales about a rough shoot in Tibet as we sip our coffee when I hear my name being called. A female voice I don't recognize coming from behind me.

"Luna? Is that you?"

I turn and see Shari, Corbin's girlfriend, walk over to our table. She is giving a sweet smile to me until her eyes lay upon Geo. Shari has an expression on her face that makes me wonder if she made that face to Corbin. It's heated, sensual and wanting. I realize that I hope she never has made that face to him and that thought makes me sad. As much as I still have feeling for Corbin, and let's face it, seeing him at Thanksgiving nearly broke me, I still want him to be happy.

I was such a mess the Friday after Thanksgiving I couldn't even enjoy Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year! So, seeing Shari visually undress my boss fills me with satisfaction. I know I shouldn't feel this way, but I do.

"Oh hello Shari. Funny running into you here."

She stops at the side of our table and I notice Geo gives the same expression back to her, of course he gave me the same look when we first met this morning. I have a feeling this man enjoys his women, a lot.

Shari eyes me and then Geo and then back to me.

"Yes, odd isn't it. I was just finishing a late lunch with some co-workers and saw your beautiful strawberry blond hair and thought to myself, 'Only one woman I know has such lovely hair, Luna.' And then I saw your profile and knew it had to be you."

Wow, she really is nice, no wonder Corbin likes her. I am starting to feel really shitty right about now.

"Thank you Shari. Oh, this is my boss, Geovanni Torlo. Geo this is my friend Shari."

Shari eyes widen as she puts her hand out to shake Geo's. He, of course, takes it to his lips and kisses it, like the suave fellow he is.

"So, lovely to meet you Shari. Any friend of Luna's is, of course a friend of mine. Please, do call me Geo."

Shari blushes and if her reaction is any indication as to how I looked when I first met Geo, I will be cringing till next Tuesday.

"Well, it is nice to meet you too...Geo. Luna told us over Thanksgiving how excited she was to start her new photography job. I would love to see your photographs!"