My meeting with the client went very well. We had another planned for the morning to start to map out details, but the gist of the afternoon's meeting was that our companies would take on a joint task, leveraging the strengths of each. We were going to skip dinner that night, and planned a celebratory dinner meeting the following evening, when my CEO from Baltimore could join us.
This, of course, meant that I had the evening free to spend with Janice, so I called her with what I hoped was the good news, but she failed to answer her phone. I left a quick message asking her to call me back, and told her that I was headed to my hotel and had the evening free.
When I got to the hotel, the concierge flagged me down in the lobby.
"We're sorry that you are checking out early," she said with a knowing smile, "you're lady-friend packed everything for you and left it here with a note, and asked me to deliver it to you. I'll give you a couple of minutes, then we can talk again, OK?"
"S-sure," I half stammered, not knowing what in the hell was going on. Still, I stepped away to open the note.
"Sean - first, please don't be angry, it is very impetuous of me, and I'm not normally this way, but the way we left things makes me hope this is OK. You said that it would go one of two ways, either you'd be heading back to Baltimore, or you'd be staying over. Well, I hope that either way, you will come and stay with me! I know, this is faster than you want, and I've already told you how scared I am, but if you live in Baltimore, and I live in New York, we will have to make all the use of time that we have!
"So, as I see it there are three scenarios - One - the meeting did not go well, and you need to get to the train to go back. Two, you are staying, but you don't like the idea of staying with me, in which case, I've already paid the concierge to hold for you, and give you back your room. Three (and I'm really hoping for this one!), you will go back to the concierge, and she will order a car to bring you to my place!"
"PS - I'm way too nervous to answer the phone, so don't take that as a bad sign!"
Before I could even step toward the concierge, she knew the answer and was on the phone getting me a car.
"How can I have flowers delivered before I get there?" I asked her.
"Oh, well, that's easy around here!" she came back with.
We worked out the particulars and I tipped her nicely for her efforts. She was grinning from ear-to-ear as she hung up with a florist.
"What?" I asked her.
"You two are both just unique, and I can't decide which one of you is luckier! She's a gorgeous, lively woman and you are a hunk, and caring man, and I hope you two make beautiful babies one day!"
That comment had me choked a bit.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, shall we?" I said.
"Hey, I'm a romantic, and I certainly see enough shit in this job - I just hope things work our for two nice people like you! Heck, if I weren't over 50, I'd probably be fighting to get to either one of you!"
With that, I thanked her, and met the car out in front. It occured to me that I did not even know where I was going, but the driver assured me that he knew. We pulled up to a building in the Nolita neighborhood. The driver directed me to the proper entrance, and told me not to worry. I looked at him quizzically, and he just nodded in the direction of the door. I started to grab my wallet, and he assured me that there was no need, and so I simply thanked him.
I grabbed my bags and started toward the building. As I approached, the doorman nodded my way, as if he knew me, and opened the door. Inside, Janice was waiting by the elevator, a huge shit eating grin on her face.
"I'm SO glad you decided to come! I got the flowers - they're lovely, and you shouldn't have - and the concierge called me as soon as you left telling me that you were on your way. Please come up with me, I can't wait to show you the place!"
She was giddy like a school girl, and I was still a bit overwhelmed by it all. As the elevator doors closed she threw her arms around me and kissed me.
"Are you OK?" she asked stepping back.
"I - well yeah, but I feel like I've stepped onto a moving sidewalk that's going a whole lot faster than I bargained for. I just need to get up to speed, here."
"You're angry!" she said, with a little bit of a pout.
"Are you kidding? No! I'm just - overwhelmed. I mean, I admit, I broke into such a grin when I read your note that the concierge was calling for a car before I even got to tell her, and I'm quite happy that we can spend more time together, but I haven't had anyone pack a bag for me since I was a kid. I just need to slow down for a second or two, that's all."
She looked at me as the elevator stopped at the top floor. She lifted her skirt as she stepped out, flashing me her bare ass, saying over her shoulder, "OK, but only a second or two!"
I grabbed my bags and quickly followed her to her door. I noticed that there were only four doors in the hallway, hers was 12A.
She opened the door to a short hallway. An open door on the left was clearly her bedroom, and just past two closed doors on the right, the hallway opened up to a kitchen on the right, and an open sliding door on the left. She motioned to the room on the left and told me that I could put my bags there, "for now." The room had a desk and bookshelves and a small daybed.
"That's my office slash guest bedroom," she said, "but except when my mother comes to stay without my father, it's mostly just my office."
The kitchen was not huge, but was a good size for what I remember of New York apartments. Modern, well appointed appliances and a small table with four chairs.
A bit further into the apartment was a dining room, also with a small table, and another desk area, with a larger computer and several pictures around it.
"Another office space?" I asked.
"No, that's more for personal things. I've been taking a photography course, and those are some of my projects for the course."
On the other side of the dining area was a living room - quite large, with a wall of windows looking out over the neighborhood. A small door lead to a small balcony, with a small table and two chairs.
"Hmm, your own balcony!" I said.
"Yeah, that's the small balcony. I like to have breakfast out there in the spring and fall. Summer can get a bit hot. But, having the top floor, I also have a roof balcony area, with a couple of loungers. Of course, my neighbors do, too, so it's not exactly private, though we have some screening so it's not completely 'shared' space, either."
"Holy cow! I can't even imagine what this must set you back! Oh, I'm sorry, that was rude!"
"No, it's OK. Yes, it's Manhattan, and a nice neighborhood, to boot. Not quite Park Avenue, but it's OK. You could have stuck with the firm, you know, the pay is well above average."
"I know, but the job in Baltimore is quite good for me - I get the freedoms and responsibilities that I was looking for, and I am not living in the poor house, either."
"So, do you want a glass of wine and the rest of the tour?"
"Sure, sounds great!"
