A new man approached before Enzo arrived. Emily didn't recognize him, yet he called out to her by name. She wasn't surprised by this, but it was still unique for people to know you before you've met them. She nodded when he asked her name and blushes slightly at his compliment.
"Thank you, Mr. White. A pleasure to meet you."
She prepared herself as she spoke and offered Mr. White a gloves hand to shake.
As she did, she noticed the bullet holes in his suit. Given his profession, it wasn't unexpected. It struck Emily's business mind right away. The man didn't seem shaken at all. In fact he seemed quite calm.
Mr. White, it looks like you take your job very seriously. If I am ever found in need of private or personal security, I think I know who I'll call.
Enzo arrived, unfortunately not in a suit - Emily had really wanted to see him in a suit, and the two knew each other. Homework? Maybe Enzo was a new employee at White's place of employment. It wasn't her business anyway. Mr. White dropped off his jacket for repairs. Sebastian then arrived and she wasn't surprised by his method of telling her how good she looked. She had expected it that way.
"thank you, Sebastian"
she said after pleasantries had been exchanged.
"Enzo, Sebastian, I asked you out here because I wanted to know what you think. Does it suit me?"
Emily twirled around slowly, so both men could see the whole getup. She had decided to buy it anyways regardless of what they thought. She felt so beautiful in it. It was Enzo's opinion she wanted. The man reminded her of her father.
Edited by
Emily Shale, Jan 6 2015, 08:23 PM.
The little girl he judged Emily to be was certainly replaced with the image of a striking woman. Enzo barely noticed anyone else was there until M. White addressed him specifically.
The sound of his voice was like a rubber band snapped his brain online again. He stepped fully into the room, aware of the blunder he'd made. An unexpected beauty stole focus and Enzo lowered his guard as a result. Such behavior was unacceptable in Manifesto. He'd seen the videos, it would be crawling with incredible women. For some reason they held no attraction for him. Perhaps they held no allure because he knew the shallow depths of their characters, and the memory of Mireille's beauty was indisplaceable.
He accepted the envelope, investigating its contents as he did. M. White's description as homework threatened to disturb the quiet waters of memory: of a family, of helping his boy with numbers, or attempting to anyway.
Sebastian's raucous gonged through the otherwise pleasant atmosphere. The first word from his mouth was an expletive, how classy. Enzo was amused that he was there to witness Sebastian introduce himself to M. White. If only to see how M. White would, or would not, deal with him.
He tucked the envelope beneath one arm and maneuvered around White and Sebastian.
"I don't think there is a gown on the planet that would not suit you, Mademoiselle. You are stunning."
Edited by
Enzo Dolan, Jan 7 2015, 10:44 AM.
His attention switched to Emily, and he nodded slightly to her observation, and took her hand to shake. His grip was gentle, albeit iron-like. He didn't bother with the old-fashioned hand kiss. She was American, after all, and judging by her chosen company, she probably didn't want her identity thrown into the conversation. "You have a very good eye for such things, Miss Shale. My employers are always open to new clients."
A card was retrieved from his dress shirt and offered to her. It was an archaic gesture, but Pervaya was built on a steadfast and dependable reputation, something traditional things like business cards subtly implied.
Hood settled his cold eyed gaze on Sebastian for a moment and, as usual, not finding much to impress in what he saw. Street kid from the way he spoke. Vulgar and crude without purpose. Hood was no saint when it came to cursing, but there was a time and place. And somewhere like Imperial Tailors, in the company of a very high value person like Emily Shale, was certainly neither of those.
There was a fleeting moment of tension in the young man, centered on White. But the thug-come-up seemed to bottle it and shift his attention to Emily instead. Bas, was it? Short for Sebastian. Sea Bass. Stubborn and stupid fish. Fish. There was a ghost of a smirk as he made the connection; he may not voice the nickname; there really was no point in being a total dick to a random stranger, after all. But he would always think of Bas as Fish.
He offered to shake Fish's hand next, and again his grip would not be crushingly tight. He had no need to try and prove his dominance over the younger man with a strong grip. "White. And it's going well. Two beautiful young women,"
he winked at the receptionist and nodded to Emily, "both surely more dangerous then the fool who ruined my suit. And a expenses budget almost fully expended as the new fiscal year approaches."
Enzo made a far finer show of himself considering their surroundings. Old world Atharim really did seem to be better mannered then the American ones he had met thus far. It made sense though, really; they had to blend in, where New World still had plenty of space to exist on the fringes, forgotten and unseen.
The new guy looked him over, sizing him up. Bas shook his hand. At the mention of his suit, he noticed the bullet hole. He couldn't help but smile. The old guy was no fluff piece, it seemed. Mentioned employers. Security good probably. He reassessed him. Bah. He could take him easy. Guy might be fast with a gun. But he had weapons he'd wager the guy'd never seen before. The surprise in his eyes would be funny. Sorry gramps, he'd say. Sometimes it pays to stay in and take your fiber and hope you don't pop a vein. And then he'd watch all that fury gradually fade away, the way it did from Boris' eyes in the coffee shop, his fist of power around his heart, squeezing tighter and tighter while pretending to be helping him. Finally, there'd be nothing but a glaze. That was always a rush. And he was looking forward to using some of the stuff he was learning from Nox.
All that flashed through his mind in the instant their hands touched. And then it was over and he was looking at Emily twirl around. He couldn't help it. The way the satin hugged her ass. He could see himself smacking that. "Oh yeah. Definitely suits you,
he said to her. The rest of the guys agreed.
He caught the eye of the receptionist and winked at her. She smirked at him. Better. He loved the chase. Almost as much as the tumble.
But he was there for a reason. "Alright. Back in a bit."
Bruno was waiting. He was looking forward to trying on the iridescent onyx suit. He'd wear that one out of the shop. Maybe hit up a club or three.
Emily watched their reactions as much as she listened, andit was Enzo's reaction she didn't expect. He seemed to disappear. She had obviously turned his head and caught him off guard. She smiled, and then blushed at his compliment.
"Thank you, monsieur."
She took the card from Mr. White. It was nice to get a real business card - a good personal touch that wasn't often seen anymore. It was the reason Emily used them as well. Unfortunately, her cards were with her clothes in the fitting rooms. She held onto the card with nowhere to put it. She could do the whole slip it in the dress thing, but that wouldn't be proper.
It was strange because Emily felt comfortable with him. Moreso than anyone other man she recalled - besides her staff. She felt safe with him. She wondered at that. Maybe he would walk her home amd they could get to know each other and if she felt okay...maybe a hug. She knew that she would have to face that fear of contact with men sometime and she wanted to. She didn't have Ayden here though. Ayden had good instincts and Emily would have liked her assessment.
Emily's inner self shook her head. She was a big girl and could make this decision alone. Besides, Ayden had also taught Emily to stand up for herself. If he tried anything, she could protect herself. She didn't feel like she needed to though. Something in her gut said this was okay. That Enzo was a good and honorable man.
"Thank you gentlemen, for the compliments. I think I've made my choice."
She turned her eyes to Enzo, wondering if eh should tell him about her demons. Ayden said she could get over this, but she didn't want to lead him on. They were friends - at least she hoped so. She met his eyes.
"Enzo, when you are done, would you walk me back to my hotel. Id feel safer if you did.
She was surprised at the straight forwardness of her question caught herself off guard and she wasn't sure why she suddenly felt so nervous.
Edited by
Emily Shale, Jan 9 2015, 04:05 PM.
Emily invited him to walk to her hotel after this? He only assumed it had to be close given the finest of hotels were within view of the Red Square. It was difficult to believe she was so forward, but an implication was suggested that made Enzo uncomfortable.
His look was gently apologetic, "Monsieur White's company would surely provide you with someone for safety. I am unqualified for such a task."
He gestured toward the nearby M. White, hoping the fellow would take the hint. Meanwhile, Enzo shifted the envelope from one arm to the other. Emily's company was favorable to studying its contents, but he was in Moscow to work, and part of him felt the call for social interaction to be a betrayal of his beloved's murder.
Bas enjoyed the next hour trying out different materials and cuts. Course, the three glasses of champagne probably made it even more enjoyable. Bruno was a good guy and seemed to have an eye for things that fit him, that accentuated his build or projected the image he wanted. The man flirted with him a bit and Bas didn't mind the attention. Not that he was particularly interested in men, but he wasn't averse to flirting back a bit. All part of the game after all.
Most of the stuff would be delivered to his place. Bruno's eyes raised slightly when he got the address. Course, the man had to have already known. Still, this was a man who catered to the rich and powerful. Bas being here was a fluke, clearly. And of course, put a massive dent in the gift he had been given.
But putting on the onyx iridescent suit, blood red shirt, maroon tie and pocket square and looking in the mirror, it was worth it. Yeah, he was going out tonight.
After thanking the man and leaving him a hefty tip, he walked out into the entrance. The receptionist was alone so the others were probably either with their buyers or had left. Didn't really matter. He went over to the receptionist again. He enjoyed the smirk she gave him even as her eyes took him in quickly. His smile became a playful grin.
He did love the game. And when he left it was not without plans for later that night. He counted that as win.
Hood turned that his back was to Emily and frowned in vague disbelief at Enzo. Not that Hood wasn't eager to add the CEO of Shale industries to his employer's customer list, a person of high enough interest to warrant being in the file in Enzo's hand, Enzo's ridiculous excuse was boggling. The woman wasn't exactly throwing herself at the man, but fuck, women loved the French accent...not that he really ever understood why. It was a brutally masochistic language, and the men tended to be pretty pansy and arrogant, but hey...whatever floated their boats, he supposed.
Of course, no doubt that an Atharim didn't want to be rubbing elbows with important types. They had a tendency of drawing attention to themselves, and to those in their company. And the paparazzi did so very much love to drag in those seen in the company of the rich and famous. At the end of the day, the man's decision to shirk from her request made sense.
"While I have full confidence in the DI public security forces, your concerns are understandable, Miss Shale. If you wish, I could accompany the two of you, at a respectable distance of course."
White could easily make it seem as though Enzo was just a potential hireling for Pervaya. Enzo's ability to 'fit in' with the rich and famous could also be tested, and observing the man in her company would help identify anything that needed to be addressed before Enzo could be trusted to fit in at a place like Manifesto.
He nodded slightly to Fish as the man took his leave. Probably involved in organized crime. Some shit street kid that showed just enough glimmer of brains to warrant a big step up the ladder. Or maybe the black sheep of some rich family; it didn't always have to be organized crime, after all. Whatever the case, Fish was probably going to find he didn't fit in well with the folks that wore such expensive suits as day-to-day attire. He'd probably learn the hard way what happened when you pissed one of their sort off.
Enzo slowly turned to White, face drawn blank in shock. What was White doing? Enzo was not here to meet women. No matter the burden to work for people's safety, his particular skill set did not involve personally escorting beautiful young ladies to their hotels.
He couldn't easily refuse now that White proposed a rather sensible solution. Perhaps White was trying to tell him something? As the consultant, he was keen to listen to White's advice, to learn from a great asset to the Atharim.
He shook his head in assent. "It seems I have no excuse, then."
He smiled to diffuse the seriousness of the comment. "It will be my pleasure once our business is concluded here."
He glanced at White. Like Sebastian, they needed to return to the appointment. He rather hoped the younger man was gone when the three of them left. Sebastian left a wary impression upon Enzo's senses.
Emily smiled about Enzo accompanying her. At first he had refused but Mr. White offered as well, although the comment about repectable distance made her wonder. And then the light went off - what she had asked...and the way she asked...
Oh, god, oh god, oh god...
she thought, feeling embarrassed. She hadn't meant that...nothing of the sort and she hoped Enzo hadn't thought that was what she was asking.
Panic threatened to rise, but she kept it bottled up for now. Enzo had agreed to walk with her,but now she felt bad. She hadn't wanted to make him uncomfortable.
"Thank you, gentlemen. I should finish taking care of my business as well."
Emily gave a polite nod and left the room, heading back to where Emelda was. Now that she was away from the men's eyes, she blushed, turning sevral shades of red from embarrassment. Emelda frowned.
"Are you alright, Miss Shale."
"I just made a fool of myself."
Emily avoided looking in the mirror.
Emelda smiled playfully.
"I have several dresses in red, but if your face keeps changing colors, it will be hard to make one match."
Emily laughed. Her laugh was full and melodious. The sound pushed the embarrassment away. Emelda's response was so unexpected that Emily couldn't help but laugh. It felt good to laugh.
"Thank you. I'll take the lot."
she said getting back to business
Emelda smiled and the women went to remove the dress. It had to be done as not to remove the pins accidentally. Emelda went to work on the bill while Emily changed back into her jeans and light blue t-shirt. Emily grabbed her purse and headed out to meet her again.
"Where would you like the dress sent when the alterations are done."
Emily frowned. She had no idea if she would be in Moscow or Chicago then.
"Can I have you call me when its done?"
Emelda nodded and pulled out her business cards, slipping White's in as she did.She removed three and handed one to Emelda.
"If I do not answer...leave a message with my PA Andrew."
Emelda nodded and they finished the sale, Emily gave Emelda a generous tip. With the commission, Emelda was likely very happy. Emily placed the jewelry in her purse and held on to the box of gloves. Before leaving she left asked Emelda for paper and an envelope. On it, she wrote a note, pulled out the second business card and wrote her personal number on the back. She sealed both in the envelope and headed out to the lobby to sit while she waited for the men to conclude their business.
Edited by
Emily Shale, Jan 12 2015, 04:35 PM.