Chapter Nine
Two days after their first meeting, Ellen once again found herself inside Satinol Cosmetics, this time to discuss the results of her first photo shoot. Tom had called briefly the day before, as he had promised, and thanked her for the wonderful dinner date. It would be nice to see him again.
Ellen was led into a large boardroom where Tom and a couple of other men that Ellen did not recognise were looking over numerous prints from her photo shoot.
“Here she is, the lady in question”, Tom announced as Ellen smiled and walked towards them.
Tom briefly introduced each of the men to her, and explained their role in the company. Ellen slid around the table to view some of the pictures of herself.
Wow! She was blown away. It is amazing what lights and makeup can achieve, she thought. Some of the pictures hardly looked like her at all. Not wanting to look too pleased, she hesitantly asked, “Are you happy with them?”
“What do you think?” Tom asked, handing her a couple of prints that he had been holding. He moved behind her and rested one hand on her shoulder.
One of the men seemed to notice this, but did not say anything.
“That's my favourite,” he said gently pointing to the first image. “I think you are going to be a star.”
Seeing her image everywhere and receiving compliments from the men soon made Ellen feel embarrassed, and her face reddened as if she were outside on a hot day.
“Well Ellen,” Tom happily announced, taking a seat next to her. “Based on these amazing first shots, we would like to offer you a contract, before someone else does! So, what do you say?”
Ellen paused and look around the room at the men's faces, waiting for her response. “Um, yes, of course. Working here sounds really exciting.”
“Well, we're the ones who are excited to have you. I’ll have the paperwork drawn up this week. Now..”
Tom was interrupted by an intercom and Ellen recognised the voice of Tom's assistant, “Tom, Hayden has just arrived back from Hong Kong. Should I ask him to join you?”
“Yes, Elizabeth. Ask him to come in straight away,” exclaimed Tom. Turning to Ellen, he continued, “Wonderful. I'm glad that the two of you can meet today. Now, there are a few things, perks if you like, that come with the job. If you are interested, we can provide some accommodation for you closer to work. And before you ask, of course you can bring Chloe.”
“Really? You mean like an apartment in the city?” Ellen asked incredulously.
“Yes, Satinol owns a number of apartments, which are used by our overseas guests mostly. I believe we have a fully-furnished, twentieth-storey apartment with some amazing views free at the moment.”
“And I get to live there?”
“Yes, I have reserved one for twelve months at this stage.”
“Oh, my God. I can't believe it. Thank you.”
“Well, you will need to be close to the building. Before you get too excited, you should know that there will be early mornings, late nights, a lot of travel and long working hours. We are not offering you an ordinary modelling job that lasts for half a day. You will be the face of Satinol for our summer range, and I'm told this will involve a lot of hard work.”
Just as Tom was talking, the board room doors opened and in walked a tall man with dark hair and a serious expression. He was an aggressive-looking man with a loosened tie, ruffled hair and a couple of days of facial hair growth.
Ellen took a seat, thinking to herself how important he must be, to be allowed to dress in that manner. Every other man in the board room was impeccably presented.
“Well, I'm back,” he announced loudly, sounding a little relieved as he put his bag down and walked towards the group. “Hong Kong was a rat race as always, but we managed to close the deal with the Chinese, so it was a successful trip.”
The man suddenly noticed Ellen seated next to Tom and stared at her for an uncomfortable period of time, as if she was the last person he was expecting to see. The man's forehead began to tighten and he squinted as if his vision was blurring.
“Hayden, are you okay?” Tom asked, standing up and moving towards him.
“Five business meetings, seven stiff drinks, a delayed flight and twenty-four hours without sleep. Um, no, not really.” He did not shift his eyes from Ellen.
Ellen thought the man looked quite irritable. He must not have been a pleasant person to deal with on the plane.
“My head is really throbbing, that's all,” he explained, turning back to Tom.
“Hayden, I'm sorry you are not feeling well, but I'm glad you're back. There is someone I'd like you to meet,” Tom announced, waving him over. “We have decided to feature one face for the summer campaign this year. This is Ellen and she has been chosen as that face. Have a look at some of these,” Tom said with pride in his voice as he offered the images to Hayden.
Hayden accepted the photographs, but did not look at any of them. Instead, his eyes returned to Ellen.
Ellen blushed awkwardly under his stare and felt her heart beating strangely.
“I don't know,” said Hayden softly as he suddenly turned his attention to Tom. “Has anything been signed yet? I'm really not sure about this decision.”
“I'm sorry, Hayden,” said Tom sternly. “That surprises me. You know I don't usually get involved so closely with these matters, but we all agree on this one. Granted, it's a new direction for Satinol, but the decision has been made and the matter is not up for debate.”
“Is that right?”
“Yes, and I thought you'd be happy to meet Ellen.”
“Did you?”
Tom seemed more surprised than anything else. “And you don't usually have any views on marketing matters, come to think of it. So, I’m not sure I understand your hesitation on this one.”
“And come to think of it, you don't usually know the names of the models,” Hayden retorted.
The room became silent.
Hayden narrowed his eyes on Tom and asked in an accusing tone, “How do you know this girl?”
The answer to Hayden's question seemed to have everyone interested. Ellen wished that she was anywhere in the world other than here.
“Hayden,” Tom said sternly. “You really look tired! How about we catch up tomorrow to discuss this issue further?”
Ellen wasn't sure if Hayden thought she was unattractive, or whether he was just angry at being left out of the decision-making process. In any case, she thought it best to keep quiet.
Obviously uncomfortable in her presence, Hayden put the photos back on the table and retreated to the door. Before leaving, he paused and turned to face Tom and the other men. “I half suspect that one of you is sleeping with her,” he stated. “And I hope it isn't you, Tom. That would be very unprofessional.”
With that final accusation, Hayden marched out of the room, leaving everyone momentarily stunned.
Once the door had slammed, Ellen looked towards Tom and concluded, “I don't think he likes me!”
“Oh Ellen,” exclaimed Tom. “I have no idea what that was about,” he said, walking back towards her. “I think you are perfect for the campaign. He’s just tired. I’ll talk to him tomorrow.” He rubbed her shoulders gently for a moment before abruptly stopping when his colleagues' eyes focussed on them again.
Ellen remained seated, expecting him to retract his earlier offer any minute.
Instead, Tom reached into his pocket and produced a set of keys. “I picked these up before. I think we need something to cheer us up. How about the two of us pick up Chloe and inspect your new apartment?”
Ellen smiled at Tom, feeling relieved to hear his confidence in her had not been completely dismantled by Hayden's lack of enthusiasm. “That sounds great,” she replied, turning her chair to face him.
Half an hour later, Ellen and Tom had picked up Chloe and were on their way to the new apartment. Ellen was amazed at the way Tom made her feel like the most important person in his life. Surely, he had more important busines
s matters to attend to, but if that was the case, he did not show any signs of wanting or needing to be anywhere else.
“Chloe,” said Tom in a loud voice, for the first time directing the conversation towards her in the back seat. “How is your job at the hotel going?”
Ellen realised that she and Tom had been leaving Chloe out of the conversation a little, but it had not been on purpose. Even though she and Tom had only just met, they just seemed to have so many things to talk about.
Chloe was happy to join in. “It won't be as good without Ellen there, that's for sure,” she responded, leaning forward to give her friend a soft punch on the shoulder. “The other staff are mostly older you know, and it's not as much fun working with them,” she added.
Tom was thoughtful for a moment. “You know, Chloe, I think Ellen might be more comfortable at Satinol if she has a friend around, and I'm just wondering if I can find a job opportunity for you.”
“Really?” asked Chloe, sounding very surprised.
Ellen was not expecting Tom to offer anything like that either, but was happy with the suggestion.
“You can do that?” asked Chloe.
Tom laughed. “Of course I can. I own the damn company, you know.”
“Oh, okay,” said Chloe hesitantly, looking towards Ellen. Ellen saw in Chloe's eyes that her friend had just realised how wealthy Tom must be, and she gave Ellen a knowing look.
The car pulled off the road into an underground car park beneath a high rise apartment block. The three of them walked towards the pair of elevators.
“Now girls, we have you on the twentieth floor,” Tom said with a grin, pushing the number twenty on the wall, once everyone was inside. “Here are your key sets.” Ellen and Chloe were both handed two keys on a small black Satinol key ring.
It was a very fast elevator, because in no time, they had arrived, and Tom led them into their new apartment.
“Wow, oh my God!” exclaimed Chloe. “Are you freaking for real?” She ran through the lounge room to see the bedroom. “Wow!” she screamed out from a distant room.
Ellen could not believe her eyes either. The apartment was large, fully-decorated and furnished, and more amazing than she could have imagined. Neither she nor Chloe had grown up in wealthy homes and it was staggering to imagine the two of them living here.
“I've had one of the girls from the office go and buy some groceries for the two of you, so there should be lots of food to keep you going for a while,” Tom announced as he poked around the kitchen. Tom looked over to Ellen who appeared a little stunned. “I hope you like it, Ellen,” he said moving closer to her.
“It's all perfect of course, Tom,” Ellen said, looking into his eyes. “I just can't believe that I get to live here for a while. Me, the girl from nowhere, living here.”
Tom looked amazed and happy to see Ellen's reaction, and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. “You will soon be the girl from all those Satinol ads,” he said laughing.
Tom's mobile rang just as Chloe ran back into the room, and he answered it quickly and quietly, turning away from the girls.
“Wow, Ellen, you have to see our bathroom,” she said in amazement, trying to drag her friend away.
“Is it good?”
“Oh, my God, yes.”
“Did you notice all the food we've got in here too?” added Ellen pointing to the kitchen.
They were interrupted by Tom, who was finished on his call. “Okay, girls, I have to love you and leave you. Something in the office needs my attention.” He started to head for the door, “So anyway, Ellen, someone will give you a call later today and organise a schedule with you, and Chloe, have you had enough time to consider my offer? Would you like to come and work for us too?”
“Uh huh,” she said quickly and eagerly. “I'll do anything. Make coffees, photocopy, anything.”
“Fine,” he laughed. “I'll see what I can organise.”
“Thank you, Tom,” added Chloe.
“I'll let you girls settle in now and you can have your things brought over in your own time. I've left the company's removalist details here on the counter. Give them a call, and quote the number at the top, which I've circled.” Tom pulled out a pen from his suit jacket and highlighted something on the paper. “See you both later.”
“Thank you and bye,” said Ellen thoughtfully, appreciating how Tom seemed to have considered everything she needed before she had even thought of it herself.
“Bye, Tom,” squealed Chloe, a little too enthusiastically thought Ellen.
“Bye.”
Once the front door had closed, Chloe exclaimed, “Wow, Ellen! I cannot believe the man you have scored.”
Ellen stared at her friend. “I wouldn't say that I have scored him exactly,” explained Ellen, not too happy with the way Chloe used the term.
Not listening, Chloe went on, “I mean he dresses well, drives a nice car, owns a large company, owns apartments like this one and is obviously the richest man we have ever met. And for some strange reason, he couldn’t take his eyes off you the whole time he was here. I can see why you like him,” said Chloe, her words racing over each other.
“That's not why I like him,” said Ellen defensively as she sat down at their new large dining table, feeling slightly annoyed at her friend's mounting assumptions.
“Come on, it's me, Ellen,” pleaded Chloe. “Tell the truth.”
Ellen was thoughtful and then tried to explain her new relationship. “On the first day I met him, it was like, I already knew him. I felt at ease around him, and well, the truth is, we have a connection. I feel it, he feels it. It's really not any more complicated than that at the moment.”