imagine where my savings would be if I went out all the time.
Being the queen of multitasking, I opened an expense sheet in Excel as I reached for the phone to call Luc. The phone rang four times before his answering machine clicked on.
“You’ve reached Healing Touch Massage Therapy. I’m sorry I missed your call, but if you leave ...”
I was looking for a receipt in my handbag when the digital beep on Luc’s machine sounded. “Luc, it’s me. I was wondering if you’d like to go out. Maybe this weekend?” I smiled appealingly before I realized he wouldn’t be able to see it. “Um, call me, okay?”
The second I hung up, my extension rang. “Research. This is Katherine Murphy speaking.”
“Katherine, this is Gary. Luc introduced us at my gallery opening last night.”
“Hello, Gary.” I wrinkled my nose, momentarily giving up on the receipt. Why was he calling me?
“You’re probably wondering why I’m calling you—”
Ha.
“—I saw you and knew you were just the person I was looking for, and I was wondering if you’d sit for me.”
“Sit for you?” The first image that came to mind was of me in a leash, obediently heeling. “I don’t know what Luc told you, but I’m not into kinky sex.”
Gary roared so loudly I had to hold the receiver away from my ear to avoid going deaf from his laughter.
“God, you’re hilarious. No kinky sex,” he said, gasping for breath. “I just want to paint your portrait.”
“Why would you ever want to do that?” I mean, I wasn’t chopped liver, but I wasn’t the kind of woman poets wrote odes about. I did look really good in my DKNY suits, though.
“You have an amazingly interesting face. Your eyes—I can’t wait to tackle the challenge of capturing the mix of innocence and imp reflected there.”
“I don’t know what Luc told you, but I don’t have much time. Especially over the next few weeks.” When Lydia gave me the VP spot I was going to be extremely busy.
“I don’t need much of a time commitment from you. I just need to draw some initial sketches that I’ll use as guides for the painting.”
Remembering some of his artwork, I frowned. “I’m not going to be a big, frizzy blob on a white canvas, am I?”
He was still roaring with laughter when he hung up a couple of minutes later. I’d read that laughter could cure all manner of illness. Gary must be one of the healthiest people on earth.
I opened my calendar and typed in the time and place of our meeting. He was eager to get started, so I’d agreed to meet him Sunday morning at eleven.
As soon as I hit Save my phone rang again. I sighed mentally. “Research. Katherine Murphy speaking.”
“Hey, squirt. What’s up?”
I frowned. “Why can’t I have a better nickname than squirt? Why can’t you call me Kat-woman or something? It sounds so much more heroic.”
“Squirt seems appropriate. Especially given this assignment your boss gave you.”
“Humph.”
“This is a switch. Usually when you want something from me you don’t complain.”
Oh yeah. I forgot about that. “Have I told you lately how much I value your friendship?”
“You need more suckers for your list, don’t you?”
“What if I just wanted the pleasure of your company?”
He snorted. “Kat, you haven’t called me just to hang out in months.”
Oh, the guilt. He was right. I was a shitty friend. I vowed right then that once this assignment was over and I had my raise, I’d do something really nice for Luc to show him how much he meant to me.
Now, I cleared my throat. “Does this mean you won’t go out with me tonight?”
There was a pregnant pause before I heard him sigh. “No, I’ll go. God knows you need someone to keep an eye on you.”
“Oh, thank you, Luc.” What a relief. “According to most religions, including Christianity, Islam, and paganism, your good deeds will be rewarded in the afterlife.”
Luc grunted. “I should be so lucky. Meet me at Market and Octavia at
Being the queen of multitasking, I opened an expense sheet in Excel as I reached for the phone to call Luc. The phone rang four times before his answering machine clicked on.
“You’ve reached Healing Touch Massage Therapy. I’m sorry I missed your call, but if you leave ...”
I was looking for a receipt in my handbag when the digital beep on Luc’s machine sounded. “Luc, it’s me. I was wondering if you’d like to go out. Maybe this weekend?” I smiled appealingly before I realized he wouldn’t be able to see it. “Um, call me, okay?”
The second I hung up, my extension rang. “Research. This is Katherine Murphy speaking.”
“Katherine, this is Gary. Luc introduced us at my gallery opening last night.”
“Hello, Gary.” I wrinkled my nose, momentarily giving up on the receipt. Why was he calling me?
“You’re probably wondering why I’m calling you—”
Ha.
“—I saw you and knew you were just the person I was looking for, and I was wondering if you’d sit for me.”
“Sit for you?” The first image that came to mind was of me in a leash, obediently heeling. “I don’t know what Luc told you, but I’m not into kinky sex.”
Gary roared so loudly I had to hold the receiver away from my ear to avoid going deaf from his laughter.
“God, you’re hilarious. No kinky sex,” he said, gasping for breath. “I just want to paint your portrait.”
“Why would you ever want to do that?” I mean, I wasn’t chopped liver, but I wasn’t the kind of woman poets wrote odes about. I did look really good in my DKNY suits, though.
“You have an amazingly interesting face. Your eyes—I can’t wait to tackle the challenge of capturing the mix of innocence and imp reflected there.”
“I don’t know what Luc told you, but I don’t have much time. Especially over the next few weeks.” When Lydia gave me the VP spot I was going to be extremely busy.
“I don’t need much of a time commitment from you. I just need to draw some initial sketches that I’ll use as guides for the painting.”
Remembering some of his artwork, I frowned. “I’m not going to be a big, frizzy blob on a white canvas, am I?”
He was still roaring with laughter when he hung up a couple of minutes later. I’d read that laughter could cure all manner of illness. Gary must be one of the healthiest people on earth.
I opened my calendar and typed in the time and place of our meeting. He was eager to get started, so I’d agreed to meet him Sunday morning at eleven.
As soon as I hit Save my phone rang again. I sighed mentally. “Research. Katherine Murphy speaking.”
“Hey, squirt. What’s up?”
I frowned. “Why can’t I have a better nickname than squirt? Why can’t you call me Kat-woman or something? It sounds so much more heroic.”
“Squirt seems appropriate. Especially given this assignment your boss gave you.”
“Humph.”
“This is a switch. Usually when you want something from me you don’t complain.”
Oh yeah. I forgot about that. “Have I told you lately how much I value your friendship?”
“You need more suckers for your list, don’t you?”
“What if I just wanted the pleasure of your company?”
He snorted. “Kat, you haven’t called me just to hang out in months.”
Oh, the guilt. He was right. I was a shitty friend. I vowed right then that once this assignment was over and I had my raise, I’d do something really nice for Luc to show him how much he meant to me.
Now, I cleared my throat. “Does this mean you won’t go out with me tonight?”
There was a pregnant pause before I heard him sigh. “No, I’ll go. God knows you need someone to keep an eye on you.”
“Oh, thank you, Luc.” What a relief. “According to most religions, including Christianity, Islam, and paganism, your good deeds will be rewarded in the afterlife.”
Luc grunted. “I should be so lucky. Meet me at Market and Octavia at
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