CHAPTER TEN

Rhonda Kabecky sat two contracts on Giorgio's desk for review.

"These are?" Giorgio asked her.

"The two that have been fully vetted and approved."

"Just two thus far?"

"Yes, sir."

How many have come through?"

"Since the start? I think Claudio said something to the effect of three hundred, or he might have even said three-fifty or more."

"And only two were fully approved?"

"You don't want any established models. You want a fresh face. Fresh, undiscovered talent don't grow on trees. It's going to take time."

"Which is what I don't have. The season is right around the corner. I have three new houses with three new divisions opening in a matter of months. Claudio has got to pick up the pace."

"I agree with that."

"Has he completed today's casting call?"

"I don't think so. But I'll find out."

"How many strong contenders were left from the previous go-sees?"

"Fourteen I think he said. But none of them are the total package."

"Go to his office and get their portfolios. I want to review them for myself."

"He'll feel you're second-guessing him."

"He employs me?"

Rhonda hated when he treated her as if she was just another one of his lackeys. "No, sir."

Giorgio's phone began to ring. "Does it look like I would concern myself with his feelings?"

"No sir."

"Get the portfolios on my desk ASAP."

Although Rhonda had far more liberties with the boss than anybody else in that building, she also knew not to overplay her hand. "Yes, sir," she said. As she was leaving the office, he was answering his phone.

Instead of going back to her desk, Rhonda made her way around the numerous corridors that led to the Creative Director's suite of offices. She couldn't stand Claudio Bash and his phoniness and he couldn't stand her. But at least she'd get a respite, even if she knew it was only for a few minutes, from their grumpy boss.

But a few minutes after Rhonda disappeared around corridors, Vivian got off of the elevator on the top floor of HOJ and looked around. It seemed as if nobody was anywhere to be found. Even the desk outside of the only office she could see around there was empty too. But at least there was an office.

Had she bothered to look above the ten-foot-high double doors of the office, she would have seen the name of the occupant, but she wasn't looking that high up. She was told the man she needed to see had his office on the top floor. This was the top floor. This was the only office she saw. She walked up to the double doors and knocked.

When nobody answered, she slowly opened the door and looked inside. A man was seated behind the desk in his high-back executive chair with his back to the office door, but she could hear him talking on the phone.

"Milan is set. Paris is set. Stateside is a problem. Right. Overbudget my ass. Who's overbudget?"

"Excuse me?"

When he kept talking, Vivian looked around at the office. It seemed like two offices in one. There was the executive side with the huge desk all the way straight back facing the entrance, and there was a couch to its right. Then there was the design studio side to the left, where there were swatches of cloth on a long table, mannequins and charts on boards that looked like blueprints, and a big screen filled with videos of models walking runways and wearing what she assumed were Janardi suits. It was the largest office she'd ever seen in her life. And suddenly she felt intimidated. But she was there now. She knocked even harder on the open door, but she decided against walking in any further. Or closing the door.

Giorgio heard the louder knocks and quickly pivoted around in his swivel chair. When he saw a woman standing there, he frowned. "What do you think you're doing?"

Vivian found the question strange. "What am I doing ? I'm not doing anything."

He was too far away for her to get a good look at him, and she was too far away for him to get a good look at her, but neither one was impressed with the other one. He acted as if she was stealing something. She acted as if she was eavesdropping on his phone conversation.

"How did you get up here?" he asked her.

"On the elevator just like you got up here," Vivian responded.

Rhonda had arrived back at her desk and was about to head into the boss's office with the files he had requested, but when she saw Vivian standing just inside the door, she stopped outside of the office and listened. "I'll call you back, Josh," Giorgio said and ended the call. "Now what do you want?"

"I'm looking for the contracts department."

Giorgio didn't know what to make of her. Was she one of those models attempting to get a leg up on her competition? "The contracts department? What are you talking about? Does my office look like a contracts department?"

"I don't know what it looks like. You asked why I was here and I told you why. I'm looking for the contracts department."

"There's no such department. Now leave!"

Vivian was offended. "You don't have to be nasty about it."

Rhonda was shocked when the younger lady didn't back down. Giorgio was shocked too. He sat back in his chair. The nerve of her! "Nasty?" he asked her. "Lady, you haven't seen nasty. I'm not being nasty at all."

"Oh yes you are."

Rhonda smiled. This was a first!

And Vivian kept going. "Yes, I might have made a mistake coming up in your office. I was told the contract person was on this floor and I figured you might be the one because nobody else is around here. Excuse me for making a mistake. But the way you're talking to me? That's not right."

Rhonda prayed Giorgio didn't destroy her with his acid tongue.

"Did I upset your sensibilities? Would you like an apology?"

"That'll be a start."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes, I'm serious! You can't just talk to me any kind of way because you got this fancy office and can relax through life when the rest of us have to hustle. Just because you think you got it made and up there higher than me don't mean you can go around treating people like dirt. The same people you trample on today may just be the very people you need tomorrow! And one thing about the rest of us: we got great memories. We never forget."

And as soon as she said those words, he felt something. Something familiar. Something he had suppressed. "Do I know you?" he asked her.

Vivian was offended. "Why would I wanna know some rude, obnoxious joker like you? No, you do not know me!"

Rhonda could hardly believe her ears. But she was worried for the girl. Giorgio was not to be trifled with.

But, to Rhonda's shock, he didn't tear her apart with his acid tongue. "I apologize if you felt I was rude," he said to her.

He apologized? Rhonda could not believe her ears.

But Giorgio, being Giorgio, wasn't about to leave himself unprotected. He had to add fighting words. "Now will you leave my sight? Is that too much to ask? I apologized. Does that make you feel any better? Now go."

"It doesn't make me feel any better at all," said Vivian. "Because I know you didn't mean it. You can keep your sorry-ass apology. It doesn't make me feel better at all."

As Rhonda knew it would, Giorgio's temper flared. He rose halfway from his chair. He wasn't above punching down. "Just get the fuck out of my office and get out now!" He was enraged. "Just go!"

Vivian just stood there. Because when he stood up halfway from his chair, she could hardly believe her eyes. Because she recognized him! That thick brown hair. Those stark blue eyes even that far away. That physique.

But how could it be? He didn't work at a fashion house.

Or did he?

Because she realized, in the brief time she'd known him, that he never told her what he did for a living. And she also realized that the last time she saw him, nine years ago, he was walking out of the Janardi store in Beverly Hills. He had literally walked out of that store while she sat in front of it. She was dumbstruck.

"What are you a lunatic?" he asked her. "What are you still standing there for? I told you to get out of my office. Now scram!"

But when she kept on standing there, staring at him, he found himself staring at her. And suddenly he felt that odd feeling again. As if he knew her. As if she was dear to him. But he couldn't place her. Which wasn't unusual for him. Especially if she was one of his numerous one-night stands. But that odd feeling of endearment? That was different.

But when Rhonda saw her standing there as if she was going to buckle to his nastiness, and he was going to drag her out of his office, she intervened and stepped inside the office. "You'd better go, young lady," she said to Vivian.

Vivian looked over at her. They were acting as if she wanted to be there when that was the last place she wanted to be.

"You need to go," Rhonda added.

And just like that, Vivian snapped out of it. "With pleasure," she said as she looked over at Giorgio again as if he disgusted her.

But that look caused Giorgio's temper to reemerge. "You think that hurts me? Get out of my office. And you can kiss my ass while you're leaving."

Vivian turned back around quickly. He wasn't above punching down. But she wasn't beneath punching up. "Kiss your ass? No thank you," she fired back. "It's probably rotten down there too!"

And then she turned and walked out of his office, nearly running over Rhonda as she swept past her with a face filled with rage.

Rhonda looked at the younger woman angrily hurrying out, and then she looked at Giorgio. Did she just see what she just saw? Did she hear what she just heard? Did that woman just talk to the great Gio Janardi that way??? She was speechless.

Giorgio, so unaccustomed to anybody going off on him ever, couldn't believe it either. And he had to take it out on somebody! "What are you staring at?" he yelled at his secretary. "Get back to work!"

Rhonda had the portfolios he had asked for in her hand, but she wasn't about to go into that firing squad. Not until he cooled back down. She went behind her desk, sat down, and got back to work.

But a part of her was smiling. Finally, she thought, somebody with the balls to cut him down to size.