Play Date (9 page)

“But we have to do something about that hair.
We have to go at least two shades lighter.”

“It would be better for you to get this
professionally done but we don’t have time,” said Binky helping
Nina with the hair dye as Nina stood over the sink, the astringent
smell of the chemicals overwhelming the room.

An hour later, Binky was corralling Nina’s
very blond locks with a curling iron and blower. She was spending
most of the time working on the bottom end of Nina’s
shoulder-length hair, flipping it upwards. “Leo loves it like
this.”

“Try these,” said Nina, tossing the lingerie
on the bed.

“What? I’m not wearing your underwear,” said
Nina.

“Leo Baldwin has particular tastes. You will
only have one chance to make a first impression. You will need to
go in with both guns blazing.”

“Wait… you want me to sleep with him?” said
Nina, standing in front of the bed in a white robe.

“Well, yeah, duh.”

“I’m not a prostitute.”

“Don’t bullshit me. You saw him. You’d sleep
with him in a second even if you had nothing to gain from it.”

Nina knew she was right but she didn’t like
the way Binky could see so easily through her. “He loves Aubade
lingerie—black stockings and garter belts—apricot trim,” Binky
continued, “On top, he likes a pencil skirt and a fitted white
blouse with a high buttoned collar.”

“How do you know all this?” said Nina.

“Every woman on the eastern seaboard knows
what Leo Baldwin likes. There are Facebook pages and blogs devoted
to him if you doubt me.”

“My God.”

“Remember how I said we had crossed paths?
Both our families are prominent and sometimes we traveled in the
same circles. But unlike mine, his family knew the difference
between interest and principle. Like most rich people, that’s how
he made his money; he started with a lot of money and made more.
Mine ended up being college professors at Swarthmore.”

Binky helped Nina get dressed. She clasped
the garters to the front and back of Nina's stockings as her long
nails brushed against Nina's thighs. “The skirt and blouse might be
a little too small for you but that could work to your advantage,”
said Binky.

“I can barely move,” said Nina, standing in
her bare feet.

“You’re not done yet,” said Binky coming out
of the closet holding two skyscraper pumps.

“No way—I’m not wearing those!” said Nina.
“I’ll break a leg!”

“And if you do I have some crutches left over
from a ski accident in Stowe back in 2011.”

The cab driver seemed to know the way to the
Baldwin house but Nina didn’t like the way the cabbie was taking
his eyes off the road to check her out in the rear view mirror.

She was driving in the verdant backcountry
again, this time staying on the Vermont side of the lake and
traveling upwards into some hilly terrain.

When the cabbie dropped her off at the side
of road, Nina seemed to be standing in the middle of nowhere. There
was only a vine-covered wall that stretched for a good quarter
mile. Suddenly a door from an enclosure in the wall and a man came
out to greet her. “Can I help you ma’am?”

“Leo Baldwin please,” said Nina.

The guard smiled, “Well, uh, yes, but do you
have an appointment?”

“No, but he knows me. Nina Martini. We met
this afternoon at Clair Railings’ for a book auction.”

The guard retreated to the guard enclosure. A
minute later the ivy wall opened revealing a large grass lawn with
the driveway continuing on inside. There was a large metal and
glass house a quarter mile away. In her impossibly high heels and
tight skirt she started the walk down the driveway. “Ma’am,” called
out the guard.

“Yes?” Nina said, stopping.

“Someone’s coming to get you.”

A small open-air electric vehicle closed the
distance between the house and Nina in an instant. As it came to a
stop in front of her she could see that the driver was Leo. “Hi,
what did you say your name was?”

“Nina. I was at the house today.”

“House?”

“Clair Railings house. You were the top
bidder. By a mile. Remember?”

Leo’s eyes went wide. “Oh—that was you!”

“Yes, that was me,” Nina said, smiling.

“I didn’t recognize you,” he said looking at
her with a lazy grin. “Well, get in.”

The car zoomed quietly up the driveway and
entered a large garage bay. Inside were twelve cars, some on lifts.
The garage was pristine. The lighting was bright and the whole
place looked like an operating room. Leo got out, came around and
helped her out of the car. “You’re just in-time for happy hour,”
Leo said leading Nina into the house.

The front part of the house was mostly glass,
with the late afternoon summer sun still about five hours from
sunset. “Have a seat in the study,” Leo said, his hand pointed in
the direction of a small room directly off the living room (or what
must have been several living rooms). “What would you like to
drink?”

“Just, um, just a Manhattan please. If that’s
too much work, then a beer is fine.”

“A Manhattan it is.” Leo disappeared and Nina
looked around the room. It was an interior room so there were no
windows. But then she looked up and saw what appeared to be no
roof, just blue sky and clouds. Looking closer she saw that a
continuous sheet of curved glass with no seams separated her from
the outside. “Here you go,” said Leo walking back into the room and
handing her a glass. He sat down in a chair in front of her holding
his own drink. “What can I do for you?”

“Your house is amazing,” said Nina.

“Thank you.”

“I didn’t expect it to be you who would pick
me up and make me a drink. I figured you’d have servants to do
that.”

“I’m a man of the people,” he smiled. “I have
a staff of twenty but I like to do some things myself. Like
greeting beautiful women and making them drinks.”

Nina felt the blood flowing between her legs.
“I wanted to talk to you about this afternoon. Those books. I want
you do consider selling them to Binky.”

“To Henrietta? Why would I do that?”

“She really wants them,” said Nina, realizing
too late how lacking her reply was.

“I really want them too,” said Leo as Nina
thought about how those broad shoulders would look with that shirt
off.

“Binky feels that you already have such
extensive resources that you really don’t need these books the way
someone like her does,” said Nina. “But her life is dependent on
the publishing industry.”

“So Henrietta sent you over here?” said Leo.
“I thought you worked for that other guy?”

“I did. He fired me because I lost the
deal.”

“I’m sorry,” said Leo. “The guys a dick. So
Henrietta hired you?”

“She might.”

“Did Henrietta tell you to dress like
this?”

Nina looked down at her glass trying to think
of a reply but couldn’t.

“Because your hairstyle and dress are pushing
all my buttons and naturally I’m a little suspicious,” said
Leo.

“You were staring at me today,” said Nina,
still looking down. “The whole time. You didn’t stop once.”

“How did you know? You never looked up,” said
Leo smirking, his green eyes crinkling at the edges.

“A girl has eyes in the back of her head,”
said Nina looking up to meet his eyes. “I can tell you like me. I’m
guessing you like me even more now. Don’t pretend otherwise.”

“If you’re so hot why the hard sell?” said
Leo.

Nina’s face went red as she choked on her
drink. Nina was embarrassed. She vowed to never be so obvious
again.

“I collect literary works,” continued Leo.
“First editions, rare printings, botched printings. I was an
English major. I love this stuff. I don’t collect things just to
deny folks like you your livelihood. I do it because I love these
books. I read Tom Railings’ three published novels in boarding
school, five times each. His unpublished works are legend. The fact
that I got them for such a steal is a crime against literature. But
I’ll change that. I’ll bring them to the world’s attention.”

“They meant something to us too,” said Nina.
“But we’re small publishers. We don’t have your resources. Perhaps
you could license the books back to us? You keep control but give
us the publishing rights. Maybe we can digitize the books? They’ll
never leave your library.”

“Which one is your favorite?” said Leo. “Of
just the published novels.”

“I’ve only read 'Bound for the Horizon'.”

“Only one? You sound like a real Tom
Railings’ aficionado.”

“I only heard of him three months ago and
I’ve only had time to read one— between work and the kids, you
know. I’m a single mom.”

“You must have boyfriend.”

“Don’t have time.”

“Every guy in—where you from?”

“Scottsdale.”

“Every guy in Scottsdale must be beating down
your door.”

“If they are, I don’t know about it,” said
Nina.

“Hmmm, now all of a sudden you're so
humble... Tell me, Nina, in 'Bound for the Horizon', do you think
Jack’s belligerence is meant to be a symbol of American Cold War
hegemony?”

“I don’t remember anyone named Jack in that
book,” said Nina.

Leo smiled, “Why don’t we discuss our mutual
love for Tom Railings over dinner. I know a great place in town.”
Leo tapped something on his wrist, “Barry, get the car. We’re going
to Augies”.

Augies’ was a dump. Nina thought that if this
was the way a billionaire showed his authenticity then it was a
desperate ploy. She looked around and saw that the room had a
studied distressed look: uneven wood planks for walls with some
planks stained a different color and sunlight seeping in from the
cracks. The tables were folding card- tables and the drinks were
served in paper cups.

“I don’t buy any of this,” said Nina, feeling
a little pissy despite the gorgeous man sitting across from
her.

“What is it about this place that don’t you
‘buy’?” said Leo.

“It’s fake. This isn't a real fish monger
shack.”

“Do you hang out in a lot of fish monger
shacks?” said Leo.

“No.”

“Then what's so fake about it?”

“Well, you’re eating here, number one…”

“Okay—and number two?”

“And they’re here,” said Nina looking out at
the other diners in the cramped room. “Everyone here looks
well-heeled, not the type of people who would hang out in a real
fish monger shack. It think it's despicable that someone is
romanticizing poverty in order to brand a restaurant.”

“So you’re a rabble-rousing, bomb-throwing
class-warrior?” said Leo. “Wearing six inch stilettos and a pencil
skirt. Tell me, what do you have on underneath there? More things
to push my buttons?”

Nina noticed her breathing becoming more
labored. Leo became better looking by the minute. She hated this
feeling of helplessness, of not being in control. What did those
lips taste like? She wanted him, books or no books. She wanted him
to take her right there at the table. Do me right here! Diners be
damned! She tried to ignore the wetness in her panties.

“Well, guess what” continued Leo. “It turns
out, you are right.”

“Right?”

“And it shows we have more work to do.”

“You own this place?” said Nina.

“I hold 20% of Herndon Restaurants—Country
Garden, Fish Grotto—this is their test-bed for a new concept called
“Studied Down-Market” targeted to resort towns like Snuffex. But it
doesn’t look like you’re buying any of it.”

“But it IS packed tonight,” said Nina,
backpedaling and trying to be more accommodating.

“True, but we may not have to be that
authentic. If you get too authentic you start looking like a meth
lab in the woods,” he said laughing. Nina loved that laugh.

She ordered the chipped beef and Leo ordered
the beef stew. “I'm waiting for the beggar children,” said Nina.
“Preferably with no teeth.” They drank Johnny Walker Blue Scotch
out of paper cups and it tasted terrible.

Nina finished her last bite. She looked up
from her plate and saw that Leo was staring at her again.

“Why don’t you stand up?” said Leo.

“Why do that?” said Nina, suddenly feeling a
chill, unsettled by the request.

“Because I want to see if you’re really that
good looking.”

“You've seen me before,” she smiled
uncomfortably.

“I never really had a chance to study you,”
said Leo.

Turning her head both ways, Nina stood up
beside her chair, nervously. It was then that she noticed something
in his hand. It looked like a TV remote. He aimed it at her. It
emitted a thin red light that he aimed at the top of her shoulder.
He then ran the thin beam of light vertically down her blouse, over
her breasts, stomach and down to the bottom of her skirt. “Don’t
move,” he said.

“What—” said Nina.

“Don’t move an inch. This here is from a
company that I’ve taken an angel investor position in. It’s a
company that does precision CNC laser cutting in the aerospace
industry. One of their engineers made up this little pointer for me
that emits a cutting beam that can be programmed to cut almost all
the way through a substance, except for the last few
millimeters.”

“I don’t understand,” said Nina,
nervously.

“You don’t have to understand it, just don’t
move. Your blouse and skirt are going to fall away the moment you
even twitch.

Nina was paralyzed. He had to be joking. It
was joke. He wouldn’t do this to her. Not in a public place.
Humiliate her?

“You’re kidding right?”

“Let’s find out. How long can you stand there
without moving?” Leo said.

“I’ll stand here as long as I have to,” said
Nina rigidly and defiant.

“Okay, well then, I’ll order another drink,”
said Leo. “But you know what, gorgeous? I get bored easily.” He
threw a napkin at Nina’s face and she flinched to avoid it. Her
blouse and skirt split open simultaneously, falling to the floor
and leaving her just in her apricot trimmed bra, panties and
stockings. “Ah, Henrietta did send you... ”