Interview in Italia

by Guest Fri Mar 27, 2009 2:08 am

At 10:50 p.m., Antoinette sat with His Excellency, her hands wrapped around a tiny cup of thick, black, viscous liquid. She never liked the stuff while she lived, and didn’t bother to smell it now, but loved the heat it gave off. She’d worn a black and eggplant Nina Ricci ensemble with black gloves and black boots with 8 inch heals. Antoinette knew there was a language only the slaves of fashion could speak to each other. All else were excluded.

The resume had been flawless. Made to order, really. The only way Antoinette wouldn’t hire her at this point was if she turned out to have three eyes, or ate babies, or was a monster of some type. That made her giggle.

The laughter was cut short though, when a blond vision approached. It was almost as if Antoinette was watching her arrive in a movie that had been slowed to 12 frames per second, and if she had a beating heart, her pulse would have matched. The girl’s fashionably bone straight platinum hair hung alluringly in her face and blew this way and that in the Italian evening breeze. The slow motion traffic heralded honks and cat calls for her lanky, heroine-thin frame as she smiled but never glanced to the side. She paced to a catwalk beat, confident and secure in her style and glamor. This gorgeous, talented, refined, infinitely-recommended, descended-from-royalty creature was about to sit down and ask to serve Antoinette. And if Antoinette did everything just like her Sire instructed her to do, she would have this woman for her very own.

Her predator teeth ached with the thought of it.

Alex strolled into the little Italian Café ignoring the customary comments made by passer byes. She didn’t have the time for such matters. She knew what she desired, and at that moment she had nothing on her mind but that job. As she opened the door and walked inside, she met the eyes of a flawlessly dressed, delectable woman who she knew to be Antoinette by the pictures she had seen in the magazines. She knew that her resume was outstanding and was not nervous in the least. She confidently walked straight up to the goth exquisiteness, smiled a smile of pure professionalism, and held out her hand.

“Hello…you must be Antoinette. I am Alexandra Elizabeth York the III. It is so exceptionally nice to meet you.” She said with her thick English accent.

Antoinette stole a look over at Baron Quinton when Alexandra said “the third” and speculated whether that was going to win him over. Although, she wondered how he felt about royal decedents as ghoul servants. But it was a little late for that. Antoinette was so convinced that she was “it”; there was little he could say to change her mind at this point.

“Alexandra, nice to meet you too. This is Baron Quinton Jones, we…” she hated this part. “He’s my business partner and dearest friend. Thank you for agreeing to meeting me so late, our schedule had been a bit erratic. Please, will you sit down? Would you like a drink?

Hmm… “Baron” Quinton. She hadn’t heard of the Baron and wondered where he was from. His glare gave her a slight chill, but she was a tough cookie and extremely unbreakable. She held out hand and gave him an extremely firm and confident shake. “And good evening to you Baron.”

Baron Quinton stands and takes her hand "The pleasure is mine, you honor us with your presence." He then sits and lets the women discuss their business.

Alex was pleased. So he did act his place. She gave him an elegant smile and turned back to Antoinette. “Yes, the Didonna show went phenomenally well. The clothes were definitely up to par and the critics loved them.” She smiled and continued, “I appreciate you meeting with me on your vacation. How are you enjoying your time here?”

“Oh, it’s been phenomenal.” Antoinette glosses over the rough spots a bit. “We’ve been shopping like mad. Cars, shoes, jewelry, suits, designer pieces. Even a few horses up North. It’s been a lot of fun, but we’ve been called back to Sacramento rather suddenly, so unfortunately the fun is all over for this trip. And I’m so sorry we weren’t able to make it to your show as I was so looking forward to it. I'm glad it was such a success for you.”

Antoinette figured it was best to just cut to the chase. "So, I know it’s late, and I don’t want to keep you here all night long. You must be exhausted from producing the show. And I can already see from your resume how infinitely qualified you are to run a position similar to the position at Lash. And, I’ve already taken the time to check all your references and experience. But Lash is my baby. And I didn’t really explain the entire scope of the position in the ads I ran. I’m really looking for someone that would be comfortable pretty much taking on the entire kitten caboodle. I’d still be the creative force behind it, and I’d still retain ultimate control of the business, but the person I plan to hire would for all intents and purposes run the company and make all the daily decisions. Handle all of the press, the logistics, whatever it takes to make Lash run smoothly. Why are you the right person for the job?"

Alex was in heaven! She would be the face of the company. This is exactly what she needed to get her own true talents flowing. She responded in her most confident business woman voice… “As you have seen from my resume, I am entirely qualified for a job such as the one you are presenting. My life revolves exclusively around the fashion industry and its clients. I have a vast clientele already ongoing not only in Sacramento, but in Italy, England, and France, just to name a few. I know a lot of people and am great at making my shows and clients well seen. My contacts range from royalty to celebrities. All of my clients have had a substantial increase in their revenue since hiring me on. I am committed to my job and am willing to give all my time and put all my effort into Lash. If you employ me, I will immediately have your line pictured on the cover of every notable fashion magazine and into every high-class store conceivable.”

Antoinette thought about this answer for a moment. Would she be happy serving her alone? “Alexandra, you are obviously an incredibly experienced, well connected, highly sought-after individual in our industry. Why would you be happy working just for me? And, what draws you to Lash?

“How can I put this into words….Lash is everything that I love about design. It can be sinister, mysterious, cute, sophisticated, and posh all at the same time. Your vision is flawless and it coincides with my own. Your clothing is what I would adore to see the entire world wearing. It’s almost as if you took out my brain, took out my own visions, and created my perfect masterpiece. You and your designs are an apparition of my dreams.”

Alex was a little surprised with hear self. She wasn’t normally so brutally honest about her feelings. The industry of design didn’t normally have room for things of that nature.

Antoinette listened in stunned silence. Was this a joke? She looked deep into Alexandra’s eyes, and tried to listen in her mind, but she couldn’t hear anything. She didn’t know what she was doing yet in that regard. She did glance over at Baron Quinton though, and if he suspected she was feeding her a line to get the job, he would definitely give her a sign. But he gave her no reaction to her glance.

For some reason, the smell of Alexandra’s blood suddenly became quite overwhelming. Antoinette was slowly beginning to realize not only was Alexandra perfect for this job, she was perfect for her. She’d never been attracted to a woman before, but there was something positively exquisite about her. The way she looked, the way she smelled, the way she talked... Antoinette began fantasizing about the exchange they would have, when she would give Alexandra her blood, and later when she would take Alexandra’s blood. The visions were very powerful and sensual, and suddenly she wanted to take this girl home and make her her very own, more than anything else in the entire world. As far as Antoinette was concerned, if Alexandra thought Target was couture, she’d still have her for her thrall.

“Alexandra, I would like to hire you. Let me know what your salary requirement is, and I will exceed it. The agreement would be contingent upon a few things. You will need to keep your primary residence in Sacramento. And you will not be able to work for any of your other clients while you work for me. Would you be able to agree to those terms?”

Alex was overwhelmed with pleasure! She knew all along that she would get the job if it came down to an interview, but something about Antoinette made it so much more pleasurable. She would never admit that she was not only drawn to the clothes, but to Antoinette as well. However, she couldn’t really explain it.

“I would love to accept the position. I must confess that Sacramento has grown on me over the last few months. I would not mind making it my primary residence; I had actually planned on departing back after our interview. As far as my other clients are concerned, you have nothing to worry about. They will be getting phone calls tomorrow.”

Could this really be happening? Had she really just scored this luscious, beautiful creature – the perfect thrall that would run Lash with all the skill and finesse she had, but would serve her with the loyalty and humility of a servant? She glanced over at Baron Quinton who nodded imperceptively and she stood to shake Alexandra’s hand. “Then I think we have an agreement Alexandra.” Antoinette smiled warmly, but instead of just shaking her hand, she drew closer and embraced her, giving her a kiss on each cheek, as is traditional in Europe.

Alex kissed her on the cheek in return. This was something that she was accustomed to, being born and raised in Europe. However, what she was not accustomed to was the way she was drawn to this woman. Her scent became overwhelming and for a split second Alex felt tingly all over. She felt like melting in the woman’s arms. Alex quickly shook the feeling a way and returned Antoinette’s smile.

Sitting back down, she thought to herself she must be coming down with something.

“Thank you for this magnificent opportunity. I will prove to you that you hired the precise woman to manage Lash.”

Now Antoinette was worried. She didn’t want to let this prize out of her sight. Not for a moment. What if she lost interest or changed her mind or found a better offer? In fact, perhaps she should take her somewhere and do it now. She needed to ask Baron Quinton for advice, but it was impossible, not with Alexandra right here. Yet she couldn’t risk anything going wrong. She would not lose her.

“Alexandra, did you say you were planning to head back to Sacramento now? Could I talk you into flying with us?”

Oh dear God, please don’t let Quinton kill me for asking without getting his permission first…

Alex was a little taken aback. They had not just offered a simple cab ride home, but a flight home. Antoinette’s business must have expanded much more than she had originally heard. It had to have for her to be able to afford her own private aircraft.

“That would be lovely. I would need to pick up my belongings from the Ritz, but then I would adore flying home along with you and Baron Quinton.”

It almost felt as if she was in a dream. It would be unfeasible to be anymore perfect.

“Perfect. We have a driver, we can swing by and get your things, then we’ll be off.”

And that way, Quinton can’t get me alone in case I did any of this wrong. I love this! It’s like I’m going to have my own built-in defense system.

“Unless you had any other things you wanted to do tonight in the City?” Antoinette suddenly felt high. Really, wonderfully, high.

“No, I am done closing down my show and am packed and ready to fly out. I will call and cancel the flight that I had booked for tomorrow morning on our way over to the hotel.”

“They got Alexandra checked out of her hotel and onto the plane so they could get headed back to Sacramento in time for the Saturday meeting. An abrupt start to the beginning of an adventure.