Даниэла Стил - The Affair

“So what do you think?” he asked her after they had toured the entire house, even the wine cellar and the gym.

“I think you have found an absolute gem. I’ve heard about these courtyard homes but only seen one, and it was small and dark. The renovation here was brilliantly done,” and there were skylights in several key places, “it’s a truly beautiful home.”

“Originally, I wanted something smaller. But five years is a long time, and I would miss my art, so I’m having it sent out now. The house lends itself perfectly to the kind of art I collect. It has all the space I need, will be great to entertain in, and I have a guest room if I need it. It wouldn’t have had enough closets for either of my wives,” but there were two good walk-in closets for him, which was more than he required. Nadia liked the strong, masculine, clean feeling to it. There were no little fussy details or precious spaces that annoyed most men, except if they were trying to please their wives. Since he’d spoken of his two wives and marriages with a certain sarcastic irony, he didn’t seem to her like a candidate for marriage, and she had the strong sense that he expected to live there alone and wasn’t unhappy about it.

Everything about him personified to her American businessman at the top of his field. He was more than just a bank president, he was an investment expert, and clearly had done well with his own.

“So what do you think?” he asked her again. He got straight to the point on every subject. After living her whole adult life in Europe, she wasn’t used to men like him. Even her wealthiest and most important European clients had a softer edge to them than Gregory. And yet she found his whole demeanor fascinating. He was like a brilliantly constructed missile, designed to hit the most minute target with infinite precision. She could tell he didn’t like wasting time and wanted everything handled rapidly and immediately. And she liked how direct he was. Clients like him were a pleasure to work with. “What’s your vision?” he asked, and the way he said it made her feel that he expected a full-on presentation of what to do, twenty minutes after she had walked into the house with him. He was presenting her with a major challenge. She would have to work fast, deliver the goods, meet every deadline, and come up with creative solutions that appealed to him. She suspected that she’d never had a client quite as tough or clear, and who had set the bar as high for her. It was stressful, but also very exciting, and she wanted to satisfy him and prove to him and herself that she could.

“I’d like a little more time to think about it.” She smiled at him. “But off the top of my head, with these vast open spaces on the main floor, I’m thinking white, maybe some charcoal gray, black—but not too much—a dark, intimate dining room with modern silver gleaming. Either some striking sculptures, even enormous ones, and possibly one in the garden, or some fabulous piece of carved Chinese jade, contrasting old and new,” which she knew would cost a fortune. “We could go brighter, but the white would lighten it all up. Browns in the study if you’re comfortable with that, various shades of chocolate or hunter green, since you mentioned it. A silver blue-gray in the bedroom, which would be restful. We can work with some textures to give it relief and a great piece of art. We can go neutral in the guest room, beige or gray, whatever you prefer, maybe a gray flannel. We can look for a fabulous rug for the main floor, or have one made. I have some very good resources in India. We’re talking six months, or at worst a year. And I’d like to see the artwork you’re bringing over, because in some cases, we should be guided by them.” She was squinting as she said it, imagining it, and he looked at her with growing interest and frank admiration.

“You’re hired. Martha was right. You’re amazing. I like every single idea you just shared with me. Would you take the job, after I see an estimate for your fees?” But she had the distinct impression that cost wasn’t going to be an obstacle, and the woman in London who had referred her had said that Nadia wasn’t cheap but she was very good.

“Of course I’d take the job.” She smiled at him. “That’s why I’m here. I think it will be fun to work with you. How soon would you like a presentation? And I’ll include a time and fee estimate with it,” she said, respecting his businesslike get-right-to-the-point style.

“Does a week from today sound too unreasonable?” he asked her. “I’m better dealing with something like this on the weekends.” A week was going to be a race against time to gather all the materials she wanted to show him, and enough options to excite and inspire him, but not overwhelm or confuse him.

“I can make it work,” she said with a look of determination. She was going to have to ask their babysitter to work for a few hours on Saturday mornings, until she didn’t need weekly meetings with him.

“Great.” He smiled broadly at her and seemed to relax. He held out a hand and shook hers. He had a firm handshake, and a gentler look in his eyes than he had at first. “You seem like a powerhouse, Nadia. At least your separation or divorce hasn’t slowed you down any, from what I can see. I was a mess for two years the first time. I felt dead inside. The second time took me about eight months to get back on my feet. The world lost all its color for me for a while.” It was hard to imagine his being overly emotional and upset by anything. He seemed to be in full control of his life.

“It was a difficult summer,” she admitted, “but I’m better now.” She didn’t want him to think she was falling apart just when he needed her. “It was all a bit of a surprise.”

“It usually is,” he said with just the thinnest razor-sharp edge of bitterness in his voice. “Somebody told me you don’t know the people you’re married to until you get divorced. I think it’s true. Some people know it’s wrong right from the beginning. I never did. I got blindsided by my own stupidity, I guess. Anyway, I hope your situation goes okay. I’m sure it’s even harder with kids involved, emotionally speaking. The economics can be pretty ugly either way.” She could easily imagine that greedy women would have wanted a fortune from him. He seemed like he came from old money, had made a fortune on his own, and had a big job on top of it. It was a recipe for people wanting to take advantage of him, which wasn’t her situation with Nicolas. There were no vast fortunes involved, and what Nicolas had inherited from his parents was entirely his, and she had no problem with that. She had a successful business of her own. It wasn’t about money with Nicolas. She imagined that Gregory lived a lonely life in a rarefied world, which wasn’t her situation. Gregory Holland was all business.

“I’ll have everything to present to you next week,” she said with a smile, and they took a last run-through to make sure they hadn’t missed anything. She would need a set of blueprints from him if he hired her. Nadia made a few notes and then he set the alarm, and they walked out together. She could hardly wait to get home and get started over the weekend. He got in his car and left, and she walked out to hers on the street.

Two hours after she’d left home, she had an enormous new project, which she thought could turn out brilliantly, and a new client. She went to meet Nicolas in the park to pick up the girls. She was going to do errands with them that afternoon.

“How did it go?” Nicolas asked her. He was having fun with the girls, running around and letting them chase him. His eyes lit up when he saw Nadia. He thought she looked beautiful in a red sweater and jeans, with black Hermès riding boots that were just broken in enough to look chic.