Chapter 6
When William got home, he picked up his mail. Some brochures for holiday cottage rental in Devon and Cornwall, and a letter form the IRS.
He picked up the phone and dialled Xander’s number
“Hello?”
“Oh hi, Hailey – it’s uncle William, is your mom there please – could I speak to her?”
“Sure…mom…………………MOM! She’s coming! Hey guess what, I got an ‘A’ for my art project!”
“You did? – Clever girl – what did you do?” William asked, smiling
“Well, we had to do something on nature, so I drew some bugs and leaves and feathers and stuff, the teacher said it was really good the way I did the light and shade”
“Excellent, well keep it up huh, one day we might have an exhibition of your pictures at the gallery!!”
“That would be awesome – here’s mom – bye uncle!”
“Bye Hailey!” He could hear the phone changing hands, and Anya said,
“Hi Will, not getting cold feet are you?”
“Cold feet – over – oh gods no, looking forward to it, no I’ve had a letter from the IRS, would you do the accounts for me?”
“Yes of course, I could come in on Thursday, or bring them home and do them over the weekend, whichever you think is better”
“Well we’ve got a load of junk arriving here on Thursday”
“I’m sorry, junk?” Anya asked frown/smiling
“Sorry, art work, by Angel Stebson coming here for an exhibition”
“Oh – I see what you mean now, junk! Um…it’s not the plates of half eaten food is it?”
“I’ve no idea, just as long as he doesn’t infest my stock with bugs and maggots and stuff!” William said
“Oh I think he said after the incident in New York were some hobo ate one of the exhibits, he has them glazed and varnished now!”
“Well you know more than me, I’m totally not interested. So if I send the ledgers home with Xander, and I’ll pay you $12 an hour”
“Okay that’s great!”
“And Hailey sounds as if she’s doing well at school!”
“Oh the art project….hmm pity she isn’t so hot on math, English and history!”
“Oh dear…the American Civil War doesn’t do it for her huh?”
“Unfortunately no, she’s upstairs with her two friends and my makeup bag more interested in trying to look like Miley Cyrus at the moment!”
“Sorry, who?”
“Hannah Montana – TV programme? – Never mind, you’ll understand when you and - Betty is it? – When you have kids of your own!”
“Kids of – hey steady on, haven’t even been on a first date yet! – And her names Buffy!”
“Hmm...Buffy…what kind of a name IS that anyway?” smiling William got on the defensive
“Well I think it’s a beautiful name, anyway I must go, my moo goo gai pan is getting cold!” Anya laughed
“Okay bye Will”
“Bye!”
ooOOoo
“Okay folks, let’s hear it for my final guest tonight, some would say the ‘controversial’ artist, the Enfant-Terrible of the Art World, Mr Angel Stebson” Gloria Benson stood from her seat and clapped along with the audience and Angel walked confidently onto the set of Entertainment Tonight. He undid his jacket button and sat on the leather sofa after kissing country singer Kimmy Synette, and shaking hands with American TV award winner Chad Whit. The applause died down and there were one or two ‘whoops’ from members of the audience.
Beaming at her guest Gloria began:
“And how does it feel to be back in your native California?”
Angel smiled and said,
“Great huh! Nice to see the sun again!”
“New York dull then?” Gloria drawled
“No, just a little cold!”
“Well now, cold isn’t what you say the reception was to your new exhibition, because it has caused quite a controv – hold on, excuse – security, SECURITY!” some of the audience started shouting, some clapping others making noises,
Gloria’s question was interrupted by a man dashing on stage with a piece of paper in his hand
“You are Angel Stebson, I’m – get off – I’m Larry Mason, ow – get….consider your self served with this writ, OW get off!” he thrust the envelope into Angel’s hands, and then he was wrestled off the stage by a security guard, a floor manager and a cameraman.
Angel looked at the envelope and put it in his inside jacket pocket
The audience had gone wild, and it took several moments before calm was restored.
“Well! What was that all about?” Gloria asked
“No idea…it can wait” Angel said casually as he could. Ever the professional, Gloria carried on with her set questions until the show was over.
“Five, four three, two, one and cut – that’s a wrap” the floor manager said and Gloria took the microphone from the front of her top.
“Did you set me up?” Angel asked her with a grin. The other guests got up and left the floor, Gloria tried to look suitably horrified
“Would I do a thing like that!”
“Gloria, I know you too well…that’s the exact thing you’d do!” Angel moved behind her and softly kissed her neck. She closed her eyes and shivered, turned and pulled him towards her by the lapels of his jacket, kissing him passionately.
“Fuck dinner….let’s go straight for dessert back to my place………Clem…CLEM!” Gloria looked up into his eyes, she looked like she wanted to eat him alive……
“Yes Miss Benson?”
“Have my car sent around the front immediately!” she barked out
“Right away Miss Benson!”
ooOOoo
The Morning Herald headlines:
‘Controversial Artist has writ issued live on TV’ and a slightly blurred picture of Angel Stebson been given the writ by a man called Larry Mason, while being wrestled off stage was shown.
On the nightstand lay the open envelope. Gloria had got out of bed and wrapped her silk robe around her, Angel lay back, his one arm above his head. He remembered the writ and turned and picked it up.
“What does it say?” Gloria asked putting a mug of coffee down where the writ had just been.
Angel was reading, and then he said,
My client, Parker Abrams………yadda, yadda, yadda, finished his meal at the Burger Shack on the 23rd on November last year, and having thrown the rest into the above named restaurants garbage facility, yadda, yadda, yadda – “
“Yadda, yadda, yadda, what?” Gloria asked lighting a cigarette.
“Basically he’s trying to pull a fast one – he’s saying that piece I sold to the Prince for a million bucks, I called it ‘Enough’ – it’s part of the ‘Urban Decay’ exhibition, anyway, he says if tests prove that it’s HIS teeth marks in the burger and bun that he left, and if there are his prints on the plate, then he’s going to sue me for half the cost I sold it for, on account that it was HIM and not me that did the ‘work’ - fucking cheek – the bastard had thrown it away!”
Gloria frowned and said:
“Ew…and you retrieved it from the dumpster – ugh how COULD you!”
Angel crossed his arms behind his head on the pillow and grinned
“Because I can! I could shit in a bag and some sap would buy it!”
“I suppose you could…now come on, drink up, you’ve got to go!” Gloria barked at him
Angel frowned and sat up, he held her shoulders and slightly pulled her back to him
“What’s the rush…(he kissed her neck) I’ve got all morning, it’s only…(he squinted at the clock) twenty past eight!”
Gloria pulled away and said brusquely
“You might have all morning, I, have not!”
“On come on baby, don’t be like that – we’re so good together you and-“ he reached for her again, but she stood up and turned ready to give him some ‘home truths’
“You might think you’re good, but when you think only of yourself and not your partner when indulging in what is SUPPOSED to be an act of mutual pleasure, it gets BORING in every sense of the word, now drink up and go will you, I’ve got a dress fitting in an hour and I want to shower first”
Angrily throwing back the bedclothes, Angel got dressed. He didn’t take kindly to been told virtually that he was no good in bed, and he was angry too that that little bitch who’d just yelled at him and also set him up last night to be served with that writ whilst on her show, she loved to be controversial did Glory………Snatching his jacket off the back of the bedside chair Angel said
“And if I find out it WAS you who set me up to be served this writ on your show, you’ll be sorry!” he strode out of the door and slammed it behind him. Gloria just looked at the door and raised one middle finger………
ooOOoo
William wasn’t worried when Buffy didn’t turn up the following lunch time. He’d have felt compelled to go out and talk to her, and then he’d be worried that they’d have nothing to talk about on Friday…
ooOOoo
Buffy stood on tip-toes turning to the left and then the right looking in the mirror
She stuck her head out between the changing room curtains and asked the assistant,
“Could you fetch me the one like this, but in blue, size 2 please” She handed the assistant a yellow dress.
Less than a minute later the assistant came back with what she’s asked for, and Buffy tried it on.
“What do you think?” Buffy was always reluctant to ask assistants, they were biased and usually only thinking of their commission.
“If I wore high heels (tip-toes again) and um…(she scraped her hair up and piled it on top of her head, holding it there with one hand) and put my hair up, what do you think?” She looked at the assistant through the mirror.
“What’s the occasion?”
“First dinner date with a hot new guy”
“Venue?”
“The Four Seasons Waterside Inn” Buffy said. The assistant raised her brow and grinned
“Nice – he must be rich! That dress, don’t get me wrong, it’s nice on you, but – mind if I make a suggestion?”
Buffy dropped her arm and nodded
“Sure”
“Won’t be a sec………” The assistant left and came back with another blue dress, slightly darker than the one she’d fetched earlier – but this one had a low back and a sweetheart neck, not cut too low, but low enough to be ‘interesting’. It was in a soft crepe-backed satin, and draped beautifully. Buffy slipped it on
“Oh yes, now THAT looks like it’s made for you!” The assistant said grinning
Buffy smiled, she must admit, it looked fantastic on her, and it felt wonderful the way it floated and draped, then she saw the swing ticket and her smile went – she couldn’t afford it.
“Oh it’s lovely, really lovely” Buffy said smoothing her hands down the fabric, but then she continued,
“But it’s $150 over my budget”
“Well that’s okay, because it’s come here from another shop for our sale, you can knock $200 dollars off that price” the assistant said with a grin
Buffy immediately beamed and said
“Oh wow- really – oh god – in that case, I’ll take it!” She slipped it off carefully and the assistant took it to the sales desk. Buffy also picked up a pair of barely black sheer hold up stockings.
“There, you’ll be a knockout – have a great time!” the assistant said with a grin
“I will, and thanks so much!” Buffy went out smiling too.
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