I expected a fancy car, but not a limousine, or a chauffeur for that matter. I should have expected both when I saw the dress he sent me. A young Asian man, probably in his early twenties, showed up at my door shortly after I had gotten home from work. He was dressed in a suit and tie, something you didn’t see often in the neighborhood I lived in.
He introduced himself as Phiet and informed me that he was Mr. Wu’s personal driver. He asked if I was Tanya Bates and I told him I was. That’s when he handed me a white cardboard box and told me he would return to pick me up at seven for my engagement with Mr. Wu. It was all very formal. I took the box to my room; a short journey across my tiny apartment. I pulled the top off and almost fainted at the sight of the dress within. It was soft as silk, with black straps and a flowing purple interior. It shimmered in the orange sunlight coming through the window. I picked it up by the hanger and draped it over me as I turned and looked in the mirror.
The shimmering purple paired perfectly with my caramel colored skin. I always loved purple, I felt like it made the emerald in my eyes stand out. However, it had been so long since I could afford to wear something this beautiful, let alone enjoy myself.
I undressed and took a hot shower. The steaming water relaxed the tense muscles in my back. As I lathered myself with soap, I closed my eyes and thought of Zhang. I remember the way it felt when he spoke to me. He was so confident; his presence was both overwhelming and consuming. Being away from him, all I could think about was when I would see him again. He was infectious.
Perhaps it was the mystery about him, or maybe I was just a woman who appreciated a man that exudes that kind of assuredness without coming across as arrogant. I climbed out of the shower and toweled off. After applying a thin layer of lotion to my taut and dry skin, I finally put on the dress Zhang had sent.
Standing in the mirror I felt tears welling up behind my eyes. I was a slender and sleek woman, but it had been so long since I felt beautiful. Until that moment, I was just someone the world had chewed up and spit out. Seeing myself in the mirror, watching the way the dress fell over the curvature of my breasts and how it hugged my backside and hips, I felt more than beautiful: I felt gorgeous.
I paired light makeup with mascara and a deep crimson lipstick that helped my thick lips stand out from the rest of my face. I felt incredible, like I could take on the world.
Then the doorbell rang, and I felt my heart stop.
This is it, don’t mess it up!
Great internal advice as always. I put the finishing touches on my makeup and made my way to the front door. My shaking hands fumbled with the lock until I finally got it open. Phiet stood in the doorway with a blank expression on his face.
“Are you ready, Ms. Bates?” he asked.
“I believe so, how do I look?”
His eyes quickly scanned my dress.
“You look wonderful Ma’am, very beautiful.”
“Oh, you’re too kind, Phiet. Lead the way,” I said.
I locked the door behind me and followed Phiet out onto the busy city streets. It was a humid night. The crescent moon’s light was drowned out by the artificial light from the street lamps that lined the road. A stretch limousine sat idling in front of me. It was more extravagant than I expected. Phiet stepped forward and opened the back door for me. I climbed inside and sat down on the leather seat within.
Zhang sat to my left with a beaming smile on his face. I felt his eyes wander from my head to my toes and back up again.
“Incredible. You look stunning, Tanya,” he said.
“I can’t thank you enough for this dress, it’s gorgeous.”
Zhang nodded. “It was made for you, I can see that now. My tailor is very talented.”
He turned and plucked a bottle of champagne from a bucket of ice. He poured it into two glasses situated beside the bucket and handed me one.
“Thank you,” I said.
“So, Tanya, tell me more about yourself. A woman of your intelligence and beauty shouldn’t be working as a secretary,” Zhang said.
I felt myself blushing and took another large sip of the champagne. The bubbly liquid sloshed down my throat as I tried to formulate an answer.
“I couldn’t agree with you more, but without a degree I can’t do much in this city, or any city for that matter.”
Zhang took a sip of his champagne.
“I don’t know about that, I made it where I am today without any formal education. Sometimes you’re born with the skills you need,” he said.
“Well, be that as it may, I don’t know of any skills I was born with that could help me become the C.E.O of a massive corporation,” I said, taking another swig from my champagne.
“I think you’re not giving yourself enough credit, Tanya. I believe you have the skills to be as successful as you want to be, you just need the right opportunity placed before you,” Zhang said.
I almost choked on my champagne. Was he offering me a job?
“Really? And what opportunity would that be?” I asked.
Zhang finished his champagne and set the glass back into the receptacle beside the ice bucket.
“I don’t like to talk business before dinner. We’ll discuss your future after we’ve eaten. Phiet, how much longer?”
“Less than three minutes, sir.”
Zhang sat back into the leather seating and smiled.
“Very good.”
Zhang was calm as could be, but my head was swimming with thoughts about what he was going to say after dinner. I had to concentrate on the moment, but the anticipation was killing me.
I turned my thoughts to dinner and started to think about what I would order. I wasn’t much of a seafood person, but tonight I would be.