Mistaken Identity

Andie looked at herself in her full-length mirror. Her father had arranged for her to meet a potential associate of his. She knew the look that corporate types liked in a woman. She chose the sleeveless black shape-hugging dress that ended just above the knee. The taupe and black cardigan that she paired with it matched her high heels and purse. Her silver fan shaped dangle earrings were very reflective as was the shackle bracelet and knuckle to knuckle ring.

Her jet-black hair was pulled into a tight chignon. Her make-up was subtle. Taupe eye shadow with mauve highlight on the brow accentuated her cat like brandy colored eyes. Subtle mauve blush and lipstick completed the look. Polished. She looked polished as her father would claim.

Her father didn't usually ask for favors, but he claimed to be in a bind and unable to meet an important business associate. She was to meet Thomas Blair in the lounge of the Waldorf Astoria hotel, buy him lunch and make sure he had everything he needed. Her father would meet with him tomorrow. She was to smooth over any irritation that he couldn't meet with Blair today.

As she left her apartment building, she put her black sunglasses on to protect her eyes from the bright sunshine of the day. She climbed into the cream colored town car that she used on such occasions. She hoped that the luncheon would not drag on as she had an art showing that night.

She told the driver she would call when she needed to be picked up. Walking into the lobby was always a humbling experience. The tiles were a shiny marble and the pedestal floral arrangements were beyond beautiful in their colors of peach, orange and lime. She was used to the opulence, but never tired of the aesthetics.

She nodded to Alfy at the bar and chose a seat in view of the door. Andie perused the room and identified a beautiful call girl at another table. The two of them dressed similarly, but Andie could tell by the scuff on her shoe. The shoes always told the truth.

She ordered an iced tea with lemon. She didn't want to fog her senses before tonight. She tried to patiently wait for Mr. Blair, but she had other things she should be doing. She saw a handsome gentleman walk in and ask something of the bartender. Alfy nodded toward her and Mr. Blair walked over.

"Hello, nice to meet you." He extended and shook her hand as he sat down at the table. "You look lovely. Of course, I knew you would."

"Really? How charming. Would you like to go into luncheon?"

"Sure. After you."

This woman was beautiful. He expected beautiful. He wasn't expecting such refinement and elegance. She was absolutely flawless. And, she had a derriere that should be sculpted. He'd certainly buy that sculpture.

She indicated which restaurant they would be eating in and he escorted her to the door. The maître d'hotel recognized Andie and showed them to their table. Thomas held her chair out for her. "Thank you," she said acknowledging the gesture.

After ordering their food, Andie asked him how long he would be in town.

"Well, as of now, two days. But you could change that." he said with a smile.

"Hmm. I'm not sure I could."

"Don't be coy. You most certainly could. Lord, you are magnificent."

"Thank you, but I have previous plans."

"Yes. I know about your plans. I have some plans of my own."

She was confused by his answer. "Good. I'm glad that you do."

"Do you want to know what they are?"

"No. That's not necessary. Unless you want to tell me."

"Let's just leave it to be a surprise."

Andie was wary of his answer, but schooled her face not to let it show.

"Did you have a pleasant flight into town?"

"Pleasant enough."

'Okay' she thought. 'This guy is more than a little eccentric and maybe a little bit stupid. Dad, you are really going to owe me for this one.'

Fortunately, the food was brought to the table at that moment.

He seemed pleased with his salmon and asked if she wanted a taste.

"No, thank you. I'm quite happy with my salad."

"So, when you are not working, what do you like to do?"

"Well, my work does take up quite a bit of my time. In fact, I'm working tonight."

"Yes, I know. But is it really work when it is so pleasurable?"

"Yes, I love my work, but I also enjoy the theater and I do my fair share of traveling."

"Do you travel for work?"

"Yes, sometimes. London, Paris, Barcelona, Rome."

"Wow. You certainly run with the big dogs."

She laughed, "That's because I'm one of the big dogs."

"The most beautiful dog I've ever seen."

Andie looked at him derisively, shook her head and laughed.

"And what is it that you do when you're not working?"

"I too work a lot. But I own a horse ranch and a sailboat. Those are my biggest hobbies."

"My father is a great horseman. You have that in common."

Thomas considered that comment. 'Well don't most call girls have Daddy issues?'

"Do you ride?" he asked in a suggestive tone.

Once again, a weird comment. Andie just ignored the comment as she sipped her iced tea.

Thomas inquired, "How long have you been in this line of work?"

"Oh, you are mistaken. I am only doing this as a favor."

"Lucky me. I am delighted you have favored me with your company."

Trying to put some distance between them, Andie said, "Tell me Mr. Blair. Are you married?"

"No, no. My work consumes most of my time. Are you attached?" he countered.

"No. I, too, work a lot of hours."

"Yes, I assume most men would not want to share you."

"Well, Mr. Blair. We should probably get going."

"Yes, I agree."

They left the restaurant. Thomas steered her toward the elevator.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm sorry. You were going the wrong way."

"I was going to my car."

In the elevator, Thomas pulled her into his arms and stunned her with a masterful kiss. The kiss lasted until they got to the 9^th floor.

Andie broke away. "What are you doing?"

Thomas responded, "I needed to taste you. You are delectable."

"I was under the impression that you were satisfied by lunch."

"I will never be able to get enough of you. But if you prefer, I will save it for the room."

"What the hell do you take me for? Some sort of prostitute?"

"The classy name is escort. And yes, Brandy."

"What??? My name is Andie. Andie Crestline. My father is Maxwell Crestline."

"What? My meeting with Mr. Crestline was cancelled."

"Yes. And he sent me to take you to lunch."

Thomas speechlessly stared at her. "Jesus Christ. You are Max Crestline's daughter?"

"Yes, I'm Andie Crestline."

"I didn't get the message. I had no idea."

"The thought has crossed my mind. I think the woman you were supposed to meet was the red head in the lounge in the green dress. Brandy, I believe?"

"I asked the bartender if there was a Brandy waiting for me. He must have heard Andie."

"Sure, I understand. We must all look alike to you."

"Believe me. You look like no one I have ever met before. I was so taken with your appearance, I didn't question who you were."

I'll be sure to let my father know what a charming lunch companion you have been."

"Wait. Please. Let me explain." Thomas stopped the elevator. In a panic stricken manner Thomas tried to explain. "I work a lot of hours. I never leave the office before 8:00. I don't have time to develop a relationship. This was my idea of not wasting a day in New York City waiting to meet with your father. Truth be told, I haven't been with a woman in over a year. This isn't me. I just..."

"Didn't want to waste the day. Okay. I sympathize with your problem. And, I won't say anything to my father. Your sex life is your business. But, I really do have to go. I truly am working tonight."

"Andie, I apologize. I'm sorry. Of all the mistakes to make. I'm really embarrassed and I want to make it up to you."

"Mr. Blair. I understand the life of a workaholic. I was raised by one. Let's just forget this ever happened."

Andie forced him to remove his hand from the elevator buttons. "Mr. Blair, good luck with my father. Goodbye."

Thomas was mortified by his behavior and comments at lunch. 'What an ass I am. You made a great impression on Mr. Crestline's daughter. She is stunning. And I am a fool.'

'What a tool.' Andie thought on her way to the gallery. Her phone rang.

"Andie, how did lunch go?" It was unusual for Maxwell Crestline to check up on a luncheon. He must have thought that Blair was an important business asset.

"Dad. Hi. I don't think that Mr. Blair got the message about me taking him to lunch. He actually mistook me for someone else. Anyway, we figured it out in the end."

"That's strange. Is he looking forward to doing business with Crestline?"

"He was very embarrassed about the confusion. I'm sure he will be eager to make up for the misunderstanding. Other than that, I really couldn't say."

"You have your gallery show tonight, don't you?"

"Yes, I'm on my way there now."

"Alright, good luck sweetie. Thank you for meeting with Mr. Blair."

"Alright, Dad. Talk with you later."

At the gallery, Andie walked through the exhibition installations making mental notes about what still needed to be done. At one point she pulled out her tablet to check the directions from the artist about the installation of his work.

"Jack, this piece needs to be closer to the wall. The shadows that are cast by the work are just as important as the sculpture itself. It should be three feet from the wall."

"Okay, Andie. It's as good as done." the worker replied.

Moving on to the next room, there was a huge electronic screen on the wall projecting a repeating video clip of a city scene. Andie assessed the lighting. Referring again to her tablet, she walked around the actual sculpture of a plaster cast man standing at a stoplight. She pulled out her phone and called the lighting director. "Calvin, I'm standing in Room 2. I think we need to lower the lighting of the wall screen and brighten the spotlight on the sculpture."

She moved on to the next room and surveyed the photos on the wall. Spotting an error, she called her secretary. "Susan, I'm standing in front of the Greenleaf photos, there is a typo on the "Sunset over the Empire" photo tag. Please correct and replace it. Thank you."

In the next room, Andie felt a stickiness on the floor. She walked around to see if that was the only spot. She called her intern. "Simon, I'm in room 4. Right inside the entrance, there is something sticky on the floor. Yes, please take care of it."

She finished her rounds and turned back to the front of the gallery. The string quartet was setting up in the entrance lobby area. She turned into the kitchen area to see how the hors d'oeuvres were looking. She looked at the wines and made a mental note to take the white wine out of the frig at 6:30 and put the red wines into the frig at that time.

Andie went into her office and closed the door. What an afternoon. Her thoughts returned to Mr. Blair. He was very handsome. He was tall and muscular with light brown hair. And, of course, she understood the challenge of working long hours and trying to have a dating life. She herself hadn't been out on a date in over two months. She had to admit that the kiss in the elevator had been very arousing. He took control of her as though she were a malleable piece of clay. She had to admit that she was left trembling by his kiss and his ardor.

She was wasting time. It was 6:45 and the artists and their families were starting to appear. Andie took care of the wine and checked the coffee station in the gallery. There was a floral arrangement that was brought to her. Burgundy Calla lilies created a fountain of color from the slim vase. She expected them to be for one of the artists, but the card had her name on it.

She took the vase to her office and admired the simple but elegant arrangement. The card said:

I'm sorry about this afternoon.

Let me make it up to you.

Thomas Blair

She returned to the floor and did a final run through of the gallery rooms. Everything looked to be in order. Now, she would socialize, educate, facilitate introductions to the artists, help to handle any sales and delivery details and enjoy the atmosphere of the art world.

This was her world. She reigned supreme. She was recognized as a gallery owner of sophisticated taste and saavy business sense. She enjoyed watching the peoples' reactions to the different works of art. She greeted art critics, artists, potential buyers and art lovers of all kinds.

Andie had added a few benches and modern chairs throughout the gallery for comfortable viewing and to make the experience more accessible to the handicapped and elderly. One older woman sat alone on a bench. Andie sat down beside her.

"Can I get you anything? A water, coffee or glass of wine?"

"No dear, I'm just resting."

"Do you like the show?"

"I do. I used to come to gallery shows all of the time with my late husband, Eddie. We would make an evening of it. First an art opening and then dinner at a little Italian restaurant that was close to where we lived."

"That sounds lovely. I'm sorry for your loss."

At that moment, Andie saw an art critic who would expect her attention.

"Excuse me please. I have to get back to work."

"Charles, so good to see you. I think you will enjoy this show."

"Well, it sounded very interesting. 'Man in the Modern World'. I can't wait to see the Segal sculpture."

"The Segal is in the second room. It is spectacular."

"I heard that the Goldsmith Museum was interested in obtaining one of his works."

"Will they have a rep here tonight?"

"I don't know."

"Charles, enjoy the show. I'm being called on."

As she walked over to her intern, she was handed flowers. The card had one of the artist's names on it.

"There's a call in your office. Ms. Andie."

"Thank you, will you give these to Maddie?"

"Andeline Art Gallery. Hello, Mr. Carter. I heard your museum might be interested in our Segal installation."

"Mm. Hmmm. Well, the price is one hundred and fifty thousand. Well, I would have to talk to the Segal reps but I think I can get them to go for that. Lovely. I'll get back to you tomorrow."

When Andie walked back into the gallery, the older woman was ambling to the door.

"Mam, did you enjoy the show?"

"Oh, call me Dina. My yes. It was very interesting."

"Oh, good. Can I call you a taxi?"

"You would do that for me?"

"Of course. Do you need help out?"

"No, dear. I'll take the ramp."

"Glad you came out Dina. I'm calling the taxi now."

At the end of the evening, Andie's feet were killing her. But the sales were huge tonight. Three up-and-coming artists made sales and that was always exciting to her. She stood in the lobby area as the artists and their families trickled out.

Behind her there was a voice that said, "I can see why you love your work. You're very good at what you do."

Andie turned around slowly. "I didn't expect to see you here. Did Brandy have another gig?"

"Ouch. Be nice. I never even met Brandy. I figured that it wasn't meant to be."

"And you thought that perhaps I would make a good substitute?"

"That's not being nice." Thomas said as he tapped her on the nose.

"Well, you'll have to excuse me. I've had a long, trying day. You wouldn't believe it, but I was actually mistaken for a prostitute."

"Escort." He corrected.

"Well, Mr. Blair. Thank you for the flowers, but I'm not interested in filling in for Brandy."

"You wound me. I'm here to make my apologies again and to ask you to dinner."

"Look. I said that I wouldn't say anything to my father and I haven't. You're off the hook. As far as I'm concerned, we had an unfortunate misunderstanding."

"If that's how you truly feel, then you would let me take you to dinner to make up for the misunderstanding."

"It's not necessary. Besides, all I want to do is go home, take a shower and climb into bed."

"I know you aren't as cold hearted as you want me to believe. I saw you talking to the older woman and saw you call her a taxi."

"Well, she is a lover of art. And, she is very sweet. You need to go back to your hotel room and prepare for your meeting with my father. You'll need to be at the top of your game with him. Goodnight, Mr. Blair. Have a pleasant evening."

The next morning, Andie went to the gallery to work on sales paperwork. She loved every aspect of this business. She contacted the reps for the Segal work and got them to agree to one hundred and thirty thousand dollars. She called Mr. Carter and told him that the deal was set. She laughed in response to something he said. "I'd love to. Send me an invitation. Alright. Thank you. Bye."

When she emerged from the gallery, Thomas was standing on the sidewalk. "Good morning. Working on Saturday?"

"Just a little paperwork left over from last night."

"Let me take you to lunch. Or dinner. Whichever you prefer."

"I'm sorry, I have previous plans."

"Who is the chump. I'll rough him up a little." He said as he adopted a boxing stance.

"I'm not saying. But he would never resort to physical violence."

"Oh, a gentlemen. So that is your type. No wonder...."

Andie laughed, "Yes, I guess that leaves you out of the equation."

"Ouch. You know, you might want to consider that your hostility toward me is just a an indicator of your sexual desire for me."

"Andie laughed, "And you might want to consider calling Brandy."

"Man. You must have a lot of latent sexual desire for me."

At that, Andie doubled over in laughter. "You do make me laugh, I'll give you that."

"Well, that's a start, I guess. Come to lunch with me. We can build on that."

"What is it that you think you see in me?"

"Oh, do you mean besides being sexier than hell, intelligent, caring, business minded, disciplined and funny?"

"Yes, besides that?"

"I just like you. I like the way you handle yourself, the way you walk and talk, the way you put me in my place, the way you make me feel."

"And how do I make you feel?"

"Like it is Christmas morning every day."

"Seriously? I think you are full of crap."

"I'm not. But I guess you need more time to see that."

"Well, It's been nice chatting with you, but my car is here and I have to go."

"Alright. Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

Sunday morning, Andie donned white shorts, a pink golf shirt and a visor. Her hair was in a high pony tail and she was eager to spend time with her father on the golf course. She put her clubs in the trunk of her icy blue Jaguar sportscar and left the city for her father's favorite golf course. Upon arriving at the golf clubhouse, Andie was greeted by her assigned caddy. She gave him her clubs and headed into the clubhouse to find her father.

"Andie!" her father greeted her. "Thomas is playing with us today."

Andie acknowledged his presence with a quiet, "Hello."

"I heard the gallery show was a big success," her father said.

"Yes. I sold the Segal to the Goldsmith Museum. And there were various other sales. A couple of up-and-coming artists made sales. You should let me show you their work. You could get in on the ground floor."

"That's my girl, Thomas. She's smart, beautiful and successful in her own right."

"Oh, I know that sir. I've seen her in action. I went to the gallery show the other night. She's incredible."

Andie and Thomas looked at each other in an assessing manner.

"Come on you two. We need to make our tee off time."

The nine holes of golf was very competitive. The game was replayed in the clubhouse afterward.

"You have such a powerful drive for a woman." Thomas said.

"Doesn't she?"

"Dad, it was Hudson Valley summer camp that is responsible for that."

"Well, I'm glad we got our money's worth."