Triptych
Three
WE DIDN’T GET MUCH SLEEP Thursday night. I laid out the letters I’d received on the dining room table and went through the rest of the mail. There were four more letters that looked like junk mail or utility bills that had offers or requests in them. Two were offers for Rhapsody Suite. One offered $5,000, but said he’d double it if I could deliver the four companion pieces with it. Apparently, he was taking Bob Bowers at his word. I wondered if anyone else had received offers.
There were two requests for proposals for public art—building murals—in Bellevue and Tacoma. And a total of five handwritten letters that included nude photos of women in artistic poses asking if I would consider a commission to paint them. I had no idea how to respond to any of these letters. Thank god no one knew my email address. I could just imagine the kind of messages I’d be getting. At least these people had to be interested enough to write a letter and send it to the school.
“You definitely need to talk to an agent,” Jack said. “I really have no idea what to tell you about pricing these pieces or how to go about creating your proposals.”
“Do you know someone?” I asked.
“I think so. Lissa, what do you think about Clarice?”
“Grrr! You know I don’t like her.”
“That was just a misunderstanding that was quickly set straight,” Jack chuckled. He turned to Melody and me. “Before anyone knew Lissa and I were married, Clarice thought I was just an eligible middle-aged bachelor. I was never quite sure if she was acting as an agent for someone else or on her own behalf.”
“She invited you to Rome with her.”
“She retracted the invitation when I told her we were married. We’ve had a cordial relationship ever since. She’s never even suggested anything since the divorce,” Jack chuckled. “But she knows the art world. I can’t think of anyone who would be better at negotiating with these women who all want to get naked in front of Tony.”
“Strangely enough,” I said, “those are the projects I feel most comfortable with. I know how to paint nudes. But planning out a full mural proposal? I can’t even conceive of it.”
“I’m going as your chaperone,” Melody said. “I know what happens after you stop painting.”
“Only with my darlings,” I whispered. “You can trust me about that.”
Both Lissa and Melody kissed me. Sweetly, not passionately.
“Even when we’ve told you to play around,” Lissa whispered. “We know how much you love us, Tony.”
“I don’t think it’s a bad idea for Tony to have an assistant with him if he does this kind of painting, though,” Jack said. “It’s not about how trustworthy you are; it’s about your clients. It’s quite possible that Clarice would insist on being present for some of them.”
“That’s true,” Lissa agreed. “She is protective of her clients. She wouldn’t want Tony accused of inappropriate behavior just because he wouldn’t have sex with one of his models.”
“My god! That could happen?” I asked.
“The reason you have an agent is because the world is full of unscrupulous people and you shouldn’t have to worry about them when you are practicing your art. You wouldn’t believe some of the things producers and designers tried to pull when I was rep’ing Lissa.”
“I’m sure I only heard about half of them,” Lissa said.
“Speaking of which,” I said, “how do you think having me take on some of these projects would affect our new business? I wouldn’t be able to do as much if I was painting commissions.”
“I see it as being another contributing factor. Maybe we can even use your art in the advertising campaign,” Lissa said.
“I wish I had something to contribute,” Melody sighed. “At least I can babysit.”
“Oh, sweetheart!” Lissa exclaimed as I folded Melody in my arms and Lissa petted her hair.
Jack quickly disappeared into the kitchen, leaving the three of us alone. A tear had escaped from Melody’s eye even though she was valiantly trying to keep it back.
“I just want to help,” she whispered.
“Darling, I will absolutely take you with me as my chaperone,” I said. “I didn’t mean to play that down.”
“Not only that, but I foresee a lot of work for you in the business if you can do it,” Lissa said. “What would be better in our fashion line than our own fabrics, designed by our own personal textile artist?”
“Really?”
“Yes, really. I thought it would be obvious, but I should have said something sooner. We’re the three musketeers. All for one and one for all,” Lissa boomed.
I pulled Melody with me over to the sofa and sat down with her in my lap. Lissa curled up next to us and for a minute I was distracted by our image reflected in the fireplace doors. Someone needed to paint that. But I quickly pulled myself back to the moment.
I reached up and touched Melody’s necklace with my finger, just to remind her that it was there. Then I did the same with Lissa’s. They both put a hand on my bracelet.
“You know, we’re going to have to make it legal,” I said.
“How? We can’t get married,” Melody said.
“I meant, our business arrangement,” I said pausing, “but now that you mention it, maybe we can cover both parts at once.”
“What do you mean?” Lissa asked. “I assumed we’d have to create some kind of legal entity for the business.”
“What if we formed a partnership among the three of us, and then the partnership owned the business, or businesses if it makes sense to separate painting from textiles from fashion? What’s a marriage, anyway? It’s a partnership that’s had some kind of blessing as far as I can tell. We already got our blessing. We could make our partnership the basis of everything else. I’ll bet we can even get some kind of documents drawn up that give us like medical power of attorney for each other so that we can be admitted as next of kin.”
Both Melody and Lissa looked at me. Then they looked at each other. Finally, there were lips, hands, and squirming girls all over me.
“I’m going to go home,” Jack said from the front door. “You seem to have your hands full. I’ll call tomorrow morning after I’ve talked with Clarice.”
We scarcely heard him leave.
Two bundles of boy-power jumped on us at 7:00 a.m.
Fortunately, Molly was there by eight. She’d taken a few days off to spend in the mountains with her boyfriend when we got back and it looked like the time away had done her a world of good. She looked really happy. The boys were fed, scrubbed, and dressed for a morning at the beach and would be going to Jack’s for the weekend when Molly dropped them off. I loved having them with us, but as soon as they were out the door, the three of us were naked and back in bed.
I had visions of hot, loving sex in my head right up to the moment I fell asleep, which was about two seconds after Melody and Lissa. We woke up two hours later to the phone ringing.
“Tony Ames? This is Clarice Bortelli. I understand you have need of an agent. We should meet. Are you available for lunch?”
“Uh… what time is it?”
“It’s ten o’clock. Meet me at Carmine’s Cucina at noon. Just ask for my table.”
And she hung up. I guess I had an appointment. But it was two hours away and I had two incredible wives to satisfy before then.
When I got off the phone, Lissa had the spa filling and Melody was brushing her teeth. I joined her and got minty fresh, then we joined Lissa in the tub.
“We all have lots of work to do today,” Lissa said as we cuddled together in the jets. “Melody, there’s all the papers for the company in Singapore that you need to get familiar with. They’ve got a great website, but they’re really struggling at the moment. We’re going to need a firm order for them and you are going to be in charge of it.”
“Aye-aye, Captain. Warp speed, full ahead.” We all laughed. Then we all kissed. And then we kissed some more.
“I know I sound like a boss, but I’m not,” Lissa apologized. “I’m just so excited that we’re really going to do this.”
“Well, this part is your idea,” I said. “It makes sense that you have to get us up to speed on it.”
“That’s fine for me,” Melody said, “but you have to meet with an agent and start signing contracts. While I’m reading fabric specifications, I’ll also call Sandra, Amy, and Kate. We need to alert them that there’s an offer on the Rhapsody Suite.”
“Okay, boss,” I said. “I’m going to love having two bosses who are so cute.” We were all feeling high. “But you, Ms. Grant, have training this afternoon. If you’re going to win the Women’s Open, you have to be ready. At the club and on the court at 3:00 sharp.”
“Is that in your Daytimer?” Lissa asked. “That should be perfect. I have an appointment with John MacDonald at 12:30 to go over our legal needs. He’s only expecting to incorporate the fashion business. I wonder how he’ll respond when I tell him we want partnership papers.”
“There’s one other thing about that, Lissa,” I said. “You guys convinced me last night that we were equal partners and we would put everything we have into the partnership, just like a marriage would be in a community property state like Washington. But we missed one thing. I couldn’t say anything last night because my tongue was otherwise occupied.”
Suddenly both my girlfriends took a deep breath and disappeared beneath the surface of the tub. I felt two tongues start at my balls and work their way up my stiffening shaft. I almost lost my train of thought before the one blonde and one auburn head rose above the water again.
“Oh god,” I sighed.
“What did you forget to mention when you were otherwise occupied last night?” Lissa purred in my ear.
“Oh yeah,” I said. “Otherwise occupied… The boys. You are putting more upfront capital into our partnership. Melody and I have good prospects; you just have a head start on us. But making all our assets into a single entity doesn’t consider how the boys get provided for. Plus, I’m not happy about you having a one-third share when you are putting in the house and 90 percent of our assets. That’s silly.” Lissa started to object and I held up my hand. “But I understand. That’s what would happen in a marriage. But a marriage has special considerations for the children and the way we’ve talked so far, they would only have a right to the one-third of the total that is your share of the partnership. Melody and I can’t adopt them because there are too many stupid laws and that just wouldn’t work. But, I was thinking, somewhere between dreamland and blowjobs, that there’s another solution. We could set up a trust for our children that owned part of the partnership. Not just the two boys. We might want more children… um… sometime.”
I couldn’t believe that I got all that out without being interrupted. Lissa and Melody looked at me silently, then took a deep breath and plunged beneath the surface again. Oh god! I’ve just decided that all our board meetings need to take place in the Jacuzzi.
“I love you, Tony!” Melody said as she reemerged.
“You always know what to say,” Lissa added. Both girls kissed me soundly. “Let’s let the lawyer figure out what the right legal twist is. I’ll tell him your idea and see what he comes up with.”
Only impending appointments with lawyers and agents got us out of the tub. Otherwise, we’d have in bed the rest of the day.
By some miracle, I walked into Carmine’s Cucina at three minutes until noon. I asked for Clarice Bortelli, but it was obvious where I was going as soon as I walked in the door. I carried my backpack over one shoulder as I approached her booth.
Papers were scattered across the booth and she was talking into a headset while she shuffled through them. She looked up at me as I approached and waved me into the other side of the booth. I slid into the seat and looked up to see a smiling waitress with tiger-striped hair crawl into the booth beside me.
“Tony!”
“Wendy!” I said around her lips as she kissed me. “Long time, no see!”
“It has been, hasn’t it?” she responded. Then, looking behind her to see if anyone was watching and with hardly a sideways glance at Clarice, Wendy grabbed the hem of her T-shirt and pulled it up above her braless breasts, then dropped it quickly. “Better?”
I was speechless. Clarice had her head buried in one hand as she continued to talk and shuffle papers. Wendy pulled me to her for another kiss.
“What can I get you?” she asked.
I ordered a Coke and told her I’d just have soup and a salad for lunch. Then I waited patiently while Clarice finally finished up her call.
“Do they all greet you like that, Mr. Ames?”
“All who, Miss Bortelli?” I asked innocently.
“It’s just Clarice. Bortelli isn’t even a real name—at least not as far as I’m concerned. And all the girls, Tony. Do you expect me to flash you my boobs?”
“Ah… no Miss… ah Clarice. Wendy is a friend. A private joke.”
“You may have been joking, but she surely is not. You ordered?”
“Yes. I know you are busy. Here are the letters that I’ve received.”
“Oh, relax, Tony. You’re paying me. I work on your schedule.”
“I’m paying you?”
“Well, you will be. I collect lots of money on your behalf and you pay me a percentage. That’s my deal.” She shuffled her papers to one side and started opening my envelopes. The second one she opened had a photo in it. “My god! They do all do it. Very well.”
She opened her blouse enough for me to see a very sturdy bra.
“There. That’s all you get. It takes at least two martinis to get the bra off. Now let’s see what kinds of offers you’re getting.” She muttered as she read the letters. Seattle is so strange. “Good.” “Too far away.” “Bargain-hunter.” “Naïve.” “We can do better.” Before she’d gone through all the envelopes Wendy was back with my soup and salad.
“Thank god we never have a big crowd for lunch,” she said as she slid in next to me. Clarice looked up at her. “Isn’t he wonderful, Miss Bortelli?”
“Wendy, how often do I come in here for lunch?”
“Four times a week, ma’am,” Wendy responded and then turned to me. “There’s a Rotary meeting here on Wednesday. It gets too crowded.”
“And how many times a week do I tell you to call me Clarice?”
“Oh. Four. I’m sorry Miss… Clarice. Are you going to represent Mr. Ames?” She grinned and I could tell she was playing with us both.
“Tony and I are going to talk business. You want a portrait, too?”
“He’s already done me,” Wendy said. “But he’s welcome to again anytime.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Clarice said. “Now I need to do the spiel, dear, so please wait on someone.”
“Yes ma’am,” Wendy said as she slid out of the booth. She leaned in and gave me a kiss on the cheek and winked before she left, though.
“Okay, Tony,” Clarice started as I sipped my soup. “Five of these are legitimate offers. That’s more than most of my clients bring me, so I’m cutting you a 10% deal. Most newbies start off at 15%. The question is, what do you want to do?”
“I’m good at portraits,” I said. “I’m interested in murals, but I’ve only done one little segment of a mural and don’t really know how to plan the whole thing yet.”
“Good. Let’s not do proposals for the two mural projects. One of them is way too far away anyway and the other thinks you’re a graffiti artist. Now, of the five bits of porn that were sent to you, three are legitimate requests for serious artwork. Here, take these two home and put them in your scrapbook to masturbate to. They’re groupies. If you really need a fuck, call them. But I understand you are with Lissa Grant, so there’s no chance these bitches could add anything to your life.”
I wasn’t sure if that was a compliment or an insult. I was having a really hard time reading this brusque and off-the-wall woman. I could see why Lissa didn’t like her, but I was fascinated by her.
“That brings us down to three portraits and an offer for existing artwork. Let’s deal with the Rhapsody Suite first, shall we?”
“Yes ma’am,” I said. I was wishing that Jack had come to lunch with us. I was feeling way out of my depth.
“We can do better,” she said bluntly. “If you are in urgent need of cash right now, then I’ll talk him up some, but it will only amount to enough to cover my commission. If we wait six months, we can get double that—if you can hold the suite together. If any of your fellow artists balk, we’ll sell now and you’ll get your first sale. That’s not bad. But six months is better.”
“What happens in six months?” I asked.
“Your showing. Holidays are over. Galleries are distressed because they have inventory that didn’t move over Christmas. Sales are going on. Into this market walks ‘fresh’, ‘young’, ‘talk-of-the-town’. Bob Bowers’s new discovery. You need ten other pieces to put on display February first and we’ll double the price of the suite.”
“Wow!” That’s all I could say.
“Will you have ten more stellar works for the opening, Tony?”
“I have one finished and one that I think will be the same class of work. I think I can do eight more before six months is up.” I hesitated. “What if one of the other artists showed with me?”
“The charcoal artist that Bowers fell in love with?”
“Yes.”
“I wouldn’t normally consider a two-artist show, but this one might work. Bring her with you when we meet next week.”
“When is that?”
“Thursday at noon, here in my office,” Clarice said. “Every week between now and when you start school again. I want to know every piece you paint. I want to examine it and put a value on it. Don’t show them publicly. I want to bring you to the public in one grand show. Now, about the portraits. Do you want to do them?”
I was a little unsure what she meant. Of course, I want to work. I want to make some money off my art and I love doing portraits. Why wouldn’t I want to do them?
“Sure. I guess. Why wouldn’t I?”
“Well, Tony, you’ve got art and you’ve got a living. If you need to make a living, then I’ll send you to do a portrait every month. But you’ve got to understand that every time you paint a commercial piece like a commissioned portrait, you aren’t painting something for a gallery. Perhaps we can use them in the gallery show, but you only get paid once. You can’t sell the piece to someone else later. These three are okay. They will be good pieces that you can exhibit and still make good money. Your intro rate for these portraits should be about $2,000 as long as the clients agree to let you show the pieces in your exhibition. If they won’t let you show them, you don’t paint them. Portraits after your exhibition will go for $5,000 or more. These are just numbers right now. They become money after you’ve done the work and the clients are satisfied. Capiche?”
“I understand,” I said. I was totally blown away. I could hardly keep up with her. I was beginning to think I could like being an artist.
Clarice wouldn’t let me sign the contract. She gave me everything back and told me to take the contract to my lawyer and make sure he read the whole thing. Then, if he said it was okay, I could sign it next week when I brought Kate with me to meet her.
I met Lissa at the club at three. Our workout set a new level of expectation for our training. It was good to be back on the court with her. The little exhibition match that Dad set up for us on the 4th was great, but it was just a teaser as far as training goes. This time we played for an hour, then hit the big gym where we did movement drills, balance exercises, and stretches. I saw several basketball players take an interest in what we were doing, but I suspected they were most interested in watching Lissa and not in our workout.
John Gilbert, my trainer at the club, found us just before we were ready to hit the showers and said that he had a training schedule set for us and. He’d be working with us for our next off-court session on Monday and we had regularly scheduled court time daily from here out. With the new interest on the part of SCU and Lissa training to defend her title, the club was taking a strong stance on promoting racquetball. They were using Lissa and me to encourage participation by more local high level players.
While it was nice to have the red carpet rolled out for us, it also meant that we’d be playing tougher competitors in club tournaments and practices. When you play a sport like racquetball, it isn’t just about winning tournaments. You want to promote the sport.
Comments
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