Parisian Affair by Judith Gould

stood at attention in the doorway.
His hair was snow-white, and he appeared to be at least
seventy-five. He was wearing an immaculate black uniform.
    'Yes,' Allegra said, holding her hand out to
be shaken.
    Momentarily nonplussed—obviously few visitors
ever offered to shake his hand—the butler took it in his and shook
it. 'I'm Boyce, ma'am,' he said. 'I'll take your coat.'
    'Thank you, Boyce,' she said, turning to let
him help her out of the knee-length black cashmere cape that served
as her wintertime coat for uptown business.
    'If you'll follow me, please,' he said.
    Allegra trailed just behind the elderly
gentleman, her eyes feasting on the large circular entrance hall.
Its walls were entirely covered in an exotic wood, and the floors
were marble. Suspended from the center of the room's high ceiling
was a large Calder mobile that hung nearly to the floor, each
element in a different bright color. All around the room, the walls
were hung with modern paintings in gilt frames. She glimpsed two
Picassos, a Leger, a Braque, and two or three others that she
couldn't see long enough to identify. Boyce opened one of a pair of
double doors, and they turned right and went down a hallway. After
walking a short distance, Boyce stopped at yet another pair of tall
double doors and knocked lightly.
    'Come in,' someone called.
    It's Sylvie , Allegra thought, hearing
the unmistakable French-accented voice.
    Boyce opened the door and stepped aside for
Allegra to enter. 'Thank you, Boyce,' she said.
    He nodded. 'You're welcome, ma'am.'
    Sylvie stood up and came around her desk to
greet Allegra. ' Bonjour, cherie ,' she chirped. 'I'm so glad
you could come this morning.' She air- kissed each of Allegra's
cheeks.
    ' Bonjour to you, too,' Allegra
replied. 'This is really some place you work at.'
    'It is nice, isn't it?' Sylvie said. 'I'll
tell Mr. Whitehead you're here.'
    Allegra noticed the wall of glass that faced
her, and immediately went over to it. 'My God,' she said, looking
out at the view. 'It's like being on top of the world up here. You
can see for miles.'
    'Yes,' Sylvie said. 'Isn't it fabulous? All
the way past the tip of Manhattan to Staten Island, and over to
Queens and Brooklyn and Long Island. And New Jersey, of course, on
the other side.' She sat back down at her desk, where she picked up
a telephone.
    'Mr. Whitehead,' Allegra, still taking in the
view, heard her say. 'Miss Sheridan is here.' After a moment, she
said, 'Okay.'
    Allegra tore her eyes away from the skyline
and sat down in one of the chairs. 'I hope I'm on time,' she said.
'I overslept.'
    'Oh, so you and Todd had a bit of a long
night, did you?' Sylvie said with a sly smile.
    'You might say that,' Allegra replied.
    'Good. Anyway, you're precisely on time.' She
looked over at Allegra. 'And you look stunning, cherie . No
one would ever believe you were up half the night. I adore your
necklace. Your design, unmistakably.'
    'Thanks, it is,' Allegra said, her fingers
going to the necklace and adjusting it slightly. She'd worn a
simple black cashmere long-sleeved T-shirt with a matching skirt,
but the austere look was offset by the drama provided by the
necklace. It was gold, set with hundreds of tiny garnets, that
wrapped loosely about her neck and dangled like a long apple
peel.
    'Did you and Jean-Pierre have a good time? I
didn't see you again after we had our talk.'
    Sylvie shrugged. 'With Jean-Pierre it's
always the same. He's like a bunny, you know? But I get the feeling
that I could be an old teddy bear and it wouldn't matter. He just
goes at it like a maniac and that's that.'
    They both laughed.
    'Sensitive type, I see,' Allegra said.
    'Ha!' Sylvie snorted derisively. 'He can be
amusing at least. And after a day of work, sometimes that is
enough.'
    'Well, at least you get to work in a
beautiful place,' Allegra said, looking around. 'Does Mr. Whitehead
work here all the time?'
    Sylvie shook her head. 'Oh, no,' she replied.
'This is just a little home office.