Taming Mariella by Dara Girard

looked at Sylvester who lay curled up in his bed. “What do you think this is?”
    Sylvester yawned.
    Ian nodded. “Yes, you’re right. It’s no big deal.” He opened the envelope and pulled out the card and pieces of a picture fell to the floor. He gathered it up, then read the note inside. “To illusions.”
    Ian smiled at the pieces in his hand, knowing full well which picture it had been. So she was saying that it was an illusion. It was a risky move on her part; he didn’t trust easily and he knew more about why he had to hire her than she did. However, his father had been a magician behind the lens. With a trick of the light or the right angle he could show what he wanted people to see, instead of what was real. Ian weighed the pieces in his hand. “You win, Duvall,” he said with reluctant admiration.
    Sylvester growled.
    Ian didn’t look up. “Candy, go away.”
    He heard a squeaky toy drop.
    Ian glanced at her. “You have this entire house. Why do you want to come here?”
    She didn’t move.
    He dumped the pieces of the photo in the trash and walked over to Candy. She began to wiggle with excitement until she couldn’t contain it anymore and began to jump up and down.
    “Calm,” he said.
    She instantly sat still although her tail continued to wag wildly.
    Ian bent down and took off a frilly night robe Shirley had put on her. “All right, come on.” He stood and began to turn but she didn’t move. She looked up at him and then the robe.
    “I don’t believe this. You want this?” He lifted up the robe and her tail wagged faster. “You are demented.” He replaced the robe. “Now come on.” He pointed at her. “And if you think I’m tucking you in, you might as well leave now.” He tossed a fluffy dog pillow on the floor. “Go to sleep.”
    Candy began to walk toward Sylvester’s bed, but he growled and she thought better of it and climbed onto the pillow. Ian picked up Mariella’s card and tapped his chin. Josh didn’t trust her, his mother thought she was crazy, but he didn’t care. There was more to Mariella than anyone knew and he planned to find out.
     
     
    The next couple of weeks everything moved quickly. Mariella met with Ian and Josh on several occasions to discuss and review the details of the project. While not always in agreement, Mariella was not her usual self at the meetings, which made both Josh and Ian a little suspicious. She did not argue or emphasize her point; instead, for the most part she remained silent. What was she up to?
    Once the specifics had been decided, the schedule for the various photo shoots to include Georgia and Vermont were finalized.
    With only two days before having to fly to Atlanta, Mariella and Gen’s schedule was filled with taking care of stopping their mail and paper delivery, canceling their maid cleaning service and rescheduling other appointments until after the end of the project, which would not be finished until winter. Gen made all the flight arrangements while Mariella focused on the specifics of the project, and gave requirements to Gen about the models and assistants she would need on hand at each location.
    Josh was responsible for making all the final arrangements and after several run-ins with Mariella, for his lack of paying attention to detail, asked for Gen’s help in meeting all of Mariella’s requirements.
    The first assignment was scheduled in Atlanta, Georgia. On a dreary overcast day with a hint of rain in the skies in mid-autumn, Gen and Mariella boarded a plane and arrived in Atlanta. When traveling in public, which was always first class, Mariella was dressed incognito with a large-brim hat, dark glasses and a large shawl. While she was used to being recognized and gawked at, she was in no mood for uninvited fans coming up to her and asking for her autograph.
    However, during their flight, their notoriety had not gone unnoticed, and even the pilot and co-pilot had personally introduced themselves. Once on the