Taming Mariella by Dara Girard Page A

ground, they were greeted at the gate by the chauffeur of the limousine service Josh had engaged. He was a smartly dressed young man, holding up a sign that read Ms. M and Ms. G. Mariella, in her customary manner, pointed to the porter, coming up behind them pushing a large cart with their luggage and equipment.
    At the hotel, Gen took care of the registration, while Mariella instructed several hotel bellboys to take her luggage and belongings to their room. Upon entering the suite, Mariella continued giving orders about which items needed to be put where and the care that must be taken with her photography equipment. Gen, on the other hand, was busy looking at the large gift basket that greeted them in the hallway. It was filled with an assortment of herbal teas, honey and honey dipper, pretzels, sesame crackers, smoked salmon, Camembert cheese spread and sweets.
    “Mariella, look at this.”
    “I wonder why they’re treating us this well.”
    “They have the money.”
    “That’s not the point. Photographers don’t usually get this kind of treatment.”
    Gen opened a sweet and popped it in her mouth. “Who cares? You should try one.”
    “Gen, I can’t think of food right now. I need to freshen up.” They had only half an hour to get settled in their room, before meeting with Josh. After changing into a more relaxed outfit, consisting of a cotton wrapped skirt and fitted T-shirt, Mariella rang the front desk to get the room number for Josh. While both suites were located in the private penthouse section of the hotel, Josh’s suite was on the very top. As they exited the elevator, Gen said, “Mariella, will you need me this afternoon? I mean, I know what you’re like when you are getting ready for a shoot. Besides, you will probably be busy and I was wondering…”
    “You want to have some time with Josh.” They approached the door and she knocked. “We’ll see.” Josh opened the door dressed for fun. He was wearing a caramel spun-cotton crew-neck short-sleeve top with matching khaki pants and leather loafers. He directed Gen and Mariella to a small study area off the living room.
    “The view from here is fabulous,” Gen said excitedly, as she looked out on the panoramic view his suite afforded. They could see some of Atlanta’s tallest buildings, mostly grouped in the downtown area including the Georgia World Congress Center, Georgia Dome, CNN Center, Centennial Olympic Park and the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center. “My, how the city has changed since we visited it last,” Gen said.
    “When was that?” Josh asked.
    “A long time ago, when my dad brought us here for a visit.”
    “Can we get down to business?” Mariella said. “We’re not here on vacation, or at least, I’m not.”
    Josh pulled out a large binder with all the specifics Mariella would need for the first shoot. True to her style, Gen knew that at this point, the best thing for her and Josh to do would be to leave Mariella to do what she needed. Mariella picked up the binder. “Do you have the contact information for the talent agency?”
    “Yes,” Josh said. “I’ve contacted the head of the agency, Donna, to let her know you will be contacting her today.”
    “I’ll take these back to my suite.” She looked directly at Josh. “Gen will be available later. Right now we have work to do.” After briefly reviewing the specifications back in their hotel room, Gen and Mariella took a taxi to meet with the agency.
     
     
    At the Donna Anderson Agency, Mariella and Gen waited in the office while Donna completed a prior schedule. Donna was a bulldoglike woman with frizzy brown hair and cat-shaped glasses known for being vicious with her remarks. She prided herself on her forthrightness. She was not an attractive woman, but she didn’t have to be. She had power. When Mariella walked into her office she heard Donna shouting at a model.
    “Why does Okolo Samit keep sending these cows to me? Have you looked at yourself? You have