"Ah, Andrzej, I'm glad that you are" Janina Pasek said to Nowicki. "We have a sincere request to you. You don't know each other, do you?"
Patrycja Maj got up showing her beautiful shapes under a tight-fitting cream lace blouse.
"Personally, no, but I'm a huge fan of your talent," she said, reaching out to him. "Patrycja Maj, nice to meet you."
"Andrzej Nowicki, I am very pleased. Since your debut, I admire your roles."
She fluttered her eyelids coquettishly. She was an absolutely beautiful, platinum blonde and Andrzej could not decide whether she was better in this color or in the delicate brown, in which she appeared alongside Dominik. Either way, she was stunning in both cases.
"Sit down, young people, sit down. Nowicki, I have a new job for you."
Andrzej glanced briefly at Miss Maj, but she caught his gaze.
"I know that you made a new portfolio for my colleague, Dominik. I had the opportunity to see some of the photos, although the rumor has it that the most interesting have never been shown to anyone. But I don't mean Dominik, but you. I need your talent.
"If you want to hire me, I'm available," he said, excitement growing inside him. Could he really do a photo session for THIS Patrycja Maj?
"Thank you. I felt that I would be able to count on you, because you can see… My friend has recently taken very interesting photos. Very… private. For such photos you need a trusted photographer ..."
Oh, he thought in surprise. Would Miss Maj want a more erotic session?
"Another friend mentioned your name. Apparently, before you started working here, you occasionally took photos of novice models. She showed me her ..." the actress blushed a bit. "Does the word bambus say something to you? It means…"
"A lot. That's the nickname of my friend from school. In fact, I did take pictures of the girls who worked for him sometimes. I didn't think any of them would be your acquaintance."
"So there will be no problem with this type of photos?"
Andrzej saw the naked body of Patrycja Maj, which he saw in the film In the Light of the Accusation. It was perfect. Someday, like any guy, he would have given a hand to be able to see them live. Now…
His heart beat faster. It wasn't made of stone, after all. The fact that he was dating Dominik did not mean that he was no longer sensitive to the charms of women, but he was in a relationship, moreover, he was a professional.
"Of course not" he said.
"I'm so glad" Patrycja Maj said with relief. "I would like to have such pictures, but it is not easy to show yourself in front of the lens. Even if you've performed naked before."
"Don't worry, Mss. Patrycja" Mrs. Janka interrupted the conversation. "Andrzej is not only a gentleman, but a real artist. Nobody will take such beautiful photos as him. If I were younger myself ... Anyway, whatever. Would you like to use our studio for this? We provide one hundred percent discretion."
"But…" she looked confused.
"Maybe otherwise," said Andrzej. "Do you have a vision of how you want to capture yourself?"
"No," she admitted. "I mean… not really."
Ah yes, that is, some fantasy was already in her head, but she lacked the courage to express it out loud. It was surprising. Andrzej expected more courage from someone he knew from the covers as a hit. By now, however, he should learn that media portraits are often very different from the real person. He was ashamed that, after Dominik's nightmarish experiences, he still judged others by the cover.
"Before we decide on the appropriate place for the session, we should discuss the topic in advance. I wish you could feel comfortable. If you like, we can talk privately ..."
"Can we call each other by name?"
By name with the beautiful and sexy Patrycja Maj?
"Of course."
"Well, I can see that the young get along without the old. Mr. Nowicki, Mss. Patrycja is in your good hands."
Even though it was her office, Mrs. Janina left, leaving them alone. Half a year ago, Andrzej would have felt quite awkward in such a situation, but now, apart from a stronger heartbeat, he did not feel nervous. Yes, he was not blind to Patrycja's charms, her almond eyes looking at him a little shyly, and partly coquettishly, at her full breasts outlined under the pale lace, but he knew with all his mind that nothing was going to happen between them. It couldn't as long as Dominik lived in his heart.
Patrycja got up suddenly and went to the wall on which there were pictures of young Mrs. Janka. She looked at them attentively, but Andrzej had the impression that she was doing it only because she felt so insecure.
"It's Mrs. Pasek, right?" she asked.
"Yes," he confirmed, looking at her. "Patricia, are you sure that you want to have such photos? You know, they can turn out to be dangerous."
"I guess it depends on who and how will do it, right? There is such a thing as art and there is pornography. My friend said that with you she felt like a model posing for Raphael's canvases. I can imagine it, especially since even Dominik chose you as his private photographer and I know that he doesn't like to stand in front of the lens more than I do. I'd like to see more of your work. Such works."
"Sorry, these types of photos do not belong to me. I can't show them to anyone."
"It's a pity, but it's reassuring. At least no unauthorized person will see mine, right?" She shot him a look over her shoulder.
"Yes, you can be sure about that."
"You know, I find it weird to talk here," she said with a sudden burst of enthusiasm. "Let's go to some restaurant. I got hungry."
"Aren't you afraid someone might overhear us?"
"Not at all. There is one place where you can always talk freely about business. Are we going?"
Andrzej only thought for a moment. It is true that he still had a few photos to review and prepare, but it was not a private meeting - Mrs. Pasek herself introduced him to a client - so why not go out to lunch with her, if he was also hungry?
"All right," he agreed, standing up. "If you want, we'll take my car."
The address Patrycja had given him was known to him. He was already in this elegant restaurant, where, however, formal attire was not obligatory and the guests consisted of the elite of the artistic and sports world. He remembered this place well, because it was here so recently that Marek Marczak confessed to him that he loved him. Whether he was just joking then, or was he serious, Andrzej had no idea and did not expect to ever find out, but since then they never mentioned the topic. Not that they meet often.
"You come here often?" He asked the actress as they took the table. Two tables away was a rock singer who was popular ten years ago, now desperately trying to get back to the market with a new single and a man younger than her was clearly infatuated with her. In high school, Andrzej bought all her albums, but he did not like the new song he heard several times on the radio.
"Sometimes," Maj admitted, picking up the menu. "I like the food here. And the atmosphere."
"It's hard to disagree."
"And you come here often?"
"No. A friend showed me this place, but usually if I eat out, it is in my friend's family restaurant."
"So you usually eat with Dominik? Who is cooking?"
"Various," he replied evasively. Even the most innocent conversation can bring the light of day to facts that shouldn't be.
"You know, I'm so sorry about what happened to him lately. It must have been very hard for him."
You don't even know how, he thought.
"I wanted to call and say that I am with him ..."
"Then why didn't you do it?" He asked as calmly as he could.
"You know, Dominik is ... kind of from another world. I had the impression that there was no place for me in it."
"And now?"
"Now I think we should have shown him solidarity. The media devoured him so much. And yet the same thing could happen to any of us. I feel guilty."
Andrzej had no doubts that her remorse were real, but they appeared in a strange time convolution. Were they not born by chance at a time when Śliwiński's actions grew due to his acquaintance with Scarlett Yang and his role in the Hollywood movie? Now it seemed to pay off to be close to him.
"I will pass it to him at the earliest opportunity."
"He's out of the country now, isn't he?"
"Yes. In the test photos. And since we're taking the pictures" he changed the subject neatly "shouldn't we talk about yours?"