‘Don’t you ever go ’ome, lad?’ Terence winks. Leo winks back.
I can’t believe the cheek! I should have known. Of course Leo brings all his dates here, probably perfecting his sensitive, artistic persona until some fool falls for it. Well, it won’t be this fool! He’s wasting his time and he doesn’t even know it.
Terence guides us through a huge archway and into a high, white-walled room filled with gold-framed paintings. He glances down at his watch. ‘I can only give you fifteen minutes tonight, chief. It’s just me up ’ere tonight.’
When Terence has left, Leo leads me over to one of the paintings. He takes great big confident strides across the floor and I have to totter quickly in the Mary Jane’s to keep up with him. I miss my trainers.
Right. Alone at last. No one to interrupt us. For fifteen whole minutes. I’m going to have to work super fast.
Hopes and dreams time. Do it.
But … I can’t just blurt out the question, can I?Hey, Leo, what are your biggest hopes and dreams for life?It would be too obvious. And creepy.
I start off lightly.
‘So, Leo,’ I say in my soft voice. ‘Please do tell me a little more about your work. I know you’re in advertising, but what exactly is it that you do at Woolf Frost?’
‘Well, I’m Artistic Director there,’ Leo replies brightly, his voice echoing in the large empty space. ‘Which is basically a souped-up way of saying that I work with copywriters and artists to generate concepts for client briefs and such. My specialism is print media. It’s not as popular as it once was, but I really enjoy working on a tangible page.’
I nod deeply in the way Grandma showed me. Soooo interested.
Leo Frost. Artist, Thinker, Man. Soooo interesting.
‘How long have you been there?’ I ask, taking a sip of my champagne. Blerg.
‘Gosh, ages. I started straight after uni at St Andrews, actually – my dad owns the company so I had an ‘in’.’ He raises his chin slightly. ‘But I worked my way up on merit and spearheaded the recent Mercedes Campaign.Drive Alive.’
Drive alive. That shit advert again. Yuck.
When I don’t respond Leo prompts,
‘Do you know it? The Drive Alive advert?’
Hmm. I’m not sure my skills are quite up to pretending that I thought that ad was anything less than gratuitous, nonsensical crap. Surely the rage would shine through my skin like E.T.’s heart does inE.T.: the Extra Terrestrial. Instead I shake my head ‘no’.
‘I’m afraid I don’t,’ I simper apologetically. ‘But I’d love to see it.’
‘I’ll show it to you sometime. I’d be interested to know your opinion − it’s had a pretty mixed response.’ He laughs to himself, as if remembering something. ‘You know, I was at a book party the other week when this woman barged up to me out of nowhere and told me how awful she thought it was!’
Oh God.He’s talking about me atThe Beekeeperlaunch.
I actually stop breathing.
‘Oh dear.’ I squeak in an uncanny impression of Peach. Fucking hell. I wouldn’t say Ibargedup to him . . . did I? ‘How awful for you!’ I simper. ‘Anyway—’
‘Yeah, I sort of blew up at this woman. I felt bad about it afterwards − I’d lost a client at work that day and I was getting a terrible cold, so I was in a foul mood already. The funny thing is that the bit of the advert she was most offended by – the model wearing a gratuitous diamond swimsuit – wasn’t even my idea, it was my father’s! And I kind of agreed with her that it was ridiculous.’
My jaw drops open. I can’t believe it. Leo Frost felt bad about being so rude at that party. He had a cold. The diamond bikini wasn’t even his idea.
‘Oh, I’m sure all your ads arewonderful,’ I say evenly, trying not to betray my surprise.
‘It does its job, I guess,’ Leo shrugs, pausing in front ofPortrait of a Musician. ‘Ithasmanaged to snag a nomination for a London Advertising Association award, so it can’t be all bad.’
I already know about the award nomination from my Internet research, but feign shock and pleasure at just how clever my date companion is.
‘Wow!’
Leo shrugs in a very good impression of a modest man. ‘There’ll be one of those ridiculously showy black tie ball and dinner events. It’s my first time being nominated so, you know, pretty exciting stuff.’
