But for the next two weeks Luis didn’t have a chance to get to know Thomas better. He was too busy working and juggling his time. He had two modeling shoots in New Jersey: one for a hardware store, where he wore coveralls and a fake mustache, and another for a small chain of men’s clothing stores up and down the Jersey Shore, where they sprayed him with fake tanning solution and made him wear flip-flops and broad shorts. On top of that, Luis had set up a preliminary meeting with the German publisher who wanted him to pose nude for Elena’s blog. Luis was almost set on doing the nude photos, and he wanted to meet with them first. At least he didn’t have to fly to Germany. The publisher wanted to meet him in Los Angeles, where he was doing business in their U.S. offices that month. So Luis welcomed Thomas with a fresh bouquet of flowers and a box of homemade cookies on the day he moved into the house. But he only stayed a few minutes, explaining they’d get together when his schedule was lighter, toward the end of May. Thomas, gracious as the first day Luis had met him, thanked Luis and said he was really looking forward to living there and getting to know them better.
Luis hadn’t even had time to look for a nanny-housekeeper. So he wound up taking Hunter to Los Angeles with him to meet the German publisher. It was only an overnight trip, because Jase had important meetings of his own that week and he couldn’t bring Hunter into boardrooms.
It wouldn’t have been fair to Hunter, the other board members, or to Jase, for that matter. And Luis couldn’t leave Hunter with a strange babysitter from an employment agency while he was in L.A. The only other person Hunter would have trusted enough to watch Hunter was Cory, and Cory had a family wedding to attend in upstate New York, which never happened.
The German publisher didn’t seem to mind. He paid for two first-class tickets to L.A. and for one of the best “ultra” bungalows at the Beverly Hills Hotel. And on the day Luis met with the publisher in a top floor suite of offices in downtown Los Angeles, he even sent a town car to the Beverly Hills Hotel to pick him up.
Luis hadn’t expected the publisher’s U.S. offices to be so elaborate and refined. He’d been expecting the simple rooms of a small annex, assuming the main headquarters was in Berlin. But the U.S. offices turned out to be on one of the top floors of a prominent L.A. high-rise, with walls of glass, high-end Courvoisier furniture, and the thickest, shiniest glass tables Luis had ever seen. Luis had been modeling for a while now, and this German publisher had the most impressive, luxurious offices he’d seen by far. When he thought about the most recent job he’d done in overalls for the hardware store, he almost smiled. Even the private elevator that led to the reception area was lined with padded leather so soft it felt like satin.
When Luis told the tall, thin, blond receptionist in a black dress he was there for his appointment with Mr. Leck Schneider, Luis practically had to drag Hunter away from a huge wall aquarium so they could sit down and wait on the other side of the reception desk. Luis had never seen Hunter’s eyes grow so large. Hunter leaned forward gazed into the humongous fish tank with his mouth half open and his arms dangling at his sides, watching exotic fish in bright colors swim back and forth. This was one of those times Luis looked up and thanked the powers that be Hunter wasn’t a hyperactive, fidgety kid who couldn’t sit still. Hunter didn’t complain or resist. He followed Luis to the seating area with his eyes still fixed on the aquarium, without causing any disruptions. Hunter sat there staring across the reception area at the fish tank until Leck Schneider walked out to greet Luis.
Leck Schneider turned out to be a tall, thin man in his mid-fifties, with graying temples, a ruddy complexion, and large, strong hands. He wore a dark gray business suit with a white shirt and a navy tie. Luis stood and smiled, then he extended his right arm and said, “I’m sorry I had to bring my son along, Mr. Schneider, but I didn’t have a choice. I would have had to reschedule the appointment otherwise.”
“No problem,” Leck said. He spoke with a heavy German accent, but his English was exceptionally good.
“Please call me Leck. We’re very informal around here.” He spoke with a smooth, easy tone, so soft it was almost hypnotic.
“Thank you, Leck,” Luis said. “Hunter won’t be a problem.” He glanced down and sent Hunter a serious look.
“He’s very well behaved. I’ve been taking him on location with me for a long time, so he knows his way around.”
“The only problem is I’m worried it might not be appropriate to have him come into the studios with us,” Leck said, still smiling. “We’re in the middle of shooting another one of our little films and it might be awkward.”
Though Luis knew what Leck was talking about, he didn’t want to go into detail in front of Hunter. They were obviously shooting nude men, and this was not something Luis wanted to expose Hunter to at such a young age, not even if the scenes were tasteful and artistic, as Luis assumed they were. So Luis smiled and said, “If you’d rather have the meeting right here in the reception area, I’m fine with that.”
Luis still wasn’t completely certain he was going to pose nude.
He wanted to discuss the details, know exactly what to expect, then make a final decision later that week. He still had a few doubts about posing nude for anyone, artistic or not, and he wasn’t ready to sign any contracts yet.
Leck smiled and turned to face the quiet blond woman sitting at the reception desk. “If it’s okay with you, my receptionist, Leslie, will care for your son while we’re inside.
She’s very good with children. She has two of her own in day care right now.”
Leslie smiled at Luis, then looked at Hunter and said, “Would you like to stay out here with me and watch the fish?
I’ll get you an ice pop, cherry. I’ll put a chair right up against the aquarium and you can sit there and watch them while your daddy is inside with Mr. Schneider. And, it’s almost time to feed them. I’ll let you do that.”
Hunter’s head went up and he smiled.
Luis frowned and rubbed his chin. He didn’t like leaving Hunter alone with a stranger, and he’d always frowned upon sugary snacks, especially ice pops.
But Leck said, “Our offices are very private. No one comes up here unless they are invited. I can assure you Leslie will give her undivided attention to your son.” He smiled at Leslie. “Let all calls go to voice mail until the meeting is over.”