Gregory manages Laura

Chapter 19: Gregory manages Laura

Gregory was already at the bar counter, pouring himself a drink and adding ice to it. He took one sip before responding to Rene's question. "Modelling, Rene," he said with his head tilted to the side. "What could be wrong with modelling?" he continued with an enquiring glance in his brother's direction.

Rene immediately got the impression that there was more than just a change of career in mind for Laura, as far as Gregory was concerned. Was he speaking in terms of Laura? Rene wondered.

Gregory took it upon himself to see to the moral well-being of his elder brother. Therefore Rene was always on the alert for some indirect means which his brother would employ, as a way of getting down to some serious psychological examining of his only sibling.

Gregory was watching his brother intently while sipping his drink. Rene did think that it would be a fine idea for Gregory to get involved with any female at this stage in his life. Even if it was a mere friendship. He was thirty five years old, but lately he did not even date anymore.

There just seemed to be no hope of Gregory maintaining a long-term interest in any woman. Somehow this just seemed wrong to Rene.

It seemed as if the two romantic disappointments suffered by Gregory within a three year period were too much for him. They seemed to have been enough to last him a lifetime.

Those experiences had served to keep him disinterested in the opposite sex. This being in spite of however hard anyone tried to make him lighten up about the situation. Gregory paid women only a fleeting attention in his life.

Rene had made up his mind that Gregory would always simply lack romantic prowess. He has completed his doctorate in Physics and lately Astro-Physics was all he cared about. Gregory just wanted to continue doing research in line with the subject. He did not want anything else.

Next on Gregory's list of priorities of course, were his students. It was easy for a man like him to spend almost all his time at university, or so it seemed.

Gregory was as handsome as Rene, but in a completely different way. Rene had long, blonde hair, which he wore in ringlets dangling about his shoulders. Gregory on the other hand, had short and wavy light-brown hair and his facial features were almost too perfect.

The effect was such that his face somehow lacked the touch of charm portrayed by Rene's irregular features. So the two brothers were equally attractive and they both had long, lean legs. Gregory never revealed his. He hated public scrutiny, even though he was physically as well-built as his brother.

As far as Rene could recall, Gregory had not walked around in short pants since he graduated from high school, sixteen years ago. His approach to life was sometimes too serious, in Rene's opinion.

Gregory's good sense of humor got him to meet rather beautiful young women, who seemed keen on "conquering" him. On the other hand however, it also got him to avoid any closer contact with them without sounding rude.

He avoided Rene's wild Rock & Roll parties most of the time and at the times when he did go he mingled with only a limited number of the guests. He usually left within less than two hours of his arrival. He did this as a rule.

Rene decided to take a break from using the phone. He realized that it was not necessary for him to be calling people, when he did have a secretary who was more competent at it than he was and who would be quite happy to do it as well.

Right now he was simply causing himself undue frustration, so he put the phone aside and paid attention to his brother. "Come over onto the patio" he said at last. "Do tell me all about it."

***

Back at home, Monique was difficult. She usually was, after her day with her grandmother. She cried to be held and played with. Laura usually took the time to indulge her, but today she was just not feeling up to it. She was too anxious. There was this important phone call that she had to make to Gregory.

When she called Rene's home number, Gregory was in and this was rather unexpected, because she had taken it for granted that he would have left a message. She knew that he did not customarily spend much time at his brother's place.

"Well Laura," he said cheerfully. "So here we are talking to each other again in such a short space of time."

He sounded jovial, which was surprising to Laura.

Gregory then went on to explain to her that he had a good business deal in mind for her. She held her breath in anticipation.

The arrangement required her to do fashion modelling, but at a very professional level. He had complete faith in the fact that she could become a top model locally.

The reason why Gregory felt this way, was because he had met the manager of an international modelling agency and had spoken to him about Laura's exceptional looks and good figure.

He just suddenly had experienced one of his big moments of inspiration and he simply had the strong sense of conviction that he was onto something big.

The good thing about this―Gregory knew―was that he had no doubts about it, or about Laura's acceptance of his offer. That was why he realized (from the moment of its conception), that the proposition should be attended to without delay.

Gregory assured Laura that she could not go wrong in following his advice. He did not have to do much to convince her or Rene though, seeing that they both knew that he was not one to take chances.

All she had to do, he said, was hand in her resignation at her present job and then take the plunge to find out something entirely new about herself.

Gregory could only promise that she would greatly benefit from it. He also offered her an advance payment from himself, as a form of financial security.