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“Making me look like an idiot, you mean?”
“I think she’s going more along the lines of sex symbol…” I nod my head, a thought taking shape in my mind. “You need to raise your head again,” he says, and I realise I’ve let it drop. “And if you can look over my shoulder, rather than directly at the camera for this one?” I do as he says, although I’m notconcentrating, and it obviously shows. “What’s wrong?” He stands again, letting out a sigh.
“I’m sorry. I can’t focus.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’ve just had a thought.” He tilts his head, like he’s waiting for me to elaborate, and I realise it can’t hurt to tell him… in fact, it might even help. “I was just wondering… am I so very different to Kennedy?”
He smiles, just slightly. “I can think of several ways in which you’re vastly different.”
I shake my head. “Obviously. But what I mean is, I’ve been admiring the show’s culinary consultant ever since I met her. That’s only a few hours ago, I’ll admit, but even so, is that any different to the way Kennedy behaves around me?”
He thinks for a moment or two. “I guess that depends.”
“On what?”
“On what you’re doing about it?”
“Like I said, other than arguing with her, I’m not doing anything. I’m just admiring from afar at the moment.”
“In which case, I don’t see what your problem is.”
“That I think I’d like to do a lot more than argue and admire?”
He smiles. “I get that,” he says. “But the point is, how would you respond if you were to get the chance to do more, and she said she wasn’t interested?”
“I’d apologise and back off, of course.”
“Exactly. And that’s the difference. I saw the way you reacted to Kennedy. You made it very clear you weren’t happy with her touching you, and you had every right not to be. She didn’t pay any attention, though, and came on to you again.”
“Hmm… I noticed.”
“The thing is, she’s your boss, and she clearly thinks that gives her rights.”
“It damn well doesn’t.”
“I know. And that’s why the two situations are different. You’re finding out about the woman you work with, getting to know her, and maybe at some stage, you’ll take it further… with her consent. Kennedy is using her position as your boss to her advantage. If a man did that, it would be called sexual harassment, but in reality, there’s no difference.”
“Are you speaking from personal experience?”
“Kind of. It’s never been done to me, but I work with models all the time. Exploitation is never far from my lens.”
I nod my head, realising why he asked before he touched just now, and perhaps why he placed so much emphasis on Kennedy leaving us alone. I hadn’t fully appreciated any of that before, but I do now, and I’m grateful for it.
“I guess we’d better take these photographs.”
“Probably.” He smiles. “Otherwise Kennedy might come find us, and if she sees you looking like that, I dread to think what she’d want to do with that ladle.”
I have to chuckle, although the reality is, I’m not finding this very funny.
It’s only when I’m walking back to the rehearsal studio, having thanked the photographer for making me feel at ease, that I realise I forgot to ask his name.
Still… I doubt I’ll meet him again, and I check my buttons are all fastened before opening the door, to be greeted with a wall of noise. There are ten or twelve people sitting around the table, which I guess means someone must have found some more chairs and brought them in. They all seem to be talking at once, too, and I can’t make out anything they’re saying.
Ella looks up, just briefly, but doesn’t acknowledge me. Instead, she turns towards a blonde woman at the other end of the table, who’s berating her over something, although I’mnot sure what. I vaguely remember her from this morning’s meeting, but I can’t recall her name or what she does. Either way, she’s not shy in saying what she thinks, and although I can’t hear very much above the din, I make out the words “undercooked,” and “raw lamb.”
“It won’t be raw.” Ella raises her voice, sufficient that everyone can hear, and they all stop talking. She blushes, evidently surprised to have become the centre of attention.
