Chapter 2: Nikki gets an introduction to New York

The flashing silver Lear Jet flew high above the giant city. Nikki couldn't believe her eyes; she had never imagined a city so large. All she could do was look down at it and wonder. Truly America was the land of opportunity, and this strange city called New York only proved beyond doubt that this was so.

Growing up in a tiny village in the middle of the huge Zukov forests was no preparation for a sight like this.

Ten minutes after spotting the east coast of Manhattan, the agency jet was coasting to a smooth stop in front of the executive terminal of LaGuardia International Airport; the plane didn't have to wait for normal landing clearance. Their taxiway was on the north end of the field, reserved for VIP's, far above the petty concerns of the day-to-day traveler. It was one of the perks of being rich and influential, as Michael pointed out to no one in particular.

As the plane taxied to a stop, Nikki could see two cars parked close by. One was a big black limousine, like the ones Moscow party officials usually used. A big man in a black suit and cap stood by that car, waiting. The other was a black van with mirrored windows.

The door of the jet swooshed open and a man jumped through the opening, a radiant smile on his face. He bounced into the cabin almost before the passengers started gathering together their carry-on luggage, going straight to Nikki and standing in the aisle in front of her.

"Ms. Primikov, my name is Scott Williams. I'm the CEO of the Buccannon Agency, and I wanted to greet you personally." He thrust out his hand in a firm but friendly fashion, and Nikki took it in the ritual welcoming motion expected of her. She smiled, but said nothing.

Scott Williams, one of the most powerful men in American business and a sophisticated man of the world, felt for a moment as if the wind had been knocked out of him. He could only stare into the mysterious, brilliant blue eyes of this exquisite woman.

After a moment's pause he realized that the other passengers were expecting him to say something, and that he was beginning to look foolish just holding Nikki's hand and staring at her. "Ahhh, Ms. Primikov, may I have the pleasure of escorting you to the home office, and to make arrangements for your stay with us?"

Nikki looked at the handsome older man and smiled again. She guessed he was in his late 30's, but she was never sure about men's ages. At that moment he looked just like her younger brother Alexi, a little awkward, a little unsure of himself. She was struck by his friend- ly manner, especially after her experience with Michael.

As if reading her mind, he turned to Michael and asked: "Mike, did Ms. Primikov have a good flight?"

"Absolutely, boss. I gave her the deluxe treatment."

Nikki looked at Michael with loathing, and said: "Please, Mr. Williams, can we leave now?"

Scott hadn't gotten to where he was by failing to pick up on body language. He realized that something must have happened on the flight, but he didn't want to make an issue of it in front of their new asset. He made a mental note to have Mike Borden called in to his office on Monday so he could get to the bottom of things.

At that moment, though, all he said was: "Absolutely. We just have a short trip to the heli-pad, and then off to work." He escorted the young woman down the few steps to the ground, and they were on their way.

Nikki was overwhelmed. First the short ride in the luxury limousine to the helicopter, and then the vertiginous flight to the top of a huge building in the center of the city. She felt quite breathless.

And so did Scott Williams, though not from the travel. His fight for breath was due to the vision sitting beside him. Her face was flushed with excitement, her eyes shone. From time to time this enchanting creature would turn to him, pointing at, and chattering in gleeful excitement about, something he'd never noticed before, clapping her hands and giggling like a happy child. Somehow he was extremely glad to see her enjoy- ing herself so; it satisfied some deep need of his own.

Scott Williams was undeniably one of the most success- ful fashion executives in the world. He was still single at 38, and listed in People magazine as one of the top ten most eligible bachelors in the U.S... He dated famous and important women; he just couldn't see any reason to get involved in a long-term relationship with any of them.

As number two man and heir apparent to the chairman of the board, Mr. Buccannon, he had his days filled. He just couldn't get excited about settling down.

Though all these things were true, however, he wondered what it would be like to be with this exotic creature. He'd have to be careful, he thought. He didn't want to get caught up in the moment and find himself in court or something even worse.

But still... Sitting by this woman made him think.

They landed at Buccannon headquarters, on top of the 100-story MACK Building in which the agency controlled the top six floors, and Nikki was whisked into Benjamin Buccannon's office.

By this time, Scott had made Nikki feel comfortable enough to be on first name terms with her. As they traveled down the elevator to the Chairman's suite of offices, Nikki asked in a hushed tone: "How can there be so much money in clothes? This building must cost millions and millions of dollars."

Scott replied: "Our firm is worldwide. We cover Asia, Europe and Russia as well as South America and, of course, the U.S. markets. That's a lot of clothes, Nikki, and that equates to a lot of money. Here we are. Are you ready to meet 'His Supreme Heinous'?"

"Pardon me?"

"Just a little joke of mine. Never mind, here we are," Scott chuckled as he pushed open the tinted glass doors leading to the reception room of the chairman's office.

After being announced, they made their way into the huge plush office of "His Heinous." Benjamin Buccannon stood facing the floor-to-ceiling windows, viewing the city at dusk; lights could be seen coming on all over the horizon.

When he heard them enter, he turned with a dancer's grace and strode across the room to hug Nikki to his chest.

Then to her surprise, he gave her the traditional Russian greeting of a soft kiss on each cheek, saying in Russian: "This is truly a wonderful day! A daughter of Russia is a daughter to me."

Nikki was amazed that someone living thousands of miles away would know her home region's rural greeting. It was as old as time, but not widely used outside of her forest region.

She stumbled over her reply. "H-How would you know those words, sir? H-How could you?"

Scott chuckled and said in a playful voice: "The old reprobate knows every trick in the book. He probably had one of his researchers pull all the plugs to get any information about you so he could impress you."

Mr. Buccannon shot Scott a look of mock pain and led the young woman to the lounge area.

While they sat there he outlined Nikki's future for her; in short, he was going to make her a supermodel. He asked if she knew what a supermodel was. Nikki shook her head, so he described it in terms she couldn't fail to understand. "You will be loved by millions of people all over the world. You will be idolized. Your looks, your hairstyle, even your walk, will be imitated by hundreds of thousands of women, from here to Russia and beyond. You'll make millions of dollars, and you'll have fun doing it. Now, does that sound good to you?"

All Nikki said was, "Yes sir, it does." Both men laughed at the simple answer, and the look of awe on her beautiful face which accompanied it.

They had a late dinner in the office suite, and after- ward Scott took her by agency limousine to an apartment block, a twenty-minute ride away.

In the elevator, on their way up to the penthouse suites, Scott said: "Nikki, I'm going to have you share an apartment with one of our other girls. Rachel is a great person, and she has offered to help you find your way around; sort of help you acclimatize."

Nikki expected to see a small apartment, but when an attractive black woman opened the door, what she saw was a very large room, large enough to put her family's whole house into - the hen house too!

As they walked in, Nikki could do nothing but stare in wonderment.

Rachel took Nikki's duffel bag from the doorman and ushered them into the sunken living room. "Scott," she said, "it was nice of you to bring our new Russian friend home personally, but go home now. Nikki has been on a plane for, what, 30 or 40 hours? And she probably got the works at the office too, if I'm guessing right. She needs a couple of days off now. You don't want to harm those angelic looks of hers, do yah?"

Promising to show Nikki New York once she was settled in, Scott was playfully pushed out the door. Once the CEO had gone, Rachel turned toward the new girl.

She had understood what all the fuss had been about the moment the door opened. This girl had a unique quality about her. Rachel couldn't think of anyone that looked remotely like this girl - and what a beauty!

The two women had some herb tea, and Nikki mostly listened while Rachel told her what her life was going to be like. Everything she heard from her new friend sounded similar to what Mr. Buccannon had said, only with funny things thrown in to make her laugh.

After about half an hour, though, Nikki was having trouble concentrating and began to nod off. Rachel smiled. "Ah, I see my sleeping potion is beginning to work. Bedtime tea always sends me off. You needed to wind down."

She showed Nikki to her suite of rooms. In her tired state, it seemed to go on forever. Later on she found, to her amusement, that one of the walls consisted of a mirror, extending from floor to ceiling. The bathroom also had floor-to-ceiling mirrors on one wall. Even- tually, when she finally laid her tired young body into a heavenly nest to sleep, she noticed, groggily, that the four-poster bed canopy had mirrors above her. She wondered why...

The next day, Nikki awoke at 2 p.m. In a panic, she jumped up, threw on a robe and hurried out to the living room; knowing that she must be in trouble for sleeping so late.

Rachel was out on the terrace, lying in a chaise longue. Nikki hurried out the sliding glass doors to apologize, but stopped cold when she realized that she must have made another terrible mistake. Her friend Rachel was lying naked in the sun, obviously used to the privacy that she had before Nikki had moved in.

"Oh no! I'm very sorry, Rachel," Nikki blurted out, quickly turning to leave.

"NIKKI! Don't run away. Please come back. I'm not at all upset with you."

Nikki, who was flushed with embarrassment, said: "Rachel, I really didn't mean to invade your privacy, and I'll be more careful in future, I promise you."

"Don't worry about it. We're models. Our bodies are our principal assets, and we have to take constant care of them. They've got to be pampered and exercised, or we're outa business. Nakedness means nothing to a professional model. Among us girls, we walk around the house nude all the time. As a matter of fact, we should do it as much as possible," Rachel added softly.

Nikki looked uncertain. "I don't know, Rachel. I'm not used to exposing myself to others. It is not acceptable behavior where I come from."

"Sweetpea, what do you think we do for a living? We show off our bodies. Why do you think there are so many mirrors in this apartment?"

Nikki had wondered about that, and now waited for her new friend to tell her.

"Because the agency wants us to be aware of the con- dition of our bodies all of the time. Walking around nude in our safe little nest, we can see each other and maybe make suggestions. If I slump, you can remind me. If your tan line is obvious I can point it out. You see, we are professionals, members of an exclusive club, and we have to take care of each other."

Nikki started to explain why she had come out on the terrace, but Rachel cut in. "Don't worry about work just now. You look a little tired from your travelling; consider yourself on rest and recuperation at company expense. So come out here and grab a chair, and I'll order us a low-cal lunch from the kitchen."

Watching as Rachel picked up the telephone beside her chair and began to order food, Nikki wondered if she would ever get used to this lifestyle. She looked at her companion's perfect body and thought: 'She has no tan lines, and looks much more exotic with her dark skin than I do.' Then Nikki noticed her pubic hair; it was neatly trimmed, and looked so... sophisticated; the word popped into her mind.

She was a little embarrassed at the thought of undressing in front of the other woman. For the first time in her life, she felt ashamed of her body. She thought: 'Will I measure up in this world of perfect women?' She was, after all, just a Russian peasant girl. Would they laugh at her?