Chapter 32
Are you serious?” Dana Dickson watched her younger sister with a mixture of incredulity and skepticism.
Barbara didn’t respond initially, she pulled on her dress and turned her back to her sister. “Zip me up will you.”
Dana obliged.
“Yes, Lady Kendra Lamport donated a gen-u-wine Van Gogh to be auctioned at the gala.”
Dana scrutinized Barbara’s dress. “You do realize what this means don’t you?” she said, adjusting the bodice and gently pulling it here and tugging it there until she was satisfied that it fit perfectly. “She really respects and adores you. She wants you to be to her daughter-in-law.”
Barbara snorted and shook her head. “Presumptuous much? Maybe she’s just really generous.”
It was Dana’s turn to shake her head. “You can be so clueless or maybe you’re just pretending to be clueless. I suppose you think that William gave you that necklace, which could probably feed a whole town for a month and is auctioning one of the vintage cars in his collection, just because he likes being your BFF.”
“Mind your own business.”
Dana shrugged, lifting the breathtaking topaz and diamond necklace carefully from its case. “You never like to hear the truth at first but after it marinates on your brain a bit you eventually come around.”
She reached around Barbara’s neck and fastened the necklace. She took a step back and gave Barbara a final look over. “You look amazing. Did you have this dress designed with the jewelry in mind? They complement each other perfectly.”
Barbara grinned. “I showed Donna a photo of the necklace and earrings when I asked her to design the dress.”
The dress in question was an ivory ruched, one shoulder column of a dress with just a hint of a shine, superbly chic and destined to leave onlookers stunned.
D’borah had left not too long before. She had expertly applied Barbara’s makeup and styled her hair. It had been pulled into a tight knot at the nape of her neck, emphasizing her high cheekbones and beautiful, almond shaped eyes.
Dana Dickson had flown in two days prior, leaving her brood with their dad.
Barbara smiled at her sister. “You don’t look so shabby yourself, Mrs. Cortelli.”
Dana also wore Donna Karan, a sleeveless, silk jersey, royal blue sheath with a deep V-neck. Her hair hung in a straight curtain down her back. At her graceful neck was a platinum necklace with a teardrop sapphire and diamond pendant. Matching earrings hung from her ears.
The doorbell rang.
“That’s probably Wills. He said he’d escort us downstairs.” They were staying in a suite at the Waldorf. Matthew Helmsley had contacted Barbara to convey William’s suggestion that they use the room as an operation base. It made sense, given that she would be there earlier in the day to ensure that everything was in order for the event.
“You’ve finished dressing so let him in will you. I’m not quite done. I’ll join you two in a few,” Barbara said.
When Dana left, she spritzed on some perfume, then rummaged through her jewelry bag and found her little diamond encrusted watch. As she strapped it on, the friendship ring caught her eye and her heart started to pound.
Barbara sat on the bed and slid her feet into the four-inch heeled, copper colored Jimmy Choo shoes, marveling at her sweaty palms. She’d finally made her decision about her relationship with William and at the end of the gala she’d let him know what it was. She felt excited and nervous to see him, like a high school girl on a prom date.
~*~*~*~
William was chatting with Dana when Barbara entered the room. He heard a slight movement, looked up and suddenly Dana Dickson ceased to exist. He stood and made his way towards Barbara as if she had summoned him by some magic. Had it only been weeks since he had seen her last? For some reason it seemed longer.
She looked like a queen. Regal, in a dress that emphasized her curvaceous figure. The jewels he had given her were at her ears and neck. She looked like perfection.
The way she was watching him almost made him raise an eyebrow. Barbara had not looked at him like that since that summer in West Sussex. That had to be a promise of something wonderful, a positive decision on her part about them. He felt dazed, like he was in a dream. Their eyes locked. He extended his hand slightly towards her and said intimately, “Milady.”
A second later Barbara extended her hand for a kiss. William gripped it very gently, bowed, lifted her hand towards him and brushed the back of her hand with his lips.
When he straightened she smiled and said dreamily, “You look great. I love what you’ve done with your hair.” She reached out her small, slender hand and gently ran her fingers over his hair’s surface. The touch, light as it was, set his heart aflutter. “It’s very ‘Great Gatsby’. I love your outfit too.”
He bowed his head slightly, acknowledging the compliment. Credit went to Sue Gaines at the Waldorf’s barber shop for the hair. He’d gone for his usual trim and she’d suggested they try something different. He was easy when it came to his personal style, willing to try anything as long as it wasn’t over the top. So he’d allowed her to be creative. Instead of trimming his hair, she’d left the sides and back longish and trimmed the hair just above the ears. She’d then created a side part and used light wax to keep the hair in place and create its sleek 1920s look.
His outfit? This time credit went to Grant Lewis, his Saville Row tailor, who had convinced him to go black on black for the gala. The tuxedo was custom made to fit his athletic six-foot frame and worn to perfection with the black shirt and black silk tie.
The diamond studded cufflinks at his wrist and the diamond tie pin? Those were his personal touches.
“I’m honored to escort you downstairs.”
“And me. Don’t forget me. I’m still here,” he heard a voice say from far away.
~*~*~*~
Guests were enjoying pre-function cocktails in the grand foyer of the New York Waldorf International Hotel and Towers. Among the well-heeled crowd was a group of four men in conversation. Collectively they were worth almost $100 billion dollars. They were business magnates in various fields, one was a computer programmer, another a finance guru, the third a retail giant and finally there was an Internet entrepreneur. William Lamport was the finance guru. He was in the midst of the group but he was hardly attentive. He kept glancing across the room and sharing secret smiles with the beautiful blonde in the divine gown who was also surrounded by three other hugely successful women including her sister, a famous gospel singer and a senator.
By silent, mutual agreement Barbara and William excused themselves from their respective groups and met in the middle of the room.
“This isn’t working at all,” he drawled intimately, his left hand stuck in the pocket of his pants and a glass of wine in his right hand.
“What do you mean?” she asked, her heart doing a little pitter-patter beat.
“I mean that we should do the meet and greet as a team. I think that way we’d be more attentive to the guests, don’t you?”
“I completely agree.”
They made a divine pair as they worked the room together, Barbara’s ivory contrasting beautifully with William’s ebony. No one in the room really believed that this beautiful couple who seemed to be so in sync with each other, and were actually finishing each other’s sentences, could be anything but a couple.
The cocktails were followed by the silent auction which took place in one of the meeting rooms just outside the reception area. The event committee members had managed to solicit donations from several companies for items to be auctioned. William had been one of the most influential, having been able to get donations from family members and his wealthy friends and business associates. Consequently, the silent auction yielded close to $3 million.
Soon the guests were ushered into the gala room to be seated for dinner. The grand ballroom had been exquisitely decorated by one of New York’s most celebrated interior designers free of cost as his contributio
n to the event. It was a breathtaking atmosphere of pale colors, multi-type floral explosions, tall centerpieces, and intimate lighting.
William and Barbara were with each other all evening except when she had to go onstage to give the welcome speech.
The event was a fabulous affair of gastronomical delights, top notch entertainment, gracious awardees and exceptional service. It all ran without a hitch. And then the formal program was over and the party began.
While the guests had been seated in the grand ballroom, an army of event staff had worked quietly and quickly behind the scenes to transform the grand foyer into a nightclub, complete with DJ, moving neon lights, and a disco ball.
~*~*~*~
They were waylaid a few times on their way to the grand foyer but eventually they made it there. William’s feet were already tapping. The DJ was in full swing with seventies disco music. Abba’s Dancing Queen was playing and Barbara watched with fascination and admiration as William transformed into John Travolta before her eyes. The last time they’d danced to disco had been at that nightclub in West Sussex practically a lifetime ago. As William spun her around to Night Fever she thought what a renaissance man he was. Was there anything he didn’t do well?
When the sixth song ended she drew him close and shouted in his ear, “I need to go to the ladies room.”
He nodded. “I’ll be at the bar. I need some water.”
They walked off the dance floor hand in hand. “I’ll be back in a few minutes,” Barbara said.
~*~*~*~
What a rewarding evening, Barbara thought as she returned the lipstick tube to her clutch bag and left the ladies room. It had all come together so well. The silent auction had been an absolute success and while she couldn’t yet be sure it looked like they had raised at least $5 million in all for the Foundation, five times what they had raised the previous year! And all thanks to William’s participation. She shook her head as she marveled at how God worked. To think that she had originally tried to dissuade him from participating. Thank God he had ignored her protest.
She was on her way back to the foyer when she almost collided with Jason Heigl. She was so surprised to see him that she exclaimed, “Jason! You made it. I was looking for you. I thought you weren’t going to show.” Jason had bought two of the $1,000 a plate tickets from her.
Jason briefly looked down at his well-polished black shoes then stuck a hand in his pants pocket. He didn’t look his usual cheerful self, Barbara noted. When he smiled it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I actually got here very late. I only arrived in time for dessert. I had a problem.”
“What problem was that?”
“Latoya…Barbara I need your advice.” Just then a well-known couple passed them and greeted Barbara, complimenting her on how well the evening had gone. She thanked them and then introduced them to Jason. When they left he asked, “Can we speak privately?”
“Sure, come on.”
She led him back to a secluded spot in the reception area.
“What’s on your mind?” She asked after they were seated side by side.
“Latoya and I broke up tonight.” Latoya was Jason’s girlfriend, a Haitian makeup artist he’d met on the set of The Reaping.
“How awful! What happened?”
“I feel like we are at different places in our spiritual journey. She goes to church regularly and professes to be a Christian, but the things she does and says has convinced me that she hasn’t really yielded her life to the Lord.”
“Like what?”
“She still watches secular shows. She listens to secular music. She actually bought tickets to a Katy Perry concert.”
“I see.”
“I love her but I can’t take the risk that she’ll pull me back into the lifestyle I left behind.”
“Are you sure that’s all there is to it?”
“What do you mean?”
“It just seems like these are things you can discuss with her. There are legitimate concerns,” she added hurriedly, reading from his expression that he was about to protest. “But I’m not sure that it’s enough to break up with her over. I’m just wondering if there isn’t more to your decision than you’re saying.”
Jason leaned forward and placed his elbows on his knees. He appeared to think about this for a few minutes. Finally he said, “I got married to Sandra Swan when I was 25.” Sandra Swan was Jason’s ex-wife, a former Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover girl, turned reality TV star. “I wasn’t a Christian then but when I came to know the Lord four years into our marriage I had endless problems with my wife. She had no interest in Christianity and could not relate to my decision to leave a top-rated TV show, where I was raking in $1 million per episode, to act in Christian movies. She called me the biggest loser and packed up and left me for some pop star. Barbara, I’m afraid that if Latoya isn’t entirely committed to the Lord then we may find that our paths diverge down the road. I can’t bear to have her walk out on me like Sandra did.”
“How long was Latoya a Christian?”
“About a year and a half now.”
“What was her upbringing like?”
“From what she told me, she’s the only one in her family who’s a Christian. Her family seemed to have been involved in a lot of voodoo and the like. She cut all ties with them but you know, she’s starting from scratch. It isn’t like you or me who would have at least been raised in Christian homes.”
“Jason, I understand what you’re saying. Latoya won’t be as mature about certain things the way you are, but you shouldn’t compare her to Sandra. For some of us there are certain areas of slow growth in our Christian journey. I can’t tell you what to do. You’ve got to take this situation to the Lord in prayer, but I think that you can help guide her in the right direction. Be strong where she’s weak and trust God.”
He nodded in agreement. “Will you pray with me?”
“Sure.”
They held hands and bowed their heads towards each other as Barbara prayed aloud for Jason.
When the prayer was over Jason smiled at Barbara, this time it reached his eyes.
“Thanks so much. I feel a lot more at peace now. I think I have been comparing her to Sandra, and I was wrong to do that. When I showed Latoya what the Bible said about setting no evil thing before us she was immediately contrite. But I was still angry and I told her that I didn’t see how we could continue when she wasn’t willing to live out her faith. I think I’ve been really harsh and impatient with her like I’m perfect or something.”
“It’s okay, Jason. Keep praying. If Latoya is the one you’re meant to be with God will show you clearly. But don’t give up on her because of her background. Remember, Rahab was a prostitute, yet she allowed God to use her.”
Jason nodded, then impulsively reached out and pulled her into a hug. “Thanks for your advice,” he said against her cheek.
The hug seemed to Barbara to go on a bit too long. She pushed gently against Jason. He had a tendency to be little touchy feely. She understood he didn’t mean anything by it but she didn’t want to give any onlookers the wrong idea.
When they separated he grinned. “I saw you and Lamport together tonight. You make quite the power couple. I hope he isn’t too angry with me for stealing your time.”
Suddenly Barbara remembered William. “Oh my goodness. I told him I was only going to be a few minutes. I’m surprised he hasn’t come searching for me already. I need to get back.”
She got up and Jason stood with her. “Are you staying for the dancing?”
“No, I’m leaving. I think I need to spend some more time in prayer.”
“Call me tomorrow and let me know how you’re feeling, okay.”
“I’ll do that.”
~*~*~*~
William sat on one of the sofas on the periphery of the dance floor sipping tonic water. He glanced at the large timepiece on his wrist as he tapped his feet to the beat of the music and waited for Barbara to return.
She
was taking a rather long time.
Scanning the dance floor absently he contemplated whether he should go in search of her. Tonight had been mind-blowing. He finally felt as though he was making progress. She had been so free with her affections, so attentive, so loving, so flirtatious! It felt like an answer to prayer. He had felt so happy and so proud to be by her side tonight. For the first time since that summer in West Sussex, he felt like she was his woman. He was looking forward to that conversation with her tonight with bated breath. Her body language suggested that it would be worth the barrenness and absolute torture of the last six weeks. There had been so many times he had wanted to call her just to hear her sweet voice but he’d resisted the temptation. He knew that it would be a fatal error. He had to be firm. Tonight proved that it had been the right move.
Conchita Ochoa came into view.
He had sold one of the gala tables, a $10,000 one, to Riches Magazine and not surprisingly Conchita was one of the staff of the magazine who had attended.
He noted in a detached way that she looked like Natasha Fatale in a form fitting black dress with a revealing split up her left leg. He sighed. She looked as though she was selling something.
Conchita took a seat next to him and slowly lapped her legs. William kept his eyes glued to her face. “Why aren’t you on the dance floor, William? I was watching you earlier and that’s clearly where you belong.”
He allowed a half smile at her compliment. “Just taking a break.”
“I need a dance partner,” she purred.
“I’m sure there are quite a few men here who’d be happy to oblige.”
Conchita peered at him through long, black lashes as she tossed back her flowing mane. “Perhaps, but how many of them can keep up with me. I know that you can.”
William remained rooted to his spot. “I already have a dance partner, Conchita. Sorry,” he said with an air of finality.
“Barbara, I guess. I saw her going in the direction of the reception area about 15 minutes ago with that cute Jason Heigl so you may have a long wait. We may be able to get in at least a couple of dances before she returns.”
The Royal Couple: A Christian Romance (Royals Book 1) Page 33
