A stunning Tuscan mansion stood at the top of the long winding driveway, drenched in a soft marble yellow tone accentuated with a burnt amber Tuscan tiled roof. Guests were greeted by a lovely water fountain that displayed a grandfather reading the Old Testament to his grandson.
“Dr. Gerald Collins is livin’ large. This place is unbelievable,” Pam said as she parked her car underneath the stone detailed portico and was greeted by a valet.
“Good evening, Ms. Madison. Welcome to Collins tagliare di Italia,” said the very attractive young man. He opened her door and took her hand to assist her out of the car.
“So, Gerald has a name for his place, too?” The valet smiled and nodded. “That figures,” Pam said quietly under her breath. “So, what does that mean in English?”
“Collins’s slice of Italy,” the valet politely answered.
Gerald would be the one to give his estate a name and no less after him. He was truly in love with his success and worshipped the ground he walked on. No wonder she admired him so much; she laughed to herself as she handed the valet a ten-dollar bill.
“Thank you, madam, but we are not taking tips this evening.”
“My, my, my. He is truly celebrating,” Pam said, impressed, as she kindly took back her tip. She walked across the cobblestone driveway to two twelve-foot mahogany doors. Before she could pull the cord doorbell, a very meticulously dressed butler appeared and opened the door to the most stunning grand foyer Pam had ever seen. The entire area was punctuated with imported marble flooring, Venetian columns, and a stunning domed ceiling that featured hand-painted angels seated on top of clouds.
“Welcome, Ms. Madison. Dr. Collins will be so happy that you were able to come,” he said stiffly.
“Why, thank you,” Pam said, somewhat caught off guard by the butler’s familiarity with her, especially since they had never met.
“Let’s hear it for the best attorney in the world,” shouted a loud voice from the top of the banister. The voice was Dr. Collins, and Pam couldn’t tell if he was inebriated or just truly excited to see her at his party.
“Dr. Collins! Hello, there!” she shouted back.
“Please, you know I hate that formal title coming from you,” he said, feigning annoyance.
“Gerald,” Pam quickly corrected herself as he made his way down the winding staircase. His usual air of sophistication was complemented tonight by a black smoking jacket and charcoal gray ascot. His lips formed tightly around an unlit imported cigar, his trademark whenever he threw lavish parties. Champagne glasses raised and the crowd cheered, “Hear, hear!”
The butler arrived with a glass of champagne for Pam. She politely took it and raised her glass to her audience and took a sip. A drink was what she needed right about now, to take the edge off of her startling welcome. She had no idea that Dr. Collins was going to make her the focus of his party.
Every doctor, lawyer, and political constituent had flown into Atlanta for this party, which seemed like more of a congratulatory party for Pam instead of her client. Pam decided she would rise to the occasion and take advantage of the accolades that people were bestowing upon her.
Dr. Collins motioned to his wife, Adrienne, to join him in the middle of the foyer. She tried her best to maneuver her way gracefully through the large crowd that was beginning to huddle around Pam. The hostess’s exotic bluish-green eyes surveyed Pam from across the room, her large belly leading the way as she waddled toward her. Adrienne was seven months pregnant and was wearing a lovely tea-length white linen maternity dress with a pearl neckline that revealed a small portion of her cleavage. Ruffles skirting the dress swayed elegantly as she walked. Her dark chestnut hair was pulled back taut and neatly twisted into a bun that was adorned with a pearl barrette, matching the beads on the bodice of her dress and her pearl-studded earrings.
For a moment Pam felt her hand instinctively rub her own stomach as her thoughts drifted to another place.
“Are you okay, Miss?” The gentle voice appeared out of nowhere as she immediately shoved her hand down and stood at attention.
“Oh, yes, I’m fine. Thanks,” she said as she glanced up at the dark-haired man who was looking at her with intrigue. Pam looked back over at Adrienne and thought she was the quintessential doctor’s wife: refined, beautiful, loved to entertain lavishly, chaired on major social and civic organizations, managed the household, and enjoyed all the comforts of her husband’s money. At the ripe young age of 33, she managed to do what many women only dreamed. She became Mrs. Gerald Collins, and had no intentions of being the former Mrs. Collins…ever.
“Wow, my friend truly has it all,” the Italian accent spoke again.
“Yes, they seem perfect for each other.”
“And that’s a rarity these days,” the handsome Italian quipped. “To find someone compatible enough to want to spend the rest of your life with— that says it all.”
Pam was surprised by his comment and could only smile. “A lawyer at a loss for words, now that’s unusual,” he joked.
“I’m sorry but who are you?” Pam asked, trying hard not to sound put off by his candid remark. For all she knew, he could be Gerald’s brother and that would be the last person she wanted to insult. But, when she turned around for him to respond, he was gone.
Adrienne made her way over to Pam and extended her hand. “Pam, it’s so good of you to join us. This absolutely could not have been a celebration without you.” She winced slightly and placed her hand on the side of her stomach.
Gerald was walking toward her. “Honey, are you all right?”
“Oh, the baby just kicked, that’s all. It just caught me a little off guard.”
“Well, I think I’ve got a little slugger in there who might just be ready to come out and hit some balls with Da-Da,” he said, talking to her stomach.
“Oh, Gerald! You are such a…” She grabbed hold of the side of her stomach again and used the other hand to hold onto Gerald’s arm. “Wow, now, that was a big kick!” Adrienne bent over, still holding onto her side. “You may have something there, dear.”
“See, I told you. Please excuse us for one second Pam, while I take Adrienne over to the keeping room to have a seat. I think you’ll be more comfortable with your feet propped up, and you can still be in the midst of mingling with our guests.”
“Oh, Gerald, you don’t have to make such a fuss,” Adrienne said coyly, pretending to protest.
That’s right, work it, girlfriend. Enjoy being pampered now, because once that baby gets here, you will be too tired to try and look that gorgeous, and Gerald’s eyes will start wandering elsewhere just like they’ve always done. Pam sipped her glass of champagne and watched the butler walk toward Adrienne and pour her a cup of herbal tea as Gerald massaged her shoulders.
“Gerald, I’ll be fine,” Adrienne said, tapping him on the hands. “I’m not the first woman on earth to get kicked by a baby! Ow!” she said, grabbing her stomach again. “Please go on back over to Pam. She has worked hard on your case and deserves a little attention. Edward will take good care of me, won’t you?”
“Of course, madam,” Edward answered.
“See, Gerald…now, scoot!”
Gerald kissed her delicately on the hand and held it close to his chest before placing it gently in her lap. He grabbed another champagne flute off the silver tray on the table and returned to his guests.
“Ladies and gentleman, let me just say that if you are ever in need of an excellent attorney, then Pam Madison of Sterling, Mathis, and Silverman is the one to get the job done. I can’t tell you how relieved I am to have had such a fine attorney and to have won!” Gerald said, shaking his head in relief. “I’ve spent a ton on legal fees with this great firm,” Gerald chuckled as he lifted his glass in the air. He firmly shook Pam’s hand and gave her a congratulatory hug. “Believe me, to see justice work on your side—it is all definitely worth it!”
A few guests had gathered in the living room while the others were looking over the loft at Pam.
This was Pam’s finest hour, and she knew she’d better take advantage of all the praise the good doctor was giving her.
“It has been both an honor and a pleasure to represent such a fine physician as Dr. Collins,” she said looking into his grateful eyes. “You represent honor and integrity and always put your patients first. This was a difficult case to try, but not a difficult client to represent.” Pam lifted her champagne glass toward him. “Congratulations again, and thank you for entrusting Sterling, Mathis, and Silverman with your case,” she remarked, cleverly making sure that people would make a mental note of the name.
The applause echoed throughout the mansion as Pam walked confidently back to the living room. She sat down on the rose-hued silk chaise next to the mahogany baby grand piano. A line had started to form in front of her with guests asking for her business cards. And just as before, out of nowhere, toward the end of the line, stood that same tall, attractive man who’d spoken with her earlier. He appeared to be in his early 40’s and was wearing a classic navy two-button Prada suit that fit like a custom-made glove on his 6‘2” deeply tanned, sculptured frame. He wore his hair a little long for her taste, but she thought the way his wispy curls tucked neatly behind his ear lobes was sexy. She felt his deep blue eyes staring at her as he moved in closer. His cologne smelled of a fresh mix of mandarin oranges, berries, and sweet ginger.
“You are a very beautiful and a very talented lady. I would love to talk with you if you could spare a few minutes,” he said with an irresistible Italian accent.
Mmmm…that was the sexiest dimpled chin she’d ever seen on a man. All right, Pam, stop it! You cannot afford to do this to yourself. Her thoughts were interrupted by his succulent lips that seemed to pronounce each word in a deliberate and steady rhythm. She gained her composure and looked at her watch.
She folded her hands across her chest and crossed her legs. “You have one,” she said, trying to keep her professionalism.
He smiled and that irresistible dimple appeared again. “Only one minute?”
“Yes. One.”
“Okay, I’m Marco. It’s a pleasure meeting you,” he said, as he extended his hands to shake hers.
Pam nodded with approval as she felt him grip her fingers tightly and then tenderly release them, almost as if he were surreptitiously seducing her. Pam felt a slow tingling build up inside of her.
“So, how do you know Dr. Collins?” Pam asked.
“He and I are good friends.”
“Hmmm…that’s nice,” she responded casually. As she looked him over, their eyes locked for the first time. His pensive look started to make her feel uncomfortable.
Marco felt her uneasiness, but it was difficult for him to focus his eyes anywhere but on her.
“Well, it was nice meeting you,” she stood up and turned to walk away.
“Hey, wait a minute. Is that it?”
Pam turned to look back at him. “I said one minute.” She glanced at her watch. “And it’s over.” He was a very good-looking Italian man, but she wasn’t interested in him or anyone else right now.
“Can I get at least another sixty seconds?”
“For what?”
“Well, we could talk a little more, or perhaps you would be so kind as to give me your home telephone number.”
This man must be smokin’ something real good. “My home phone number?”
“Yes…”
“Oh, come, now. What makes you think I’m going to give my phone number to a stranger?”
“But I’m not a stranger. You know my name.” His smile was broadening.
Pam laughed. “You’re good, but not that good. Do you live in Atlanta?”
“No, I’m here visiting from out west for a few days. But I do travel to Atlanta quite a bit.”
Pam looked at her watch again.
“My sixty seconds are up again?”
“Sorry, yes. I’ve got another big case coming up and I really need to be getting back to the office.”
“I understand, duty calls.” He took her hand and kissed it. The touch of his moist lips made her heart race. “What about what I asked you earlier?”
“What was that?” she said, pretending not to remember.
“Your phone number?”
“Oh, that? No, I don’t think so.”
“But why not?”
“It’s just not my thing, Marco—to give my home number out.”
“Your thing is not to give your number out period, or just not to me?”
“Hey, listen. You seem like a really nice man, but right now is just not a good time for me. So let’s just leave it at that, okay?”
“So if I had met you at another time and place, you would let me call you?”
“Another time and place, yes, I think so,” Pam said, surprised at herself for even pondering his question.
“Ooh! You hurt my heart!” he said, with a mock stab to his heart. “Until next time. Arrivederci.”
“Goodbye, Marco,” Pam said, as she made her way to Dr. Collins and his guests to say her farewells.
After Pam replayed the meeting with Marco in her head, she immediately got up, jumped out of bed, and sprinted down the hallway to the one place she felt at peace when everything around her had gone awry. She sat down in the middle of the floor of her home office on her Persian rug and imagined herself drifting away on a cloud. She began to breathe deeply and was just about to get into her private zone when she heard her alarm clock blaring from her bedroom. She looked up at the crystal clock on her wall and saw that it was now 7:00 a.m.
“This will just have to wait until later,” she said as she headed hastily toward the bathroom. She took off her purple satin floor-length nightgown and let it drop to the floor before she got into the glass shower. She turned the water on full blast, working up a soapy lather and washing her body briskly, then let the water flow forcefully onto her tense muscles. She went through her schedule in her head as she shampooed her hair.
Okay, first things first. She needed to tell Pete that she’d have to get another paralegal to assist her with this case or she was screwed. After that, she needed to review those files again that Amanda put together. Damn that woman!
Pam got out of the shower, dried off, and strolled over to her walk-in closet, which was the size of a small guest bedroom. She chose a black pair of satin panties, a matching lace bra, and a sheer pair of stockings, and then dressed in front of her full-length mirror.
After sifting through six racks of summer and winter suits, she haphazardly threw the summer clothes in a pile on the floor until she got to her collection of fall Saint John suits.
“I’ll wear you to plead my case today to Pete,” she said, pulling out a sheik navy two-piece skirt suit and a black pair of sky high Manolo Blahniks.
She sauntered over to her crowded makeup table and brushed on just enough bronze eye shadow to emphasize her infamous eyes. Next, she put on a light red lip liner, complemented by ruby red lipstick, and carefully lined her eyes with a light brown pencil. She gave her cheeks a hint of rose blush and finger-combed her short curly brown hair to let it dry naturally. Her look was completed with a pair of small gold-hoop earrings and her favorite custom leather briefcase with her initials embossed on the front.
Pam handed her keys over to the concierge when she got down to the elevator lobby. Within minutes, her silver Mercedes-Benz SLK 350 Roadster appeared in the circular driveway. She slid behind the wheel before remembering she had to make a stop before heading to her office.
May Day…May Day
It had been only an hour since his brief telephone conversation with Pam, and Marco could not get this intoxicating woman out of his thoughts. He still couldn’t believe how she had just blown him off.
“Damn,” he said to himself as his fingers tapped the base of the phone. There was something about Pam that further piqued his interest. Before he knew it, his fingers were dialing again.
“Hello, Collins residence,” a stiff and decorous
voice answered.
“Gerald, please.”
“May I ask whose calling, sir?”
“It’s Marco.”
“Marco, who?”
“Marco who do you think?” he said impatiently as he rolled his eyes. He had forgotten just how arrogant Gerald’s butler could be sometimes. The butler knew exactly who Marco was. He just enjoyed acting important.
“Hold on, sir. I’ll see if Dr. Collins is available.” A couple of minutes passed. Marco was about to hang up when Gerald finally answered.
“Hello, Marco?”
“Yeah, it’s me.”
“Is everything all right?” he inquired as he stared at the clock.
“I thought you’d be up and out by now, my friend. It’s 7:30 in the morning.”
“Normally I would be. But I’m off today.”
“And his majesty, Edward, woke up his master to speak with me? Oh, my, I must tip Edward an extra quarter the next time I’m there!”
“Very funny,” he said “It must be important since you’re calling me at the crack of dawn. But, as usual, you don’t want anything, so I’m hanging up and going back to sleep with my beautiful wife. Goodbye.”
“Hey! Hold on a second.” Marco thought he heard Adrienne’s whispering in the background. It was obvious he had picked a bad time to call his friend. He heard giggling.
“Good morning, Marco,” Adrienne said.
“How is the mother-to-be?”
“We’re fine,” she responded in a cooing manner. “So, Marco, why are you really calling?”
“Adrienne, give me the phone,” Gerald hissed. Marco could hear Adrienne giggling again and he could imagine the two of them wrestling for the cordless phone. Adrienne loved to tease, especially when it came to his best friend.
Marco heard more giggling as Gerald and Adrienne fought over the phone. He waited patiently for their childish behavior to end.
“It’s about Pam,” Marco said, though he wasn’t sure if either of them had heard him.
Finally, Gerald spoke, “I don’t know about her personal affairs other than she’s single,” he said, pacing back forth. “Why don’t you just ask her out?”
Destination D Page 8
