by Calista King
"Oh my God, what is that?" she asked, eyeing the ball gown with a satin corset top and organza ruffles that puffed out from the skirt. It even had a matching bolero.
"What? This is my quincineara dress," Corinne said.
At Laila's incredulous look Corinne rushed in to explain herself. "You said it was a formal dinner and this is the most formal dress I have. Besides, I think it looks nice. You should have heard all the compliments I got when I wore it. It was the highlight of my party."
"It's very...uh...nice, C. I just don't think it's the right dress for tonight."
Corinne shrugged her shoulders, "Suit yourself," she said.
She continued pulling out the rest of the dresses and laid them over every available surface in Laila's apartment. When she was done, she stepped back and looked to Laila with a satisfied smile on her face.
"Here they are," she said. "Which one do you want to try on first."
Laila was overwhelmed by all the choices before her. Corinne really had a lot of dresses. Almost too many. She did a cursory scan over all them immediately discounting several. There were a healthy number of "hoochie" dresses--short, thigh high spandex and polyester numbers that she wouldn't even be caught wearing at the club, much less a dinner with Andreas' uncle. Anything with animal prints was also immediately discounted. That left about three dresses that looked like they might work for her. Laila walked over and scooped them up so she could try them on.
One was a short black silk one shouldered dress, accented with a beaded medallion just above the hip. The next one was a salmon colored lace sheath dress with scalloped edges and reached just above the knees. The last dress was floor length metallic gray sequined lace dress with long sleeves and a plunging neckline.
In the end, Laila decided to go with the black satin dress. The black dress was classic and chic and struck the right balance between fun and formal. She was trying on a pair of black heels and looking at her reflection in the mirror in her bedroom as Corinne began packing away the rest of her dresses.
"I think this dress is going to be perfect," Laila called out. "Thanks again."
"Don't mention it," Corinne said from the living room. "It must be getting pretty serious between you two, huh? I mean meeting his family and all."
"Yeah, I think so," Laila said, walking back to the living room and helping Corinne gather the rest of the dresses.
"So are you nervous?"
"What do you think?" Laila answered. "I mean, what if he doesn't like me?"
"Oh come on. You can't think like that. You've got to think positive. Project what you want and the universe will answer," Corinne said.
Laila pinned her with a bemused stare. "What are you talking about?"
"It's this book I've been reading. It all about attracting what you want in your life by positive thinking."
"Yeah right, all the positive thinking in the world isn't gonna help me if his uncle already has it out for me."
"Why would you think that?"
"Because I don't come from the right family or have the right job. I mean look at me Corinne, I can't even afford to go out and get my own dress. Maybe he thinks I'm just using Andreas for his money."
Laila was getting herself worked up, and was on the verge of bursting into tears. She didn't know why her emotions were so out of whack and she didn't like it at all. It wasn't like her to be so emotional and nervous over a simple dinner. Sure it was her first time meeting someone from Andreas' family, but she'd been through and done tougher things than that. She turned her head to the side to hide the tell tale moisture building in her eyes and blurring her vision. Laila felt two arms encircle her in a comforting hug.
"Shh," Corinne whispered against her back. "Everything will go great. He's gonna love you," she soothed.
Laila wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and laughed. "Yeah you're probably right. I don't know what the hell is wrong with me. I've never cried over something so silly before. Promise you'll smack some sense into me the next time I get like this," she tried to joke.
"There's nothing wrong with showing a little bit of emotion, Laila. It just means you care," Corinne said.
"Maybe a little too much," Laila muttered under her breath.
"See, that's your problem," Corinne answered. "You've built these walls around yourself, trying to be strong and never letting anyone in. And now here's a guy you really care about and you don't know how to act and you're scared."
"You're probably right. When did you become Dr. Phil?" Laila said trying to brush her off.
Laila knew Corinne was right; she had spent her whole life keeping guys at an arm's length. It probably had something to do with unresolved "daddy issues" she figured, but so what? That was all she ever knew, and it wasn't like she was the only girl who never had a father.
"It's just these self help books I've been reading," Corinne gushed. "It's really helping me see where I've been messing up in my life, you know? Like all these negative thoughts I have are a self fulfilling prophecy. I'm setting myself up for failure when I think like that. That's why I've been trying to change my thought process. Try to start attracting some positive things into my life."
"Mmm hmm," Laila muttered.
She knew exactly what Corinne needed to do to start changing her life for the positive, and that was to dump her loser boyfriend, Hector. The sooner she did it, the better off she'd be, but Laila kept the thought to herself. She knew she could talk until she was blue in the face trying to convince Corinne, but wouldn't get anywhere. Corinne wasn't ready to let go yet, and until she did, she'd probably need all the self help books she could get.
"I can tell you're skeptical," Corinne said. "But you really should give it a try. What's the worst that could happen?"
"Maybe," Laila said, but she had a feeling no amount of positive thinking was going to help her if Andreas' uncle already took a disliking towards her.
Corinne left soon afterward after making Laila promise to tell her all the details of the dinner.
Laila hopped into the shower before fixing her hair and makeup. Once she was done, she had one final look in the mirror at the finished product and took a deep breath.
"If nothing else goes right tonight, at least I look hot," she said to her reflection.
CHAPTER 17
She checked her watch and saw that she still had half an hour before Andreas was due to arrive. Laila was a ball of nervous energy, pacing back and forth over her whole apartment. She thought about Corinne's advice and decided to give it a go. She figured she owed her that much for letting her borrow her dress.
Closing her eyes, she tried to visualize the dinner in her mind. Andreas' uncle was laughing at something she said and Andreas was smiling at her lovingly. She was charming and funny and everyone loved her. The food was delicious and she was having a great time. Laila finally opened her eyes and exhaled. She tried to see if she felt any better or more relaxed before the doubts assailed her again.
"Ah fuck it. It didn't work," she muttered under her breath. "Figures."
She had seriously contemplated calling the whole thing off for the second time that night. She didn't like feeling this unsure of herself. It was a new feeling and she was already sick of it.
Laila squared her shoulders and had a fierce determined glint to her eyes as she mentally slapped herself. She was a strong independent woman who had never been afraid of anyone in her life, and she wasn't going to start now. She'd been through more things in her life than most people and one little dinner with Andreas' uncle wasn't going to scare her. She was better than that.
Andreas' phone call snapped her out of her thoughts and she picked up the phone.
"Yes! I'll be right down," she answered aggressively.
She didn't give Andreas a chance to speak before hanging up. Laila grabbed her purse and switched off her lights and locked her door before marching towards the elevator. She felt like a fire had been lit under her butt. Her anger and indignation spurred her on more th
an the positive thinking did, and she was going to use it to get through the night.
Andreas was waiting for her outside her apartment building. A slow appreciative smile crept across his face as he looked her up and down.
"You look stunning," he said giving her a quick kiss on the lips.
"Thank you," she said stiffly.
Andreas led her to the black town car and opened the door for her, "After you," he said before following her in.
The driver pulled from the curb and Laila stared straight ahead.
"Is something wrong?" Andreas asked, looking at her curiously.
"Nothing's wrong," Laila said, still not looking at him.
"You just seem a little...angry."
"Angry?" she asked, finally turning to look at him. "I'm not angry."
"Are you nervous?" he asked.
Laila paused, thinking of her answer. Was I nervous? Yes, but she didn't want to be.
"It's OK if you are," Andreas said. "I'm a little nervous myself."
"You are?"
"Yes. I hope you will like my uncle. He can come off a little gruff but deep down he's got a good heart," Andreas said.
"You're nervous that I won't like your uncle?" Laila asked incredulously.
"Yes. He means a lot to me and I hope the two of you hit it off," Andreas answered.
"And here I was nervous about your uncle not liking me."
Andreas took Laila's hands in his and she felt instantly comforted. He stroked the back of her hands with his thumbs and looked into her eyes.
"He's going to love you, I just know it. You two are very similar, you know," he said.
"How's that?"
"Well, you both speak your mind and don't take kindly to fools and nonsense."
Laila threw her head back and laughed, the first time she had done so all day.
"I can see where you'd think we'd get along, but sometimes people who are too similar tend to clash. Especially the loudmouths who have no filter."
"I certainly hope that is not the case tonight," Andreas smiled.
"Me too. By the way where are we going for dinner?" Laila asked.
"My uncle's apartment. He's got a wonderful chef."
Laila was momentarily surprised that they weren't going to go to a restaurant but that quickly subsided.
"Of course your uncle would have a private chef," Laila answered dryly.
The driver pulled up to a plain brick building on Park avenue. Andreas got out of the car first before turning back and handing Laila out. They walked up to the building where there was a doorman awaiting them.
"Good evening, sir," he greeted Andreas as he held the door open for him.
"Evening, Marshall," Andreas replied before following Laila into the building.
They walked to the elevator where Andreas pressed the button for the penthouse level. Laila gave Andreas an amused smile as if to say, "of course your uncle lives on the penthouse level of this building." When the elevator doors opened, her doubts came flooding back and she had to take a deep breath before stepping out. Andreas grabbed her hand in a comforting squeeze and they walked down the hall to his uncle's apartment.
"You ready for this?" Andreas asked before ringing the doorbell.
"Ready as I'll ever be," Laila said. She turned to face the door looking like she was facing an execution instead of a cozy family dinner. Andreas rang the bell which was answered immediately by an attractive woman who looked to be in her mid-40s. She had dark brown hair with silver streaks and intelligent brown eyes.
"Andreas, you're here finally," she said, leaning forward and kissing him on both cheeks.
"Hello Aunt Lorena. May I introduce you to my girlfriend, Laila?"
His aunt stepped back and got a good look at Laila. She felt like she was being examined with a microscope and had the urge to fidget, but she forced herself to stand tall and straight and look Andreas' aunt in the eyes. She wasn't going to act like a nervous school girl even though she felt like jelly inside. His aunt finished her perusal and seemed to like what she saw. She gave Laila a smile before reaching out her hand.
"Oh yes," she said, "please come inside. I swear, I was so anxious to meet you I completely forgot my manners."
She stood aside for Andreas and Laila to enter. Laila had to bite her bottom lip to keep her jaw from hitting the floor. The apartment was impressive and intimidating. Though it wasn't as big as some other apartments in the city, it was still a good size with high ceilings and comprising of two levels.
The decor screamed old money opulence. Laila's mind was in a whirl, only making out bits and pieces of the apartment, like the large marble wood burning fireplaces, heavy silk damask curtains, Hepplewhite chairs and Chippendale tea tables, but she knew each item probably cost an arm and a leg. The walls were covered in dark floral patterned wallpaper and accented with ornate crown molding on the ceilings.
Laila was led into an elegant reception room where Andreas' uncle was waiting. She spotted him immediately sitting on a silk upholstered high backed chair reading a newspaper. He got up once he spotted them and greeted her.
"Welcome, Ms. Greer. It's so nice of you to come," he said holding out his hand.
"Thank you for having me, uh...Mr. Carstens," Laila said.
She was glad her voice and handshake was steady and strong, and not trembling like she was on the inside. Everything around her was overwhelming and never in her life had she been surrounded by such opulence. The closest she ever got was at The Standard, and though that was a luxury hotel, it had nothing on this place.
Seeing the world that Andreas really came from hit home for her how different they really were. He might as well have come from a different planet, because that's how far apart their lives seemed. She felt a momentary chagrin now remembering all the nights he spent at her cramped little apartment when he was probably used to this kind of lifestyle.
"Please call me Albert," he said. "Have a seat while I get you a drink. Dinner should be ready soon."
"Thank you," Laila said, taking the seat he pointed out.
"What would you like?" he asked.
"Uh...just a glass of red wine," she said.
"Coming right up. And what about you Andreas?" he asked turning to his nephew.
"I'll have a glass of sparkling water," Andreas answered, settling himself right next to Laila. He reached for her hand again and gave it a squeeze and a small smile, as if trying to reassure her everything was going well. She gave him a tight smile before turning her attention to his aunt.
"So Laila, Andreas has been a very bad boy. He hasn't actually told us much about you," Lorena began.
"That's not true," Andreas cut in.
"It isn't?" she asked, a slight mocking tone to her voice. "Please refresh my memory then."
Andreas looked momentarily embarrassed before he mumbled something unintelligible and sat back against the seat cushions.
"Just as I thought," Lorena said with a satisfied smile.
"Now there's no need to get on the boy," Albert said, coming back with their drinks and setting it on the table in front of them. "After all, this meeting came up quite suddenly."
"Be that as it may, I would love to know more about you, Laila," Lorena said.
Laila felt three pair of eyes trained on her and fought to keep the heat from rising to her face in a tell tale blush. She'd been in tougher situations. Hell, her first acting job had her on the stage in nothing but her underwear and dancing in high heels. This should be a piece of cake. All I have to do is pretend like I'm in a movie, Laila thought. With a renewed confidence, Laila stared straight back at Lorena and answered in a calm and controlled voice. "What would you like to know?"
"Oh how about we start with your background. Where are you from?"
"I was born and raised in New York."
"And your parents? What do they do?"
"My mother died last year and my father--well, I've never met him," she replied.
"Oh I'm so sorry to hear
that," Lorena said. "Do you have any siblings?"
"No, not that I know of," she smiled.
"I see," Lorena said. "How did you and Andreas meet?"
Laila turned to look at Andreas before replying. "He didn't tell you?" she asked, not taking her eyes from Andreas.
"No unfortunately he did not."
"We met when I checked him into his hotel room at The Standard. I was working the front desk the day he arrived," she answered.
"Really?" Lorena said, giving Andreas a speaking look. "That's very interesting. You say you work at the hotel?"
"Yes, that's what I said," Laila replied.
Laila chanced a quick peek at Andreas' uncle and noticed he was watching her intently. She couldn't tell if that was a good thing or not, but she began to feel uncomfortable under his stare. She turned back to Lorena and tried to go on the offensive.
"Andreas hasn't told me much about you either," Laila began. "Actually he hardly ever mentions his family or friends."
"Really now! That's just like Andreas. He was probably afraid we'd scare you away," Lorena teased.
"Should I be scared then?" Laila quipped.
"Not at all! In fact, I like to think among Andreas' family, Albert and I are the most sensible of the bunch."
Andreas choked on his drink and glared at his aunt. He looked like he had some words to say to her but was interrupted by the housekeeper informing them that dinner was ready. Laila breathed a sigh of relief at the brief respite from the interrogation.
She followed behind Lorena and Albert with Andreas at her side. The dining room was just off to the right of the reception room they were in. Laila was more prepared for the splendor she saw there. Antique furniture, Sevres china lining the cabinets, and large oriental flower pots filled with lemon trees lined the far wall next to the windows. The dining table was long and could easily accommodate twelve people. Albert sat at the head of the table and Lorena sat at his right.
"Please have a seat here," Lorena said, pointing to the place opposite hers. Andreas sat next to her on her left. "We figured we'd do away with the formalities and have a nice cozy dinner since it'll just be the four of us," she continued.
