A Black Tie Affair

by Sherrill Bodine

  “Love it,” Rebecca sighed, her eyes wide with admiration. “Absolutely perfect for any bride.”

  Rebecca gestured to the cameraman, who panned the entire store and came back to her face. “Pandora’s Box is so full of delights, all you fashionistas out there won’t know what to buy first!”

  “Cut, Phil.” Rebecca sighed. “Wonderful stuff. I’ll interview the first few customers, and then we’ll be out of your way.”

  Rebecca broke off, drawing in a short, sharp breath. Athena looked up and did the same.

  Their hair still wet from showers, Drew and Connor strolled through the door.

  She couldn’t take her eyes off Drew, and he’d been staring at her from the moment he sauntered into the store.

  Why are they here? This isn’t part of our deal.

  Speechless with surprise, she tore her gaze away from Drew and looked at Rebecca for help.

  With a dazzling smile, Rebecca leaped into the breach. On her cue, the cameraman began to film.

  “Checking out the competition, gentlemen?” Rebecca laughed up at them.

  With legendary Clayworth charm, Drew’s cornflower gaze swept over Rebecca, from her Christian Louboutins to her halo of light hair, as he slowly smiled. “Pandora’s Box is the place to be today. Especially with you here, Rebecca.”

  Rebecca gave him a knowing glance. “Ah, Drew, always the charmer.”

  He grinned. “We’re also here because John Clayworth and Company has always valued other fine retailers.”

  “Spoken like the founder himself,” Rebecca said with a laugh and moved on to Connor.

  He blushed to the roots of his thick, coal-black hair, his green eyes from his father’s family darkening to a deep emerald. As always, his powerful muscles seemed to be fighting his preppy clothes. “I’m picking out a gift for my aunt.”

  Rebecca turned away to interview the first customer coming through the door, and in three strides Drew stood at Athena’s side.

  “You look flushed. How are you? Still feeling any effects?”

  She’d felt perfectly fine before they arrived, but now her skin tingled with warmth. Maybe she should turn on the air conditioner in the store. It must be getting hotter outside. Bright sunlight bathed the crowd gathered on the sidewalk, drawn by the red Ferrari F430 convertible and the silver Porsche.

  “Athena, are you feeling all right?” he asked again, more sharply this time.

  “I’m perfectly fine.” She thrust up her chin, prepared for whatever the Fates planned to deal her this time. She felt the tension vibrating off Venus, saw the curiosity in Diana’s eyes and the intent way Makayla watched them all.

  “Why are you really here, Drew?” She held her breath, hoping he wouldn’t mention her father, the elephant in the room by his absence. Dad was represented only by the spectacular arrangement of three dozen sterling silver roses he had sent to congratulate them on the opening. If Drew said one word about their dad, all hell would break loose with Venus and Diana.

  “We’re here out of respect for your mother.”

  She almost believed him, but she knew there must be more to this visit. But thank goodness his words were enough to cause Diana to nod and Venus to relax.

  All at once she felt furry warmth around her ankles and looked down at Drusilla Junior brushing against her.

  Drew laughed, a shadow of mockery on his face. “No. This can’t be. It can’t be your cat from when we were kids.” His eyes crinkling at the corners, he looked at Athena and then down at the cat, who promptly deserted her to rub against Drew’s calf.

  Smiling, he swept Junior up in his arms, and the disloyal hussy licked his hand.

  His long fingers slowly stroking Drusilla’s stomach mesmerized Athena. She shook her head to clear it of such foolishness and then nodded. “Of course this isn’t Drusilla Senior. It’s Junior, from Drusilla’s first litter.”

  She’d forgotten how Drew’s eyes seemed warmed from inside when he really smiled.

  “Junior? Athena, I believe it’s my duty to tell you this is a female.”

  Drew rubbed Junior under the chin, and Athena heard the cat purr loud and clear.

  “Of course I know Junior is a girl. I happen to be a big fan of the designer Carolina Herrera, who has a daughter, Carolina Junior, so I did the same.”

  “I guess it makes sense,” Drew laughed, nestling Junior in the crook of his arm.

  Her beloved cat stared at her for a second, as if debating whether or not staying nestled in Drew’s arm could be worth risking her treats for the day. Smart like her mother, Junior jumped daintily down to walk back to her bed in the store office, an opulent bower with the computer hidden in an antique cherry cabinet.

  She looked back at Drew and caught him watching her in such an odd, intent way, she couldn’t stop the heat curling through her. No doubt she blushed like the teenager she’d been the last time he’d looked at her like this.

  She mustered up some cool thoughts that had nothing to do with him. “What?”

  “Drusilla Junior brings back a lot of memories.” His voice sounded so intimate and deep she could drown in it.

  Poking her in the ribs, Venus threw her a life preserver.

  “Athena, the cameraman is still filming. We should do something,” she whispered.

  The room came into focus, filled with curious spectators from outside wandering into the store, followed by a dozen more. Venus happily rushed off to help them.

  “I’ll get out of your way,” Drew said in that same deep, intimate voice. “Lewis sent out an alert to all the hospitals and physicians in the area. I have Ed investigating. Anything from your contacts?”

  Nothing was more important to her than finding those dresses, but for the next few hours she had to put the search on hold for Pandora’s Box. “Nothing yet. I’ll be in touch.” Maintaining her outward calm, she nodded and walked away to help a woman looking at evening gowns.

  She refused to acknowledge the memories Drew stirred, with or without Drusilla in his arms. To stop them, she threw herself into answering every question asked about vintage dresses in such detail most customers got a glazed look of information overload.

  She took a deep breath, turning to find her next victim, and saw Connor waiting patiently at the counter.

  He placed a gold Panetta bangle, set with beautiful green cabochon stones, in front of Venus. Even from where Athena stood, she heard Venus make a sound not quite a snort. Connor looked at her with a puzzled quirk of his lips, which Venus completely ignored.

  “For my aunt Bridget,” he explained.

  It was the perfect gift for Bridget. Athena breathed a sigh of relief when, with a toss of her hair, Venus nodded and allowed Connor to buy it.

  Athena deliberately looked away when Connor joined Drew and the Clayworth men made their grand exit.

  Rebecca seemed to be everywhere. Smiling, enchanting the customers, and generally making Pandora’s Box the place to be today.

  “How can we thank you?” Athena asked when the crowd had thinned and, to her great relief, emotionally anyway, the expensive cars had disappeared from in front of the store.

  “Thank me? Darling, thank you!” Rebecca embraced her in a quick hug. “I’ve stayed much too long but I couldn’t resist. The Clayworths and the Smiths together again is the juiciest story I’ve had in weeks.” She sighed. “Have you ever seen better-looking men in your life—besides my David? Devastating, and both bachelors! I can hardly wait for each of them to finally meet his match. Don’t forget to watch my show tomorrow morning.”

  With a mischievous smile, Rebecca swept out.

  CHAPTER

  6

  On Sunday, bleary-eyed from lack of sleep, Athena perched on her large blue velvet antique settee in the sitting room of her carriage house. Well, really, how could she sleep a wink when she knew Rebecca must be up to something and Athena had made a deal with the devil? Well, Drew wasn’t the devil. Worse. He continued to be the source of her misery. No, no, not mis
ery. Disillusionment. Disappointment.

  Oh, for goodness’ sake, just stop thinking about him.

  She tried to focus on the buildup to Talk of the Town as her sisters sprawled around her, sipping Veuve Clicquot mimosas to celebrate the spectacular opening of Pandora’s Box.

  The show’s catchy theme song shocked Athena’s heavy eyelids back open.

  “Here it comes,” Diana breathed, turning up the volume with the remote.

  The second Athena heard Rebecca say, “Good morning, darlings!” her heart thumped against her ribs.

  What is Rebecca going to do, and how will it impact my deal with Drew?

  She tried to concentrate on how beautiful her sisters looked on TV and how sure of themselves they sounded. Best of all, Pandora’s looked like a jewel box of delights, just as they’d hoped.

  When the show broke for a commercial, Athena took a deep breath into her starving lungs. Until then she hadn’t realized she’d barely been breathing.

  Venus groaned. “I dressed to show off my jewelry. Do my new Marc Jacobs skirt and top make me look fat?”

  “You aren’t fat!” her long-suffering sisters shouted in unison.

  Athena knew Venus had been battling her sweet tooth since she turned three and grew tall enough to climb on a chair to get to the cookie jar.

  “Good. Then I can have more of this.” Smiling, Venus topped off her freshly squeezed orange juice with more champagne.

  Athena guzzled a bit more champagne than she should have herself, trying to cool the hot ache of anticipation boiling in her stomach.

  The instant Rebecca came back onscreen, looking at the camera in such a “girlfriends telling secrets” way, Athena knew the moment had come.

  “Here’s a fun, sexy quiz for you.” Rebecca smiled. “Who are the two outrageously wealthy, impossibly attractive, brilliant, exciting renaissance men who attended the grand opening of Pandora’s Box? I’ll give you a few clues. One teaches sailing to underprivileged teens, and one is a mentor to juvenile defendants. One owns adorable dogs. And as you will soon see, one has a way with cats.”

  Rebecca shook her head, and her sleek blond hair fell charmingly around her small ears. “I know, darlings, they sound too good to be true. And much too interesting to keep you guessing until next week. So here they are.”

  Athena sucked in the same sharp, short breath she had yesterday when the Clayworth men strolled into the store. She couldn’t take her eyes off Drew as he walked toward the camera and Phil had panned to the two of them. Drew stroking Drusilla Junior, gazing at Athena and her gazing right back, as if they were alone in the room. She’d read about out-of-body experiences. Surely seeing and feeling the attraction to Drew all over again came close to one.

  In the interest of nondisclosure, she ignored the stunned looks her sisters threw her and concentrated on what Rebecca was saying.

  “Yes, you’ve guessed it. Drew Clayworth and his cousin Connor O’Flynn, the perennial most eligible men in Chicago.” The camera panned on each of their sensual faces.

  Athena had purposely not watched them leave, but the cameraman had caught it on tape. Drew paused at the door to look back. For some reason, his face relaxed and his lips curled in the briefest of smiles before he turned and left. A rush of hot curiosity made her shiver. She had the oddest wish to know what or who had made him happy. Once, long ago, she’d believed she had the power to do that.

  “I’ve told you that Pandora’s Box is dedicated to the Smith sisters’ late mother, Ann. You might know Athena, Venus, and Diana owe their unusual names to their father, Alistair’s, passion for Roman and Greek goddess mythology. I’m sure our darling Smith sisters were told about Plato’s claim that our earliest ancestors were born hermaphroditic and so powerful they threatened the gods, who punished them by cleaving each being in half. From then on, Plato said humans have longed for their other half, and when one finds it, love happens. I can’t wait to see these commitment-phobic Clayworth men meet their better halves.”

  Rebecca’s mischievous smile lit up the screen. “Remember, if you can’t keep a secret, tell me. I always change the names to protect the guilty. The innocent don’t need protecting. See you next week, darlings!”

  Athena couldn’t turn off the television fast enough. “Well, that was lovely. I’ll go fix brunch.”

  “Hey, wait a minute!” Venus called after her. Curiosity blazed in her eyes. “What was that between you and Drew? You both looked mesmerized by each other.”

  Always a pro at hiding the truth about Drew, Athena laughed. “There is nothing mesmerizing about my deal with Drew. Maybe he was mesmerized by Junior.”

  Hearing her name, Junior looked up from licking her paws and pranced over to rub against Athena before settling in Diana’s lap.

  She stroked her and stared up at Athena from the floor. “I remember the summer you broke your ankle and had to stay off it for months. Every weekend we were at the Clayworth estate swimming at their private beach, Drew stayed on the sand, reading with you. I always thought you were more than friends, different than the rest of us. What happened? All of a sudden it was like you didn’t know each other.”

  Athena shrugged away the bitter memories. “He’s a Clayworth. Obviously he can’t even commit to a friendship.”

  Diana gazed up at her with a fey sort of knowledge beyond her years. “Drew was always different than the others.”

  Venus sprawled on the settee, her apricot hair falling out of its untidy topknot. “Drew is certainly different than his cousin Connor. Drew is gorgeous and charming, while Connor is so uptight I don’t know how he moves without squeaking. I shudder for their better halves if they ever find them. Actually, I remember Dad telling us about Plato’s theory, but I don’t know how I feel about it. What if you were attracted to someone you loathed? Knew he was absolutely the worst person on the planet for you, but every time you saw him you wanted to rip his clothes off?”

  “Or if you were torn between two men and loved both of them.” Diana’s large eyes glistened in her small face. “What do you think, Athena?”

  I found him too young, and he walked away from me.

  To get off the hook, she laughed. “I think Venus is too hard on Connor. Yes, he can be a bit stiff at times. But he’s an absolute doll with his aunt Bridget, and she adores him, so he must have some redeeming qualities.”

  Venus laughed and threw the exquisitely embroidered pillow of bright red poppies at Athena. “All right. I admit that. But both Drew and Connor are full of themselves, so I don’t feel sorry for the poor little rich men. Connor’s mother is one of the biggest snobs in Chicago, but, sure, Bridget is an original. Drew?” She shrugged. “He’s always been the enigma. Still waters run deep and all of that. Back me up here, Athena.”

  Both her sisters looked at her.

  They have no idea Drew was my first love. Lately, memories of her secret, scary, sexy feelings for Drew flashed through her mind. She knew she looked flushed. Could feel the warmth seeping through her pores. Always it had been her giveaway around Drew. Her fighting the forbidden attraction.

  It terrified her to be doing the same thing again. Almost like a second chance. Like the movie Peggy Sue Got Married. Go back and redo it. Go back and get hurt again.

  Her phone rang, and they all three looked at it.

  “It’s Dad,” Diana gasped, closest to the caller ID. “Something’s wrong. He always e-mails.”

  “It’s about time he called,” Venus retorted. “When he didn’t show up for the opening, I was ready to fly to Palm Beach and knock down his door to talk to him.”

  On the third ring, Athena picked it up and put it on the speaker. “Hi, Dad. We missed you yesterday.”

  But what if he had showed up? What would he have done when confronted by Connor and Drew? Been defensive, or guilty? She wished again for the hundredth-plus time that she knew why he wouldn’t talk to her about what happened at Clayworth’s.

  “I assume you girls are all together watching
Talk of the Town. I’m very proud of all of you.” His voice sounded strong, normal, loving.

  “Thanks, Dad. When are you coming home?” Venus shouted.

  “Yes, we miss you tons,” Diana called.

  “I miss all of you, too. I’m working on some projects. I’ll be there soon enough. Athena, why are you wearing those glasses? You haven’t needed them in years.”

  Because if I wasn’t, everyone could read my confusion about you and now Drew.

  She fiddled with the rims, avoiding her sisters’ questioning looks. “Some eye strain at work. I’ll be fine.”

  “Make sure you take care of yourself. I love you all, and I’ll see you soon. I promise.”

  “Love you, Dad,” they chorused in unison.

  Love you, Dad, but why won’t you confide in me?

  For the last six years since her mom died, Athena had been his confidante.

  All these years, I’ve never told him about Drew and how he changed my life.

  The truth made her sway a little on the balls of her feet. Now she had even more secrets to keep.

  Diana rose as gracefully as a ballerina from the deep blue and crimson Oriental rug. “What’s wrong, Athena? Are you upset about Dad’s call?”

  “I’m fine. Really.” She shook off guilt enough to smile. “Maybe we should fly down to Florida to see him. But I just can’t right now. I need to stay here and find Bertha’s dresses. If I hadn’t gotten sick, Bridget would have set the lock and maybe the dresses wouldn’t have been stolen. Other people wouldn’t run the chance of being infected.”

  Venus grimaced. “No way is this your fault. There are probably millions of people who have it in for the high and mighty Clayworths. They should count themselves lucky you want to help.”

  Diana nodded. “Totally not your fault. But you’re the perfect person to help them. You have connections. Know the collectors.”

  She nodded. “I need those dresses for the museum. The exhibition will save the scholarship program and help Makayla.” Determination burned in her blood. “I’ll work with Drew to find those dresses, no matter what it costs me.”