by Eydie Maggio
As the lights dimmed to indicate that they were about to begin, everyone took their seats as the awards chairman stepped up to the podium to give opening remarks on the history of the event and how the nominees were selected. She introduced the first award which was the one that Elise was receiving.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, the first award is absolutely one of my favorite ones. The Trailblazer award is specifically designated for the women in the industry, who not only have made their mark, but their contributions are so unique and outstanding they have laid the path for the industry to go into a new direction. I would like to welcome on stage the special guest presenter of the Trailblazer Award whose family is blazing their own trail through the political world. Please help me in welcoming Trey Watts to the stage.”
The audience collectively gasped and then cheered as Trey walked across the stage. Elise was in shock. When he told her he had an event tonight, she assumed it had to do with his campaign. She was so excited to see him, and apparently so was Jeremy and the rest of the people at the banquet. He stood there for a long while as the audience continued to cheer for him; Jeremy being the loudest. Elise was sure the crowd was on the edge of their seats to see how the drama on the red carpet would now unfold here at the ceremony now that Trey was also here.
He looked spectacular in his tuxedo. It was black with a tailored cut and a two button jacket. It looked like Armani or maybe even Tom Ford. Trey’s hair was slicked back. She wasn’t sure if he looked more like a Presidential candidate or James Bond. He was throwing both vibes out there. He looked perfect from head to toe, and she could see why every woman in the room was screaming their heads off.
He looked through the crowd quickly until he spotted Elise. Once he found her, his eyes were locked on her. Elise was short of breath from the intense look Trey was giving her, and she couldn’t help but smile. For a while, it was just the two of them and that’s how Elise wanted it.
Once the crowd died down, her nerves started to kick in. She didn’t know if Trey was aware of what happened. She deduced by the way that he was looking at her, he had no clue about Rixby’s antics on the red carpet. She hoped that when he did find out, that he would still look at her the way he was right at this moment.
Trey stepped to the microphone and began his presentation of Elise’s award.
“Good evening, New York!” The crowd erupted again.
“As most of you all know, my mother is Rebecca Watts.” Another eruption occurred. She was truly an icon and everyone in this room somehow had been inspired by her.
“She would truly appreciate the warm welcome that she always receives here at the Women of Fashion awards banquet. My family knows that there are three events in New York that my mother always attends: the tents in Bryant Park during New York’s fashion week, the Met Gala, and this banquet. She was supposed to be standing here tonight to give this award out, but her service to this country as First Lady took her away on an unexpected trip to West Africa.”
“When she called me a few days ago and asked if I would give the award out on her behalf, I would be lying if I didn’t say that I was a little confused on why she asked me and not my fashionista sister Sophia, or even my brother Will. Then, she told me about the award and its recipient. At that point, I knew the huge honor that was bestowed upon me and gladly agreed to be here tonight in her place.”
“She asked me to give a few words on her behalf about Elise DePaul who is tonight’s Trailblazer Award recipient. She said that she had followed Ms. DePaul’s career from her first micro line of cosmetics, where she was lucky enough to be one of her first customers.”
Elise was shocked. She had no idea that the First Lady even knew who she was much less used her cosmetics. She was speechless. Jeremy grabbed onto her arm and gave her a squeeze.
“She believed that this award was long overdue since Elise changed the cosmetic industry down to the molecular level, literally. Her ingenuity and understanding of her industry changed the business for the better, and she was truly saddened that she couldn’t be here herself to meet THE Elise DePaul.” Trey smiled down at Elise as the crowd went crazy.
He continued, “So that’s what my mother wanted me to say about Ms. DePaul. Luckily, I have had the honor of meeting Ms. DePaul and have a few words about her myself.” It was total insanity. The audience was cheering and whistling, and Elise couldn’t help the devilish smile that crossed her face and was captured by the cameras filming the event. Her face was plastered on the big screen letting everyone see exactly what Trey did to her.
“I first read about Ms. DePaul in Forbes magazine where her multimillion dollar business deal was featured. In the financial world I work in, she was a rock star. Then I was able to meet THE Elise DePaul and instantly learned how she was able to attain her rock star status so quickly in her career. She was brilliant and focused. Her confidence in her products combined with her work ethic created a brand that was the juggernaut that created this new direction for her industry. She was fearless as she built her empire from the ground up with success being the only option she had. Like any smart boss, she surrounded herself by gifted talent that helped her develop and market her products. Some of us call those people co-workers or partners, Elise calls them family.” Trey nodded his head to Jeremy who was tearing up. Elise wrapped her arm around Jeremy’s and hugged it close to her. She wanted him to share in this award and was touched that Trey included him in the speech.
“From her humble beginnings to her award winning empire, the story of Elise DePaul was not only fascinating, but inspiring. I am so honored that I was able to be here tonight to present this award to a Pioneer, an Inspiration, and my Rock Star. She is also a great dancer and one hell of a tequila connoisseur. Please join me in recognizing this year’s Trailblazer award winner, Ms. Elise DePaul.” Trey extended his arm out in the direction of where Elise was sitting. The energy of the banquet was unmatched by anything Elise had ever experienced as the crowd got to their feet and gave her a standing ovation. The moment was so surreal.
She grabbed Jeremy’s hand and pulled him up to escort her to receive her award. They walked up the stairs and onto the stage where Trey was standing with her award. He extended his hand out which Jeremy immediately grabbed and brought him in for a hug causing the audience to laugh. When Jeremy finally released him, Trey handed Elise the plaque as he put his arm around her shoulders guiding her to the podium.
“Congratulations, Elise. I am so proud of you.” Trey kissed her on her temple and gave her a hug. Elise leaned her head into his kiss as she soaked in his sweet embrace. He backed away from the podium allowing Elise to set her plaque down and address the audience with her acceptance speech.
The crowd was still cheering and the audience was making their way back to their seats. Elise took a deep breath and tried to swallow down the lump in her throat. After a few seconds, she addressed the audience.
“Thank you, everyone, for that heartwarming applause. I cannot tell you how deeply honored I was to be considered for the award much less to actually be receiving it tonight. As a young girl with humble beginnings as Mr. Watts alluded to, I didn’t think that my passion for knowledge would lead me to where I am standing at this moment.”
“When I first met Jeremy,” Elise grabbed his arm and pulled him closer, “I was struggling college student that was trying to make ends meet by taking on a second job at a cosmetic counter at Neiman Marcus. The job was originally offered to my then roommate, now best friend and business partner, Ashley, by a friend of her family. Her school schedule didn’t allow her to accept the position, but being the best friend that she was, she asked if she could send someone who was even more qualified and would be an excellent fit. She knew I was looking for another job and completely lied about my qualifications in order to land me this one. My lack of talent was noticed immediately by the manager of the counter, but he offered to mentor me so I could keep my job. Jeremy was a great teacher and the reason that EDP cosmetics was born.�
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“You can find my own personal contributions to the cosmetic collection listed under the Ingredients section of the label. But inside every pan, tube, pot, stick, jar and compact there is the actual beauty that was created by Jeremy Anders. He is the genius behind the artistry that continues to set trends throughout our industry, and I would be remiss if I didn’t share this award with him and a woman who invested in my friendship as well as my idea, Ashley Graham.”
The audience erupted in applause as Elise hugged her best friend. “Thank you, Elise. You are a class act.” Jeremy was full on crying at this point.
“And I couldn’t have done it without you.” Elise wiped the tears from her friend’s cheek.
Elise took another deep breath and finished her speech. “So, thanks to all of you who were responsible for this great honor and who continue to be loyal to EDP cosmetics. I also want to thank our presenter Trey Watts and his mother, Rebecca, for the kind words they had.” The whistles and cat calls were sprinkled around the audience. Elise knew the audience was hoping for more of a show than a few kind words and a kiss on the temple. So she decided the only way to lessen the publicity surround by what Rixby did, was to give the press an even bigger headline.
“Alright, alright. Enough with the cat calls! I know what all of you are hoping for. I saw the picture on Twitter, too.” Elise pointed her finger randomly at the crowd who was laughing. She turned around to look at Trey. She lifted her eyebrows and watched as his very political smile turned naughty in a millisecond. That was all the confirmation she needed. Elise turned back to the microphone, “As a side note to Mr. Watts’ kind words, he failed to mention his own impressive dancing skills which I was privy to witness.” The ladies in the audience shrieked as Trey turned a bright shade of red. Elise looked back at Trey while biting her lip in hopes that he wasn’t too upset with her little insight to the time they spent together. Trey just smiled and shook his head.
“Anyway,” Elise grabbed the attention of the audience causing them to quiet down, “so, Trey, thank you for the lovely thoughts you shared with everyone, and thank you for the wonderful surprise by being the guest presenter of this award. I was definitely shocked when I saw you walk across the stage, but I was also very happy to be receiving the award from you. Je ne peux pas exprimer à quel point je t'adore.”
Elise turned and whispered to Jeremy, “Watch my plaque while I thank Trey in true Rock Star fashion.”
Jeremy smiled, “Oh, shit! This is gonna be awesome!” He sang out every word.
Trey was only two steps behind Elise. She turned her back to the audience and took the steps to close the distance between her and Trey. He looked puzzled for a moment as he watched her saunter over. Elise smiled as she ran her hand down his tie while looking up at Trey, “You are a very bad boy for hiding this from me.”
Trey leaned down and whispered in Elise’s ear, “I look forward to seeing what type of punishment you have planned for me.”
Elise slowly pulled on Trey’s tie guiding his mouth onto hers. Trey cupped her face in both hands and kissed her deeply. Elise slid her arms into his jacket wrapping them around his back to hold him close to her. Her heartbeat sped up as she made the stunning realization – she was falling for him.
The audience was going nuts when Elise heard Jeremy over the microphone, “Put your phones away, people! She warned you the Trey Watts story was hotter!”
Trey pulled slowly away replacing her kiss with a devious grin. He lean down and lifted Elise up into his arms. He carried her off the stage while Elise waved to the audience. Jeremy trotted behind them with her award in hand. He turned to the screaming audience and took one last bow before he followed them backstage.
~
As soon as Trey and Elise were backstage, he placed her back down on her feet, but Elise didn’t let him go far. She ran one of her hands through the back of his hair and pulled him into a kiss that normally caused him to start ripping clothes off of either her, or himself. He pulled her body to him and let her get her fix. Nearly twenty four hours ago she kissed him the same exact way on the living room floor of her apartment.
“Ok, you two need to hit pause, go say a few words to the press, then you can continue this X-rated behavior in the car or when you get home.” Jeremy was right.
Trey pulled is mouth away from Elise slowly. Her face immediately switched from content to concerned. “What’s wrong?” Trey held her face in his hands.
“I don’t know if you heard, but Rixby approached me on the red carpet. I tried to call you earlier.”
“I’d say approached is being very kind. It was more like accosted.” Trey felt his jaw clinch at the thought of it.
“So you know?” Elise’s blew out a deep breath, and her concerned look faded away as she now looked relieved.
“Yes. I saw it. Paul was holding me down in the green room. Are you ok? You looked really upset.” Trey ran his thumb over her cheek continuing to cradle her face.
“She was.” Jeremy confirmed. “But, I’ll take care of him. I’m putting a hit out on him with my first bonus check.”
Elise was now smiling, “Jeremy, stop saying that.”
“For some reason, she thinks I’m kidding.” Jeremy looked serious, and Trey knew that he was very protective over Elise.
“Trey, I am so sorry.”
“Stop! Don’t you dare apologize for him!” Trey was shaking his head.
Paul walked up to the group, “Trey, the press is getting antsy.” Paul extended his hand out to Elise, “I’m Paul Kingston, Trey’s campaign manager.” Paul also extended his hand out to Jeremy. “I’m sorry to be meeting you like this, and I do not want to rush you, but the sooner you get out there, the sooner you guys can leave and enjoy the rest of your evening together.”
“He’s right.” Elise now looked nervous.
“Elise, just say what you feel. I’ll be standing next to you. If they ask you about him, say whatever you want.” Trey wanted to make sure she knew that there was no right or wrong answer knowing the press was going to jump on the story. He kissed her gently on the lips, grabbed her hand, and walked her into the small area backstage where the award recipients and presenters were supposed to take a picture together and answer a few brief questions from the press that was invited.
The award’s PR person gave instructions to the group regarding where to stand for the picture. Jeremy handed Elise her plaque and took a step back while a photographer took a picture of Trey and Elise together. Elise asked for another picture that included Jeremy in it, which the photographer kindly obliged.
Elise walked to the small podium to answer a few questions. The PR person went to the microphone first and announced there was time for only two brief questions.
“Elise, congratulations! How did you feel when you saw your presenter was Trey Watts?”
“Very surprised and very elated”
Elise looked over at Trey and melted his heart with the look she gave him. Jeremy leaned over and whispered to Trey, “Just so you know, she never looked at him like that.”
“Elise, is there a love triangle?”
“No. There’s no triangle.”
The PR person escorted Elise out of the press staging area as Trey, Paul, and Jeremy followed. The woman thanked Elise and told her if she was planning on heading back to her seat that she would be escorted there.
“I’m sorry, but I have to leave. Thank you, though.” Elise smiled sweetly at the woman.
“Aren’t you guys staying for the rest of the event?” Trey inquired.
“Absolutely not.” Elise shook her head vigorously.
“Well, I would love to take you and Jeremy out for a celebration. Paul, I’d love you to join us, too.” Trey put his hand on the small of Elise’s back.
“I’m game!” Jeremy raised his hand.
“Ok, that sounds fun.” Elise looked excited. “Paul, are you joining us?”
“Sure.”
“I’ll have Ronald pull the car a
round. Would you guys excuse me and Elise for one second?” Trey pulled Elise over a few feet away from Jeremy and Paul. “Are you sure you want to go?”
“Yes.”
“There is a bar in Manhattan where my brother Will and my new sister-in-law, Jessie, are. They asked me to meet them there earlier, but I told them I would be here. Would you want to go there?” She had been through enough already. He didn’t want to force a family meet and greet down her throat.
“Yes. The one’s that got married in Paris?” Elise’s face lit up.
“Yes. They just got back yesterday. I wasn’t sure if you would feel ok meeting my family.”
“I’d love to.” Elise ran her hand over Trey’s chest.
“Are you really ok after everything that happened tonight and with the questions from in there?” Trey ran his hands up and down her arms.
“I am.” Elise moved her hand up to his face.
“One last thing, what did you say in French at the end of your acceptance speech?” It was killing Trey.
Elise lifted herself onto her toes and kissed Trey’s lips softly, “I can’t express how much I adore you.”
Chapter 18
“So you’re the woman that got my brother into a nightclub in Paris?” Will extended his hand out to Elise.
They were in a private section of a trendy new nightclub owned by a local Hip Hop mogul. The club specialized in privacy and exclusivity which was great for anyone who didn’t want what they did in the nightclub to end up online before the night was over. Will and Jessie worked on the design of the club and tonight was their grand opening. The owner had a secluded spot reserved for Will and Jessie to thank them for the job they did. Trey did a quick introduction before he and Paul went to the bar.
“We are in a night club now.” Elise smiled as she shook the hand of Trey’s younger brother. They looked a lot alike in some ways, but they were very different in others.
