Dare to Love, page 16
Will couldn’t tell, but then he saw a hairline crack in the front display.
“I’m sorry, Will.” Ryan moved back and forth on his heels. “I don’t know what happened.”
“It’s okay, Ryan. I’ll just get you a new one, but that’s the least of my worries. I want to know what’s going on with you.”
Will had graciously agreed to allow Ryan to watch the show from his window in the loft. What could it hurt to allow his kid brother to see some women dressed in skimpy clothes? Hell, he saw more than that on television these days. He searched Ryan’s eyes for a sign of what was bothering his baby brother, but found none. Ryan’s eyes were clouded.
“What do you mean?”
“C’mon, Ryan, I’ve noticed your odd behavior lately. I mean, look at you.” Will pointed at Ryan. “Your eyes are red, your hands are clammy, and you’re a wreck. What’s going on?”
“I’ve got a lot going on, is all. You know, chores, school, b-ball, and now this job. Sometimes it’s all too much.” Ryan avoided Will’s eyes.
“Is there anything I can do?” Will asked. Maybe he was putting too much pressure on the boy, expecting too much.
Before Ryan could answer, Jerome rang him from downstairs. “Will, you’re needed down here.”
“All right, we’ll finish this discussion later, okay?” Will patted Ryan’s tense shoulders and left the room. Ryan, on the other hand, breathed a sigh of relief.
The dressing room was a mass of activity. Models clad in lace and satin Bentley’s lingerie were seated in director’s chairs while their hair was blow-dried, curled, waved, updoed, twisted, or made into any other outrageous style the hairdressers could come up with. Makeup stylists finished their effects.
Surveying the room, Lexie looked around for her beleaguered assistant Mina. She had sent her to verify that all the items and accessories had made it from Bentley’s and were all accounted for. Four premier designers would showcase their spring collection, one of which was D&G. Lexie was thrilled to add Dolce & Gabbana to their store. Bentley’s had tried for years to convince them to add Bentley’s to their repertoire, with no success. And now Lexie had succeeded where others had failed. It was quite a coup for her.
As she walked past a model, Lexie stopped and touched the hairstylist’s arm. “Lydia, I don’t like the hair. Try something else.”
“Sure thing, Ms. Thompson.”
“I don’t want demure. I want diva.” Lexie gestured with her hands. “I want goddess like. Like that model.”
Lexie pointed to Carly, whose hair and makeup were almost complete. Her usually gorgeous mass of red hair was piled high on her head. “See her? That’s what I want.”
Finally she saw Mina coming toward her, looking frazzled. “Where have you been? I’ve been looking—” Her assistant’s usually sunny smile was replaced with one of sheer terror. Something was wrong. “What is it?” Lexie said. “Just say it.” Lexie noticed that Mina’s bottom lip trembled.
“The Vera Wang collection is missing.”
“What do you mean missing?” Lexie’s voice cracked.
“I mean it’s not here. It’s not at Bentley’s. It’s not anywhere. It’s MIA.” Mina’s eyes brimmed with tears.
All the air in the room suddenly seemed to dissipate and Lexie’s legs nearly collapsed under her. Mina helped her to a seat nearby as Lexie struggled to catch her breath.
“Are you okay?” Mina asked, her voice full of concern.
“Oh, my God, oh, my God.” Lexie clutched her chest and started hyperventilating.
“Someone get me a bag!” Mina yelled at anybody that was listening. Within minutes Lexie was breathing through a brown paper bag and trying to get in control of her faculties.
She couldn’t afford to let the models and crew see her crack any farther under pressure or they would lose confidence in her and the whole show would fall apart
“Are you sure?” Lexie asked finally.
Reluctantly, Mina answered. “Lexie, I’ve searched everywhere. Millennium, storage, the warehouse, even your office. And they’re just not there.”
“Where could they be?” Lexie racked her brain. The blood in her veins ran cold. “What am I going to do? There are..” She looked down at her watch, “... less than two hours to go and I don’t have my premier collection!”
“Lexie, I’m sorry.” Mina’s voice faltered. Lexie saw tears fall down her poor assistant’s cheeks. “I should have taken better care.”
“Please don’t cry on me, Mina. I can’t deal with that right now. Just find Christian,” Lexie barked. “Get him in here.”
“Lexie, there’s women in here.”
“Trust me, Mina. Christian has no interest in any woman standing here. Now, go! And find Will!” Lexie yelled at her retreating figure. Lexie needed to regroup and who better than Will and her best friend to help her figure all this out.
Minutes later, Christian rushed through the curtains and flew into Lexie’s arms. “Darling, what is it? You look as white as a ghost.”
“Chris, please.” Lexie stood up and pulled Christian into a nearby corner. “The Vera Wang collection is gone. What am I going to do?” Her voice broke slightly.
“The first thing you’re going to do is rip your production assistant a new one for letting this happen,” Christian said with a huff. This was the happiest day in Lexie’s life; he couldn’t believe this was happening.
“Christian, it’s not her fault,” Lexie said, defending her assistant. “I’m in charge. I should have ensured the collection was here.”
“Don’t beat yourself up. There’s no sense in crying about spilled milk now. We’ve gotta be creative instead. Let’s put our thinking caps on and come up with a solution.” Christian grabbed a program from the makeup artist’s table. “What about premiering a current collection that’s a little less fabulous than Vera, and save the Dolce & Gabbana for last?”
“Chris that would require reworking the whole program and I can’t afford to do that. Not at this hour.” Lexie tried to think of another idea. But at the moment, fear was taking over. Lexie saw her career going down in flames.
“What about your designs?” Will offered. He’d seen the commotion when Mina came out and immediately knew something was wrong. This show meant everything to Lexie and if there was anything he could do, he would be there. He’d quickly walked backstage past the curious stares of the half-clad models in the room. Will had no eyes for them. His mind was on singular focus: Lexie. “Lexie, it’s going to be okay,” He wrapped her in his arms and gave her a firm hug.
“Will, I can’t put my designs out there. They’re not finished yet. There’s still so much to do.”
“Hogwash,” Christian joined in. “They’re ready.”
“Listen to me.” Will’s hands grabbed either side of her face. “I’ve seen your designs, Lexie, and they’re as good as any I’ve seen on a fashion runway.” “I don’t know...”
“Yes, you do. Your work will speak for itself.” Will was a true believer in destiny. Sometimes fate had a funny way of forcing you along and tonight was no different. Fate was handing her the chance of a lifetime and he’d be damned if she didn’t take it. “The only one who’s not ready is you, Lexie.”
“You don’t understand, Will. I’m a failure.” she startled to crumple to the floor. “I should have ensured this never happened.”
“Don’t give up yet, Lexie. There’s still time to spare. Listen, baby.” Will caught her before she hit the floor and grabbed her by the shoulders. “You’ve got to pull yourself together. You’ve got to prepare a new program for your collection and finish your hair and makeup. Now get a move on it.” Will patted her on the bottom and pushed her forward.
“But the program..”
“Forget the program—a new line will throw the press and guests completely off-kilter and only add to the appeal. But first things first, you’ve got to tell Vera’s publicist. She’s in the audience right now.”
Lexie laughed bitterly. “What about my boss?”
“She’ll have to see it unfold like everyone else.”
“I don’t know, guys, this is a huge risk. If my designs fall flat with the audience, it could destroy my fashion career before it has even started.”
“Or it could be the start of something new that leads you in the direction of your dreams,” Will said.
“Aren’t you the optimist?”
Will laughed. “In life, you have to be.”
“All right, we’ll have to hustle,” Lexie conceded. She was going to put her career and reputation on the line tonight, come what may. “Christian, I need you to go back to my apartment. You know where everything is. I need you to bring back the entire collection. We’ll work with the shoes and accessories when you get here.”
“I’m on it.” Christian rushed through the curtains.
“Give me some time, okay?”
Stepping through the curtain, Will looked for Sebastian. If anyone could put a smile on her face and get her back on track, it was him. He knew Sebastian wasn’t a cheerleader of his; Sebastian had been to Millennium a few times and had noticed that Will was quite the ladies’ man, so he was sure it had come as a surprise when Lexie showed up to Sunday dinner with a smooth club owner like him on her arm. But Will had endured. He’d survived a Sunday grilling session by Lexie’s mother and that was no small feat, and despite initial misgivings, Sebastian had treated him fairly ever since and now Lexie would need her brother’s support more than ever.
The moment Will walked through the curtain onto the stage; he noticed that more than a few guests had arrived. Searching the crowd, Will found Sebastian schmoozing with wealthy widow Camille Bartlett. Due to her late husband’s unfortunate demise in a car accident, Camille was now a multimillionaire. She would be a great benefactor for tonight’s event. Apparently, Sebastian had the same idea.
“Excuse me, Mrs. Bartlett,” Will said. “Would you mind terribly if stole this guy away for some backstage issues?”
“No, of course not, young man,” Camille replied. “And you are?”
Ever the diplomat, Sebastian introduced him. “Camille, allow me to introduce William Kennedy, owner of Millennium.”
“Oh.” Camille batted her eyelashes. “You’re the man all the ladies are talking about.”
“My reputation is a little overblown.”
“Hmmm, I’m sure it’s well worth it,” Camille replied, open staring at Will. “It was quite gracious of you to agree to host tonight’s charity event at your club.”
“Yes, well, Lexie is quite convincing,” Will replied, annoyed that Mrs. Bartlett was holding him up.
“And where is our lovely hostess?”
“Backstage putting the finishing touches on her hair and makeup, if you’ll excuse us.” Will pulled Sebastian away from Camille’s curious gaze.
“What’s going on, Will?” Sebastian whispered as Will pushed him through the crowd. “That woman could help my sister. And give a great big fat donation at the end of tonight’s event.”
“Well, there won’t be any event if you don’t get back there and pull Lexie together.”
“What do you mean?”
Not waiting for an answer, Sebastian ran backstage.
“I’m ruined,” Lexie wailed when he appeared. She spilled all the ghastly details to Sebastian including the missing collection and Will’s solution to use her own designs.
“I think it’s a fabulous idea, Lex.” Sebastian smiled. He had an easy, laid-back vibe that could always soothe Lexie even in the tensest of times. He knew she needed reassurance. She was undertaking a very risky move, albeit a brilliant one, that he hoped would work in her favor.
“Why in the world would someone steal dresses for a charity event?”
“I wondered the very same thing myself.” Will returned with a decanter of sherry and encouraged Lexie take a sip. “Quite frankly, it sounds like sabotage to me.”
Lexie face shot up. A suspect instantly came to mind. One with a motive for seeing the fashion show turns out disastrously. Sydney. That she-devil!
“If it’s anyone in my club, Lexie,” Will continued, “I’ll have their hides, you can believe that.”
Wiping the tears from her face, Lexie rose from the floor. “You won’t have to do that. I think I know who did this. And she’d better watch out. Thank you so much, Will. I’m much better now.”
“You’re most welcome. Is there anything else I can do?”
Looking in a nearby mirror, Lexie replied, “No. But I can sure use some work.” With purpose, Lexie walked over to her favorite hairstylist and said, “Finish me up.”
Will watched the hairstylist furiously work her magic. He was glad to see the old Lexie coming back to the forefront, to see the fighter he’d come to love so well. Wait, did he just think love? Could he have fallen in love with Lexie without his knowing it? He didn’t have much chance to think about it because he was pushed aside by the makeup artist who’d come to work on Lexie.
Dazed, Will walked toward the front stage.
“Will, Christian is due to arrive with my collection.”
“Can you see that he’s able to come through the back entrance?” Lexie called out.
Taking his head out of the clouds, Will sprung into action. Love he knew nothing about, but fixing problems was his forte.
Dropping the trash into the receptacle, Ryan turned around, as he walked to go back inside the loft; he saw several shadowy figures ambling toward him.
His heart raced. He’d told those dumb fools he couldn’t let them in tonight. Why were they here? Will was here tonight!
J.T. slithered up beside him. “What’s up?”
“Hey, man.” Ryan tried to sound cool even though he was scared as hell. “What are you guys doing here?”
“Listen up, we heard a lotta hype about this event your brother is having tonight. He must have a sunk a lotta money into this thing. Figured we could get in on some of the action.”
“Naw, man, no can do.” Ryan backed away and started walking toward the door. “You see, Will’s girl, her company is paying for the whole thing. I can’t have you guys here tonight. My brother could get into a lot of trouble.”
“Listen, Ryan.” J.T. grabbed Ryan by the collar. “You musta misunderstood me. I’m not asking, I’m telling you, that me and the fellas are coming. We’re good enough to hang out with all those high-society folks.” J.T. put his arm around Ryan’s shoulder. “You gon’ let us in tonight.”
Ryan didn’t want another busted lip. Reluctantly he let them in, provided they stayed in the men’s restroom and left as soon as the event was over.
J.T. agreed to the proviso. Trembling, Ryan closed the door behind him to the men’s restroom and prayed J.T. kept his word.
Lexie was ready. Her mass of black hair had been stylishly layered and now hung in big curls down her back. Her makeup consisted of dark eyes and sensuously red lipstick; now she was ready for display. While the hairdresser and makeup artist had worked their magic, Lexie had managed to finalize the sequence of her collection in her head and scribbled a few notes for her commentary. She was sure all the models and stylists wondered what the fuss was all about, but she wasn’t giving out details. The less people who knew about the switch, the better.
“Help! help!” Christian yelled as he came through the back entrance carrying an armful of wardrobe bags.
Lexie grinned from to ear-to-ear when she caught sight of her collection. Having slaved over each handmade piece for the last year, she never dreamed that they’d ever see the light of day, but tonight the runway was their final destination. Jumping off her director’s chair, Lexie rushed forward to help Christian with the bags. “I was starting to worry,” she whispered.
“Have I ever let you down?” he asked. At Lexie’s silence, Christian added, “Well, then, I’m not about to start now. So come on, we got to look these over and figure out what comes first.” Christian blew a kiss skyward and thanked his lucky stars that Lexie lived only twenty minutes from Millennium or it would have been all over.
“Mina!” Lexie yelled over to her assistant. “Bring that steamer over here and steam all these outfits.”
With barely a half hour to go, Lexie and Christian had the models to try on her designs for a quick fitting. Bentley’s seamstress was on hand for a few quick adjustments, but there wasn’t much time left before the show.
“I also brought this.” Christian held up Nia’s wedding gown.
“Christian, no!” Lexie cried.
“Every fashion show has a signature showstopper, one wedding gown to finish off the night,” Christian continued. “I know that no bride wants her wedding dress debuted before the big day, but I’m sure Nia would understand.”
“Understand what?” Nia asked, coming forward to join their small huddle. Then she noticed the translucent bag Christian was holding up. “Lex, what’s my wedding dress doing here?” Nia grabbed the bag out of his arms.
Christian understood her haughtiness and stood back.
“Nia, under normal circumstances I would never ask you this, but I need to borrow your dress for the show.”
A look of sheer horror crossed Nia’s face and Lexie was overcome with guilt. She hated doing this to her at the last minute, but there was no other way. She slowly recounted the happenings of the last two hours.
“I can’t believe it,” Nia said. She shook her head and clutched Lexie’s hands in hers. “I’m so sorry, Lex. This was supposed to be your big night.”
“And it still will be. With your help.” Lexie patted Nia’s hand. “I’m going to use my collection in place of Vera Wang’s.”
“Lexie, are you sure? It’s a huge risk.”
“Don’t give me that look.” Lexie stood up, dropping her hands. She had to have Nia’s blessing to use the dress. Taking a deep breath, Lexie sat back down. “Nia, I need a showstopper and your wedding dress is it. Your dress will spotlight my whole collection. It’ll show what I’m capable of. I know this is a lot to ask—” Lexie’s voice broke. “But please, Nia, I need your blessing.”
