Draw Me A Picture (36 page)

A few people at a nearby table looked their way and leaned among themselves whispered.

“They are trying to figure out who you are...” William whispered in Michelle’s ear as she studied the strangers. “I bet they think you’re a celebrity.” Turning her head quickly towards him, Michelle blushed; she rubbed her ear, biting her lip a little.

“You have to stop doing that,” she said, smiling. “It makes me feel... odd.” William raised an eyebrow at her, giving her a rather seductive grin.

“Really?” he murmured. He lifted his water glass to her. “Here’s to feeling odd.” Michelle smiled and clinked her glass lightly against his.

“I have to come up with a name for you, to favor you with when you tease me,” she said, smiling at him. “A title which embodies the male counterpart of ‘minx’.” At this, William gave a hearty laugh.

“Silly girl,” he said, kissing the top of her head affectionately. “You enrich my life with humor. I’m serious… when you’re near me, I want for no entertainment.” Michelle kissed William’s cheek, her eyes shining with his compliments.

“I have a present for you,” she said, smiling; she fetched a small card out of her pocket and gave it to William.

Flipping it over, her fiancé’s face creased in a slow grin.

“You’re an angel...” he said, looking down into her eyes.

“From what you said on the phone I figured you’d be sore,” she said, encouraged by William’s reaction. “The masseuse is supposed to be pretty good and they had a slot for 8:30. I figured you’d be mostly done digesting dinner by then.” William hugged her to him, touched by the thoughtful gesture. His back and shoulder muscles ached considerably; he’d taken some aspirins but it only dulled the pain a little. How nice it would be to have some of the acids worked out.

“If only I could have her massage me...” William thought before he could stop himself. Wincing, he cleared his throat. “Soon,” he thought, looking down at his lovely Michelle; he kept his arm around her shoulders.

“So, your uncle’s going to assist you with our little ceremony?” he said, trying to clear his mind with another subject. Michelle eye’s glowed with a sort of tempered excitement.

“Yes,” she said, letting out a small sigh. “His help was unexpected but I’m glad, now that he offered.” William smiled.

“I am glad he did as well,” he said, leaning over; he smelled Michelle’s hair again. “Now I won’t have to follow through with my plans to tie you down and make you agree to let me help with the wedding finances.” Her eyebrows fully raised, Michele regarded William closely. He looked halfway serious.

“I would never have agreed,” she said, lifting her chin a little. Grinning, William took advantage of her upturned face and kissed her.

“I doubt that very much,” he said, knowingly. Michelle blushed quite red and drank some of her water.

“Gorgeous, desirable man...” she thought, feeling completely outmaneuvered.

Their dinner was as pleasant as any Michelle had experienced yet; the food was amazing. William, with no small amount of humor, schooled Michelle in the art of cutting a fillet steak properly; she cut one piece wrong just to tease him. Encountering her feigned innocent look, William gave her a rather sultry gaze to which she had no reply. After diner they say in the spa lounge while they waited for William’s slot to come up. An attendant silently deposited a folded white robe and towel on the chair next to William and informed him that the wait was only ten more minutes.

“Well, I should go get undressed,” William said, smiling at Michelle. His fiancées cheeks grew a little pink.

“I should probably go to my room now,” she said, biting her lip. “I have some calls to make anyway.” William grinned; it was so fun to tease his girl. He loved watching that rosy color steal over her fair skin.

“What… you don’t want to stand by, jealously watching the masseuse work on me?” he asked, smiling. Michelle blushed even redder.

“I’m sure it’s not that kind of massage place...” she said, quietly. William laughed, hard; Michelle’s expression was priceless. He hugged her to him and kissed her face several times, landing one on her soft lips.

“I’m teasing you, love,” he said, warmly. “You’re adorable when you blush.” Michelle sighed.

“I suppose you’re entitled to tease me, then,” she intoned softly. William nodded, his eyes sparkling with mirth.

“Absolutely,” he returned. Michelle stood up and smoothed her long skirt.

“It’s not unwelcome,” she said. William beamed.

“I’ll stow that piece of information away for later use,” he replied. Blushing again, Michelle felt she must flee and soon, before her knees gave out. The man could render her speechless with a single glance.

“Thank you for dinner,” she managed to say. “I had a lovely time with you, as always.” William stood up as well, holding the white robe and towel.

“And, thank you for the massage,” he said, smiling down at her. “It’s really a thoughtful gesture and will be much appreciated.” He leaned down and kissed her fondly on her cheek. “Now off with you, or I’ll make you come with me and get a massage as well. It might be fun to see you on table next to me without your shirt on...” Clearing her throat, Michelle looked down at her feet.

“Goodnight William,” she said, giving her fiancé an upward glance.

“Goodnight,” he said, softly. He watched Michelle’s every step as she left the lounge and disappeared from sight towards the elevators.

“Mr. Montgomery?” a polite voice came from the direction of the spa desk. “They’re ready for you, now.” Ambling towards the waiting staff, William smiled, toying with the idea of taking Michelle for a spa massage on their honeymoon. He thought the idea of them having one together had merit, though he may end up kicked the staff out of the room for a little while. The thought pleased him greatly; a wide grin stayed on his face as he traversed the hotel spa’s corridor.

Up in her room, Michelle hugged herself and softly giggled.

“I sound like a schoolgirl,” she thought, smiling. She hoped William had not guessed how much she had wanted to take him up on his offer; the massage sounded rather seductive the way he’d described it. Even more than before, Michelle knew her life with William would not be boring; she could always look back on these days of wondering and mystery to renew feelings for her future husband.

Comforted by this thought Michelle began her nightly routine, a dreamy smile on her face. Tomorrow, she hoped, would begin the events that would culminate at the day she’d dreamed of having for so long… her wedding. Later, Michelle lay in bed thinking sweet thoughts of the man who had brought brevity and companionship to her once-lonely life.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Michelle awoke to the sounds of someone knocking, loudly, on her door. Blinking, she sat up and rubbed her eyes.

“Just a moment,” she called out, sleepily. Slipping on her robe, Michelle looked out of the peephole. On the other side of her door stood Laurel, her uncle’s assistant; the blond woman wore a huge smile on her face. Michelle glanced up at her clock; it was 6:15am. Unlocking her door, she opened it.

“Hello!” Laurel sang out in a jubilant tone. In spite of early hour Michelle smiled back. The blond woman’s infectious exuberance rapidly evaporated any lingering drowsiness. Laurel assistant was wore a brown pinstriped skirt, brown leggings, slender boots and sage green turtleneck sweater with an auburn and sage paisley scarf; her good taste in clothes was re-confirmed in Michelle’s mind.

“Good morning,” she said, smiling; she yawned, and hid it behind her hand. “Not to be obvious, or anything, but I believe it is six-fifteen in the morning.”

“Yes, it is,” Laurel said, cheerfully. “We get to eat breakfast downstairs and then we have an early appointment with the folks over at Vera Wang.”

Michelle jaw dropped.

“Vera Wang?” she said, eyes wide. “Whatever for?” Laurel rolled her eyes and chuckled.

“To pick out your wedding gown, silly,” she said, highly amused. “It’s not a tattoo parlor…” She looked closely at Michelle’s stunned expression. “Unless, you prefer another designer?” Michelle managed to get over her initial shock quickly.

“I am certain I can find less expensive places to shop for my wedding things,” she said, quietly, favoring with Laurel an odd look. Did this woman think that money grew on trees? She wasn’t about to treat her uncle’s kindness with such disregard. Laurel’s smile did not fade.

“Mr. Maclane thought you’d say that,” she said, shaking her head; her eyes glinted with a victorious look. “He gave me carte blanche with his personal credit line, which is really enormous...” Laurel’s eyebrows rose for emphasis as she spoke. “He gave me specific instructions that whatever we buy we’re to get the best, but to make it just the way you want.”

Michelle absorbed this information in silence.

“I want beautiful… but simple,” she said, looking Laurel in the eye.

“We can do that,” the lady said.

“Does she ever stop smiling?” Michelle wondered. “Well, maybe just a look, at Vera Wang...” she acquiesced. Laurel beamed.

“This is going to be so much fun! I’ve never helped plan a wedding before, but I always wanted to...” The young woman sounded like a teenager would upon finding out that they are going to vacation in Europe for the summer. “I’ll just go get us a table downstairs in the American Brasserie restaurant. Don’t be long; they start serving breakfast at 6:30.” With a toss of her blond curls, Laurel skipped gaily down the corridor to the elevators. Michelle looked dazedly at the hall carpet for a moment and then turned to go back into her room.

“OK...” she thought, smiling. She had a feeling it would be a very long day, but perhaps a productive one.

Twenty minutes later Michelle stepped through the doors of the restaurant Laurel had mentioned; she wore her gray suit- dress outfit, lightly perfumed with the apple blossom spray. Michelle spied the lady by her sage sweater; Laurel waved her over and beckoned to a nearby server.

“You look so nice!” she applauded. “You can pull off gray better than me, it makes me look pale, but I really like wearing it anyway. What do you want to eat? I’m starving...”

Michelle sat down, smiling at Laurel’s undiminished enthusiasm. Glancing up at the server, she asked if they had Eggs Benedict. They did; Michelle ordered it and a cappuccino. Laurel asked for Eggs Florentine and a latte.

“At least the spinach part of that breakfast is good for you,” she reasoned out loud.

“Indeed,” Michelle said, chuckling softly. She looked at Laurel, wanting to know a little more about her uncle’s trusted employee.

“I’m curious… how long have you worked for my uncle?”

Laurel seemed to appreciate the question.

“Almost four years,” she said, spreading a linen napkin on her lap. “It was rocky start those first few days I can tell you; he likes everything just so. Most employers do, I know, but he kind of piled it on extra thick to test me out.” Michelle considered this information a moment.

“He seems to do that a lot,” she remarked. Laurel nodded, taking a drink of her water. “You prevailed, I see,” Michelle continued. Oscar’s assistant smiled very wide.

“Yep,” she said. “My hereditary cheerfulness was too great a barrier to overthrow.” Michelle laughed.

“You are gifted then,” she said. “It took meeting William for me to come out of my shell.” Laurel smiled at her in a sisterly way.

“What a guy... I’m jealous,” she said. “In a good way, though.”

The women talked about Michelle’s wedding ideas until their food arrived. Michelle brought out her notes and Laurel copied them down in her Blackberry; Michelle was amazed at how quickly the assistant’s fingers worked on the tiny keypad. They had just twenty minutes to eat before they would need to leave for the first appointment.

“There’s more than one?” Michelle queried, taking a bite of egg. The chef here sure knew what he was doing, she noted; even the eggs were fantastic. Laurel giggled.

“Yes ma’am,” she said. “I had all afternoon yesterday to work on this. After nearly three years of finding supposedly impossible things for your uncle on a moment’s notice, I have made some great connections.” Michelle admired the lady’s stamina but had to wonder if Laurel had any kind of life. Those questions could come later, she reasoned. They fairly devoured their breakfast, though they managed to appear ladylike doing so. Laurel asked for the check and refills of their coffee to go.

“We’ll need the caffeine,” she told Michelle.

Outside, Michelle was about to signal for a cab when Laurel stopped her.

“We’re over there,” she said, pointing; a car pulled up by the curb, fairly close by; Michelle followed Laurel, her eyebrows raised. By the curb stood a dark-red Mercedes Benz, with a uniformed driver and everything; another man in a black trench coat hopped out and opened the back door for the ladies. “Drake will get us around much faster than a cab. He’s an excellent driver and knows all the shortcuts. This here is Daniels; he’s going with us to prevent us being mugged,” Laurel said, nodding at the man in the black trench coat. She got in and scooted over for Michelle.

Gingerly getting in the car, Michelle thanked the man as he shut her door.

“Guys… this is Michelle Gregory, Mr. Maclane’s niece,” Laurel introduced. Smiling, Michelle nodded at the two men.

“I am pleased to meet you gentlemen,” she said. The driver, Drake grinned at her over his shoulder. He had a pleasant look to him which spoke of dependability. The security guard, Daniels, also looked back; he had a wide, ready smile and brown eyes.

“I didn’t think Mr. Maclane’s niece would be such a lovely lady,” he said, in a strong Brooklyn accent; he gave Michelle a broad wink.

“None of that,” Laurel said, giggling. “Don’t mind Daniels,” she said aside to Michelle. “She’s engaged, like I told you, blockhead. From what I hear, her man is the most gorgeous, sweetest guy on the planet.” Michelle nodded and smiled.

“I cannot argue with that,” she said. Daniels shrugged and turned forward again.

“Vera Wang first, Drake, on Madison and...”