Ms. Long~
What does this song do for you?”
xJ
The air escaped my lungs. Holy Shit! He’s here?
With grinding dance moves to match, Rihanna continued to exude sex with her sultry words. My core was pulsing, my heart racing. What was wrong with me? Jaime Zander! This man, who I hardly knew, had no right to invade my head. And stalk me, no less! Damn him!
“Gloria, it’s almost over!” said Kevin, snapping me back to reality.
My mind was elsewhere as Rihanna took a bow, and the show moved into the grand finale. In a file, all the sexy, winged models paraded down the runway, glowing with big smiles on their faces. The audience leaped up from their seats, applauding and cheering as the last model did her turn.
“Glorious, go! It’s your turn to take a bow.” A remixed version of the late great Laura Branigan’s popular 80’s song “Gloria” was always my signal…calling Gloria. Taking my phone out of my trembling hand, Kevin had to virtually to push me onto the runway. I was so distracted with thoughts of Jaime Zander that I’d forgotten about this mandatory ritual.
Wearing Gloria’s Secret black leggings and an oversized button-down white blouse that I’d changed into before the show, I staggered down the runway, my legs like jelly. Thank goodness, I was wearing our popular ballet flats. The models and standing audience applauded and cheered loudly. I inhaled deeply. Once again, I was in the moment, in control. Without a doubt, this show had been our best ever; we had outdone ourselves. Taking my bow, I was both humbled and elated. Fireworks went off, and a flurry of confetti cascaded from the heavens, temporarily blinding me. When the confetti and smoke settled, my eyes grew wide. Sitting in the front row was Vivien. And right next to her, was Jaime Zander, wearing a wicked smile. My gaze met his with a gape, and suddenly I felt as naked as the scantily clad models embracing me.
After the models got back into their own clothes and congratulated me backstage, I searched desperately for Vivien. I was fuming. I needed answers. What the hell was Jaime Zander doing at the fashion show and who had invited him? I had asked Kevin, but he had no clue and was as surprised as I was.
Vivien was nowhere to be found backstage, and she wasn’t picking up her cell. I was getting madder by the second, but my bladder was begging a trip to the restroom. I hadn’t peed for hours.
I ran to the nearest ladies’ room and flew inside. There she was. I should have guessed—in front of a mirror. Leaning into the glass, she pursed her inflated lips as she applied a fresh coat of pink lip-gloss. My reflection met hers.
“Oh, hi, Gloria,” she said after smacking her lips. “The show looked great online. We’ve had two million hits. I bet it’s going to get fabulous ratings.”
Great. But that was not on my mind at the moment. “What was Jaime Zander doing in the front row?” I asked, followed by a silent question. And why the hell were you sitting next to him?
She slipped her tube of lip-gloss back into her quilted Chanel purse and did that obnoxious hair fling. “Oh, I hope you don’t mind. I sent him an invitation. I thought it would be good for business. Give him a little edge in terms of winning the Gloria’s Secret account.”
Inside, I was seething. How dare she go behind my back and invite him without telling me? My eyes narrowed with fury. “You should have told me, Vivien.”
She shrugged her shoulders. “Ooh, I’m sorry. I totally forgot. I was so busy.” Her saccharine voice was oozing with phoniness. Liar!
I clenched my hands and zipped my mouth. It wasn’t worth challenging her because in my heart I knew I’d get nowhere with her; she would just twist and turn things around. I loosened my fingers and splattered some cold water on my face as she shimmied toward the door.
“By the way, Jaime’s as gorgeous as ever.”
I swiveled around but she was already gone. Damn it! I’d forgotten to ask her how she knew Jaime Zander. I’d also forgotten to pee. Tonight at the after-party, I was going to find out.
Chapter 3
The Gloria’s Secret Fashion Show after-party was one of the most coveted invitations in the city. While many would give the shirts off their backs to be invited to the glamorous New York Post Page Six-worthy event, I usually found it boring. Lots of A-list beautiful people, wannabes, booze, drugs, and loud music. After the stress of this afternoon’s show, I was exhausted. What I really wanted to do was order in room service and curl up in my luxurious bed with a good book on my eReader. But I had no choice. As founder and CEO of Gloria’s Secret, I was expected to attend and party like there was no tomorrow.
I considered myself pretty low maintenance and prided myself on how fast I could transform from a high-powered executive to a glamorous night owl. Tonight, however, I was taking my time. I needed to unwind. I poured myself a glass of wine from the mini-bar and then drew myself a hot bath, pouring a capful of fragrant lavender bath salt from our Bed and Bath Collection into the rapidly rising water. Stripped naked, I dimmed the bathroom lights and lit a fragrant Gloria’s Secret candle, something I always traveled with on business trips.