In the elevator Barbara selected seven. She propped a hip against one side of the elevator and drew a hand through her hair. She was already looking forward to taking a luxurious bath. It was her ritual after she traveled. As much private jet and airport facilitation she had enjoyed over the years, she still found that travelling was not hassle-free, which was why she did not feel completely relaxed until she got home.
Inside the massive foyer Barbara shed her leather jacket and hung it on the stylish dark bronze metal coat stand. Her knee-high, black leather boots lightly tapped on the wooden floors as she continued on through the apartment.
She passed through her dining area with its black table surrounded by eight high-back chairs upholstered in zebra print. The suite of furniture stood on a large, red Persian rug. A red vase holding a single white orchid formed the table centerpiece.
In the living room were two dark gray three-seater couches set perpendicular to each other. Two single-seat, off-white chairs completed the open square. Throw cushions in vibrant red and cream were scattered on the couches, adding a burst of rich color to the room. The glass coffee table, also featuring a live orchid as a centerpiece, was set in the middle of the hollow square and stood on a large, off-white area rug. Two black cylindrical side tables were to the side of each couch. A black console stood against a wall and was decorated with framed photographs of Barbara and family and friends.
In the middle of the wall was a large abstract painting which picked up the reds, grays and off-whites in the living room décor. Against another wall, facing the windows, were inbuilt shelves holding various knickknacks. It also held her Oscar. The coveted gold-plated statuette represented a previous phase in her life. It was likely to be the last such accolade from Hollywood, unless the industry’s attitude towards Christian films changed – which seemed very unlikely.
Barbara reached her destination, the large master bedroom suite. It spanned the width of the apartment from west to east, and was separated from the two other bedrooms and baths. The room was dominated by a large walnut sleigh-shaped bed flanked by two side tables. There was a large gilded framed drawing of Barbara that had been done by Prudence four years prior.
She placed her suitcase against a wall and threw her handbag on the bronze upholstered armchair in the corner of the room. The sound of the heels of her boots was muted as she strode across the carpeted room to sit on the edge of the bed to unzip them. The shoes were followed by the dark blue jeans and black turtleneck sweater.
Barbara gathered her hair into a top knot and headed for the oversized bathroom. She drew herself a bath and then hit the play button on the stereo. Soon relaxing, worship music flowed through the speakers and soothed her soul as the luxurious bath soothed her body.
Barbara closed her eyes and thought about her movie project, her Foundation and the myriad tasks associated with each. From time to time, her mind drifted to William Lamport but she tried not to allow it to linger there.
Half an hour later she wrapped herself in a cashmere robe and padded into the kitchen to fix a small snack.
Barbara enjoyed cooking but her busy lifestyle often didn’t allow her to do too much of that and her kitchen reflected this reality. The reasonably-sized room with sleek white cabinetry, black marble countertops and stainless steel appliances looked pristine and unused.
She pushed down the lever on the electric kettle and slipped onto one of the black metal bar stools with white leather seats as she waited for the water to boil.
Thoughts of William resurfaced. She wondered if her offer of friendship had been a mistake. Could she resume a relationship with him, no matter how casual, and not fall in love with him again? She thought of their interaction at Prudence’s wedding. That brief encounter had ended in a kiss. The emotions she had felt after that kiss had scared her so badly that she had refused to even talk to him on the phone. She had avoided him like the plague and the only reason she had just spent a whole day with him was because she hadn’t known that he would be at Prudence’s party.
Deciding that she needed to focus on something else, she picked up her phone to call her mother to let her know that she was back. Just as she was about to tap the screen, the familiar song of her phone’s ringtone started to play and she saw William’s name appear on the screen. She hesitated as she debated whether she should answer. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves and answered, “Hello.”
William’s baritone voice caressed her ears. “Hello, Barbara. I hope that you’ve arrived home by now. I tried to estimate the time to call.”
“Yes, I got here about forty-five minutes ago.”
“Good. Am I catching you at a bad time?”
She hesitated. This would be a good time to say yes.
“No, I’m just about to prepare a snack that’s all.”
“So it must be about 7:10 p.m. over there. It’s now 11:10 p.m. here in London.”
“Yep. You’re up late. I remember you being an early riser. Burning the candle at both ends?”
“I guess you could say that. I’m reading some management reports for a meeting I’ve got tomorrow. I have not even had six hours sleep in months. Forget about eight hours.”
“Does it have anything to do with this expansion of Lamport Holdings to China?”
“You know about that?”
“It’s hard not to know. It’s been all over the financial news lately.”
“I didn’t know you watched the financial news.”
Barbara laughed lightly. “I’m not going to tell you that I find finance the most exciting topic but I’ve made a few investments over the years, so it’s in my best interest to keep myself up to date on what’s happening.”
“Makes sense. So, what have you got planned for the rest of the day. What is it that movie stars do in their free time?”
Barbara chuckled as her shoulders relaxed. She walked over to the cupboard to retrieve a mug and a box of hot chocolate mix. “Not sure what movie stars in general do, but I know what this movie star is going to do.”
“And what’s that?”
“I’m going to watch Downton Abbey –”
“Hang on, did you say Downton Abbey? You really have a thing for us Brits don’t you?”
“It would certainly appear that way.”
“So who’s your favorite character on Downton?”
“Oh, do you watch it too?”
“No, but my mum and aunt are ardent fans so if I happen to be in the same room when they’re discussing it I can’t fail to get a blow by blow account. Unfortunately for me the whole business gets stuck in my head for days afterward. I could probably reproduce the script for a couple of episodes.”
Barbara snorted with laughter as she ripped open the hot chocolate packet and dumped the contents into the cup.
“Well, I really loved Lady Sybil. The way she bucked tradition to run off with the Irish chauffeur was classic romance. Since she died, though, I haven’t really got a favorite.”
“Okay….so when Downton’s finished what’s next on your agenda?”
“Reading my Bible and going to sleep,” Barbara replied as she stirred hot water into the cocoa mix.
He laughed. “You make my grandmother sound like a cabaret dancer.”
“You’re one to talk, up at 11:00 p.m. on a Sunday night doing work from the office.”
His tone was intimate as he replied, “No, I’m actually up at 11:00 p.m. chatting with Barbara Dickson. That’s pretty exciting if you think about it.”
Barbara could feel her heartbeat quicken. She cleared her throat and decided to steer William in a safer direction.
“Why don’t you tell me a little more about this Beijing expansion?”
As she listened to William, she walked into her bedroom, positioned the cup on her bedside table and got into bed. She leaned against the headboard and placed her feet flat on the mattress as she sipped her hot chocolate and listened to him.
They easily chatted from one subject to the nex
t. When she finally bid William goodnight, Barbara thought that maybe it wouldn’t be so hard to have him as just a friend after all.
~*~*~*~
The next time William and Barbara spoke she was the one who called him.
It was five days later. She was in her office at Changing Lives Films, which was situated in a brownstone in Flatbush, Brooklyn, where she had grown up. The company was now simultaneously marketing The Reaping, planning screenings, securing rights to the music in the movie and advertising the finished product through various trailers and sneak peeks. She had been extremely busy over the last few months negotiating with agents, festivals and distributors.
On top of all this, she was planning the gala for the Changing Lives Foundation, the non-profit charity which she had begun a few months after she had finished producing her first Christian film. The Foundation occupied space on the second floor of the building, while the production company was on the first floor.
Barbara sat in her office reviewing the proposed film promotion schedule for The Reaping which Silverline Pictures, the film distribution company with which she had partnered, had sent to her.
She barely glanced up as her personal assistant, Lisa Showan, burst into the room without knocking. Barbara had given up trying to get Lisa to knock on the door years ago. She figured that Lisa’s virtues out-numbered this particular vice.
Lisa was a thirty-year-old who was built like a linebacker and had the face of a cherub. She was the office morale booster, always bubbly, always positive, and always optimistic. She had been her personal assistant for the last four years.
She now sat heavily in the chair opposite Barbara’s desk.
She spoke with such excitement that her words practically ran into each other. “Barbara, you are not going to believe this. The Lord William Lamport of Lamport Holdings called me just now to say that he wants to be the main sponsor of this year’s Charity Gala. I nearly dropped the phone. Can you believe it? We haven’t begun fundraising yet and we’ve already got our main sponsor. Isn’t God great?!”
Barbara’s breathing had suspended. She struggled to force oxygen back into her lungs before she collapsed. She spoke to herself as she would to a victim of a terrorist attack. ‘Breathe, Barbara, breathe. Remain calm.”
Eventually, she felt sufficiently composed to mutter, “Yes. He is.”
Lisa hardly missed a beat. She continued to gush, “He said that he appreciates the work we’re doing with the community, in particular the youth, and wants to contribute. And listen to this – the most unbelievable part…” She paused for dramatic effect, her dark brown eyes almost popping out of her head. “Lamport says that he is volunteering to be a member of the event planning committee!”
“What?” Barbara jerked so far back that the chair almost toppled over. “What on earth for? Why would he want to do that? He’s an extremely busy man.”
Lisa seemed puzzled by Barbara’s reaction and blinked like and owl for a few seconds.
“I don’t know why, Barbara, but with all due respect, who cares why? It’s all good! Do you know that William Lamport was recently ranked the ninth richest person in the world by Forbes Magazine? His net worth is estimated at twenty something billion dollars! Can you imagine what having a heavy hitter like Lamport involved is going to do for us? I’m certain we’re going to attract way more sponsorship than we did last year, which means more money coming in to help those kids. In my humble opinion we should more than welcome his interest and support.”
Barbara didn’t bother to continue to share her misgivings with Lisa, who wouldn’t understand. In fact, when she thought about it later, Barbara realized Lisa was right. She should welcome William’s support. And if he were anyone else she would. All of her misgivings stemmed from one purely personal reason. She was afraid of spending too much time with William and falling for him like she had nearly a decade ago. She couldn’t face having her heart shattered into a million pieces once again.
She spent a few minutes calming her nerves, then glanced at her watch and did a quick mental calculation. It was 9:50 a.m. which meant it was 1:50 p.m. in London. She closed her office door and called William.
“Hello?” William answered on the third ring.
The sound of his deep sexy voice almost made Barbara forget why she’d called. She refocused.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“Barbara, what a pleasure to hear your voice. How are you?”
She ignored his question.
“William, why did you call my assistant instead of me?” She didn’t even bother to ask how he knew she had an assistant or knew how to contact her. She figured that such a powerful man had ways of finding out things.
She could almost see him shrug.
“I figured I’d get someone close to you on my side first. Have her prepare the way for me so to speak.”
She could hear the amusement in his voice and wanted to reach through the phone and slap his ear off.
Before she could continue, he cut her off. “I’m just about to go into a meeting so why don’t we discuss this later – in person. Say Monday morning, 9 o’clock?”
“How do I do that with you thousands of miles away?” she asked in irritation.
“Oh, didn’t I mention it? I’m going to be vacationing in New York come Monday for the next four weeks. Sorry about not alerting you earlier but I’ve been inundated this whole week trying to sign off on several things before I go. We can meet at my condo in the New York Waldorf on Monday.”
Her heart thundered so hard in her chest she was sure he could hear it over the phone.
She mustered a weak, “Okay,” and ended the call. William is going to be on vacation in New York for four weeks? Why? What is he up to?
Chapter 7
Barbara checked her reflection in the car mirror before she stepped out of her white Mercedes-Benz. The valet attendant held the car door open for her.
“Good morning, Miss Dickson. Welcome to the Waldorf International Hotel and Towers,” he said with a smile.
Barbara returned his smile as she took off her sunglasses. “Thank you,” she replied.
As she walked towards the hotel lobby, she began to feel apprehensive about her meeting with William. She said a quick prayer asking God to calm her nerves.
At the reception desk, she was greeted by a pretty girl with skin the color of cocoa and curly, shoulder-length hair. “Miss Dickson, welcome to the Waldorf International Hotel and Towers,” she said warmly.
“Thank you,” Barbara replied. “I’m here to see William Lamport.”
“Yes, of course, Miss Dickson. Lord Lamport is expecting you. Kindly use the elevator to your left. Lord Lamport’s penthouse is on the ninetieth floor. You will need this card to access that floor in the elevator,” she said as she gave Barbara a slim, gold card.
On the ride to the ninetieth floor, Barbara absentmindedly watched the floor numbers change as she reflected on how she seemed to be losing control of this situation with William. First, it was Prudence’s wedding. Then, it was Prudence’s party. Now, William wanted to be a member of the event planning committee. She felt as though she was being pursued.
When she had offered him friendship, she had presumed that the friendship would be long distance. After all, he lived thousands of miles away. It would be very easy to be just his friend if she only communicated with him over the phone once in a while.
The fact that he would be in New York for a whole month was not a big deal in itself. New York was a large place. She could easily avoid him if she wanted. The problem was that it would be almost impossible to do that if he was a member of the event planning committee.
She bit her lip as she stood in front of William’s penthouse condominium wondering why she had agreed to this meeting. She rang the buzzer and shook her head. She didn’t have to meet with him to tell him thanks, but no thanks.
~*~*~*~
William swung open the penthouse door two seconds after Barbara h
ad pressed the buzzer. On seeing her, he felt such a surge of excitement that he couldn’t contain the grin that spread across his face. In fact, the urge to touch her was so strong that he stuck his hands in the pockets of his pants.
“Oh!” she exclaimed. “That was fast.”
“Reception alerted my butler that you were coming,” he responded as he ushered her into the foyer and then led the way into the living room.
He sat across from her on a plush, white sofa. A few minutes later, Alfred appeared and offered her a drink. Barbara requested a glass of water.
William noticed that she had a business-like expression. It matched her sleek, dark brown pantsuit. He also observed how her long honey blonde hair framed her face in lush waves and how the side parting created a forties film noir look.
“You look lovely,” he commented. “Like Lauren Bacall. I’m expecting you to ask me if I know how to whistle at any moment.”
William could see that Barbara was trying very hard to keep a straight face. Finally, she gave up and broke into a grin.
“I already know that you know how to whistle. That’s what you used to do every time I beat you at pool. You’d whistle and say, ‘Where’d you learn to play like that?’”
William threw back his head and laughed at how well she mimicked his accent.
“What a firecracker you are. That’s just one of the things I love about y…”
He stopped just in time when he saw a guarded look come over her expression at the mention of the ‘L’ word.
“Oh, come on. Don’t get all business-like with me again I was enjoying our banter.”
The Royal Couple: A Christian Romance (Royals Book 1) Page 6