STAGESTRUCK - The Complete Series

by Ward, Alice

  “It’s breathtaking, isn’t it?” Janette observed; unlike me, she seemed completely at home on the busy street.

  “I don’t know where to go first.” I said, my mouth agape.

  Janette laughed. “That’s alright, I do.” She took the lead and I followed her into Fendi. The store was full of elegant bags, shoes, and clothing that had literally just stepped off the runway. I spotted a gorgeous red silk shift hanging on the left wall and approached it with caution; this time, Janette followed me.

  “Oh Kate, you’d look absolutely beautiful in this.” She gushed.

  “I’m afraid to even touch it.” I confessed. “It probably costs six months worth of rent…”

  Janette reached up and turned the face of the tag towards her. “Not quite,” she sighed, “it’s more like four months of rent… but still unobtainable.”

  “Let’s go somewhere a bit more… reasonably priced.” I suggest. “If I keep looking at these clothes, I’m going to lose my resolve and buy something.”

  “Okay, but I still want to pop in to Prada.” She told me. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and find something spectacular on sale. I know that it shouldn’t matter, but I hate the idea of walking in to a gala performance in something from T.J. Maxx.”

  I hated to admit it, but I felt the exact same way Janette did. The mention of Broadway invokes a sense of glamour and decadence; a discount dress didn’t really fit in with the rest of the fantasy.

  “Alright,” I agreed, “we can go to Prada.”

  A small, curly haired brunette sidled up next to us. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but it sounds like you ladies are looking for sales?” Janette and I nodded in unison. “My sister and I are visiting from Wisconsin and we’ve been on the avenue all day. Armani has some really nice stuff marked down… at least they did this morning.”

  “Thank you so much.” I told her warmly.

  “Of course,” she smiled. “I’m always happy to help out another bargain shopper.” She said before moving on.

  Janette looked at me with a grin. “So, Armani?”

  I nodded; we left Fendi and made our way down the street. I was glad that I’d had the forethought to wear my jogging shoes, since the stores seemed to be spread out endlessly. The moment we stepped into Armani, I knew that the long walk had been worth it.

  I’m not quite sure what first drew me to the gown. It was on a rack with other marked down clothing, situated in one of the back corners of the store. From the front entrance all I could see was a sliver of soft, cream fabric, but I knew immediately that I’d found my dress.

  “Where are you going?” Janette asked as I took off to the back of the store.

  “I’ve found it.” I explained simply. We reached the clearance section and I pulled the gown off the rack. It was constructed of multiple layers of sheer cream fabric. The bodice was fitted, with wide straps and a plunging back and neckline; the skirt flared slightly at the hips and flowed to the ground. Fresh water pearls and Swarovski crystals were sewn into the delicate fabric to create jeweled vines and flowers. I didn’t have to check the tag to know that the gown was my size.

  “Oh my god, Kate!” Janette gasped. “That’s absolutely beautiful! It would be perfect for the show!”

  “It is perfect.” I agreed. At that moment, I heard my mother’s voice in the back of my head saying that the gown was a frivolous, irresponsible purchase. “But I don’t know…”

  “For the love of god, don’t start this,” Janette sighed. “I’ll make you a deal. Try the dress on BEFORE you look at the price tag. If you decide that you don’t want it after that, I won’t argue with you.”

  I ran my fingers over the soft fabric. “Okay,” I finally agreed.

  “Am I going to have to go in there with you and make sure that you don’t peak?” She asked suspiciously.

  I shook my head. “No, because a big part of me REALLY wants this dress… I won’t look, I promise.”

  Janette signaled for a saleswoman, who escorted us to the dressing area. The large room was elegant and plushly decorated, and held eight individual changing areas. The saleswoman gestured for Janette and me to take seats on the overstuffed velvet sofa that took up one wall of the room. We complied, and she unlocked one of the doors and deposited my dress on a small rack.

  “I’ll go ahead and open one for you as well.” She said to Janette. “I’m Maria, and I’d love to assist you ladies today. If you’re looking for something specific, I can gather a selection of items in your size and bring them to you.” As Maria spoke, another saleswoman entered the room carrying a tray with a carafe of mimosas, two champagne glasses, and a platter of fresh fruit.

  “Welcome,” she greeted us with a warm smile. “My name is Livi. Please, enjoy a snack while you wait. If you need anything else, I’ll be close by.” Livi set the tray on the sleek coffee table in front of us, and then disappeared as quickly as she’d appeared. I knew that we were getting one hell of a sales pitch thrown at us, but I was too wrapped up in the VIP treatment to care. I turned to Maria.

  “Thank you so much Maria.” I said as I poured my first mimosa. “I’m Kate and this is Janette. We’re going to the gala opening of Kinky Boots next week, and we want to be properly dressed.”

  “Wow, the gala premier! Well, you’ve come to the right place. You’re both a size four, am I right?” Maria asked.

  We nodded. “I’m pretty sure I’ve already found my gown, but Janette still needs something.”

  Janette blushed. “Oh, I’m not sure I can…”

  “It’s on me.” I insisted quickly. I turned to Maria. “Bring everything you have in black. It’s her signature color.”

  “Nothing that costs more than Kate’s dress.” Janette said firmly.

  “I still don’t even know what it costs…” I laughed as I poured a second drink. I’d already lost my resolve; I knew that I was about to give Armani way too much of my money, so I was going to drink all the champagne they offered.

  “Ladies, just sit back and relax.” Maria smiled. “I’ll make sure you get exactly what you want.

  Two hours later we stumbled tipsily out of the store; we each had a gown bag tossed over one shoulder and my bank account was eleven thousand dollars lighter.

  ***

  Monday afternoon, I sat at the far end of the bar at Orlando’s and tried to choke down my lunch. I’d woken up that morning with a horrific hangover; most of the past weekend was nothing but a drunken blur. I’d downed a pot of coffee before leaving my apartment and had two quick shots of espresso before I clocked in for the lunch shift. I’d somehow managed to make it through service without passing out or getting sick in anyone’s food. I twirled spaghetti in my fork and prayed that the carbs would absorb some of the alcohol that was still in my system.

  Every now and then I braved a quick glance to see what Max was doing. I wasn’t sitting at the bar by choice, but because I’d finally gotten around to reading the employee handbook and learned that that was the designated break area. It didn’t make much sense to me, but I’m not one to rock the boat, especially on my first official day.

  It was three-thirty; the last of the lunch crowd had left an hour ago and we still had an hour and a half until the first dinner customers would arrive. I really wanted to go home but asking to be cut wasn’t an option; it wasn’t the impression I wanted to make and after my Armani shopping spree I needed the double shift.

  I shared the bar with two businessmen who appeared to be huddled over a contract. They sat opposite of me, while Max cleaned glassware between us. I watched him work and for a moment I could almost feel the sensations of his tongue against my bare skin. He glanced my way and I quickly averted my eyes. A few moments later, I felt him approaching and looked up to see him in front of me with a glass of ice water and a mug of hot black coffee.

  “Drink both of these.” He insisted as he slid the drinks to me. “You look like you had an… interesting weekend.” His friendly tone caught me off gu
ard and I found myself laughing.

  “You could say that.” I nodded. “I wish that I could remember more of it.”

  “I’ll keep a fresh pot of coffee going during dinner shift.” He offered.

  “Thanks…” I said with a hint of suspicion in my voice. I had no idea why he was suddenly being so nice to me. He picked up on my tone right away.

  “Look, Kate,” he sighed. “I know that I’ve been acting like an ass. I guess my ego was bruised a little, and I didn’t handle it very well. I’d like to apologize and start over. I really liked you and now, I see you here and want to talk to you and ask how you’re handling the city… I want to know you, I guess.” He blushed. “Just as friends… you’ve made it pretty clear that that’s all you’re interested in, and that’s fine, really it is… so what do you say?”

  “I’m not completely innocent in everything.” I confessed. “I’d love to get to know you… as friends.” I agreed with a smile.

  “So, clean slate?” he grinned.

  “Clean slate.” I nodded.

  “I’m so relieved… so, how ARE you handling the city? Have you landed your first role yet?” He smiled.

  “Not yet,” I laughed. “But I’m having new headshots taken tomorrow morning and I have another appointment with my agent on Monday. As soon as my portfolio is updated I’m going to start going to open calls.”

  “I have to admit, I was surprised to see you here.” Max said as he poured me another mug of coffee. “I thought that you weren’t going to have to work for awhile.”

  “I don’t want to burn through my savings.” I explained. “I’m in this for the long haul. Some people spend ten years auditioning for roles before they get their big break, I want to be prepared.”

  “That’s practical.” Max nodded. “I admire that. So tell me, in between work and all of the partying you’ve obviously been doing, have you had a chance to see any of New York’s best landmarks?”

  “I’ve seen Fifth Avenue.” I laughed. “But that’s about it.”

  He grinned bashfully. “I’m off Thursday night,” he began slowly, “and I have tickets to a small production of The Glass Menagerie. It’s not Broadway or anything, but it’s at a great little independent theater. Would you like to join me? We could get dinner, do a little sightseeing… get to know each other as friends…”

  I was both disappointed and relieved that I had to tell him no. “I’m so sorry,” I explained quickly, “a friend of mine has tickets to the gala opening of Kinky Boots. If it were any other night, I’d love to.”

  “It’s alright,” he quickly assured me. He blushed as he spoke. “I’ll see if Megan wants the tickets, she likes the theater. We’ll do something another night… so, a gala opening, huh? Is that what prompted your trip to Fifth Avenue?”

  I nodded.

  “And all of the drinking that brought on this hangover… was that to forget how much money you spent on Fifth Avenue?” He teased.

  I laughed. “How did you know?”

  “Good intuition I guess.” He grinned.

  I opened my mouth to reply but Steve interrupted us.

  “Max, is the liquor order ready?” He called from the doorway.

  “Almost, Steve,” he replied with a sigh.

  “Get on it Max. I’m putting a lot of faith in you, letting you try your hand at the order this week while Chelsea is on vacation. I suggest that you focus on your work, instead of your coworker.” Steve warned.

  “I’ll have it for you in five minutes, Steve; I just need to look over the gin inventory.” Max assured him.

  “I’ll be in my office.” Steve replied. He turned to me. “Kate, the dinner rush will be here any minute. Clean up your mess and get to your station.” He left the room after barking the order.

  “I guess I’d better get out there.” I sighed.

  “I’ll have coffee ready when you need it.” He reminded me. He smiled, his smoldering brown eyes once again taking me back to the night we’d spent together.

  ‘Get it together.’ I thought to myself. I smiled back at him. “I’ll see you soon.”

  I walked to the hostess station, trying to get the image of Max’s toned, naked body out of my head.

  ***

  “Okay, so how should I do my hair?” Janette asked. It was noon on Thursday; Janette and I were sitting in her bedroom, admiring our gowns as they hung on the door.

  “I’ve been thinking about that…” I tell her. “Why don’t we go to a salon? We could get manicures and have our hair and make-up done.”

  Janette laughed. “Kate, I know that where you come from you can just walk-in to a salon and get whatever you want on the spot. That’s not how it works here. Anyone worth going to is probably booked solid for the next week, I’m afraid we’re on our own.”

  “Alright,” I sighed. “In that case, I think that you should wear your hair loose and wavy. It’ll give you that bombshell look to go with your dress.”

  “It is a beautiful dress, isn’t it?” She sighed as she gazed at her gown. It was strapless and fitted black lace over nude satin. The skirt was slightly trumpeted, the overall effect amazingly sexy. “I can’t thank you enough for buying it for me Kate.” She smiled.

  “If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be going tonight.” I reminded her. “It was the least I could do.”

  Janette popped up from the bed and grabbed a cosmetics bag from her vanity. “I have plenty of nail polish, you do mine and I’ll do yours.” I chose a dusty rose polish; Janette went with a bold red. We gave each other manicures, and then I curled her dark hair into loose, soft waves. She did the same to my hair and then twisted it into an elegantly tussled bun. After that we did each other’s make-up; when we finished, we looked at the clock and realized that we still had three hours until show time.

  “I guess we were a little over eager.” I laughed.

  “The clock is moving too damn slow.” Janette sighed. “I’m ready to step into that gown!”

  “I know, but the guys won’t be here for another two hours…” I reminded her. “We should probably eat something. We aren’t going to have dinner until after the show, and I don’t want my stomach growling through the performance.”

  “I have some bagels…” Janette offered.

  I shook my head. “No, this is a special day. Our hair and make-up look fantastic, let’s change out of our pajamas and go out.”

  “We’re going to be wearing gorgeous but incredibly uncomfortable gown all night. Let’s order delivery and stay comfortable.” She countered.

  I relented and we ordered Thai delivery. I tried to act calm and collected, but the close it got to 5:00, the more excited I became. I couldn’t wait to put on the dress, walk into the theater, and be a part of all the excitement. I could tell that Janette felt the same way. The clock finally rolled over to 4:30 and Janette and I slid into our gowns. We admired ourselves in Janette’s full length mirror.

  “Kate!” Janette smiled. “You look so elegant… so lovely. Like a bright, shining star.”

  I’m usually a modest person, but staring into the mirror I had to agree with Janette. The fabric and embroidery of my gown were elegant, while the plunging neckline and back gave just the right amount of sexiness to the overall effect.

  Janette looked like a rock star goddess. Her curves filled out the dress perfectly, and the shade of the satin matched her skin tone exactly. I knew that any man she set her sights on that night didn’t stand a chance.

  Janette’s buzzer rang promptly at 5:00. She hit the intercom button and Parker’s voice filled the room.

  “Good evening ladies. You’re chariot awaits.”

  “We’ll be right down.” Janette told him. She turned to me. “Are you ready for this?”

  “I’ve been ready for this my whole life.” I said with a smile.

  We slipped on our brand new shoes, grabbed our brand new evening bags, and went down to meet the guys.

  ***

  “Oh my god!” I cried o
ut as Janette and I stepped out of the apartment building. Parker and Mark were waiting for us, leaning against a black stretch limousine. “I can’t believe you did this!”

  “It’s a special night, we thought it called for a special ride.” Mark smiled. “We have it all night.”

  “Where’s Bridget?” Janette asked with panic in her voice. “If we still have to pick her up, we’re going to miss the cocktail hour… and that’s what separates the gala premier from any other show.” She pouted.

  “Relax, princess,” Parker teased as he opened the door for us. “Bridget called about an hour ago. She’s running late, so she’s just going to meet us there. We dropped her ticket off on our way here, so we’re doing great on time.”

  “Okay,” Janette breathed a sigh of relief as she slid into the limo; the rest of us followed her lead and then the driver pulled out into traffic. “Sorry I freaked out, I’m just a little keyed up.”

  “We all are.” Mark laughed. “Just take a deep breath and try to enjoy the night. You both look lovely, by the way.”

  “Thanks,” Janette smiled. “The two of you clean up pretty good yourselves.”

  “I can’t get over these gowns.” Mark continued. He took a bottle of champagne from a small refrigerator and popped the top. “Where did the two of you find Armani in your price range? Did you find some fabulous high-end resale shop I don’t know about?”

  Janette blushed and looked at me nervously. I smiled. ‘What the hell?’ I thought. ‘They’ll figure it out eventually… probably as soon as I mention the diner reservations I made.’ I took a deep breath. “I bought the gowns… I have a trust fund to help with my expenses in the city. We went to Fifth Avenue and I lost control a little.” I admitted.

  Mark whistled. “A trust fund, huh? You’ve been holding out on us.” He teased.

  “Not exactly,” I assured him. “It’s not a fortune, and it will run out fast if I keep spending like that. But this is a special occasion, so I decided to splurge on the gowns… I also decided to splurge on dinner; we have a ten o’clock reservation at Ivy, on me.”