I tipped the remnants of my drink toward him. “Can you give me another one?”
“I think you’ve had enough,” he said.
I slammed down my glass. “That isn’t up to you.”
“But it’s a good suggestion,” I heard Kitty say, and I spun around on my stool to face her. She wore a simple burgundy dress, her hair was pinned up, and copper ringlets fell around her cheeks. “I understand you had a run-in with my mother-in-law, so I’m not surprised you’re trying to forget it with booze.” She leaned closer to me. “If I took a drink whenever she got on my nerves, I’d be in rehab right now. Trust me … she isn’t worth it. So tell me everything, Savannah. I want the dirt.”
“What did she say?” I asked.
“You started an argument with her over nothing.”
“That isn’t what happened,” I said, deciding to keep the truth to myself because Virginia wasn’t worth upsetting Kitty. “But we shouldn’t waste this beautiful party talking about it. You haven’t even met my best friend yet.”
I grabbed a strap on Tina’s dress to yank her away from the blond. I introduced her to Kitty, and afterward Kitty said we should join everyone for dinner because the salads were being served. Then she walked off and I watched her settle down at a table toward the front of the room. Ned was beside her, and he looked deceptively dapper in an ebony suit with a garnet tie. His mother sat opposite and so did Caroline, who kept tugging at her plain beige dress like it was squelching her circulation while Virginia yukked it up with some VIP.
I turned back to the bar, where Alex was stacking glasses. “You were right,” I said, “and I was rude. Somebody made me mad, so I snapped at you … and I’m sorry.”
“Apology accepted,” he said in a voice that was deep and velvety. His hair was thick and nearly black, and he had full lips that stayed slightly parted when he stopped talking.
“Can I have a Coke?” I asked.
He nodded, filled a glass with ice, and held it under a tap. “I heard your conversation with Kitty. Mrs. Stone’s made me mad, too … so I get it.”
“You know her?” I said as he slid the glass toward me.
“Only as an employee … I’ve worked at a few of the family’s parties here in the city and out on the island. Kitty’s a sweetheart, I haven’t figured out the daughter yet, and Mrs. Stone’s charming … until you step out of line. I felt her wrath when I was five minutes late to work for her birthday party last year because I got stuck in traffic on the LIE.”
“How long have you worked for her?” I asked.
He leaned his arms on the bar. His biceps nearly burst through his sleeves. “Since I graduated from college four years ago … that shows how much a BFA is worth. I should’ve listened to my dad and joined his plumbing business.”
I glanced at the stool beside me; Tina was gone and so was the blond, who had ducked out on his job and left all the work to his partner.
I sighed and turned back to Alex. “I know what you mean … I graduated two years ago, and I just recently found the kind of job I want,” I said, feeling a pinch of guilt for skipping ahead in the employment line because of my new connections. “What did you major in?”
“Creative writing,” he said, “with a minor in acting.”
“You could be an actor. You’re handsome enough.”
I felt my face flush. I was worse than Tina. And I got so loose lipped whenever there were a few drinks in me.
He smiled shyly. “What did you major in?”
“English lit,” I said, grabbing a napkin to dab my sweaty neck. “I wanted to be a writer, and … I’m still trying. I moved here from South Carolina and started working as an editorial assistant for a magazine at Stone News. Kitty’s my boss.”
“And she told you to come to dinner,” said a jarring voice that made me look over my shoulder. Ned was looming above me with a piercing stare that he shifted to Alex. “Please excuse Savannah. She doesn’t know it’s improper to seduce the help.”
He wrapped his hand around my arm and yanked me off the stool. I skidded on the floor.
“Let go of me or I’ll slap your face,” I said, but he just tightened his grip, pressing his fingers so deep into my flesh that they struck bone.
“Hey,” Alex said sharply. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Get back to work,” Ned told him, “unless you want to lose your job.”
“You’ll lose your teeth if you don’t take your hands off her.”
I hadn’t noticed until now that Alex’s eyes were even lighter than Jamie’s. They reminded me of my trip to Lehigh Acres and the crystal-blue swimming pools that Floridians had in their backyards.
“I can handle this,” I told him. “Don’t worry.”
But he did look worried when I glanced back as Ned practically dragged me toward the other side of the room. I yanked my arm free and sneered at him.
“You will not fire Alex,” I said, “and you will never touch me again.”
“Don’t whine. You wouldn’t want to embarrass yourself. Remember … the press is here.”
I looked at the opposite end of the hall, where Fabian Spader seemed to be itching for something scandalous to happen. “Screw the press,” I said, “and screw you. You’ve already embarrassed me. But that was your goal, right?”
“My goal,” he said, “was to teach you a lesson. Your identity has been leaked, and now that everyone knows who you are, I have to make sure you don’t disgrace my family’s name. We do not fraternize with bartenders, and neither will you.”
I scoffed, studying his square jaw and his cleft chin and those frigid eyes. “I’ll do whatever I want. I guess you’re used to ordering people around, but you’re not in charge of me.”
“Lower your voice. That southern-spitfire act might work in Charleston, but not here.”
I didn’t lower anything. “And I wasn’t trying to seduce Alex. We were just talking.”
“Just talking,” Ned echoed doubtfully, looking me up and down. He reached into his pocket, slid out his wallet, and pressed a wad of crisp bills into my hand. “Do me a favor and buy some respectable clothes. You’re spilling out of that dress.”
I didn’t glance at my sweetheart bodice to check. I just let the cash slip from my hands and drift to his expensive shoes.
He shook his head. “You should have more respect for money, Savannah. You never know when it might be gone for good. Oh, and that friend of yours … don’t bring her around again. She’s outside, acting like a slut.”
He stuffed the wallet into his pocket and stepped on hundred-dollar bills as he walked off with a cocky swagger. I headed out of the library, where I stood at the entrance and saw Tina and the blond bartender kissing on the lower steps. The air had cooled down, the moon was shining, and stars twinkled in the night sky. She leaned her forehead against his cheek as he took off his jacket and spread it across her shoulders.
I turned around, went back into the library, and found Fabian Spader standing near the entrance to Astor Hall. He held out Ned’s money.
“You dropped something,” he said.
“Keep it,” I replied as I glimpsed his half-open shirt when I tried to walk past.
He actually did keep it. He stuck the cash in his pocket and blocked my way. “I saw you arguing with Ned. Tell me about it.”
I exhaled a frustrated sigh. “I know you’re doing your job, but I can’t tell you anything. So if you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to the party.”
He caught my wrist. “You know,” he said, “the only reason Virginia gives me access to her inner circle is that I gush about her on my blog. But it’s getting boring … and you can spice things up. Now tell me what happened with Ned.”
I peeled his fingers off my skin. “Button your shirt. This is a formal function.”
He laughed. “You think I give a fuck? I stopped playing by these people’s rules a long time ago.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
How intriguing. I’d thought that if Ned had been crafty enough to get Kitty to marry him, then he must have had the entire city under his spell. But maybe not. “Why would you call him that? Let me guess … because it takes one to know one?”
“Touché,” Fabian said, leaning his back against ivory marble. “I have my reasons, but you shouldn’t worry your pretty little Confederate head about them. And I don’t like to be kept waiting. Hurry up and talk.”
“You don’t like to be kept waiting? Well, I don’t like to be bossed around. So get lost.”
I strode into Astor Hall. He trailed behind me. “I don’t appreciate your tone, little girl. Ask anyone … they’ll say you’d be better off to stay on my good side. Get snippy with me again and I’ll have to … what do they call it down south? ‘I’ll have to take you out to the woodshed.’”
I spun around with my hands on my hips. “What did you just say?”
He snickered. “I meant that figuratively.”
“Stay away from me,” I said, jabbing my finger toward his pointy chin, “or I’ll tell Kitty what you’ve been up to. She’ll have you tossed into the street where you belong.”
He stroked his hair. “Kitty has no power, love. Ned thinks he does, but the truth is Virginia rules the Stone family. And she’s not a fan of yours.”
I whirled around, and I ignored him as he followed me. I was heading toward my table when I crashed into Alex. Until that second, I hadn’t realized how tall he was.
“Is everything okay?” he asked, moving his eyes between me and Fabian.
“Just making a living,” Fabian said lightly as he patted Alex’s shoulder.
Alex shoved his hand away. “I know how you make your living. You’re a lowlife parasite who intimidates people into giving you your next story. You smear them all over the Internet and ruin their lives just because you think you can.”
Fabian let out a short laugh. “I don’t think I can. I know it.”
“You’re not going to do it to her. Take your vendetta elsewhere and back off.”
“My goodness,” Fabian said, crossing his arms and tilting his head, “are we grouchy tonight, Alex? Maybe you’re jealous because I’m a raging success and you’re a struggling nobody.”
Alex squinted at him. “You don’t know anything about me.”
“You’re wrong, handsome,” Fabian said with an amused smile. “Your ex-girlfriend from East Eightieth has a big mouth, and she likes to use it.” He focused on the zipper in Alex’s pants. “But of course … you know that.”
Alex shook his head and took a step forward. “Get the hell out of here before I—”
Fabian backed up. “Take it easy. I just meant she talks a lot. And she told me you’re an aspiring actor-slash-writer. But what you really are is nothing but a bartender with dreams that won’t come true.”
He gave us a satisfied smirk before striding to the other side of the hall. I looked at Alex, thinking that even though I could take care of myself, it was nice to be rescued. It gave me hope that chivalry hadn’t really gone the way of parasols and hoop skirts. But I wished his good deed hadn’t gotten him slammed.
I touched Alex’s sleeve. “Don’t listen to him. Aspiring means you’re on your way … not that you’ll never get there,” I said, and remembered something that Kitty had told me. “He’s just a pretentious jerk who wants to put you down because it makes him feel important. He has no idea what you can do. People hardly ever do.”
He stared at me as I studied the strong angles of his face. “Are you speaking from experience?”
“Oh,” I said, glancing at candles and orchids and waiters clearing empty plates from the dinner I’d missed. “Let’s just say I’ve had my share of rejection. I’m used to getting my work sent back with comments that indicate utter apathy or stress my general lack of talent.”
His smile showed his flawless teeth. “I’ve been through that, too, but I prefer the apathy to the mockery. You write with a boundless lack of grace—that was my latest rejection. It isn’t enough to turn your work down. They have to insult you, too … and in such vivid detail.”
I laughed. It was amazing that pain could turn funny when shared with somebody who’d felt the same thing. “Anyway,” I said, “thanks for helping me with Fabian. I couldn’t get rid of that creep.”
“You’re welcome, but it happened accidentally. I was trying to find you so I could give this back. You left it on the bar,” he said, holding up my beaded purse.
I took it, thanked him again, and asked “What did you mean about Fabian’s vendetta?”
“Well,” Alex said in a low voice, “word on the street is that he comes from a rich family … and when he was a teenager, his parents lost everything to some crook who was supposed to be investing their money but was stealing it. They got dumped by their high-class friends, and Fabian’s been clawing his way back up ever since. He’s done well … and he doesn’t mind taking down anybody who gets in his way. I guess trashing high society is his revenge.”
“What a gentleman,” I said.
“Speaking of gentlemen,” Alex went on, “another reason I was looking for you was to make sure you were okay after what happened with Ned. Who is he to you, anyway? I know you work for Stone News, but—”
“It’s a long story,” I said, shifting my gaze toward the bar. Nobody was behind it and a line of guests was growing. “I owe you another apology … this one’s for getting you in trouble with Ned. You should go back to work before it happens again … I don’t want you to lose your job because of me.”
“I don’t care about Ned. And we don’t even know each other’s last names,” he said as he stuck his hand into the space between us. “I’m Alex Adair.”
“I’m Savannah Morgan,” I said, feeling goose bumps burst on my arms when our palms met and he gave me a handshake that was firm yet gentle. “It’s good to meet another writer.”
“You’ll find a lot of them in New York. But I’ve never asked one out before.”
The last time I’d been asked out by a guy who made butterflies whirl inside my stomach was a lifetime ago, when I was a high school freshman with flaxen hair and pom-poms in my locker. Until now, Jamie was the only man who’d been able to make me feel that way.
“I think we have a lot in common,” Alex said when I didn’t answer. He didn’t know I was too giddy to talk, and he seemed to believe he still needed to sell me on the idea of a date. “I mean … with the writing and all. So … would you like to get together sometime?”
I looked to my right. There was a silver-haired man with a microphone at the far side of the hall, giving a speech that commemorated Edward Stone and welcomed his son as the new Chairman and CEO. Ned smiled, Kitty lovingly rubbed his back, and Virginia and Caroline beamed at Ned like he was worth a million times more than the diamonds that glimmered around his mother’s neck.
“Yes,” I said. “I’d love to.”
*
I wasn’t bothered that Virginia had turned up her regal nose at me. It made no difference that Ned had been his usual condescending self. I’d almost forgotten about Fabian and his threat of a virtual beat-down. All that mattered was that Alex had my phone number and I was cutting into a luscious hunk of red velvet cake that a waitress had put in front of me when I finally made it to my table. There was nothing better than going directly to dessert.
The seats at the table were full except the ones to my left and my right. One was meant for Tina, and I wasn’t sure about the other. I’d popped my head outside again a few minutes ago and seen her and the bartender eating giant pretzels on the library’s steps, so I knew she was safe and I could relax.
Then my cake was gone and I couldn’t stop thinking about the untouched glass of red wine and the slice of key lime pie on the plate beside mine. I grabbed the glass and
quickly drank the wine, but it wasn’t enough. Whoever had abandoned that dessert probably wasn’t coming back, and wasting food was such a sin. So I leaned over with my fork and scooped up a bite, and it was sliding down my throat when a woman who had been glancing at me from across the table took Tina’s empty seat.
“You must be Edward Stone’s new daughter,” she said.
She was attractive, probably in her early fifties, with straight hair the color of caramel that hung just above her shoulders. Her figure was slim beneath a dark-blue dress, and she wore an antique wedding band.
“You resemble him so much,” she said, moving her dark eyes around my face.
“Are you a reporter or a blogger or something?” I asked.
She blinked and shook her head. “No, I knew your father through my work … he was a very good friend to me, and I respected him tremendously.”
“Really? I think you’re in the minority.”
She put her hand on my wrist. “Savannah,” she said, which was odd, since I hadn’t told her my name. Then again, gossip seemed to spread so quickly around here that I supposed I shouldn’t be surprised. “Edward was as flawed as the rest of us, but he was still a good man. So don’t let secondhand opinions tarnish your view of him. He deserves better than that.”
She was leaning in close and delving into my business, and it made me uncomfortable. “Excuse me,” I said, “how’d you say you knew him?”
She edged backward, crossed her shapely legs, and smiled. “Everybody knew him. He was a supporter of mine … it’s not always easy for women in politics, and he did what he could to smooth my way.” She stood up. “So when you think about him … remember things like that.”
She walked away just as a tall man in a black suit slipped into the chair beside me. He was holding a Scotch glass in one hand and jamming a cell phone into his pocket with the other.
“I didn’t know there were mice in Astor Hall,” he said with a laugh, eyeing the pie and empty wineglass.
That woman had stolen my attention from the dessert I’d ravaged. “I missed dinner,” I said.
New Money Page 12