“Those two fools that told you all you could wear was empire waists,” he said with a roll of his eyes and a toss of his neck, which made his perfectly styled hair sway.
“Serene and Carlo.”
“Whatever. The bottom line is they must not have any style themselves, trying to tell you what not to wear.”
“Well, it’s their job. They’re publicists and stylists.”
Mia kept right on talking and walking, every now and then picking up a piece, looking at it, then putting it down. “Do they have their own show on a cable network?”
“What? No, they don’t have a show.”
“Then they don’t know what they hell they’re talkin’ about.”
Charlene just shook her head. And Mia said she was still the same. She remembered endless conversations like this during their high school years. Mia fussing about this or that, Rachel either agreeing or arguing with him and Charlene trailing behind the both of them, shaking her head and wondering why she even bothered.
“Okay, now that you’ve shared your opinion of them, what do you suggest?”
“Oh, now she wants my opinion?” He started looking around the store, a hand fluttering to his chest. “Little ole me? I’m not a publicist but—”
“Just shut up and tell me what to wear,” she said in a huff. He was getting louder and sooner or later one of those salespeople was going to come over and put them out of the store. Then again, she thought looking at Mia, they probably weren’t going to come near them no matter how much money they had to spend.
“Humph,” was the next reply she received from him before he walked quickly to the back. Along the wall were black cocktail dresses, some simple and some with a little more sparkle.
“Friday is your debut, but it’s a sneak peek, right? So you don’t want to blast them with everything. You know, don’t really give them the whole Charlene Quinn look. Just a glimpse is what’ll keep them itching for more.”
Charlene agreed.
Mia quickly picked three dresses. “Here, go try these on. Black is simple. And sexy as hell. Go!”
She didn’t even bother to argue with him, just took the dresses and moved toward the dressing rooms. When one of the salespeople who had been staring them down since the moment they walked into the store approached with a key she asked, “Could I go in and try these on?”
For a minute the woman looked as if she wanted to say no. A part of Charlene hoped she wouldn’t because then she’d have to curse the woman from here right to the courthouse for discrimination. Luckily, she just gave a tight smile and opened the door, ushering Charlene inside.
The first one was a quick no as Charlene’s breasts were about to topple over the bodice. The second was just okay, nothing spectacular, according to Mia. The third, thankfully, hit the mark. It was a wraparound with gathers all across the bodice and a straight bottom that looked plain until she walked and her thick thigh peeked through.
“Hotter than hell,” Mia had said the moment she walked out of the dressing room. “Simple and sexy. That’s what you are, simply sexy.”
He chattered on about earrings and shoes and how to style her hair, but Charlene just looked. Standing in the three-way mirror she was able to observe herself at every angle. Black was certainly slimming and she always wore good undergarments. She felt that was the problem with a lot of plus-size women; they refused to spend the money it took to keep their curves looking neat and precise. So there were no hanging rolls, nothing jiggling—that shouldn’t be—and nothing about to burst out. She had to admit, this time Mia was right. It was simply sexy.
And Charlene immediately thought of Akil. What would he think of the dress and the way it made her look?
She didn’t have ten more minutes to think further before Mia was pushing her back into the dressing room, yelling for her to take that dress off because they had much more shopping to do. Normally she didn’t like shopping, but she had enjoyed the other day with Akil. This afternoon, with her old friend who was now sort of a new friend, was shaping up to be just as nice.
Until she heard Mia’s loud voice once more.
“Miss, why are you following me around this store like I’m a shoplifter? Do I look like I’m broke?”
All Charlene could do was shake her head. And laugh.
Chapter 16
“Really, Mia. Did you have to threaten that woman at the salon?”
Mia looked totally appalled as they walked into the house after another six hours at the mall. It was after eight in the evening by the time they’d made it back and Charlene was tired. Her feet hurt from walking and her cheeks hurt from laughing so much.
“Are you crazy? That chick did not know me. As cute as I am people should not get it twisted, I will slice and dice anybody who crosses me. Go back to Big Sur and ask that little hoochie who worked in the spa. Tried to put a curly perm in my head.” He was using both hands to smooth down his hair, which still wasn’t out of place. “Shoot, you know how long it took to get my hair this straight and glossy. I don’t know where people get their licenses from.”
Charlene was laughing again. “That was like the third time you almost got us arrested.”
“Oh, please, I am not afraid of jail.”
Charlene dropped her bags as they made their way into the living room. “Well, I am.”
“That’s because you’re uppity. Always have been,” he said, waving his hands again and plopping down into the puffy white leather lounge. “Just because your daddy made all that money in movies and TV, you thought you were privileged.”
Charlene feigned indignance. “I was.”
“Honeychile, you were not. You were the second born and you weren’t the model. You were just like me—close but no cigar.”
“Shut up!” she said, tossing one of the colored pillows from the couch toward his head. “Your mother acted in just as many movies as my father produced and won just as many awards. And your daddy wasn’t any slouch, either, with all the oil money he’d inherited. You’re just as uppity as I am.”
“But we weren’t talking about me. We were talking about—oh...my...Lord.” Mia sat up in the chair, staring off at something.
“What?” Charlene asked, following the direction of his gaze.
“Who is that? He is some kind of fine.” Mia was getting up out of the chair, smoothing down her shirt and pushing up her breasts.
In the hallway Akil and Jason were talking. It looked as if Jason were leaving for the night.
“Oh, Akil,” she called as she started walking toward them.
They both stopped talking and met her halfway. “Hey, you’re back,” Akil said, his smile making her warm all over.
“We thought you’d gotten lost. Ace here was about to call out the search posse.”
“It wasn’t like that,” Akil said, looking a little awkward at Jason’s words. “I was just wondering where you were.”
“I should have left a note. It just happened so quick. Mia showed up and we just headed out to the mall, didn’t think about anything else.”
“Mia?” Akil asked.
Charlene turned, grabbed Mia’s arm and pulled him forward. “My old friend from L.A., Mia Hopkins. Rachel couldn’t come so she sent Mia out to help me get ready for Friday’s show. That’s where we’ve been, out shopping for my outfit.”
Akil barely looked at Mia. “You got your hair done?” he asked.
She smiled and turned to the side and back. “I did. Do you like it?”
“It’s nice,” Jason said. “Sassy.”
“They cut a few inches and feathered it a bit on the ends. I think it’s sexy. She needed a little oomph,” Mia spoke up.
Akil cut his eyes at him. “This was your idea?”
Mia poked her hormone-enhanced breasts out farther. “Of course. Do you like?”
Akil couldn’t tell if she was asking if he liked Charlene’s hair or Mia’s breasts. Or seeing as she had an Adam’s apple the size of a golf ball, he should probably
say “his” breasts.
“I liked her before,” was Akil’s immediate reply. “But this is nice, soft. It fits you.”
“I know it does. When I set out to make someone over that’s what I do. And nobody knows Charlene like I do, so I know what’s best for her,” Mia was saying, moving so that she now stood closer to Akil.
Behind him he heard Jason stifle a chuckle.
“Have you had dinner?” Akil asked Charlene.
“We ate at the mall.”
“Yes, we did. But if you’d like to go out for a nightcap?” Mia left the rest to linger in the air.
Akil was about to speak when Charlene grabbed Mia by the elbow. “Enough. It’s not even that type of party so move along.”
Mia shook his head, looking at her over his shoulder. “I was wondering how long it was going to take you to speak up. If I’ve told you once I’ve told you a thousand times—if it’s yours stake your claim and make it known.”
Turning back to Akil, he said, “Hurt her and I’ll bust your kneecaps. Good night.”
He walked past Jason, blowing a kiss in his direction. Akil didn’t know what to say as they all watched the slim hips sashay out the front door.
However, as soon as the door was closed Jason let out a thunderous laugh that had Charlene following suit. Akil was not feeling the joke.
Actually, he wasn’t feeling anything but paranoid right about now. He’d received another phone call, this time with a message. No, he knew this was no laughing matter.
* * *
This was it.
Charlene took one last look in the mirror. She and Mia had changed their minds several times in the last few days about what she was actually going to wear. But tonight was the night. The dress she wore was the one. And “the look” was all hers.
Her hair was flawless, flipped and feathered to fall softly around her face. Her natural brown color had been lightened just a bit with bronze highlights. Mia swore by MAC cosmetics, so he’d used the Shimpagne Mineralize Skinfinish. The Play on Plums eye finish was a great accent, giving her eyes a bronze/peachy/pink look, and Roman Holiday Dazzleglass gave her lips just enough tinted shine she was sure would last the entire night. Never had Charlene seen her own face look so classically pretty.
The dress was simple and sexy, just “the look” she and Mia had decided would be her signature. A rich black sheath, modern square neck, cap sleeves and slim skirt was the simple. As for the sexy, the seven-inch split up the left leg played the part perfectly. Leopard-print sandals gave that little splash of “wow.”
“You’re gorgeous.”
His voice was deep and sounded solemn as Charlene turned to face Akil. She hadn’t known he’d come back upstairs into the room. He was dressed an hour ago and had gone downstairs to talk to Jason. All day he’d been with her, not talking about the show or her performance or the song or anything musical. She had laughed until her sides hurt, him right along with her. The afternoon had been relaxing and comfortable and made her think of their future together.
Akil never talked about their future as a couple. Actually, he never talked about them as a couple. He talked about the CD and how well he thought it would be received. He talked about other music he had in mind for her, appearances, et cetera. But never did he mention them maybe taking a trip together or just going out to dinner together as a couple. She was starting to wonder if this whole thing between them would be one of those celebrity secrets. The press could catch a shot of them together but if asked neither of them would comment, sort of like some popular celebrities were doing right now. People knew they were together but neither of them was actually admitting it. That wasn’t something she wanted, wasn’t a relationship she thought she could live with. While she had never wanted to be in the spotlight, never wanted to be in the tabloids for any reason, she also didn’t want to feel like she was a secret.
“Thanks,” she said finally, her hands moving nervously down the front of her dress.
“Don’t fidget. You look great just standing there.” He took a few steps closer until she could smell his cologne.
“You look really good, too.” This was the first time she’d seen Akil dressed up in person. She’d seen pictures in magazines of him at award shows or other clubs, but face-to-face was a whole different story.
The black slacks and matching jacket were Ralph Lauren. His shirt had been delivered while they were watching movies earlier that day. The name on the box was Ace and she’d asked him about the unknown designer. He’d only smiled and said, “You’re looking at him.”
Now she had the chance to take in the entire ensemble—the wide-collared black shirt with what looked like a paisley print but was actually an array of microphones and long swirling cords in a pale gray color, black slacks and a single-breasted sports coat, with shined-to-perfection gray alligator-and-crocodile-print leather wingtips.
Even though he wore all black his dark complexion seemed to bask in the colors. His close-cropped hair sported rows of deep soft waves and his eyes held a sort of anticipation she’d never seen before. Her heart flip-flopped wildly in her chest just looking at him.
“I have something for you.”
“What? Why?” She was already nervous. The fact that he’d approached her with a hand behind his back and a somber expression wasn’t working well to calm her down. She didn’t want a gift, not from Akil. That would only add to the confusion she was already feeling about their relationship, which would only add to the anxiety she was feeling about singing at the club tonight, which would undoubtedly increase her chances of having a coronary right there on stage.
Dang, Charlene, can you be any more dramatic? She could almost hear Rachel, Candis and Mia all joined in together. Okay, just calm down, she told herself and took a steady breath.
“It’s just a little something that I want you to have.”
“For tonight?” Her voice squeaked a little with the question. She hadn’t eaten a big lunch. Hot tea with honey had been her choice of drink, along with her daily eight glasses of water. So right about now she felt like the bathroom was going to be her second best friend this evening. But her voice would be flawless and that was all that really counted.
The left corner of his mouth lifted upward in a small smile. With his right hand he gripped her wrist and pulled it down to her side so she’d have no choice but to stop clasping and unclasping her fingers. “No. Not just for tonight,” he said.
His left arm moved from around his back and he put the telltale blue box in front of her. “Just for you.”
Now this was totally unfair. How was she supposed to accept a gift—from Tiffany’s, no less—and not feel shaky? It was a medium-size box so she was sure it wasn’t a ring. What she wasn’t so sure of was why she even had the flicker of thought that it might be one. She was driving herself crazy with all these questions and no answers, which was the last thing she needed tonight. So with a nervous smile she resigned herself to simply deal with whatever it was and move on.
With one hand she took the box from him. With the other she removed the white bow and flipped the lid. Inside her heart all but stopped but on the outside she made a valiant effort to remain calm. Her slightly shaking fingers lifted the wide sterling silver bracelet with round diamonds marching in one single-file line across the width. “It’s beautiful. Thank you, Akil,” she managed to say without blubbering.
Akil took the box, put it down on the table near them, then slipped the bracelet from her fingers, unclasped it and put it on her right wrist. “You’re very welcome.”
His arms slipped slowly around her waist as he pulled her closer to him. It felt good to be in his arms. Safe, she thought all of a sudden. “You’re going to be great tonight,” he said, gazing into her eyes.
She nodded as a response.
“Trust yourself. Trust your voice.”
She was nodding again then stopped because she felt like a mute. “I will.”
“I love you,” he said simply and kiss
ed her lips lightly.
All the doubts, all the questions, all the reservations fell from her and she sighed in his arms. “I love you, too.”
* * *
They’d come in a back door and she was taken directly to a dressing room. For a few minutes she was in there alone. Then Jason came in with a pep talk that left her laughing instead of worrying. She didn’t see Akil again until she stepped out of the room to walk down the narrow hallway that would lead to the stage. Behind him was Jax and in front of them was Jason and Steve. He took her hand immediately.
Gripping her fingers tightly, he gave them a little shake. “Let’s do this.”
She smiled. “Let’s do it.”
A stage tech guided her onto the stage with its dark curtain drawn. Butterflies did more than dance in her stomach; it was like they were having some kind of festival complete with dancing and singing of their own. But her mind fought hard to calm them. She focused on the song, on feeling the lyrics, on making the audience feel the lyrics.
She barely heard her name, really didn’t register the tentative applause. But the rustle of the curtain opening jolted her. Jason’s directions from yesterday when they did a dry run of the performance replayed in her mind.
Stand still. Wait for the music, the first thumps of bass.
She heard it and her heart beat just a little faster.
The spotlight will go up, he told her. It will move across the stage as if it’s searching for you. Wait until it finds you. She waited. Felt the heat of the light, saw the brilliant brightness in her eyes.
She took one step, then two. Then she leaned forward toward the mic and belted the first line of the song. It was slow, almost as if she were conversationally talking.
“Never like this before. No, never like this. I never loved like this. Never kissed like this. Never felt like this before.”
Then the tempo picked up and she sang like she’d never sung before. Like nobody was there, it was just her and the band in the studio. The notes appeared in her mind, she could almost see the song sheet she’d practiced from on so many days. And she just sang.
Love in the Limelight: Volume One Page 28