My meeting with Paul goes well. He’s so easy to work with and sets clear expectations. When I get back to my desk, I take care of some email while eating the sandwich I had packed this morning.
Before shutting down my laptop, I walk over to Paul’s office. “See you tonight. Should we all just meet inside?”
He looks up and gives me his normal warm smile. “Yes, probably best as there’ll be a lot of people attending. I’ll look out for you.” He waves me off for the day still smiling at me. He calls out as I’m walking away, “Enjoy the rest of your day.”
I look back. “Thanks, you too. See you later.”
I exhale out loud as the sunshine hits my face. I think about my overly long shower this morning. I had taken my time shaving everywhere, very carefully. I smile mischievously to myself, what exactly am I expecting to happen tonight?
As I walk into the fancy salon a young receptionist greets me. I ask for Susan and quickly come face-to-face with a very hip and stylish woman.
She extends her hand and says, “Hi, I’m Susan. You’re Ann’s friend, right?” I smile and shake her hand. I like her immediately.
“Yes, that’s me, Violet.” I follow her back to her chair. She sits me down and we discuss what she is going to do. I tell her no cut as I am trying to grow my hair. She agrees that longer hair will suit me and suggests something simple and classy.
“Let’s wash and condition your hair. I will blow dry it straight and then flat iron it. You’ll have shiny hair and you will look great.” She knows I have a formal event to attend. She thinks most of the women will have up-dos, so I will stand out with my flowing locks.
An assistant washes my hair. It feels so good. My eyes are closed and I enjoy the head massage as my scalp begins to tingle. Of course, my mind wanders back to him. I imagine him sweeping me into his arms to kiss me tonight. I feel flushed again at the thought. I snap back to reality when the assistant begins to rinse the shampoo from my hair and then run conditioner through it before doing another thorough rinse. I’m feeling quite relaxed and think I really should take better care of my hair. Since Adam, I’ve been more concerned with my appearance. I’m looking forward to finding out what making an effort will do for me this evening.
After a blow dry Susan asks me, “Would you consider bangs? I can give you long bangs, long enough so you can sweep them sideways or wear them all forward.” She tells me she thinks pulling them forward with straight hair will look very sexy, like Cleopatra sexy. I like the idea: wasn’t Cleopatra known to be irresistible to men?
“Yes, please do it and thanks for the suggestion.” Within minutes I have bangs. Of course, I hope he likes them; I think I look more stylish.
Susan interrupts my thoughts when she asks, “Violet, my 4:15 appointment cancelled. Would you like me to do your makeup when your nails are done? I only need half an hour. On the house, since Ann is such a good customer.” Wow, my lucky day, I think.
“Yes, thank you so much!” I honestly think Susan wants me to look the best ever just as much as I do. I really appreciate this.
When my hair is finished I’m escorted over to the manicure station. I opt for a neutral creamy beige tone for both my hands and feet. When I am finished, the esthetician takes me over to Susan, who is getting ready to do my makeup. She wraps a different smock around me and parts my bangs.
She says, “I will blow out your bangs again before you leave so they are perfect.” I love this woman. She explains, “This is a light coverage foundation. You have great skin, so you only need a little bit of this.” I watch her pick up a sponge and use it to smooth the foundation over my face. Wow, that does make a difference, I think. So, that’s how they do it, with a sponge. I make a mental note to get some.
She asks the color of my dress. “It’s a dark blue dress, mid length,” I tell her. She turns the chair around so I’m no longer looking in the mirror. She is going to do a smoky eye look in shades of brown to match my eyes and a liquid liner on the top of my eyes to elongate my lashes. I still can’t see my reflection in the mirror, so I trust I will look good and not overly made up. She is finished and seems quite pleased. Before turning me to face the mirror she blows out my bangs.
“I truly believe you will be very happy with this, Violet. You look stunning.” She turns me around and I can’t believe what I see. I don’t look the same, but in a very good way. I jump up and hug her. The girl, no, woman staring back at me is worthy of a second look. I am thrilled. Susan walks me up to the front of the salon and hopes to see me again.
“Thank you so much, I will be back for sure.” I pay at the front and leave a larger tip than I had planned; she deserves every penny. I feel three inches taller with my head held very high. I start walking the one block to the train station and decide I don’t want my hair to get windblown so I hail a cab. The driver gets me home in plenty of time to get ready. Keys in hand, I open the door and run up the stairs to my apartment. There is an envelope sticking out of my apartment door next to the handle addressed to Miss Cole. It’s from Laurier & Stone. It’s from him. My hands start to tremble. Before I even open my door, all kinds of thoughts run through my mind. I wonder if he had to cancel, in which case, all of this would be for nothing. I imagine a short note: Would’ve called, but got rushed into an emergency meeting. Sorry, Babe. Adam. Why else would there be an envelope at my door from him? With nervous tension, I open my door and walk into the apartment. I torture myself further by not opening the envelope right away. Instead, I put down my bags, open a window, and then go into the kitchen to put on the kettle.
Inside the envelope there is a handwritten note on a 5’’ x 7” card in gray high quality stationery:
From the desk of Adam M. Stone
Violet, I hope you are looking forward to the opening tonight. I can’t wait to see you. A car will arrive to pick you up at 6:30. I’m sorry I can’t pick you up myself. I would if I could just to kiss you that much sooner. If there are any issues please call me. See you later. Adam
This day just got brighter. My head is whirling and the butterflies are flying around in my stomach again. What a nice surprise and lovely note. He wants to kiss me sooner and sending a car for me. He is so gallant. I am going to see my prince tonight! I’m ecstatic and feel very special.
The dress and my new lacy push up bra and matching panties are laid out on the bed. I begin to dress and feel quite sexy just standing in my bra and matching panties. I unzip the dark blue dress. It’s an above the knee, sleeveless keyhole dress with a beaded, thick waistband. The keyhole shows just enough cleavage with my new bra and the waistband accents my waist. No necklace is required as the high neck of the dress has beads around it that match the beading around the waist. Putting on a pair of simple silver knotted stud earrings that I had received as a gift from my mother, I slip into a pair of strappy high-heeled sandals. Walking over to the full-length mirror behind the door, I hold my breath in anticipation of what will stare back at me. Oh my goodness, I look like an eight now for sure. I am three inches taller in the heels and look quite sexy. The girl from this morning is gone and the reflection staring back now is a woman. I have just enough time to put on some lip gloss, grab my shawl, and put my evening bag together. The buzzer goes at 6:25, it must be the driver. I answer, “I’m on my way down.” I lock the door behind me and standing very tall, carefully walk down the two flights of stairs to exit the building.
There is a shiny black BMW 7 series sedan parked in the front of my building. The driver with a cap asks if I am Miss Cole. His formal greeting makes me feel important all of a sudden. This is how Adam must feel all the time. I reply, “Yes, I am Violet Cole, nice to meet to you.” He nods and opens the back door. I step into the car. It’s very clean with gleaming black leather plush seats. Wow, Adam has gone all out here. I feel like a celebrity as I sit in silence letting the driver do all the work. I lean back and enjoy the ride.
There
is a crowd on the steps of the museum leading up to the entrance. The driver pulls up just past the steps to an area that is sectioned off for VIPs. Why are we stopping here, I ask myself? The driver comes around to open my door and I step out of the car not sure what to do next. I see a woman coming towards me. She introduces herself as Gloria Pinkney and asks me my name. She checks it off a list and then asks me to follow her to a side entrance where I am whisked inside. She takes me to a service elevator and informs me, “There is a VIP reception.” The elevator door opens and we walk into a beautifully decorated room with dimmed white lights and white linens. Beautiful floral centerpieces and crystal candlesticks adorn each of the bar height tables. Each candlestick reflects the light beautifully. It’s all very elegant. There is music playing in the background. Gloria says, “I hope you enjoy yourself.” Before I can thank her, she leaves me in a hurry heading back to the service elevator she just came from.
Taking a deep breath I scan the room and don’t see any familiar faces. I decide to find the ladies’ restroom. I ask a waiter who kindly escorts me there. It’s empty, it’s just me in here and I relax a bit. Checking my appearance in the mirror my confidence is slowly coming back. I really do look nice. Okay, Violet, use your social grace and go mingle, I tell myself. To my surprise, as I exit the bathroom, I see the man of my dreams standing just outside of the door. He grins at me and then waves for me to follow him down a short corridor away from the crowd.
We are alone when he says, “As soon as you walked in the room my eyes found you, Violet. You look gorgeous. You are the most beautiful woman in here. I like the bangs, they’re very sexy. Come here right now and kiss me.” Within a second of his last word my arms are wrapped around his neck as he pulls me into him. Kissing Adam is like chocolate, I want more with every taste. There are waves of shooting stars running through my body as I feel his tongue playing with mine. I can feel his strong arms tightly wrapped around my waist, I never want this end. After a long while, he stops kissing me and says, “I can’t wait any longer to take you as mine. I am going to make a hotel reservation for this weekend. I need to explore all of you, every single inch. I want you so much Violet.” My heart is beating faster at the very thought of us being together that way. I would let him take me now if he wanted, but I know he wants my first time to be special. I believe I am truly falling for him.
“Yes, Adam, I want that too.”
“Good, so we are set for a memorable weekend then, aren’t we?” I nod yes as he takes my hand and tells me, “I really don’t want to let you go, but I should go out there and mingle. It’s a part of my board duties. I’ll meet you at 9 at the main entrance. Keep an eye on your phone in case we need to text each other.” He kisses the backs of both my hands and then my lips gently before he takes his thumb across his own lips to remove my lip gloss from them. He looks so handsome in his black tuxedo, white shirt, and black bow tie. A man with Adam’s build in a fitted tux, well, it’s just extremely hot and sexy. Adam is both of these and more. He winks at me before he turns and walks away. I stay back for a few minutes, relishing in what just happened. He is so strong and confident and then so soft and romantic. I realize I forgot to thank him for sending a car for me. I will thank him later. I compose myself, take another deep breath, and walk back into the crowded room.
The room is full of well-dressed people. As I walk through the crowd people are smiling and nodding their head at me. In about a minute a waiter offers me a glass of champagne, which I gladly accept. As I continue walking I keep looking for Adam, even though I just saw him. Two women interrupt my wandering.
“Hi, I’m Liz and this is Pam.” We shake hands and I introduce myself. Both the ladies are very friendly and make it easier for me to settle in. Liz is an assistant curator at an art gallery and Pam is her guest, a new local artist. I explain that I received an invitation to the opening through my work. We exchange some more pleasantries including how impressive the spread is around us. Clearly all three of us are not accustomed to such extravagance. It’s comforting that it’s not just me.
Out of the corner of my eye I can see a man coming towards us. “Hi, I am Mike Cottons,” he tells us. We all introduce ourselves. His eyes rest mainly on me and a conversation ensues. The ladies politely excuse themselves leaving me alone with Mike. He shares with me that he is a member of the museum board. I tell him I am paralegal for Oliver and Harold. He smiles, “I know them. They have a good reputation.”
“Yes, they do and it’s a great place to work too,” I reply. I see Paul coming towards me. Thank goodness, I think.
“Hi Violet, glad I found you. I ran into David and Mark over at the bar they seem to be having a good time.”
“Hi Paul, how are you? I’m glad you found me too. There are lots of people in here.” I turn to Mike, feeling compelled to be polite and make introductions.
“Paul, this is Mike. We just met each other. Mike, this is my boss Paul, he is one of the partners at my firm.” Mike extends his hand to shake Paul’s.
“It’s nice to meet you.” Thankfully they begin to have a conversation, allowing me time to scan the room again looking for Adam. All I care about right now is finding him. I am more than happy to just admire him from afar. He is so blasted hot.
I spot him, surrounded by people who clearly want to speak with him. He is shaking hands, talking and smiling when his eyes finally meet mine. I can see his jaw clench as his eyes move past Paul, to the man standing way too close to me and now asking me if I want another drink. I see Adam excuse himself from the crowd surrounding him and watch him make his way towards me. He gets stopped every now and then until finally he is standing next to me.
Paul extends his hand, “Hi Adam, how are you? It’s great to see you again and thank you so much for inviting all of us.”
Adam shakes Paul’s hand. “Hi Paul, I am glad you made it and I hope you enjoy the exhibit.” He turns to me like we have just met for the first time. “Violet, it’s nice to see you again. Are you enjoying yourself?” He glances at Mike, who is standing way too close to me. He is doing his best not to sound angry with me, but I can sense he is. It’s not my fault that this Mike guy started speaking to me.
I return Adam’s greeting, “Hi, Mr. Stone, it’s nice to see you.”
Adam manages to smile at me as he says, “The pleasure is mine. You look nice.” For a split second it’s just me and Adam in the room, our eyes locked and the sensual energy between us is high.
He turns to Mike. “Hi Mike, it’s been a while. You missed the last board meeting.” Oh, of course he knows him, if they are both on the board. I know that Adam can sense that Mike is interested in me. He manages to play nice for my sake remembering his promise to keep it professional between us. To temper the situation, I take a step back putting some distance between Mike and me, and as I do this Adam’s stance becomes more relaxed. He begins to make small talk before turning to Paul and me. “Well I should go back out there and mingle. It’s part of the duty of being on the museum’s board. Mike same for you, let’s go mingle then.” Adam isn’t taking no for answer. Mike nods and moves to stand next to Adam.
Adam turns to Paul and me, “It’s so nice to see you both and I do hope you enjoy the exhibit.” He looks at me and touches my arm before he and Mike walk into the crowd leaving Paul and I to talk some more.
The museum is large and has several expansive floors. There are so many glorious pieces around. I lose myself in the exhibit, having left Paul speaking with a few other people. I am quite content walking through the exhibit on my own. With some champagne still in my hand I feel privileged for being in such beautiful surroundings. Soon I can feel a presence behind me and turn to find Adam standing there. He winks at me as I turn around. I catch my breath as I can finally get a really good look at him. He really does look great in his tuxedo. Adam speaks, “You really do look delicious; that dress clings to your beautiful bottom so well that I want to grab
it. I’m finding it very frustrating that I can’t touch you right now.” His desire to touch me sends a series of hot rushes through my groin and I can hear my own heart beating faster inside of me.
I lean in close and whisper, “Well Mr. Stone you look quite delicious yourself and thank you for sending a car to get me.” Adam gives me a wide grin.
Still smiling he says, “You are welcome. Let’s walk through this room a bit.” We can’t hold hands, but that doesn’t stop us from walking very close to one another, occasionally touching the backs of our hands together. I get a sensation every time we connect. I hope he wants me as much I want him.
“Hey what did Mike want anyway?” he asks.
“I don’t know. He just approached me and started talking.”
“Well avoid him then. He seemed to be quite interested in you.”
“Are you jealous? I didn’t invite him to come over, he just did.”
“Oh Violet, I don’t do jealous. Trust me. I just don’t share what’s mine. It’s quite simple really.” How do I respond to that? He has just confirmed I am his. This is what I want. What I have been longing for.
“Okay, that’s good to know. Adam, I want to be all yours. I really do.” My eyes are full of affection when I look up at him. He brushes the back of his hand across my bum as if to reaffirm I belong to him. That simple touch inflames me. I feel so alive with this man.
We stop in front of a tapestry mentioned in the blog that depicts a couple entwined in the art of lovemaking. I look up at Adam, who looks down at me and I know we are both thinking the same thing. The silhouette of the couple is very sensual to look at. It is clear they love each other. I take a deep breath in awe of the piece. My thoughts go to Adam and me in the same pose. It can’t be soon enough for me. We walk down to another floor where there are fashions from the era of Catherine the Great. The detail of the embroidery on some of these dresses is remarkable. It must have taken many handmaidens to make them. I imagine all with very nimble fingers, sewing away knowing how important it was to be perfect for the queen. Adam looks at me. “You would look good in that.” He is pointing to a low front fitted dress in cream and turquoise.
Solid Stone: Revolving Door Page 10