The campus for Gifted and Talented was a sprawling two hundred acre beauty that was part nature preserve, part prep school campus. The school not only had its own bio science dome, but its own hanger, as well as a retired Boeing 707 for its engineering and aeronautical studies department. It also had its own group of elite scientist and doctors as teachers.
It was no secret that New York Gifted and Talented only hired Ph Ds. It was a sore point amongst many in the teaching profession. The teacher’s union was particularly pissed, feeling that since the majority of its members lacked Ph Ds, that they were being looked upon as being inferior. The truth of the matter, was that they were looked upon that way by the school. NY Gifted and Talented’s base pay for a teacher was over one hundred thousand dollars a year. This enabled them to pull in top flight staff, and also enabled them to charge parents a ludicrous amount for tuition. Fifty thousand dollars a year, plus books, plus uniforms, was the price of admission. Sterling paid this, and much more. In fact, Sterling’s generosity was the reason that everyone was gathered at the school’s convocation center on this day.
“It is in giving to the next generation, where we find our greatest service to humanity,” the Headmaster said, speaking to the crowded auditorium. He adjusted his microphone, and peered out over the clapping crowd of wealthy and educated parents and faculty. “No gift is greater, no gift more precious, no gift more sacred, than the passing of knowledge from one generation to the next.”
Again, the crowd clapped.
“We are gathered here today, to celebrate the passing of knowledge, in the form of a library,” the Headmaster continued. “A library that will serve this institution, and generations of future leaders, scientists, and medical doctors for many years to come.”
Again those gathered applauded.
“The Sterling Barrington Williams III Library and Research Learning Center will be a five hundred thousand square foot monolith, dedicated to higher education,” the Headmaster declared. “It will house not only our school’s expanding collection of books and papers, but also our growing collection of original artwork, and our new computer learning center. It will also house our new bio-science laboratory. Today is a momentous occasion indeed. One that we have been looking forward to, since breaking ground on construction more than two years ago.”
More applause.
“It is with great pleasure that I introduce to you, the man who made today possible,” the Headmaster continued. “Mr. Sterling Williams!”
Sterling rose from his seat on the stage and walked to the microphone, where he shook hands with the Headmaster. The crowd’s applause was thunderous. The Headmaster stepped from in front of the microphone podium, and motioned for Sterling to take over.
“Thank you,” Sterling told the crowd, as he stepped in front of the microphone. “It is with great pleasure that I present to you, the Sterling Barrington Williams Library and Research Learning Center. It is my sincerest hope that this center will serve to enrich the minds of many generations of future leaders. From this center, my greatest hopes spring. Perhaps the seeds of a cure for cancer, or diabetes, or Alzheimer's disease will be planted in a young mind. From this center, perhaps the cure for spinal bifida, cerebral palsy, or many other chronic and debilitating diseases will be realized. Hope springs eternal, as a result of our faith in our young people. May this center be the well head for our hopes and dreams.”
The Headmaster handed Sterling a giant pair of scissors, and the two of them turned toward a giant red ribbon that was tied to the building’s double glass entrance doors.
A Catholic priest stepped forward and made the sign of the cross. “May the Lord bless this learning center, and all of the young men that it serves. May they go forward and do the Lord’s work. May His Grace, and goodness, and mercy guide them, and follow them all the days of their lives.”
The Headmaster waved his hand toward the ribbon, giving Sterling the signal to cut it. Sterling lifted the massive scissors and cut the giant ribbon to thunderous applause.
“And may I present, the center’s namesake, and my inspiration,” Sterling told the crowd. “My son, the love of my life, my hope, my dream, everything that was ever good, and pure, and decent about me. My son, Sterling Barrington Williams III!”
The audience applauded wildly as Third made his way up to the podium and hugged his dad.
“And now, a tour of our new library and learning center!” the Headmaster said proudly. He waved his hand toward the entrance, inviting the attendees inside.
“Sterling! Sterling!”
Sterling turned in the direction from which the voice came. It was Brittany’s boyfriend.
“David, right?” Sterling asked.
“Yeah!” David said, shaking Sterling’s hand. “Wow, nice library!”
“Thanks.”
“Must have set you back a pretty penny,” David told him.
“It did,” Sterling said, running his hand over Third’s waves. “But it was worth it.”
“I had no idea that you were the Sterling Barrington Williams, CEO of Vespasian International,” David told him. “I mean, Kim said you worked for Vespasian, but I had no idea that you were the CEO, Chairman, and majority shareholder. I don't want to sound like an asshole, but I always imagined Sterling Williams to be some old, rich, White guy. This is crazy! I’m impressed!”
“What brings you here today?” Sterling asked.
“I teach a couple of classes here,” David told him.
“You’re a physician.”
“And they pay me very well to teach an anatomy and biology class here,” David told him. “I had no idea that Third was your son. He’s a very bright student. One of my best.”
“Thank you.”
“Wow, I just can’t believe this,” David said again. “You’re Sterling Williams!”
“Yes, I am…”
David leaned in. “What does it feel like to be around all of those supermodels?”
Sterling laughed heartily. “My job is not like that. There’s nothing glamorous about running Vespasian. It’s just like any other CEO job. Endless meetings, a telephone glued to your ear, too many nights in hotels, and too much paperwork.”
“C’mon, Sterling, you can’t fool me!” David said nudging him. “I see the way all you clothing gurus are surrounded by gorgeous models all the time. You guys are the luckiest guys in the world. All the models, the Italian suits, the Ferraris, the fashion shows, the champagne, the exotic locations. That’s the way to live.”
Sterling laughed. “It’s not all glitz and glamor, let me just say that.”
David turned toward the building. “Well, let me just say this, you’ve put your money to good use with this library. My new office is going to be located here.”
“Well, then I expect you to give a sizable donation to help fill the library with books.”
“The dean has already hit me up for fifty grand,” David smiled.
“Sterling!”
Sterling turned. It was Wilson.
“Great speech!” Wilson told him. “Hey, Third, how you doing, my man?”
“Good!” Third said, hi-fiving Wilson.
“Wilson, this is David,” Sterling said, introducing the two.
“Good to meet you,” Wilson said, exchanging handshakes.
“My pleasure,” David told him.
“Sterling, I just talked to Italy,” Wilson told him. “Gianna and Amerigo have already left for Vegas. They’ve sent all the clothes ahead by private carrier, and I've talked to Ford. We’ve got the models that we requested.”
“Great,” Sterling told him. “Did they give you a peak at what we’re debuting this fall?”
“No,” Wilson huffed. “They were under orders not to show anyone.”
“Good. I want everyone surprised. Our fall lineup is going to take the fashion world by storm.”
“And you’re not even going to give me a hint?” Wilson asked.
Sterling shook his head slowly. �
��Let’s just say, we’re going to blow everyone out of the water. They are all going in one direction, and our new look is going to take us in a completely different direction.”
“I guess that’s good news. Now for the bad news,” Wilson smiled. “You have to get out of here tomorrow morning.”
“What?”
“The only flight the girls could get at this time.”
“I need a private jet,” Sterling said. “I knew that I should have commissioned one a long time ago.”
“We’ll take care of that this year,” Wilson told him. “With the new lines, you’ll really need one now. But in the meantime, you need to get packed and get ready to get out of here.”
“Can I at least tour the building that I paid an arm and a leg for?” Sterling asked with a smile.
Wilson waved his arm toward the building in dramatic fashion and bowed slightly. “Your building, your highness.”
“Thank you,” Sterling smiled. He and Third walked into the building to began their tour.
Chapter Twenty One
The Magic Show was the premiere trade event for the international fashion industry. It was a place where over 20,000 product lines were displayed, and where some of the world’s biggest fashion trends emerged. It was at Magic where Tommy Hilfiger first embraced the hip hop style, introducing oversized sweatshirts and baggy jeans. It was where Ralph Lauren introduced his iconic Polo Shirt, and where the world was first introduce to the bell bottomed jean. The Magic Show brought together international fashion giants, small boutique fashion houses, trade suppliers, distributors, designers, models, retailers, buyers, and numerous other industry insiders. It was the place where Hollywood and high fashion met to decide the new trends in the fashion world.
One of the most anticipated parts of Magic, were the fashion shows. It was in the main hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, where tomorrow’s trends were put on display. It was here, where industry insiders could make or break a designer’s hard work for the year. A couple of nods from the right people could launch a designer or a new line into the stratosphere, while a couple of frowns or pursed lips could sink them into the abyss.
“There’s my boyfriend!” Kim said, walking up behind Sterling.
Sterling turned and hugged her. “We’re up next.”
Kim could feel the tension in his body. “Nervous?”
“A little,” Sterling told her. “This could make or break our season. We’re going for a whole new look, and introducing a whole new line. This is going to be called The Vespasian Ivy Collezione.”
“Vespasian Ivy Collezione?” Kim asked, trying to pronounce the words in proper Italian, while lifting an eyebrow.
Sterling nodded. “It brings together the world’s of Italian high fashion, and Ivy League dress. Think nerdy, yet sophisticated. Think Oxford, meets Saville Row meets Milan. Think argyle and tweed, merged with fitted Italian suits.”
“I’m having a hard time picturing this look,” Kim told him. “I’m going to have to see it.”
“Well, we’re up next,” Sterling said nervously.
Behind Sterling, Wilson paced back and forth nervously.
“And now, ladies and gentlemen,” the announcer said, “Presenting Vespasian new fall line up. The Ivy Collezione!”
The first model that walked onto the stage was male. He wore a fitted Italian suit, with an argyle tie, matching argyle socks, and tortoise shell eyeglasses. He also had shell toe shoes, and an argyle sweater tied around his neck. His heavily moussed hair was messily styled around his head, while his walk was timid and nervous. He pulled off the Nerd in the tight Italian suit look perfectly.
The next model on the stage, wore a gray tweed blazer, gray Italian slacks, with matching argyle socks, tie, and pocket square. Again, the model wore tortoise shell frames, and had his moussed hair spiked into a nerdy do. He also had an argyle sweater tied around his waist. The crowd went wild.
The next model was a female. She wore a full length dress skirt, with a tweed blazer, a turtleneck sweater, tortoise shell glasses, argyle socks, and a pair of brown suede clogs. Her hair was pinned up, and she walked timidly down the runway carrying a brown suede book bag. Again, the look was a success.
Vespasian model after model made their way down the runway to thunderous applause.
“Looks like your fall line is a success,” Kimberly said, hugging Sterling.
Gianna leaped into Sterling’s arms after Kim was done with her hug. “They love it!”
“You and Amerigo did a fantastic job!” Sterling told her.
Wilson hugged Gianna, lifting her off of the floor and spinning her around. “Bravo! Fantastico!”
Hugs and congratulations went around the Vespasian staff.
“Sterling, wonderful job,” said one gentleman, patting him on his back as he walked by.
“Thanks,” Sterling told him. He turned toward Kimberly. “So, what did you think? Honestly.”
“Honestly?” Kim said hesitating. “I thought that it was awesome! I can’t believe you pulled that look off. It was very chic, very modern, yet classy. The blazers, the argyle, the Birkenstocks, the tweed, the tortoise frames, the shell toes, and wing tips, all blended together with Italian elements. It was crazy.”
“Urkel meets Versace?”
“Yeah!” Kim nodded. “It was like blending two things that you would have never thought went together. Like a damn Reese's Peanut Buttercup. Who would have thought peanut butter and chocolate went together? I would have never imagined combining the elements that you combined in this show. It was fantastic. And those fitted Italian suits, those are to die for. Those alone are going to sell like crazy.”
“Sterling, to your right!” Wilson told him.
Sterling peered over his right shoulder, to find two gentlemen lifting their champagne glasses in toast to him. He nodded in appreciation.
“Who is that?” Kim asked.
“That, my dear, is Alain and Gerard Wertheimer,” Sterling told her.
“Wertheimer?”
“Chanel,” Sterling explained. “Those gentlemen, own Chanel.”
“There’s Marc Jacobs talking to Tom Ford,” Wilson whispered into Sterling’s ear. “They’re eating their hearts out!”
“I just received hugs from Alber Ebaz and Michael Kors,” Gianna told them.
“We did it, Sterling,” Wilson said giddily. “We flipped the show on its head.”
“Everyone was showing dark colors,” Gianna pointed out. “Ugly, dark, floral patterns, and navy, forest green, and black. I knew that we should go with our basic browns, beiges, and tans, and mix them with tweeds and argyle patterns. Bringing in a New England look, with European flair was the right thing to do.”
“And you were right,” Sterling told her.
“We need you here full time, Gianna,” Wilson told her.
Gianna shook her head. “Italy is my home. I can’t imagine not living in Europe, and being able to take the train to France, Switzerland, and Germany. Not being able to go to Rome? Forget it!”
“You know that you’ve just won Designer of the Year by the Council of Fashion Designers of America?” Amerigo asked Sterling.
“How do you figure that?” Sterling asked.
“Everyone is talking about your show,” Amerigo told him. “If you don’t win it, then they are crazy. If I were you, I would quite America and go and live in Italy!”
“Calm down, Amerigo,” Wilson said smiling and placing his hand on Amerigo’s shoulder. “But I do agree with you. Vespasian should win design house of the year. And you and Gianna should get designers of the year, male and female. Sterling should be asked to be president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America in the least.”
“Okay, before you all plan the rest of my life, I’m going to hit the bar,” Sterling told them. He held out his arm, and Kim clasped it. The two of them headed for the bar in another section of the massive convention center.
“When did you get into town?” Sterling a
sked.
“Late last night,” Kimberly told him. “And you?”
“Yesterday morning.”
“How was the Gucci party last night?”
“It was a blast,” Sterling told her. “They always throw excellent parties. Plenty of champagne, A- list entertainment, plenty of celebrity star power, the works. Gucci pulls out all the stops when it comes to throwing big bashes for the industry.”
“Who did they have for entertainment?”
“Wyclef, John Legend, Mary J. Blige, Eric Clapton, Elton John, and about half a dozen others.”
“Wow! I’m sorry I missed that!”
“Mary was wearing Vespasian, and so was Kiesha Cole,” Sterling said proudly. “I believe Eric was also.”
“Congratulations on the show back there. You were a big hit.”
“Thanks. I’m just glad that you showed up. I was a nervous wreck before you showed up.”
“Oh, come on now, Sterling. You’ve done this a million times, so I know you couldn’t have been that nervous.”
“I was,” Sterling nodded. “But you gave me strength, and confidence, like a good woman should.”
“Are you going to start this again?”
“Start what?”
“All the compliments?” Kim smiled. “Making me feel good about myself?”
“You should feel good about yourself.”
Kimberly nodded. “I do. I got a surprise for you too.”
“Oh really?” Sterling asked, lifting an eyebrow. “A surprise for me? I like surprises. Cough it up.” Sterling began feeling on Kim.
“Stop it!” Kim said, pushing his hand away. “It’s not that type of surprise, silly!”
“I still want to feel on you though!” Sterling said, reaching for her again.
“Octopus!” Kim shouted, shoving his hands away again. “Can you control yourself?”
“Until when?”
“Until tonight,” Kim said, giving him a seductive smile.
“I guess I’ll have to wait then,” Sterling told her. “So, what’s the surprise?”
“I got a promotion.”
“A promotion?” Sterling scooped her up into the air and twirled her around. “Baby, that’s fantastic! I’m so proud of you! And happy for you too!”
Just Another Damn Love Story Page 13