Darcey’s thoughts came like a bullet train--fast, drowning out the sound in the room. Her mind felt cloudy and she wasn’t sure she could articulate her words anymore.
"Wait a second, what do you mean, escort girl? Are you saying the job isn't a writing job? Did you mean…?” Her voice trailed off. She thought it was too crazy. “Escort? Like a lady prost…?!”
"No, not really, Jack isn't a sleazy guy. He’s just not interested in relationships but he does need a companion to his business meetings and such.” It was Nathan’s turn to tilt his head, a look of complete confusion on his face as he stared back into her eyes.
Darcy raised both hands in surrender and shook her head remembering Mr. Carlisle’s name. "Wait a minute. Mr. Carlisle. He is your friend right?”
Nathan shook his head, look even more confused.
She pressed on, “Are you telling me I was applying to work as an escort girl for your friend Jack and not a publishing company? And your friend isn’t a Mr. Carlisle?”
Her eyes showed disbelief. His face mirrored hers. He shook his head and took another sip from his drink, gulping more this time.
Someone rushed to their table, interrupting the tense air between them. It was Luis.
"Oh my gosh, I am so, so so sorry. I gave you the wrong venue. I meant to send you to Café Royal in Piccadilly Circus. I’m the one meeting someone here. When I tried phoning you back your phone was dead. I called Mr. Carlisle and explained what happened and he understands,” Luis explained, talking quickly.
Luis handed Darcey a calling card. The elegant font said “Mr. James Carlisle Trust Publishing House”.
Nathan cleared his throat, making his presence known. Luis noticed him and, with piqued curiosity on his face, asked, "Do I know you? Are you a friend of Darcey’s”.
Luis looked between Nathan and Darcey, as if he was trying to work out what the two were up to. He seemed to realize there was something wrong with the picture.
Darcey looked at Nathan who was now smiling. An amused expression was on his handsome face. He looked pleased, relieved even. Gone was the cold look of a boss, it was replaced with a relaxed smile.
She felt so embarrassed and tried to rectify the misunderstanding. "I’m so sorry I wasted your time Mr. Cromwell. It looks like I won't be working for your friend Jack after all.” Her face never felt so hot, her hands so clammy.
"I’m very glad as well, because Miss Vaughn.” Nathan was obviously amused, he looked very pleased. “I don’t know what to say to this, but I wouldn’t hire you anyway.” This time there was a full-on grin, his charming lips caught Darcey’s attention once more.
Was he serious? Was he mocking her? She felt so embarrassed.
The same stranger happened to embarrass her twice in a span of one hour. Darcey stood up, fighting the urge to curtsey and, with all the pride left in her, she held her head up high and grabbed her friend Luis' hand.
Luis face registered bewilderment. He was clearly trying to understand what was going on.
She dragged her friend away from the most embarrassing moment of her life. It wasn’t the humour of the situation that was getting to her, or the humiliating misunderstanding that she cried over, or the fact that she mistakenly applied for an escort job. What bothered her the most was that he said he wouldn’t be hiring her.
I cannot believe this. How do I expect to get a decent job when I won’t even get hired as an escort lady. And who, does he think he is!
Chapter 4
Later that evening Trisha joined Luis and Darcey at their usual hub and favourite place in whole of London, The American Bar at the Savoy.
While many American Bars opened throughout London, thanks to the popularity of transatlantic travel at the turn of the twentieth century, the posh American Bar at The Savoy was the longest surviving of all these bars. It was one of the most iconic cocktail bars anywhere in the world.
It was also close to where Trisha worked, whenever she wasn’t in their other Canary Wharf offices. Luis loved it because it was a walking distance from his flat in Soho and, luckily for Darcey, there was a night bus that stopped in front. The bus would stopped directly in front of her flat. She didn’t have to pay the expensive cab home.
The American Bar boasted to be the only place in all of London where the traffic came from the left, similar to how it is in America and the left-hand drive.
Smiling faces greeted them. The bellhops knew the trio. Darcey and her friends often did lunch and brunches and afternoon tea there. The waiters and the concierge knew them by name, especially Luis.
On the left side, as soon as anyone walked in the bar, were pictures of the Hollywood stars who’ve visited. It was like a mini museum of all the who's who, big celebrities that stayed and partied at the hotel.
The three friends sat at their usual corner just behind the piano man, a big crush of Luis. The seats were plush, the decor carefully chosen to give the allure of Old Hollywood. The walls were decorated with vintage photographs of A-listers Humphrey Bogart, Liz Taylor, Shirley Temple and Audrey Hepburn.
The lights were dim, darkened to give off a romantic jazzy atmosphere. It almost felt like being in a different time inside. The people in the bar were either hotel guests, a few men in suits, older ladies celebrating some occasion. There was a table of four women, all wearing brightly coloured dresses, probably hoping to find some good looking single men. Loud laughter came from their table every few minutes. A few yuppies were chilling, looking to unwind after a long day at work.
Darcey and her trio had left their penchant for beer and excessive clubbing nights in their twenties. When they developed a yearning to relax with drinks, they usually went to places like The American Bar. It was more intimate and laid-back with its subtle preference in music and a more sophisticated--albeit pricey—and extensive list of vintage wines, whiskey and bourbons.
"We’re just getting old,” Luis said, eyeing the table of young giggly women with mild annoyance on his face. “Let's face it, my hips needs some lubrication. I feel rather like the tin man. And Darcey's alcoholic tolerance has gone from ‘20 shots still standing’ to two shots and I can no longer walk,“ he went on to say with his usual exaggeration, giving Darcey a pointed look.
"That's not true! I can still take at least five shots. I can still drink two glasses of red, and quote some Shakespearean verse word for word,” she retorted back with much indignation. "And, oh, by the way, you're paying for my drink and more because of what happened today." She gave him a smirk.
"Trisha should pay, she's makes the most money. What I earn is a fraction of her bonus.” Luis looked at Trisha who seemed to be enjoying the banter between the two.
“Didn't you say the merger went well?” Darcey took a sip from her drink.
Trisha shook her head and sighed, fake defiance on her delicate features. Trisha, blonde hair, blue eyes had all the markings of her Scandinavian heritage. Her parents moved to England when she seven. She and Darcey went to school together and became best friends.
“Fine, let’s get a bottle of Dom, my treat,” Trisha offered.
Luis couldn’t contain his excitement with the mention of his favourite Dom.
Trisha gave a passing waiter their order of the expensive champagne and said, “Let's celebrate the successful merger of my clients, whose information I cannot divulge for obvious reasons, but, more importantly, I need to hear from Darcey about Superman, living in her building."
Luis was looking at his phone but as soon as he heard what Trisha said, his neatly groomed eyebrows slanted upwards. He had a mock shock look as he glared at Darcey from his phone.
Darcey began her fairytale. "Well, as I walking into the elevator, I bumped into the most gorgeous guy on planet earth.” Eyes beaming with excitement and with rapid hand gestures, Darcey proceeded to tell her friends about her chance encounter with the handsome Dimitri.
"Oh dear! I now have higher expectations, carry on." Trisha giggled.
"So, I just got off the
shower, barely wearing anything on and a small towel wrapped around me. Then suddenly someone rang the bell and I opened the door without even thinking of wearing my clothes and there stood the guy who came to bring back my headphones, smiling. And he introduced himself as Dimitri." She sighed dreamily, hearts might as well had been popping out of her eyes. Luis showed the same dreamy sentiment on his face.
"He heard me when I called you today, Luis. He had the nerve to ask me about Superman living in our building I almost died of embarrassment." Darcey’s faced heated up.
Luis had sympathy. "Dahling, he probably thought you were being cute. This is perhaps the time you come clean and tell him your middle name is not Rose, but Embarrassing.” Chuckles erupted around their table.
“Besides, I think that ‘Mr. Carlisle, may I please apply to be an escort girl’ moment is quite mortifying than the ‘I think you look like Superman. May I please be your kryptonite’ moment!" Luis prattled on without blinking.
"Oh my gosh really, you applied to be an escort girl?” Trisha almost choked out her drink.
Trisha grinned as Luis told her about Darcey’s faux pas.
Darcey felt her face flush hotter. "I can't believe I told him about myself, without even pausing. I was rather talking to a shrink rather than a potential boss! ” She gave her friends details about the embarrassing meeting with Nathan.
"You know what else? He spilled coffee on me at the cafe and then I saw him again at the so-called interview. As if embarrassing me once is not enough!”
She placed her hands on her face then rubbed her temples. “I will get over it, the sooner the better.”
There were times when Darcey just wanted to rewind time and delete all her embarrassing moments and that day was climbing the charts as the day with the most embarrassing moments.
The waiter returned with champagne and poured it generously and meticulously into four delicate flutes.
"Luis, congratulations on getting that deal with the Concorde and for always trying to find me a job, thank you. You’re my favourite brother.” Darcey toasted and raised her glass. She then turned her attention towards Trisha who also raised her glass. “Trisha, for being the best girlfriend one could ever ask for. Congratulations for getting the accounts and, even when you’re busy, you always manage to pick up my phone calls. I’m so thankful for you."
Darcey choked. Even as a child, Darcey could be very sentimental and emotional. She couldn’t help but get teary-eyed at times. She carried on with her speech. "Sometimes, I feel lost, but you guys manage to remind me I’m not alone. I love you guys! To friendship."
She raised her glass and added, "To love and happiness."
Their glasses clicked and Trisha teased, “To Darcey, who will soon grow up. And to Superman!”
Luis, without missing a heartbeat, added, “To Mr. ‘I want to be your escort lady’.” They started laughing hysterically, taking sips from the delicate glasses.
Luis' face suddenly changed, he had a funny and almost animated look. Creases started to form. He talked just low enough for his friends to hear. "Speaking of the devil.”
Darcey followed his gaze. She gulped. Walking down the stairs was Nathan, dressed in the same bespoke suit he had on earlier. Beside him was another equally handsome man with a beautiful blonde in tow.
Nathan’s male friend began to talk to the hostess who directed them to a table.
Nathan scanned the room. Darcey wanted to hide under the table but she couldn’t take her gaze off him. In an instant he spotted Darcey and their eyes locked. She quickly looked away, pretending to not see him. She started to engage in small talk with Trisha, asking about the latest Mac lipstick. Trisha looked confused for a second but then got the hint. Luis sipped his champagne, humming a little tune that sounded like Darth Vader's tune in Star Wars.
While Darcey was being so animated, letting out a few exaggerated chuckles. She had her back to Nathan, hoping for the off-chance he hadn’t recognized her. Trisha looked up mid-conversation. Darcey turned her neck upwards, following Trisha’s gaze.
"Hello, Miss Vaughn. It seems the world is too small for us. Three times today we bumped into each other.” Nathan stood next to her table.
Darcey swallowed her embarrassment. “Yes, three times. I wonder which one of us is the luckier one.” She wanted to sound funny.
"Mr. Cromwell. Let me introduce you to my friends.” Darcey motioned to her right. “Trisha James and Luis Santander. Guys, this is--” She stopped, forcing herself to breathe.
“Nathan Cromwell, pleasure to meet you." Nathan answered for her and shook Trisha's hand then Luis's.
"Ah, yes. Sorry about today, it was entirely my fault," Luis explained. “Although Darcey seems to be inviting a lot of mishaps lately."
“I thought she was rather unforgettable,” Nathan’s replied. Trisha subtly raised one manicured brow at Darcey and gave a small smile. Luis pretended to look serious, so serious he seemed anything but.
Nathan’s eyes twinkled so much they matched the light from the chandeliers. “By the way, Jack already hired Jenna."
Darcey gave him an innocent look. “I’m glad you found the right person for the job. And sorry I didn’t match your expectations,” she added with pure sarcasm dripping from her words. “Your friends are waiting.”
Nathan nodded and gave a small bow. “Pleasure to meet you.” With that he walked towards his companions.
The trio carried on their drinking and chatting, trying to avoid looking towards Nathan’s table. Darcey sneaked a peek to observe the blonde with Nathan and his guy friend. She was gorgeous, a human Barbie.
Yes, I definitely wouldn't have gotten the job. No wonder he thought I was not right for the job. The nerve.
She asked both Luis and Trisha, "Ok, I know I’m not escort material. But really, don't tell me just because we're friends. Am I really not?"
Luis was quick to reply, "Hon, you have glossy hair that’s always been the envy of other women, big chestnut eyes. Your nose is not too pointy, a bit cute, and you have creamy skin. If I were straight I'd ask you out myself." He pronounced his compliments with such assurance.
Trisha looked concerned. "Are you bothered the he wouldn't have hired you?” She took a look at Nathan’s table then back at Darcey. “You're more than what meets the eye. You’re intelligent, a loyal friend and someone to marry, not to hire as an escort lady. Besides, Superman sounds more exciting. So, carry on and tell me more about him."
Trisha motioned for the bill. A few minutes later the waiter came back and gave the bill to her. She glanced at the piece of paper that detailed the damage created that night. A look of disbelief formed on her face. She grabbed a glass of water and took a sip.
Luis and Darcey started to look worried themselves. “What’s the problem? Is it a lot? Here, let me split it with you,” Luis offered, taking his wallet from his pocket.
“No, it isn’t that. But this is a first.” Trisha’s reply brought confusion to the other two. She smiled and looked at Nathan’s table. Darcey followed her eyes.
“What? Did they give us someone else’s bill instead?” Darcey asked.
"No, sweetie, I think you have made quite an impression on ‘Mr. Can I be your escort lady’, Darcey." Trisha handed over the leather folder that was supposed to hold their bill.
Darcey took it and Luis peered over her shoulders to see the contents of the leather folder. The bill was paid and next to it was a calling card. It had Nathan's name printed on the simple yet elegant paper.
Darcey flipped the card. Handwritten on it was:
It was lovely meeting you three times today. And I was the luckier one. Coffee? I promise not to spill it this time. –Nate
Luis grabbed the bill holder. Darcey slowly looked towards Nathan, her heart beating, a warm and tingly sensation unexpectedly forming inside her. Nathan smiled, his eyes on her. His brows rose, giving his handsome face a look very similar to that of a little boy who just got caught red-handed.
Without thinking, feeling the butterflies in her tummy, Darcey smiled back.
She gave him a small nod. And she mouthed, “Thank you.”
Chapter 5
The next morning as scheduled, Darcey’s alarm blared, waking her up from a dreamy slumber. Her body protested, every muscle wanted to stay in and skip her jogging routine for the day.
Nothing seemed more appealing than curling up in bed and staying under her warm goose down duvet but Luis's warning from the previous night poked at her mind. He was talking about the body getting older, leading to a slower metabolism and more fat getting stored. This rang in Darcey’s ears like a fire alarm. She knew she had to regularly jog if she wanted to lose the weight gained over years of binge drinking and kebab eating. And all those crisps!
Be Mine This Christmas: A Lovers in London Book Page 4