Chapter 23
“At what time is Alexandra picking you up?” Lionel asks me as he slides the razor across his stubble. We are both standing in front of the counter in the bathroom. While I braid my hair, he shaves. And it’s a sight worthy of admiration, more so knowing that he’s using the new shaving cream I made for him.
Nothing is sexier in my eyes. It isn’t just the towel that hangs low on his hips, nor his muscular arms, or his curly hair that’s still damp, and combed back.
No, I couldn’t choose one thing, it’s all him .
“You smell so good.” Those words come out of nowhere, I can barely remember what he asked me, how could I possibly focus when I have this sight right in front of me.
“Have you heard a thing I said?” he says, smirking, since I handed him the airtight glass container with my concoction, he has been using it, as well as the soap with the same aroma. “There is a line of masculine products created by a beautiful and talented woman, and they’re exclusively made for me.”
“Oh, yeah?” I play the game by getting a little closer to kiss his shoulder, as he does so many times with me. It really does smell so good. The combination of bergamot, honey, and mint suits him tremendously.
“Yes, just like the girl. They’re exclusively mine.”
His arm wraps around my waist as he kisses me, playfully covering my face with the traces of cream left on his. These past few days I haven’t been feeling the best, but I made sure to hide it well. I don’t want him to worry, the stress of everything we have been through must be wreaking havoc on my body, I must have caught one of those pesky viruses. No matter how much I sleep, I’m tired and yesterday the smell of watermelon had me throwing up what I had eaten for breakfast.
“We don’t have time for this,” I complain, his mouth trailing kisses down my neck and his hands already untying the knot on my robe.
“We can be fast and furious,” he murmurs, his lips still on my skin. “You smell great too, I want to be at the office knowing you’re on my skin.”
“Easy, tiger. We both have things to do,” I say, putting my hands on his strong chest. “Alexandra is coming to pick me up soon and you’re going to your office.”
It’s Thursday, Alexandra called me two days ago telling me she had secured an appointment, apologizing for not being able to do it sooner. Knowing how busy she is, I greatly appreciate that she’s making time to be my partner in crime in this adventure.
“You didn’t tell me what time she’s going to pick you up.”
“Before nine o’clock,” I reply. “According to her, she had to pull some strings so that they could see us on such a short notice. We should leave early.”
I hear Lionel muttering under his breath, complaining about my stubbornness.
But I’m delighted to do this with relative independence. I really like to feel that even when I hold his hand I have freedom. This new relationship that we are building is turning out to be much less suffocating than the previous one.
And much more exciting.
“Don’t forget to buy the dresses I told you about,” he insists again.
“Aye, aye, Captain,” I tease him a little, I know he has commitments that he must fulfill and that now he wants to do it accompanied by his wife, so I need to dress for the role as Alexandra told me. It’s not like I can go to investor dinners wearing long skirts, T-shirts, and Chucks. My usual outfits work for my everyday tasks, but not in this world I’ve been transported to.
Alexandra Conrad looks as stylish as if she just came out of a fashion magazine at eight-thirty in the morning, even though she’s wearing an informal outfit, as she labelled it.
“Are you ready?”
“Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed,” I reply. “By the way, can we stop by an ATM? I would feel much more comfortable doing it.de I’m on a budget.”
“No problem, my friend.” Then she turns to the man who is driving the brand-new luxury SUV. “Joe, you heard Mrs. Kral.”
Alexandra talks nonstop as the driver moves swiftly through the madness of rush hour traffic in the city. “I’ve arranged to go to a sample store downtown, and my stylist friend will meet us there. She’s going to help us develop this new version of you. Then we have an appointment at a hair salon in Santa Monica, with the same person who regularly does my hair and he’s a wizard with hair.”
“You have everything figured out,” I say with a smile.
“I do this for a living.” Her lips tug up, proud of what she does. “This is the world I move in, my little grasshopper, I have to be the best to stay on top.”
Her energy is contagious, and one thing is obvious to me. Empowered women, empower other women. I want to surround myself with more people like her and I want Valerie to meet her too. She’d like her very much. I should call and invite her to stay in the city for a few days, but I think it’s a little early to have someone else joining us at our home, even if it’s for a short time.
And I don’t want to limit my time with Lionel, we have barely gotten used to the idea and we both have to work.
Maybe Lionel sells millions of dollars an hour and I—on a good day—just a few hundred. But not once has he made me feel less important. On the contrary, he has put his company’s resources at my disposal because he wants to see me succeed.
“We’re here,” she announces when we enter a garage. Then two security men guide us to an elevator and from there through a maze of corridors to a room with white walls and a concrete floor where a short-hair girl dressed in jeans, black booties, and a white button-down shirt greets us with a smile.
“Alex, how nice to see you.” She turns to my friend first, then turns to look at me with curious eyes. “And you must be Stella. Welcome to the Los Angeles Fashion District, we’re going to have a lot of fun this morning, I’m June.”
Next, she guides us to a bubblegum pink velvet sofa in front of a triptych of full-length mirrors and beyond what appears to be racks full of clothing. At a glance, there is everything from evening dresses to jeans and a selection of tops and midi dresses.
I take the list from my handbag that I started yesterday afternoon before Lionel returned home. According to the research I did on Pinterest, what I need is a capsule wardrobe, basic garments that can be combined with each other, changing accessories to create many looks on a budget.
“You don’t have to worry about the budget, Mrs. Krall,” she says, and the shock is shown on my face. “Everything is taken care of.”
“What?” I can barely breathe. Silly me, with Alexandra’s help Lionel organized this for me. The man hasn’t been shy about spoiling me rotten.
“You’re a traitor.” My finger is pointing at her, but when a Cheshire Cat smile pulls up her mouth, I can’t help but smile too. There is no case, why should I fight it?
“Shall we start? There is no time to waste.” Lily knows how to do her job. I was afraid that she would try to dress me as someone I’m not, but she has followed my style and passed me clothes that suit my figure well and my taste.
My phone rings and I hope to see Lionel’s name appear, instead it’s Valerie’s name that flashes on the screen.
“I’ve become Cinderella,” I squeal as my eyes remain glued to the mirror, I can hardly believe that girl is me.
Instead of a fairy godmother and a legion of mice, the spell was cast by a dark-haired girl who uses the phone in her hands as a magic wand. Now, I just hope that unlike the story, it doesn’t disappear at the sound of the last chime of the clock.
“Don’t tell me that your husband got you a princess job at Disneyland,” she growls. I already imagine her through clenched teeth thinking of a thousand and one ways to finish off Lionel. “I already said that such a radical change was too much, the lion loses his hair…”
That makes me laugh. “Turn on FaceTime so you can see me.”
I see the icon appear on my screen and I press the little button so that she sees the same thing as I do in the mirror.
“Holy crap,” I hear her scream. “Tell me who the hell are you and what have you done with my best friend.”
“She has met a few people on the west coast,” Alexandra intervenes before I can reply. “Hi Valerie, I’m Alex. I hope to meet you very soon.”
Valerie’s face appears on my screen, she has her eyes wide open, like she just saw a ghost, or several, in any case.
“Alex,” she says after recovering. “You get Stella to buy that dress she’s wearing, we’ll be friends forever.”
Alexandra smiles, before answering. “Consider it a done deal.”
Valerie’s call couldn’t have come at a worse time. Between her and Alexandra, they made me try on each of the clothes that Lily had selected for me. In the end, I very carefully only buy what I need. Including some intimate apparel, shoes, bags, and other accessories.
“Speaking of friends.” Alexandra’s animated words fill the elevator, we’re done with the clothes, now we’re going to do something with the mop hanging from my head. “Two of my best friends from the east are going to come for the party. I have a girl’s day planed at the spa to get pampered for the party. Do you want to join us?”
I won’t miss the chance to surround myself with positive energy and courageous women, this is the perfect opportunity. Also…
“I’d like to discuss it with Lionel first, you know, for security and all.” I do want to, but I don’t want to forget everything else. “But I don’t think there’s going to be any problem.”
The gears in my head have started, I’m already making a plan. One that seems really good to me.
We don’t even have time to eat between appointments. After discussing potential looks with the hairdresser, Alexandra leaves. Life doesn’t stop and she has clients to attend to. It’s after four in the afternoon when I finish at the hair salon. Lionel is probably taking advantage that I’m not home to continue working in his office, so when the man who usually drives Lionel around is waiting for me at the curb, I don’t hesitate to ask him for anything.
“Could you take me to my husband’s office, please?”
“Of course, Mrs. Kral,” he replies as he looks at me in the rearview mirror for a couple of seconds.
Just over an hour later we are entering a fairly modern and beautiful four-story building. It has Lionel’s flair etched into every corner, from the bright blue glass covering the fa?ade to the gray marble floor that adorns the entrance.
“Mrs. Kral is here to see Mr. Kral,” my security detail tells the guard next to the access point. The people around me stare like I were a fairy or something. Everyone seems taken aback by the surprise wedding. I, on the other hand, am in awe of my husband’s workplace.
After a short elevator ride, we reached the floor where Lionel’s office is located.
“Mrs. Kral,” Hadley greets me as soon as she sees me. “We weren’t expecting you, Mr. Kral is on a call with some investors. I’ll let him know you are here.”
She looks quite puzzled by my presence. Or maybe it’s my appearance. Anyway, I’m not interested. I didn’t come to see her.
“Don’t worry, Hadley,” I say, taking my phone in my hands. “I’ll tell him myself.”
Without delay, I send a text message to Lionel. He immediately answers telling me to go see him. Hadley shows me a set of dark wood double doors down the hall.
As Hadley said, he’s on a call, as he continues to talk to two people on speaker phone, but all his attention is on me. His eyes light up when he sees me. This has been a good surprise. His eyes don’t lie.
The lion is on his throne, commanding his jungle of concrete and steel.
Lionel is sitting at his desk, so that’s where I’m headed. He has removed his jacket and has the sleeves of his shirt rolled up to his elbows. He has removed his tie as well, so that triangle of skin under his throat is in plain view and I want to put my lips on it. As soon as I’m within his reach, he takes my hand to settle me into his lap. Immediately he buries his face in my neck, filling his lungs with my perfume, then his lips caress me from top to bottom making my skin stand on end.
“Do you want us to go ahead with the auction proposal?” A man’s voice from the other end of the line fills the silence. “We have everything ready to proceed as soon as you give us the green light.”
Lionel smiles, the feline is about to devour its prey. Surely this is going to be a very good business deal.
“Several acres in Calabasas in a prime location,” he responds in a firm voice as his hand climbs up my white linen skirt. Hearing him speak like that awakens the butterflies that lately live in my stomach. “I know what they are offering me, but to continue working with their agency, I need to make sure they’re taking care of my money. For this to be profitable, we have to stick to a budget.”
The man talking to Lionel clears his throat before speaking again. “Our experience allows us to offer you the best service, you can rest easy, Mr. Kral.”
“Very good,” adds Lionel. “I hope to receive news tomorrow before the end of the day. On Monday I can send a surveying team to carry out work while we adjust the deeds and other legal issues.”
“Consider it done.”
Lionel ends the call without much ceremony. His hands take me by the waist to get up. He runs his eyes over me from head to toe and as he does this my heart speeds up.
His actions have the potential to escalate into more.
“How many houses are you going to build this time?” I ask him, showing interest in his work. I value his business as much as he does my own.
“Enough for my wife to buy many dresses like this.” And a soft kiss falls on my lips.
“I appreciate the interest, Mr. Kral. But I’m also proud to inform you that this has been purchased with my own money. I’m not a princess looking for her Prince Charming.”
“I’m glad, because I’m certainly not a prince, I’m the fucking king.”
“So modest, Mr. Kral,” I rebuke him and we both laugh.
“You look amazing,” he compliments me, a smile tugging at his sexy lips, his hand on mine, lacing our fingers together. A combination of pride and understanding shines in his dark eyes.
“I’m glad you like it.” I smile. I’m not wearing anything out of this world. It’s one of my purchases for the day, a white linen dress with a brown leather belt and flat sandals. This is my new favorite dress.
Also, I cut my hair down to the middle of my back and Pierre, the stylist who did my hair, cut a few bangles to frame my face, making me look neater.
“I love it.” He stands up, his eyes fixed on mine, his hands on my waist connecting our bodies. “As much as I love you.”
Hearing him say the L word makes me shudder. Since we reconciled, we have been very cautious in announcing our feelings, although the distance seems to be shorter and shorter with each passing day.
His lips touch mine and soon enough our kiss starts to get out of control, my fingers are in his hair, while he seeks to feel my skin with his.
“You were working and I need to go home.” I give him a gentle push, trying to pull myself together, his hands on my back not giving an inch. He isn’t willing to let me go. “I just wanted to show you the results of my excursion and also see where you work.”
The office is fancy and classy. On the walls hang old photos of the city and a heavy desk reigns in the space. Behind the leather chair I was sitting in when I entered there’s a huge bookcase full of special editions, the kind with spines printed in gold letters. The result is as imposing as the man who rules this place.
“You are such a tease,” he accuses me, but he’s the one tempting me. He knows how to touch me so that I’m unable to carry out my plans. When he kisses me like that, I’m unable to deny him anything. “But I should inform you, Mrs. Kral, that my work here is finished. So now I’m all yours, let’s go out for dinner. You look beautiful and I want others to see how lucky I am.”
His words make me feel very good. He’s a man to whom life has treated him kindly, even after a complicated beginning.
“We could just go home. You know, to start with dessert and all that.”
Yes, I’ve become a fiend who is not afraid to ask for what she really wants.
“That sounds great, but it turns out I haven’t had lunch and I’m sure you haven’t either. Let’s go eat something. I know for a fact that you will need that energy later.”
I don’t even have time to comment or ask him what this plan is, where I’ll need all my energy. Holding my hand, Lionel takes his suit jacket from a coatrack in the corner, and we leave the office, earning the glances of his employees.
I hope they get used to it. This is a scene that they will see many times in the future.
The future is ours and it’s at our fingertips.