Chapter Six
The clinking of expensive bottles of champagne could be heard ringing throughout the famous Blue Room of the Roosevelt Hotel.
Damien trailed his gaze around the opulent space, trying not to be overwhelmed or intimidated by the sea of wealthy partygoers.
He wasn’t some interloper. He’d paid handsomely for the opportunity to be there that night.
He deserved to sip expensive bubbly and nibble on food he couldn’t pronounce as much as the next person.
Yet, if someone offered to pinch him, Damien wouldn’t turn them down.
Who would have ever thought that the knucklehead who used to run the streets of the Ninth Ward would even be allowed to darken the doorstep of one of the Crescent City’s most illustrious hotels, let alone rub elbows with such an elite crowd?
Damien had gladly handed over the one thousand dollars it cost to attend this charity function for a local children’s cancer foundation. It was obvious that the foundation’s director, the daughter of a former governor, knew exactly the kind of people to target for tonight’s event.
There were businessmen and businesswomen representing every industry—from movers and shakers in the petrochemical sector to elites in the robust movie industry.
Members of New Orleans’s most prominent families bustled about, posing for pictures with each other, as if they had not seen the same faces at whatever society shindig they all attended last week.
There were even a few professional basketball players from the city’s NBA franchise towering above everyone else in the room.
While Damien enjoyed an exciting game of round ball every now and again, that wasn’t the sport on his radar tonight.
It was the owners of the city’s local minor-league baseball team that he was most interested in rubbing shoulders with.
Three of the four men who made up the McGowan Group were in attendance at tonight’s banquet.
He’d had a few minutes of Michael Berger’s attention during last week’s street fair, but his goal tonight was to get some serious face time with the men who could help turn his dream into a reality.
“This looks like the place to be for the rich and famous,” April said as she returned to his side after a trip to the ladies’ room.
Damien felt his breath quickening once again at the sight of her. He’d mentioned at the last minute that tonight’s event was black-tie, but he knew April would be able to pull it off. The venues where she’d played in the past often required that she dress like this.
What he hadn’t expected was for April to outshine every woman in the ballroom. But she did. She looked stunning.
Her muted silver gown wasn’t flashy like many of the others being paraded around the ballroom, yet its simplicity made it even more alluring. The silky fabric trailed over her curves with just enough give to not be considered slinky or inappropriate.
To be honest, Damien would have been okay with a little inappropriateness where her dress was concerned.
That thought would have shocked him just a few weeks ago, but it was par for the course when it came to his feelings about April lately. There would be no further denying it. Something had shifted between them. He wanted her in a way he’d never allowed himself to think about her before.
It started the night of the street fair, when he’d broken her fall on the crumbled sidewalk as he walked her home.
He couldn’t stop thinking about the way she’d looked into his eyes, or the faint shudder he’d felt as he’d held her close.
It wasn’t as if he’d never experienced such feelings before, but never with his longtime friend.
To feel this way about April was...different. But in a good way. A really good way.
The incident at her niece’s christening celebration further solidified the fact that their relationship was on the brink of becoming more than just friendship. Jason’s revelation, though prematurely cut short, had disclosed enough for Damien to put the puzzle pieces together.
He and April had yet to talk further about what Jason had divulged.
Damien had heeded her plea at the club the other night, backing off the subject.
But he wasn’t willing to let things go unsaid for much longer.
They would have to eventually discuss whether she’d really had feelings for him all this time.
And what that meant for their future.
“So,” April said as she took a sip from her champagne flute. “Who exactly are you targeting again?”
“Targeting seems like a harsh word,” Damien said.
“But accurate,” she pointed out. “There’s no need to sugarcoat anything, Damien.
Everyone in this ballroom has a motive outside of helping to fight childhood cancer.
The charity is what got them through the door, and thankfully, a group of much-deserving kids will be on the receiving end of some great benefits, but everyone knows that events like this are where deals are made.
Which is why,” she said, looking around the room, “I’m going to see if I can make a few deals of my own. ”
His head reared back. “What kind of deals are you looking to make?”
“You’re not the only one who can benefit from connections with the super-rich.
A Fresh Start is always in need of sponsors.
I figure if these bigwigs can spend a thousand bucks to attend tonight’s dinner, they can certainly shell out five hundred to sponsor new instruments for the music class and field trips for the kids.
” She looped her arm in the crook of his. “Now, shall we mingle?”
Damien barked out a laugh. “As you wish.”
Once again, just as it had been at the Art for Autism street fair, Damien was blown away by the skill with which April worked a room. She had the perfect balance of self-deprecating charm and charisma that made people fall over their feet in order to heap praise onto her.
She must have honed those skills during her years of performing at ritzy parties around the country.
She sure as hell didn’t learn them growing up in the Ninth Ward.
Damien was continually amazed at how different she was from the shy girl who’d sat next to him in English class.
She’d grown into a bona fide social butterfly.
Tonight she was hitting all the right notes. And with all the right people.
John Hiraku, a tech giant who’d moved his microprocessor company to New Orleans several years ago, made up one-fourth of the McGowan Group.
Damien had his team at Alexander Properties conduct extensive research on all four partners, and he knew it wouldn’t be easy to lure Hiraku.
The man was very deliberate in the type of investments he made.
And, unlike the other three members, Damien couldn’t find a single hobby or interest outside of business that he could use as a way to break the ice.
But the gods were smiling down on him tonight. Because, lo and behold, Hiraku turned out to be the biggest classical-music freak in the northern hemisphere. He’d reacted like a teenybopper at a One Direction concert when he realized he was in the presence of the April Knight.
“Ms. Knight, I’ll have you know that I was in the audience the night you played Carnegie Hall,” Hiraku said with a smile that stretched from Mississippi to Texas. “It was one of the most moving experiences of my life. You were absolutely phenomenal.”
“Thank you so much,” April said in a voice that oozed graciousness. She truly was a master at this. “That performance at Carnegie Hall was one of the highlights of my career. I’ll never forget how it felt to stand on that stage.”
“You were magnificent,” Hiraku said, still holding both of April’s hands.
He hadn’t let them go since their initial handshake.
Damien was pretty sure he’d hold her hands all night if April allowed it.
“I hope you get the chance to play Carnegie again. I would fly to New York at the drop of a hat to see it.”
“If I do, I’ll make sure you’re on the VIP list,” April said with a wink. She turned to Damien. “Mr. Alexander here is also a fan of classical music. That’s just one of the things the two of you have in common.” She moved over a few inches so that Damien could get a little closer to his target.
“You both are also great visionaries,” April continued. “Damien, maybe you can share some of your visions for the Ninth Ward with Mr. Hiraku.”
Oh, yeah. She was really, really good.
“Yes, yes,” Hiraku said. “You were telling me about your plans for the land just south of the Industrial Canal.”
This was it. His big shot. If he could get Hiraku on board, the other partners of the McGowan Group should be a piece of cake.
“I have huge plans for the area,” Damien started.
“I would love the opportunity to deliver a formal presentation to you and your business partners, but I can give you a preview right now. Essentially, my plans are to buy out the homes surrounding the lot, tear them down and build an all-inclusive residential and retail building. My goal is to target young middle-class families and single millennials who are moving to New Orleans.”
“Excuse me?” April said, her face a mask of confusion and disbelief. “You plan to do what?”
Damien released a nervous chuckle, but he ignored her question, focusing once again on John Hiraku.
“Structures such as the American Can Company in Mid-City and the Cottonmill in the Warehouse District have both successfully revitalized their neighborhoods. That’s what I want to do with the Ninth Ward. ”
Damien chanced a glance at April. And what he saw staring back at him chilled his blood.
She no longer looked confused. She looked mad as hell.
* * *