Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
S aturday night, Antonio entered the Contemporary Arts Center excited about the plans he had pulled together for Operation Marry Scarlett. But first, he was attending a fashion show where she would be one of the models.
“May I help you find something?” a big, burly security guard asked just inside the lobby.
“Yes, I’m here for the fashion show.” Antonio showed him the VIP ticket that his cousin Jada had texted him. She was one of three featured designers for the event.
After glancing at the ticket, the security guard directed him to the Black Box Performance Theatre. Antonio thanked him, and a short while later, he was standing in the Lower Lobby Lounge, which was being used in addition to the theater.
The Arts Center might be closed to the general public, but there were plenty of people connected to this event who were rushing around to get everything in place. The lobby was set up with a long bar for cocktails and several tables strategically placed throughout the space. He thought he’d be the first to arrive, but others apparently had the same idea of getting there early.
Antonio readjusted the two-dozen pink and red roses in his arms and pulled out his cell phone. First, he texted Scarlett to see if there was a chance she could step out of the changing room. When she didn’t respond, he texted his cousin, Jada.
JJ, I’m here. Any chance I can see Scarlett for a minute?
She responded within seconds.
For you? Yes, but only for a minute, two max.
Antonio smiled at the message. He and Scarlett had already had plans for dinner when Jada begged Scarlett to fill in for her tonight. One of her models couldn’t make it. That left Jada scrambling to replace her with someone who was similar in size. When she first called Scarlett to ask the favor, Scarlett had said no because she had a date with him.
That’s when Jada reached out to him to beg him to tweak his plans with Scarlett for the evening so she could fill in. This was the second time Scarlett, a former model, had stepped in to help Jada. Once his cousin promised to give him a VIP ticket, putting him in the front row, Antonio conceded.
The change in plans worked well for what he had in mind for the evening. Scarlett knew they were going to dinner after the show, she just didn’t know details. It was all part of the surprise he had planned for her. With Martina’s help, he knew everything would come together perfectly.
Another text message came through.
Look for a woman with a spiked red mohawk standing near a door at the end of the hallway.
Antonio glanced around and immediately spotted the woman. He headed in that direction.
“Are you Antonio?” she asked when he approached.
“Yes.”
She lifted a finger. “Give me a second.” Disappearing inside the room, it took a few minutes for the door to reopen, and Scarlett appeared.
When she flashed him a smile, Antonio’s heart did a giddy-up. He knew from the first time he’d met her that she’d been out of his league—sophisticated, worldly, and drop-dead gorgeous. The type of woman you’d see in a magazine or on the big screen. Every time since then, he thought the same thing, but it wouldn’t stop him from shooting his shot with her.
It was clear he had caught her in the middle of getting ready. She was a woman who didn’t need makeup to enhance her beauty. Yet, whoever had done up her face, adding just the right amount of eye shadow, blush, and probably a host of other products, had out done themselves. She was even more stunning if that were possible, even with the large rollers in her hair.
“Hi,” she said.
“Hi, yourself. These are for you.” He handed her the bouquet of roses and watched as she brought it to her nose to smell. “I wanted to wish you luck on the show.”
“Antonio, this is so sweet. Thank you.”
Stepping partly out of the doorway, Scarlett gently tugged on the front of his sports jacket. Pulling him close, she planted a kiss on him that had his pulse beating faster. The way she loved on his mouth made him even more confident about the decision to make her his forever.
“Thanks for being so accommodating this evening,” she said when the kiss ended. “I’m looking forward to our date and by the way, you look extremely handsome.”
Antonio glanced down at his clothing as if he didn’t know what he was wearing. “Thank you. My woman dressed me tonight,” he said, and they laughed.
That Sunday in Miami, Scarlett insisted on all of them going shopping. Not only had she purchased a few items for him, Bella, and herself, she helped him pick what she called key pieces to add to his wardrobe. That included the blue plaid sports jacket, the silk-like black T-shirt beneath it, and a necklace made of black beads, which he was wearing with a pair of blue dress pants.
Never in a million years would he have chosen the outfit for himself, but he had to admit, he loved it. He felt GQ in it and might let her pick out all his clothes going forward.
“All right, baby. I better let you go before Jada comes out. I can’t wait to see you later. I’ll meet you near the entrance at the end of the show.”
“Sounds good, and thank you again, Tony,” she said, blowing him a kiss before easing back into the room.
As he retraced his steps, Antonio’s excitement for the evening continued to rise. He couldn’t wait until the fashion show was over. He wanted everything to go as planned, and he needed her to say yes when he popped the question.
When he returned to the lobby, he saddled up to the bar and ordered a scotch. Guests were starting to arrive, and he gave a head nod to a few people he knew, then he saw a couple of his cousins.
“Ladies, how’s it going?” he asked, giving each of them a kiss on the cheek.
“Hey, Cuz. What are you doing here?” Christina asked.
A painter by trade as well as a world-renown artist, she was dressed in her usual bohemian style. Her long, wild curls were held up with a colorful wrap around her head that kept them in place. It matched her long, flowy dress. Since they were kids, she always moved around life with a flower-child vibe. Peacefulness and calmness were a part of her and palpable whenever she was near.
“I never considered you a fashion show type,” Charlee, Liam’s wife said, checking out his attire.
Charlee was like Jada and Scarlett—a fashionista through and through. She might be very pregnant, but she could easily be one of the runway models. Pregnancy hadn’t affected her dressing to the nines whenever he saw her. The bold, royal blue dress that hugged her body, huge stomach and all, stopped just above her knees and had a cape in the same color. What set the outfit off was the black, wide brim fedora that matched her purse and shoes.
Charlee fingered Antonio’s jacket and smiled. “I have a feeling you had a little help pulling your outfit together. You’re looking pretty sharp there.”
Antonio chuckled. “What are you trying to say? I don’t normally look sharp?”
They all laughed, and Charlee lifted her hands. “Hey, I’m just saying, you look good, Cuz.”
“Thank you. Would you ladies like something to drink?”
Both said no just as someone announced the show would start in five minutes, and everyone should take their seats. When they entered the theater, Christina and Charlee were directed to the opposite side of the runway and he was escorted to the front row. That’s when he saw Jada’s husband, Zack. The retired NFL running back looked just as imposing in a suit as he did in a football uniform.
“What’s up, man?” Zack said and stood, giving him a fist bump. “I heard you’d be joining me in here. So you and Scarlett, huh? Things must be serious if she has you coming to fashion shows.”
“Yeah, things are going well.”
Attending a fashion show was definitely something he never thought he’d do. But he knew if Scarlett asked him to climb Mount Kilimanjaro with her, he’d do it. As far as he was concerned, she could ask anything of him, and he’d try to make it happen.
The show started on time, and the first models wore fashions from one of the other designers. The music was banging, and there were plenty of oohs and ahhs from the audience as the models strutted down the runway. But there was only one model Antonio wanted to see, and he anxiously waited.
When Scarlett finally came out to model Jada’s first outfit, Antonio almost swallowed his tongue. The sexy white dress barely covered her most precious assets, but damn if she didn’t look hot in it. The halter dress was made of a slinky material with a deep V-neck that exposed the rounds of her breasts and much of her chest. With her sexy, elegant stride, the deep splits on both sides of the dress exposed long, shapely legs, and Antonio was left breathless.
When she stopped at the end of the runway and turned, he had a clear view of her whole back considering the dress was open to just above her fine ass.
Damn . He loved her in the outfit. Hopefully, Jada would consider selling it to him. Then again, he wouldn’t be comfortable with Scarlett wearing it out in public, but she could wear it for him.
When she turned again, they made eye contact, and he flashed her a grin. She rewarded him with a sultry smile and a wink before walking back up the runway.
Oh, yeah. Tonight was going to be a night to remember .