Chapter Five: Part Three
The long intermission commenced with another whirlwind of introductions and compliments from strangers, all automatically catalogued by the part of Kate’s brain that did that. Dom’s smile and pressure through his elbow guided Kate through the experience as if she’d been born to it. He regarded her with pride as she began to take the initiative, confidently greeting by name those she’d met only once before.
The show concluded with an enthusiastic standing ovation, and after a third curtain call, the house lights came up and stayed bright. A lot of the men were taking deep breaths and many of the ladies were dabbing carefully at their eyes. A few moments later, they were heading towards the excitement of the after-performance gala. Juanita came close to Kate’s ear just before they entered the hubbub. ‘It’s feeding time and the hyenas are sniffing about. Be the top of the food chain.’
Kate walked on without reacting, processing Juanita’s words with a suitably neutral and happy look on her face. Looking around, she saw it. Photographers and reporters moved through the now far more relaxed crowd with a darker intent, seeking the intoxicated, the love struck, and the indiscreet.
To her left, Kate heard a woman laugh too loudly and saw her position instantly become the focus of a predatory movement of notepads and cameras. Blood in the water, she thought, flashing a smile discreetly in Juanita’s direction, answered by small nodding acknowledgements from Juanita and Edison. Red-Carpet 101, Kate thought, appreciating the care that her companions were taking of her. Reminding herself of all the good advice she’d been given for these moments, Kate relaxed, feeling Dom’s elbow still holding her hand gently.
From the corner of her eye, Kate saw ‘Edison Jr’ lightly tap Dominique’s back twice with his thumb as he brushed past. Edison and Juanita casually drifted away in one direction as Mason and Madison fell away in the opposite direction. Dom stepped back across Kate, leading her in a semi-pirouette, meeting the dazzling flash of a camera side on and standing tall. Behind the photographer was a woman with too many sequins on her jacket, and who was a little too mature for the style of makeup she was wearing.
‘Savagewood! You are a scoundrel for sneaking in and avoiding me! I want that beautiful angel on your arm in front of my camera right now, with your own sweet arse too! Don’t you even damn well try to charm your way out if it!’
Kate was interested to see how Dom would react to such an intimate intrusion. He smiled and asked the reporter innocently, ‘How could I possibly say no to you, Sonia?’ Then in hurt tones, he said, ‘You never return my calls! I was sure you had found someone more deserving of your attentions, and I have been in a deep depression for weeks. Even Ms Catherine has barely been able to get a smile from me, but now, here you are and I am happy again.’
Seeing the imbalance his banter had caused the already blushing woman, Kate felt a pang of empathy as the force of Dom’s charm overwhelmed her. Too late, Sonia, he already has you.
He theatrically proffered his arm to Kate, guiding her into the best lighting available. He could feel that Kate was feeling unsure of how to hold herself. Hidden from the camera’s view, he leaned in and whispered to her, ‘Just imagine her standing there in a leather bikini with a whip and a strap-on!’
His remark took Kate completely by surprise, and forgetting about the reporter, she looked at him; as the nearby camera strobed, her joyful laugh framed her face perfectly.
The photographer felt the thrill of knowing that he’d captured a perfect series of images to sell. He and Sonia knew that they had the headline image of the night. The reporter surreptitiously switched out the interview cards in her hand and set her recorder running, knowing that she had the interview to go with the images. Both journalists knew that their night had just become very profitable.
~~~~~
Sitting at the kitchen table and basking in the morning light, Kate felt oddly detached. The last twenty-four hours seemed more like an amazing movie than her real life, and were so far outside of her normal frame of experience that she struggled to categorise it.
Kate was answering Carrie’s question. ‘No. It wasn’t a date. I asked him straight out and he said it wasn’t. He and the Myers wanted to say thanks for what happened at his gig. He only kissed my cheek and my hand. They were all so …’
Dee’s hand slapped the table. Jumping in surprise, Kate realised that she had stopped in mid-sentence again. Dee had never been guilty of displaying excessive patience. ‘Katie-J, you had better start talking or else!’
Kate shook her head, had a sip of her coffee, and tried to lay it out from the start. Dee and Carrie’s happy interrogation went on through two cups of coffee, scrambled eggs on toast, and a little fruit salad. The day’s newspapers circulated around the table after breakfast, each gazing in turn at the pictures.
She and Dominique were the picture of the evening in every serious social column. Kate stared at the pictures of Dom and herself, still feeling like it was somebody else. It was as if the whole thing had been a glorious dream, and yet there she was in every paper.
~
“Dominique Savagewood and his flawless companion, Ms Catherine Jones, made a spectacular couple at Madame Butterfly’s Red-Carpet premier. In a star-studded evening…”
~
Two editorials went on to name their business, along with Dee and Carrie. The couturier’s boutique and Ms Killaine’s spa received mentions as well!
Carrie lit up her tablet and found many other images online, all with similar variations of the same captions. Kate explained. ‘Edison managed it. You can’t believe how smoothly they work together. There was a young guy there who just has to be Edison’s son. Exact copy, even the same serious eyes. Handsome bugger too. Moves like smoke, there and gone.’
Carrie took a fast breath in. ‘Holy crap! How savage are they? Do you know what happened?’ Kate knew Juanita’s scars were the subject even before seeing the image. Looking at the picture, Kate saw again how with Edison standing protectively by her side, Juanita let the camera see them.
Thinking aloud, Kate said, ‘No, but there is a lot of story there, Carrie. She has a presence that is palpable and has seen a lot. See the way she wears her hair to the other side so they’re not hidden? She’s proud of them. The weirdest thing was that after thirty seconds with her, I literally didn’t notice them again.’
‘Here’s one with the six of you. Wow, you look like a fixture in there.’ It was true. The men were standing behind the ladies, their tuxedos elegantly framing the three women perfectly in every image. Looking closely, even when it was just Dom and her, the serious young man was often in the background, mostly facing away from the camera. She found his face in one and zoomed in. There was no doubt left in her mind, his face was a perfect blending of Edison and Juanita’s features, and he was a perfect match to Edison’s size and build. Edison must have started training him when he was still crawling, she thought, recalling how invisibly he slid through the crowd.
Dee asked with her typical candour, ‘So, are they genuinely that nice, or is it wishful remembering?’
‘I asked myself the same thing in bed last night. They really are that nice. The respect and warmth between them is real. They all care. The weird thing was that in that group, Edison and Juanita were totally equals. Madison and Mason as well. Other times, Edison is so Dom’s man, but last night, they were all equals, like a really close family.’
‘So, what do you think that means?’ Carrie asked.
‘It means there is a lot of history there. They communicate with bloody telepathy most of the time, cueing like a flock of birds. Bang! A synchronised direction change, everything normal. It was like we were dancing and I just followed his lead. It was amazing, like a dream.’
Rising to prepare for their working day, they all agreed that it was a nice dream to have.
~~~~~
A state of relative routine in the amigas’ world reasserted itself and life went on. The next gig at Dom’s was so smooth and easy that the girls voiced their concern to him that they were taking his money unjustly. He assured them that he was well ahead on the results delivered and that he appreciated the give and take of business as much as anyone did. The summer social season was only months away and the functions would be much busier then.
~~~~~
Walking into Carrie’s queendom, her commercial-grade kitchen in their large apartment, Dee found Carrie and asked, ‘Is Kate around?’
Carrie shook her head, saying, ‘She’s scouting the venue for the Thompson wedding.’
Dee smiled. ‘Good. That was Juanita on the phone, from Dominique’s. We’ve just been booked for a long weekend instead of his next weekend gig. Thursday morning to Tuesday morning inclusive, a casual breakfast, lunch and dinner for us, eight to ten guests and for five others with a couple of possible plus twenties now and then. Apparently there’s plenty of help, so just you and I.’
Carrie looked at her with a hundred questions, but she let Dee get to her next thought. ‘We will have to do it without Kate though,’ she said cryptically. ‘Dominique wants her to be off for the weekend but he doesn’t want her to know until we get there. He likes his surprises.’
‘That sounds too easy. Where is it?’ Carrie asked.
With a growing smile, Dee said, ‘His own private island! It gets better; lunch is a cold platter. “You two deserve some time to yourselves,” is what the lady said. Private cabin and all facilities, baby. We get to enjoy ourselves too. Juanita said the name of the place translates to something like Magical Happiness. It’s their own private sanctuary.’
Carrie looked at her lover, feeling tears prickling in her eyes. ‘God, that sounds good,’ she said, breathing deeply. ‘We have been so busy. A few quieter days sounds so nice. Did you say he is paying us as well?’
‘She said that Dominique refuses to let our business suffer just because he wants to steal Kate away. He even insists on paying our staff their usual Saturday wages! Juanita said that they recognise our loyalty to Kate and understand what we mean to each other.’
‘So what do we have to do?’
‘Pack for the country, warm and cool. A pantry list is being emailed over and you get to add whatever you like to it, but from the sounds of it, there is plenty there already.’
They hugged, giggling like mischievous girls. Suddenly serious, Dee asked, ‘Are we feeding our Katie to the wolves?’
Carrie squared her shoulders and said, ‘No. The man feels honest. They all do. They speak and act with respect to everyone. When Suzette dropped those plates, Edison put her at ease instead of getting upset. When Savagewood found Corey playing his piano, he picked up a guitar and joined him for a jam. Could you imagine them treating anyone much differently? That kind of chivalry is rare. They might be wolves, but when I think about those photos, I think Catherine might just be able to keep up with that pack.’
‘Jeez, babe, you have really thought about this, haven’t you?’ Dee said.
‘I have a lot of thinking time when I’m playing with new recipes. We are definitely in a different world with these people. They seem to have all the money but none of the hang-ups. Could you imagine anyone else we gig for being even remotely like them?’
Dee looked at Carrie with soft eyes. ‘It’s no wonder I love you so much. Let’s clean up and get an early night.’
Both fell asleep that evening, content in each other’s arms and with smiles on their faces, dreaming of some island paradise called Magical Happiness.
~~~~~
The following two weeks passed in a blur of successful events, most of them for the city’s new mayor. He had been throwing ‘thank-you’ dinners almost every weeknight since the elections. Just days after the opera, his victory in the polls had been almost absurdly one-sided, receiving well over sixty percent of the primary vote. The other serious candidate and the incumbent mayor both conceded defeat less than two hours after counting began. The girls were busy, happy and building their name in all the right circles. Business was good and everything indicated it was only getting better.
~~~~~