Just Another Damn Love Story (17 page)

“Vespasian Ivy
Collezione
?”  Kim asked, trying to pronounce the words in proper Italian, while lifting an eyebrow.

Sterling nodded.  “It brings together the world’s of Italian high fashion, and Ivy League dress.  Think nerdy, yet sophisticated.  Think Oxford, meets Saville Row meets Milan.  Think argyle and tweed, merged with fitted Italian suits.”

“I’m having a hard time picturing this look,”  Kim told him.  “I’m going to have to see it.”

“Well, we’re up next,”  Sterling said nervously.

Behind Sterling, Wilson paced back and forth nervously.

“And now, ladies and gentlemen,”  the announcer said, “Presenting Vespasian new fall line up.  The Ivy
Collezione
!”

The first model that walked onto the stage was male.  He wore a fitted Italian suit, with an argyle tie, matching argyle socks, and tortoise shell eyeglasses.  He also had shell toe shoes, and an argyle sweater tied around his neck.  His heavily moussed hair was messily styled around his head, while his walk was timid and nervous.  He pulled off the Nerd in the tight Italian suit look perfectly.

The next model on the stage, wore a gray tweed blazer, gray Italian slacks, with matching argyle socks, tie, and pocket square.  Again, the model wore tortoise shell frames, and had his moussed hair spiked into a nerdy do.  He also had an argyle sweater tied around his waist.  The crowd went wild.

The next model was a female.   She wore a full length dress skirt, with a tweed blazer, a turtleneck sweater, tortoise shell glasses, argyle socks, and a pair of brown suede clogs.  Her hair was pinned up, and she walked timidly down the runway carrying a brown suede book bag.  Again, the look was a success.

Vespasian model after model made their way down the runway to thunderous applause.

“Looks like your fall line is a success,”  Kimberly said, hugging Sterling.

Gianna leaped into Sterling’s arms after Kim was done with her hug.  “They love it!”

“You and Amerigo did a fantastic job!” Sterling told her.

Wilson hugged Gianna, lifting her off of the floor and spinning her around.  “Bravo!  Fantastico!”

Hugs and congratulations went around the Vespasian staff.

“Sterling, wonderful job,” said one gentleman, patting him on his back as he walked by.

“Thanks,”  Sterling told him.  He turned toward Kimberly.  “So, what did you think?  Honestly.”

“Honestly?”  Kim said hesitating.  “I thought that it was awesome!  I can’t believe you pulled that look off.  It was very chic, very modern, yet classy.  The blazers, the argyle, the Birkenstocks, the tweed, the tortoise frames, the shell toes, and wing tips, all blended together with Italian elements.  It was crazy.”

“Urkel meets Versace?”

“Yeah!”  Kim nodded.  “It was like blending two things that you would have never thought went together.  Like a damn Reese's Peanut Buttercup.  Who would have thought peanut butter and chocolate went together?  I would have never imagined combining the elements that you combined in this show.  It was fantastic.  And those fitted Italian suits, those are to die for.  Those alone are going to sell like crazy.”

“Sterling, to your right!”  Wilson told him.

Sterling peered over his right shoulder, to find two gentlemen lifting their champagne glasses in toast to him.  He nodded in appreciation.

“Who is that?”  Kim asked.

“That, my dear, is Alain and Gerard Wertheimer,”  Sterling told her. 

“Wertheimer?”

“Chanel,”  Sterling explained.  “Those gentlemen, own Chanel.”

“There’s Marc Jacobs talking to Tom Ford,”  Wilson whispered into Sterling’s ear.  “They’re eating their hearts out!”

“I just received hugs from Alber Ebaz and Michael Kors,”  Gianna told them.

“We did it, Sterling,”  Wilson said giddily.  “We flipped the show on its head.”

“Everyone was showing dark colors,”  Gianna pointed out.  “Ugly, dark, floral patterns, and navy, forest green, and black.  I knew that we should go with our basic browns, beiges, and tans, and mix them with tweeds and argyle patterns.  Bringing in a New England look, with European flair was the right thing to do.”

“And you were right,”  Sterling told her.

“We need you here full time, Gianna,”  Wilson told her.

Gianna shook her head.  “Italy is my home.  I can’t imagine not living in Europe, and being able to take the train to France, Switzerland, and Germany.  Not being able to go to Rome?  Forget it!”

“You know that you’ve just won Designer of the Year by the Council of Fashion Designers of America?”  Amerigo asked Sterling.

“How do you figure that?”  Sterling asked.

“Everyone is talking about your show,”  Amerigo told him.  “If you don’t win it, then they are crazy.  If I were you, I would quite America and go and live in Italy!”

“Calm down, Amerigo,”  Wilson said smiling and placing his hand on Amerigo’s shoulder.  “But I do agree with you.  Vespasian should win design house of the year.  And you and Gianna should get designers of the year, male and female.  Sterling should be asked to be president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America in the least.”

“Okay, before you all plan the rest of my life, I’m going to hit the bar,”  Sterling told them.  He held out his arm, and Kim clasped it.  The two of them headed for the bar in another section of the massive convention center.

“When did you get into town?”  Sterling asked.

“Late last night,”  Kimberly told him.  “And you?”

“Yesterday morning.”

“How was the Gucci party last night?” 

“It was a blast,”  Sterling told her.  “They always throw excellent parties.  Plenty of champagne, A- list entertainment, plenty of celebrity star power, the works.  Gucci pulls out all the stops when it comes to throwing big bashes for the industry.”

“Who did they have for entertainment?”

“Wyclef, John Legend, Mary J. Blige, Eric Clapton, Elton John, and about half a dozen others.”

“Wow!  I’m sorry I missed that!”

“Mary was wearing Vespasian, and so was Kiesha Cole,”  Sterling said proudly.  “I believe Eric was also.”

“Congratulations on the show back there.  You were a big hit.”

“Thanks.  I’m just glad that you showed up.  I was a nervous wreck before you showed up.”

“Oh, come on now, Sterling.  You’ve done this a million times, so I know you couldn’t have been
that
nervous.”

“I was,”  Sterling nodded.  “But you gave me strength, and confidence, like a good woman should.”

“Are you going to start this again?”

“Start what?”

“All the compliments?”  Kim smiled.  “Making me feel good about myself?”

“You
should
feel good about yourself.”

Kimberly nodded.  “I do.  I got a surprise for you too.”

“Oh really?”  Sterling asked, lifting an eyebrow.  “A surprise for me?  I like surprises.  Cough it up.”  Sterling began feeling on Kim.

“Stop it!”  Kim said, pushing his hand away.  “It’s not that type of surprise, silly!”

“I still want to feel on you though!”  Sterling said, reaching for her again.

“Octopus!”  Kim shouted, shoving his hands away again.  “Can you control yourself?”

“Until when?”

“Until tonight,”  Kim said, giving him a seductive smile.

“I guess I’ll have to wait then,”  Sterling told her.  “So, what’s the surprise?”

“I got a promotion.”

“A promotion?”  Sterling scooped her up into the air and twirled her around.  “Baby, that’s fantastic!  I’m so proud of you!  And happy for you too!”

“Thank you,”  Kim said gushing.

“We have to go out and celebrate!”  Sterling said excitedly.  “You pick a place.”

Kimberly shrugged.  “I don’t know any places in Vegas.”

“Don’t worry about it.  I’ll have my secretary find us the finest restaurant in town, and make us reservations for tonight.  We are going to celebrate big time!”

“I couldn’t have done it without you,”  Kim told him.

“Yes you could have, and you would have.”

“Sterling, you always talk about how I give you strength.  Well, you give me that and much more.  You’re my inspiration.  I get out of bed in the morning with a smile on my face because of you.  Thank you so much.  I thank the Man Upstairs everyday, for bringing you into my life.”

“You and me both, baby,”  Sterling told her.  He leaned in, and the two of them kissed passionately.

Chapter Twenty Two

“Happy Birthday, Brittany!”  Mia shouted, as she entered the room carrying a massive white sheet cake.

“Okay, whose idea was it to put all of those candles on my cake?”  Brittany asked.

“David’s!”  Kim said pointing.

Brittany punched her boyfriend in his shoulder.

“That’s a gorgeous cake!”  Kimberly declared.

“That thing can feed an army!”  Shaun added.

“Awwww, thanks, guys!”  Brittany said, peering around the room.  “You guys are the best friends a girl could ever dream of having.”

“You’re worth it, Brit!”  Kim said.

“Yeah, every bit of it!”  Mia said, hugging Brittany.

The doorbell rang, and Kim raced to the door and opened it. 

“Happy Birthday!”  Kendall shouted, as she entered the apartment carrying a large present.

“Happy Birthday, girl!”  Geri said, also entering the apartment with a large wrapped gift.

“Thanks, guys!”  Brittany shouted from across the room.

“Presents are in the bedroom!”  Kim said pointing.  “You can just set them on the bed to get them out of the way for now.”

Brittany’s cousins, Anna, and Markova pushed the door open, just as Kimberly was about to close it. 

“Happy Birthday!”  they shouted in unison.

Kim pointed toward the bedroom.  “Gifts in the bedroom.”

Markova hugged Kim.  “So good to see you.”

“You look good, girl!”  Kim replied.  “Are you still with Ford?”

Markova nodded.  “Have you seen my latest add for Cover Girl?”

“I saw that!”  Kim said excitedly.  She hugged Markova.  “You looked drop dead gorgeous in that commercial.  Your hair was to die for!”

“She looks rail thin!”  Anna said of her sister.  “They are starving her.”

“You’re not exactly a piglet yourself,”  Kim said, examining Anna. 

The girls were twins, born in Moscow, to a Russian mother.  Brittany’s uncle had met and married their mother while in graduate school at Oxford, and the twins had been born during his ambassadorship to Russian.  Both of them had their mother’s platinum blonde hair, baby blue eyes, and rail thin figure.  They had pouting lips, a natural eyeliner, long blonde lashes, and perfectly trimmed eyebrows.  They also had their father’s last name of Sherwood, and all of his money, which translated into never having to lift a finger their enter lives.  They had grown up in Europe and in the Hamptons, and had basically been born to be supermodels.

“I’m a two,”  Anna said defending herself.  “This pretzel stick is a zero.”

“A zero?”  Kim asked Markova.

Markova smiled and nodded.  “I have to maintain my figure.”

The twins stalked off to the bedroom to place their gifts on the bed.  Kimberly watched them and laughed, because they walked as if they were on a runway twenty four hours a day.

Mia lifted the remote and turned up the music.  “Let Diddy get this party crunk!”

“Mia, you and the word
crunk
, do not go together!”  Brittany told her.

“I can use the word
crunk
if I feel like using the word
crunk
,”  Mia said.  “What, the Asian bitch can't be down?”

The room burst into laughter.

Again the doorbell rang. 

Kim opened the door, and to her surprise, it was Sterling, carrying a huge gift.  She leaped into his arms.  “Sterling!”

“Hey,”  he said, hugging her and trying to hold on to his gift.  “Am I late?”

“No, you’re right on time!”  Mia shouted.

“Come on in here!”  Brittany shouted.  “Damn, girl, let the man breathe!”

“That must be a helluva gift!”  David said smiling.  He shook Sterling’s hand.

“Yeah, open mine’s first, so I won’t be embarrassed!”  Shaun added.  “We know Mr. Vespasian here has brought something way out of our price range.”

“Leave him alone!”  Brittany said, taking Sterling’s gift off of his hands.

“I couldn’t believe it when David told me, man!”  Shaun said, shaking Sterling’s hand.

“Believe what?”  Kim asked.

“You scored the mother lode with this one!”  Shaun told her.

“Yes, I did,”  Kim said, wrapping her arms around Sterling and peering up at him.

“I can’t believe I’m cool with somebody famous,”  Shaun said.

“Famous?”  Kim recoiled.  Again she peered up at Sterling.  “You’re famous, Boo?”

Sterling shrugged.

Again the doorbell rang, and Kim opened it.  More guests arrived.  Soon, the party was in full swing.  Guest were spread throughout Brittany’s massive penthouse apartment.  Sterling found himself in the kitchen near the blender, where several of the guys were making drinks.

“Taste this,”  David said, handing Sterling a glass.

“Blah!”  Sterling said, wiping his mouth.  “Too strong, and way too fruity.  What the hell is this stuff?”

“It’s my super strawberry daiquiri blend,”  David told him.  “It’s for the women.”

“I can tell!”  Sterling said laughing.

“What do all those supermodels drink?”  Shaun asked.

Kim strolled into the kitchen in time to hear Shaun’s question.  “My baby isn’t around any of those little pouffie mouth tramps.”

“Yeah, right!”  Shaun said.  “CEO of Vespasian, I imagine they’re draped all over my man.”

“CEO of Vespasian?”  Kim laughed.  “Sterling, what have you been telling these guys?”

“He hasn’t told us a thing,”  Shaun told her.  “His doesn’t have to open his mouth, his name speaks for itself.”

“You guys have been tasting way too many margarita mixes up in here,”  Kim said laughing.

David wrapped his arm around Sterling.  “You hit the jackpot with this one, Kimmie!”

“One day, you’ll be Mrs. Vespasian,”  Shaun said.