Private Emotions – Promises (The Private Emotions Trilogy) (20 page)

I woke up curled next to him in bed and I could hear his heartbeat against my ear. I knew that this would be the calm before the storm. When he woke up he would no doubt turn into the frenzied man that I have grown to love with all my heart.

“Emily, I have to get to the gallery.” Ethan was up and running around within the hour and there was no stopping him. He was now a tornado with a force all its own and there was nothing that was going to stop him. He had a one-track mind as he went over all the details in his head multiple times. He needed to make sure that everything was accounted for before the evening’s festivities. “I’ll see you later but make sure you’re there before the opening because I could really use your strength and support at my side.”

“I’ll be there, you can count on me.” I don’t think he was even listening as he was searching for his keys and then he grabbed his jacket before slamming the door behind him. He hadn’t even given me a kiss goodbye, but I couldn’t blame him, considering everything that was going on and everything that he was thinking about. Then I heard the keys rattle in the door and he came storming into the bedroom. “What is it, Ethan? Did you forget something?” He grabbed me and kissed me hard on the lips before rushing out the door again.

I walked over to the closet and pulled out a box with a dress that I had made specifically for this occasion. It was something that I was sure would leave him and everyone around us speechless. It was a shimmering white dress with a black brocade of silk ribbon around the shoulders, a little daring slit up the side and a plunging neckline to add a dramatic effect. I even had some black-and-white earrings that would complement it perfectly and a pair of black stilettos that would give me an extra five inches in height.

I grabbed the box and all the accessories to take with me. I had to get to the shop to finish up some work so I wouldn’t have the time to come back here and get dressed. Once I was finished with everything that I had to do, I would don the dress and accessories and join Ethan for a night that would truly be magical and life changing for him. I was so happy to be a part of his success in the way that he was a part of mine.

For the next few hours, I forced myself to concentrate on nothing but what I was doing. Every so often I would think about the turmoil and stress that Ethan was under. I was in the same shoes when I opened my boutique, so I had first-hand knowledge of what he was going through. There really was nothing I could do to help him but be there to support his efforts. His whole way of living was depending on the success of the opening and the pressure would only go away when the night was finished. It was exactly the same thing for me and I couldn’t relax until the door closed and I knew that everything went according to plan.

Samantha and Jill showed up for about two hours to lend a hand but then I told them that they could leave and get ready for the party. I hinted to them that if they were going to leave a lasting impression, then they should make a fashionable entry when everyone was already at the party.

“It looks like the whole town has come out for this one, Bill. There are people lined up around the block waiting to get into the new gallery that Mr. Ethan Sterling will be opening to the public. We still have over an hour before the doors open but as you can see, anyone who was coming is already here. This should be a spectacle of the who’s who of the community. Even the mayor has come out to cut the ribbon at the door. I’ll send this back to you at the studio, and we will be live when Mr. Ethan Sterling makes his entrance.”

It was getting late and I was now hearing on the radio that things were progressing and growing to a point that everyone wanted to be part of the big opening. I took my dress out of the box, put it on over a set of completely black lingerie and used the mirror to zip up the back. With the dress in place, I put on the earrings and slipped my feet into the stilettos. This was the first time that I had ever worn such a pair of shoes but they seemed only fitting for the occasion. I fixed my hair and put a black-and-white clip in between the strands, applied my makeup and now I was ready to be the belle of the ball. I grabbed my short wrap from the closet and made my way down the sidewalk until I got to his building. I slipped down into the alleyway to the side door and gave it a light knock to indicate that I was there.

The door slid open and Ethan was standing there wearing a tuxedo and his hair was slicked back, giving him the air of a James Bond character. “I am so glad that you’re here because I am literally pulling out my hair with everything that can go wrong during the evening. At least the caterers arrived on time. They are setting up in the kitchen and getting things ready for when the doors finally open. We have several bottles of champagne on hand, as well as caviar and other assorted goodies to make people want to stay longer than a few minutes.”

I took his hand and felt his pulse racing against my fingers. I placed my other hand over his and smiled gently. He took a deep breath and his pulse began to slow down. My calming presence made him feel that everything was going to go perfectly and I had no doubt in my mind that it would.

He led me into the gallery and even though I had seen the whole display last night, it was an entirely different matter altogether to see it with all the lights on. He had made this place out to be a spectacular setting and the front of the gallery was stacked with copies of his book. That would be the first thing people saw when they came in the door and then as they crossed into the threshold, they would be immersed into the artwork and then all the dresses on the mannequins.

This was going to be a very classy event and he had spared no expense. There was even an artist on hand to make unique handcrafted drawings of all the guests and what they were wearing.

“I’m going to auction off those drawings at the end the night and if the subject of the picture wants it for themselves, they’re going to have to pay more than the highest bidder. All proceeds for the drawings will be donated to various charities in the area.” He had thought of everything and now he was about to pull back the curtain and allow everybody else to see the wizard beyond. “Okay, let’s do this and don’t stray from me because I need you more than ever. Oh, and if I didn’t mention it before, that dress is something else…you will be the most beautiful woman in this whole room tonight.”

He didn’t have to say that, but it was nice to know that he noticed. We were finally ready to bring this evening to its inevitable beginning. We both took a deep breath and walked toward the entrance.

Ethan placed his hand on the doorknob, took one last breath and opened the doors. He confidently announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, I want to welcome you all to two combined launches. I know that you’re all going to have a wonderful time.” The mayor gave a short speech and cut the ribbon. Ethan said, “Please, come in and let this evening begin.” As if on cue, classical music began playing over the gallery’s speakers and the people began to filter into the room.

They first stopped at the books and either looked through the contents or bought one before entering the gallery. “Em, I’m going to mingle a little and do some on the spot autographs for those who bought my book.” Instead of sitting down at a table and doing multiple autographs, he had decided that he would be the man about town and walk among the crowd in person. It was a different approach, but one that would be welcomed by most.

Sophie and her wife were practically the first two to enter and they were not shy about buying a book. They walked in as if they owned the place and Sophie said, “Emily, I see that the jewelry arrived on time. This place looks amazing.”

Joanie said, “I’ve never been to such a party before and I’ve been to my fair share of parties. What a classy touch for Ethan to sign autographs right on the floor. I think that I’m going to go over and get my book signed. You never know, it could be worth a lot of money one day.”

“Emily, I bet that he’s been a bear and going completely nuts the last few days. He is always like that when he’s about to try something new.” Sophie knew Ethan very well and she was right about how he was acting the last two days. I just couldn’t keep him still for very long and he was constantly going over every detail with a fine tooth comb.

“I know. All I could do was try and keep him as calm as possible and I even managed to get him to go to sleep at the end of each day.”

“Wow, that is a feat because he’s usually an insomniac during those times. I guess you have a calming influence on him. I have always known that you were exactly what he needed in his life.” She was making me blush but then I saw Ronnie and Mark enter like royalty coming in from the cold.

They saw us and came over as Mark said, “I see that he’s already hard at work among the people. I thought he was crazy for suggesting that he do on the floor autographs but I see now that he was right all along.”

Ronnie said, “This is a little too much to take in and I feel a little underdressed amongst all these bigwigs.”

“You don’t have to feel that way at all because your dress with the white stripes makes you look like you just walked out of the cover of Vogue.”

“That is so nice of you to say. Do you suppose we can get an audience with the author, or do you think that he is a little too busy to be bothered with us commoners?” We all laughed at her remark and then casually made our way over to where Ethan was talking to the mayor and signing his wife’s copy of the book.

I overheard the mayor’s wife say, “I’ve been looking forward to reading the next installment of your books as I am always using your advice from the previous ones to guide my relationship with this man.”

“Oh, so I have you to thank for all the chick flicks and talks about my feelings.” His wife punched him in the ribs and he immediately laughed it off and sipped his champagne.

Ethan smiled and said, “I am so glad that you could both attend, please do take a look at the artwork and remember everything is for sale…at a price.” Ethan was definitely in his element and he was feeding off the crowd. The party was in full swing and it seemed to me like he was everywhere at once.

I saw Jill and Samantha show up and immediately the press began to take their pictures. They looked like some kind of celebrity in the dresses that they had chosen from the shop. They waved to me, went over and got a couple of glasses of champagne, and began to look over the artwork with an attentive eye.

The artist in the middle of the room was busy creating original drawings of all the guests, and it was going to be cool to watch the auction at the end of the night.

A tinkling of a glass rang out over the room and everyone turned in that direction to see Ethan standing on the second staircase leading to the next floor. “I just want to thank you all for coming out. I have to let you know that the artist in the middle of the floor is taking the liberty of drawing all of you in a stenciled form. Those pictures will be auctioned off at the end of the evening with all proceeds going to charity. Now I will return you to your regularly scheduled program.” There was a chorus of laughter and applause then everyone went back to drinking and mingling amongst themselves.

“He is really in fine form tonight and I don’t suppose you had anything to do with that?” Sophie said. “Did you see what he wrote in the book jacket?” I hadn’t but now she made me curious, so she opened her copy of the book and turned to the dedication page. It read,
‘To Emily Harris, for her dedication, support and always keeping me on my toes. She is the love of my life and I want everyone to know it.’
I was speechless.

Sophie whispered softly to me, “You look different tonight, Em. It’s not the dress or the shoes or the makeup. You have a…how should I describe it…‘joie de vivre’ about you that was not there the last time we saw each other.” How strange for Sophie to say that. Both Ronnie and Maria said something similar to me earlier on. I must admit that I felt much more confident and self-assured than I had ever felt. “If I wasn’t so in love with my wife, I would fight him every step of the way for your heart. I hope the two of you will have a happy life together.” I hugged her and then she went to look for Joanie.