The Girl and the Genie (23 page)

Mr. Pish’s mouth twitched one more time, and then he left.

Later that afternoon Emily got a call from Sally. She had seen the same Daily News gossip column that Mr. Pish had, and wanted to know if Emily could possibly be that same mystery girl in the column. “After all, you have Wooster Street, an English Bulldog, and the mystery girl being described as very pretty.”

“Well, that last item lets me out.”

“Hardly. I’d say the last item makes you a shoe-in.”

Emily was going to deny that she was the mystery woman seen with Derek, but instead lowered her voice and admitted it was her.

“Wow. What did you two do?”

Emily lowered her voice more and used her hand to shield the phone’s mouthpiece to further ensure that no one else in the office would be able to hear her. “I made him coffee, served some doughnuts that I had bought the day before, and we talked. That’s it. When he left he kissed my hand.” Emily glanced up to make sure no one was walking by her cubicle before adding, “But we’re going on a date tonight.”

“Wow again.”

“Dinner at his suite at the Plaza.”

“Double wow. Em, I’m so happy for you. You deserve so much for something like this to happen.”

They talked more after that with Emily telling Sally how comfortable she had felt with Derek, even with him being a Bears fan, and soon they moved on to other subjects, including how well Sally was getting along with her new boyfriend, George Crider, which didn’t surprise Emily given how nice the guy was, and how devoted he appeared to be to Sally. They joked around some about how maybe they’d get a chance to double date soon. A thought struck Emily as she couldn’t remember Sally ever picking up the Daily News, and she asked her friend how she found the gossip column.

“Oh, shit, I didn’t want to have to tell you this, but I got a call today from that jerk Mitch. I guess he reads the News, and he was guessing you were the girl in the article. He wanted to know if you lived on Wooster Street.”

“You didn’t tell him?”

“Of course not.” Sally giggled as she added, “I told him you moved to the South Bronx. I wouldn’t give him your supposed South Bronx address, but I dropped a few hints that you had moved to Port Morris. Let him spend some time searching for you there if he wants to. What a jerk!”

“It’s creepy knowing he’s still thinking about me and, even worse, trying to find out where I live.”

“Forget him. He’s a harmless loser.”

Emily wasn’t so sure of that. Just hearing his name brought up a knot in her stomach. But the idea of Sally sending him searching for her in the South Bronx made her smile.

Before hanging up, Sally warned Emily not to do anything on her date with Derek Cole that she wouldn’t do, and then she broke out laughing as she admitted that that left Emily free to do just about anything.

##

Emily left work at a more normal hour that evening and arrived back at her apartment at six-thirty. She then spent the next forty-five minutes trying to decide what to wear. She finally settled on the one pair of designer jeans that she owned, a white cotton sweater, and a pair of high-heeled boots so she wouldn’t appear like such a shrimp next to Derek. After freshening up, she stood in front of the mirror for a moment with just her bra and panties on. She considered for a moment that maybe she should run out and buy a pair of sexy underwear instead of the more plain variety she was wearing. She shook her head to get rid of that thought.

Get that thought out of your head, girl, she told herself. He’s not taking my clothes off, so it doesn’t matter what bra and panties I’m wearing.

Emily’s eyes squinted to a more determined look as she accepted that no matter what her clothes were staying on that night. The idea of losing her virginity to someone like Derek was tempting, but she was going to stay true to herself so it didn’t matter how gorgeous and dreamy she found him. Besides, she didn’t want to be just a one night stand, with her face becoming little more than a blur among all the other girls and actresses and models he had slept with.

Emily ran a brush through her hair, then went back to her bedroom and put on the clothes she had taken out earlier. A quick look in a full-length mirror left her grimacing as she realized that even with the added three inches that the boot heels gave her, she’d still look like a skinny shrimp compared to Derek. Winston had been following her around, and she hesitated on what to do next. She had thought about bringing her dog with her on the date, especially since Derek seemed to sincerely like Winston. At that moment, though, she thought better of it, and led Winston into the den where she summoned Jack. When the genie appeared amidst his usual blue smoke, he gave Emily a puzzled look.

“Have you grown somehow?” he asked.

“No. It’s the boots I’m wearing.”

The genie glanced downward at her feet and shook his head as if he was annoyed at himself for saying something so stupid. “Of course,” he said. “You always wear sneakers or flat-heeled shoes. This is the first time I’ve seen you wearing high heels, and it took me a bit by surprise to see you taller all of a sudden.” He smiled teasingly. “For all I know you could’ve found another genie and wished to be three inches taller. It’s a relief that that wasn’t the case. I’ve gotten used to your height as it is. Oh, I should tell you, since last we spoke I’ve seen several movies starring that actor you met, Derek Cole. If you’d like my opinion on his acting, I’d be happy to provide it.”

Emily suspected that Jack wanted to use the opportunity to put Derek down, but she was also too curious about what he had to say to not want to hear it. Trying hard to appear disinterested, she shrugged and told Jack to go ahead. From the way the genie’s eyes glinted and the thin smile that curved his lips, he saw through her manufactured apathy.

“I didn’t much care for the movies themselves,” Jack said, his lips quickly curling into a sour frown as if the thought of the movies had brought a bad taste to his mouth. “A lot of noise and poorly-written dialog and unconvincing plots. If I was still capable of getting headaches, I’m sure those movies would’ve given me one. But as tripe as they were, this actor wasn’t bad. He was no Lawrence Olivier or Richard Burton—”

“Lawrence Olivier or Richard Burton?”

Jack’s frown deepened at that. “I’m sure you never would’ve heard of any of the names of the truly great actors I’ve observed over the centuries so I tried to pick contemporary actors as a point of reference,” he said. “But I would’ve thought you’d heard of both of these.”

“I’ve heard the names, but they’re well before my time and I’ve never seen them in anything.”

“A pity,” the genie said, his eyes darkening slightly as he realized Emily was simply giving him a hard time. “Or perhaps not since you have all these brilliant performances that you can now experience for the first time. I’d recommend
Henry V
starring Olivier and
Hamlet
starring Burton as good introductory films. But I’ve gotten off the subject. About your Derek Cole, while he’s not in the same class as those actors, he does have a certain undeniable screen presence and charisma, and given how poorly written his roles were, his performances would have to be considered more than satisfactory. In other words, he’s a talented actor. More than capable of convincing an intelligent, but somewhat naïve young woman, of whatever he wanted to, to suit his purposes.”

“Thank you for letting me know that you believe I’m just naïve enough to be taken advantage of by Derek,” Emily said, coldly.

Jack stiffened at that. “I’m only trying to look out for you, Miss Mignon, that is all.”

“Whatever. The reason I summoned you tonight is to see if you could dog sit Winston. I thought you’d enjoy it.”

“I’d be happy to,” the genie said, his tone formal. He hesitated before adding, “Please be careful on your date. And of course, summon me there if necessary.”

“It won’t be necessary.”

Emily lowered herself so that she sat on her heels directly in front of Winston. She took hold of the English Bulldog and planted a kiss on the top of his head. “You be good,” she told him, and then she straightened up and after nodding goodbye to Jack, moved quickly to leave the apartment so she could head to the Plaza Hotel and her date with Derek Cole.

Chapter 24

 “Miss, can I help you?”

Emily had been standing in awe of the Plaza’s lobby. It was almost as if she had stepped into the Great Gatsby with the grand style of the room and all the architectural details and the chandeliers and the plush velvet cushioned antique furniture. She turned to see one of the hotel’s bellmen standing directly behind her and offering what was at best a plastic smile, most likely thinking she didn’t belong there and was only trying to sneak in to use a bathroom. Emily couldn’t blame him. She had been feeling self-conscious the moment she approached the hotel, and that feeling only intensified as she stepped into the hotel’s lobby amongst all these fashionably-dressed women, all wearing either fur coats or rich, leather jackets and top designer clothes underneath, while she wore a simple cloth coat and her far more modest outfit. Any item of clothing these other women wore cost far more than everything she had in her wardrobe combined.

Emily tried to muster some self-confidence as she told the bellman that she was there to visit a friend staying at the hotel, and with her voice turning timid, she mentioned that her friend was Derek Cole. “He told me he’s in the Royal Terrace Suite,” she added.

The bellman’s smile turned more vacant. He clearly didn’t believe Emily, probably thinking instead that she was a Derek Cole groupie who somehow discovered where he was staying and had shown up at the hotel to throw herself at the movie star. But if that was what he was thinking he kept his manner polite as he told Emily that she needed to go to the front desk. “A special elevator key is needed to access that suite, but the front desk clerk will call for confirmation, and he’ll arrange for you to be escorted up.”

The man Emily spoke with at the front desk gave her that same polite but disbelieving smile. After he called the suite, his attitude changed immediately, becoming both reserved and deferential. He called for a bellman to escort Emily up to the suite. The bellman was every bit as reserved and deferential as the desk clerk had become as he led Emily across the lobby floor and to the elevator. He told Emily that the suite was on both the twentieth and twenty-first floors of the hotel, and that she would have spectacular views of both Central Park and Fifth Avenue from up there.

They got off at the twentieth floor, and the bellman brought Emily to the suite, knocked on the door and waited beside her. At first Emily thought she was taken to the wrong suite because the man who answered was not Derek. He was much older, at least in his fifties, and wore a black tuxedo and white gloves. He had a dignified bearing, and he called Emily ‘Madam’ as he welcomed her into the suite, took her coat, and then led her down a hallway and into a spectacular living room where Derek was waiting for her. Derek was also wearing a tuxedo, although a more fashionable one, and he looked dashing as he stood with a half-filled champagne flute in hand and a warm smile that extended deep into his eyes.

“Emily, you are a sight that would warm any man’s heart,” Derek said. He stepped forward to take her hand and give her a kiss on the cheek. His eyes twinkled as he stepped back. He asked Emily if she’d like some champagne, and when she nodded, he addressed the other man as Joseph and asked him to pour Emily a glass. Once Joseph did so, Derek remarked to Emily how stunning she looked.

“I feel like I’m slumming it,” Emily said. “Here you are dressed to the nines, while I’m only in a pair of jeans and a cotton sweater.”

“These old threads?” Derek grinned. “Any chance I have to take them out to impress a beautiful young lass, I do. But Emily, you are absolutely breathtaking.” He winked. “Of course, I’m guessing you’d be breathtaking no matter what you were wearing. Or weren’t wearing, for that matter. Isn’t that true, Joseph?”

Joseph seemed caught off guard with the question. He had been standing off to the side trying to look unobtrusive, and as he realized what Derek was asking, his cheeks mottled pink.

“Most certainly, Mr. Cole,” he said with the utmost tact.

Emily turned away so Derek couldn’t see her own cheeks reddening. She took a sip of champagne and the bubbles tickled the inside of her nose. She found herself very much enjoying the drink. She’d had champagne before, or at least sparkling wine, but nothing of this quality.

“What’s breathtaking is this room,” Emily said. “It’s amazing.”

“Nice isn’t it?” Derek said. “All this antique furniture is Louis Fifteenth style. I believe it’s all genuine. Let me give you a tour.”

Derek drained his champagne flute and held his glass up so that Joseph could refill it. Emily caught a glimpse of the champagne label. Cristal Louis Roederer 2002. It didn’t mean much to her, but it looked fancy and expensive. With champagne flute in hand, Derek took Emily to one of the windows that overlooked Central Park. While it was nighttime, streetlamps lit up the park, and Emily found the view spectacular.

“This is amazing,” Emily whispered.

“It is nice, isn’t it?” Derek said with an amused smile. “Let’s go upstairs.”

Derek led the way up a staircase that took them from the living room to the second floor. As Emily realized they were entering the master bedroom, she hesitated for a moment, and the look on her face caused Derek to break out laughing.

“Emily, I didn’t bring you up here to bed you. I promised you last night that I’d protect your virtue at all cost. But this is a nice room, isn’t it?”

“That’s putting it mildly.”

“And this next room’s even nicer. Follow me.”

He led her through the bedroom to the most amazing bathroom Emily had ever seen, or could’ve imagined. She stood in the middle of the room with her mouth having fallen open slightly. Derek was beaming.

“Those fixtures are all gold-plated,” he said. “Twenty-four carat. But there’s something up here even more impressive that I want to show you.” He looked Emily over and frowned slightly. “It’s too cold out there for you dressed like that. Here, let’s put this on you.”