Around the World in 80 Men (8 page)

Morgan was relieved at that
thought. At least she knew that the
training
couldn't go on
all
day. She watched as
two men parted the large black doors like the Red Sea as the two
women and Morgan followed suit, entering behind them. Once inside,
Morgan realized it was not going to be a sex ed. course after
all.

A sigh of relief expelled from the young
girl as she took in her surroundings in awe. Her heels echoed
loudly as she walked across a beautiful ballroom floor. Her eyes
widened at all of the detail, and she resisted the urge to bend
down and touch the intricate design that was trapped beneath the
wax surface. It was carefully detailed in gold leaf and vine
design, and in the center was a delicate cherub.

Wide trim outlined a large glass ceiling
which was also detailed in the same gold design. She was greeted in
the middle of the floor by an expertly carved nude woman, spewing
water from a gold vase into a fountain. Coins of all sizes
reflected back at her as she stared into the bright blue water.

Morgan looked around the massive room and
saw in front of her was a large courtyard outside. She walked over
to the glass wall separating herself from the beautiful landscape.
Thousands of flowers bloomed in every corner, as well as another
fountain in the center. She saw a pavilion in the distance that
resembled a gazebo on steroids, and a pond even further behind
that. She wondered how she couldn't have seen any of this from the
road.

“Come, dear, let's sit,” she heard Pauline's
voice sound behind her. With another glance outside, she made her
way back to the two women.

*****

The remainder of the morning and afternoon
had been spent discussing all the do's and don'ts. Not about sex,
but about etiquette. Turned out, Pauline was one of the best of the
best and had taught over four-thousand girls and women how to hold
a fork. Okay, it was more than that, but to Morgan, it seemed like
a million new things she had to remember.

She never minded an elbow on
the table now and then, or cared about how you're supposed to cross
your legs in a skirt.
Cross at the ankles,
not at the knees, turning them slightly off to the side.
Morgan was lucky to pick up carry-out Chinese once
a month, let alone dine at a place that already had dinnerware
lined up for you, and not just one fork!

Pauline was good, and Julianne had been
there the whole time for reinforcement. “That's right, it doesn't
matter if you have to wait in front of that restaurant for three
damn hours, you must wait until a man passes that will open that
door for you.”

“But...” Morgan had interjected, but stopped
herself. She had to keep reminding herself, she wasn't living the
same life anymore.

They practiced dining and sitting. Then they
moved onto talking and procedures on mishaps such as sneezing,
coughing or dropping a meatball down your cleavage. There were so
many things Morgan had never thought of.

The afternoon passed
quickly, and it was early evening by the time Julianne felt that
Morgan had learned enough from Pauline. As their heels clicked
across the beautiful floor, Morgan's stomach rumbled loudly and she
thought that there was even an echo from the intrusion.
We talk about eating all day, it would have been
nice to actually eat something.

“Another tip, my dear,
always snack on a little something before you go anywhere. You
certainly don't want
that
to happen if you're late on a meal.” Julianne kept
walking, and Morgan held back a grimace as she followed
behind.

But I didn't know we were
going to be late on a meal. I didn't even know where we were going
today.
Just as Morgan mentally whined to
herself, Julianne stopped walking, and turned around.

“And that's another lesson in itself, always
be prepared, because life doesn't always explain itself to you.”
Then the older woman turned, and continued walking.

Are you a mind reader? What
am I saying right now? Jelly beans, baseball, Bermuda shorts. I
didn't think so.
Morgan smiled at herself,
and followed Julianne to the parking lot, then waited for the
limo.

Both women felt a bit more relaxed when they
were comfortably reclined in the back seat. “Oh, my head is about
to explode with information overload!” Julianne laughed, and her
eyes shined with pride at her new find. Morgan would be perfect,
and Julianne knew it.

Many years prior, the older
woman had led the same type of life that Morgan had. She too waited
tables, and struggled to make it with no family support. She had
started her own
business
at about the same age as well, but she had to
learn the ropes the hard way. That wouldn't happen to any girl of
Julianne's, not ever. She would offer what she had learned, and
give them the best life that she could give them.

Hearing Morgan's stomach protesting once
again in the car, Julianne put her hand over Morgan's and told her,
“we're going to dinner, so tell your stomach to stop complaining.”
Morgan giggled, and put her hand across her waist.

“Oh, thank you! I was about to start chewing
on my own hand.” They laughed, and enjoyed a glass of champagne on
their way to the restaurant. As they neared their destination,
Morgan's eyes grew wide at where Julianne had taken her. “Not here!
People might remember that I got stood up!” It was the same
restaurant that Morgan had met Julianne, and the same that Morgan
had sat by herself for nearly two hours waiting for a man that
would never show.

When they stopped, an older gentleman with
salt and pepper hair opened Morgan's door. She looked to her side,
her face begging for Julianne to change her mind, but her mentor
simply smiled and nodded toward the man's hand. Reluctantly, Morgan
exited the limo, and thanked the restaurant's valet for the
assistance.

When they were walking in, Morgan tried one
more time, “I swore I'd never come here again, it's just
embarrassing.” Again, Julianne didn't waver, and they were seated
at a table not far from the bar.

After ordering a bottle of their best white
wine, Julianne moved her napkin to the side, and told Morgan,
“child, never run away from a bad situation. Life has so many
turns, you never know when you'll end up somewhere that you're not
ready for. The best thing to do is face your fears, and suddenly
you'll find that you're rarely ill prepared.” Julianne smiled
sympathetically, and covered Morgan's hand with her own
briefly.

The young woman looked around sheepishly,
and expected to see a slew of employees looking at her, laughing at
her. When she saw nothing more than an operating restaurant, she
suddenly realized that Julianne had been right. Not one person
seemed to recognize her, or care if they did. The problem was in
her head, and it was a small lesson that Morgan promised herself to
never forget.

“Now, let's decide on dinner, then get to
work.” Picking up her menu, Julianne scanned her options.

“Work? Now what are we doing?” Morgan
thought that they were just having dinner, not more lesson.

Right then, the waiter arrived with their
wine, and Morgan wasn't quite ready to order. She picked up her
menu, and blurted out the first thing she read. “I'll have the
salmon, with rice and a salad.”

“I'll have the same, and please bring the
salad out with our meals, I hate to feel rushed.”

When they were alone again, Julianne started
to explain the last of her training. Morgan had to know the effect
that she had on men, or she would lack the true confidence to do
what she had to do. Subtle moves, they made all the difference in
gaining a man's attention, and they ultimately decided who was in
control of any situation.

“Now, don't look, but there are two business
men at the bar. Okay, look quickly, they're talking to a man who
just approached them, so they won't see you.”

Morgan followed her gaze, and turned quickly
to see the now three men, two sitting with their backs to them, and
one standing to their side. “Alright, what do you want me to do?”
Morgan had already turned back around, not wanting to get
busted.

“Simple, Morgan. Get their attention without
appearing as if you're trying to.” Julianne smiled, and waited for
the lessons to come to mind.

Morgan stared at the table, willing her
brain to come up with something. The old Morgan would have simply
walked up to the them and introduced herself. But looking back, and
with all that she had learned, that was a mistake. That told the
man that she was available, and no better or different than anyone
else. It was the chase that men enjoyed; finding their prey, and
making the necessary moves.

As her eyes scanned the
table, they rested on her linen napkin in front of her. She picked
it up slowly, and opened it in front of her. Then she looked at
Julianne, and smiled. Morgan snapped the napkin open, and
accidentally
dropped it
on the floor beside her.

“Oh my goodness, I can't believe I did
that.” Then Morgan looked around innocently, and eyed her waiter
who had been behind the bar. “Excuse me, I'm sorry but I dropped my
napkin, could I get another one?” Then Morgan leaned down slowly,
and picked it up. She held it to her side, waiting for the waiter
to replace it.

After getting a replacement, Morgan thanked
the waiter, and looked back to Julianne with questioning eyes. The
older woman just smiled in encouragement for her to continue. She
looked at her silverware, but if she dropped that too, she would
get attention, but not the positive kind.

“Morgan!” Julianne said her name much louder
than was necessary. “I meant to ask you, where did you get those
shoes?!” Julianne's fake enthusiasm was comical, and the young
woman hid her smile behind her hand as she turned sideways in her
chair.

Crossing one leg over the other slowly,
Morgan ran her hand down the length of her calf. “Oh, I got them in
a boutique not far from here. I'll take you there one afternoon if
you'd like”. Then she brought her hand back up her calf, and said,
“they are cute, but you wouldn't want to walk in them all day, my
legs are killing me.”

Before she could turn back in her chair,
Julianne's face turned downward, a small smile was being hidden
from someone. Someone, who Morgan could feel had walked up right
beside her.

“Excuse me ladies, my friends and I over
there,” the tall business man pointed behind him, “would like to
buy you a drink.”

Morgan didn't know what to say, and it
didn't matter, because Julianne handled it. “Oh, thank you. But we
just ordered our wine, and I think that's quite enough for us. But
I do hope that you and your friends have a lovely evening.”

Julianne smiled at the man's back as he
walked away. Morgan leaned across the table, and whispered, “did
that really just happen? Did I lure him in that easily? Oh my God!”
She laughed when Julianne gave her a slight nod, and a smile.

Over dinner, Morgan had lured three more men
to her side. The best part, she would pick them out beforehand, and
it had worked perfectly each time. She was feeling great, she had
more confidence than she had ever had in her life. That is, until
Julianne's phone rang.

“Hello?” Julianne held the phone to her ear,
and her business like expression told Morgan that it had to be one
of her clients.

“I see.” The woman nodded to the speaker, as
if he could see her. “Very good, I'll have it arranged. Goodbye.”
She ended the call, and dropped her phone back into her bag.

Morgan wasn't going to ask, it's rude to
inquire about someone's personal call. But again, Julianne saved
her from curiosity.

“That was Finlay. He's been out of town for
a month, and thought that he would be back on Sunday. However, he
will arrive in Scotland tomorrow morning, and he would like for you
to be there tomorrow evening. So, let's get back to the hotel and
get you packed.”

Chapter Nine

“
Will you stop that pacing
for just a minute?” Julianne scolded the anxious blonde.

On the way back to the
hotel, Morgan's heart could do nothing but back flips in her chest.
She rubbed her palms together, warding off the nervous
perspiration.
Less than twenty-four
hours...
her mind replayed over and over
again. When she got back into the room, she had immediately thrown
off the heels and got to work wearing a path from her room of the
suite to the bathroom, to Julianne's room, back to her room. She
would grab an item every so often and throw it into her pink
suitcase, then remove it and replace it with something
else.

Morgan ignored Julianne's demand, returning
to the closet for another trip. She grabbed the red gown, draping
it over the chair and took a pair of old jeans from the suitcase,
refolding it for a third time in an attempt to make more room.

“Stop this, child,” Julianne
grabbed Morgan's wrist in mid-fold and took the jeans from the
young woman's hands. “Do you
really
need to take these?” Julianne asked, holding the
tattered jeans up at the waist. There was a large hole around the
butt pocket and an unsightly grease stain on the front.

Morgan dropped her head, shaking it slowly
back and forth. “Go through your things, decide what you want to
keep and I'll handle the things you no longer want....or need,”
Julianne added, looking at the jeans again. They both giggled and
Morgan agreed. “This is your new life, dear. You're starting
over.”