Lily's Dream (Unexpected Lover Series) (3 page)

Andre laughed. “Lily, you are priceless.
Okay, we’ll hold hands and I may put my arm around you. You look at me like you
could eat me up. You know,” patiently explained Andre. Lily looked at him and
sighed, then batted her eyes. “You make it all sound so simple,” said Lily. “I
don’t dance very well, either.”

“It will be simple. Take a deep breath.
We’re here,” warned Andre.

He took her hand and walked into a huge
ballroom. “Why, hello, Andre,” greeted the door monitor. He noticed Andre
holding Lily’s hand. “And date?” he asked in surprise. At Andre’s nod, he
handed him two tickets. In return Andre handed him a check already made out to
the charity.

Andre smiled at Lily as they looked at
the crowd of faces staring at them. “They’re all wondering who in the world you
are,” murmured Andre. He smiled at her and led her down the steps into the
crowd.

It seemed to Lily that she was
introduced to hundreds of people. She had never attracted so much attention in
her life and knew she could remember very few people’s names. Andre finally
said, “Lily, my love, I forgot to get us a drink. Come along and let’s go to
the bar.” The line at the bar opened as if by magic and she whispered to Andre,
“like royalty.” She stood by Andre and sipped her white wine. She paid more
attention to the women’s dresses than their faces. She recognized many designer
dresses but did not see anything that surpassed her own creation.

Suddenly Jacqueline appeared out of the
crowd and said with a smile, “Well, you have certainly caused a sensation.
Everyone is wondering who the stunning blond in the gold dress is and surprised
that Andre is present. I took the liberty of saying that the dress is part of
the
Lily Collection
that I will be selling. I hope you don’t mind,
Lily.”

“Not at all,” Lily replied. “A few women
have complimented me on the dress but nobody has gotten up the nerve to ask
where I got it.”

“You need to get more dresses to me for
sale, Lily. That first one sold so promptly, they may go quickly. We hope so,
anyway. Do you have more on hand?”

Lily replied, “Actually, I do. I’ll
bring in more tomorrow.”

Jacqueline asked, “Have you visited the
buffet yet? I’m ready for food. We can share a table.”

All agreed and were soon seated at one
of the small tables placed around the room. There was a steady stream of people
stopping by their table to greet Jacqueline and be introduced to Lily and
Andre. They were amused at the men who flirted with Lily and plenty of women
were extra friendly to Andre. He said softly to Lily, “we need to make it clear
we’re a couple.”

“How about I sit in your lap and you
feed me? Or I could sit in your lap and nibble on your ear and squirm around?”

Andre looked shocked for a moment then
burst out laughing. “Lily, I love your unusual sense of humor. I’ll take care
of making us look like a couple, all right?”

They had been so preoccupied with each
other that they had forgotten Jacqueline who was observing them with amusement.
They became aware that a tall man with slightly graying hair was standing at
their table. Jacqueline introduced him as her friend, Leland Montgomery. They
invited him to sit with them and he kept them entertained with stories of his
recent trip to India. He described himself as a businessman who had to do a lot
of traveling but his home was in Miami and he always enjoyed returning home for
a while. He was beginning to tire of traveling and might sometime in the future
conduct his business from home. When he stood up to leave, he asked Lily, “May
I have your telephone number, Lily? I would like to take you out to dinner when
you’re free.”

Surprised, Lily look at Andre who
answered for her. “Sorry, Leland, Lily is not available.”

“Perhaps she could answer for herself.”

“I’m sorry, Leland. At present I am not
available.”

Looking disappointed, Leland excused
himself and left the table. Jacqueline’s eyes were twinkling as she said, “Many
women would give anything to have Leland ask them to go out. He is one of
Miami’s most eligible bachelors and very rich. You two seem to have hit it off
rather well since I just learned that Lily is no longer available.”

Andre explained, “We agreed to pretend
to be a couple.”

Jacqueline looked amused and said, “I
see. Well, you’re doing a good job of pretending.”

The orchestra had been playing for some
time and Andre asked Lily if she would like to dance. Lily looked panicked as
she confessed she couldn’t dance very well. “This is a slow one so just hold
onto me and I’ll lead you,” replied Andre. Lily found that she liked holding
onto Andre and being held by him.
Then she remembered that they are just
pretending. You’ve got to remember that, she said to herself. You’re just
friends.

Andre suggested they walk out to the
balcony. Lily made it a point to smile at everyone as they passed tables of
women who eyed her dress with men who eyed her. When they reached the balcony,
many couples were enjoying the warm balmy night. A couple walked up to them and
the man exclaimed, “Andre is that really you? I couldn’t believe my eyes.”

“Chris, it’s good to see you. It’s been
quite a while.” The men shook hands and Chris introduced his wife, Becky, a
pretty blond. Andre introduced Lily and Becky complimented Lily on her unusual
dress.  Lily explained about her dress line available at
Jacqueline’s.
“I don’t wear anything that sexy. Do you make other styles?” Becky inquired.

“Yes, there are many styles. In fact, if
you leave word with Jacqueline, I can make up a special order for you.”

“Your birthday is coming up. Maybe an
original dress would appeal to you,” suggested Chris. Becky excitedly nodded.

“So you are a dress designer,” commented
a voice behind Lily.

She turned and found Leland Montgomery
leaning against the balcony rail smoking a cigarette. “Yes. Actually the
purpose of attending this function is to show off my dress hoping women will be
interested in purchasing a
Lily Collection
dress.”

“The problem with that, my dear, is that
most of these women would look ridiculous in that dress. It requires a
beautiful woman with a shape like yours to wear that creation.” Leland was a
very attractive man with an air of sophistication she was not used to. His eyes
were a warm brown which clearly showed his interest in her. “I hope in the
future you will not be unavailable,” he said softly to Lily.

“Jacqueline is a friend,” she replied
softly.

Andre broke into their conversation as
he reminded Lily that Chris and Becky were leaving. After saying their
goodbyes, he took her arm and led her back into the ballroom. He was obviously
annoyed and Jacqueline looked at Lily with raised eyebrows.

“Leland Montgomery said to me when we
were on the balcony that most of the women here would look ridiculous in a
dress like this, that it’s for young women with good figures. He made a good
point, don’t you think?”

Jacqueline looked at Lily for a moment
with interest. “Actually he does have a good point. The size and sexy design of
the dress limits the customer base. Let’s give this some thought.”

Finally Andre asked with annoyance, “Why
were you talking to Leland Montgomery?”

‘He said something to me. Would you
expect me to ignore him?”

Andre did not respond. Jacqueline announced,
“I am going home. I have a work day tomorrow.” She left and Andre suggested to
Lily that they leave, also.

They sat back in the leather seats and
sighed in comfort. Lily expected Andre to continue to be annoyed but he
surprised her. “You did a great job tonight handling a new experience. Next
time you won’t be nervous. I suggest we skip tomorrow night and we’ll discuss
where we want to go next.”

“I felt like I was on exhibit and I know
I won’t remember many of the names of the people I met with a few exceptions.”

He reached over and took her hand. “You handled
yourself great. It was amusing to see the reaction people had to you,
particularly the men.”

Lily was quiet for a long period and
Andre realized she had fallen asleep. They pulled up in front of their
apartment building. Andre woke her and helped her out of the car and walked her
to her apartment.

Once in bed, Lily was unable to go to
sleep. She replayed the evening in her mind and it had a feeling of unreality
about it. Would she ever get used to this lifestyle? Of mingling with wealthy
people and possibly becoming wealthy herself? This had been her dream and now
she found that she was having trouble adjusting to it. She was so thankful that
Andre was so nice and likeable. She felt comfortable around him. Unfortunately,
she also was very attracted to him.

Lily was curled up on her couch busily
drawing. The ring of the doorbell startled her and she opened the door to find
Molly. “Hi, Lily. It’s me, Molly. Are you busy?”

“Not too busy to talk with you, Molly.
Come on in. I’m so pleased to have a female friend in the building.” replied
Lily.

Molly looked relieved and she agreed
that she, too, was pleased to have a female friend. “I wasn’t sure if I’d be
interrupting you or not. She noticed Lily’s sketch book. “Oh, are you designing
a dress? Can I see?”

Lily turned her sketch book where Molly
could see what she was doing. “This one will be white, I think, trimmed in red.
I haven’t decided whether or not I’m going to have a wide belt with red
beadwork but I do plan to have a flared skirt with red beads. I haven’t decided
yet whether to use a design or flower. It’s in the early stages.”

“It’s so interesting to see the beginning
of a creation. By the way, I’ll bet you caused a big sensation last night. You
looked absolutely stunning and Andre appearing with a date would have turned
heads. What did you think of it all?”

“To tell you the truth, Molly, I didn’t
enjoy being the center of attention, but Andre wanted to make a point which he
did. Jacqueline wants us to go out often to show off my dresses so I might as
well get used to being the center of attention. Actually I just smiled and
Andre handled everything. Jacqueline was there and seemed pleased with the
attention the dress got. Of course, she wants more and this really adds pressure.
A nice man named Jason Montgomery asked for my telephone number but Andre told
him I was taken. I would like to meet some men and  go  out occasionally  but with
 pretending Andre and  I are an item, I don’t see how it’s going to be
possible. I wish we could just go out and have fun and I could meet some nice
men. I don’t understand why we have to be an item.”

“My advice is to go along with the flow
for the present and enjoy the parties and attention. Oh, I forgot to tell you.
I brought a box of jewelry for you to wear. It’s all fake and I doubt I’ll need
it any time soon.” Molly picked up a box full of jewelry and they both enjoyed
admiring the collection.

“Why don’t you go out?” asked Lily.

“Since I’ve been a widow, I just don’t
care to,” Molly replied.

“How long have you been a widow?” “Nine
years,” Molly replied. “It’s not good for you to stay in the apartment all the
time, Molly. You need to get out. Why don’t you come to one of the parties with
Andre and me? It would be fun.”

“Maybe. I’ll think about it, “replied
Molly. “I have never seen Andre so happy and I have known him for a number of
years. A lot of women would like to interest him but it would have to be a
special kind of woman. He is a very eligible and wealthy. He is so nice and has
been very kind to me. I think he is really enjoying this little charade you two
are involved in. Lots of disappointed females, I would guess.”

“Molly,” said Lily. “Would you believe
Jacqueline sold that first dress I brought in that very day? She was surprised,
too, I think. I need to take more in. Would you like to go with me?

Lily thought Molly would refuse but
after a few minutes of thought, she agreed to go. “Since I’m supposed to be a
famous designer,” laughed Lily, “I need to dress up a little. Sundress and
heels should do it. Let’s leave in thirty minutes, okay?” Molly agreed and they
met at the apartment door. Louis had a car for them in a few minutes.

Once in the luxurious car, Lily smiled
at Molly. “It’s so nice to have a female friend. Do you know, I never had girl
friends when I was growing up? I kept to myself, plus there were family
problems. I was always sewing which is a solitary activity. With Jacqueline
constantly asking for more dresses, I need to hire a seamstress. Sewing was
always a hobby but now it’s a business which adds stress.”

They pulled into the parking lot at the
mall and divided the dresses so that each was carrying four. When they walked
into
Jacqueline’s
, she was ecstatic with the addition of eight of Lily’s
dresses to her inventory. She immediately unwrapped several and complimented Lily
on her beautiful dresses. “Some of these were already finished and some I just
finished so they are all one size. However, after some thought, I am planning
to make the next group with increased sizes. I think that will increase our
customer base.”

Jacqueline agreed with this idea. “We’ll
have to see how they sell.”

Several women in the store realized that
a new shipment of
Lily Collection
dresses had just come in and were
asking to see them. They were excited to be introduced to Lily, the designer.

“Could we speak privately?” Lily
requested. Jacqueline suggested they go into her private office. “Molly, please
come along with us. You can give me your ideas.”

Jacqueline looked puzzled. “What’s the
problem, Lily?”

“I need some advice and both of you have
known Andre a long time. When Jacqueline first asked him about escorting me to
parties, we had a frank discussion when he told me he would do so if we had an
agreement that there would be nothing sexual between us. We would be strictly
friends. This was okay with me but then he wanted us to pretend to be an item
when we’re out. He said it was for his convenience so he wouldn’t have to deal
with men wanting to dance with me.”

“I think I know what’s coming,”
Jacqueline interrupted. “That was a stupid stipulation for Andre to make unless
he’s interested in you himself.”

“No. He made it very plain that he
didn’t want any kind of relationship but I would like to date men and maybe
someday have a relationship that is not pretend. I met a nice man who wanted my
telephone number and Andre just told him no and got mad because I spoke to him
on the balcony. What am I to do?”

“That would be Leland Montgomery?”
guessed Jacqueline.

“Yes. I would love to go out with him
and I may meet other nice men. I certainly don’t want to spend an evening
fighting off someone who just wants sex and I don’t know how to tell the
difference.”

“My advice is to go along with the flow
with Andre. Your agreement with him is for occasions when he escorts you. If
you meet someone who asks you out, then Andre is not involved. Just don’t
embarrass him by going somewhere he might be since he’s told everyone you’re an
item.” Jacqueline thought for a few minutes. “Andre is complex so go slowly.”

Molly added, “I think Andre has been
badly hurt in his past and doesn’t want to be hurt again. Being a widow, I can
understand his feelings because I feel the same way. It will take a special
woman to interest him. Who knows, Lily, you might be the one. I’ve never seen
him so happy as in the last few weeks.

. My sewing has always been a hobby but
now it’s a business so my work habits will definitely have to change. I need to
get my sewing room set up. Would you consider helping me with that?”

 “You bet,” agreed an enthusiastic
Molly.

They worked for several hours getting
everything organized to Lily’s exacting requirements. Then Lily explained, “I
need to do some beading now, Molly. I have already drawn out the design with
chalk marker so I just need to sew on the beads. You may watch if you wish. I
have sewn on so many beads over the years that it has become automatic and I
should finish today.”

Molly sat quietly watching for a while
and then sighed. “I would never have the patience to do that. Cutting is more
my line. I should go. I’ve had so much fun this afternoon, Lily.”

Lily worked for several more hours and
completed the beading on a red dress using a combination of red and white beads
in a floral design. Lily tried on the dress and was pleased with her work when
the door bell rang.

She opened the door to find a surprised
expression on Andre’s face as he took in her attire. He asked, “Are we going
somewhere?”

“No,” replied Lily with a laugh. “I was
trying on this dress that I’ve just finished. She turned around for him to get
a good look at the dress and he said, “I think it needs to be lower in the
front and show more cleavage. Other than that, it’s beautiful. You sure do come
up with some sexy dresses.”

“Thank you, I think. Let me take this
off and I’ll be right back.”

She returned to find him comfortably
settled on her couch drinking a glass of wine with a glass waiting for her on
the coffee table. He held his glass up and said, “A toast to our successful
partnership and torrid love affair that everyone thinks we’re having. We are
creating a buzz. Everybody today has asked about you. They either saw us or know
someone who saw us. I have a suggestion. Let’s go out on weekends and once
during the week if something special comes along. You now have a business and
will need time to work on it. Plus parties get boring after a while.”

Lily nodded her head in agreement,
saying, “I am so relieved to hear that. I have a lot of work to do. I am not
bored yet with going out, mainly because I enjoy getting all dressed up and
because I’m with you. We have fun together. It’s nice not to have to worry
about you making a pass or wanting sex and stuff like that.”

“Molly certainly enjoyed helping you
today. I have never seen her look so happy and excited. She almost never goes
out and because she is alone, I worry about her. She has lived here for several
years and we have become friends. I stop by to check on her most days when I
come home from work,” said Andre.

Lily responded, “She did okay with cutting
today and wants to keep helping me but I have to give it some thought. There
are things that only I can do but an assistant would be nice. We will just have
to see how it goes.”

**********

The following two weeks followed this
pattern and time for the fashion show arrived. Lily had never even been to one,
much less modeled in one that featured her. She made dresses because she
enjoyed it but never in a million years expected to wear one herself and model
it before a crowd. She was very nervous that evening as she dressed. When she
asked Andre what color she should wear, he suggested red and that she wear
Molly’s ruby and diamond jewelry.

So she answered the door when he knocked
wearing a red dress that caused him to raise his eyebrows. “What do you think?”
she asked and turned so he could see the back. “I’m speechless,” he responded.
“That is one sexy dress. You’ll have all the men in the place hot and
bothered.”

Lily looked worried and asked if he
thought it was too sexy for this event. “My dresses are known as sexy and
attention grabbers. This one has a V neckline that is lower than usual and no
back down to the waist but I’ve seen sexier dresses at the Oscar shows. They
just show more cleavage.”

“Don’t worry, Lily. Yes, you look sexy
but that is a characteristic of your dresses. It surprised me in the beginning
because you’re such a sweetheart, so quiet and naïve. But, believe me, you sure
can design sexy dresses. Let’s get going on your hair and makeup. He created an
elaborate upsweep of her long hair with a long curl over each shoulder. Molly’s
ruby and diamond necklace fit perfectly in the low front V with long earrings
that almost touched her shoulder. He found a ruby and diamond broach in the
jewelry box and put it in the middle of her hair in the front. He slipped a
diamond bracelet on her arm and declared that she would steal the show.

They arrived early as Jacqueline had
requested to find bedlam backstage. Finally all the models were dressed and
Lily noticed several of her dresses on models. She told Lily she would have to
be last because she was going to save the best for last. Jacqueline gave a
short talk about the purpose of the show being to spotlight a new designer
whose creations were part of the show and the
Lily Collection
designer
would appear last.

Lily’s turn came and she heard many gasps
and whispers as she walked down the runway and back. She heard a woman’s loud
voice from the audience saying “I don’t believe this…it’s Lily.” Lily
recognized that voice.

Lily stood in the spotlight as
Jacqueline introduced her and asked her to comment on the dresses she designed.
Lily was not expecting this but speaking about her dresses was an easy topic.
She told of her interest in sewing from an early age and how she loved creating
beautiful beading which she had been doing since the age of ten. “The
characteristic of my dresses,” she said, “is originality, beauty and unique
beadwork and, of course, they’re sexy.” Laughter followed this statement as
well as whistles from some of the men. “If you don’t want to be noticed and be
sexy, don’t purchase a Lily. If, on the other hand, you want to turn heads,
visit
Jacqueline’s
and take a look at the
Lily Collection
.”
Laughter followed this comment. Lily continued, “I make all dresses one size
but if you want a special order, I will do that, too. Thank you for attending.
I hope you enjoyed the show.”

Back stage, Jacqueline said, “Lily that
was great, just perfect. You surpassed my expectations.”

Andre arrived at Lily’s side and took
her hand and squeezed it. As they entered the crowd, a woman and man rudely pushed
aside people until they had reached Lily and Andre. “I can’t believe it. It
is y
ou, Lily. You’re a blond and have a dress line…how in hell did all this
happen?” screamed her sister, Jenny. Jack, her ex-fiancé looked embarrassed at
Jenny’s loud voice and just stared at Lily in shock.