| |
BY THE TIME ALEX AND I were preparing to leave, he already had heard from Robert, and the news was good.
Five interviews were slated for morning, and three were scheduled for early afternoon. The Times was first, followed by the Journal and Bloomberg. Through their websites alone, they could change the course of today’s stock should it need it—especially if Alex kept on point and played this right, which I knew he could. What Alex needed to deliver to each outlet was a focus on all the potential growth and wealth that rested in Wenn’s near future.
When he emerged from our bedroom and leaned into the doorway of our master bath, he was in a dark, charcoal gray suit with a white shirt and a blue tie. I thought that he looked perfect. I turned away from the mirror I’d been standing at, and took in the length of him. He was wearing the black Prada business shoes I’d purchased for him a few weeks ago, and his gleaming dark hair was parted on the side and slicked away from his forehead.
On his face was his usual, disarming dust of stubble, and his blue-green eyes seemed especially bright, perhaps because he was on his game and knew that he was about to go to war. Looking at him now, he still had that ability to take my breath away, and so I let him take it from me. He knew that photos were coming the moment we stepped out of our apartment and then again when he arrived at Wenn, and he was nothing if not camera-ready. He looked like a damned model.
“I could devour you right now,” I said.
He cocked an eyebrow at me. “Is that so?”
“You know what happens to me when I see you in a suit—especially a fitted suit. And then there’s that stubble of yours. And your dimples. It’s unfair.”
“Then I guess we’ll have to strive for equality later this evening.”
I put my hand to my chest. “Mr. Wenn! I’m under your employ! Really!”
He smiled at that. It was good to see him smile.
“You look beautiful,” he said. “I couldn’t quite hear you in the shower when you were covered in suds and sputtering water out of your mouth like a fountain, so sorry for asking again, but where are you and Blackwell going?”
“Apparently, we’re going to shop for a new dress that won’t make me look like somebody has turned me into Morticia Addams. Barbara thought that black would look too dour at this point, and so she wants something bolder. Something red. As far as she sees it, each of us is supposed to make a statement tonight that suggests we’re so unfazed by everything that’s happening that we’ve become Teflon.”
“To be fair, she does have a point.”
“I know she does. And so guess what? She and I are going to shop.”
“Get whatever you need.”
“You might regret saying that later.”
He came forward, took me in his arms, and kissed me on the neck. “Anything you need,” he said in my ear. “You’ll always have anything you need from me.”
“The thing is, all I want is you.”
“Oddly, all I want is the same—just you.” He shrugged at me. “Look at us. An old married couple already.”
“We are not old. Though I will say that our connection is old. And that, in a universal sense, our love is old. I feel as if I’ve known you my entire life. How is that? How can that be?”
“Exactly,” he said. “I’ve wondered that myself, but I don’t have an answer.”
“So, it is what it is.”
“It is indeed, Mrs. Wenn. And how lucky are we?”
I checked my makeup in the mirror a final time, finished with a swipe of red lipstick, and then placed the palm of my hand against his cheek. “I love you, Alex,” I said. “More than you’ll ever know. Are you sure you don’t need me today? You said in the shower that you didn’t, but God knows I have plenty of other dresses that I can wear tonight. I can always cancel on Blackwell, and wear something else that’s already been fitted to me.”
“And have Blackwell see you photographed in the same thing twice? She’d slap me for that. I’m fine. Before yesterday’s press conference, you gave me the very direction I plan to take today.”
“Where is Wenn’s stock now?”
“We’re up a point.”
“I’ll take what I can get.”
“Hear, hear.”
“Would you do something for me tonight?”
“What’s that?”
“I want you to personally introduce me to the three members of the board who didn’t stand up with you yesterday. Will you do that?”
“Why?”
“Because I want to meet them.”
“Any particular reason?”
“You know me too well.”
“So, what’s the reason?”
“In a crunch, I can turn on the charm, Alex, even for that snake Stephen Rowe. Tonight, my mission is to win over all of them. And I will.”
He narrowed his eyes at me. “What do you have in mind?”
“I’m just going to speak their language. And if you don’t mind, I’m also going to have a dance or two with each of them, starting with Rowe.”
* * *
WHEN WE LEFT THE BUILDING, the press was indeed waiting for us. Alex and I gave each other a quick kiss on the lips while cameras flashed, and then we moved in separate directions toward the two limousines that waited for us at the curbside.
Tank was standing outside of Alex’s car. I gave him a wink, which he returned with a discreet nod. Cutter was standing outside of mine, ready to open my door. As the crowd closed in with cameras snapping and reporters shouting questions at Alex and me, I kept my focus on Cutter’s reassuring gaze as he opened the door for me.
I answered none of their questions. Instead, I slipped inside where Blackwell already sat at my right with a look of concern on her face. I looked ahead of us to make certain that Alex had gotten safely into his own car.
“He’s fine,” Blackwell said. She placed her hand on my knee. “He’s inside—he’s safe. And by the way, you both just handled that beautifully.”
“I’m flying blind,” I said. “Alex is the pro.”
“Don’t undercut yourself, my dear. You see very well.”
I looked at her. She was wearing a light blue Chanel suit, dark glasses, and understated daytime jewelry. Her legs were crossed at the knee, and in her hand was a large cup of coffee, which she handed to me.
“Thank you,” I said.
“Well, you did demand it.”
“I just—”
“You probably would have harangued me if I hadn’t brought the coffee—which, by the way, is black. No cream. No sugar. No calories.”
“You’re too much.”
“If I were too little, I wouldn’t be here.”
“You have a point there.” I looked ahead of us as Alex’s car cut into the traffic on Fifth. “I worry about him,” I said.
“Your husband is going to be fine. I can tell you with certainty that no one ever gets used to this kind of circus. His father may have laid the full weight of Wenn on him when he killed himself and Alex’s mother, but that young man has done nothing if not risen to the occasion. I’m proud of him.” She turned to me. “And I’m also proud of you.”
I kept my eye on Alex’s car as Cutter stepped inside to drive us to Bergdorf’s. “I’m just trying to get through this, Barbara.”
“And you will. You are. So is Alex. I had my worries before, but I was overreacting. Wenn will rise from this, Jennifer. The trick is going to be in how fast it can right the ship, and whether Alex can keep the majority of the board on his side. That’s what’s going to be critical. But I think that he can—especially with you at his side tonight.”
I told her what I had in mind for later.
“Well, well,” she said. “Waltzing with the enemy—or potential enemies, in this case. Very smart. They know Alex, but not you. And with your charm—and your beauty and your figure—most of them won’t know what to do with you.”
“It’s just a dance.”
“And on that I call bullshit. We both know that it’s more than that. You want to seduce them. You want to mold them like putty in your hands. You already know that if they come to know and like you, that it will be harder for them to turn on Alex.”
“All right,” I said. “You’re right. I’m going to do all of that. But I’m also going to talk with them on their level.”
“Why waste your time talking? Here’s the thing, my love—with the right dress on, it won’t even matter what you say. You could talk about chimps shitting bananas at the zoo, and all they’d be thinking is how beautiful you look.”
“I do have a mind, Barbara.”
“Your mind is fine, Jennifer. You’re one of the brightest young women I know. But I’m sorry—it’s not as important as your ass or the twins. You know that as well as I do. At their cores, these men are troglodytes. But I’m behind you on this. You’re actually being quite strategic and cunning. Who cares what takes place on that dance floor? Business is business, and at this level, business is ruthless. When you go to war, there’s no shame in using what you have in your arsenal to potentially get what you want. I think what you have in mind is a marvelous idea because you won’t take it too far. You’ll give them just enough body and personality to tip the balance in Wenn’s favor.”
“Now I feel as if I’m selling out.”
“What you’re doing is everything you can to help your husband, whom you love. It’s not as if you’re giving free lap dances for God’s sake, although that isn’t a bad idea either. Would you consider it?”
“Seriously?”
“Oh, settle down. The board will like you. A few will lust after you. And if you can reach even a few of them, that’ll be just more people on Alex’s side, which is what he needs, and what you want. I think your plan is genius.”
She waved a hand in the air. “Look, let’s leave all of this behind us for the time being. I understand what you want, and I support it. Right now, our focus needs to be on finding you the right dress, the right jewels, and the right undergarments to assist you in making your titillating little plan a success. And by the way, while we’re at it? Let’s try to have some fun. OK? Remember fun? I hope so, Jennifer, because even in the most trying of times, we must make an effort to make our own fun. Don’t ever underestimate that. The world can turn against you in a day, and it’s up to you whether you let it defeat you or whether you stand up to it. So, which is it?”
“You already know how I feel about that.”
“Good.” She ran her fingers through her bob. “I’m going to offer you a piece of advice that I want you to carry with you straight through to the end of the night. Reclaim that spark that people have come to love about you. Regardless of what you’re feeling inside, you must retain a lightness of heart—especially tonight. You need to be alluring. Sexy. Smart. In the end, you need to be the Jennifer that people have come to love and adore.”
“And how do you propose I get back to that place?”
Our car started to slow as Cutter pulled the vehicle to the right, where he stopped just outside Bergdorf’s, which was only a few blocks away from our apartment.
Blackwell reached inside her handbag and removed her phone. I watched her type out a text and send it. “My dear,” she said. “You obviously do it by shopping with me.” She lowered her voice. “You know how I can be when we shop together—a horror show of dissatisfaction. So, let’s go inside and cause some trouble. We’ll see how that lifts your mood.”
