The Color Of Love: A BWWM Billionaire Alpha Male Romance (3 page)

“Don’t
be mad Vic, We need this. When was the last time you paid yourself?
You need a boost in the financial area and I just couldn’t
resist. Please don’t be angry. I promise I will put in over
time to help you. Just go to the damn interview… please Vic.”

Sending her best
friend the nastiest of looks, Victory pressed a button and apologized
for asking the lady to wait. “I’m so sorry about the hold
time Ms. Martin. I would certainly like to meet with you. What’s
the address? Thank you so much. What’s that, you need a sample?
That can certainly be arranged. Brilliant! See you tomorrow at ten
Ms. Martin.”

When the call ended,
Abby was nowhere to be found and Victoria later discovered her in the
bathroom hiding. When she finally emerged, Victoria dished out the
silent treatment. It was either that or cuss out her best pal.
Silence seemed like the more civil option.

*****

The office of
Winelle Martin was housed in a high rise just off the trendy fashion
district. Home to some of America’s finest designers, it was a
place where any artist would find inspiration. Everything in the
building looked brand new and it probably was. Certain businesses
revamped their look biannually and Victoria was sure this was one of
them.

The receptionist
looked like a fashion model - as a matter of a fact, every man and
woman who passed as she sat and waited looked like a magazine cut
out. This was a place where presentation and perfection were of
utmost importance, and Victoria felt right at home.

At exactly ten am
the receptionist’s plum painted mouth called Victoria’s
name and she was directed to follow the office doors until she found
the red one with the number ‘4’ on the front. It was easy
to find and Winelle stood waiting for her.

The exchange between
the women was casual as they discussed what she was looking for. It
seemed simple enough and after tasting the small dishes Victoria
carried, Winnelle all but threw the contract at her. Always a lady,
Victoria resisted the urge to ask about the money side of the
equation. Every concern she had would be addressed in the contract.

There were to be
four small jobs for twenty five people each time. Then there was the
exclusive opening night where she would be expected to prepare for
seventy five high level specially invited guests plus the crew and
actors of DMC theater primer.

The proposed
compensation was two hundred percent greater than any event she had
ever cooked for and the owner of DMC
had opened a shopping cart at three of the
world’s primary food suppliers to ensure all that Palette
needed was provided. There would be no operating costs to her company
and she would be in charge of the theater staff for the night as the
food was served. The deal was sweet.

There was nothing to
contemplate on the monetary side, but the creative side bothered her
until she saw what they wanted. From the cakes to the signature
finger foods would be an artistic interpretation of the featured
play. Her creative juices were flowing and as she signed on the
dotted line, she forgave her overzealous friend who had proven to be
a trooper even against Victoria’s will. Abby’s boundary
pushing had given Palette the boost it needed. This would be the show
of a lifetime.

*****

Today would be the
first time Dawson ever directed anything but because he had money he
could buy anything he wanted - even a director’s consultant -
if there was such a thing. The young business mogul had an idea of
what he wanted to see expressed in the play by never having done
anything like it before, he hired someone to guide him along.

In essence, the
person would ghost direct while Dawson tried to look busy and
knowledgeable. The name of the play was ‘The Delicate Rough.’
Written by a revered play writer just for him, it promised drama,
dance, song, love and pain. The main characters were a conflicted
pair from different social statuses in life. He was a rich merchant
and she a lowly, but virtuous housemaid bound to poverty and
servitude.

Because Dawson was
the quintessential lover boy, he connected with the main character.
There was something agonizingly beautiful about perusing love - even
though he preferred more established women.

The cast was
arriving and his hired director was already sitting before the stage
waiting for the action to begin. Sara, his personal assistant
whispered that everything was running on schedule and the
refreshments would be ready by the end of the set. Nodding and then
refocusing on the director’s words, he waited for the
presentation to begin.

*****

Because she was
confident she could manage the twenty five meals herself, Victoria
didn’t hire any extra hands. She and Abby prepped the
vegetables and protein in the morning to give them time to cook
without rushing.

The tiny cupcakes
were made the day prior and iced in the wee hours of the morning when
she could not sleep. They were red velvet and layered with cream
cheese. The top was sprinkled with cayenne pepper and shards of glass
like sugar, dotted with iridescent edible glitter. From what she
understood of the play, the characters were engaged in a flaming love
affair and equally heated internal battle. The red of the velvet cake
and spicy cayenne represented the heat of romance and the shards of
sugar glass represented the broken hearts they protected, while
testing the waters of forbidden love. Contained in small white paper
liners with printed skull and bones in pink, Victoria couldn’t
help thinking about the poison of love.

Her last
relationship had ended miserably. Having met Timothy when she first
moved here, Victoria thought they were a match made in heaven. He was
average height, but wore a smile on his face that was larger than
life. He was a food artist like her, but left the culinary world to
become a bus driver. It bothered her that he would abandon his true
love and passion for a paycheck, but in the end he seemed happy so
she went along with his choice.

They didn’t
live together but saw each other daily - mostly at her apartment. She
went to his apartment a total of two times. They didn’t stay,
he only collected his laptop quickly before they went off to her
place

He was off on
Tuesdays and Victoria made a special effort to spend the day with
him. He decided to cook for her and they went to the grocery store
together. Picking out a choice filet of salmon while Timothy
discussed the best cut of bacon with the butcher behind the counter,
Victoria heard a small voice yell out, “Daddy!” At first
she didn’t look around but when Tim responded she had no
option. “Hi Brittany… what are you doing here?”
The girls pigtails, bounced up and down and her eyes sparkled as Tim
hesitantly picked her up. Staring at his own reflection, he kissed
her on the cheek, avoiding Victoria’s piercing gaze.

All the blood in
Victoria’s body rushed to her brain and she instantly felt
violently ill. It was the next voice that took her to the pit of
astonishment. “Honey, what are you doing here? We thought you
went to work.” A woman who was slightly taller than him
sauntered over and plopped a kiss on his cheek. Timothy’s
response was as plastic and fake as the shopping bags the woman
carried.

“I am helping
my friend shop for her business. This is Victoria. Victoria this my
wife, Cherry and my daughter Brittany.” The wife was either
blind or stupid. She didn’t seem to pick up that Victoria was
involved with her husband. A woman should pick up on these things
quickly.

Who was Victoria to
judge? She didn’t even realize she was dating a married man. As
he avoided Victoria’s eyes, he continued to chit chat with the
pair. She was yet to close her mouth or respond to the introduction
or the sight before her. As Timothy delivered a parting kiss to his
family, the little girl waved and said, “It was nice to meet
you Victoria.”

It was the butcher
clearing his throat that brought her to her senses, the uncomfortable
man didn’t know what to do with the bacon he held suspended in
mid air and stood waiting for instruction. Timothy walked back over
to her and cleared his throat. As she started to back away from the
man she thought she knew, Victoria tried to counsel herself. ‘Don’t
freak out’ her conscience said. She wanted to respond to his
incessant apologies as he followed her, but her mouth wouldn’t
work. She was speechless.

He called for weeks
and even though she was in pain, often wondered if she could forgive
him. One Sunday evening she decided to have dinner at a restaurant
they dined at quite often. It was quaint with small wrought iron
tables and chairs outside under the canopy. It was there that she saw
them. The happy family laughed as Brittany tried to slurp her
spaghetti and Victoria was cast into sadness once again.

A solitary tear
dripped from Victoria’s cheek as she remembered her lost love.
Biting into the story telling cupcake before retiring to bed, she
thought, ‘not all is fair in love and war.’

*****

The veins in
Dawson’s neck were popping and all present except the hired
director cowered in fear. “These Goddamn actors!” He
hissed for the final time. “How hard is it to get one line
straight? Marissa you have no passion… absolutely none! And
Chad have you never been in love? Is this how you woo your
girlfriends? I am so annoyed! Cut! Just friggin cut for the night!”

The failing actors
and actresses left the stage, dismissed from their pursuit of
performance perfection while Dawson unfolded his six foot four
frame from the folding chair labeled ‘Director’
and nodded at the real man controlling the stage. He too was
dismissed.

There was a room set
up just for him above the main theater. The executive box as it was
called, carried all the luxuries of the modern age and all the
comforts of home. The futons and armchairs were plush and decadent.
Dawson’s favorite accent color, red, punctuated the black and
white scheme of the room and once he was inside he made a beeline for
the wine cabinet. As he sipped the ruby liquid from the sparkling
flute he plopped down to watch his creation in living color.

With a direct view
of the stage and pit, he watched people gather around the food table
chatting. He was certain a few were discussing what a task master he
must be. Glancing around, he realized that his own dining table was
empty. Moments later after a knock on the door, in came one of his
staff with the rolling tray of food and many apologies. She had
gotten lost and had been rambling for a minute. She was pretty so
Dawson spared her the wrath that would usually follow foolish
mistakes.

Walking around the
table after the pretty waitress left to inspect the stem ware and the
food, Dawson smiled at what he saw as close to perfection. The
selection was simple but stunning and the cupcakes looked dramatic -
something he liked. This new caterer had prepared kebabs of lamb and
grilled summer vegetables. There was a goat’s cheese dipping
sauce of some type as well as basil drizzling oil.

Next to the kebabs
were dumplings stuffed with mushrooms and cauliflower and potatoes.
Accompanying that was a bright red dipping sauce, which promised a
sweet heat. There was a tall drink next to the selection of dishes
called ‘The New Direction’. Taking a sip, Dawson quickly
removed the glass from his lips to inspect the contents. The pink,
almost creamy liquid carried the taste of cherries and pineapple, but
there was the underlying taste of spiced rum. It was decadent.

After settling into
the meal, Dawson had to agree with the event planner’s choice
of caterer. Never had he been impressed with anyone’s menu
choice, but this… this was sublime. Wiping his mouth he
reached in his pocket for his cell.

“Sara, I’m
coming down to meet the person who prepared the food. This was
excellent.”

Sara assured her
boss that she would inform the owner of his intention to meet her and
hung up. Finally, someone had gotten something right.

Only because
Victoria and Abby ignored the speed limit did they arrive on time.
The near screeching stop in the busy parking lot caused a few stares
and Victoria was certain the sudden halt had caused some destruction
to the delicate food creations in the back of their van. Abby needed
no instruction, and slammed the door shut before bounding to the
entrance to announce their arrival, while her boss and friend
searched for a vacant space nearest to the active delivery door.

DMC Theater Live
looked nothing like its former self. Gone were the old cheap
reflective panes of glass that covered the large building and the old
gargoyle statue that greeted patrons as they entered. Replacing the
outdated décor, were new transparent glass sheets, allowing
the people waiting outside to see the bustling lobby. A phoenix
emerging from an illuminated fountain was now the figure welcoming
all patrons. The service door at the back where Victoria waited was
less grand, but impressive none the less.

A tall, pale man
with a headset and clip board appeared with Abby through the door as
he belted out instructions on where to go and how to set up. His boss
accepted nothing below the highest standard and the man with the
headset insisted on nothing less from the almost late caterers.

Once inside, the man
with the headset darted off to fix some other catastrophe and
Victoria and Abby were left alone to remember the directions. People
in crisp blue and white uniforms hustled about even though this was
just a rehearsal. On the walls of the staff area they passed, were
framed quotes of encouragement and inspiration and Victoria couldn’t
help notice the incentive notice board. This month’s winner of
service excellence was being treated to a weekend in a penthouse
suite with his/her chosen guest. Their boss wasn’t too shabby
at all.