- Will -
As the host of the party, I didn’t have the luxury of playing favorites, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t have one. And tonight there was no contest.
I couldn’t take my eyes off Ella. Every now and then she would hike her tight little dress up when she thought no one was looking, and I wanted so badly to help her out of it and into something more comfortable. Like my whirlpool jacuzzi.
I didn’t have to know everyone at the party to know she had more personality than anyone in the room. The way her face lit up when she found something amusing drove me crazy all night. I wanted to be the one making her smile. I was especially jealous at one point when someone made her laugh so hard it looked like she may have choked some champagne bubbles into her nose because her eyes started to water as she gasped for breath.
I wanted to be the one making her gasp for breath.
Fortunately for me, I had a seat right on the stage during the entire raffle so I could keep my eye on her. At one point she noticed me looking in her direction, and I saw her blush from across the room.
I felt a tap on my shoulder. I swear if I had a dollar for every time someone tapped on my shoulder- well, I probably did- but that’s not the point. Someone always wanted my attention for something, and it was especially apparent now that the only person who wasn’t asking me for something was the one person I was prepared to give whatever they wanted.
“It’s time for your closing remarks in three minutes and fifteen seconds, Will.”
“But I won’t be ready for at least three minutes and twenty seconds, Emily.”
“That’s hilarious, sir. Be sure to tell some more jokes when you get the mic, but maybe not that racist one you told to the Russians.”
“Noted. I think you should take the day off Monday, Em.”
“Another good one. You’re really breaking me up. I think I just peed a little.”
I smiled. Emily had been my right hand woman for the last ten years. She was around fifty years old and ran my schedule like a drill sergeant. One time after a particularly taxing evening, she even informed me that my underwear was inside out. I don’t know how she knew, but I didn’t pay her to reveal her magic. I paid her to make me look good, and she did.
“What have we pulled in tonight?”
“We’re entirely booked for Christmas parties and all the suites are reserved for Thanksgiving, Easter, and St. Patrick’s Day Weekend.”
“That’s not bad.”
“No it’s not.” She smiled. “Not bad at all.”
“And the raffle results?”
“I’ve written all the numbers down on this paper for you.”
“What would I do without you?”
“Not much.”
I looked down at the paper. “Oh my god. We killed it tonight.”
“Congratulations,” she said. “Time to share the good news.”
I straightened my tie and made my way toward the front of the stage. “Ladies and gentleman.” It was all I could do to ignore her. “I hope you’ve all enjoyed your evening, and I hope this is the first of many visits you’ll be making to our flagship hotel. I’m delighted to hear that many of you have already organized your next visit, and my staff and I are looking forward to making sure your stay exceeds your highest expectations.”
I cleared my throat. “Before I continue, I’d like to take a moment to thank the band for doing such a great job tonight.” I lifted my arm to my right and waited for the applause to die down. “I’d also like to thank my staff who have enjoyed being part of this evening.” I waited some more. “And finally let’s hear it for Jeff who I think we can all agree did a damn fine job with the charity auction.” I pointed to Jeff at the edge of the stage, and he gave a little bow.
“I know a lot of you must be looking forward to all the wonderful items you purchased this evening, and I think you’ll be even more delighted when I tell you that we’ve raised over four hundred and sixty thousand dollars for our charities tonight.” I clapped against the microphone and made a particular point of nodding at the people who made the most extravagant contributions by buying art, timeshares, and cruise packages.
“There are only two more things I’d like to mention- and by all means stick around when I’m done. The bar will be open until the last guest has had their fill and the band will continue to play until your feet have had enough. Anyway, the first thing is that to encourage everyone to be safe on the roads tonight, I’ll be matching everyone’s cab fare home with a donation to The Nest, a charity I’m sure many of you who know me well are already familiar with.” I let myself steal a glance at Ella. She had her hand on her Mom’s shoulder and Barbara’s hands were over her mouth. I nodded at them. “So be sure to take the cabs that our doormen direct you to.”
“Finally, it’s time to announce the raffle winner. As you know, the prize is a two thousand dollar shopping spree at Macy’s, season tickets to the Knicks, and dinner with me at my favorite restaurant.”
Everyone’s eyes were on me and everyone’s lips were sealed.
Emily walked across the stage with a big glass ball that was filled to the brim with slips of paper.
“And the winner is…” I reached in and pulled out a piece of paper. “Ella Riley.” I pretended to scan the room like I didn’t know exactly who it was, but her whole table erupted in applause. “Congratulations, Ella. I’ll be down in a moment to give you the details of your prize.” I slipped Tom Martin’s name in my pocket and didn’t even feel bad. He was a Celtics fan anyway.
I shook hands with the people on stage and what felt like a thousand other people who stopped me to say good bye as I made my way to Table 16. Ella and Barbara stood up when they saw me coming.
“That’s terribly generous of you about the cabs,” Barbara said immediately.
“It’s only a token, Barbara. A large portion of tonight’s donations will be going towards your organization.”
“You’re too kind, William.”
“Not at all. It’s a privilege to be involved in the work you do.”
Barbara placed her hand on Ella’s slim shoulder. “It looks like we’re both winners tonight then!”
I turned to Ella. “It’s not the worst party after all, I guess.”
“I never said it was the wors-”
“I’m joking.” I smiled. “I’m delighted you won.”
“Me too.” She looked down for a moment. “I’m still in shock.”
Barbara nudged her. “That shopping spree will be perfect for you to get some clothes for interviews.”
“About that,” I said. “After you mentioned your degree, it occurred to me that there might be a role for you here.”
“Are you joking?” Ella asked.
“I don’t joke about work.” I fixed my eyes on hers. “Ever.”
“Oh.” She swallowed. “Of course.”
“Anyway, I think you might be an asset to the company based on your area of expertise.” I wanted to touch her. I wanted to touch her so bad, but her Mom was right there and it would spoil the illusion that I was doing her a favor. “I can’t make any promises until we further discuss your skill set bu-”
“When?”
Her sudden forwardness took me by surprise. “Maybe lunch sometime next week.”
“What day?”
I looked up and tried to imagine my schedule. “How about Tuesday?”
“What time?”
“Eleven?”
“Where should I meet you?”
“In the lobby of the hotel,” I said, reaching in my jacket pocket.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
I nodded. “Good. Enthusiasm like that is exactly the kind of thing we value here.”
“I can be enthusiastic about anything,” she added.
“That’s excellent news.” I passed her my card. “I’ll hold you to that.”
She took the card in her delicate fingers and looked at it.
“Just in case you need to reach me for any reason.”
“Thank you, Will.”
The sound of my name in her mouth was more than I could take. “I can give you the Knicks tickets and the Macy’s gift card then, too.”
“Perfect,” she said.
Yes you are, I thought. Yes. You. Are.