These Things Take Time/CH 19
As Betty looked around the room, seeing all the faces that had brought her here in one way or another.
She couldn't help but flash back over the last four years, to remember her first day at Mode, meeting Christina, her only friend at first, who now stood, beaming up at her. Betty smiled back, looking down at the stunning dress she had designed for Betty.
Christina seemed to have her own fan club, including Justin, who had taken it upon himself to become the Scottish woman's temporary protegee, fetching things for her and chatting about fashion excitedly. Betty had noticed that Christina was in turn, introducing her nephew to many people who for whatever reason were there at her event tonight. No doubt, more in part to Christina than because of her.
She saw her boss, talking comfortably with her father, Hilda and Bobby, before he mingled among the various who's who of London elite society.
Some of which Betty was surprised to see there, until she saw several of them paying homage to Claire Meade, who obviously knew them all and had put out the word of this soiree.
Finally, she saw Daniel, standing somewhat by himself, looking far too good not to ogle, in a black suit, and white shirt, with a blue tie that could have been cut from the same swatch of material as her dress. Great minds...she thought.
She caught his eye and he winked at her, grinning from ear to ear, then he raised his eyebrows, making her laugh. She waited for the crowd noise to die down a bit, and suddenly, she felt the white blare of a spotlight on her, and heard the hum of the mic going live, as a hush fell on the crowd.
She saw the gleam in her father's eyes as she started to speak and she suddenly put her hand up to her neck, almost unconsciously, to feel the pearl necklace Daniel had messengered over to her office late that morning.
He had possibly posted a reward for it to the airline, she didn't pretend to know or understand how Claire and Daniel got things done sometimes.
She was fairly good at getting things done herself, even with her limited resources, but the Meades were on a whole different playing field.
But she was forever grateful to him at this moment. She could almost picture her mother, standing behind Daniel and smiling her approval to Betty for having fallen in love with such a wonderful, supportive man.
"I...I just want to say, welcome everyone and thank you for coming. And I want to express a special thank you to all my friends and family who are here tonight, to help me start the new venture of this magazine. You all have helped me in so many ways over the years to be standing here today.
I especially would like to pay respect to Mr. Lindsay Dunne, who had the uh….cajones to allow a young American dreamer to come and attempt to start a new publication in these times when magazines are falling away.
Our online presence that we have partnered with the paper one simultaneously, is something we hope will be a shining beacon to others who have concerns about the fate of magazines.
I once told Bradford Meade, whom many of you may remember, and his widow and youngest son are here tonight, that I loved magazines, they spoke to me, made me feel like the whole world was opened up to me because of them and I felt I had something to say, and wanted to run my own magazine someday.
Actually, I said that to the guy in HR, who was telling me I didn't fit the mold for Mode, the fashion magazine I was applying for and shoving me out the door, but lucky for me, Mr. Meade heard me and for whatever reason, was impressed enough by my passion or maybe just my stubbornness to hire me to work for his son, Daniel, mostly to annoy poor Daniel, I think.
Years later, I would tell the same thing not only to Daniel, but to his mother, Claire, who I have always looked up to as a wonderful example of the kind of self-made woman I aspire to be like.
She has overcome so much in her life and still finds time to be there for others, like her coming here tonight to support me.
My family has always been there for me. I'm so lucky in that way and I know it. Although my dear mami passed away several years ago, I feel her with me everyday." She touched the necklace and smiled at Daniel.
"I also know that without the support of my family, I never would have had the strength and courage to follow my dreams.
There is also a special man in my life, who has been there for me, and pushed me to get up on a stage at a fashion show and strut my stuff, even when I was wearing adult braces and glasses and like I said, definitely didn't 'fit the mold' at Mode back in New York. But he was the one, standing up for me, cheering me on, louder than anyone.
I don't want to embarrass him or anything, but...I kind of want to flaunt it in those mean girls in high school's faces, so...I love you, Daniel. And I'm very happy and proud to be your girlfriend!"
Daniel laughed as the light went briefly onto him, then back to Betty. "So in honor of all those people in all our lives that have helped to mold and shape us into who we are changing into day by day, we at Dunne Publications give you...the latest publication...Butterfly Effects.
It is a personal symbol for me and obviously inspires the desire to change and grow in all of us. The inspiration for this came from my own desire to change and grow from my own rather uncomfortable and un-auspicious start."
The visual behind her was of herself, dressed in the butterfly costume at Mode. "Thanks to my friend, Marc St. James for supplying that picture, by the way. He was also quite willing to share many others of me, that he took over my years at Mode, that he called 'Betty's Daily Disasters.'
I may have had my wings damaged a few times, but like the lovely Monarch, I still made it across the ocean, and we're hoping our readers will be able to share their own experiences that they feel have changed their path for the better to encourage and inspire others who may be struggling.
As a former 'Tornado Girl' myself, I think I can personally vouch for those who feel sometimes that they are getting the shaft, that life is just passing them by and only meant for the so-called 'beautiful people', the ones that are taller, richer, thinner, or have better hair."
A clip of Lindsay Dunne went up, and Betty laughed, as he made a face of pretended indignation, "Oops, sorry, Mr. Dunne! How did that get there? In any case, please, eat, drink, and enjoy this evening. We have entertainment and the place is ours all night, so thank you all for coming! Goodnight!"
Betty rushed off the stage and just as she reached the second to last step, her heel caught in her gown and she started to lose her footing.
She felt arms around her and saw Daniel there, holding her up so quickly that she seriously doubted anyone else had a chance to snap a picture of her misstep.
He held her close and kissed her cheek, whispering, "Falling for me, huh? I really must make you swoon, Betty. I mean, hell, the first time you saw me, you ran into a glass door!"
She laughed, "That's true, Daniel. What can I say? You're so hot, I suppose I can't help losing my head." She kissed his cheek, and whispered, "I definitely can't wait to get you out of those clothes."
He smiled, holding her waist and going in for a quick kiss on the lips, as he told her, "The feeling is very mutual. That's a great dress Christina made, but I'm hoping it comes off easily."
She nodded, rolling her eyes and smiling, "Back zipper. Very easy."
"Good to know. I think Lindsay wants you to come meet some important people."
"There's nobody here more important than you, Daniel."
He kissed her cheek, "You're sweet, but go, do your thing, Betty. I'll be here when you're ready to go home. This is your night. Signal me whenever you need some arm candy and I'll come running, okay? I'm going to go circulate and mingle myself, tell everyone what a great kisser you are."
She blushed, and he shook his head, "You're so cute, Betty. Go, little butterfly, spread your wings a little."
She smiled and took off to speak to Lindsay and some high-powered local businessmen.
Claire found her way to her son, "So, did you talk to her yet?"
He nodded, "Sure. But, I'm not going to spoil this night for her."
"You think you could spoil it?"
He shrugged, "I want this to be just Betty's night, Mom. I think I need to let her go again. You know what they say, you've got to let those pretty little butterflies spread their wings and fly around. I can wait. I've waited this long.
She knows I love her. And she loves me. You heard her. She called me her boyfriend in front of everybody tonight. That was a huge step for Betty."
Claire kissed his cheek, "Alright dear. You know the girl better than anyone. I suppose you know what you're doing. Just don't wait too long. You're not getting any younger."
"Thanks, Mom. That's...sweet."
She shrugged, "And keep it clean. I want to see those hands above the table at all times, young man."
"Oh, so now I'm a 'young' man? Make up your mind!"
"You're a man. They never grow up!" She laughed, patting him on the back as she left to go greet some old friends.
As the evening wore on, Daniel went in and out of social circles. He spoke with Betty's family for a while, with Christina and Justin, with Lindsay Dunne, and his new boss's partner, John. He even saw Brian there. "Hey, so...Betty invited you?"
"Don't get jealous. I think it was just a courtesy, since I knew Lindsay and John. Not that I didn't appreciate her little uh….performance at Raymond's the other night. You're a lucky man, Daniel!"
Daniel smiled generously. He wasn't really concerned about this guy. He knew the guy was definitely NOT Betty's type. He was too much of a smooth operator. Not anything like she would be interested…"Brian! You made it! Great! It's so nice to see you again! How's Valerie?"
"We're talking. Things are going better, thanks, Betty. I appreciate the advice. She goes back to her mom in a few days. But I think we finally made some headway.
I actually got her to crack a smile at me last night, when we were watching some of those movies you suggested. I owe you!"
He leaned over and kissed Betty on the cheek, winking at Daniel as he did. "Well, I'd better go talk to John, and see what time he wants me to beat him to a bloody pulp at squash for our Sunday game.
Thanks again, Betty. Everything looks lovely! Including you. Goodnight. Bye, Daniel. Tell DJ I'll be in Paris, watching him with my daughter."
"You're coming to the wedding?"
"Yes, my ex invited me as her plus one. I didn't want to be rude. We can be civil for our daughter's benefit. And we both want to keep an eye on her and your nephew. I told her about that bra thing you taught him. She wasn't exactly pleased!"
He took off, leaving Daniel more or less speechless. He finally turned to Betty who was smiling at him, "When did you talk to HIM, anyway?"
She grinned, "Daniel, you are jealous! He came by the office this morning. He emailed me a few times, asking about advice on how to relate to Valerie better, that's all.
And I knew he was friends with your new boss, so I didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable. Plus I figured it would be a good thing to have the two of them both here, it would be good for your social networking. Should I not have invited him? I'm sorry."
He shrugged, "No, it's fine, I guess. I just...don't like that guy."
"Well, I'm sure he's not thrilled about DJ being around his daughter, either, Daniel. What is it you don't like about Brian?" she smiled, well aware that Daniel was jealous.
"The way he looks at you. He just mentioned your 'performance' at that strip club. He was leering at you that night, Betty. I know you were too drunk to remember, but…"
"I remember him being there."
"You do? Did you guys talk then?"
"No! Why would we have? Daniel, honey, now you're just being paranoid. I have no interest in Brian whatsoever, believe me! He may be a good-looking, smart, rich British man, but...look who I already have for a boyfriend!
You're so much better than him. You're sweet...and hot, and…. sexy… and… kind ...and thoughtful...and….and...did I say sexy?" She began kissing him over his cheeks and along his jaw, as well as down his neck, making him laugh.
Finally, he pulled away, "You said sexy twice, actually. Alright, alright. You've convinced me, Betty. You think I'm hot. Thank you. I think you're pretty hot, too, gorgeous.
Do you want to make another round with me on your arm this time, to….where are we going?"
She pulled him behind her, walking quickly towards a pantry, and locked the door behind her. "What are we doing in here? Look, Betty, I think we really need to talk more about that stupid Brian guy. I don't know if I want him just emailing you like that!"
"Daniel, are you seriously going to keep talking about him? Look, if you're not into this, forget it! I'll just go back out there and tend to my gue…"
Daniel grabbed her arm and pulled her back towards him, as he kissed her roughly, "Oh, I'm into it, Betty. I'm definitely into it.
I just can't believe I've actually corrupted little Miss Goody-two shoes so much that you're ditching your own launch to have a quickie in the pantry with me! This is really what you want, Betty? Here, now? Like this?"
She didn't answer, but turned around for him to unzip her dress, and he did so quickly, and slid it down her watching it fall to the floor, as he turned her around and pulled her to him for a passionate kiss.
Betty jumped up, wrapping her legs around his waist as he leaned against the shelves for leverage.
She frantically started taking off his coat and shirt, and tugging at his tie, as Daniel undid his pants, and shoved her unceremoniously against the shelf on her side of the 'aisle', causing her to bump her head on a can of tomato sauce.
"Ow!" She rubbed her head. "Sorry!" he mumbled, far too aroused now to be concerned over such small matters.
They both kissed heatedly as Daniel held her arms up over her and began pushing into her hard and deep, finding her desire for their tryst extremely erotic, he couldn't be stopped now, he was like a freight train. Betty wasn't complaining, however.
They were both just as intense and passionate, knocking down cans and boxes all over the floor of the pantry in their frenzy, till they both cried out in release.
"Jesus, Betty! That was...nuts! Are you okay?" He became the tender Daniel now, as he helped her down and they both laughed, seeing the mess they had made on the floor and on the shelves.
She put on her dress, but couldn't find her panties that he had practically ripped off her. She looked everywhere, under the shelves, and as they both tried to clean up the damage, she began to get frantic, "Daniel, where are they? Do you see them?"
He shook his head, "Sorry, sweetie. I guess you're just going to have to go commando for now. I won't tell, I promise. Nobody will know the difference. It'll be fine. Come on, we should get you back out there. People might start to wonder where you are."
She looked a little worried but he kissed her cheek, and smacked her behind, "You'll be okay, baby. Go, I'll look around a little more, and wait before I come out, okay? Don't worry.
Hey, I love you, sexy girl." He pulled her back for one last kiss before he helped straighten her hair and she carefully opened the door to slip back into the crowd unnoticed.
A few moments later, Daniel also slipped back out into the growing sea of people. He found Betty's family and joined them. "Hey, guys! How's it going? Is everybody having a good time?"
"Yeah, Daniel! A great time! This is fantastic!" Bobby and Hilda were both smiling. Hilda had several bacon-wrapped appetizers in her hand, as she was eating, "These things with the mushrooms and bacon are SO good! I gotta get the recipe before I leave! Or you do, papi!"
"Of course, mija! Daniel, have you seen Betty? She disappeared!"
Daniel looked guilty, "Me? No. I have no idea where she is. Why would I know anything?"
Ignacio shrugged, looking at Daniel strangely, then pointed, "Oh, there she is! I'm going to go talk to her. See you later."
"I'll go with you, papi!" Hilda left, and Bobby smiled, as Daniel looked down nervously, not saying anything for a few seconds, "Uh, how's the hotel?"
"Good."
"Great! So, uh...listen, you know that thing I asked Betty's dad about today when we were all out?"
"Yeah."
"I decided to wait. Tonight's not the right time. I want Betty to just have her own night, you know? This should just be about her."
Bobby shrugged, "Hey, it's your call, man."
"Yeah. I think maybe I'll do it, you know, when we're in Paris next week for my sister's wedding. She'll be less stressed about this launch and we'll have a long weekend together in Paris, so...you know. It'll be more romantic that way. Besides, I still sort of need to think of a good way to do it exactly."
"Yeah, well, that sounds like a good plan, Daniel. You know, take your time. Go slow. Girls like it when you have something kind of special all planned out."
"Right."
"Well, I think I'm going to go make sure my wife doesn't eat that whole tray. Oh, by the way, Daniel?"
"Uh huh?"
"You've got Betty's panties sticking out of your jacket pocket. You might want to put those away."