Standard disclaimer that I do not own these wonderful fictional characters.
Chapter 4
Stephanie sat in the comfortable seating area as the plane flew toward New York. She had tried to dissuade Ranger from putting the plane at her disposal for such a short trip. Really, in less than half an hour she would be there.
Stephanie did not even have time to take her laptop out of the bag and begin to work when James came on the intercom and advised her that he was on final approach.
She watched as the plane taxied to a waiting limo on the private arrivals apron. She waited in her seat as James opened the door and released the steps. She picked up her bags and made her way off the plane. The driver had already accepted the suitcase and was just closing the trunk as she stepped off the last step. James was standing by the steps and he spoke.
"Steph, I will be back to collect you tomorrow at noon. I have already confirmed with the driver and we will get you on your way to your meeting."
Stephanie reached over and gave him a soft kiss on his cheek. He grinned and headed up the stairs. She had always done the same thing when she and Ranger used the plane. It was their goodbye ritual.
She walked over to the waiting limo. Her driver had the back door open and he stood by the door patiently waiting for her to slide in.
He closed the door then walked around to the drivers' door and took his place. As he turned on the engine, he spoke through the intercom.
"Good morning, Ms. Plum. My name is Charles. I am to be your driver while you are in New York. Mr. Hammond sends his greetings and is expecting you at your convenience. My card with my cell is on the seat beside you and to the left."
Stephanie picked up the card and spoke.
"Thank you Charles. I am unsure right now how long I will be at Halston Heritage but what lead time would you need to pick me up later? I am not familiar with New York and the distance from there to my hotel."
Charles spoke again as he was pulling smoothly into the traffic leaving the airport.
"Mr. Hammond's assistant will contact me with an update on when you should be free. The drive is fairly short, ma'am, but if you wish, I could take you around some of the sights of New York. It is a beautiful city during the day, but at night with all the lights, it is spectacular!"
Stephanie thought about the plan. She figured she might be tired after trying on clothes, but the chance to see New York at night was almost too good to be true. She had a momentary thought of sadness. She would rather have seen New York at night with Ranger sitting beside her.
Shaking off her sadness, she smiled. This was an adventure and she loved adventure.
"Thank you Charles for your suggestion. I would love to see the lights but can I let you know when I leave?"
Charles nodded and spoke.
"I await your instructions, mi'lady."
She noticed a coffee carafe and travel cups in the basket by her left knee. There were a few Boston crème donuts in individual carry out cellophane packages. Stephanie's mouth watered. She had raced through her morning routine and had not stopped for breakfast.
She prepared to pour a cup of coffee looking for creamers and sugars. As the delicious smelling liquid flowed out of the small opening; she noted that it was already a creamy mocha color. Taking a chance, she took a tiny sip. A smile peeked out. Somebody had relayed how she liked her coffee.
She looked at Charles and he grinned at her with a twinkle in his eye. This was going to be fun!
The drive was smooth and without incident and she just had time to finish two cups of coffee and inhale a donut when she noticed the car slowing and turning into a reserved space in front of a building.
Stephanie pulled out a compact mirror and quickly checked for crumbs on the side of her mouth. She opened her lip gloss and gave a quick swipe.
The car stopped and waiting to open the back door was a gentleman standing on the sidewalk.
Charles stayed in his seat as a hand reached in to assist her to alight.
"Good morning, Ms. Plum. It is a pleasure to see you. I hope your flight was without incident?"
Stephanie recognized the voice from yesterday.
"Thank you Mr. Hammond. It was very smooth. I am not the calmest passenger on a plane, but the pilot made the trip as relaxing as he could."
Rodney Hammond waited until the limo pulled away before he guided her to the people standing and waiting just inside the door.
"May I introduce some of my staff."
He gestured to a woman and she stepped forward.
"This beautiful lady is Miranda LaRose. She is my trusted personal assistant and will be assisting you with your wardrobe changes."
He gestured to another.
"This beautiful lady is in charge of footwear and purses. Her name is Latifa Gordon."
Rodney proceeded to guide her to an elevator waiting open. The two of them stepped in and he pressed a key fob in his hand. The elevator door closed and it rose smoothly up the elevator shaft.
They stepped out and the view from the floor to ceiling windows was magnificent.
Rodney stood back and watched as Stephanie walked closer to the windows and looked down. She could see the entire street from her vantage point. The road was busy with the hustle and bustle of mid-morning traffic and she could see the shoppers with bags already scurrying from store to store.
He smiled to himself. Many people chose not to come anywhere near the edge of the room to look out. He could tell that she was certainly not afraid of heights and the look on her face made him smile. This Stephanie Plum who Ella had phoned him about had such a vibrant aura of life swirling around her. He could feel her excitement rising. He was looking forward to experiencing one of those days that would stick in his memory forever. He hoped that he would be able to make Ms. Plum remember this day for quite some time.
Stephanie took a deep breath and turned to Rodney. Her eyes were dancing with excitement and she was almost quivering with glee.
He spoke.
"Ms Plum..."
Stephanie put up her hand and Rodney stopped in confusion.
Stephanie smiled as she spoke. "I suspect that this might be a long and tiring day for us both. Would it be possible for you to call me by my given name, Stephanie or Steph?"
Rodney nodded his head in assent.
"I would be honored if you would call me by my first name also. I go by Rodney or just plain old Rod, if you wish."
They both smiled.
He gestured to her to head to a number of easy chairs at the far end of the room. There was a rack that was empty near a bank of tall three-sided mirrors.
Rodney waited for her to pick a chair. He pressed a button on his phone and immediately one of the ladies entered through a closed door on the right. She was pulling a rack that looked very interesting.
Rodney walked over to the rack that was now standing by the empty rack.
"I have chosen a number of different kinds of clothes for you to peruse and try on, Steph. I have the schedule of the events at the conference and we are looking at a number of wardrobe changes. I have been involved with outfitting both attendees and presenters to the Forbes Women's Summit for a number of years and I can tell you now that we are looking at something chic but elegant in an understated way for the registration and appetizer get-together, a formal outfit for the cocktails and opening address for the evening on the 14th, something less formal if you go out later, possibly four changes on the 15th if you are invited to the after dinner celebrations, and enough outfits for least one possibly two days after that to meet with business contacts."
He smiled to himself as he saw Stephanie look at the rack of clothes in surprise. He had correctly assumed that she would probably have dressed for the evening address, the same outfit for the morning and afternoon sessions and then change into something again more formal for the evening. He could tell that she had no idea that the real meetings were held after the Summit. It was his job to enlarge her society base on the inner workings of a world-class conference.
Stephanie thought about the conference. She was looking at between three to five days at three to four outfits a day? Her mind was reeling.
Rodney started again.
"Since it will be the middle of May, we need to find apparel that looks crisp, spring-like but not too cool that you will feel chilled, yet stunning and befitting the aura you want to display showing that you truly belong at the conference."
He took an outfit off the rack.
"I chose this because the first day, everyone is looking around and gauging why they are here and who they are here with. This is where name-dropping and posturing will come in. This outfit would be suitable for the registration and the appetizer get-together."
He held up a spring dress, with a jacket. It was quite flowery, yet it had an understated elegance about it. Unfortunately, it was in a color that Stephanie was not fond of and she instantly unconsciously wrinkled her nose.
Rodney was watching for first impressions. He knew the style would be stunning on her but color was everything. Ella had been quite insistent that he be careful of her skin tones and complexion when choosing his first looks. She had sent him a few pictures of her in different outfits, from her Rangeman uniform to blue jeans and tops to a few with her in formal gowns. Her figure was stunning and as a fashion dresser, he was promising himself that she would look lovely in everything that was chosen today.
He did not hesitate and put the outfit on the empty rack.
Rodney showed her more and more outfits, and they soon had a number to be tried on, or discarded for whatever reason. Rodney listened as she explained her dislikes or likes as the case may be. She was the one wearing the clothes and he wanted her feeling good about the choices.
Rodney murmured some words to his assistant and she left the room. As they were going through the first rack, another lady brought in another rack full of more outfits to look at. Stephanie looked at Rod but he just smiled and continued to show her more choices.
Finally they had come to the end of the racks and Rodney took her hand, helping her to stand. He led her to the room on the left.
"Now comes the fun part, Steph. We get to try on what we have chosen so far."
Stephanie had relaxed enough that she was able to joke.
"So, WE are trying on the clothes, Rod? Are WE the same size?"
He had the grace to look a little embarrassed at the remark, and Stephanie giggled.
"I have a very good friend who I love dearly and hope you two have a chance to meet the next time I am in town. I think you would like him."
With that, she gave him a kiss on the cheek and headed into the change room, with an assistant pushing the heavy rack of clothing after her.
Rodney took an excited breath in spite of himself.
Stephanie sat in the easy chair, feeling like a damp dish rag. She had tried on outfit after outfit, then again with various footwear. They had stopped for a quick catered lunch and feeling more comfortable in each others presence had started to kid even more.
Stephanie had such an easy-going attitude to her that the entire staff had taken an instant liking to the young woman. They had been patient and gentle in explaining all the little things that they had picked up over the years in the fashion industry dressing celebrities and wanna-be celebrities for experiences such as this.
Miranda had contacted Charles and he would be there shortly. Stephanie looked at her watch. She had been at Halston Heritage for over six hours trying on clothes, then choosing footwear and hand bags and clutch accessories.
Rodney had also suggested two hair salons and after consulting with him she had chosen his favorite. Miranda had taken on the job of booking her hair appointments for the conference.
She sat and pondered her day. It had been very, very exciting but she felt almost the need for a quick nap. Stephanie wanted to see New York by evening, but at the same time, she would have preferred to see it with Ranger. She also wanted to try the restaurant in The London, knowing that Gordon Ramsay owned it and acted as head chef when he was in town. She had watched him on tv with his show 'Kitchen Nightmares' and thought it might be interesting to see if he was like that in real life.
Rod came into the room. He could see how tired she was but there was also a very satisfied look on her face. She had chosen her outfits very well. She knew what she liked and he had been quick to ensure that what she wore during the conference would look very good and make her feel good at the same time. He gave a little credit to himself for her success.
Taking her hand, he escorted her to the elevator for the ride down to the entrance. His staff had been waiting by the elevator door to bid her farewell and she thanked them all for their assistance.
The limo was waiting as the elevator door opened and Charles was standing by the back door waiting for her to walk out before he opened the door.
Rod stopped her at the door.
"Please give Ella my love. She probably never mentioned that I was a foster child and she and Luis took me in during a really bad time in my life. I learned so much from them and count them as the parents I never had. I miss them dearly and am excited to see them any time they come to New York."
Stephanie put her hand on Rod's arm.
"I love Ella and Luis. I have joked on a number of occasions that I would love it if they adopted me. I cannot thank you enough for all the help that you and your staff gave me in choosing my clothing for the conference next month, Rod. I will try to do you proud and if anyone asks me I will send you any business I can."
She smiled at them all, then reached up and as she gave Rod a peck on the cheek, she whispered in his ear.
"I texted a picture of Hector to your phone when you left it unattended. I believe you would like him and I know his tastes in dates."
She wiped a bit of lipstick off his cheek and headed for the car.
Charles opened the door and she slid in.
He closed the door and walked around to the driver's door, slid in and pulled away.
Stephanie leaned back.
She felt someone take her hand and she jumped.
"Babe."
OK, fine. I will post one tomorrow, because I know someone would have said "Please'.
We all know how far Trenton is from New York and it seems silly to fly, but be patient, readers, next chapter you will see why.