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Chapter 15
Stephanie stepped off the plane and headed for the carousel to retrieve her bags. She waved her arm and a red hat porter headed her way and pointing at her bags she walked to the door stepping outside into the smoggy air of New York.
A limo was waiting by the door and Charles was standing by the back door waiting for her to come closer. He opened the door and helped her into the vehicle, while the red cap stowed her bags in the opened trunk, received the tip from Charles and backed away.
Charles closed the door and walked slowly around to the driver's door. It had been very muggy and he was feeling the pains associated with incoming weather. He pulled out into the traffic and headed for the hotel.
"Stephanie, I know you were on the plane really early so I put some coffee and a couple of pastries on the tray. Rangeman delivered your schedule to me and it is on the seat beside you. I have placed myself at yours and Rangeman's service for the entire conference. Your hair appointment for later this afternoon is highlighted with an approximate travel time from the conference site noted."
Stephanie picked up the sheets of paper and quickly perused them. She noted the appointment for today and one for late tomorrow afternoon as well.
"Thank you Charles for all that you are doing for me,"Stephanie spoke. She looked out at the buildings as they drove down the busy street, sipping her coffee.
She had worked hard to free up this week.
She thought back to the Great Bed Race on April 28th. Not knowing what was expected of her, she had come prepared for every eventuality, including a helmet and knee and elbow pads. She had seen other charity bed races and it appeared that the driver was involved in a number of crashes and she wanted to be prepared.
Her team had chuckled at her obvious lack of optimism that they would push her safely to the finish line, but had uproariously laughed at her choice of defensive weaponry. She had bought the biggest water-cannon that she could find in the local toy store and it soon became apparent to the other racers that she was not afraid to use it. Just in case she ran out of water, she was also packing two water pistols in holsters.
They had not won the final race, but they had received the trophy for the most inventive in defense.
As a group they had presented the cheque to the Boys and Girls Clubs from their pledges, helped out no doubt by personal pledges from each of the participants. The President of the local chapter accepting the cheque had looked visibly shaken as she saw the amount. They could now fix the roof, and replace the 15 year old van.
The Kentucky Derby had been a smashing success and she was now busier than ever. Word had leaked out that she had been the successful bid outfitting the ten horse team at both the Festival and the Derby Parade, and many accolades had come her way along with more business.
Charles pulled up at The London and once again, the doorman opened the back door, saluted and held out a gloved hand to help her out. A porter unloaded the trunk with her bags and Charles pulled away after she had walked through the now opened door.
She walked to the counter and a concierge was waiting.
"My name is Stephanie Plum and I have a reservation."
He smiled and nodded at her.
"Welcome to The London Ms. Plum. Your suite is ready and I note your wardrobe has been delivered."
He handed her two key cards and looked at the porter standing behind Stephanie with the bags on his rolling cart.
"Follow Ms. Plum please."
The porter obediently pushed his cart behind Stephanie into the elevator and watched as she pressed the floor, then followed her to her room waiting as she slipped the card into the door opening it with the other hand. He placed her bags just inside the door and touched his hat as he palmed the tip.
Stephanie kicked off her shoes as she closed the door, looking around. Previously she had stayed on the 47th floor and while the room was certainly charming, this was spectacular. It was on the 50th floor and in addition to a king sized bed, there was a room off to the side with couches and chairs and a complete work station. Now THIS was a suite.
Stephanie checked out the bathroom and grinned at the sight of the big beautiful tub. She remembered the last time she had stayed at the hotel. This certainly looked like it was also big enough for two.
She continued her exploration and stepped into a gigantic walk-in closet. She noted that there were garment bags hung up on the rods and each had a note attached to it.
She walked over looking at the cards in the card holders of each bag. Rod had personally printed numbers and which occasion each bag was to be used for, and counting quickly, Stephanie noted that there were more bags than what they had decided. She looked at the last three bags noting that they were included "just because things happen". She smiled. Did he know of her former job where she came home covered in disgusting material sometimes? Had Ella warned him that strange situations, through no fault of her own, happened to her?
She made a mental note to contact Rod to get a bill and at the same time advise him that Hector was in town. When he was ready, she wanted to introduce them to each other. She had a good feeling that her attempt at match-making would work out. If not, they could hopefully still be friends.
Stephanie smiled and walked out of the closet. She headed to her phone. Just as she was about to flip it open, it rang with the batman theme song.
Stephanie caught it before the second ring. "Hey Batman, I just arrived."
Ranger chuckled. He had already received the call from Digger that he had dropped her off. So far, she still had no clue that they knew each other.
"Hey Babe, we are all in New York and have been for a couple of days in meetings and setting up. If you're not too tired, can I come and give you an idea what we are looking at?"
He waited to hear her response. It was still early in the day and the registration would not be commencing for a few hours. That would give her time to get ready and head over.
Stephanie nodded her head then spoke. "Sure, Ranger, I'm in 5010 and thank you for the suite. It is absolutely beautiful."
Ranger murmured. "You're attending a world class conference, Babe. I'll see you in a few."
He did not mention that he was downstairs in the lobby having been dropped off by Hector.
He knocked on the door and waited as Stephanie looked through the peephole. He smiled as she disengaged the solid bar and opened the door. He had cautioned her to always use the security measures when she travelled.
She waited for him to slide in then closed the door, and practically leaped into his arms. They had not seen each other for two weeks and it had been hard to just speak to each other over the phone. There were so many things to talk about but their person-to-person contact was absent and very much missed.
Ranger walked her to the bed. He had missed her as desperately as she had missed him and they shed their clothes almost savagely. Their love making was quick and wild. Laying in the bed, Stephanie played with Ranger's chest muscles watching them twitch. He twirled a lock of her hair around his finger.
Ranger spoke.
"Babe, everything is set and we don't see a threat to you per se. At the same time, we have identified a potential issue that may become a problem."
Stephanie stiffened in spite of herself and Ranger spoke again.
"We believe that there will be some kind of action against a number of African American presenters. We are still trying to track down more information, but it looks like the main summit will be free of any threat. We cannot say anything about the comings and goings of the participants as yet, but we are continuing to gather more information."
Stephanie climbed off the bed and gathered her sheets of Summit information, then crawled back to lay against Ranger again.
She looked at the information sheets she laid on Ranger's chest and with her pen poised she made a mark on three presentations. She had already perused what she really wanted to hear and of those, two of them had piqued her interest. She looked at the third one and mentally moved around how to attend it.
"I can filter in and out of those without any difficulty. They are fairly close to each other and two I had already signed up for. When I register I will just slip my name into the third address."
She looked at the clock radio by the bed.
"Unless you want to have a shower with me, Ranger, I need to start getting ready. I have to register soon and then head off to my hair appointment."
She gulped as Ranger climbed out of bed, picked her up in a fireman's carry and raced her to the shower in the bathroom.
One satisfying shower later she was in the closet changing into her first outfit and Ranger had dressed and left.
Charles beeped that he was downstairs and grabbing her garment bag for the opening address she headed to the elevator.
Charles took the bag from her and placed it in the trunk, to be changed into after her hair and make-up appointment. The salon had a dressing room where she could change and then he would take her back to the Conference Centre for the evening activities.
Charles pulled up to the front entrance. A doorman opened the door to the limo and put his hand out to assist her to exit the car. She walked down the walkway and into the Convention Centre.
There was a person directing traffic guiding the enrollees to this table or that table for their registration package.
Stephanie waited patiently for her turn. She stepped up to the table and the two pleasant looking women looked up at her expectantly.
"My name is Stephanie Plum."
One smiled and handed a registration package to Stephanie as the other lady put a check-mark by her name. She moved off as the lady behind her gave her name. She drifted along with the crowd toward a room. Inside were waiters moving through the crowds with trays of wine, both red and white. Stephanie accepted a glass of red and continued to move throughout the room, listening to the chatter, and the laughs and viewing some hugs and more than a few cheek kisses. She spied a long table by the back wall and walking closer, noted that there were many different kinds of cheeses and dainty crackers to partake of if they so wished. She picked up a napkin and placed a few crackers on it then chose a few cheeses to taste.
She spied Rangemen in attendance dressed in their black uniforms. She heard comments that make her blush with embarrassment for the men or silently cheer when comments were expressed that with men around like that, they felt safe.
She drifted to the sign-up tables and confirmed the presentations she wanted to attend and signed up for a few more after perusing the new list of presenters.
Once again, she drifted through the crowds listening for anything that might signal some kind of trouble or something to be aware of to pass on to Ranger. She walked slowly by him as he stood at one of the doors and deciding that it was time to pull the tiger's tail a bit, did a slow up and down observation of his body. His eyes changed slightly and probably only she would have known he had acknowledged her gaze and that it would be payback time later. Oh my, she loved his payback.
She continued on walking through the crowds of ladies standing and chatting. She had not heard anything suspicious, and looking at her watch began to head for the door. Her hair appointment was soon and she needed to find Charles.
Stephanie stepped out of the car at the entrance to the Conference Center once again but this time there was a definite difference. There was a red carpet to walk on and she felt subconscious as she walked to the door in her formal gown with her hair done up. Her dainty sandals almost made her feet float along the carpet. The entranceway was roped off along the sides and she saw many, many people standing and watching as she walked in. Flashbulbs popped and cell phone cameras clicked. She heard a few 'who is she?' and then one person could be heard, 'I don't know but she must be famous!'.
Stephanie stepped through the door and immediately noticed some Rangeman employees in their formal tuxes standing at the door. She saw more as she moved gracefully as she filtered through the crowd. She spied Ranger in his tux and unconsciously stopped to admire the view in front of her. She just knew that she licked her lips, but catching herself she moved on. Mind you, she saw a number of other women do the same thing.
Taking a flute of champagne from a passing waiter, she sipped to conceal her observations as she moved through the crowd. She heard snippets of conversations here and there, and for the most part, once again it was positive and excited and looking forward to the agenda tomorrow.
She drifted into the main reception area, looking and listening and checking for body language and tension. She saw none that concerned her and decided to just keep mingling and enjoying the experience.
The large doors at one end of the room opened and a flood of women made their way into the banquet room, heading for a seat.
Stephanie took her time since she was attending as a single participant, knowing that she could find a seat at almost any table she wanted.
She gravitated to a table in one corner of the room, choosing to sit with her back to the wall so that she could observe the action better. She sat down and looked around.
She heard a throat clearing and looked toward the noise.
A woman in a formal naval uniform was standing near the table looking at her.
"May I join you?" she asked.
Stephanie smiled and motioned to the seats.
"I would be pleased to share a table with you," she said and the officer sat down to one side of her. She sighed in relief and sipped her champagne.
"This has been a long day and I suspect that the evening will drag on too." She looked at Stephanie and held out her hand.
"My name is Sophia Brown."
Stephanie held out her hand and they shook.
"I am Stephanie Plum, but please call me Steph."
They looked at the crowd of women jockeying for positions as close to the center of the room as possible and both giggled at the same time.
Sophia Brown looked at the mad scramble and chuckled. "You would think that they would learn to move out from the middle. They are always the last to be served, and any experienced speaker will look around the room before looking at them."
Stephanie nodded. She had chosen the wall because she wanted to watch as much as possible, but the reasoning Sophia gave made sense. She sounded like she had attended a lot of formal activities.
They chatted and sipped their drinks, getting to know each other a little more. Stephanie looked at Sophia.
"I signed up for your presentation tomorrow. I wanted to understand the reasoning that women in the military are changing the boundaries in defense."
Sophia smiled at her table-mate. "I normally don't broadcast who I am, but obviously you have read up on the Summit. So, since you know about me, what should I remember about you?"
She raised an eyebrow and smiled at Stephanie.
Stephanie could feel a blush creep up her neck heading to her ears and stammered. "Well, I recently purchased a company that sells equine equipment to ranches and stables."
She proceeded to talk about how the business had changed and while it was profitable taking it to the next step using the information highway had been both fun and profitable.
Sophia nodded her head. There were so many new and exciting adventures out there and it was the young and young at heart who would be leading the charge.
Their table began to fill and each person introduced themselves and a small description of their profession or their passion.
They watched as the head table arrived and were seated. The noise quieted down as the Master of Ceremonies for the evening stood up, looked around and spoke.
"Welcome to the 2014 Forbes Women's Summit. Thank you for your interest in our mission to bring knowledge and awareness to the businesswomen of today and tomorrow. Before we go much further, I propose we have something to eat and then get down to business."
As if there was a button pressed, the doors opened and a swarm of wait staff materialized with plates of appetizers. As Sophia had predicted, the outer walls were served after the head table and then the wait staff moved closer and closer to the middle of the room. A number of women looked disappointed, some looked angry, and some were resigned to being served last.
A waiter placed the small appetizer plates in front of Sophia and Stephanie along with their other table mates. Stephanie looked down. The presentation was, of course, world class, but a stick of celery cut down the spine to resemble tall waving grass and a small piece of what looked like cold salmon with a half a cherry tomato would not take long to digest.
She looked at Sophia and they both smirked at the same time.
Once again the doors opened and the staff poured in with full sized plates placing them in front of each attendee. This looked a bit more filling. There looked to be a stuffed chicken breast with creamy white cheese . Beside it was a half a stuffed potato that looked to have been broiled at the last minute giving it a golden brown appearance. In a small dish was a house salad.
The ladies at the table made light conversation as they ate. It was very relaxed and friendly. There appeared to be no animosity to anybody else.
Stephanie excused herself after eating her main meal and made her way to the washroom to freshen up her make-up before the dessert arrived and the speeches began. As she waited patiently in line she could overhear the minor complaints coming from the ladies around her. There was the usual myriad of how small the portions were, their unhappiness in how the meal was served, or the delay in getting their food.
There were accolades at the same time for the obviously professional atmosphere on the Summit to date. Some of the ladies commented on the goody bags full of gift certificates and samples they had received at the registration desk. Some were making plans for drinks after the evening festivities concluded. Some had complained that the shoes they had chosen for that evening were totally unsuitable for any period standing, or walking.
It was the usual comments and Stephanie let them wash over her without concern. She was listening for the whisper of something about to happen, or anger that this or that person had dared to sit at THEIR table.
Stephanie made her way back to her table. Sophia was sitting back and watching the crowd with a practised eye, also gauging the atmosphere. Stephanie looked at Sophia. At first glance she looked a lot like Angela Bassett, but as she drew closer, she could see that the fine lines near her eyes only made her look even more distinguished, confirming that she had risen to the rank by a lifetime in the medical field
There was a dessert in front of each plate and Stephanie smiled that it was crème brule, one of her favorite desserts.
The wait staff were quickly retrieving all the dishes and the head table was getting ready for the last part of the evening.
Stephanie noticed that Rangeman had continued to mingle in the room and were speaking into mikes attached to a jacket or a lapel. She watched as all of a sudden they began to converge on one table as angry voices rose.
Without making a scene they escorted a couple of women from the room, surrounding them so that they could not be seen by fellow attendees. The door opened and the ladies were led out.
The MC stood up and spoke into the mike.
"Ladies, thank you once again for your presence at the Forbes Women's Summit 2014. May I introduce the head table starting with the farthest on my left. Esther Goreman is the Honorary Chairman for the Summit this year. She brings a wealth of knowledge from working with troubled youth in the correctional system.
Next is Naomi Witherspoon, who took on the responsibility of the logistics of such a large undertaking. Naomi comes to us on loan from McCauley and Maguire, a well-respected law firm here in New York.
Seated to my immediate left is Andrea Marcotte. Andrea is the owner of Barney's, a well known clothier here in New York.
To my far right is Leslie Durham, commercial artist for the City of New York. Leslie brings her artistic skills and designed the posters hung throughout the center.
Next to Leslie is Tanya Lyons. She is one of the Supreme Court Judges in the State of New York. Tanya has been practicing on the bench for 35 years.
To my immediate right is Alexandra Hoskins. Alexandra has taken on the responsibilities as my right hand person. If anyone was unable to contact me, Alexandra would be the voice on the line handling any problems or questions you might have.
And last, my name is Zoe Abernathy. I am honored to be the MC for this evening as well as Executive Director for the 2014 Forbes Women's Summit. When I am not working on the Summit, you can find me at the Modern Museum of Art where I am presently employed as Head Curator.
Ladies, the head table."
The applause was loud and instantaneous. The head table nodded their thanks and the clapping became quieter as Zoe looked like she wanted to continue.
"Our guest speaker tonight is non other than Ariana McIntyre. Ariana is a gifted musician with the Cleveland Orchestra and tonight she has graciously consented to give the opening address. Ladies, I was not supposed to see, but I note that she also brought her violin with her so if we ask nicely, maybe she could be convinced to play us something from their production 'The Cunning Little Vixen' which is currently performing.
Without further ado, Ariana McIntyre."
There was thunderous applause. Ariana stood up and walked to the dais and stood at the microphone. She looked out at the audience. Ariana's story was well known in the music community. She had fled with her family from Romania when she was but four years old and had drifted from country to country.
She spoke of seeing how women were treated in various countries and how they had tried to improve the lives of themselves and their families under the country rules governing women. She spoke of the inroads in music with respect to females. She spoke of her experience now as the lead violinist in the Cleveland Orchestra. She spoke of her new country and how proud she had been when she finally became a citizen. As she finished her speech, she walked back to her chair and picked up her violin case and opened it up. She looked out at the assembled crowd and said.
"This was written in 1924 by Leos Janacek. It is about love, peril, freedom and family."
Without further ado, she put her violin to her chin and began to play. Her bow flew over the strings and then caressed them. She played with fire and hope and desire and her music filled the banquet room with sound.
As she lowered her bow, the ladies in the room jumped to their feet for a standing ovation that almost shook the walls. Ariana looked both surprised and pleased at the audience. She bowed and walked back to her seat, near the exit.
Zoe Abernathy stood up as the noise began to abate.
"There are very few spaces to sign up for the different addresses tomorrow so if you have not put your name down, please do so before leaving.
Tomorrow, for those who are early birds, or too eager to sleep in, there will be refreshments and breakfast dainties in the main lobby. The first discussions start promptly at 9 am, so please do not plan on being late.
Thank you for such a lively start to our conference, ladies. Enjoy the rest of your evening and I hope to speak to you before the Summit ends."
With that, the head table guests stood up and filed down the steps and began to mingle in the crowd.
Stephanie stood up with the other table mates and spoke.
"Thank you for such an enjoyable meal. I look forward to speaking with you again tomorrow."
She looked at Sophia just as Zoe Abernathy walked toward them.
Sophia smiled and spoke.
"Congratulations on what I expect will be an exciting conference."
Zoe looked at Sophia and grinned. "Admiral, thank you for consenting to attend and being called upon at the last minute to present. I understand that your schedule is very full right now and I very much appreciate you taking the time to attend."
Sophia nodded her head. She motioned for Stephanie to come closer and spoke.
"Zoe, may I introduce Stephanie Plum. We've had a very enjoyable evening getting to know each other. Stephanie, this is one of my best friends from Spelman College. While I was slaving away in pre-med she was enjoying a much easier life sculpting naked male models in the art history college."
Zoe sputtered and then glared at her friend Sophia.
"What my friend Sophia is trying to say is that she was learning about the male body by looking in a book and I was capturing the male models and dragging them home to meet her in person."
Stephanie laughed as she saw that the two friends had started to kid each other, apparently not for the first time. She smiled and prepared to leave, figuring that they wanted to get together for a visit.
Zoe looked at Stephanie. "Sophia is usually sitting back and observing and rarely talks to anyone at a function such as this. If you would like to join us, we would love to take you out to a club that we hang out in when we are both together in town. I for one would like to change into something more comfortable and if you want to go back to your place and change we could pick you up."
Stephanie looked to see if Sophia was in agreement and she nodded and smiled. She looked around and could not see Ranger in the room and thinking quickly spoke.
"I am at The London and if you would allow me to tag along I would love to join you."
Zoe looked at Sophia for her thoughts and said. "It is 8 o'clock", and grinning at Sophie, said, "that's 2000 to you. We could spin by and pick you up about 930, Stephanie then take you out to see what New York really looks like at night."
Stephanie was excited and her face showed her emotions.
"I can give you my cell number and I will meet you outside." They all pulled out their phones and typed in each other's numbers.
Stephanie received a beep on her phone. She looked down and read that Charles would be arriving to pick her up shortly.
Looking at her new friends and acquaintances, she grinned and spoke. "So, how does one dress in New York at night?"
They chuckled at her question but understood the innuendo.
Zoe spoke up. "Stephanie, we want to have fun and relax so business casual would be fine. The club we like the most is not pretentious."
Stephanie nodded and stepped away. She turned back at the door and watched the two friends still talking and laughing.
Ranger met her as she was walking to the front.
"You never disappoint, Babe," as he shook his head and walked away.
A/N – author flipped a coin; heads, a chapter tomorrow, tails, no. Coin flipped four times, heads each time. I guess there will be a chapter tomorrow.
Myrna