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Lucinda kept considering what Sam had said to her Sunday night. If you really want to impress them… wear that dress.
She watched herself in the mirror as she smoothed the lines in the dress around her ample hips. She looked at the nervousness in her face and frowned sternly. “Stop that. You don’t have to be nervous. You can do this. You’re Lucinda Hastings, for God’s sake. You don’t need to impress them, they need to impress you!” She watched her face for another moment and realized she didn’t believe a word she had just said. This was the big fish that everyone in the industry waited for… prayed for. Columbia records had signed Streisand, Carlos Santana, Mahalia Jackson, Janice Joplin… and anyone who signed with them was expected to be part of the elite of the music industry well into the next decade.
She stared at herself in that dress. It was so inaproprate for a business meeting… but how many singers haven’t signed a contract wearing their stage costumes? It was still cool enough in April in Chicago that she could wear a coat, and remove it at the meeting just for a moment… But then again, if Ben ever found out that she wore this dress in front of a bunch of men without him being present… She shuddered to think about it.
She heard the key in the lock of the hotel room, and Ben stepped in and stopped short when he saw her in the infamous invisible dress. He smiled. “You wearin’ that for me?” He crept up behind her and put his arms around her waist from behind as they both stared into the mirror at each other.
“Be careful, I don’t want you to wrinkle it,” her tone sounded nervous and overly sharp.
“That dress is too tight to hold a wrinkle.” His eyebrow raised up in that way he had when he was looking for more to the story. “If you’re not wearing it for me, why do you have it on?”
“Just looking at it one more time before I pack it away to take back to the store.” She gently extricated herself from his arms and slid the zipper down from the side of the dress. “looks like I’m going shopping today.”
“Shopping? For what?”
“Well since you won’t let me wear this one on stage, looks like I need a new dress.”
“Oh, Luc, you packed a million dresses for this tour.” He mockingly whined.
“Yeah, well, I need a million and one.” She turned and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I planned to have a different dress for each gig, and, now I have to replace this one.”
She had always shown good judgment in the price, so he almost never asked how much something cost. He begrudgingly rolled his eyes to the ceiling and sighed in defeat. “Suit yourself.” His eyes suddenly sparkled as something just occurred to him. “Hey, I’ll come with you. We’ll grab some dinner on Rush Street.”
“NO!” She practically shouted. She chided herself silently for the suspicious outburst, then calmed her voice and attempted a smile as she began to straighten his tie. “I… I don’t like it when you go shopping with me. All you do is stand around and glance at your watch the entire time. I can’t relax with you lurking around.”
Ben laughed. “Fair enough,” He said. “Why don’t I just meet you for dinner. Say, at that restaurant in the Drake hotel?”
The Drake Hotel? Why did he say that? What did he know? Did Charlie rat her out already? Was Ben playing with her? Did he know about Sam’s visit? She snapped her head up and searched his expression for evidence of anger or suspicion. All she saw was innocence and sincerity.
“The Drake? That’s kind of expensive, isn’t it?” She noticed her voice was shaking.
“You deserve it. You’ve worked really hard these past few weeks, and I know you’re tired of the greasy spoon diners. What do you say we splurge a little tonight? Just you and me.”
Lucinda again searched for the evidence in his eyes that he was testing her. Finding nothing, she smiled carefully. “Nah… let’s not waste the money. The restaurant in this hotel is just as good as the Drake, but not as pricey.”
Her husband smiled approvingly at her. “That’s my girl. I’ll meet you back here at 6:00.”
Her meeting would be at 5:00. the Drake was only five blocks away. a three minute cab ride. One hour. That’s all she needed.
***
Lucinda stood in the grand foyer of the Drake Hotel and caught her reflection in one of the mirrored walls before the golden banistered staircase leading to the reception desk. She wore her invisible stage dress under a full length coat. In a tote bag, she carried a modest, brown polyester pant suit with platform shoes for the quick change act she was planning on before she took a cab back to the her hotel to meet Ben for dinner. She had a nagging feeling that she was making a foolish decision about wearing this dress to this meeting, but she didn’t want to leave anything to chance. She wanted them to see right off the bat that she was sexy, fit, and photogenic, as well as talented and sharp. She needed to present herself as the total package, and this dress was going to put her over the top.
She walked up to the reception desk and asked for Sam Harper.
“Yes, Miss. Hastings, Mr. Harper and his associates are expecting you in the east conference room. We’ll have a bellboy escort you.”
The receptionist slapped a small sharp sounding bell on the desk, and a young man wearing a bellman’s suit appeared from around a corner and smiled. “Follow me, please,” he said.
When she arrived through the heavy oak doors, there sat Sam in an expensive Italian suit at a long conference table with three other gentleman. When he saw her, he jumped up and ran to greet her and take her coat. His pupils dialted as he feasted on the dress she was wearing.“You look beautiful, Baby Girl,” he whispered in her ear. He gave her coat to the waiting bellman, and it disappeared through an adjoining door. He took her by the hand and escorted her to each person sitting around the large oak table. There were two names that she didn’t recognize, but when she came to the last introduction, she knew that she was in the presence of one of the highest ranking executives in the corporation of Columbia Records. Sam Harper had actually delivered on his promise, and Lucinda was in awe as the one and only Clive Davis rose to kiss her hand.
“Ms. Hastings, we’re honored to meet you. We’ve got some really exciting ideas for your career. We hope this will be the beginning of a very long and fruitful relationship.”
She had never had her hand kissed by anyone other than Ben before. The first time she had met Ben, he had kissed her hand as though she were royalty, a gesture that had been the catalyst to her falling in love with him all those years ago. Now again, she was feeling like a princess. For the second time in her life someone was treating her like she were the most important person on the planet, and she fought hard to keep her composure and not let her ego get carried away with all the attention.
Wouldn’t Ben approve? He always said that if God wanted her to career to expand into the realm of rich and famous, then it would. And it would never be necessary to delve into drugs or do business with organized crime, or perform sexual favors for the power elite in the industry. So many of her contemporaries had fallen prey to the ugly side of the business in order to become household words. “When God opens the doors,” Ben had always said, ”he’ll make it clear in safe, legal, and moral conditions. In the mean time, you sing… and keep an eye out for the signs.”
Well this had to be a sign. Granted, it involved Sam Harper, her husband’s nemesis, but it was an opportunity she couldn’t ignore.
Lucinda took her seat at the head of the beautiful oak table as Sam grabbed her a chrystal glass and filled it with water from a pitcher. Lucinda took a sip and for the next hour, she listened to four men pitch an appeal for her to become their next big client. The meeting was full of all the things Sam had mentioned in her dressing room. The contacts, the travel, the life immersed in television and radio interviews and performances. Johnny Carson, the Grammys, Saturday Night Live, Hollywood,… there was even talk about maybe singing the theme song for the next James Bond Film. The possibilities were endless, and Lucinda could feel her pupils dilate with excitement when a contract was pushed under her nose on that conference table.
“Of course we’ll wait for you to have your manager go over it, and we’ll talk after the weekend.” Mr. Davis said as he rose and extended his hand to her.”
Lucinda was visibly relieved that she was not asked to make a decision immediately. She never really handled negotiations alone for any contract or gig. Ben had the expertise in this area, and being on her own in this meeting without his permission or input, or knowledge, or protection...
He’s gonna skin me alive!
But she knew he would never have let her come if he knew Sam was the driving force behind Columbia’s interest. Without him on their staff, they probably never would have given her a second look. She owed him at least her gratitude for putting her on their map.
At 6:00 on the nose, everyone expressed their pleasure at meeting her with several handshakes and kisses on the cheek, and left the room. When everyone had gone, Lucinda and Sam were left alone. She turned to him and smirked. ”Well, I gotta hand it to you, Sam. You really came through.”
“Aw. C’mon,” he said looking wounded. “Was there really ever any doubt?”
“Yes.” she said curtly.
he placed a hand over his heart,. “You wound me, Baby Girl.”
Lucinda sat back down in her chair, and shook her head. “You know you’ve got a reputation that’s a little scary.”
“Rumors. You know how people in this business like to talk.” he shrugged as he stepped over to a long antique divan against the wall and retrieved a bottle of champaign and a couple of fluted glasses. “And if there ain’t nothing to talk about, they’ll make it up.” He placed the glasses on the table and began to unscrew the wires on the cork. “Seems to me I heard a few stories about you.” He wrinkled his brow. “Exactly what is the story about you and Johnny Carson?”
He laughed as Lucinda felt her face flush. She smiled uncomfortably. “I’ll tell you that story if you tell me about the 16-year old waitress in Bensonhurst.”
“Touche, Baby Girl.” The cork flew off and ricocheted off the ceiling with a loud pop. He poured two glasses, and handed one to her almost forcefully. The look on his face was determined.
“Okay, just one glass,” she said, glancing at her watch. “ I’m meeting Ben for dinner and I’m already five minutes late.”
Sam raised his glass. “Here’s to old friends, and renewing relationships.”
Lucinda took the glass and raised it above her head in a toast as she tried to decipher what it was behind those eyes that made her a bit nervous.
As she took a sip of the bubbly, Sam sat down next to her again and touched her hand, rubbing his finger gently over her wedding ring. “Speaking of rumors,” Sam drawled, “I hear that Ben’s blowing opportunities for you. Dionne told me that Stax Records was after you a couple years ago, and Ben wouldn’t let you sign.”
“Dionne Warwick is a gossip hound, and she doesn’t know what she’s talking about.” she pretended to inspect the champaign through the chrystal. “Ben had a good reason for turning them down.”
“Ah, so it is true. I told you he was going to bring your career to a grinding halt, didn’t I say that?”
“Stop gloating. My career is fine.” she tilted her head thoughtfully. “We’re just waiting for the perfect fit for my next contract.”
“The perfect fit, huh? You been in this business since you were nineteen. and fifteen years later, you’re still on a record label that only covers the east coast. You’re better than that. And it’s about time that husband of yours knew it.”
“It’s not about the exposure, Sam. It’s about me being able to practice a craft that I love.”
Sam smiled wryly as he leaned into her. “Now you and I both know that’s bullshit,” he whispered. “I know you. You’re tired of being a small fish in a big pond.”
“You don’t know me, Sam.” she sneered with irritation. “You knew a poor little black girl from Brooklyn who raised herself and her little sisters on oatmeal and free liver from the stockyards. I thought that if I could be rich and famous, all my problems would go away.”
Sam stared at her for a moment, straight faced, almost mockingly. “Well ain’t it a shame that you never had a chance to test that theory.”
She cut her eyes at him.
he smiled back at her. “So… You think Columbia might finally be the fit you’re looking for?”
Her expression softened. She shrugged as she removed her hand from the touch of his fingers. “I gotta tell ya, that it looks good from where I sit. But Ben’s not going to like the fact that you come with the deal. He doesn’t trust you. And as it stands now, He’s going to be hopping mad that I met with you behind his back. But he has a lot of respect for Clive Davis, and that’s going to have the be the selling point.”
Sam grinned wide. “Well, Ben ain’t completely stupid. He knows a threat when he sees one. He always suspected there was something between you and me.”
“Still holding on to that delusion, huh, Sam?” She chuckled softly. “When are you going to let that go?”
“When you stop living in denial.”
Lucinda shook her head hopelessly and bit her bottom lip. Wether Sam was teasing or not about believing there was anything between them, he was right about one thing: It was time to move on to the next rung on the ladder. Ben had told her year after year to be patient, to watch for God’s blessing and avoid the pitfalls of the dark side of the entertainment business. Stax records didn’t make the grade. Neither did Arista Records. and Lucinda suspected that Columbia wouldn’t either, with it’s connection to Ben’s nemesis. But, Dammit, she wanted this! Ben had to listen to reason at some point. She had a following… she had...decent record sales… she had…
Lucinda suddenly closed her eyes and touched her forehead with the tips of her fingers as the room started to spin.
Sam cocked his head as he watched Lucinda’s eyes start to close as though she had stones on her eyelids. “You okay?” he asked.
Lucinda shook her head and looked around the room. It began to look distorted, almost as though she were looking at the room through a funhouse mirror. She frowned and rubbed her eyes and looked again. Sam’s face was dripping as though it were made of melting candlewax. “I… I don’t feel so good…” she said. I’m sorry, I think I better go…”
“No, no…” interjected Sam. he placed one hand on her forehead and squeezed her arm a little too tightly with the other “You’re a little warm. I think you need to lie down. Tell you what, I’ll take you to my room and you can rest for a few minutes while I call you a cab.”
“NO!” her voice was hoarse suddenly with a twinge of panic. “ I can’t go to your room… I… can’t… where’s my purse… did I have a...”Lucinda looked around nervously. Her coat… a bag with something important in it...
“Now, don’t argue with me, I insist. C’mon, Lucinda. Lets see if we can walk to the elevator, Okay? You just lean on me.”
Lucinda’s eyes moved dreamily across the ceiling as she fought to keep her lids open. She wasn’t sure what was going on, but she hadn’t the will nor the inclination to resist. Sam had risen out of his seat, and hooked her arm around his neck as he lifted her out of her chair, and began walking her out of the conference room. For only a moment she had a burst of paranoia, as she lazily attempted to dig her heels in to stop the movement forward, but saw that it was useless. Her strength was completely depleted, and her resolve dissipated. She succumbed to Sam’s will, as she was ushered into the elevator. As the doors closed her in, she felt her legs give out from under her, and Sam hooked an arm under her knees and scooped her up in his arms. Her head snapped back as though it were just too heavy for her neck to support as the lights in the elevator suddenly faded to black.
The elevator opened again on the 5th floor. Sam carried a limp and unconscious Lucinda to his room. it was time he made her his once and for all.
To be continued
To be continued
