Ben nodded.
“Just be at my house at one o’clock,” Stone said to the boy, “and don’t forget your tuxedo.”
The evening turned out to be a smashing success, and Stone felt that he and Arrington had made their first new friends.
On Monday afternoon Stone took Peter to the Ralph Lauren store on Madison and got him a tuxedo. It surprised him that the boy had moved up a size and from regular to long, and that the new size fit him perfectly. Stone found a tweed hacking jacket for himself in another department, and then they went downtown to a riding equipment store, where Stone bought riding boots, socks, and the tight-fitting pants that Arrington had requested. All their new gear would be delivered in time for their departure.
Kelli Keane woke early at David Rutledge’s loft downtown and crept out of bed so as not to wake him. She had been there since Saturday night. She tiptoed to the beautiful bathroom, with its twin sinks, shower, tub, and bidet in a space as large as the bedroom in her apartment. He had done a spectacular job of transforming the formerly industrial space into a large duplex apartment of more than six thousand square feet.
She was in the middle of her shower when David joined her, and she was tall enough that they could easily make love standing up. She had lost track of how many times they had done it-or something-since Saturday night. David had left very little room for expansion in her repertoire. She was getting the feeling that this one was a keeper, and she had not been previously acquainted with that feeling. Take it easy, she said to herself, and see how it goes.
She scrambled some eggs for them, and he ate them hungrily.
“You’re the first woman ever to spend a whole weekend in this apartment,” David said.
“I don’t believe that for a moment.”
“I’ve only been in it for five weeks.”
“I still don’t believe it,” she said.
He laughed. “Next weekend really ought to be fun. Oh, and by the way, the boss has sprung for the company jet, so we won’t have to fly the airlines. It’s always a pain in the ass when you have half a dozen cases of photographic equipment, plus personal luggage.”
“That’s great news,” she said.
“A car will pick you up at seven Friday morning. That way, we’ll have most of the day to work and the following morning, as well.”
“Are we going to get an invitation to the big do on Saturday night?” she asked.
“We’ll just have to see if that happens,” he said, “but you might bring a suitable dress, just in case. It’s a dressy event.”
“I can do that,” she said.
“If you’re free this evening, I’ll cook us some dinner.”
“Oh, you cook, too? My God!”
“And bring your toothbrush,” he said, smiling.
At work, Kelli made a beeline to Prunella Wheaton’s office. Prunie poured her a cup of coffee. “I hear you had a very pleasant weekend,” she said knowingly.
“How did you know?”
“Sweetie, you’re going to have to get used to the idea that I know everything. No one can hide anything from me, if I really want to find out.”
“I believe you, Prunie,” Kelli said. “Yes, it was a wonderful weekend. That apartment!”
“Well, he trained as an architect,” she said, “and he does work at Architectural Digest, doesn’t he? He has to hold up his end, and the staff there always know where to find the most beautiful things.”
“I’ve never known a man with that kind of taste and style,” Kelli said. “You wouldn’t believe the state of most men’s living quarters these days.”
“I expect it’s not much worse than when I was your age,” Prunie said, “and it’s probably much better!”
45
A llison Wainwright came into Stone’s office and laid a small stack of papers on his desk. “We’re up to date on the financial reports from Strategic Services and Steele. These are the ones you need to see. Everything else is just boilerplate.”
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