Island in the Sea by Anita Hughes

Author:Anita Hughes
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781466892347
Publisher: St. Martin's Press

chapter sixteen

LIONEL STOOD IN FRONT OF his closet and gazed at the row of Paul Smith blazers. He saw Tom Ford shirts and soft Armani leather jackets. He stroked a Saint Laurent cashmere sweater and thought it had been a long time since he felt like dressing for dinner with a woman.

He picked up a pair of Bally Loafers and remembered the joy of buying a new pair of shoes. He pictured standing in Battaglia on Rodeo Drive and admiring the selection of Prada loafers. He remembered waving his hand and saying he’d take them all and disappearing into the dressing room because he had a giant hard-on. He remembered seeing the shoe boxes stacked on the chrome counter and being afraid he was going to come.

He pictured scooping up silk ties at Lanvin in Paris and Canali suits in Milan. He remembered seeing his reflection in the revolving glass doors of the Hôtel de Crillon and thinking he looked like a million dollars.

He selected a yellow Ralph Lauren shirt and twill slacks. He paired it with a Thom Browne blazer and a pair of Gucci loafers. He fastened Montblanc cuff links around his wrists and glanced in the mirror. He smoothed his hair and hurried down the wood staircase.

* * *

Lionel stood at the marble bar in the living room and stirred a dry martini. He heard a knock on the door and called: “Come in.”

“You’re all dressed up,” Juliet said. “Are you going out?”

“Sometimes I enjoy putting on a dress shirt and a pair of slacks,” Lionel mused. “Fine clothes are more expensive and addictive than heroin. I once spent five thousand dollars on a Zegna blazer at Barneys because my personal shopper insisted I couldn’t eat at Per Se without it. God, you should have seen it on the hanger with its silk lapel and ivory buttons. It was more enticing than a new sports car or a beautiful redhead.

“I walked into the restaurant and the maître d’ offered to take my coat, but I held onto it like gold bullion. The porterhouse steak was juicier and the Rothschild cabernet was smoother and the crème brûlé was the best thing I ever tasted.” He sipped his martini. “But when I got home and hung the blazer in my closet, it was just a swath of fabric with some nice stitching.”

“I thought you said you wanted to meet this evening.” Juliet hesitated. “I can come back if you have dinner plans.”

“Gloria left a roasted chicken and baby potatoes in the oven. I thought we could open a bottle of rosé and eat on the terrace.” He stopped and looked at Juliet. “Unless you are meeting Henry.”

“He has to train for a match tomorrow.” Juliet shook her head.

“You think love is so resilient you don’t have to spend all your time together. But it needs to be nurtured with long walks and candlelit dinners.” He sat on the striped silk love seat. “When Samantha and I arrived in Beverly Hills we were inseparable.

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