J'adore New York: A Novel of Haute Couture and the Corner Office by Isabelle Lafleche

Author:Isabelle Lafleche [Lafleche, Isabelle]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781443400350
Publisher: HarperCollins Canada
Published: 2010-06-22T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 21

They say that youth is unduly busy pampering the outer person. That may be so, but given the amount of time I’ve spent in the office lately, a bit of pampering is definitely in order. Saturday afternoon I drop by the hair salon at Bergdorf’s to get a brushing as well as a manicure and pedicure. It took some serious detective work to finally get Lisa to share the names of her beauty specialists in the city, but it was well worth the effort.

Although Parisian women are known for enjoying lavish beauty rituals and treatments (Michel Perry, one of my favourite boutiques in Paris, offers nail lacquers that match the shades of the shoe designer’s creations), like everyone else in New York, Lisa treats her beauty regimen like a business; the return on investment carefully calculated with every appointment she makes. She must spend several hundred dollars a week keeping up her appearance. The mani/pedi is a must (her favourite nail colours: Your place or mine? by Essie), she wouldn’t dream of going anywhere without first getting her hair blown out, and she relies on countless massages, rub downs, and other therapies to help her cope with her job. I’m not sure how she does it—her practice is as busy as mine. Although I love to splurge on facials, waxing, and spa treatments, I barely have enough energy after work these days to take care of basic maintenance.

After I get home, I lounge about reading the The New York Times and turn to the Wedding Announcements page. I love these; they remind me of the M&A pages of the deal.com where companies boast their most recent acquisitions. As I read about the new Mr. and Mrs. Ron Smithenhower, I find the whole thing deliciously pretentious. Isn’t marriage supposed to be about love? Not about sending your shares soaring on the social stock exchange?

I flip to the Business section and spot a brief mention of the Browser offering. The press is referring to it as the most highly anticipated IPO this year. Part of me can’t believe that I’m having dinner with the man orchestrating this whole deal. Another part of me can’t believe that I’m the lawyer behind it. This is exactly why I came to New York. I put on my new Dior dress and a pair of snakeskin sandals with patent leather ankle straps and spray on some J’adore before I dash out onto the street. At seven o’clock sharp, Jeffrey’s cab pulls up in front of my building.

“Are you ready to swing?”

“I am!”

“You look gorgeous.” He kisses me on the cheek.

“Thank you.”

“I think in France you kiss on both cheeks, don’t you?” He reaches for the other side of my face and brushes my lips. Our eyes lock for a long moment and I feel dizzy.

The concert begins and Dee Dee Bridgewater sings “Misty,” one of my favourite jazz standards. I find myself thinking that the lyrics sum up my feelings about Jeffrey, especially the part about wanting him to lead me on.

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