“Is it expensive?” asks another.
“It’s a limited edition—worth more than one hundred thousand dollars per bottle,” replies the first.
The women stare at the crystal bottle as it sparkles under the light.
“Since he sent us the cognac, he must want to invite one of us to make a toast,” says another.
“It must be me,” says one, “He looked at me.”
“He looked at me and I’ll prove it to you,” snapped another.
The woman elegantly grabs two goblets, squares her delicate shoulders and quickly walks to the table.
“Mr. Bamford, I’m Veronica Smith from the Smith Group. Thanks for the drink.”
She offers Waylen one of the goblets. Waylen holds the goblet in his long fingers and swirls it casually. Instead of looking at the woman who’s toasting him, he stares directly at Leilani. Leilani pauses, holding her knife and fork just above her plate. She doesn’t know what Waylen is trying to do, but she refuses to play his game.
“Even if we didn’t sign the divorce agreement, I have no interest in disrupting his affairs,” Leilani thinks, “Besides, this Veronica woman is no different from Diana.”
Veronica raises her hand nervously in the air, and her confidence seems to evaporate. The goblet shakes slightly and the cognac trembles in the crystal. Finally, Waylen turns to Veronica. He gently clinks his goblet against hers and gives her a warm and charming smile.
“It’s my pleasure,” he says in a low, seductive voice.
Veronica smiles ecstatically, drinks her cognac, and returns in triumph to her table.
As soon as Veronica sits back down she begins bragging to her friends, “Mr. Bamford smiled at me just now. I told you that he gave me a meaningful look before. Perhaps I should take a rose bath and dress up tonight—I think he wants us to spend a night together.”
The rest of the women sniff with envy and jealousy.
“Don’t flatter yourself!” snaps Lisa, “Mr. Bamford can have any woman. All he did was smile at you.”
“Fine then,” Veronica sniffs, “Let’s see if he likes you any better.”
“Yes, let’s see,” Lisa agrees, “Only I won’t just toast him—I’ll sit down with him.”
The women look at Lisa in consternation.
“Are you serious?” gasps, “Come on, Lisa. Mr. Bamford probably drank with Veronica out of politeness. Don’t piss him off by going over there. After all, Mrs. Bamford is still sitting right there.”
“Mrs. Bamford is nothing but an old ornament,” Lisa says dismissively, “If Mr. Bamford cared about her, he wouldn’t have sent us that bottle. Besides do you know where Mrs. Bamford is currently staying?”
“What a silly question!” says one, “Of course, she’s staying in the presidential suite with Mr. Bamford.”
Lisa dramatically raises her goblet to the light, and swirls the clear maroon liquid, “She’s staying in one of the staff rooms.”
The women are appalled.
“How could Mr. Bamford allow his wife to live in a staff room like a common servant?” they think.
Two of the women look at Leilani with sympathy. Lisa approaches the Bamford’s table.
“Mr. Bamford,” Lisa says in a a voice dripping with s.e.x appeal, “May I join you?”
She casts a defiant glance at Leilani, and places her goblet on the table before Waylen can respond. Waylen snaps his fingers and Robert pulls up a chair for Lisa. Lisa gives him the most beautiful smile.
“Louis XIII is my favorite cognac,” she gushes, “Initially it has a fruity taste, but it finishes on a more complex note with hints of honey and myrrh. When you taste a vintage cognac or brandy, you taste not only the cognac itself, but its historical background. Mr. Bamford, do you know where the first bottle of Louis XIII appeared?”
Waylen smiles with interest.
“On a battlefield of France in 1569,” he says.
“Yes, and this particular bottle marks the life’s work of four generations of vintners and distillers,” Lisa says, “I’m honored to be able to taste it.”
Leilani cuts a small piece of foie gras and puts in her mouth.
“Lisa is very clever to guess that Waylen takes a special interest in wines and cognacs,” Leilani thinks.
“I like women with high IQs,” Waylen observes with a meaningful side glance at Leilani.
“Really?” Lisa says with a barely concealed smirk, “Mrs. Bamford must have an exceptionally high IQ to be your wife.”
Leilani doesn’t want anything to do with their conversation, but Lisa’s taunt bothers her. She quietly places her knife and fork on the table and stares directly at Lisa.
“Why does Lisa want to discuss me when she’s trying to draw Waylen’s attention to herself?” Leilani thinks, “Of course, I don’t expect her to say anything good about me, but she should be smart enough to leave me out of it. Now, Waylen, on the other hand, is trying to upset me.”
“What are the characteristics of someone with a high IQ?” Waylen asks Lisa.
“People with high IQs are intelligent and knowledgeable, of course, but they’re also respectful and patient,” Lisa says, “They make the people around them feel comfortable and secure, and they never maintain a sense of superiority or aloofness. They should also be good listeners and excellent conversationalists.”
“Really?” Waylen says without revealing any opinion or emotion.
Everyone always says that Waylen won’t let any woman near him. Lisa thinks about this as she sits next to him and she feels self-satisfied. Emboldened by Waylen’s patience in his conversation with her, she decides to flirt a little more.
“I’m curious Mr. Bamford, how would you describe a woman with a high IQ?”
Lisa’s question is a deliberate test to see if Waylen will flirt back; she’s hoping he’ll answer the question with a flattering or ingratiating answer. She expects him to say, “you’re a woman with a high IQ,” or maybe if he’s more subtle, to describe her. Unfortunately for her, Waylen is as powerful and unyielding as a king.
Waylen smiles slightly and gives Leilani a deep look.
“A woman with a high IQ is a woman who understands her man,” he says significantly.
Lisa recovers quickly.
“That’s right,” she says with admiration, “A man is like a book, and different men are different types of books. A man like you is something of a literary masterpiece.”
“Oh?” Waylen asks with a slight raise of his eyebrows.
She smiles flirtatiously and pauses a moment before responding.
“Yes, you’re fascinating, deep and mysterious,” she murmurs.
“Really?”
Waylen’s mood brightens and he raises his goblet and clinks it against hers in a silent toast.
Lisa looks at the plate where there is a perfectly prepared piece of foie gras.
“Do you mind if I cut it for you?” Lisa asks.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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