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Maxine feigned being shocked. Her mouth opened into a perfect O. “You mean you forgot about the ball of the year?”
“Maxine, what are you talking about?” Lucy sighed heavily.
“Girl, it’s the Diamond Ball and Fundraiser for Economic Empowerment.”
Lucy waited to see if Maxine was going to elaborate. Should Lucy even know about this ball thingy? She’d been briefed on so many of her aunt’s old business dealings and projects during the past few weeks but this one did not ring a bell. Perhaps she’d forgotten. She hoped it wasn’t something in which she was supposed to be involved. “Maxine. I…I don’t know anything about the Diamond Fundraiser.”
Maxine rolled her eyes in exasperation. “It’s the event of the year, Lucy. Besides, your dear aunt Chris had agreed to do her part this year…before she passed away, of course.”
“Oh. I see.”
“The Diamond Ball and Fundraiser is about helping young people from all kinds of backgrounds from disadvantaged to the privileged. Basically, it helps people with great ideas thrive in life and do something to change the world.”
“Sounds good. And?” Lucy knew there must be something else forthcoming.
Maxine grinned sheepishly. “And, girl, the hottest, sexiest businessmen in the industry will be in attendance.”
Lucy leaned back, shook her head and laughed. “Now how did I know that was coming?”
“We have to go, Lucy. It’s for a good cause.”
“Why do I get the impression that if this was a fundraiser to help ants in the wild you’d still want to attend?”
“Honey, with all those rich, eligible hotties in one place. Hell yeah!”
Lucy leaned forward with a grin. “Fine. We’ll attend but only because it’s a good cause. How much are the tickets and how are we involved?”
“Well, they’re about one thousand dollars for the cheapest.”
“One thousand dollars? A little steep for our budget. Are you insane?”
“No, but I will go insane if I can’t be there.”
“Maxine!”
“Lucy!”
“Okay, fine. It’s going for a good cause so okay. I'll try to make it work. Now how are we involved?”
“Well, each year somebody helps out with the planning or donates ideas. And your aunt and I had already made suggestions to some of the song selection for the dance.” Maxine swayed her hips on the seat as if she could hear music pumping through some imaginary speakers. “I thought we could open up with a song about making a difference in the world or making a change…'”
“Yeah, and it seems as if we’re gonna have to make a bit of change, too, if we want to afford this thing. Literally. Our cash flow has decreased over the past few month according to Mr. Petri. I hope you know what we’re doing.”
Maxine stopped moving and glared at Lucy. “Of course, I know.”
Maxine then showed Lucy some of the lineup and playlist she previously approved. They would play some oldies and some new music to please the entire crowd that would consist of A-listers in the Toronto area and icons in the industry. The age of the participants would be mixed. Somehow, Lucy felt good about having a break this week to take her mind off things. It would be good to get out and dance for a change. She couldn’t honestly remember the last time she had fun at a musical event of any sort. She really needed to get a life, like seriously. Like yesterday.
“Okay, fine. The ball is when?”
“Thursday evening starting at six.”
“Thursday? That’s so soon.” Lucy glanced at her desk calendar and scanned her other commitments for the week. Her heart turned over in her chest when she saw Friday. She had scribbled down something about Antonio and a decision that had to be made. Why had she written that? She wasn’t about to cower to this man’s ridiculous demands. Or was she? No. It was her business and his grandfather was her client and that was final. She worked for Antonio I not Antonio III.
So then why had images of him slid into her memory? Her mind drifted back to his tall, muscular frame. The man obviously worked out—a lot. He was built like a Greek god. A sex god. Why was he suddenly dominating her every thought? She had to learn to control that. She had to learn how to squish thoughts of him out of her mind. But it wasn’t as easy as it sounded. Antonio Romero III.
