A few days later . . .
Joanna sat in the chair in her quarters as Courtney put the finishing touches on her make-up. She had curled and fluffed Joanna’s thick mane and sprayed it with so much hair spray that Joanna thought she was going to choke.
“Not too much eye shadow, Courtney. I’ll be wearing a mask,” Joanna said.
“I know, but there is space around the holes of the eyes,” Courtney countered as she continued to work.
After another few minutes, Courtney was finally done.
“When we have mo
Trevor stood in one of the corners of the ballroom with Bruce, Trevor, Christopher, and Selena. After dinner, he had become bored. Normally, he would have found a girl and whisked her away to a private spot where they could get better acquainted. Every time he entertained the thought, Ava or her mother, Whitney Bartholomew, appeared at his side. It was like clockwork.Then he had figured what the hell, he’d just take Ava and sneak her to his bedroom. She was his favorite girl. Ava wore a purple mask that matched her dark purple ball gown that showed so much cleavage that it was begging for Trevor to put his face in it. But, when he had whispered his idea to Ava during a dance, she had blushed and then refused. The way she saw it, there were too many important people there and they had to network. Trevor was the best networker in the family. He had made the rounds twice and would again
Ava looked around the ballroom with her mother looking for Trevor. There was no sign of him. “You see,” her mother hissed. “You can’t leave men for a minute without a commitment. What were you thinking coming to look for me?” Her mother was wearing a black ball gown that showed off her shoulders. She also wore a black mask with black feathers that hung out on the sides and the top. Her mother carried a black lacey fan. She had told Ava that it made her outfit more daring, but Ava knew she had to counter-act her hot flashes. “You were gone for so long I thought something happened to you,” she said defensively. “What could have happened to me walking to
Trevor put on a light yellow tie, a white shirt, and a blue suit before he went down to breakfast. Last night had been special – a mile marker to be remembered for the rest of his life. After all this time and after all the women he had been with and met, he had finally found the perfect one. Clarice was sexy, yet she had an innocence about her. She was open, yet mysterious. She made Trevor feel like an artist who had encountered his true muse. When he had returned to the ball, Gwyneth Grayson-Hanson whispered to him that she led the Bartholomews to believe he was meeting with a young man about a business deal. When Gwyneth had left him, Ava and her mother was at his side within seconds. He had spent the rest of the ball dancing with Ava, but his mind was on Clarice
Yesterday, Courtney packed a small make-up bag for Joanna to take to school with her and use before she met-up with Trevor. She had also looked up the Cameron family online on her phone. There were dozens of them, but only twelve of them were directly in the political limelight. Not one was named Clarice so there wasn’t a photograph of Clarice. Joanna’s alter ego was safe from discovery. She had tried to learn the names of the family members. Two of the male members were senators and one of the female members was a congresswoman. The matriarch of the clan was an ambassador.Courtney had gotten up at the crack of dawn to help Joanna with her hair. Once her hair was filled with large curls and hair spray, she put on a black halter top and the shortest pair of white shorts she had ever worn. Courtney called them booty shorts. When she had left the estate yesterday to visit her parents, she had stopped
Trevor drove out of hangar thirty-one. He knew what the Ferrari could do and what it couldn’t since it used to be his up until six months ago. Thanks to Christopher losing his temper by slugging Derek, who he assumed was having an affair with Selena. The only way to keep Derek from pressing charges against Christopher was to sign the Ferrari over to him free and clear. But, Trevor doesn’t cry over spilled milk. He bought the red beauty he was currently in at first sight a month later. The car took turns better than the Ferrari anyway. It was at the straight away he had to be careful. The Ferrari could gain speed quicker than the Bugatti. All he could do was hope Derek still raced like a timid rabbit. He heard Derek roaring on his heels. He whipped to the side
Friday couldn’t arrive fast enough as far as Joanna was concerned. However, it was Wednesday and Trevor hadn’t called at all. She was wondering if he had lost interest. Courtney had assured her that guys don’t call immediately after the first date. It wasn’t something to get too concerned about unless he stood her up on Friday. Joanna couldn’t keep her mind off of him. She’s had a crush on him for two years, but it was never intense like this. She was now engaging with what her heart desired most. Something she thought would never happen. Joanna had checked her phone every two hours to make sure she hadn’t missed a call from him. His touch and kisses were imprinted on her memory and they played over and over again no matter what she was doing. 
Courtney’s aunt’s costume jewelry really did look real. Some of the pieces were too gaudy for Joanna, but the majority of them were her style. She had put on a fake diamond necklace, bracelet, and clip on earrings. It went perfectly with her blue cocktail dress. Courtney had pulled Joanna’s hair back in a costume diamond crusted butterfly clip. Then she had curled Joanna’s hair at the ends. The cab stopped in front of The Rainbow Room. Joanna got out of the cab after paying the driver. She walked inside. There was no sign of Trevor in the waiting area. Seconds before she decided to sit down, Trevor came through the door. Joanna greeted him with a big smile. He looked so handsome in his gray silk suit and black and white patterned tie.
Joanna had put on a yellow sundress she has owned for a year. She had only worn it once. She had packed a beach bag with a two piece bathing suit she had only worn once a year and a half ago, sunblock, a make-up case, sunglasses, and a large beach towel. Joanna had a large straw floppy hat she had bought at a discount store in Queens a long time ago. She wasn’t going to put it on until she got to the marina. She was waiting on Courtney to call her to let her know that Trevor had left the estate. The last thing Joanna wanted was for him to accidently see ‘Clarice’ getting into a cab outside of the gates. There was a tapping at her door. Then, it opened. It was Courtney. She was holding the newspaper.