young people,” Alysha said with feeling, indignant at the thought of this girl squandering the family fortune.
“Maybe you're right,” he said. “I'll have a talk with her, goddamn it. Four thousand dollars for a piece of cloth.”
“Well, I'm sure it was lovely,” she said.
In response, he made a noise somewhere between a growl and a grunt, a sound she would come to know well.
When he failed to call, she wasn't discouraged. Billy Laube was one of those busy, absentminded men who often got caught up in their own affairs. Alysha felt certain that she could succeed if given a second chance. She was on the board of the ballet, and it occurred to her that Billy would be the perfect honoree for their fall gala. Although the ballet was not among the many organizations to which his company doled out donations, he had yet to be adopted by any of the other high-profile charities since arriving in New York. The other girls thought it was genius, except for Laurie Greenspan, who was new to the board.
“But what has Billy Laube ever done for the ballet?”
“The point is,” Trish Baldwin told her, “what can he do for us now? As the honoree, he'll buy at least two tables for fifty each and tout le monde is curious to meet him.”
Now she just had to convince Billy. She went through the proper channels, having the ballet secretary call the vice president in charge of corporate giving at Laube, and eventually she followed up with Billy himself, calling from the ballet office to make it all the more official. She reminded him, briefly, of their recent encounter and then proceeded to the business at hand, her tone suggesting they were both very busy people and she wouldn't be bothering him except on a matter of great interest.
“The ballet?”
“Last year we honored Felix Rohatyn, and the previous year it was Bob Pittman,” she explained. “It's one of the most important events on the social calendar.”
“Well, I'm flattered, Miss de Sante, but I can't for the life of me understand why you would want to honor me. I'm hardly an aficionado of the ballet.”
“Really? I never would've guessed. Over the years your company has been very generous to our organization.”
“We have?”
“I don't suppose a man with so many corporate and charitable interests could possibly keep track of every single one of them,” she said. Indeed, she was counting on that fact. “But we appreciate your support.”
“There must be other fellows more—”
“I'd consider it a great personal favor if you'd consider it,” she said, adopting an entirely different tone, which was meant to suggest need, vulnerability and promise. And by the time they hung up, she had his commitment.
After waiting a week, Alysha called to suggest a meeting to discuss the event. When it came time to pick the venue, he deferred to her. “Well, there's always Le Cirque,” she said. When he didn't immediately make some noise of recognition, she reconsidered. Le Cirque might be a little flashy, a little Euro, a little feminine for a macho guy like himself—the realm of lunching ladies. Its masculine counterpart was ‘21,’ the former speakeasy, exactly the kind of place where a lumber baron with a prep school tie would feel right at home.
“Let's go to ‘21,’” she said. “Bruce always gives me a good table.” Billy said he wasn't particular about where he sat and was delighted to let her make the reservation, which she did immediately. In fact, since the death of her last husband, she had been relegated to the middle or even the back room of ‘21,’ but she certainly wasn't going to let that happen again. Normally, she would have her secretary make the call, but in this case she called herself and insisted on speaking directly to Bruce, the maître d'. It was all she could do to keep her voice pleasant after spending ten minutes on hold.
“Bruce, this is the Contessa de Sante. How nice to hear your voice. It seems ages since I've been in. I would like a table for two at one p.m. this coming Thursday. I will be dining with Billy Laube, who is very particular about where he sits. He would prefer one of the first banquettes, preferably the corner by the door.”
“Of course we will do our very best to accommodate Mr. Laube.”
At the restaurant, Alysha introduced the mogul to the maître d’. “This is my dear friend Bruce, who's one of the most important