Jesse was usually absent when I got home, but Friday night, he was there, dressed in a fancy, tailored suit. "Hey, Effie!" he shouted as I walked in. I was shocked to see him, even though he lived here.
"Jesse! Wow, don't you look nice!" He usually dressed nice for work, but this was a couple steps above that. "Are you going out with Laura tonight? Something fancy? Ballroom gala?"
A big, mischievous smile broke out across his face. "No, just a dumb investor meeting at the New York Palace." He paused for a second. "Wanna come?"
"You want me to come to the New York Palace with you?" I asked. I was definitely confused.
"The party is at the Madison Room. Free drinks and hors d'oeuvres. Laura can't make it, and I get one guest. I wouldn't want this great opportunity to go to waste." He looked a little desperate, but then again, this was a huge offer.
"Jesse, that's kind of crazy. You want me to hang out with a bunch of bankers at one of the fanciest hotels in the world?" It was a stupid, surreal question to have to ask.
"Yes, actually," he said matter-of-factly. "That's exactly it. You'll have fun. Some of these guys are kind of amusing, even though bankers sound as if they'd be boring. No pressure, though, if you want to skip out."
I stood there for a moment and thought about my plans for the evening, which included nothing. It would be nice to relax, but who knew if I'd ever be invited to another party at the New York Palace? "I don't know if I have anything nice enough to wear."
"Okay, I'll tell you what," he said. "Go take a look in your closet and tell me your decision in fifteen minutes. We'll leave in twenty."
"Twenty?" I said, my voicing oozing exasperation. "That's a little soon!"
Jesse smiled. "If you want to go, you should really hurry up." He turned and walked his well-dressed self back into his room.
My internal debate was intense, but I quickly decided that I should take advantage of his offer. I hadn't really been out much in the city yet—I also knew a night out at the Madison Room would likely spoil me—but a chance like this didn't come around every day.
I had one really nice dress that I had worn to a friend's wedding, a black and blue strapless that I had wanted to wear again but had never found the opportunity. I threw it on a fast as I could, struggling with the zipper in the back. I was relieved to learn that it still fit just as well as it had the day I bought it. Oh, and the coordinating heels I had worn with it happened to be at the front of my closet as well. Convenience!
Somehow I managed to do my eye makeup and apply lip liner and a gentle lipstick in the very few minutes I had. It certainly wasn't perfect, but I looked pretty good. And I had forgotten how good this dress made my cleavage look. Unfortunately—or fortunately, perhaps—guys would probably notice that before they noticed my haphazard, spur-of-the-moment makeup job.
"It's a shame you're not really my date," Jesse said with feigned humility. He burst out laughing after seeing my phony disgusted look. Although I had only lived with him for about a month, he felt like a close friend already.
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Maybe I'll hook up with your boss in your bed after the event," I said sarcastically. "Us single gals can get crazy."
"Eh, how about you don't do that. Monday would be pretty awkward. Well, tomorrow morning, too. And tonight."
I continued tidying up my hair. "I'm not really into assholes though. So you probably don't have anything to worry about."
Jesse smiled again and then looked at his cell phone. "All right, can we please be on our way, huh? We can keep talking about your very particular tastes on the trip."
I grabbed his half-finished glass of wine from the counter and downed it all at once. "To loosen my nerves," I said meekly. He shrugged as he opened the door and motioned me into the hall and down the stairs.
The city air was warm and inviting. My dress was actually pretty appropriate for the summer weather. There was a cab waiting for us downstairs; a nice surprise, although it would have been amusing to ride the subway dressed as nicely as we were.
After a short trip, we were at 455 Madison Avenue, in front of the historic New York Palace, a hotel I never could have afforded in my wildest dreams. Even this morning, if you had told me I'd be showing up at this place tonight, I would have told you that you were crazy. Yet here I was with my roommate, whom I had randomly found on Craigslist. Quite the lovely coincidence.
Jesse paid the cab driver and then led me inside, checking in with a very unhappy looking man holding a list before we got into the restaurant. The interior was just as beautiful as the exterior, and I felt wildly out of place no matter how hard I tried to conform. Still, I could feign some confidence, and here would be the place to do it.
We walked into the restaurant together, immediately greeted by a waiter with champagne. I snatched up a glass and smiled as I took a sip. Oh yeah, this was the good stuff. The bubbles tickled my throat on their way down. Jesse politely declined, probably assuming that he could get better drinks somewhere else. His loss, I guess—or maybe mine.
They had booked the whole restaurant for their party. Some folks were at tables while others stood in social clumps. No reservations available tonight, folks.
There were tons of rich, old men in the room of all shapes and sizes, but it wasn't as bad as I expected. Light piano jazz hummed behind the chorus of
