The Waltz (Lacy's Cinderella Story) - 5. Chapter 5

Drew took a deep breath to settle the anticipation that had been riding him hard ever since his plane had landed back home this afternoon. He straightened his bow tie and shrugged on his jacket, then turned away from the mirror in the private bathroom off the mayoral office. The gala was fully underway in the rotunda below him, but it wasn't the thought of the mingling and socializing that he was anticipating. It was the hope that he would see Lacy tonight.

The upper floors of the building housed the private offices of city officials and were closed off for the ball. He walked along the darkened hallway; he'd had a good deal of time to think this past week during the dull seminars at the conference. He was still confused by the angry outburst that had ended their night the last time he'd seen Lacy, but he was not at all confused about his feelings toward her.

If she did not reciprocate those feelings, there was nothing he could do. But a lack of romantic interest on her part didn't mean they could not proceed with a civil, professional relationship. At least for the duration of his campaign, they would need to maintain that. He couldn't let things end as they had last Thursday. They needed to talk.

Drew nodded to the security guard who'd been stationed on the upper floor and the man nodded back, removing the cordon at the top of the stairs so that Drew could descend into the gay din below.

*****

Lacy stepped from the cab and looked in amazement at the transformation of the gold domed city hall building. An elegant building even without the festive trappings, tonight she had been coutured and bejeweled. A deep red carpet lined with hundreds of white roses descended the marble steps to the curb. Colorful flags and banners adorned her balconies and swayed gently between the Doric columns in front of the entry doors. Lights sparkled inside and out and the faint sounds of the orchestra wafted through to the street.

"Just madam tonight?" a uniformed security guard inquired and Lacy nodded, handing him her invitation, still looking in awe at her surroundings. The guard offered his arm and escorted her up the steps to the open doors of the entrance.

"Enjoy your evening." The man departed with a little bow. Lacy gave herself a little pinch.

Despite the gloom of the past few days and the need to make her apology weighing heavily, she couldn't help but be enthralled by the surroundings. She'd grown up in this town, had watched her mother dress for the ball when she was little, imagining her parents off for a magically exciting night. Now, here she was, not in a cumbersome tuxedo, but in a full length satin dress which floated deliciously over her skin.

The silver sheath with faint interwoven threads of her favorite plum color was a perfect compliment to her eyes and hair. She'd allowed Maxine to style her hair and had to admit, the Grecian style that the drag queen had managed to curl and twist her long strands into, suited the dress and her face. Lacy had done her own make-up though. No one was taking over that task for her; she knew her face better than anyone and she loved the process of bringing out just the right look with subtle shading and strokes of a brush.

Lacy strolled along the edge of the crowd. Chandeliers lit the room from overhead while catering staff in coattails passed hors d'oeuvres and champagne among the guests. Drinks could be obtained from any of several locations through out the ballroom and seating areas were conveniently tucked around the perimeter. A large area at the center of the room was indeed the designated dance floor, an orchestra played on a stage nearby and Lacy watched couples dance for some time, women in their bright, glittering dresses and men in their understated black and white.

As she circulated, Lacy scanned the guests for a glimpse of Drew. With her height, she usually had no problem spotting others in a crowd, especially those as tall as she, but it took her nearly a half hour to locate him. He was surrounded by an intimidatingly large crowd of people, all of whom seemed to be waiting to speak to him. Lacy's nerves kicked into high gear; this was going to be even more difficult than she had imagined.

*****

"How're you holding up, buddy?" Mike asked his friend in an undertone during a brief respite between partygoers seeking the mayor's attention.

Drew gave a little wince. "Does my smile look as plastic as it feels?"

"Only to someone who knows you well." Mike assured him. A silver haired duo circled in on them. "Uh-oh, these two are going to buttonhole you for awhile. Larry and Eugene Sheldon. Be nice, they're potentially big contributors."

Drew and Mike greeted the stately looking older couple jovially and Mike introduced them to Jasmine, his date for the evening. This was the first time Drew had met the tiny, Filipina woman Mike had been seeing the past few weeks, and he'd been warmed by her personality immediately. She was what most people would refer to as a firecracker. Outspoken, with a quick wit and no holds barred manner of speaking, she unerringly found a topic of contention with the older men.

"Dogs are an irreplaceable source of companionship, especially for the elderly. This city needs more accommodations for pets and more areas where people can take their dogs for exercise." Jasmine enthused. Drew found himself observing an increasingly spirited discussion between Jasmine and the Sheldons about the merits of converting open space near their tony residence into a free run dog park. Mike excused himself to go collect drinks for the group.

"Coward." Drew muttered, but he was happy to let the other three individuals carry on the discussion. He used the opportunity to look around, hoping to catch a glimpse of Lacy. His eyes honed in on her almost immediately. She was several feet away, standing alone, on the other side of the thick crowd of people surrounding him.

With a flash of insight, Drew saw that their positions right at this moment in the ballroom reflected a lifetime of experiences. He was at the center of a large group of people awaiting his audience. People sought to be around him, sung his praises, gave him money, elected him to office. He'd been the object of crushes from women, and some men he was sure, since junior high. Lacy had experienced none of that. She had not been the recipient of years of kudos and applause and healthy sexual interest. Her past had held condemnation and criticism and a constant struggle for legitimacy. There would be a hundred men to whom she was a sexual fetish for every one to whom she was simply an alluring woman. And she stood alone, a stunning Athena with coiffed hair and a silver dress snugly hugging the lines and curves of her torso before dropping to swing loosely around her legs. Her long, lightly muscled arms were bare and Drew knew he'd never be able to look at her without wanting to touch.

She turned her head slightly and as their gazes met, he was struck to the core by the reserve filling her beautiful silver eyes. She was at a party, and she should be filled with the carefree joy of the young, not the cautious restraint with which she held herself. Any remaining hurt he may have harbored from their last meeting melted into nothingness. He started to turn, to go to her, but Jasmine reached out just then getting his attention with a light pressure on his arm. He bent down to hear the shorter woman but Jasmine had only been drawing his attention to the waiter standing nearby with puff pastries. He waved off the offer and looked back at Lacy, but she was gone.

Lacy had thought for a moment that Drew was actually going to approach her. His gaze had caught hers, his expression unreadable, but she had been sure he was going to break off from his cozy group and make his way to her. But then he had turned away, bending protectively over the slight, delicate looking woman at his side and Lacy knew she needed to leave. Her heart was at its breaking point. She had had her chance with him and he'd quickly move on to someone else. She'd give him her apology, but then she needed to leave the party. Determinedly, Lacy pushed her way through the crowd.

"Mayor Halperin" Lacy's commanding voice drew curious stares from all sides. Drew, the small woman and the two silver haired gentlemen with him all looked at her as she reached his side. Unmindful of the looks, she pushed on, needing to get this over with. She focused on Drew, the entire room consisting of just the two of them in that moment. "Drew, I'm sorry for what I said the other night. I know that whatever interest you may have had in me is not perverted, and I'm sorry for implying you were a trannychaser. I've regretted my words to you last week a thousand times and wish more than anything I could take them back."

Mike had arrived with the drinks as Lacy spoke and out of the corner of her eye she saw the tray he was carrying wobble when she reached the 'trannychaser' part of her apology. Slowly, she became aware again of the crowd around her, strangely hushed, and she realized that her apology had carried not just to Drew but to most of the nearby bystanders. She thought maybe her voice had dropped into a lower register as it sometimes did when she was agitated.

Consternation filled her eyes as she belatedly realized she'd made things worse with Drew, not better. She started to turn away, anguish flooding through her, but Drew caught her. "Wait." his voice was low, firm, for her ears only. "Look at me Lacy."

Reluctantly she turned so that her eyes met his but instead of anger, all she saw was tenderness and, impossibly, a gentle humor. "I'd like to claim a dance before you leave."

Lacy nodded her agreement, confused by the request and his unexpected reaction to her all too public words. To her further surprise, he didn't immediately escort her to the dance floor. Instead, he pulled her closer to his side and introduced her to the group standing with him, referring to her as "my guest for the evening, Lacy Winters."

The conversational group closed ranks around them, the Sheldons looking curiously at she and Drew, and Drew not seeming to mind. The two men eventually moved on and others hoping to talk to the mayor joined the group. Drew continued to hold her arm, or lightly place a hand at her waist, linking them as a couple physically and verbally as he introduced her.

In time the numbness that had enveloped her wore off and Lacy relaxed, starting to join in the conversations. She discovered she liked the gregarious Jasmine and somehow had agreed to meet the spitfire woman the following weekend for an afternoon of "laying out in the sun, boogie boarding and watching the hotties at the beach." All of which sounded crazy and fun and she suspected Jasmine was a lot of both.

Finally she felt Drew pulling her away from the crowd. "Are we going to dance now?" she asked curiously.

"We'll get to that." Drew led her instead back behind the orchestra stage, then through a door and up a flight of stairs. They emerged in a darkened hallway.

"Where in the world are we going?" Lacy asked.

"Somewhere private." Drew took her hand and led her down the hall.

"Oh." Some of Lacy's earlier foreboding returned. She wondered if her coach would soon become a pumpkin, her satin dress turn to rags. Finally, Drew opened a door off the hallway and Lacy realized they were in his office, the mayoral office at city hall. Drew continued across the moonlit carpet until they reached a tall windowed door that opened onto a small, stone balcony.

The old glass panes rattled noisily as Drew pushed open the door and they stepped into the night. The thick August air enveloped them, the balcony floated above the twinkling city lights and below the star sparkled night sky. Drew removed his jacket, placing it on the small marble bench so that the two of them could sit.

"Why aren't you angry Drew?" Lacy asked the question that had stayed uppermost in her mind all evening. "I thought you'd never want to speak to me again. I thought I'd be fired by Monday morning."

Drew took her hand, holding it lightly. "First off, nothing between us personally has anything to do with your job. Be clear about that."

Lacy nodded and Drew continued. "I was angry, at first. And hurt, confused." He examined her hand, with its long slender fingers against his broader, rougher ones. "I think that was the first time in my life that I had been rejected. It took a few days of thinking, but I got over the anger."

"When I saw you tonight with Jasmine, I thought you had gotten over me too." Lacy said.

"Jasmine?" Drew laughed. "I'm sure she's great for Mike, not for me."

He sobered, then "Tell me Lacy, you've never let me know how you feel, if you're interested in there being an 'us.' Do I need to just move on; should I have spent the last week getting over you?"

Lacy's eyes sparkled as tears welled. "Don't get over me just yet. I've never really let myself think that a man like you would even take a serious look at a girl like me. You're incredible, and I feel incredible with you."

Drew placed his arm around Lacy's shoulders. "Then we have that in common too. You're incredible, and I feel incredible with you."

They sat silently for a few minutes, Lacy's head resting on Drew's shoulder, and enjoyed the knowledge that they had a chance with each other, a chance to see where the incredible feelings would lead.

Finally Drew turned, passion glowing brightly in his eyes and cupped her head in his hand. "so is it safe to try a kiss again?"

"I'd love that." Lacy whispered.

Their kiss was slow, leisurely, his lips tracing hers and then gently prodding them apart so that they could taste each other. Lacy gave a soft moan, opening her moth and returning the kiss, her arms circling his shoulders. Desire grew quickly, their kisses more forceful and urgent. Finally, Drew pulled back, putting a little distance between them.

"I don't want to stop yet." Lacy felt a little forlorn.

Drew chuckled. "We're only stopping for the moment. Any further, and I want us to be on a bed, not a bench."

Lacy smiled.

"Well madam" Drew stood and offered his hand. "Shall we finally have our dance?"

Lacy smiled in agreement, rising gracefully from the bench.

Heads turned from the floor below as Drew descended the sweeping staircase down to the rotunda for a second time that evening, this time with Lacy on his arm. When they reached the bottom, both smiling intimately at each other, the stunning couple swung into a waltz, flawlessly executing the intricate dance steps that would carry them into the morning and many mornings beyond.