Lavender Is a Harsh Mistress Read online

  With the amount of national and international press that he would be getting it would cost him millions. It was a cinch that he would make it all back ten times over.

  From the time that Amanda stepped onto the ballroom floor she could see that the place was packed. From over the crowd noise someone shouted out.

  “Look Amanda is here!!” The entire gathering stood up and gave her an ovation. From now on one name (Amanda) would say it all when it came to fashion. She was a girl from humble roots that had finally grabbed the brass ring. A ring that from tonight on would be a diamond. Her fashions would be in demand from the earth, to the moon and beyond. From there her fashions would travel onto other solar systems as she leaped from star to star. Where ever she went life would follow, small children would make up songs about her.

  Puppies and kittens would trail behind her with awe in their eyes.

  Fashion Avenue might even consider changing it’s name to Amanda Avenue. As she got to the middle of the ballroom floor another voice rang out.

  “Amanda, for what you have done here tonight the history of fashion everywhere thanks you and will forever be grateful!”

  Manny continued to act as a bulldozer as he pushed his way thru the throng and escorted her to her seat.

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  Lavender Is A Harsh Mistress

  “Boss there has to be at least two thousand people here. But knowing how Ian loves money. I am sure that there are a few people on the roof.” Amanda gave him a quick laugh. Out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of Marcus standing away from the crowd.

  Standing next to him were two girls that seemed too young to be out so late. Her tired eyes settled onto his face. He seemed to be unfazed by all of the ruckus around him. Amanda also knew that once word got out that Marcus was the one who had arranged her entire show.

  He would be sought after by every one of the other companies on

  “The Street.”

  “I hope that I can keep him.” Unlike other companies she didn’t believe in stopping anyone who worked for her from seeking out a better position for themselves. Other companies would sign someone to work for them then drain that person of all their creativity. After that the worker was of no use to them. Willis Paige took her arm and led her over to the dais. Where only those who were in the show and company managers were seated. Already she could see a line of well wishers that had formed to her left. Joy Blackmon leaned over.

  “Mandy, what will happen tomorrow when we open our line for real? We are going to be swamped with orders.” Just then John Lawrence Mathers, who owned US Girl Magazine. Offered Amanda his hand and gave her a kiss on her cheek.

  “You have done it girl. From now on every major magazine and every catalog will be begging to carry your line. You have to admit it Mandy, I predicted that this year your line would be the best.”

  Amanda smiled and leaned back in her chair.

  “If I am not wrong Lawrence, you also predicted that Greenhouse Fashions, would give me a run for my money. Didn’t they crash and burn only a month ago?” Lawrence drew back in his chair and sat his drink down and said lightly.

  “I always said that you were part elephant Mandy, remind me never to tell you anything again. But Happy Birthday Mandy, you have earned it.” Raz left her seat at the end of the table and leaned over Amanda’s shoulder.

  “Mandy we are a hit! It feels so good to be on top again. Speaking of being on top. Where is that gorgeous man that you hired? Remember that you said that he was all mine when the show was over. Well 25

  Lavender Is A Harsh Mistress the show is over and....Mandy, don’t look now but he’s making his way over to you right now. What is he doing with those two young girls on his arm? Mandy you don’t think that he’s one of those man that like them that young, do you?” By now Marcus and the two girls were standing in front of them.

  “Miss Wilcox may I introduce you to two of your biggest fans. This is Miss. Joan Crayton, and this is Miss. Betty Harris.” The two girls stepped forward and shook Amanda’s hand. The one named Joan spoke up.

  “Miss. Wilcox, we want to thank you for allowing Mr. Peterson to bring us tonight. We thought that events and places like this only existed in the movies. There are so many people here that we read about in the gossip columns, this can’t be real.” “It’s real enough ladies and I am glad that Mr. Peterson brought you.”

  Marcus stepped between the girls.

  “That’s enough ladies it’s getting toward your bedtime. I promised Mrs. Cooper that you would be downstairs at eleven and I am sure that she is waiting. It was a great show Miss. Wilcox, you’ve done quite a job.” He then took the two girls and rushed them down the stairs. Raz quickly turned and looked at Amanda and was speechless for a minute.

  “He also helps out at Mrs. Cooper’s School? Her school for teenage mothers and their babies! Mandy no one is that good! Oh boy! I have never had a good one before, this is going to be fun!”

  “Raz, you don’t even know if he’s married or has a girl already.”

  “But I do know Mandy. I had one of our messengers follow him home to his condo a few times. He ain’t got no wife or girlfriend, not yet!” Before Amanda could reply Raz had elbowed her way thru the crowd and was halfway down the stairs. It was only now that Amanda noticed how loud the noise and the music in the hall was. With the music blasting and over two thousand people it was impossible for her to focus on anything.

  “Raz, Mr. Peterson, who cares! Tomorrow I am going....” Her thoughts were interrupted by the next person in line. It was Alvin Seeton. His company was the only one on “The Street” that she feared. It wasn’t better, but it was damn close and coming fast. He sat down with a gesture as if he owned the place.

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  Lavender Is A Harsh Mistress

  “Well Mandy, I have to give credit where credit is due. You still have the second best shop in the world. I hear that Barbara has left you and you have hired this person called Marcus Vipsainus Peterson.

  Didn’t he used to work for Blakely and Shade? Not that it matters but I hear that the show that everyone is giving you credit for was really his idea. Or do I have that wrong?!”

  “Maybe you heard wrong Alvin.”

  No. No. I don’t think that I did. Of course no one at Amanda Fashions would tell me anything. But all of the people at the show didn’t work for you. Isn’t it funny how just a few dollars could get you a gold mine of information?” Amanda started to bite her lower lip.

  “Alvin you are holding up the line.”

  “I am going don’t fret. You wouldn’t consider lending me that Mr.

  Peterson for my up coming show in London, would you?”

  “Mr. Peterson is a free man. Unlike you I don’t contract people and steal their ideas and dreams and patents.” Alvin snapped his head in a huff. That’s cruel Mandy, very cruel.” You should be much kinder on a day that has been so kind to you.” Alvin gave her a parting nod and left. Ian Olsoon waltzed by with his wife and yelled.

  “Let’s talk about next year alright Mandy! I will give you what ever you want. I hope that the Fire Department doesn’t show up to close me down for over crowding.” Parties like this could go on well into the early morning hours. Amanda hoped that she was able to get thru the rest of the line of people.

  Hilton Jiggers called the line “The Poison Snake” because just like Alvin had done it could strike at any time. Most of the people in line just wanted to give Amanda their best. But there were others who had their own agenda. Models, who had not the slightest bit of shame as they pleaded for a job. Reporters, who could be counted on to ask an insipid question about a top model who no longer worked for Amanda. Amanda answered the question with contempt. “Of course she can’t work for me anymore she has just delivered twins. Would you expect the babies to model for me too?”

  Amanda watched the line as it grew like a serpent around the floor.

  But it was one of the many things that came with the business, none of it
was personal.

  Just when she thought that she couldn’t look into another 27

  Lavender Is A Harsh Mistress face or shake another hand. The clock struck one forty in the morning. The place was almost two thirds empty and Manny was standing behind her fuming because she had allowed herself to get all tuck-ered out.

  “Let’s rock and roll boss!” Her voice was weak to the point of sound-ing childlike.

  “Remind me never to be so successful again, just take me home.” As Amanda reached the bottom of the stairs she saw Raz pacing back and forth with a bottle of champagne in her hand.

  “Raz, is something wrong?” Raz stopped pacing and took a sip out of the bottle.

  “Mr. Beautiful, said that he would be back as soon as he dropped the girls off! Where do they live in China?!!” Amanda continued following Manny out the door. She kept her face looking down at the floor because she didn’t want Raz to see the biggest smile that she had on her face for the entire day.

  The day after a night of hell was hell morning. Marcus was right about Amanda having to hire more employees. With the amount of orders that were coming in she was at least going to have to hire eight more. She had just gotten started on the paperwork when her friend Carney, called.

  “Hello Mandy, I hear that you were a smash! The fashion elites even over here in Russia are talking about you.”

  “Russia! I thought that you were in Peru.”

  “I finished with that client early so here I am in the good old Soviet Union.”

  “I thought that they were on hard times and that their economy was in trouble.”

  “It is Mandy, but there are a few guys over here who are doing alright for themselves. There is oil and energy for sale all over the place. I can see that there are a few people over here who are on their way to amassing billions. I am staying in one of their finest five star hotels.

  My client rented me a Bentley, and gave me a one hundred thousand dollar expense account to go shopping. Mandy you wouldn’t know the new Russia. If you give Moscow ten years I bet that it will look just like Manhattan. I was in one of their up scale stores this morning and everyone was talking about your show. I can’t speak a 28

  Lavender Is A Harsh Mistress word of Russian, but I can understand the words Amanda Fashions.

  The store manager was telling a customer that he was ordering your designs as of next week. How is Patrick? Give him my worst! Gotta go! No work no money! Go Tomlinson Hawks! Love you!” As soon as Amanda hung up the phone she remembered.

  “Oh my God, I forget to call Patrick!” Patrick was her current boyfriend. She had forbid him to come to the show because he had a bad habit of wanting to run everything even though he knew nothing at all about the fashion business. The last show that he had come to ended in a shouting match between them. She also didn’t want him coming to the after party because after a few drinks he’d always wind up embarrassing himself and her. She picked up the phone and called hoping that he wouldn’t answer, but he did.

  “Patrick, Patrick, I hope that I didn’t wake you. I just got off of the phone with Carney. She’s in Russia, and she is tooling around in a Bentley.” Amanda put the phone on speaker. She knew that if she mentioned the Bentley he would take the conversation over.

  “Amanda, did you say a Bentley? Tell her to take a picture and bring it back for me.”

  “When she calls back I will Patrick. She told me to give you her best.”

  “Amanda are we getting together tonight? It’s been almost three weeks since we hit the sheets. But now that “Hell Week” and the show are over I really need to see you bad. I’ll come over to your place.”

  “No, no not my place. I will come over to yours.”

  “Then let me come and pick you up.”

  “No, I will have Manny drop me off, see you later.” It came as no surprise to her that Patrick never even asked her about the show at all. Suddenly Willis Paige and Joy Blackmon, came bursting thru her office door. Willis was in front of Joy, but she quickly stepped in front of him.

  “Mandy for the last time will you tell her that I am supposed to set up the sewing schedule after every major show?” Joy sat on the edge of Amanda’s desk.

  “Mandy I was just explaining to “The Killers” that next week I will allow them to skip the downtown orders and start on the interna-29

  Lavender Is A Harsh Mistress tional orders.” Willis threw himself into a corner chair and continued to protest.

  “Mandy, if “The Killers” start on the international orders they will have to start breaking down their dress patterns two days earlier. If they do that I will be two days behind, Joy knows that!”

  Amanda put her hand on each temple and closed her eyes and loud-ly ordered.

  “All right enough! Stop it right now! Joy you start your international orders on Saturday. Willis you can have a full week after that and I will square it with “The Killers” and building security.” Joy continued to huff and puff as she stormed out of the office. Willis sat up straight in his chair.

  “But Mandy, if you give her extra time you will have to pay “The Killers” a fortune because of union rules and weekend pay.”

  “I know that but what else can I do? Now you get back to work.”

  Willis silently shook his head as he left her office. Amanda waited a few minutes before she made her way down to the first floor to talk to “The Killers.” As she walked past Marcus’ office she saw that he was talking to the plumber. She poked her head inside.

  “Is something wrong?” Marcus stepped outside and spoke to her.

  “It looks like there is a pipe broken inside the wall. I called the plumber to check it out”

  “What did he say?”

  “The pipe is going to have to come out, that’s the easy part. The hard part is that he’s going to have to break the wall from the outside in order to repair it.” Amanda held her breath for a minute.

  “How much is it going to cost and how much time will it take?”

  “I don’t know the cost but he says that it is going to take over two weeks.” Amanda looked up at the ceiling and uttered a prolonged.

  “Whaaat! I don’t care just get it done and tell him to start today.”

  She turned quickly on her heels and continued on her way to see

  “The Killers.”

  “The Killers” were a Jewish, couple whose parents had been murdered by the Nazis during the war. When the war was over they were trapped in East Germany for twelve years before they bribed a guard to get into West Germany. From there they made their way to the United States, and were granted asylum and then citizenship.

  30

  Lavender Is A Harsh Mistress All they had to work with was their hands and they found work in New York’s garment district. Within five years they were two of the districts best seamstresses in the city and making over six figures.

  They didn’t like being referred as “The Killers” but they went along with the nick name just so long as it meant that they “Killed” the competition. Amanda had already bumped heads with the union before about late hours, she didn’t want any trouble with them now.

  She knocked on the Manstein’s door and Mrs. Manstein answered.

  “My dear Amanda how are you doing is something wrong?”

  ”Oh no Mrs. Manstein. First I want to congratulate you and your husband for helping make the show a great success. How you do it from year to year I don’t know.” Mr. Manstein came and joined his wife at the door.

  “Is something wrong Amanda?”

  “No not at all. I just came to ask you and your wife a favor.” The husband and wife stepped forward and Mr. Manstein spoke.

  “You tell us and we will do Miss. Amanda.” His wife chimed in.

  “Tell us and whatever it is we will do it?”

  “I am going to need the both of you to work this Saturday. I know that it’s a sticking point with the union but I really need it. We just have to get the national and international orders out on
time.”

  Mr. Manstein waved his hand thru the air as if shooing a fly away.

  “We work for you Miss. Amanda. You can’t love a union it’s a thing.

  We love you, people before unions.” He gently kissed her on the cheek and gently pushed her out of the door while saying in a loving voice.

  “You go and take care of your business, we have work to do.” All the way back to her office Amanda muttered to herself.

  “You need good people. Where would I be without good people?

  Where do such people come from? Thank God for them! He needs to make more!”

  The rest of the day went along without anything else going wrong. But now as she exited the building, she knew that everything for the rest of the night would. When it came to Patrick it always did. She shyly asked Manny. “Please drop me off at Patrick’s apartment and pick me up exactly at ten.” She looked into the rear view mirror and could see the look on Manny’s face. He had never said 31

  Lavender Is A Harsh Mistress anything against Patrick but he had seen him in action a few times and that was enough.

  With Patrick Amanda knew that she was safe after having every other kind of man. She’d had the jocks, the lovers, the men who felt threatened by her, or were jealous of her, or just wanted her money. Men who sexually liked men and women. Or who only liked men but would give her a try. She had even had a bad boy or two.

  Bad boys who were too busy being bad to even look for a job. At this stage of her life she just couldn’t be bothered. With Patrick all she had to do was to let him be seen around town with her. Take him to a few “Red Carpet” events and let him hobnob with a few celebrities, and he was as docile as a well fed poodle. The hardest part of being with him was the sex. When she just couldn’t get out of it. She would just lay back with him on top of her and think about next year’s line.

  It was a blessing that when it came to sex it didn’t take much to please him. Many times she had gone over in her mind about her failures with men. If it wasn’t one thing it was another and she had come to one conclusion. Patrick would do just fine. He had done just fine for four years.