Author's Chapter Notes:
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“This new style is going to need some getting used to”Dorothy said as she tried on the dress that Jules had bought for her just for the party. They were headed to the Rainbow Room since Jules had an invitation. He went to the party every year he's been in New York City.
“It’s the hottest thing right now. It's called flapper or something of that sort”Jules said,”You look exotic”he said to her
“I look…different”Dorothy said,she was used to dresses that hugged her curves or fit comfortably but still showed her shape. This new flapper style didn’t hug any curves at all and showed off a lot of leg however.
“Now don’t complain all the way there. Don’t make that rotten face all night”Jules said
“I am not making a rotten face!”Dorothy said as she swatted him. He kissed her in return. They soon left the house and Jules decided to get a driver for them and they chatted, kissed and drank champagne, both very anxious for what the new year would bring. However, all of the kissing had to stop when they showed up at the Rainbow Room, they were strictly friends, business partners. Jules introduced her to a lot of film stars and Broadway actors and fellow friends of the business that were behind the scenes. Dorothy was having a great time and was being introduced to a photographer when Jules laughed and tapped her on her shoulder.
“Excuse me, I don’t mean to be rude William”Jules said to the photographer. He then looked at Dorothy,”Look, the twins are here”he said as he pointed to the wooden dance floor filled with people dancing to the jazz band.
Dorothy looked amongst the crowd, not knowing what he meant and then she saw and gasped,”Lomi?”she said
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
“Oh I'm so excited! I’ll remember this moment forever and ever”Darla said excitedly as they rode the elevator to the top floor of the building, where the Rainbow Room was. They all just smiled at her excitement, Salomi was very excited too but she decided to keep the excitement in. She felt that not only were they going to have the greatest time, but also Gabriel could probably meet other stage actors and start making a name for himself. Leon definitely had some pull. Salomi saw this as a great business opportunity for Gabriel so she didn’t want to embarrass him or herself but still have a good time. They all gasped, well except for Leon, when they saw the grand ballroom that was the Rainbow Room. Many colors, lots of people, a big dance floor with a great jazz band, lots of smokers, drinks and food, talking and lots of laughter. It was beautiful.
“Wow”Salomi said as they gave their coats to the designated coat man. They also got a lot of stares because people knew who Leon was, but didn’t know who his new friends were. Since she and Darla looked alike, they got a lot of attention.
“Oh we have to dance to this song! Perfect timing!”Darla said excitedly as the jazz band started up another upbeat tune. She pulled Leon and Salomi onto the dance floor and Salomi pulled Gabriel along with her. Darla started doing a new step that Salomi never saw. Salomi realized that she hasn’t been out dancing in a long time, she either wasn’t old enough or too busy with the pregnancy.”It's called the Charleston”Darla shouted over the band,”Its easy, do it”she commanded her. Salomi quickly caught on and they did it together. Leon did his wobbly walk and Gabriel imitated him. They all laughed. They danced to a couple more upbeat songs and then Darla gasped and grabbed Salomi and turned her around,”Look who’s here! I didn’t know she was coming!”she said excitedly as she pointed to Dorothy across the room, who was looking at them. Dorothy smiled and waved and Salomi waved back.”Let's go say hello”she said as she pulled Salomi with her and ran to Dorothy and gave her a hug.
“Oh!”Dorothy surprised at Darla’s very tight and eager hug.”How did you all get here?”she asked and then hugged Salomi
“Leon”Darla said with a blush,”Ain't he a cutie?”
“Yes he is”Dorothy said
“You look wonderful. So Jake”Darla said to her,”You almost look like us, we could almost be triplets”
“Did you buy that for yourself?”Salomi asked her with surprise
“Oh no uh…”she said and then stopped, she couldn’t tell them that Jules bought it for her,”It was a present for myself…yes I did buy it”she said. “Just wanted something new. You two look beautiful…are those dresses from Axelles?”
Darla nodded,”Yes the Countess herself picked it out for us”she said as Gabriel came over and gave Dorothy a hug and shook Jules’ hand. “I practically had to beg Salomi to buy them but she finally gave in”
“She bought both outfits?”Dorothy asked her in surprise. Where did Salomi get the money? She looked at Salomi but she and Gabriel were whispering and giggling about something and wasn’t paying attention to the conversation
“Yes, aren't you glad she did? I know I am”Darla said
“Well you both look glamorous, you all have a great time”Dorothy said when she saw someone she knew. She gave Salomi and Gabriel kisses on the cheek and then she and Jules walked away. Jules laughed,”What?”
“That Darla is going to be a handful”
“Not for me”
“Maybe, maybe not”Jules said
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
The party was fun for the first hour they were there, they ate a lot of food and they snuck drinks here and there when they felt Dorothy wasn’t looking and danced the night away. Then it turned into a ‘Gabriel meet and greet’ of sorts. He was introduced to a lot of Broadway actors that Leon knew and worked with and a lot of them were looking forward to seeing him onstage soon. He couldn’t wait either, he looked very happy, like a kid in a candy store. But it soon got boring for Darla and Salomi, they chatted and danced with each other but soon they were tired of that.
“I never would have thought that the Rainbow Room could be so boring”Darla said
“Well its good for Gabriel, hes meeting a lot of people. I knew this would be a big business opportunity for him”Salomi said
“Are you afraid of what may happen in the future?”Darla asked randomly
“What do you mean?”
“Well once Gabriel really gets into the biz and all, he would be attending parties like these all the time. He’ll never be home”
“Well if he does, he’ll bring me along, I mean I am his fiancé”she said as she held up her ring finger
Darla smiled a little but then said,”I cant believe you want to get married already. Your so young. Your younger than me”she said, she was 20. “Are you sure you want to wear a handcuff for the rest of your life? Don’t you want to explore your options?”
“Handcuff?”Salomi asked and then she got it,”No Darla, this is nowhere near being a handcuff. This is a ring showing that he wants to spend the rest of his life with me and I want to do that. I don’t need to explore options, he's it for me”
Darla sighed,”I know, I'm sorry Salomi. I never should have brought it up. But you should think about these things. But I don’t want to spoil the night for us”she said and then laughed,”I don’t mind handcuffs either, they are very kinky”she said and winked and then looked at the clock,”Another hour til midnight, I don’t know how much more I can take of this”
“You want to dance?”Salomi asked her. She shook her head
“No, I’ll be right back”Darla said and then rushed off. Salomi shrugged and then sipped on her champagne.
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
“Are you serious? You really want me to model for you?”Dorothy asked William Whitfield, the photographer/painter who she had been talking to all night. He was a big fan of hers and wanted her to model for him for some paintings and photographs.
“Yes, we can have a session sometime next week. If you don’t like what I do or think that modeling really isn’t for you then I can have one painting out of it and you would at least had some experience”William replied.”You are very photogenic, I mean you couldn’t be acting in front of a camera if you weren’t”
“He does have a point, I think you should at least try it. It can be something to do while you find your next script”Jules said to her,”Unless you do nude photos?”he asked William and winked
“Oh your so bad”Dorothy said as they all laughed
“Actually I have done some nude photos, but that was the models choice. A lot of the actresses I paint and photograph don’t go that route”
“Who else have you painted? I mean actress wise”Dorothy asked him
“Well I just got a deal with the young trendsetter herself, Clara Bow. But I wont be doing anything with her for awhile until her schedule clears but I got her”William said as Jules nodded his approval,”Virginia Taylor, Josephine Baker, Sarah Barrymore, some of the Follies that are on Broadway now, they started off as models. That’s some of my clientele”
Dorothy nodded,”Well why not? Now that I have talked with you I am curious to at least see what you can do, especially with me”she said to him
“Great! You know I've been after you for some time now. You are very talented”William said to her,”Here's my card. I have a studio here in New York, California and Palm Beach. We’ll talk more”
“Thank you, I really look forward to it”Dorothy said to him. They talked a little bit more and then William made his rounds and then Jules gave her some champagne and they did a small toast.
“I have a feeling this can be very good for you. People love you and will buy your photographs. You can even sell them in your gallery”Jules said. Dorothy nodded, she barely had time to paint anymore since the club was taking up a lot of her time and the fact that she got back into the business and did two films. She has been selling other artists’ paintings.
“I don’t think people would love me that much. I mean there are some rich and famous people that you get sick of hearing and seeing all the time”Dorothy said
“And you think anyone thinks that way about you? Oh come off it Dorothy, when you announced your supposed retirement from films and left to go to London, it felt like the whole world ended. It was chaotic”Jules said to her,”Your wonderful Dorothy”he said, trying to hold back the urge to kiss her.
“Thank you Jules”Dorothy said,she then nodded,”I think your right, this could be great for me”she said, also wanting to kiss him but kept her cool.
“Dance with me”Jules said to her
“Dance with you? But wouldn’t that give us away?”she asked quietly
“No, we are just friends. If we dance as friends and be very polite no one will notice, come on”he said as he held her hand gently and pulled her out on the floor,”So don’t pinch my bottom Dorothy, I know how you can be”he whispered to her and she laughed as she put her hand in his and put the other on his shoulder. They made sure to keep enough distance and not be too close to each other. They talked while they danced instead of kissing and holding each other like many of the other couples were doing. But they did exchange a few ‘I love you’s’ just because it felt so right.
Dorothy glanced around the room and then saw Salomi standing alone, watching others dance. Gabriel was talking to a big group of people and Darla seemed to have disappeared. She frowned, this new prospect for Gabriel will be great for him but how will Salomi take it?
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
Dorothy wasn’t the only one getting great prospects out of the party. Gabriel was having a great time and making many friends. He was soon the center of attention and he was the ‘newcomer’ that everyone was curious about. He laughed along with Leon and the group that he was introduced to and he glanced around and saw Salomi standing alone, he didn’t really think anything of it until he saw her face,”Excuse me”he said as he excused himself and went over to her.He put his arms around her and kissed her cheek,”Im sorry to keep you waiting. Where's Darla?”
“It's alright. She disappeared, I guess to the powder room, she’ll be right back”Salomi said to him,”You having a good time?”
“Great time, everyone is very curious about what I can do. Leon is selling our idea and everyone's loving it. Hope we can live up to his description”
“I'm sure you will. I can tell you two are going to be great together”Salomi said
“Thank you”Gabriel said to her with a smile, however he noticed the sparkle in her eye that she had when they first arrived had faded,”Are you alright?”he asked her
“Don’t worry about me Gabriel, Im fine-“
“Well you don’t seem so happy, I'm boring you arent I? Your bored. In the Rainbow Room too, how about that?”he said,”Im sorry”he said,”They can wait, I want to dance with you, Im sorry for being so neglectful”
“It's fine Gabriel really. I knew that this was also business for you-“
“Dance with me”Gabriel said as he took her hand.”Let me make it up to you”he said as he started to lead her onto the dance floor
“You have all of next year to do that”she said with a smile but before they got onto the dance floor, Darla and Leon were standing right in front of them
“We are out of here!”Darla said excitedly, which took Gabriel and Salomi by surprise. An hour and a half ago, she didn’t want to leave.
“We are? But the party isn’t over. It will be midnight in about 45 minutes”Gabriel said as he looked at his pocket watch,”What's the rush?”
“Darla found a better place to ring in the new year”Leon said,”I was against it from the start but I'm kind of tired of selling myself, and you, to other actors. I think they get the point that we are going to be the next big thing and besides…”he said and then whispered,”This other place is invite only…got a lot of hooch..and is way more entertaining”
“So you two are coming with us right? I mean I wanna ring in the new year with you. It will be a party we wont ever forget. We will remember it forever and ever”Darla said excitedly. It sounded like another Rainbow Room
Gabriel and Salomi looked at each other and nodded, it couldn’t hurt and if they didn’t like it, they could always get a taxi back here. “What's it called?”
“The Chapel”Darla said and then she and Leon laughed. Gabriel and Salomi smiled, obviously confused as to how a chapel would be any fun. But they would soon find out…
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
“How about you and I get out of here?”Jules asked Dorothy. They both had a lot of champagne and it just started to hit him.
“Now? But…it isn’t midnight…”Dorothy asked him
“I know but I just realized when we do the whole countdown thing and the band plays and everyone cheers and screams and kisses each other when its officially January 1st, I wont be able to kiss you and hold you like I want to. Now call me selfish, but I want you all to myself. I don’t want some other man kissing you happy new year”Jules said to her
“Your drunk”Dorothy said with a laugh
“No, Im just inebriated. Theres a difference”Jules said,”So lets go back to my place and really celebrate”he said to her,”Please?”
“Oh no, you arent going to beg me are you?”Dorothy asked him. She was really having a great time here. However, she really did want to be with him. 1917 would end perfectly if she and Jules could act like they were in love with each other, which they were. She smiled,”Fine, but only because you begged”
“Only because I begged?”Jules asked her as he walked with her quickly out of the club and they put on their coats as they left. “No, only because you know exactly how we are going to ring in the new year, just like we ring in almost every morning”he said to her as he started kissing on her neck as the elevator doors closed. Not really thinking or caring if anyone saw. Champagne and inhibitions didn’t go together. Jules pinched her butt as they got into his car and she laughed and noticed Salomi and Gabriel getting into the backseat of Leon’s car. They must have had the same idea. For a second, she was worried and wanted to ask them where they were going and what time they would be back home, but she knew she wouldn’t be home later either. They were grown now and could do whatever they pleased.
“Happy New Year”she said quietly, as if they could hear her and then got into Jules car and headed back to his apartment.
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
“This doesn’t look like a chapel”Salomi said as they walked down an alley and Darla laughed. They approached a door that was painted green and she knocked three times.
A peephole opened and she then said,”The Lord is my shepherd” The peephole immediately closed and then the door opened. “Thank you”she said as they all followed her. Salomi gasped as they walked into a big club with a dance floor and bar, there was a singer onstage who was drinking more than singing as a band played behind her and dancers with torches danced around her. Salomi and Gabriel looked at each other and smiled, this was much better. “Welcome to ‘the chapel’, lets get some drinks. They’re only a dollar a bottle”Darla said as they headed toward the bar. Ringing in the New Year in this speakeasy was going to memorable.
*________________________*