Dragged to the Wedding(3)
“Yes,” an almost sultry voice said from nearby. Randy turned, and James stood up as a stunning woman in a red dress that fit her like a glove walked over to them. As she got closer, James’s eyes widened. Her makeup was flawless and her eyes sparkled in the theatrical lighting. She was beautiful in every respect, and James couldn’t take his eyes off her.
“Are you James?” she asked demurely, extending her hand. James shook it lightly. “I’m Daniella. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Randy,” she said, inclining her head regally. James motioned to the empty seat, and she sat down. Only then did he sit as well. “Before the show starts and we have to be quiet, maybe we should talk. Randy said that you need a date for a wedding?” She placed her small clutch on her lap.
“Yes. My sister is getting married, and my mother insists that I bring a date. And, well...you don’t disappoint my mother. Not if you know what’s good for you.” He tried to make it seem like a joke, but Daniella simply nodded.
“My mother can be quite demanding as well. Believe me, I understand.” She curled her lips upward, and James relaxed a little. “Randy told me the date of the wedding, and luckily enough, I find myself between work engagements during that period. Besides, I’ve known Randy long enough to trust that he wouldn’t steer me wrong.”
James breathed a huge sigh of relief. Daniella was perfect—she was nice, classy, and seemed to know how to behave. Not that he thought women should need to behave, but his mother was going to love her.
“Let’s deal with the business so we can enjoy ourselves.” She smiled again, and James found his heart beating just a little faster. He leaned forward slightly. There was something captivating and almost intoxicating about her. And it scared the hell out of him, because he wasn’t attracted to women. He never had been anyway. But Daniella drew him closer as she turned slightly in her seat, her dress riding up to show more of the legs that seemed to go on for miles. He blinked as Daniella cleared her throat, and pulled himself back into the conversation. What was happening to him? “Randy mentioned that you would pay for my airline ticket and take care of the expenses while we’re there.”
“Absolutely. I’ll also show you around and see to it that you have a nice time.” This was turning out better than he had hoped. “This will be strictly platonic. You’d be helping me out and I wouldn’t expect anything more than maybe friendship. I’m a police officer—you can trust me. I’m not going to take advantage of you or anyone.” That was the last thing on James’s mind.
“Of course.” She nodded and lowered her attention to the clutch in her lap.
“James,” Randy added, “Daniella is responsible for her elderly grandmother, and she will be away from work for that week, unfortunately without pay, and...”
James nodded as the lightbulb went on. “Is a thousand dollars for your trouble satisfactory?” Lord knows he wasn’t paying for sex, just her accompaniment on the trip, so there was nothing illegal about what he was doing. But he went through it in his head. The last thing he wanted was to get fired.
“More than enough. Thank you. That will help me out greatly.” She relaxed and sat back in the seat. As the lights went down, a man in a theatrical tuxedo covered with more sparkles than Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers stepped onto the stage. “Excuse me. I need to use the ladies’ room while they make the announcements.” Daniella patted James’s hand and stood, slowly making her way up the aisle toward the back. James watched her go, still not able to pull his gaze away. He’d admired beautiful women before, but none had ever turned his head and made him wonder if he truly was gay before. Women certainly didn’t get him excited...at least they never had, until now. He returned his attention to the stage.
“Ladies, gentlemen, and those who have yet to make up their minds,” the sparkly man onstage said. “It is my pleasure to introduce you to our ladies of the evening—Bella Fontaine, Candy Cain, Carmen Merengue, and Creamy Sugar.” The audience hooted as the entertainers paraded down the aisles, each taking a turn and bowing as they were announced.
“You didn’t tell me this was a drag show,” James said as he leaned over to Randy.
“Does it matter?” Randy challenged, and James shook his head, sitting back in his seat and wondering where Daniella was. As the “ladies” gathered on the stage, James checked to see if Daniella was going to rejoin them. She was going to miss the show.
“It goes without saying that no show at Cabaret Candide would be complete without our star,” the man onstage continued. “It’s my pleasure to present the one, the only, the amazing... Lala Traviata.” The curtain in the back of the stage parted just enough for a figure to emerge, wearing an ermine-trimmed cape, a towering tiara, and long white gloves...and James almost swallowed his tongue.
Chapter Two
Daniel, aka Daniella, aka Lala Traviata, loved the applause. It was why he got up every afternoon and looked forward to the day. The room rang with it, and Lala Traviata in all her splendor took a bow, accepted the offered microphone for the closing number, and swept center stage. The music began, and she belted out a signature rendition of “Que Sera, Sera.” It never failed to bring down the house, and as the last note rang through the theater, the curtain lowered, the others stepped off the stage, and Lala Traviata took her final accolades of the night.