George Mellis prided himself on being an expert on women. He knew that beautiful women were usually the most insecure, for men concentrated on that beauty, leaving the women feeling like objects rather than human beings. When George was with a beautiful woman, he never mentioned her looks. He made the woman feel that he was interested in her mind, her feelings, that he was a soul mate sharing her dreams. It was an extraordinary experience for Alexandra. She told George about Kate, and about Eve.
“Your sister does not live with you and your grandmother?”
“No. She—Eve wanted an apartment of her own.”
Alexandra could not imagine why George Mellis had not been attracted to her sister. Whatever the reason, Alexandra was grateful. During the course of the dinner, Alexandra noted that every woman in the place was aware of George, but not once did he look around or take his eyes from her.
Over coffee, George said, “I don’t know if you like jazz, but there’s a club on St. Marks Place called the Five Spot…”
“Where Cecil Taylor plays!”
He looked at Alexandra in astonishment. “You’ve been there?”
“Often!” Alexandra laughed. “I love him! It’s incredible how we share the same tastes.”
George replied quietly, “It’s like some kind of miracle.”
They listened to Cecil Taylor’s spellbinding piano playing, long solos that rocked the room with arpeggios and rippling glissandi. From there they went to a bar on Bleecker Street, where the customers drank, ate popcorn, threw darts and listened to good piano music. Alexandra watched as George got into a dart contest with one of the regular patrons. The man was good, but he never had a chance. George played with a grim intensity that was almost frightening. It was only a game, but he played it as though it meant life or death. He’s a man who has to win, Alexandra thought.
It was 2:00 A.M. when they left the bar, and Alexandra hated for the evening to end.
George sat beside Alexandra in the chauffeur-driven Rolls-Royce he had rented. He did not speak. He just looked at her. The resemblance between the two sisters was startling. I wonder if their bodies are alike. He visualized Alexandra in bed with him, writhing and screaming with pain.
“What are you thinking?” Alexandra asked.
He looked away from her so she could not read his eyes. “You’ll laugh at me.”
“I won’t. I promise.”
“I wouldn’t blame you if you did. I suppose I’m considered something of a playboy. You know the life—yachting trips and parties, and all the rest of it.”
“Yes…”
He fixed his dark eyes on Alexandra. “I think you are the one woman who could change all that. Forever.”
Alexandra felt her pulse quicken. “I—I don’t know what to say.”
“Please. Don’t say anything.” His lips were very close to hers, and Alexandra was ready. But he made no move. Don’t make any advances, Eve had warned. Not on the first night. If you do, you become one of a long line of Romeos dying to get their hands on her and her fortune. She has to make the first move.
And so, George Mellis merely held Alexandra’s hand in his until the car glided to a smooth stop in front of the Blackwell mansion. George escorted Alexandra to her front door. She turned to him and said, “I can’t tell you how much I’ve enjoyed this evening.”
“It was magic for me.”
Alexandra’s smile was bright enough to light up the street. “Good night, George,” she whispered. And she disappeared inside.
Fifteen minutes later, Alexandra’s phone rang. “Do you know what I just did? I telephoned my family. I told them about the wonderful woman I was with tonight. Sleep well, lovely Alexandra.”
When he hung up, George Mellis thought, After we’re married, I will call my family. And I’ll tell them all to go fuck themselves.
29
Alexandra did not hear from George Mellis again. Not that day, or the next, or the rest of that week. Every time the phone rang, she rushed to pick it up, but she was always disappointed. She could not imagine what had gone wrong. She kept replaying the evening in her mind: I think you are the one woman who could change all that forever, and I telephoned my mother and father and brothers and told them about the wonderful woman I was with tonight. Alexandra went through a litany of reasons why he had not telephoned her.