“I have a little surprise for you.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a jewelry box. “Open it.”
“Paul, you’ve already given me so much…”
“Open it.”
Inside the box was an exquisite diamond necklace.
“It’s lovely.”
He stood up, and she felt his hands on her as he put the necklace around her neck. His hands slid down, caressing her breasts, and he said huskily, “Let’s check it out.”
Paul was leading her into the bedroom. Lara’s mind was spinning. She had never been in love with him, and going to bed with him had been easy—the payment for all he had done for her—but now there was a difference. She was in love. I’m a fool, Lara thought. I’ll probably never see Philip again.
She undressed slowly, reluctantly, and then they were in bed, and Paul Martin was on top of her, inside her, moaning, “Baby, I’m nuts about you.” And she looked up and it was Philip’s face she saw.
Everything was progressing smoothly. The renovations on the Reno hotel were proceeding rapidly, Cameron Towers was going to be finished on schedule, and Lara’s reputation kept growing. She had called Philip Adler several times over the past few months, but he was always away on tour.
“Mr. Adler is in Beijing…”
“Mr. Adler is in Paris…”
“Mr. Adler is in Sydney…”
To hell with him, Lara thought.
During the next six months Lara managed to outbid Steve Murchison on three properties he was after.
Keller came to Lara, worried. “The word around town is that Murchison is making threats against you. Maybe we should cool it with him. He’s a dangerous enemy, Lara.”
“So am I,” Lara said. “Maybe he should get into another business.”
“It’s not a joking matter, Lara. He…”
“Forget about him, Howard. I just got a tip about a property in Los Angeles. It’s not on the market yet. If we move fast, I think we can get it. We’ll fly out in the morning.
” The property was on the site of the old Biltmore Hotel and consisted of five acres. A real estate agent was showing Lara and Howard around the grounds.
“Prime property,” he was saying. “Yes, sir. You can’t go wrong with this. You can build a beautiful little city in this area…apartment buildings, shopping centers, theaters, malls…”
“No.”
He looked at Lara in surprise. “I beg your pardon?”
“I’m not interested.”
“You’re not? Why?”
“The neighborhood,” Lara said. “I don’t think people are going to move into this area. Los Angeles is moving west. People are like lemmings. You aren’t going to get them to reverse direction.”
“But…”
“I’ll tell you what I am interested in. Condos. Find me a good location.”
Lara turned to Howard. “I’m sorry I wasted our time. We’ll fly back this afternoon.”
When they returned to their hotel, Keller bought a newspaper at the newsstand. “Let’s see what the market is doing today.”
They looked through the paper. In the entertainment section was a large advertisement that read: “TONIGHT AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL-PHILIP ADLER.” Lara’s heart gave a little jump.
“Let’s go back tomorrow,” Lara said.
Keller studied her a moment. “Are you interested in the music or the musician?”
“Get us two tickets.”
Lara had never been to the Hollywood Bowl before. The largest natural amphitheater in the world, it is surrounded by the hills of Hollywood, the grounds a park, open year-round for visitors to enjoy. The Bowl itself seats eighteen thousand people. It was filled to capacity, and Lara could sense the anticipation of the crowd. The musicians began to come onto the stage, and they were greeted with expectant applause. Andre Previn appeared, and the applause grew more enthusiastic. There was a hush, then loud applause from the audience as Philip Adler walked out on the stage, elegant in white tie and tails.
Lara squeezed Keller’s arm. “Isn’t he handsome?” she whispered.
Keller did not answer.
Philip sat down at the piano, and the program began. His magic took over instantly, enveloping the audience. There was a mysticism about the night. The stars were shining down, lighting the dark hills surrounding the Bowl. Thousands of people sat there silently, moved by the majesty of the music. When the last notes of the concerto died away, there was a roar from the audience, as the people leaped to their feet, applauding and cheering. Philip stood there, taking bow after bow.