The Mobster's Girl

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen

Stella stood in the hotel lobby, her eyes on the elevator door while she waited impatiently for Jack. They had never agreed on a time, but didn't expect him to take long to get ready. If anything, she was expecting him to be waiting for her in the lobby.

She moved to the sitting area in the lobby and took a seat in one of the plush, velvet chairs, all the while conscious that the clerk at the front desk was staring at her. She was certain that it was likely because of her altercation with Maggie, which had happened just days before, a few feet away from where she sat.

Stella paid the man no mind, and smoothed her dress's skirt out around her, the fabric soft and smooth against her fingertips. The dress looked amazing off, but felt and looked even better on, and she felt a level of confidence in the dress than she ever had. It fit her perfectly, and gave her body the desired silhouette, and the skirt swished with every move she made, which only added to the overall effect.

She wore a matching black headband embroidered with black beads and sequins, dark red lipstick, and gold, shimmery eyeshadow on her eyes, which was paired with black eyeliner. Stella reached for her matching black bag, which hung on a silver chain, and popped it open and retrieved her compact mirror, which she used to triple check her makeup. She wanted to ensure that nothing was smudged.

As she was fussing with her lipstick, someone approached her, and stood in front of her.

"Excuse me, Miss, but I was wondering if you've seen my friend, Stella."

Stella looked up to see Jack, who was dressed in a black suit, his dark hair slicked back. The suit looked expensive, but looked great on Jack, and Stella found herself blushing. He grinned at her as she put her mirror back in her purse, then stood up, her purse slung over her shoulder.

Stella smiled in return. "C'mon now, I don't look that different."

"I had to do a double take. I was certain you'd stood me up." Jack's eyes took in Stella's appearance, and he motioned for her to do a twirl. "Let's see it!"

Stella tried to resist, but Jack insisted, and she hesitantly twirled, the skirt moving with her. Once Stella was facing him again, Jack looked her up and down and let out a low whistle, which caused her to blush once more.

"It looks even better on you than I imagined," he said earnestly.

Stella gave him a disapproving look, a hand on her hip.

"You thought of me in this dress?"
"That's not the only time," Jack said cheekily with a wink. He was partially joking, knowing that he would get a reaction out of Stella, who was looking at him in shock, her jaw dropped, but he said nothing else, as Kate, Peter, Hazel, and the soldier from the gala joined them.

"The Lanvin," Kate gasped as she took in Stella's appearance. "But, how?"

Meanwhile, Hazel had approached Stella and held a piece of the skirt in one hand, the other stroking the delicate material carefully.

"It was all Jack," Stella replied, with a nod towards the man.

"Take notes, Peter," Kate said, while Jack jokingly apologized, and said he'd give the man a raise.

Once Hazel was done petting Stella's dress, she motioned to the man behind her, who looked like a fish out of water. "You remember Henry, yeah?"

"From the gala, of course. How are you?"

Henry grinned, thus revealing a gap between his front teeth.

"Great, thanks. Glad to be here. Listen, my buddy Joe's been trying to get ahold of you for the past couple of days. It's all he's been talking about. Think you could give me a break and call him back?"