Chapter 4

Williamson raised his champagne with the crowd and took a sip, staring at Bella Lisa and smiling. Bella Lisa responded with a quizzical little smile of her own and tentatively joined him in the toast. As the crowd started lining up at the buffet tables, Mauricio touched Williamson on the elbow and spoke to him. Bella Lisa tried to listen in on the conversation.

“Phillipe, there are a few people here I’d like to introduce you to.”

“Thanks, Mark. Maybe next time. I’ve got to be at the office early. I wanted to mention to you that the real estate agent that’s been handling your transaction is busy this weekend so I’ll be meeting you instead on Sunday afternoon at 3 to transfer the keys for your new condo.”

“Great, Phillipe. Sunday at 3 is perfect. I can’t wait to move in.”

“You’ll love living in Seaside City.”

“Thanks for setting it all up.”

“It was my pleasure. Also I took a quick look at your stocks. Your holdings are kind of risky. You’re overexposed in the Health Care Sector.”

“I’ve done pretty well by them so far. High risk, high return, right?”

“Yes, but listen, Marc. More often than not I’ve seen Health Care stocks drop quickly in the wrong direction. After the corporate officers and institutional investors sell off their shares, if you’re not paying close attention, individual investors like yourself are left holding the bag. They have a saying in this business, “You can’t catch a falling knife.” I should know. I’ve tried and gotten cut. More than once. When things go bad, they can go bad in a hurry. I’d like to talk to you at a better time about diversifying your portfolio.”

“Sure, Phillipe. Sure.”

Mauricio seemed distracted, looking for someone in the crowd. Williamson took that as his cue to leave.

“Anyway, Marc, I’ve got to go. You go enjoy the party. Congratulations on a great opening. See you Sunday.”

“See you then.”

As Mauricio and his daughter walked over to the buffet table, Williamson disappeared through the eucalyptus grove.

“Have you seen my agent, Bella?” Mauricio asked.

“I forgot what he looks like Daddy.”

“That’s OK. Did you like the show?”

“I loved it! You were great in it. I bet you’re going to get glowing reviews.”

“I don’t read reviews.”

Bella Lisa grabbed a plate and looked to see a tall man in a clearing between the trees, standing beside a black shiny limousine, looking in her direction. As soon as she noticed him, he turned away. Another man opened the door for him, he got in and the limo sped away.

When Williamson had returned to his penthouse condo, he dismissed his private security team, Cogworthy and Luman, for the night. He went to his bedroom, stripped off his clothes and looked once again at the peculiar and tender veins bulging from the skin of his pelvis. He got out some lubricant and rubbed the sore spots, deciding to have his assistant Firmin call his physician first thing in the morning to see if he could set up an appointment, after the market closed at 1PM, to see him.

Williamson could not stop thinking of Ms. Mauricio. He wished he knew her first name. The more he thought of her, the more his groin ached. It had been a long day and he was exhausted. He got into bed and fell asleep thinking of her chatting with a gentleman in the courtyard of the theater. The man had made a joke and her body shook with girlish laughter. As she leaned forward, her arms wrapped around herself, her rounded pert breasts bounced with each laugh, nearly falling completely out of her dress, her light brown aureoles clearly peeking out from under the red fabric. He slept fitfully.

At one point in the early morning hours, he woke up in the middle of a wet dream, grinding his painful pelvis into his soaked bed sheets, imagining the sexy young woman below him. She looked innocently into his eyes, turned out her wrists and stretched her arms over her head, offering herself to be bound…

On Sunday afternoon he met Mauricio to sign the final documents, officially transferring ownership of the condo to him and to hand over the keys. Williamson bought Mauricio an expensive bottle of French wine and four crystal glasses as a housewarming present.

“You mentioned you were driving your daughter to college next weekend,” Williamson said as the crystal glasses clinked together.

“Oh yes. Bella Lisa got accepted at Stanford University. We always provided her with private tutoring and she did exceptionally well on her SAT’s. She’s an excellent student. Her Mother and I are really proud of her,” Mauricio boasted.

Bella Lisa. So that was her name. Williamson wished he were alone to say her beautiful name out loud. Bella Lisa Mauricio.

“Stanford. That’s really impressive. She must be a very bright young woman. What’s her major?” Williamson asked.

“I think she said Sociology or Social Work, something like that,” Mauricio said, swallowing the rest of his wine.

Mauricio was in a rush to attend a meeting across town and left soon after finishing the wine. Even though he was disappointed Mauricio’s daughter had not shown up for the appointment, Williamson felt the meeting was a success. He learned her first name, her area of interest and where she was going to be for the next four years.

From Sunday evening until Tuesday morning Bella Lisa was occupied helping her Father move into and decorate his fancy new beachfront condo. It was modern and chic inside, renovated with marble countertops and wood flooring. The kitchen had brand new stainless steel appliances. Each large bedroom had floor to ceiling glass windows and balconies with tremendous views overlooking the Pacific Ocean and the skyline of downtown Seaside City. The place must’ve cost a fortune. It was so luxurious that she wished she had more time to enjoy it, but she had to leave for college in just a few days.

She hoped her dad would be able to manage the mortgage payments. She knew he was made wealthy by the residuals of his TV show, but she never felt comfortable discussing financial details with him, and Mauricio never volunteered any information. After the success of his show, he never was able to find a permanent acting job again, though he kept himself busy playing small parts in films, doing commercials, plays or looking for his next job. Her Dad had always been very generous with her and she was thankful to her parents for saving up enough money to completely pay off her tuition and living expenses for all four years at Stanford in advance, so she didn’t have to take any student loans. She did agree to get a job off campus during the summers to give her a little extra spending money, so she would be living upstate all four years. If they were free, her mom or dad would fly her out during Christmas and Spring breaks to visit her. At least that was the plan.