Life after the Lottery Ch. 57

"No need to, we have law enforcement officers in here all the time. The gun won't bother anyone," he said.

"Good eye, but I doubt you have many law enforcement officers in here buying Amani."

"No, sir."

I slipped my jacket off, and he took it. I took the coat and slipped it on. It fit perfectly, and I did like Armani. I buttoned the coat and looked in the mirror.

"How does it fit," he asked.

"Perfectly."

"Why don't you go and try on the pants."

I took the pants back to the dressing room and tried them on and walked out.

"How do they fit?"

"Fine."

"With your build, this size should fit you nicely. What type of law enforcement are you with?"

"Attorney General's Office back home."

"Do you always carry your weapon when you are away from home?"

"Most of the time, yes."

He reached up and ran his hand over where the pistol hung under my arm.

"If we let the side out about half an inch under the arm, it will make room for your weapon and the fit will still be okay. I do that on other suits for officers," Walt said.

I decided I had just bought a very expensive suit.

"I like it; I'll take it."

"Let me pin up the legs."

"I'm only here today; I will have my tailor make the changes."

"Very good. Do you have a tux for evening wear?"

"I do."

"What about something that is not so formal."

He walked away and went through a rack and brought back a black suit.

"This is a little less formal than a tux. It has the satin labels and the pants stripe but is not cut like a tux, more like a suit. It looks nice with a white shirt and black tie."

I didn't need it, but I tried it on. After two more hours, I was trying on $400 silk shirts. I did like Armani.

"Walt, I think I have reached my limit," I told him.

"Very good. You have some very nice suits now and some shirts. What else can I show you?"

"That should be enough. I better go and find my wife and see how much she has spent."

"Are you two in town today to shop?"

"Not really. My wife and I have a partner, and we are opening a high-end ladies fashion store. They are getting some ideas."

"Really, where will it be?"

I told him the state we lived in, and that was enough.

"I see. Are there other stores like that in the area?" He asked.

"No. We are hoping this will be a major draw for people in the area and for people to come and visit."

"If it's done right, it should be. Are you only carrying women's wear?"

"Just high-fashion and high-end lingerie and bathing suits."

"Sir, if you are going to open a store to draw people in, you need to carry very nice men's clothes too," Walt said.

"At this point, it is just women's clothes."

"Is there anywhere in your area that carries clothes like you have just bought?"

"No. If men want something nice, they have it tailored locally."

"But sir, that is not Amani?"

"No, it's not. I have been able to order the few Armani suits I have."

"Maybe you should consider adding men's clothes. You could carry Armani and other nice men's clothes."

"We are taking a big gamble with the women's clothes. I don't think there will be room in the store to add men's clothes."

"A nice men's store does not take the kind of space a women's store does. Look around, see how little room this section takes up," Walt insisted.

I looked around, and all the nice clothes didn't take up that much room.

"Walt, how big of an area is this?"

"About 4,000 square feet or less plus the back room. The only thing not in this area is shoes."

I looked for a minute.

"I guess I better have you ring everything up, Walt."

"Yes, sir."

I went back to the dressing room and put my suit back on. I walked out and handed Walt the last shirt I had tried on. He was already making a big pile at the registry along with four suit bags. I watched as he carefully boxed the shirts, ties, and belts. He took his time ringing everything up, and I soon found myself $12,000 lighter.

"How much longer will you be in the store?" He asked.

"Awhile, I'm sure. I have to call my wife and find her."

"Take this with you. When you are ready to leave, all of your items will be waiting for you up front. Just give them this," Walt said handing me a tag.

"Thank you."

"Thank you, sir."

"Walt, how long have you been selling men's clothes?"

"About 20 years. I have been here for 15 of those."

"I guess you know quite a lot about the business then?"

"Yes, sir. I am the department manager."

"How much inventory does a store like this carry in men's clothes?" I asked.

"Do you mean how much do they have in inventory here?"

"Yes."

"Well, we sell a lot of clothes here in a short period of time. There is a lot of inventory, but it is turned over often."

"How much?"

"At cost, around 2 million."

"Wow."

"You have to understand the volume we do though. We may sell 100 suits in a day."

"That is a lot of money to have tied up in inventory."

"One of the smaller men's stores in New York that carry Armani and other nice men's clothes will only have about $600,000 in inventory. If they turn it over enough, that is plenty," Walt said.

"That's not bad."

"No, sir. A very nice store could be opened for that amount."

"That will give me something to think about," I said.

"Yes, sir."

Walt pulled a business card out of his pocket and turned it over and wrote a phone number on the back.

"Why don't you take my card. My cell phone number is on the back. If you happen to have any more questions about opening a store, give me call."

"I'll have to do some research to see if a nice men's store could make it in my area."

"I am familiar with your area. I have relatives that live there. I think your idea for a nice women's store is a good one. I also think a nice men's store would do well."

"I'll think about it, Walt."

I took his card and put it in my wallet when I put my credit card back.

"I may have to talk to my partner," I said.

"Sir, I have done well here. New York is a very expensive place to live. If you decide you may like to open a nice store, give me a call. I would be interested in going in with you. I would like to move closer to my relatives."

"Would you be interested in moving and running a store?"

"Yes, sir, and I have some money to invest."

"May I ask how much?"

"I could come up with half a million before I sell my house," he said.

"I'm sure you could buy a nice house where I live with half of what you will sell yours for."

"I could. My wife would really like to be closer to her relatives."

"I'll think about it. There is an 8,000-square foot store next door."

"That would be plenty big."

"I may be calling you Walt."

"Thank you, sir."

I walked away and called Dawn's cell.

"Hey, where are you?" I asked.

"Second floor in the lady's designer wear."

"I was afraid of that. Where are the girls?"

"They are here too."

"I'll try and find you."

I walked around and found the escalators and went up a floor. It took me about 15 minutes to locate all the women. Dawn was sitting and watching Sam model clothes. Linda was helping Rachel with some nice-looking evening dresses. I also saw a pile of boxes on the floor. I sat in a chair next to Dawn.

"Do I want to ask?"

"No," Dawn said. "Where have you been?"

"Looking at some suits."

"Did you find any?"

"A few."

I sat patiently as Sam and Amy tried on clothes for a while. Linda was trying on some clothes as I watched the pile get bigger. The two sales ladies were busy. While they shopped, I sat and thought about what Walt had said.

"...ready to go...James!"

"What?"

"Are you ready to go?" Dawn asked. "It's 6:00."

"Sure." I got up and shook out the cobwebs.

"We have to pick up our things on the way out," Dawn said.

I looked, and each them were carrying bags and boxes.

"Okay, I have to pick up some things too," I told Dawn.

Once we were at the front door Linda and Rachel stopped and handed some tags to some people, so did Dawn. Rachel had called before we headed down, so she went outside. I walked over and handed the people my tag, and they brought out some bags, boxes, and four suit bags that said Armani on the outside.

"You did find some suits," Dawn said.

"I bet I spent less than you did."

"I'm sure you did," Dawn said.

It took about 10 minutes to get everything loaded into the limo and the SUV that had been following us.

"Let's go," Rachel said.

We all went outside and got in the limo.

"I have dinner reservations for 7:00. Is everyone ready to eat?" Linda said.

She got plenty of yeses.

"Rachel, take us to Per Se."

Rachel told the driver, and he rolled up the divider. All the ladies looked like they were worn out as we drove. Just before 7:00 we were pulling up near the Time Warner Center then stopped in front of the restaurant. Once we were out of the limo, we all walked in and were escorted to a private dining area. We sat down and took a deep breath to relax.

"The food here is wonderful; you will enjoy it," Linda said.

After a few minutes, the wine steward came out.

"Good evening, Ms. Williams," he said.

"Good evening." Linda ordered wine for everyone. "I hope all of you got some good ideas."

"We did," Sherri said.

"I have ordered dinner; I think you will like it."

"Can I have some wine?" Sam whispered to me.

"I'm sure you can."

A few minutes later several stewards brought the wine and poured as the first course was served. We all enjoyed a very long and wonderful dinner until a little after 9:00. Linda signed the bill, and we all got up to leave. I had my arm around Linda's waist as I escorted her to the door.

"May I ask what that dinner cost?" I asked.

"No, you may not."

Once we were all in the limo, everyone settled in, and we pulled away from the restaurant.

"Linda, dinner was wonderful," Brenda said.

"I like to eat here when I am in New York."

"How often do you come to New York?"

"About every other month."

"Do you always fly on a private jet?"

"Yes. This jet and a smaller one belongs to my company. I have a jet just for my use coming in November until I get a new one in a few years. Trying to fly commercial is just to time consuming."

"Don't forget the helicopter," I said teasing Linda.

"Yes, I also have a helicopter, or the company does. I will have my own in November also."

"Do you fly that much?" Sherri asked.

"About once a week. Rachel and I are always flying somewhere. Since I have taken over the company from my parents, I have been traveling all over the world checking on things and making some changes. I took James and Dawn with me to Europe recently."

"She landed her helicopter at the house once," Sam said.

"Linda, why do you need the security people?" Brenda asked.

"It is just something I have to deal with when I travel. Rachel is in charge of all of my security."

"Are you afraid someone might attack you or kidnap you?" Brenda asked.

"It is a concern. There have been some problems before, so I have to take precautions."

I looked over at Rachel, and she was looking at me.

"That seems like a terrible way to have to live," Brenda added.

"It sucks," Linda said.

"Too bad," Rachel added.

We had ridden for about 30 minutes before we were back at the airport. The limo and the SUV drove out onto the tarmac and up to the plane.

"Stay here," Rachel said and got out.

We sat and watched for a while as the security guys unload the SUV and the limo and load everything onto the jet. I also saw Rachel on her cell phone, and so did Linda. Rachel finally got off her phone and came back to the limo.

"Okay, let's go," she said when she opened the door.

We all got out and got on the jet. Rachel stopped to talk to the pilots while we all found some seats. Sherri slipped off the jacket she had on and hung it on the seat. I admired her naked breast under the bodysuit for the second time today.

"Sherri, I really like that bodysuit," Linda said as she stood and looked.

"Brenda and I have decided to carry the expensive designer ones," Sherri said.

"I wish they would fit me," Linda said.

"Make sure I get your measurements, and I will talk to the designer."

Dawn took her coat off and hung it up before she sat down.

"Linda, I brought some other things for you to see," Sherri said.

"We brought some lingerie and bathing suits for you look at," Sam said.

"That is yours and Brenda's area."

"We just thought you might like to see a sample of what we will be carrying," Sherri said.

"Okay. When we get airborne, you can show me," Linda said and sat down.

I sat next Dawn and leaned over to talk to Linda.

"They want you to see some of their samples," I said.

"Okay, if they are not tired."

"They are on cloud nine," I said.

Rachel walked up and sat next to Linda while the pilot pulled the steps up.

"Everyone buckle up, we are going to get out of here in a hurry," he said.

The engines came up, and we sat about 5 minutes then we started moving.

"He is in a hurry," Linda said.

"He wants to get in the air before all the red-eyes take off," Rachel said.

Soon we were speeding down the runway and taking off. A few minutes later the intercom came on.

"Our flight back will only be about an hour and fifteen minutes. We got out of the area before all the late-night flights took off. We are flying directly back as fast as we can. We will level off in about 5 minutes. We should be landing about 10:15 local time."

About five minutes later the seatbelt light went off. Linda got up and walked to the galley and came back with some wine.

"I would have gotten that," Rachel said.

"I needed to get up. Sherri, you and Sam can use the room behind that door in the back to change clothes," Linda said. "I want to see what you have."

Dawn and I had sat in the seats facing the rear of the plane; we saw Sam and Sherri jump up and grab two bags and head to the back. Linda was standing sipping her wine.

"Who were you talking to on the phone?" She asked Rachel.

"I called the airport and told them what time we were landing," Rachel replied.

"Why?" Linda asked.

"Because I told one of the guys to meet us at the airport. All those packages are not going in your Diablo," Rachel said.

Linda took a sip of her wine and turned and sat across from Dawn.

"I can't get over how you look, Dawn. Everyone was looking at you," Linda said.

"She does look hot like that," I said.

"Yes, she does. I like that look," Linda told her.

"I just like to dress this way sometimes," Dawn said.

"You should do it more often. You look very sexy," Linda said.

"Thanks."

A few minutes later Sam walked between the seats in some of the lingerie I had seen. Sherri stood and told Linda the things she had told me while she stood there in some sexy lingerie. As she explained the differences, Linda felt Sam's lingerie and then ran her hand over Sherri's more expensive lingerie.

"I like the imported lingerie you have on," Linda said.

Sherri and Sam modeled some more lingerie and some bathing suits for Linda to look at. Linda talked to Sherri about all of them. When Sherri came out wearing the gorgeous monokini, Linda stopped to look.

"Wow, that is hot!" Linda said.

Brenda had walked up behind Sherri.

"These are pricey, but I think we can sell them," Sherri said.

"What kind of prices?" Linda asked.

"The designer I am looking at makes these in some very sexy designs. His can be worn in the water, unlike some of the others. A suit like this runs around $900. They can go from $800 to $2,000," Sherri said.

"They could be a challenge to sell," Linda said.

"Possibly, but I am thinking about my sales ladies wearing them in the store."

"That will help!" Linda said. "I like that idea."

"She has plenty more," I said.

"I can't wait to hear them. Are you still planning on featuring the two brothers at the Grand Opening?" Linda asked.

"I would like to."

"I like the idea. Once you and Brenda get a better idea of what all they have we will talk about the fashion show."

"Great."

Sherri and Sam walked away with Brenda.

"Sherri has some great idea. I don't have any worries about her," I said.

"What about Brenda?" Linda asked.

"I think she will be fine. She likes some of the ideas Sherri has."

"Are you going to be taking the pictures they want to hang in the store?"

"Are you going to let me take some of you?" I asked Linda.

"Maybe," Linda said with a big smile.

"Dawn and I and the girls will be out of town Wednesday and Thursday. If Sherri and Brenda are not at your office, they will be at the house," I told Linda.

"Where are you all going?"

"We are taking them home so Sam can get the rest of her things."

"I'll keep Sherri and Brenda busy."

It got quiet on the plane as we flew, everyone was tired. Dawn had nodded off, and Rachel was talking to Linda.

"Rachel! Why didn't you tell me!" Linda shouted.

I got up and sat in the seat across from Linda.

"Did you know?" Linda asked me.

"Rachel told me earlier. Calm down; we are going to get this guy."

"But they don't know where he is!"

"Linda, just let Rachel do her job. I'm going to take his picture to the Sherriff, and the Chief of Police and get it out. If he shows up, they will get him."

"Shit! I hate all the extra security. The house will be like a fortress."

"You and Rachel can come and stay with us if you want to."

"I'll still have to bring a few people," Rachel said.

"No, you won't. I think we can take care of things," I said.

"I'll think about it," Rachel said.

"Rachel, you make sure you are careful. I don't want anything happening to you," Linda said.

"I'll be fine, don't worry."

"Linda, if things get too crazy, you two come and stay with us."

"How will we know if he is back in town?" Linda asked.

"I have people watching his house," Rachel said.

"What if he shows up?" Linda asked.

"It will be taken care of," Rachel said. "Just let me do my job."

"Fuck!" Linda exclaimed.

I sat and talked to Linda until we were preparing to land. After we landed and got off the plane, there were two security guys there. Rachel had one go and get the SUV and drive it to the plane so they could unload the packages. I made several trips along with the girls to the cars to load everything. Linda and Rachel were standing next to us near her Diablo.

"James, thank you for coming," Linda said and leaned into me and kissed me.

"No problem. Don't get worried about this; it will get taken care of," I said.

"I may take you up on your offer to stay with you."

"Your room is always ready. You may need to bring some more clothes."

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow," Linda said then leaned over and kissed Dawn.

Linda and Rachel got in her car and drove off with the SUV following them. We all got in our cars and headed to our house. We got to the house about 11:00.

"Leave everything in the cars," I told everyone, "We will get it out in the morning."

Everyone went in the house.

"Anyone want some wine before you go to bed," Dawn asked.

"I think I am going to bed," Brenda said.

"Me too," came from Sherri.

The two of them went down the hall. The four of us got a glass of wine and sat in the den.

"Did I hear you and Rachel talking about the guy that is stalking Linda?" Dawn asked.

"Yes. He got away from her people in Miami. They don't know where he is yet."

"How did Linda take it?"

"She is not happy because she hates all the extra security. I told her that they could come and stay here if it got crazy."

"I hope they catch the guy," Dawn said.

"There's not much the local police can do yet; he hasn't down anything here."

"I'm sure you will be talking to some people," Dawn said.