Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 96720 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96720 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
“Maybe in the Caribbean, where there are ocean breezes,” Leo argued. “Summer in New York will turn that into a magnifying glass and everyone inside into ants.”
“Which is where the retractable roof and solar shades come in.” I tapped my tablet screen, and the monitor changed. “In the event that the temperature is so high that we can’t possibly make it comfortable with our own climate controls, the solar panels extend and cover the dome. Will it look as impressive from the inside during those rare times? No. But your electrical engineer believes that even with the surrounding buildings, there will be enough daylight to bank some charge. And you know that will make Mr. I-won’t-fly-on-a-private-jet happy.
“We need to think as big on this project as Mr. Ashe thought on Ascend Red.” I added, “God help us all.”
A chuckle went around the table, loosening some of the tension the topic had once again raised.
“We’ll table the garden for now. I know that we’ll figure out how to do it without attracting interest, but apparently not at this meeting, and we have a lot to cover. Let’s move on.
“Themes. Every Ascend property is themed. Ascend has that very chic, Casa Blanca feel to it. Ascend II is pirates, for some reason.” I cleared my throat; the person who came up with the pirate theme could very well have been in the room with me. “Ascend Red is the castle. All of those are looking backward, not forward. We’re in New York City. Manhattan. Where all the tastemakers for the world are.” Maybe that was overselling the city’s importance, but not by much. As an outsider, I’d always viewed New York as the center of the universe.
“Are we thinking futuristic, then?” one of the interns whose name I shamefully hadn’t learned yet suggested.
I gestured to Marshall. “Write that down.”
“Star Trek futuristic or Star Wars futuristic?” another intern asked.
The first one responded, “Star Wars was a long time ago. It says that right at the beginning of the movie.”
While I was sure Matt would be thrilled with a super nerdy space station theme, it wasn’t what I had in mind. I hoped he would skim the meeting notes. “No, if we go futuristic, it needs to be our own thing. The future of New York. The way we’re going to be living in two, three hundred years.”
“Then the climate control on that pool deck should be cranked up to three-fifty Fahrenheit,” Marshall muttered.
“The decor trends are going to change. Things that are sleek and modern by today’s standards will be hideously ornate. I don’t want to go too sterile, but I’m thinking rounded corners, oblong benches...” What I needed was someone familiar with fashion to handle this.
A light switch clicked in my head.
“I’ll be right back. You all keep brainstorming. I want to hear ideas when I come back,” I said, heading for the conference room door.
I went to my office and once I was safely closed inside, I let Business Charlotte slip away. I pulled out my cell and texted Sophie, Can you talk?
She texted back almost immediately, Sure, before the screen lit up with her incoming call.
“Hey,” I said, scratching my head as I tried to formulate my question. “You know how we were talking about the sex club thing?”
“I do.” She dragged out the second word in a singsong of interest. “Any updates?”
“Big ones. It’s going ahead and I’m leading the project.” It was still such a weird thing to say. It felt like a lie. “The problem is, I’m trying to come up with a theme and a feel for the place and... frankly, I’m out of my element. I’m a California board-shorts and bikini-tops girl and New York is high fashion. I was wondering if you’d be interested in consulting. Since you have a fashion background?”
“Fashion, not interior design,” she reminded me. “But I remain intrigued. Let’s talk about it in person before I commit to anything.”
That would give me time to talk to Matt and see if I had the power to hire people. I should have checked with him on that before I made the offer. Did the old adage about begging forgiveness instead of asking permission apply to human resource situations?
“Sounds great. When are you going to be in the city? We can meet up for lunch,” I suggested.
“I’ve been meaning to invite you and Matt out to the house,” Sophie said. “The weather isn’t going to stay this good forever. and you and I haven’t gotten to do our lay-out-by-the-pool thing.”
We had a pool at our apartment. I was too scared to use it, because it was up so high. “I don’t want to impose—”
“I’m inviting you. It’s not an imposition if someone is inviting you,” she said, almost sternly. “We’re kid free next week. Olivia is at her grandma’s house and Rashida will be with her mom in Paris. You should come out and spend some grown-up time with us.”