Chapter 5

Portrait Of My Desire
by Rhonda Findling

(Page 9 of 11)

There was a large crowd of people standing in front of the nightclub when they arrived. A doorman was standing at the front entrance deciding whom he would let into the club. David took Sharon's hand and led her through the crowd. When the doorman recognized David, he waved his hand for them to go in.

David helped Sharon take off her coat then checked it in at the coatroom. He led her though the lobby doors to a huge multilevel dance floor. Sharon got goose bumps at the sight of hundred's of colorful, glamorous looking people dancing under flashing multi colored strobe lights in a haze of cloudy smoke to Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes singing "The Love I Lost".

"So what do you think?" David asked.

"It's fantastic. I've never seen a place like this before."

"There's no other nightclub like Studio 54 in the whole world. Look there's Cher," he said pointing her out on the dance floor.

"Oh my God. Cher! I can't believe it. Wait till I tell Nina!"

"Celebrities come here all the time. Would you like a drink?"

"Okay."

"I'll be right back."

While David was at the bar Sharon continued to watch the crowded dance floor enraptured, as the beat of the soulful disco music pulsated through her. She watched Cher dance and looked for other stars. Everything here was magical, as if she were in another world. It was all so different from her life she left behind only two months ago.

David handed her an icy glass. "I got you a white wine spritzer. I remembered you were drinking that last night."

"Thanks," Sharon said, taking a large sip. She hoped the wine would help her relax. "Do you come here a lot?"

"Once in a while. How was class tonight?" he asked, lighting a cigarette.

"Okay." Sharon decided to quickly change the subject. She didn't want David to know she could barely concentrate in class because she was obsessing about their date tonight. "How was work today?"

"Actually it was pretty awful. One of the corporations we're representing is a takeover target. We've been meeting with the Board of Directors nonstop for the past two days. A few of us may have to fly out to LA to meet with the takeover company's in-house attorneys." David flicked the ashes from his cigarette into a glass ashtray. "Enough about me. When did you decide to become an artist?"

"I've been drawing and painting ever since I was a kid. When did you decide to become a lawyer?"

"In college. I wanted to be a professional and make a lot of money. My parents wanted me to be a doctor or lawyer, and cutting up cadavers didn't seem like an option for me. Law seemed to be more up my alley. I regret that I don't have a creative outlet though. I admire that about you. After I make enough money, I'm going to retire and write that novel I told you about."

"Hey Kaplan," a wiry looking, short man, with intense brown eyes, came over and shook David's hand. "Long time no see."

"Hi Steve. I want you to meet Sharon. Sharon this is Steve Rubell. He's one of the club owners."

"Hi Sharon," Steve said, shaking her hand. "Nice meeting you."

"Hi," she responded.

"I've got some people I've got to talk to now, but let's get together soon. I wanted to run something by you. A legal problem."

"Give me a buzz at the office tomorrow."

"You got it." Steve responded, then walked off disappearing into the crowd.

"Want to dance?" David asked.

"Sure."

Exhilarated, Sharon felt herself melt into the music as she spun round and round dancing free style. David was making a decent attempt at keeping up with her. "Lady Marmelade" came on and everyone started shouting out the words to the song. Sharon could feel herself losing herself to the music and the whole party atmosphere. After the end of "Knock On Wood", David led Sharon back to the bar and ordered more drinks.

"You're a great dancer," he said, handing Sharon another white wine spritzer. "Thanks," she responded, taking a large sip. "So what law school did you go to?"

"Fordham."

"I heard law school is very hard. My brother in law Ned told my sister that he almost flunked out the first year."

David laughed, "I came pretty close to that myself." He told her about one of his professors who was particularly hard on the students in his tort class. "So what made you decide to move to New York?"

Because David was a good listener, and she had a buzz from drinking on an empty stomach, she poured out the entire story about her mother's hiding her father's birthday cards.

"You'll find him Sharon," David reassured her. Just then, the music got much louder making it almost impossible to hear him.

"Would you like to go back to my place? Its quiet there and we can talk?" he asked, his voice raised. "I'll open a bottle of champagne."

Sharon froze. She had never been alone in a man's apartment before. David wasn't just any man though. He was her dream man. She couldn't afford to mess things up again. She needed to be strong and let go of her past, once and for all.

They walked to David's car parked three blocks away. Within a few minutes, they pulled into a garage in a high-rise building. They took an elevator to the 28th floor. David opened the door to his apartment and turned on the lights.

About the Author

www.rhondafindling.com
Rhonda Findling, M.A.,C.R.C. is the author of "Don't Call That Man! A Survival Guide To Letting Go" (Hyperion), "The Commitment Cure" (Adams Media) and "The Dating Cure" (Adams Media) and her debut novel "Portrait of My Desire". She is a dating coach and psychotherapist. She has been in private practice in New York for the past 20 years and consults (by telephone) with clients all over the world.