The alarm beeped in the back as I entered Harley Moss' shop. He minced out from the back to meet me, taking my hand and kissing it like a Frenchman.
"Miss Perez! What a surprise! It's so nice to see you. But Dr. Warburton didn't tell me you were coming."
"That's because he doesn't know I'm here."
"Well, what can I do for you?" he lilted.
"Well, he plans to take me to the opera again in a week, but he assumes I'd wear the same dress you made for me last time."
He smiled indulgently. "I'm afraid Dr. Warburton is like most men. He doesn't understand that a woman just can't wear the same dress twice in a row. Do you want me to make you a new one for the next performance?
La Traviata
, isn't it?"
I nodded. "Unfortunately, Craig only has an assistant professor's salary. He can't really afford to keep me dressed like a millionaire's wife every time we go out."
"But I already gave him a rock-bottom deal. Do you know the fabric alone for that black showstopper you wore was over four hundred dollars? It was real Chinese silk, very rare. And I can't just order it from a supplier. I have to go get it through the black market in Chinatown and pay cash to some very scary people. But don't tell anyone I did that."
"I wanted to find out what else we can work out."
A trace of a leer flashed for an instant across his face, but he apparently thought better of it. "What do you suggest?"
"Do you rent dresses?"
"Sometimes, but I'd still have to make alterations. They take hours and can run into the hundreds of dollars. And you can only do that two or three times, and only with women the right size. After that, the dress is useless to me. I have to sell it at a loss to some inferior store."
I shrugged. "Okay, then. I'm sorry I took your time. I'd hoped we could work something out."
"Tell Professor Warburton I said hello."
But as I was about to open the door, he called, "Wait!" I turned back.
"Have you ever modeled?"
I shook my head.
"But you have such a confident bearing and a gorgeous, seductive smile. It's like you've been trained at a real modeling school." Suddenly, he blurted, "Now! Just freeze the way you're standing. Don't move a muscle while I get a mirror."
I stood stock still while he ran to get a portable, full-length mirror and fiddled with the angle for a moment so I could see my whole height.
"See? Look at the way you stand, knees bent and one foot slightly forward. Your pelvis is tilted ever so little, and one arm is held up with the palm thrown back. You could have stepped out of an advertisement in
Vogue
or
Modern Fashion
."
I had to agree that I did look pretty good, and I hadn't been trying.