In My Dreams (2 page)

“
Hello, may I speak with Destiny Long?”

“
Umm speaking, this is Destiny.”

“
Hi Destiny, My name is Dana Harper. I am the marketing Director for Bauer Media Group. You entered our contest a few months ago...”

“
Yes?” she interrupted curiously.

“
Well I am pleased to inform you that you are one of the top four finalists. We are having a celebration ceremony in two weeks to announce all the finalists and from there we will announce the Winner. All finalists will be presented with certificates.”

“
I am?” she said almost yelling with excitement.

“Yes Ma’am,” she responded with a little chuckle.

“
WOW, this is crazy. I never thought I would actually be selected,” she said, more to herself than to the person on the phone.

“
Well girlie, you were not just selected. You have become one of the final four!”

“
Oh. My. God! This is not some joke is it?”

“
Absolutely not you should receive an email with further instructions and a number you can call with any questions. Congratulations, Destiny!”

“
Th-thanks!” she squealed.

“
No, thank you for writing that masterful piece; I can tell you we all want to meet you.”

“
Oh my, thanks again.”

“
We’ll see you in a few weeks, congrats again. Talk to you soon. Remember to check your email.”

“
Sure, thanks again, I guess. Bye.”

“
Bye.”

Destiny
hung up the phone and sat on the floor. She couldn’t remember how long she sat there until her phone alerted her that she had a text message. She looked at her text message and replied, getting back to work. She smiled and then screamed, realizing what had just happened. Now she just had to see if she was the grand prizewinner. For the first time in three months, Destiny wanted to be the winner and not just a runner up. She wanted to meet James fucking Michaels. She began to fantasize about what she would wear, how she would act, and what it would be like to have all eyes on her because of whom she was snugged up to. She closed her eyes and felt her stomach flip and her loins stir.

An hour later, she was still fantasizing about winning, and her graphic design
project was still unfinished.

Destiny was excited about the ceremony where the final four finalists would be revealed and grand prizewinner announced. She had loved having a hairstylist/makeup artist at her disposal as well as a wardrobe assistant. She went to her favorite nail shop to get a pedicure and her eyebrows and upper lip waxed. She even got a full set of acrylic nails and a massage to help her relax.

The entourage would be at her
hotel room at 2 p.m., so she decided to take a nap before all the festivities started. She did not want to miss anything or start to feel tired. She walked into the bedroom of her small suite and looked at the purple chiffon dress she had purchased for the event and the shoes that Maria, the wardrobe assistant had helped her pick out from DWS . She smiled when she thought about the way the fabric laid over her body and how soft it had felt. She hoped that the hairstylist would decide to put her hair up off her neck and shoulders to show off the stunning necklace and earrings she had found at a boutique on Sutter Street in San Francisco.

Destiny
awoke to a knock on her door. She looked at the clock on the nightstand; it was 1:30 in the afternoon. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and rolled out of bed. Opening the door, a FedEx package leaned against her door. Startled, she picked up the package and read the label.

To:
Destiny Long

From:
InTouch Weekly Magazine

She opened the package and pulled out a letter and a thick contract. She eyed the contract and read the letter.

Dear Miss Long,

It is our pleasure to congratulate you on becoming one of our final four finalists. As you know tonight, we will announce the Grand Prize winner and that person will be required to do additional interviews, public appearances and their essay will be printed in our magazine. With that said, we have enclosed the final contract for your review; however
, do not sign the contract. Only the winner of the contest will be required to sign.

We are excited about the attention this contest has garnered and especially grateful that you have been so accommodating by allowing us access to your life.

If you have any questions, you can contact Dana Harper. Otherwise, we will see you this evening at the gala. We wish you all the best of luck.

Sincerely

John Marshall

CEO, Bauer Media Group

Destiny read the letter once again. She couldn’t believe it. It was really happening. Somehow, this letter made it more real than just the emails and phone calls she had received. She placed the contract and letter back in the FedEx packaging and set it on her desk. 

She walked into her kitchen and made her a cup of tea. She had a few more minutes before everyone arrived so she
could enjoy the calm before the storm.  Sitting on her couch thumbing through the latest InTouch Weekly, she looked at the small article about the contest and how the top four finalists would be revealed at a gala that will be envied by the award shows. She smiled. She had always wanted to walk on the red carpet and here was her opportunity.

The hair/makeup and wardrobe people showed up a few minutes later. She was taken back with the entourage that walked through her door. She had to have about twenty people in her
hotel suite, each person with his or her own job. She breathed heavily and closed her door.

~~*~~*~~*~~

“I normally wear light makeup, which is if I wear it at all. However, I am hoping for a daring smoky eye.” Destiny said as Emmitt the hairstylist/makeup artist looked at her face turning it this way and that.

“
You have flawless skin; you take very good care of your skin which is a plus. We will not need a lot of makeup on you. As far as the daring smoky eye, any eye makeup on you would be a supplement; your eyes are captivating all by themselves” he replied, “but we will make them pop tonight. I do want to add lashes and I'm going to apply a very light coat of foundation, blush and just a hint of lipstick; we’ll add a lip gloss to make it juicy. What do you think?”

“
Blush always makes me look and feel like a clown,” Destiny replied.

“
You won't, dear trust me. I’m not a sought after makeup artist for the stars because I make people look bad,” he assured her with a friendly smile.

“
Thanks, what about my hair?” Destiny asked.

“
I’ll let Dorothy explain it. But I believe that she has the perfect style for you. I brought her along because elegant and simple is her middle name. It’s our desire to make you look like a princess going to the ball.”

Dorothy stepped forward and said,
“Take a look at this,” holding a picture from a fashion magazine so she could review it. “Do you like it? I am thinking a few tendril curls hanging will make it a bit more tantalizing. I want every man in the place to wish you were there with them. Believe me, they, especially James, will remember you.”

Destiny smiled and nodded her head.
“WOW! I love it. It all sounds great. Where do we start?”

Destiny
sat quietly as her makeup was being applied. True to his word, Emmitt transformed her face with very little makeup and she had to admit, she was stunning to look at. She could tell that she had makeup on, but it was subtle and as he said: he had enhanced her eyes, even the lashes were not overbearing.

An hour later, they were ready to put on her dress. Maria helped
Destiny slip the dress on without smudging her makeup or disturbing her hair. Spritzing Beyoncé’s Midnight Heaton her neck, she looked at her reflection in the mirror, taking note of how the dress looked on her.

Beautiful.

The purple off the shoulder design complemented her figure. Normally, she avoided styles that showed her shoulders and arms but this dress seemed to be made just for her. The skirt of the dress accentuated her smallish waist but downplayed what she considered to be her mother’s hips that were wide and an ass that was too big.

Destiny
fingered her necklace and then touched her ears, and she was grateful InTouch and Dana for all the perks she had received as a contestant in this contest. It was truly a fairy tale come true. She had to admit that she did look amazing. She half hoped that James would be there tonight to see what she looked like. She really did clean up well.

Destiny was taken aback as she climbed out of the limo, the hordes of people mingling outside of the Hilton. She took a deep breath. She was getting nervous. Why did she do this? What if she actually won? She glanced around unsure where to go and saw a familiar face. She walked over to Dana Harper. She smiled; Dana was doing what Dana does best. She was in control, telling the staff what to do and putting out fires as they arose. Destiny stood there waiting for Dana to acknowledge her, and as if Dana read her mind, she turned and smiled at Destiny.

“
Well, well very impressive, you look absolutely gorgeous,” Dana beamed.

“
Thanks, I wasn’t sure where to go,” Destiny gushed.

“
Oh no worries,” Dana looked at a clip board, “You are at table two. Just walk the red carpet and Mike will take you to your seat. Good luck Destiny.”

“
Thanks Dana. See you inside.”

Destiny started walking over to the entrance of the hotel. People started calling her name and shouting questions. A young man walked over to her.

“Hi, I am Mike. I am your escort for the evening,” he said taking her elbow.

Destiny was glad to have someone walk with her. She took three steps and had to stop to take a few photos and talk to the different reporters. She was overwhelmed. Mike could feel her tensing and put his arm around her waist to assure her it was okay.

“Destiny, remember you look great and this is your night,” he whispered

She nodded and took a deep breath.

She made it through the chaos on the red carpet. And just as she approached the entrance of the hotel, she heard a man shout, “
James
!” She froze.

“
It’s okay; all the finalists will get to meet the subject of their essays tonight,” Mike informed her.

She looked at Mike her eyes widened with anxiety. He smiled and nodded at her.

“You’ll be fine, I promise. He is just a man and you are a beautiful woman. It’s just another day in your life. Breathe.”

Destiny smiled nervously and inhaled deeply.

“Okay,” she said as she released her breath.

She and Mike walked into the
hotel ballroom. She smiled at how the room had been transformed. It was gorgeous. The white linens on the table were pristinely pressed, and the centerpieces were small ice sculptures of a couple in an embracing stance. There was a dance floor to the right of the entrance with a live band playing the “
Top 40”
. To the left was an open bar, with waitress busying themselves with orders from the guests already enjoying the electric atmosphere of anticipation of what was to come.

Mike led her to her table
where she saw the beautiful formal setting with its elegant china. She looked down and saw that there were gold place cards for each guest. She found her name and took her seat. Mike sat next to her.

“
This place is great,” Destiny mused in awe of the glamour that surrounded her.

“
Yeah they wanted the finalists to feel special tonight.”

“
Well, they succeeded.”

“
Did you want something to drink?” Mike said as he waved a waiter over to their table.

“
Sure. Thanks. Are all the finalists sitting at this table?”

“
Yes, along with their escorts.”

“
Oh was I supposed to bring a date?” Destiny blushed.

“
No, you are good. Dana assigned an escort for each finalist.”

The band started playing a
Masters of the World song. Destiny started to relax and began to sing along. The waiter came and took the order for their drinks. Destiny ordered a glass of wine. This was a special occasion and felt something light and fruity was best. Soon the room was filling up with guest and the other finalist arrived.

Mike and Destiny dance
d to a few songs. She felt like Cinderella at the ball.  Mike was very accommodating and made sure that she had whatever she thought she may need. After they returned to the table, they joined in on the conversation. The contestants were talking about their essays and why they chose their celebrities. All of them were surprised they made it this far.