Atasmallshopjust a few streets from the café, the car stopped and Benson pulled Luka from the back. “We have to change.”
“Here?”
“Yes, I know the owner. He was a…friend in college. Another person who came from poverty to do great things.”
Luka glared and asked, “What are we doing?”
“Stop asking questions,” Benson ordered as their driver handed him the two garment bags and suitcase.
In the shop, a tall, very thin man in a Prada suit rushed over to Benson and kissed both his cheeks. He was dark-skinned, handsome, but they’d had a rough relationship for the two months they’d tried to be together. Neither was ready for love.
“Benson, you handsome thing. I have your dressing rooms ready.”
“Kyle, this is Luka, my date. Luka, this is Kyle.”
They shook hands as Kyle drooled. “My, you are a piece of candy, aren’t you?”
“No. I’m not a piece of candy.”
“Just a compliment, honey. No offense. Come on and let me help you with this tux.”
“Tux?”
Benson laughed as Kyle dragged him off to the back, and Benson was left alone, following with his own garment bag.
It took only half an hour before they were both staring into the huge mirrors in the back of the store. Luka was eyeing himself as if he couldn’t believe his eyes. “I went to prom when I was a junior in high school. I worked for a month to afford to rent the tux. It looked nothing like this.”
“Chile, this is a Tom Ford tuxedo. He’s one of my favorite designers.”
Benson whispered, “In other words, the price of one of these could feed an entire town for a month.”
“Right,” Luka said as he stared, his eyes huge with the knowledge.
After they were dressed, the car picked them up and whisked them away towards downtown.
Luka was almost breaking his neck to look to the front of the limo to get some hint of where they were going, but once they pulled in front of the theater, he stared out at the crowd in front.
“This is the new play. I tried four times to get a part!”
“I didn’t know that. I hope this isn’t terrible for you.”
“No! Of course not. A red carpet?”
“Yes, dear, a red carpet. That is something you need to get used to if you continue acting. Come,” he said as the door was opened for them.
They came out holding hands and had people screaming and cheering. It was a great way to get Luka ready for a spotlight that was undoubtedly about to be his own.
They strolled up the red carpet toward the doors. Luka shyly waved to some people in the crowd, and there were girls therethat absolutely swooned over him, regardless of the fact he was holding another man’s hand.
Three reporters stopped them fifteen feet from the entrance, and Benson was ready for them.
“Benson Carter,” Marianne Shultz from the Times started. “You look amazing tonight! Who is your date?”
“This is Luka Babic, an up-and-coming stage presence who came with me tonight to see the show. We’re both very excited.”
And that was all it took to be completely ignored as they all surrounded Luka and began belting him with questions.
Luka mentioned the show he was about to star in, and those he’d already performed, but they didn’t just want his resume. Of course, they wanted gossip.
