I am Baaack! Part 1

Turning to Salielah, Rose commented, "Your husband IS very handsome, Mrs. Ben Hariesh. I imagine you must go everywhere with him to beat ladies like me off with a stick."

Salielah laughed. "Call me Salielah, dear, and this 'God's Gift' here is NOT my husband. While I admit he IS handsome and can be quite charming, I don't think I could take the constant struggle of worrying about young ladies such as yourself. No, I am his sister, and what you might call, at least for tonight, his social secretary. He has been conducting business here, and it is my job to make sure that all work and no play don't make him a dull boy."

"No chance of that, Mrs.Salielah," said Rose, smiling. "I doubt that he is EVER dull!"

'Wow!' thought Rose. 'This is fun, fooling everyone!' She removed her left hand from his and placed it on his right sleeve, giving a light pressure to let him know it was okay to sit. She marveled at how her bright red nails shimmered against the black of his tuxedo jacket. A little electric thrill ran through her. 'WOW!'

"If you two will quit discussing me as if I were a slab of meat," said Adain, accepting Rose's hint and sliding into the seat next to her, "I would like to inform you, young lady, that Mr. Ben Hariesh is my father. You must call me Adain." He turned to Salielah. "Salielah, my dear, make a note for me to suitably reward my dear friends Louise and Edwina for bringing this lovely Rose to my attention."

(Real time Rose remembered how big the grins on Lou's and Ed's faces had been during that exchange - as if a student had suddenly and unexpectedly performed far beyond expectations. "Suitably rewarded" for sure! They must have upped her price another 500,000 at that point.)

Suddenly, there was a ringing from Louise's purse. She pulled out her cell phone: "Hello" She signaled all to be quiet, and listened for about a minute. "Does it have to be now? We're engaged in the middle of something of a celebration right now.