Ivan told her, “All of the businesspeople who want to meet me and celebrate my birthday with me.”

Lucina went silent for a minute. She was waiting for the punch line from him. But when he didn’t give her one, she asked, “Are you serious?”

“I’m dead serious,” Ivan told her. He said, “I just got a good feeling on this. You raise the price to make the real money people curious. And you said that 944 magazine wants to interview me now, right?”

She said, “Yeah, but—”

Ivan cut her off. “I’ll pay for this whole party with my own money and still give you half of it. But I’ll need you to really go after the money people hard and pitch this as a once-in-a-lifetime event: the introduction of Ivan David.”

Lucina chuckled at him. She said, “Who is Ivan David?” sarcastically. Her partner was really beginning to smell himself that evening.

Ivan said, “Exactly. It worked for Jill Scott, right? We need to invite her out to an event one weekend, too.”

“Ivan, what have you been doing tonight? Have you been smoking something?” Lucina finally questioned.

Ivan chuckled while overlooking the San Diego skyline from his balcony. He said, “I’m gonna forgive you for that when we make all this money. But I’m gonna create the impulse for the people to come out for it.”

Lucina paused over the phone again. She didn’t know what to say anymore. She needed time out to think it all over.

“Ivan, let me call you back in a few minutes,” she responded.

“Take your time.”

WHEN LUCINA HUNG UP her cell phone, she paced her living room in thought.

“What is he talking about?” she asked herself. But he sounded like he was serious.

She shook it off and said, “He can’t be serious. Fifty dollars? Who does he think he is now?”

Then she called up her best girl, Maya.

“Hey, Maya, do you have a minute to talk?”

“Come on, girl. Always. Spit it out,” Maya told her.

Lucina stopped and said, “That’s nasty. I don’t spit.”

“You don’t shit, either, do you? Come on, tell me what’s on your mind.”

Lucina shook her head against the cell phone and thought, She’s so raw. But she covers it so well in public. I never have to worry about her embarrassing me. But she does it in private all the time.

“Anyways,” she commented, breaking herself from her musings, “what are your honest thoughts about Ivan?”

“Ivan is a definite hottie. I would give him a nine,” Maya stated without hesitating.

Lucina said, “A nine? He’s not a model.”

“And I’m glad that he’s not,” Maya responded. “Male models are so…iffy. But Ivan is all man. He says what he wants to say, and he does what he wants to do.”