Gerry had to give it to the event planner; they couldn’t have picked a swankier place if they’d tried. The hotel was massive, even for New York. If there’d been a way to pluck the building out if its location and nestle it on the side of some ancient, foreboding cliff, it would like look a medieval castle, complete with skyward-reaching spire. The lobby all but reeked of elegance: black trim, white walls, and goldenrod furniture. Gold accents had been polished to brilliance, and massive puffs of unidentifiable white flowers overflowed numerous vases. A crystal chandelier hung overhead, and under Gerry’s feet black marble gleamed like dark water. He was almost afraid to walk across it, lest he slip like a deer on ice and crack his skull open. Even doing nothing more dire than leaving a shoe
