“Would You Like to Leave This Wedding and Come to Bed With Me?”

SILVER & SAPPHIRE MAGAZINE Love Younger. Live Larger. THE DIRECT APPROACH — JUST ASK! Some women wait for romance. Others make it happen. In this recurring Silver & Sapphire feature, successful, wealthy women over 50 share how one remarkably direct question to a beautiful younger woman led to an unexpected night, an extraordinary offer, and sometimes a completely new life together. This Issue: Beatrice, 67 & Olivia, 32 One disastrous wedding. One scandalously direct invitation. And a morning-after proposition that made the previous evening's extravagance look positively modest. HER STORY — BEATRICE, 67 Beatrice Sterling had been married three times, divorced twice, and widowed once, although she insisted that her late third husband had been the only man she genuinely missed. At sixty-seven, she controlled a family investment company valued at approximately $310 million, owned properties in Palm Beach, Manhattan, and the south of France, and maintained a social calendar that would have exhausted most women half her age. Her appearance was equally impressive: immaculate silver hair, extravagant jewelry, beautifully tailored dresses, and an extensive collection of spectacular high heels. She was also spectacularly lonely. "People imagine that wealthy women are surrounded by companionship," Beatrice explained. "We're surrounded by people who want invitations, investments, favors, and introductions. Finding someone who actually wants to spend Sunday morning in bed with you is considerably more difficult." Beatrice had enjoyed relationships with women for decades, but her most recent girlfriend had left after three years, explaining that she wanted someone closer to her own age. "She was forty-four," Beatrice remarked. "Apparently I was becoming a historical monument." After that, Beatrice decided she would never again apologize for being older, wealthy, or interested in younger women. "If a woman attracts me, I ask her out. If she says no, that's perfectly acceptable. If she says yes, we might both have a wonderful time. I cannot imagine why people insist on making the process so complicated." HER STORY — OLIVIA, 32 Olivia Bennett had once been happily engaged, financially secure, and looking forward to building a family. Then her fiancé, Andrew, began an affair with her younger sister, Emily. The betrayal was devastating enough, but what followed was worse. Andrew had persuaded Olivia to invest nearly $90,000 of her savings into a property development company that subsequently collapsed. Although she pursued legal action, the proceedings dragged on, consuming her remaining savings. Meanwhile, Emily became pregnant. Their parents, desperate to preserve the appearance of a happy family, encouraged Olivia to forgive everyone and attend the wedding. When Olivia refused, her mother accused her of being selfish and vindictive. "I lost my fiancé, my savings, and eventually my family," Olivia told us. "And somehow everybody decided I was the difficult one." She moved from her comfortable apartment into a rented room, took a second job at a clothing boutique, and struggled to keep up with legal expenses. Six months before the wedding, she also lost her closest friend, who died unexpectedly following a brief illness. "She was the person I called when things became unbearable," Olivia recalled. "After she died, I had nobody." Eventually, Olivia agreed to attend her sister's wedding, hoping that perhaps the family would finally acknowledge what had happened to her. Instead, she was asked to help arrange flowers and keep her feelings to herself. "I spent most of the reception trying not to cry," she admitted. "Everybody was celebrating the happiest day of my sister's life, and all I could think was that it had been built on the wreckage of mine." THE ENCOUNTER — JUST ASK! S&S: Beatrice, why were you at the wedding? Beatrice: "I knew the groom's father through business. He invited me, and I happened to be in town. I was promised excellent champagne, which turned out to be the most reliable part of the entire event." Olivia: "I noticed her immediately. This magnificent older woman in a short emerald-green dress, enormous diamonds, and silver high heels. She looked like she owned the hotel." Beatrice: "I could have bought it. I didn't particularly like the wallpaper, though." S&S: When did you first speak? Olivia: "I was standing alone on a terrace, trying to decide whether I could leave without causing another family scandal." Beatrice: "I came outside for some fresh air and found this absolutely beautiful woman looking as though she wanted to throw herself into the ornamental fountain." Olivia: "She asked whether I was enjoying myself. I said it was the worst evening of my life." Beatrice: "Naturally, I asked why." Olivia: "I told her the bride was my sister and the groom was my former fiancé." Beatrice: "I nearly swallowed an olive." S&S: Did you know anything about the family situation? Beatrice: "Nothing whatsoever. I thought I was attending an ordinary wedding, not the final act of a particularly unpleasant family drama." Olivia: "She listened to the whole story, and then she asked whether I was married." Beatrice: "I wanted to know whether there was somebody waiting at home to comfort her." Olivia: "I said no. Then she asked whether I had a girlfriend." S&S: A girlfriend? Olivia: "Exactly! I stared at her and said, 'No, why?'" Beatrice: "And I said, 'Because I think you're gorgeous, darling, and I'm wondering whether you'd like to leave this dreadful wedding and come to bed with me.'" S&S: Good heavens! Olivia: "That was almost exactly what I said!" Beatrice: "She looked absolutely horrified. For a moment I thought she might call hotel security." Olivia: "I asked, 'Are you seriously asking me to sleep with you?'" Beatrice: "I said, 'Yes, darling. You're thirty-two, I'm sixty-seven, we're both adults, and I have an exquisite suite upstairs. Of course, if you prefer, we can order dinner and spend the evening discussing how dreadful your relatives are.'" S&S: And your answer? Olivia: "I started laughing. I couldn't help it. It was the first time I'd laughed all day." Beatrice: "A very encouraging development." Olivia: "Then I asked whether she had any idea how scandalous it would be if I disappeared from my sister's wedding with a woman twice my age." Beatrice: "I told her, 'Darling, that's precisely why I think you should do it.'" Olivia: "And I said, 'All right. Let's give them something worth talking about.'" THE NIGHT — THE BEST POSSIBLE SCANDAL S&S: Did you really leave the reception together? Olivia: "Oh, yes! Beatrice took my hand, walked straight through the ballroom, and told the wedding planner that we were retiring for the evening." Beatrice: "I may have mentioned that Olivia was considerably better company than the wedding guests." Olivia: "My mother saw us leaving and asked where I was going." Beatrice: "I told her that her daughter had received a far more attractive invitation." Olivia: "I nearly died laughing!" They took a private elevator to Beatrice's enormous hotel suite, where Olivia discovered champagne, fresh flowers, an immense terrace, and a bedroom overlooking the ocean. Olivia: "I had never seen luxury like that. But what impressed me most was how comfortable Beatrice made me feel." Beatrice: "She had been treated appallingly. I wanted her to enjoy herself for once." S&S: Was this your first romantic experience with a woman, Olivia? Olivia: "Yes. Completely. I was nervous, particularly because Beatrice was so much older, but she was funny, patient, affectionate, and incredibly romantic." Beatrice: "I distinctly remember her asking whether I knew what I was doing." Olivia: "And she said, 'Darling, I've had sixty-seven years to practice being charming.'" S&S: And the night? Olivia: "Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. We talked, laughed, kissed, and eventually forgot about the wedding entirely. I had spent so long feeling rejected that being wanted by someone like Beatrice was almost overwhelming." Beatrice: "I thought I was providing a little distraction from a miserable evening. Instead, I discovered a woman I didn't want to let go." THE MORNING AFTER — A MUCH BIGGER SURPRISE S&S: Beatrice, you apparently made another outrageous proposition the following morning? Beatrice: "Naturally. I had enjoyed the previous evening immensely and saw no compelling reason to return to being lonely." Olivia: "I woke up around nine. Beatrice was already dressed in a beautiful silk robe and sitting beside the window drinking coffee." Beatrice: "I ordered breakfast and asked Olivia to join me on the terrace." Olivia: "I was expecting a polite goodbye. Perhaps a kiss and a taxi home." S&S: But that isn't what happened? Beatrice: "Not remotely. I asked whether she had enjoyed the night." Olivia: "I told her it was the first genuinely happy night I'd had in more than a year." Beatrice: "Then I asked, 'Darling, would you like to spend the next month in France with me?'" Olivia: "I nearly dropped my croissant." S&S: France? Just like that? Beatrice: "I own a lovely house near Nice. I was going there the following week and thought Olivia might appreciate a change of scenery." Olivia: "I asked whether she meant as her guest." Beatrice: "I said, 'Preferably as my girlfriend, darling, although I'm perfectly willing to start with traveling companion and see whether you like me enough to promote me.'" Olivia: "I thought she was completely insane." Beatrice: "A common misconception among people who have only just met me." S&S: And did the offer include financial support? Beatrice: "Certainly. She was struggling with legal bills and had virtually no savings. I told her she could stay with me while we got to know each other and that I would help her find a competent attorney to examine her financial situation." Olivia: "I asked what she expected in return." Beatrice: "And I said, 'Good company, affection if you feel it, and occasionally the courtesy of laughing at my jokes. Nothing else.'" Olivia: "Then she told me I could take my time deciding what I wanted. If things didn't work romantically, she'd still help me get safely back on my feet." S&S: So what did you say? Olivia: "I asked how soon we could leave." Beatrice: "I told her my plane was available on Tuesday." Olivia: "Then I asked whether there was room for my luggage." Beatrice: "And I told her, 'Darling, bring everything you own. We'll buy anything else you need when we get there.'" WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Eighteen months later, Beatrice and Olivia are still together. Their planned month in France became three months, followed by a winter in Palm Beach and several extended visits to Manhattan. Olivia eventually resolved her legal dispute with her former fiancé and received a financial settlement, although she insists that the money mattered far less than finally being able to put the ordeal behind her. She now works with a small charitable organization supporting women facing financial difficulties after relationship breakdowns, an initiative that Beatrice has helped fund but which Olivia manages independently. The couple share Beatrice's Palm Beach home and spend several months each year in France. Olivia says she has never been happier. Beatrice says she has finally found a woman who appreciates her sense of humor. Beatrice: "At sixty-seven, I thought I knew everything about life. Then I met Olivia and discovered that there was still quite a lot worth learning." Olivia: "She rescued me from the most miserable wedding imaginable. But more importantly, she made me feel beautiful, wanted, and loved again." S&S: And what happened to your sister and former fiancé? Olivia: "They divorced after fourteen months." Beatrice: "Which makes their marriage rather shorter than our relationship." Olivia: "Beatrice, that's terrible!" Beatrice: "But accurate, darling." S&S: Any regrets about leaving the wedding? Olivia: "Only one." Beatrice: "Oh?" Olivia: "I wish I'd taken a photograph of my mother's face when Beatrice led me out of the ballroom." Beatrice: "Darling, I believe the wedding photographer did." THE DIRECT APPROACH — JUST ASK! Another love story from Silver & Sapphire Magazine — where successful women discover that sometimes the shortest distance between loneliness and happiness is one simple question. Love Younger. Live Larger.