His Hired Girlfriend (18 page)

There’s an uncomfortable
silence.

“
But I like gold with
white,” Kelly says. “I don’t care for red and white.”

“
I agree,” Stephanie announces. “Gold and white go well with
your complexion, Kelly. It makes you look sweet and seductive at
the same time.” She turns to Britney. “I’m sure you’ll look
smashing when you wear a white and red wedding gown
if
you are a bride, Britney,” she says
sarcastically.

Britney narrows her eyes
dangerously at Stephanie but doesn’t reply. Kelly and Stephanie
grin at each other. Even Victoria hides a satisfied
smile.

“
Oh my, where did you find
that gown, Alex?” Gracie asks. Everyone turns to Alex, whose cheeks
are almost the same color as the gown she has on.

“
Oh, um, I kind of found
it at the back,” Alex says.

“
That’s a MacKey evening
gown,” Victoria says. “It’s a new designer gown. Quite tasteful.
And it fits you perfectly.”

“
It is very nice on you,”
Gracie comments.

“
I agree,” Kelly says.
“Perfect for the wedding.”

“
Yes, it is rather, isn’t
it?” Jayden comments.

Alex glimpses him eyeing her and thinks there’s way too
much interest there. She casts her eyes downward for receiving so
much attention. She thinks about running back into the dressing
room to change, but it’s rude to do so when everyone is still
watching her as though she’s on a stage show.

Britney does a catwalk
over to Jayden and links her hands on his arm. She says, “Jayden
darling, Daddy wants you to join us for lunch today. I know it is
rather short notice, but Daddy insists you must come. Mr. McCartney
will be there as well, of course. I think he wants to talk business
with you.”

Jayden is speechless
.
A business lunch with Mr. Marcelo?
Who would have thought? Something big is definitely on the
menu here.

“
Jayden, I think you
should buy that dress for Alex,” Kelly cuts into interrupt the rude
Britney.

On cue Jay turns to Alex
and says, “Well? Do you like it?”

Alex doesn’t know how to reply to that. Isn’t he supposed
to be responding to Britney’s query? She clears her throat
nervously because Britney is now glaring at her and perhaps wants
to murder her right there and then for stealing Jayden’s attention.
“Yes, but—”

Jay chuckles. “That
settles it then.”

Britney switches her glare
into a lovely smile then, at Jayden of course. “So you’ll come to
lunch?”

Jay turns to Victoria.
“Could you please deliver that dress along with my sister’s wedding
gown to the address noted?”

Victoria smiles brightly.
“Of course.”

“
But I don’t want it,”
Alex puts in quickly.

“
Why not?” Kelly
asks.

“
It’s
expensive.”

Frowning darkly, Britney says sharply, “Yes, it rather is.
It’s too expensive and too beautiful for someone as plain as you. I
mean you’re vertically challenged. Look at you, the skirt is
sweeping all over the floor. Your skin tone is rather dull. Your
makeup is just too boring. And your hair, dear Lord. May I use this
phrase?” She looks straight into Alex’s eyes. “Your hair is
positively medieval.”

Alex feels like she has
just been slapped on the face. She has never been so humiliated in
all her life. She realizes that Britney is a bitch.

“
I think I better go and
change,” she murmurs. Refusing to make eye contact with anyone, she
quickly makes her way back to the dressing room. She can feel
everyone’s eyes on her as she leaves.

Once she is in the comfort
and safety of the changing room, she sighs and gently touches the
dress, her heart quivering with a sickening feeling.

Yes, Britney is an absolute bitch. Don’t you listen to her,
Alex,
she tells
herself.
Don’t you listen to
that woman.

But even as she tells
herself so, she can’t help but agree with Britney that she is plain
and that the dress is too beautiful and expensive for her. Yes, her
hair is positively medieval. It hurts when the truth is spoken out
loud.

She turns her attention to the gown, admiring it. “It’s not
meant to be. You’re beautiful, even on such a plain girl like me,
but—” She shakes her head and unzips the back.

Once the dress is off, she
stands there in front of the mirror, touching the material and
staring into space.

The door opens. “Alex?”

Alex gasps, too shocked to do anything else when she sees
Jayden standing there. She thought she locked the door. Then she
realizes she’s half-naked with only her underwear on when she sees
him staring at her. She quickly covers herself with her
hands.

“
Jayden, I’m naked
here.”

Jay shakes his head. “I’m
sorry, Alex. I was just, um, wondering if you’re all
right.”

Alex sees he’s lapsing
into some sort of fixed trance again, gazing at her—especially on
her chest she could barely cover with her hands.

“
Jayden, I’m
fine.”

He blinks. “Really?” he
asks, looking at her now as though he hasn’t a clue as to what
she’s talking about.

“
Yes, I’m fine. What are
you doing here?”

Jayden clears his throat. “Just want to make sure you’re
okay.” He comes closer despite the fact that she shows him clearly
she wants him to leave so she can get dressed.

“
You’re not hurt? I mean what Britney said back there was
cruel.” Then he touches her bare shoulders, his hands sending warm
sensations down her body. She wants to melt in his arms. She wants
him to hold her and tell her what Britney said is not true. She,
however, manages to kill that longing and says instead, “Yes, it is
hurtful. But I’m fine. What she said is right, anyway.”

Jay strokes her hair
gently. “Don’t listen to her.”

“
I’m not,” she says. Or at
least she tries telling herself so. She sniffs as tears brew in her
eyes. “Stupid contacts,” she mutters.

Jayden chuckles. “Maybe
they are past their use by date.”

She looks up, her eyes
large and questioning. “Huh?”

“
Are they
sore?”

“
Nope, not
really.”

“
Let me have a look,” he
demands.

“
You can’t. They are in my
eyes.”

“
Let me look anyway,” he says and proceeds to study her
eyes. As he is doing so, he’s pushing her back against the wall,
their bodies in intimate contact.

“
I can’t see anything,” he
announces.

“
You’re not supposed to see anything. They’re in my eyes,”
she mutters.

“
Quit your frowning and
open your eyes.”

“
Jayden!” Alex snaps,
pushing at his chest so he’d step back and go.

Jayden can feel her bare breasts against his shirt. He
glances down then slowly looks back up to her face. He stares at
her luscious lips. He wants to kiss her again, and against his
better judgment, he moves his head toward her. His hand
automatically moves to cup her face, his fingers digging into the
thickness of her hair. He could feel the hot, electrifying heat
from within her. Yes, he’s going to kiss her. He knows she’s ready
for him, waiting for him.

“
Oh, my! Excuse me!”

Jayden twirls his head
around to look behind him and sees Victoria standing
there.

“
I beg your pardon, Mr.
McCartney, but I was here to get the gown to pack—”

Jayden wants to close the
damn door on the sales consultant’s face, shutting him and Alex in
so that he can kiss her. But he’s a gentleman, and gentlemen don’t
kick doors shut on a woman’s face.

He relaxes and even
manages a handsome grin as he says, “Yes, of course.” He turns back
to look at Alex. She’s staring at her bare feet in mortification.
He wonders what he should say to her.

He sighs and walks out. He goes to sit down on the sofa
near the window, waiting while the women finalize every minor
detail of the dresses with Victoria, who is jotting notes
furiously, determined not to miss anything crucial. His cell rings.
He sees that it’s his father calling.

“
Hey.”

“
Jayden, look I know it’s short notice, but come to lunch.
I’m meeting Michael at The Marcelo Hotel restaurant at
twelve.”

“
Business, huh?” Jay asks, eyeing Kelly, who looks as though
she’s about to approach him.

“
Yes. Michael is
interested in selling you one of his islands. Thought you’d be
interested. Sounds like a great deal.”

“
All right,” he says, seeing Kelly purposefully striding
toward him. “I’ll see you soon.” He terminates the call.

Kelly comes to a stop in
front of him and puts her palm out as though she has expected a
gift from him. Jay raises his brows and says, “You don’t expect me
to pay for your wedding dress too, do you?”

“
Of course not,” Kelly
snaps. “Come off with it, Jay. Your credit card. We need to pay for
Alex’s gown, among other things.”

Jay reaches for his black,
checkered Louis Vuitton wallet in his back pocket as he says, “What
other things?” He hands over his black American Express credit card
to his sister.

Kelly pinches it from his
hand. “Many other things for Alex. You do realize she needs a
complete makeover and a whole new wardrobe, right?”

With Jayden’s blank look,
Kelly frowns and snaps, “Oh come on, Jay. Didn’t you hear what
that—” She wants to use the word bitch but catches herself just in
time. She says, “Britney said to Alex?”

“
Yes, I’ve
heard.”

“
Well, that’s why
Stephanie and I are taking her out shopping.”

Jay chuckles. “Go easy
with my money, won’t you?”

Kelly grins. “For your
lovely girlfriend, Jayden, only the best will do. Like you. You’re
the best.” She kisses his left cheek lightly and rushes
away.

Jay relaxes back against
the sofa, smiling.

* * *

F
ourteen

By the time Alexandra
comes out of the changing room, she finds Jayden gone. When Kelly
tells her he’s going to lunch with Britney and Beth after all and
that they have no idea when he’ll be back, her heart shatters. She
realizes he’s not going to take her to Central Park. She’s been
looking forward to it. She wants to spend time with him doing
silly, regular things a girl does with her boyfriend. Not that he’s
her real boyfriend, of course.

Stephanie says as they leave Vera Wang, “We have loads of
fun things to do.”

“
What kind of things?” Alex asks curiously.

“
Makeover and shopping!”
Kelly shrieks excitedly.

“
It’ll be fun,” Stephanie put in, clasping Alex’s hands as
they step toward the limousine.

“
Cool,” Alex says, pushing the disturbing thought of Jayden
having lunch with Britney to one side. Perhaps the time spent
window shopping with the girls might be fun after all, an
experience she knows she’d enjoy.

“
I like window shopping,”
she says.

John steps forward and
opens the door for them.

“
We are not window
shopping, Alex,” Gracie says. “We are shopping for your new
wardrobe.” Then to John she says, “Thank you.”

The limo driver touches
the tip of his hat.

“
Say what?” Alex
exclaims.

“
You need a whole new
wardrobe. And a complete makeover,” Kelly comments as she nudges
her in.

Alex looks at Kelly,
confused, as she slides into the seat beside Gracie. “I
do?”

“
Of course you do,”
Stephanie remarks, taking her seat opposite Alex. “Or didn’t you
hear what that—” she pauses, her face grim as she’s about to say
the word bitch. “Britney said?”

Alex sighs. Of course she heard. But what can she do? She
can’t change the way she looks or who she is. After all, she’s not
like them, born with everything handed to them on a silver
platter.

Kelly sees the hurt
expression on Alex’s face. “Hey, don’t you listen to Britney. Let’s
just have fun, why don’t we?”

Alex looks at Kelly. Gosh, Kelly is so nice, just like
Jayden. Her thoughts switch to the man.

Why did he leave without saying good-bye? Perhaps Britney
forced him? But then again perhaps Jayden wanted to go. Who
wouldn’t? Britney is a sex vixen. Yes, Britney is oozing with
sexiness, and Jayden is oozing with hotness
. They’re perfect together!

“
Besides,” Kelly continues, “we do want to polish you up for
my wedding.
My brother’s one
of the top ten bachelors in New York and not to mention one of the
youngest billionaires in the States. As his girlfriend, you have to
look good. Everyone will want to know who you are.”