Shallow Love (5 page)

She decided not to eat anything, that would spoil her appetite, before the party tonight. She snacked on some crackers to keep her energy up, got dressed completing her look with accessories. She wasn’t accustomed to taking selfies, but snapped one with her smartphone.

She kept wondering whom she might run into, inevitably people she knew in the publishing industry, celebrities from abroad and fashion designers.

Previously, she had enjoyed male companionship, it gave her a sense of comfort, knowing she had a soft place to fall if she needed it. Though it wasn’t always the case with her ex-lovers, they weren’t always available when she needed them. She wondered, if men were born to be bachelors, so they could be free to pursue their own selfish desires, hence with no commitment.

In reality men, were not interested in dating anymore and if they did, there was always a motive behind their actions. She had realised that after a break-up, the man in question had been playing with her emotions, fulfilling his sexual desires until the relationship had become dull. It was always about what she could do for them sexually, financially or otherwise.

That’s why Jackie was so delighted that her sister Carrie had met a wonderful man in Liam. He knew how to treat her sister with kindness and genuine appreciation. There love was unconditional, rare but real, that’s the kind of love she had searched for her entire life.

She was convinced, she had seen all the red flags in her ex-boyfriends, right from the very beginning. They say first impressions are lasting impressions, but like most women looking for love and a secure relationship, she had ignored every single one of them. A new relationship was uplifting, especially when you had a new boyfriend. The elevated feeling of knowing that maybe, you had found your soul mate, was very gratifying. Though that couldn’t be further from the truth right now, she was attending a party in just over an hour and what bothered her most, was that she would be going dateless. She hated the eerie look she would get from other women, who boasted about being married, it made her feel deficient in love and socially inadequate.

In her heart of hearts, she deeply felt alone and wished that it was true, what people had said, that there is someone for everyone and there was still hope for her.

Time flew and she wanted to be punctual on the night, not to walk in and have all the guests gaze at her, while she made her entrance alone.

Samantha was going with her new boyfriend Jack, whom she had met at a Sydney nightclub a month ago. The rest of the
Glamour
staff, were taking their partners along.

It was a
forty minute drive away from her place and when she finally arrived she felt content. She smiled at the security staff at the door and one surprisingly winked at her, as she entered the function venue. But he was too stocky and blemish faced for her taste, she preferred athletic men with clean skin.

There was a red carpet entrance on arrival, and she had to walk with confidence, smiling at photographers flashing their cameras in her face. She wasn’t expecting that much attention, but she had been warned, it would resemble a night of celebrity status. She smiled from every angle, hoping there wasn’t a hair out of place and that her make-up looked immaculate. There were critics out there ready to pounce on any flaw or mishap they could pick. She had obsessively checked herself out in the mirror, before she had left home. That’s why she had run out of time, worried she would have a stocking run, stained teeth from a lipstick smudge, or a loose bra strap. She had double checked all of that and nothing was out of place, and thankfully there was no breeze blowing to mess her hair up. She felt like a queen for a night and she followed the crowds ahead of her and there she noticed the guests sipping Champagne and snacking on canapés.

There were plenty of waiters on the night and she didn’t wait long, before one came holding up a silver tray with drinks. At first she didn’t pay attention, but he was very handsome, with hazel eyes, blonde hair and a beaming smile, that gave her butterflies.

“Hi Madam, what would you be drinking tonight?” He asked in a friendly manner, his voice sounded mature.

“Can I have some red wine, I would prefer that over champagne?” she asked smilingly. Secretly, she wanted him to come back, she didn’t care about the drink, she just wanted him to stay.

“Certainly Madam at your service,” he winked at her.

Jackie couldn’t believe her luck, she was hoping he liked her and that famous French perfume she was wearing, would mesmerize him. It was obvious to her tonight, that she had the entire opposite sex at her feet. She didn’t want to boast, but she had caught numerous men gawking at her, even the attached, when their wives weren’t looking. She didn’t mind the attention, but her eyes were fixated on her sexy waiter with the naked torso and black bow tie.

“Please call me Jackie,” she teased him, with a grateful smile and he offered her a glass of red.

“Nice to meet you Jackie, I’m David,” he said with a shy smile and he laughed.

She blushed furiously as she looked at him, terrifically tanned, he looked like a surfer by hobby and a waiter by night. She was oblivious to the well dressed people around her and she couldn’t care less, about any fashion police present. She just wanted to gaze at that waiter she fancied, the only problem was did he fancy her or was he just being nice? Jackie decided to make the first move and cut to the chase, she needed to know if he was single. She knew younger men, were often shy of older women and if you were interested, you shouldn’t let them get away.

David walked off, distracted by someone else, a manager dressed in a black suit, having a polite word to him. They didn’t chat for long, before he put the tray away and headed towards her, his face beaming. Jackie’s eyes had followed his every move and when he noticed her, she pretended she wasn’t looking.

“Sorry to have kept you waiting Jackie, he said apologetically, “but my boss said I can go home, they don’t need me tonight.”

Hearing David say her name, was music to her ears, there was something special about someone, whom you liked, when they said your name.

“Wow how lucky are you David,” her heart fluttered a little. “You get to have the night off, you single and ready to mingle?” She couldn’t help but blurt out, holding the glass of red in her hand smiling.

“You bet!” He nodded, losing all his modesty in an instant. “Did you just come out of the oven, boy you’re hot?” His smile revealing, perfectly straight teeth, as he said it. He was very cute, confident and carefree.

She blushed furiously as she looked at him, thrown by his interest, then she spilled a tiny bit of wine on her lips, she couldn’t believe her ears, did he just say she is hot? The night couldn’t get any better and she was hoping David wasn’t going anywhere.

‘Well, thank you sweetie, you aren’t bad yourself,” she said in a whisper.

“So you have the rest of the night off, what have you got planned?” She asked brightly.

“Well, I was planning to go straight home and just relax in my apartment,” he rubbed his chin in quiet deliberation. “But now that I met you, I am not so sure,” his sensual gaze appraising her.

Jackie smiled up at him, her heart skipping a beat and she felt an odd exhilarating shiver run through her, she was immensely attracted to him.

“So what’s a good looking man like you doing single?”

He laughed off her remark, “you know I should ask you the same then, what’s a gorgeous chick like you going dateless, on a night like this?”

He had a point, he was definitely no fool she thought.

“Well some relationships end and that’s why I am single,” she said, sounding both breathless and hopeful.

“Same here, I am single for the same reason.”

Jackie was definitely interested in him, but she knew she had a magazine to publish, so what was she doing diverting all her attention to a sexy guy she had just met? She should be mingling with the other guests and making a mental note in her head on best and worst dressed!

She turned to him politely, realising she had better control herself, as this guy looked like he would bed her tonight, if she gave him the all clear. He was one hot guy, no one should be this good looking, it was way too distracting for a professional woman like herself.

“Well I think you look tired,” she said convincingly. “How about I give you my number and we can catch up for a coffee date, what do you say?”

“You are trying to get rid of me, right?” He looked mildly interested, but above all polite.

“No way, I really like you, but I have to pay attention tonight, I have to review the whole event in the next issue of
Glamour
.”

“Well gorgeous, I’ll let you take care of business tonight and I shall take care of you soon,” he said with a trace of humour in his smile.

Jackie gave him her number and he added her on his mobile phone. She honestly wished he could stay, but he was far too distracting and she had to put her job first, before her love life. She didn’t want to be too easy either, he seemed like the type of man that could get any women in his pants and she wanted to make him work for her affections. She liked him enough to want to keep him for the long haul and not give him the impression, that she just wanted to sleep with him. She didn’t want to go down that road, so many men were so immature and only thought about one thing and she was hoping, he wasn’t just interested in sex.

“Well I better go to my seat, it’s reserved and the fashion show is going to start soon.”

“Cool, I’ll give you a call tomorrow, nice to have met you,” he winked.

Jackie returned a huge grin and waved goodbye at him. That was it! He disappeared and although she would have loved to chat with him, the show was about to start.

The girls from
Glitzy modelling agency were all rake thin, with no ass or boobs, just hangers wearing the latest fashion, from international and local designers. It seemed the agents were very selective and were hiring much younger models, who could easily fit into a size zero.

Jackie had heard through another source, that modelling agencies, were selecting the much younger, skinnier models, over the older bustier ones.

Jackie didn’t like that about the industry, but fashion designers were deliberately doing this, because it was about cutting down costs and skinnier models used less material. It was disgraceful, that there were so many designers guilty of hiring coat hangers. The models on the catwalk looked gaunt and under fed, they didn’t even look real, they resembled mannequins coming to life.

However Jackie, always made sure the models featured in
Glamour,
looked well-fed with curves, they were healthy and attractive, that’s why she believed the publication, had been a success. In reality, women with healthy frames would be buying the magazine and wearing the clothing, not the underweight.

On the catwalk,
there was plenty of monochrome, there was a high contrast of black and white, which of late, had long held the fashion spotlight. The models all wore stacked heels, which made them look a lot taller, than they actually were. There were checkerboard designs, stripes and offbeat prints and the fit was relaxed or tailored. The fine details were worn in the accessories, every piece lifted every look. Jackie really loved the gold-plated pewter and glass necklaces. Costume jewellery had been all the rage for a while, simply because real gold wasn’t as showy, nor did it have the bolder, striking effect in magazines or fashion shows. Jewellery was all about colour and vibrancy and the more unusual the more favourable. Knuckle clusters replaced ordinary rings and vibrant colours gave winter outfits personality. The classic LBD was a huge highlight on the night, the models wore snakeskin heels with a matching clutch. It was all about mixing up the dress with diverse accessories. It was effortless to execute and a standout for its versatility. Jackie noticed the makeup was not as heavy as she anticipated, it looked natural, but the lipstick had made a comeback for winter. Bright pink and coral was a nice change, from the signature red every season. Jackie was impressed with the latest fashion on the catwalk, there was a mixed field of luxe labels and new starters. There was plenty to report back on, when she would resume work on Monday and she knew she had lots of work ahead with the rest of her staff. As the readers, were sharp-shooting style bloggers for
Glamour
.

The finale was quite unforseen and surprising, as there was a spring shoe drobe update, that was bold and fearless. Every piece of shoe, was embellished with to die for studs, in gold, silver and black. Studs were huge this season and they were going to be even bigger for spring. The models had worn lush prints in big berry shades and saturated pinks for the spring collection. The sexy, skinnier black leggings, were a major hit. Teal and splashy turquoise were also making a huge comeback worn with studded leather and silver jewels. And there was an explosion of colour on the catwalk, with candy coloured handbags, that popped.

All in all the night had proven a success, despite the gaunt look of the models, the fashion was the highlight of the night. From high end to high street fashion ready, it was all about an accessory reboot and a ready, set embellish evening, that maxed up the glam factor.

It had been a long day and night for Jackie, who had both experienced a touch of romance with a waiter, that could possibly soon be her boyfriend. And a night of never ending fashion, that was so overwhelming, it had been mind boggling.