“Derrick! What a surprise,” Holly said.
“It’s very nice to see you again,” Emma replied, her face coloring.
“It’s been too long, you two.” Derrick greeted Holly with a kiss on the cheek. “Holly, you’re looking gorgeous as usual.”
Derrick Noble was a hunky, tall and dark-haired actor who went from soap opera hottie to prime-time television star God. The drama he starred on, Kings of LA, turned out to be one of the biggest hits of his career. Sadly, after six-years, the network pulled the plug on the show and since then, Derrick had been engaging himself in feature films.
Years ago, Derrick came to Quality not Quantity looking for a clean slate after divorcing from his first wife. Unfortunately, Holly’s mother was never able to successfully match him up with any of her millionairesses. Each woman Darlene had set up him with was so star struck that she could barely remember her own name. Derrick often felt like he was on dates with space cadets. Although the service didn’t work out for him, Holly and Derrick continued to maintain a friendship. Derrick eventually met someone on his own, who he was engaged to marry.
“It's been awhile. How is everything going?” Holly asked. “I heard you got engaged. Congratulations.”
He had a smile like the sunrise. “Yes, thank you. I'm a lucky man.”
“I'm glad her whole fiasco with baby daddy has ended.”
Derrick's fiancé had at one time been in a publicized custody battle with her ex-flame, pop star, Aiden Storm. Luckily, the dust had finally settled. The two had made a mends and were on good terms.
“Yeah, seems everything worked itself out,” Derrick commented. “So listen, I came by because a buddy of mine, a director, invited me and Alexa to a showing of his latest film. We won't be able to make it. I was hoping I could extend the offer to you and Matthew.”
Holly cringed when she heard her ex-boyfriend’s name, as though the very thought of Matthew still caused her pain. “You're probably the last to know this, but we broke up several months ago.”
“Oh. I'm sorry to hear that.” Derrick glanced up at Holly sympathetically and placed an arm around her shoulder. “I was so sure you two would end up married with at least ten kids.”
She replied somberly, “Yeah well, it is what it is, you know? I guess God has other plans for me. It just wasn’t meant to be for us.”
“I’m truly sorry. I didn’t realize. If I had known I would have never asked—”
“No. It's okay,” she cut him off. “I can always find another date.”
“Okay, great. Just let me know when you get a chance.” Derrick glanced at his watch. “Sorry, I have to cut this short. I have to go pick up Alexa's son from school. We'll talk soon.” He kissed her cheek again.
“Don’t be a stranger, okay?” Holly said.
After Derrick walked out the door, Emma nearly keeled over. “Oh my God. He is so flipping gorgeous.”
“Uh, hello—yeah. I'm still in the room in case you forgot,” Chris shouted from his desk.
“So who are you taking to the showing?” Emma asked as they walked back to Holly’s desk. “And please don't say Todd.”
“Really? You think I’m that predictable?”
“Sadly—yes.”
“How about no!”
“Then whom?”
Holly cast a mysterious glance in Emma’s direction that she seemed to catch.
“Ah, yes. Experimental man. How could I forget?” Emma said.
“Experimental or not, this is going to be a night to remember.
***
October 3, 2013
Holly took the night off to enjoy a quiet evening at Jake’s beach house. As they watched a movie and munched on popcorn, the two lounged in each other’s arms on the couch. Jake was a real affectionate kind of guy—one who wasn’t overbearing about it. He loved to cuddle, hold hands, and appeared to take delight in just being near her. Usually after dating a man for so many months, the time would come for him to pressure her for sex, but Jake hadn’t even so inclined. Sometimes, he seemed too good to be true.
While they were in the middle of watching a comedy flick, Holly thought about bringing up the movie showing that Derrick had invited her to.
“Jake—can I ask you something?”
He pressed the pause button on the remote and replied, “Sure. What’s up?”
“Well, a friend of mine invited me to a movie premier next week. It’s a Cameron Crowe film. Have you heard of him?”
Jake smiled amusingly, teasing her with his playful glare. “Yes. I’ve seen a few of his movies.”
“Okay good, at least we got that part out of the way.”
“Darlene, you never cease to amaze me. How do you know all these people?”
“When you’re a writer you have to be well connected,” she explained. This was true in theory. “Anyway, I would really love for you to go with me.”
Jake looked down into his lap and said nothing. Holly immediately noticed the look of concern written all over his face.
“What? What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Come on. Look at me.” He quickly glanced down at himself. “Do I look like the type of guy that goes to some ritzy movie premier? I would stick out like a sore thumb.”
“Hey, now. No need to put yourself down.”
“Let’s be real here.” Jake pushed his eyeglasses up toward the bridge of his nose and continued. “I’m a nerdy, country boy inside and out. I would never fit in.”
Holly raised a knowing finger and said, “Ah, but what you fail to see is that the outside appearance can always be changed.” She got up from the couch and took a hold of Jake’s arm. “Come on.”
“Where are you taking me?” he asked.
“To your bathroom to show you how it’s done.”
Jakes bathroom was surprisingly immaculate, not the typical messy male lavatory she would have come to expect. It was one of those fancy ones with marble countertops and stone tiles. The shower was enormous too. He had three different varieties of shaving cream and his razors were all neatly hung over a porcelain sink.
Holly looked at Jake through the mirror and said, “First off, we have to get rid of those glasses.”
He backed away, like Holly had suddenly morphed into a rattlesnake. “Yeah, right. I don’t think so,” Jake responded. He clutched onto his glasses like a lifeline.
“Come on… give them to me,” Holly commanded as she held out her hand. “As painful as it might be, sometimes we have to step out of our comfort zone.”
Jake relented, knowing he really had no other choice, and handed over his glasses. “You’re not going to destroy them are you?”
“No, but for now they are in my possession—so you’re not getting them back for a while.” Holly peered around his bathroom. “Do you happen to own contacts?”
“Yes, but I never wear them.”
“Obviously.” Holly rolled her eyes. “Well, you’re going to start today.”
Sheepishly, Jake opened a drawer and pulled out a blue and green box of contacts that he kept strictly for emergencies. Holly stood back like a drill sergeant and ordered him to put them in.
“How do they feel?” she asked, already noticing a transformation. He had a beautiful face to start with, the face of a man who could potentially turn out to be downright handsome. His eyeglasses had managed to hide the beauty of his big, green eyes.
“Okay, look—this is not my thing,” he whined.
“Well, get used to it. I see a huge improvement already,” Holly said, prepared to move on to the next item on her agenda. “There’s one last thing in the beauty care department. Do you have any hair gel?”
“Yes but—”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. You never use it. Well, sweetie—that’s all about to change.”
Jake supplied Holly with the hair gel from under the sink. “This is all such a huge waste of time.”
“Nonsense. You know, I think the next thing we need to work on is your attitude.” Holly
squeezed out some gel and lathered it up between her hands. She then ran her fingers through Jake’s hair, sweeping it upwards. “You have a good haircut. All it needs is some style. Just a little tweaking here and there and—presto.” Holly was astonished at how pushing and shifting some hair around could make such a dramatic change. She stared at Jake through the mirror, impressed by her work and inexplicably drawn to him like a powerful magnet by his newly revealed, gorgeous face.
“Wow. I feel like a new man,” Jake said sarcastically.
“Don’t make fun. I think once we get you out of these redneck flannel shirts, you’ll think differently.”
Moments later, Holly stood inside Jake’s perfectly organized closet, which was roughly the size of his bathroom with built-in storage cabinets and shelves. “Flannel… flannel… jeans… jeans,” she called out as she rummaged through his wardrobe. “Do you own anything else? Like a normal suit?”
Jake shrugged and replied, “Not really.”
Holly expelled a frustrated sigh. “You don’t get out much do you?”
“To be perfectly honest, my life has been centered around the group home for the last decade.”
Jake couldn’t even remember that last time he went clothes shopping. It didn’t matter anyway. He was perfectly content with his same everyday look.
“Well, your assignment this week is to go shopping and find clothes other than farm boy attire.”
He rolled his eyes in irritation. “Why are you trying to change me?”
“Jake, I’m not trying to change you on the inside. I know we’ve always been told that we shouldn’t care what other people think, but that’s a cop out. Sometimes you really do need to change what’s on the outside to make an impression with people. It’s just the way society is—people judge. Would you have been even remotely interested in me if I showed up the night we met wearing no makeup, and looking as though I just rolled out of bed?”
He thought for a moment and then said, “Most likely.”
“No, you wouldn’t.” She smirked at his absentminded comment. “Let’s be realistic. First impressions are everything, Jake.”
“But I’m not a superficial guy and who I am right now isn’t me.”
“I’m serious, Jake. Just try it out for a while.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. “Please? If not for yourself—then for me? You never know, it might be worth it. You do so much for other people that I think it’s time for you to take some time out and focus on yourself for once.”
Jake sighed again, this in time resignation. “Okay. I’ll give it a shot.”
She pulled his face to hers and lightly kissed his lips. He kept completely still as she kissed the corner of his mouth, his cheeks, his chin, any part of his face that she could reach. “Believe me, you won’t regret it.”
***
October 10, 2013
The day of the film premier, Holly spent the morning coaching one of her inexperienced millionairesses on the rules of dating. Miranda Sutton was a thirty-five year old and newly divorced. Any man would have categorized her as a knock out. She had long hair as black as a moonless night, was of American Indian heritage, and had legs like a fashion model. Unfortunately, the woman had no clue as to what to do when it came to dating. Holly would ultimately have to teach Miranda how to speak, behave and approach a man all over again.
“So when you’re making conversation, be sure to ask him questions as well. Don’t get caught up in talking about yourself all day,” Holly advised.
Miranda pushed a sleek strand of hair away from her face and replied, “Okay. What’s the best thing to talk about on a first date? ”
Before Holly could reply with an answer, her cell phone chimed. “Excuse me for a second. I need to get this.”
“No problem. Take your time.”
“Hey Jake.”
“Hey beautiful. How are you?”
“I’m good. Is everything okay? We’re still on for tonight, right?”
“Yes, of course, but I’m really caught up here at the home. Is there any way I can meet you there tonight?”
Feeling let down, Holly said, “Yeah, sure. That’s not a problem.”
“I’m really sorry, sweetie, but I promise I will be there.”
“Okay, see you at seven.” Holly hung up and glanced at Miranda who was in the process of examining her fingernails. As soon as Holly was finished with this coaching session, she planned to pamper herself with a soothing massage, manicure and pedicure. She was going to let loose for once and have an enjoyable evening.
***
Holly arrived on the rooftop of the Montage hotel earlier than expected. Before the viewing of the film, Holly and Jake would have the privilege of attending the star-studded pre-party. This was one reason why Holly wanted Jake to look his best.
That night Holly donned a floor-length, Kelly green, strapless dress with a bodice encrusted with crystals. The garment clung to her body like a second skin. Holly was not shy about her exposed shoulders or plunging cleavage. Her hair was pinned up loosely with a few soft red tendrils framing her face.
Holly sauntered around the room and observed her surroundings as she nibbled daintily on gourmet appetizers and sipped champagne. The hotel was an urban oasis with classical elegant furnishings reminiscent of the 20’s and ‘30s.
Although Holly didn’t know anyone at this party, she recognized the famous celebrities that had shown up: Al Pacino, Elton John, Ryan Gosling, just to name a few. She roamed around alone, feeling awkward and out of place. Holly knew she would find some normalcy once Jake showed up.
As she continued to scope out the scene, an unfamiliar woman in a fire engine red, Roberto Cavalli gown, who should have worn pasties to hide her nipples, stopped Holly in her tracks.
“I’m sorry, but I just have to ask your name. You look so familiar.” The woman had a particularly small nose, and Angelina Jolie lips. Her blonde hair was done up in a French twist.
“Darlene—Darlene the nobody.” This was not the time for this to be happening, not with Jake arriving any minute.
“Right, well the name Darlene doesn’t ring a bell, but your face sure does,” the woman continued. “Candy, come here for a second.”
Shit, shit, shit, Holly thought. I’m screwed.
Candy, whose auburn hair hung down past the small of her back, made her way over. She was small, almost frail with a timid air about her. “What’s going on?”
“Doe this woman look familiar to you?” the woman asked her friend as she pointed at Holly with her appetizer fork.
Candy scrutinized Holly to the point where she felt almost violated. “Why, yes. She really does. I just can’t put my finger on it.”
In no time, a pack of women surrounded Holly like dogs sniping for scraps of food.
“I know—the blog. She’s from the blog,” announced an older blonde woman wearing a tight pink cocktail dress.
“No, no, no. All of you have the wrong person,” Holly tried to assure them. Note to self: Remove my picture from the blog.
Candy took her attention off Holly and stared into the far distance. She tapped on her friend’s shoulder and said breathlessly, “Good God, would you look at that—”
The crowd stopped chattering and followed Candy’s gaze. Holly almost didn’t recognize him. It was as though he had completely transformed overnight into another man. Jake’s green smiling eyes caught hers and her heart did a flip. His grin communicated volumes as he strode toward her. He was dressed in a classy charcoal gray designer suit and tie. Right at that moment, she took notice of things she hadn't seen before, like how his facial structure seemed to be carved to perfection out of marble stone and how his hair looked flawless. She couldn’t help but beam back at him. This was far from his usual jean and flannel shirt look.
“Who is he?” Candy asked.
Holly shoved her champagne glass at Candy and said, “Mine.”
Holly rushed over to Jake, grabbed him and
kissed him deeply. Her tongue dueled with his as her fingers locked themselves in his hair.
“Well, hello to you too,” Jake said, coming up for breath.
“You look incredible.” The sight of him took her breath away, like a cool drink on a humid summer day.
“And you look just gorgeous.” Jake spun her around and drank her in with his eyes.
“Forget about me. You sir, look like a completely different man. I think I could get used to this new look.”
“Me too,” Jake admitted. “I never knew a simple suit could make me feel so confident.”
“See! I told you,” Holly said with a huge grin. She looped her arm with his and walked Jake around the room, intending to show him off. It wouldn’t have surprised her if people mistook Jake for an actor or model, because at that moment he looked the part.
“This scene is so new to me,” Jake said nervously.
“You’re doing great. Just be yourself.”
The two strode around the party as though they owned the place, striking up conversation with whoever was willing. They even got to talking with a couple of well-known television actresses whom Jake was familiar with. Jake was very down-to-Earth, unpretentious and direct. This kept the whole experience of bringing a no-name country boy to a movie premier from being daunting.
“Good thing, I’ve never been star stuck,” Jake whispered playfully in Holly’s ear.
Holly and Jake took a seat and shared one more drink before the next part of the night.
“Thanks for inviting me tonight,” Jake said, taking a sip of red wine. “I’m really enjoying myself.”
Jake looked simply irresistible, so sophisticated in his Armani suit. Every stitch showed off his muscular body and sexuality. As she gazed at him, he glanced back at her in a way she hadn’t noticed before, a look that made her heart sing and her soul ache for his touch. She had never been with a man who looked at her in that way. Holly had been trying very hard for the last six-months to hide her true feelings, but sometimes she could be so transparent. All her hidden emotions had risen to the surface at that very moment like a blooming flower.
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