I was about to reply when we zoomed straight past the airport turnoff. Pia and I looked at each other then at Alisha, who was chatting away to her mum. JJ was lost in his own thoughts, gazing out of the window.
The driver must know where we’re going, I thought as the car continued on. In the distance to our left, I could see lights blazing in the maze of airport buildings but we sped on past. I was just wondering whether to yell, ‘Turn around!’ when the car slowed down and the driver pulled up in front of what looked like a small but smart hotel. Pia looked at me and shrugged. She was as mystified as I was.
A blonde lady in a smart turquoise uniform came out and greeted Mrs Lewis through the rolled-down limo window, then she slipped into the seat beside the driver. I noticed a sign that said VIP Terminus and nudged Pia to look at it as we set off again. A few minutes later, we stopped alongside a small, sleek, white plane.
Alisha grinned. ‘OK, girls. This is us.’
It took a moment to sink in as we all got out of the limo.
‘It’s a private jet!’ I gasped.
JJ gave me a thumbs-up. ‘Come on,’ he said, and began to walk towards the plane where Vanya, blond and smart in a black suit, was waiting at the bottom of the steps.
‘But . . . don’t we have to check in?’ asked Pia.
‘No,’ said Alisha.
JJ came back and linked arms with me. ‘We just get on and we go.’
‘On that?’ I asked.
JJ turned to his sister. ‘Didn’t you tell them?’
‘And spoil the surprise?’ Alisha replied, then turned to us. ‘Like it?’
‘Love it,’ I said.
I glanced at Pia. We’d both thought we’d be hanging about the airport for hours before take-off. Clearly not. We were travelling with A-listers and I was cottoning on fast. You turn up and drive straight to your private jet. No fuss, no hanging about. You get on. You go.
Pia and I followed the Lewises up the steps into the jet. A smiling steward with brown wavy hair and dressed in a navy uniform welcomed us aboard and showed us inside.
‘I’m Jonathan,’ he said, ‘and this is Maria.’ The lady who’d been with us in the car came up the steps behind us, followed by Vanya. ‘We’ll be looking after you on the flight. Just let either of us know if there’s anything you need.’
‘Thanks,’ said Pia as she took a peek inside to the right. ‘How about a reality check? I must be dreaming.’
Jonathan smiled. ‘I hope you enjoy the flight.’
‘Wow,’ I gasped when I followed the others inside. I slumped into an enormous leather armchair and looked around. ‘There’s so much space!’ We were in an elegant living room decorated in subtle stone colours. At the centre of the room was a coffee table stacked with glossy magazines.
‘Gazow,’ echoed Pia.
Alisha sprawled on one of the plush sofas and raised an eyebrow. ‘Cool, huh?’
‘JJ, why don’t you show the girls around?’ said Mrs Lewis. ‘I’m just going to call your dad and tell him that we’re on our way. I’ll see you all shortly for take-off.’ And she disappeared into the back of the plane. Vanya sat in a corner of the living room and picked up a magazine.
I felt like I’d entered a Porchester Park apartment with wings.
Alisha stayed where she was as JJ began his tour. ‘Welcome aboard this Boeing 737,’ he said as he paused to sneak a look at the brochure about the jet that he’d picked up from a coffee table. ‘It has a sumptuously appointed eighty square metres of cabin space divided into compartments. As you see, we’re here in the living room, decorated in soft tan with cream leather sofas and matching armchairs, and softly lit by dozens of tiny ceiling lights . . . Now, if you’d like to follow me.’
‘You sound like an eejit, bro,’ said Alisha from the sofa.
JJ ignored her and beckoned Pia and me into the next room where there was a further group of plush armchairs. ‘Watch this,’ said JJ. He waved his arm and a panel slid silently back to reveal a huge TV screen. ‘Our own private cinema. Nice, huh?’
‘I suppose it will have to do,’ said Pia and yawned.
JJ laughed. ‘And continuing our tour . . .’ He led us into a modern dining room with white tulips on the table and a bowl of fresh fruit. ‘Seats eight comfortably,’ he said as we moved on. ‘Next we have the business centre.’ He knocked and opened the door. Mrs Lewis was at a desk Skyping her husband.
JJ waved at the screen. ‘Hi, Dad. Everything OK?’
‘Sure,’ said the handsome face on the screen. ‘How are the girls?’
‘Great, they’re with me,’ said JJ. ‘Want to say hi, Jess?’
I stepped forward. ‘Hi, Mr Lewis,’ I said and gave a self-conscious wave. I can’t help it but whenever I see Mr Lewis I’m totally starstruck, which I suppose isn’t really surprising seeing as he is one of the biggest stars on the planet.
‘Hi,’ said Pia. ‘Can’t wait to get to India.’
He beamed back his million dollar smile. ‘I’ll see you all soon. Say hi to Alisha for me. Y’all have a good flight, now.’
We left the office and headed towards the rear of the plane. ‘Two bathrooms, left and right,’ said JJ, and Pia and I had a quick peek inside to see spacious showers, a loo and a basin. Like the rest of the plane, they looked top quality and smelt clean and perfumed, not the usual boiled lemon and antiseptic aeroplane loo smell. ‘And finally . . .’ He opened the door into a kingsize bedroom with an ensuite marble bathroom. ‘Mom and Alisha will be in here but we’ll be sorted too, I assure you. The seats in the cinema go back so I can sleep in there with Vanya and the sofas in the lounge pull out into beds for you girls.’
‘What about Jonathan and Maria?’ asked Pia.
‘They have places up at the front of the plane, near the kitchen,’ JJ replied.
‘It’s amazing,’ I said as we went back through to the sitting room to join Alisha.
‘It’s really comfortable,’ said JJ, ‘especially for a long flight. Plus the plane has wifi so you can email or Skype your dad if you want to let him know how you’re doing.’
‘One jet we went on even had a disco onboard,’ said Alisha, who seemed to be enjoying our awe. ‘Can you imagine, dancing away as you fly through the clouds?’
‘Insane,’ I said.
Jonathan came through. ‘If you wouldn’t mind taking your seats, we’ll be taking off in a few minutes and then you can roam, watch a movie or sleep,’ he said.
‘What would you like to do?’ JJ asked us.
‘I doubt I’ll be able to sleep just yet. So, cinema room?’ I said. It was cosy in there. ‘Maybe a movie? Unless you want to sleep?’
‘A movie sounds perfect,’ JJ agreed.
‘Movie and snacks then a sleepover,’ said Alisha. ‘Yay!’
I laughed. This was going to be the most luxurious, unique sleepover ever.
Mrs Lewis came through and we took our places in the living area. Alisha sat with her mum on the sofa, while JJ, Pia, Vanya and I were in the chairs. We belted up and, soon after, we took off into the sky. As the jet engines thrust upwards, JJ reached across and took my hand. ‘Do you mind flying?’
‘Are you kidding? I love it,’ I said, and gazed out of the window at the night sky and the sea of grey clouds below us.
‘Some people get scared,’ he said.
‘Not me.’
Even so, he didn’t let go of my hand.
As soon as we were cruising well above the clouds, we unbuckled our belts and Vanya took his place in a corner away from the rest of us and pulled out a book. He didn’t say much but he seemed perfectly at ease with everyone. Jonathan came through with a tray laden with juices and plates of delicious-looking tiny canapés. He placed them on the table in front of us. ‘Let me know if you require anything,’ he said and handed each of us a menu. ‘Perhaps some dinner?’
The Lewises shook their heads. ‘We ate before we left home,’ said Mrs Lewis. ‘Thank you, Jonathan. Pia? Jess? How about you?’
I’d love to have tried something from the menu but Gran and Aunt Maddie had been over earlier in the evening and we’d had a big goodbye supper of chicken and mashed potatoes. I was still stuffed from it. Pia and I both shook our heads. ‘No, thanks,’ I said.
‘Thanks for the snacks though, Jonathan,’ said Alisha.
She and JJ were always so polite to their staff, polite to everyone, in fact.
Pia looked over at me and winked as she helped herself to a canapé. I knew she was loving the whole experience as much as me.
After the snacks, we went into the cinema room where Mrs Lewis watched half of a movie with us, then went to bed. The rest of us weren’t tired, even though it was one-thirty in the morning. Pia and I were buzzing with the novelty of it all and to sleep would have meant to miss some of what was going on. Alisha gave in around two a.m., leaving me, JJ and Pia listening to music. Vanya was already asleep in one of the chairs that turned into beds in the cinema room. JJ and I held hands some of the time and, though I’d have liked to have curled up on the chair with him, I didn’t want to make Pia feel like she was being left out. There would be plenty of time to be alone with JJ later.
At around two-thirty, despite my resistance, my eyelids grew heavy and Pia was almost asleep, so JJ asked Maria to make up the beds for us. We finally snuggled down but even though the beds were comfortable with silk sheets and feather-light pillows, I slept fitfully. So, at eight o’clock UK time, I got up and tiptoed through to the rear of the plane to take a shower. I could never resist trying out divine-smelling gels and lotions. It’s one of my favourite things. The others were soon up too and as Jonathan served us a breakfast of fresh fruit, cheese, jam and warm croissants, I almost forgot that we were flying. It felt more like hanging out at someone’s house or being in a fab hotel; the only reminder that we were thousands of metres up in the air being when I looked out of the window and saw the earth so far below.
After breakfast, JJ beckoned me into the office. ‘Come with me. I’m just going to check my emails – you can do yours too, if you like.’
Pia and Alisha seemed fine – they were messing about with each other’s make-up bags, trying out the contents. Most of Alisha’s make-up was Chanel, while Pia’s was a mix of makes: No 7, Mac, Bobbi Brown.
I followed JJ into the computer suite and sat by his side as he went through his email inbox. He didn’t seem to mind that I was looking over his shoulder. He read a few messages and then his phone bleeped that he had a couple of texts.
‘Alexei says hi. He’s on his way to France,’ said JJ. ‘Says he wishes he was with us.’
‘I don’t think he knows what he wants half the time,’ I said. ‘Like, he went out with Flo for a while then said he didn’t want a committed relationship, but now all he ever goes on about is wanting a girlfriend.’
‘Maybe he just wants to meet the right one,’ said JJ and looked deeply into my eyes in a way that made my insides liquefy. ‘Nothing wrong with that.’ He reached out for my hand just as Mrs Lewis came in to collect some papers, so putting an end to anything happening.
He glanced back at his phone and smiled at the screen as Mrs Lewis went back out. He showed me what he was looking at. It was an image of a stunning and curvy Indian girl who looked just a bit older than me.
‘Who’s that?’ I asked.
‘Shreya. Haven’t you heard of her?’
I shook my head.
‘She’s a big star in India. A teen music sensation. Had her first hit when she was thirteen and now she’s getting into acting. She’s had a few scenes in the movie Dad’s in.’
‘Do you know her?’
‘We’ve met a few times. Once in LA, once in India ages ago. She was just texting to say hi.’
I glanced back at the screen. It was more than hi. She’d written: can’t wait to see you again. And she was beautiful, with a perfect body, perfect hair and a perfect smile. She seemed to be looking straight into me.
JJ must have noticed my reaction because he squeezed my hand. ‘Hey, don’t look so worried. She’s just a friend, hardly even that.’
I squeezed back. ‘I’m not worried.’
When JJ went to take a shower, I told Pia about the text.
‘Who are you talking about?’ asked Alisha when she came back in from her shower in the other bathroom.
‘Someone called Shreya,’ said Pia. ‘She just texted JJ.’
‘Oh her. She’s always texting him. I wouldn’t worry, Jess. She’s way too high maintenance for him. Such a drama queen. Apparently she’s been a real pain on the shoot. Always wanting to do it her way and no good at taking direction.’
‘Why’s she texting JJ?’
‘She collects boys. Probably wants to add him to her list of conquests, but he’s so not interested.’
We spent our last few hours on the plane reading glossy magazines and listening to music but as we took our seats for landing, my mind kept going back to the photo of Shreya. It niggled away at me. She collected boys. If there was nothing to worry about, then why was she sending JJ pictures of herself? It sounded to me like he was next on her hit list.
I started to fall in love with India the moment we left the airport. On the journey into town, the Lewises donned their shades then sat back in the car, as though the scenery we were driving through was nothing out of the ordinary, but Pia and I had our noses pressed up against the windows, taking it all in. Everything I looked at was worthy of a photograph. Indian women in jewel-coloured saris riding bicycles, children waving as we passed by, a lorry in front of us painted bright yellow, red and green and adorned with garlands and tinsel, carved temples and, above it all, the blue, blue sky.
The closer we got to the town, the more crowded the streets became and only a few drivers seemed to be sticking to any kind of lane system, or any kind of pavement. There were cars, taxis and buses all packed to bursting, with people hanging out of windows, others sitting on top of the vehicles, and all the time the traffic going in every direction and battling for space. There were more mopeds than I’d ever seen in my life, honking and tooting as they wove their way in and out of it all. They certainly know how to share, I thought, as I watched a family of four sail past on a moped, beeping their horn loudly as an ox almost walked into them. I wished I hadn’t put my camera in my luggage because I wanted to record it all to show Charlie and Dad when I got back. I quickly snapped a few photos with my phone, but they weren’t up to much.
When we finally reached Udaipur, it seemed like the whole world was out on the streets; not just cars, bikes, buses and mopeds, but also open taxis that JJ told us were called auto rickshaws or tuk tuks, which swerved their way in-between the rest of the traffic, narrowly missing each other.
‘Oh my God!’ I gasped, as I noticed an elephant stroll by, followed by a family of pigs who scuttled under him then dived down an alleyway like they knew exactly where they were going. And soon there were cows, dogs and chickens too.
‘You could never feel lonely here,’ Pia commented, as we passed a group of men sitting at a table, smoking and chatting, their stalls behind them overflowing with clothes, scarves, bags and art prints. ‘Everyone lives and works outside, unlike the UK.’
‘Probably because of the sun,’ I said, as I looked up and saw an enormous film poster featuring Shreya beam down at us from ten metres up in the air.
Pia nudged me. ‘Big sister is watching yoooou,’ she whispered.
A sharp left took us down a quieter street, then we reached the arrival area for our hotel. As we drove into the car park on the shores of Lake Pichola, it felt like an oasis of calm after what we had just come through.
‘It’s like going from a fridge into a sauna,’ I said as we got out of the cool, air-conditioned car into the baking sunshine. I glanced at my watch. It was just after five in the afternoon, Indian time. Pia took a photo with her camera-phone of the vehicle that had brought us from the airport. It was a maroon and cream vintage Bentley with soft leather seats inside. Fab
ulous. Pia sent the photo off to Henry. He’d love it and so would his dad. Cars were their thing.
A tall Indian man in white turban and gold Indian-style uniform stood with a large fringed parasol outside a small tent-like building next to the lake, which sparkled in the late afternoon sun. He came forward to greet us and ushered Mrs Lewis inside. ‘Won’t be moment,’ she said over her shoulder.
JJ took my hand and led me over to the lake. He pointed at a white marble and mosaic palace glistening in the centre of the water.
‘That’s the Taj Lake Palace,’ he said. ‘Remember it from the slideshow?’ he asked.
It looked like a giant two-tier wedding cake with pillars and arches around the sides. ‘That’s the hotel we’ll be staying in,’ he said. ‘It was originally built around 1743 as the royal summer palace and covers the whole island, which is why is appears to be floating.’
The hotel and view were straight out of a fairytale. I glanced at JJ. Tall and handsome with a high forehead and sculpted cheekbones, he was dressed in a white T-shirt and linen trousers and was wearing his usual Ray-Ban shades. He has a noble face, I decided. I have to be dreaming. Me, Jess Hall, staying in a real palace. And I have my very own prince to hang out with.
‘Cool, huh?’ said Pia, coming to join us.
‘It’s beautiful,’ I agreed.
Alisha nudged her brother. ‘JJ’s Mr Norman Know-It-All,’ she teased. ‘He knows all about the history of this place – in fact, anywhere we go in the world.’
JJ smiled. ‘So? I like history. And did you know this hotel was used as a location for the movie Octopussy?’
‘The Bond film?’ asked Pia. ‘I’ve seen that!’
JJ nodded. ‘It was also used in a TV series called The Jewel and the Crown.’
I looked out over the view again. ‘It’s stunning,’ I said. ‘Heavenly.’ On one side of the lake were mountains, on the other, to our right, was an even bigger palace than the one in the middle of the water. It was vast, the white walls turning a honey-rose colour in the late afternoon sun, and it appeared to go on forever with domed turrets, terraces and balconies overlooking the lake. ‘What about that place?’
Golden Girl Page 4