Stephanie said as they were leaving Vera Wang, “We have loads of fun things to do.”
“What kind of things?” Alex asked curiously.
“Makeover and shopping!” Kelly shrieked excitedly.
“It’ll be fun,” Stephanie put in, clasping Alex’s hands as they stepped toward the limousine.
“Cool,” Alex said, 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 knew she’d enjoy.
“I like window-shopping,” she said.
John stepped forward and opened the door for them.
“We are not window-shopping, Alex,” Gracie said. “We are shopping for your new wardrobe.” Then to John she said, “Thank you.”
The limo driver touched the tip of his hat.
“Say what?” Alex exclaimed.
“You need a whole new wardrobe. And a complete makeover,” Kelly commented as she nudged her in.
Alex looked at Kelly, confused, as she slid into the seat beside Gracie. “I do?”
“Of course you do,” Stephanie remarked, taking her seat opposite Alex. “Or didn’t you hear what that—” She paused, her face grim as she was about to say the word bitch. “Britney said?”
Of course Alex heard. But she couldn’t change the way she looked or who she was. She wasn’t like them, born with everything handed to them on a silver platter. And the fact was Alex wasn’t going to change herself just to fit in with them or to please them. She was who she was, and that was fine with her.
“Besides,” Kelly continued, “we do want to polish you up for my wedding. My brother’s one of the top ten bachelors in New York, 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.”
Stephanie leaned forward as the limo started moving. “Oh, don’t be alarmed, Alex. Understand that we are trying to help you out. Can’t you see? Britney is trying to steal Jayden from you.”
“Like asking him to lunch with her dad, for instance,” Kelly said. “If people see, word will spread. She’s trying to show everyone she and Jayden are a couple.”
“Now, girls,” Gracie put in calmly, “Britney is not that bad. Shall I call Lawrence?”
“Oh, yes, Mom. It has to be Lawrence. Surely he must be available for us. This is an emergency,” Kelly said. “Besides, my bachelorette party is tomorrow night, and Alex must be ready by then.”
Alex heard her name in the conversation and said, “Bachelorette party?”
“Oh, Mrs. McCartney, you don’t know Britney. She’s capable of anything,” Stephanie commented. “Don’t you agree, Kelly?”
“Yes,” Kelly replied.
“Like mother, like daughter, I suppose,” Gracie murmured as she started dialing on her BlackBerry.
“What’s a bachelorette party?” Alex asked curiously.
“She’s no different from Sarah,” Kelly muttered, looking at Stephanie. “I’m glad Jay’s over her.”
It took a while for Alex to absorb that piece of information. Once she realized what it meant, she shouted, “What?”
“Lawrence? Hello? Lawrence? Is that you?” Gracie said into her cell. “Ah, Lawrence, are you free this afternoon? We have an emergency.”
Kelly widened her eyes and bit her lower lip when she realized what she had done.
“What do you mean? Who’s Sarah?” Alex asked.
Kelly laughed uncomfortably. “She’s nobody, Alex. Don’t worry about it.” She turned to Gracie. “Mom? Is Lawrence available?”
Gracie nodded and Kelly did a thumbs-up. “How about lunch first? Where to?” she asked, still trying to ignore Alex.
“I feel like Italian today,” Stephanie remarked. “What about you, Alex?”
“I don’t mind,” Alex replied, her mind still reeling on who Sarah could be.
Gracie said, “See you this afternoon, then, Lawrence.” Then she ended the call. “There. All sorted. Now where were we?”
“Lunch,” Kelly put in quickly.
“Yes, lunch,” Stephanie said. “Italian?”
At Buon Appetito along Madison Avenue, Alex watched as Gracie and Kelly strolled side by side into the flashy restaurant. When she was sure they wouldn’t be able to hear her, she quickly caught up with Stephanie.
“Stephanie? Can I ask you something?”
Stephanie gave her a smile. “Of course. Go ahead, sweetheart.”
“I was just curious. Well, I was kind of wondering, and you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. Who’s Sarah?”
Stephanie paused and grabbed Alex’s hand. “You poor girl,” she began, patting Alex gently. “Jay hasn’t told you, has he?”
This didn’t sound good. Now Alex wondered if she wanted to know who Sarah was.
“Well. No, not really,” she said, going along.
“She’s no good for him. Such a slut,” Stephanie said. “He loved her so much, you know. Then she goes and hurts him, sleeping with his best friend the way she did.”
Alex shut her eyes for a moment, trying to take it all in. What was Stephanie talking about?
“Wait! Stephanie, who loved Sarah? And who did Sarah sleep with?”
Stephanie sighed. “Come on. I’m hungry,” she said, and they started walking toward the restaurant again. “It’s Jayden, of course.”
Alex came to a halt. She suddenly felt sick.
“Hey, Alex?” Stephanie stared at her. “You all right?”
Alex blinked and said in a shaky voice, “I’m fine.”
“Good. Oh, I see.”
Alex was confused. “Huh? What? What do you see?”
“You’re tired and hungry. You’re so pale just now. Come on. I don’t want you to faint. We have a lot to do this afternoon.” She led Alex into the restaurant.
They saw the maître d’ in a very neat black-and-white uniform, leading Gracie and Kelly toward a table near the window. As they were approaching the two women, Alex asked, “Was Sarah Jayden’s ex-girlfriend?”
“Yes,” came the prompt reply from Stephanie.
Alex could feel the room swirling around her. “Who was Jayden’s best friend?” she asked. She couldn’t help herself. She simply needed to know.
“Kyle Shore. Never liked him much, to be honest.”
Alex was feeling shaky as they took their seats. She grabbed for the glass of water Kelly poured for them and gulped it down. She told herself to calm down before she embarrassed herself and fainted.
“Alex, are you all right?” Kelly asked.
Alex put the empty glass down, her hands still shaking. “Where’s the restroom?”
“That way,” Kelly directed. “You don’t look too good.”
Alex saw that Kelly was staring at her intensely, as though she thought something had disturbed her emotionally. Alex knew she mustn’t let anyone know Jayden had lied to her. She swallowed. She could feel herself sweating.
“I just feel sick at the smell of food, that’s all.” She lied, and before any of them could ask her any more questions, she rushed away.
Gracie said, “Oh.”
Alex was in such a hurry she didn’t look where she was going and bumped into somebody along the corridor.
“Sorry,” she said apologetically, glancing up.
“Watch where you’re going!” the woman snapped, her hazel eyes intense on Alex, her bright-red lips twisting in obvious disgust.
Alex thought the woman was incredibly gorgeous. She had long blond hair styled elegantly like a movie star’s and a pastel-green suit that fit her perfectly, showing off her Victoria’s Secret body.
Alex wanted to get past her, but the blond woman seemed to be in no hurry to move.
“Excuse me,” she said, stepping forward.
“Ugh,” the woman gasped. “Don’t come near me.”
“Huh?” Alex was shocked and confused as to what she meant.
The
blonde glared at her. “Get out of my way,” she snapped.
Alex quickly stepped to one side because the woman looked as though she were about to shove her back. Before she moved, the blonde frowned at her and shook her head. “Your manager should train you better.”
Alex was too stunned to reply.
“You know you shouldn’t treat people that way,” a male voice said from the end of the corridor.
Alex glanced to her left and saw a handsome young man there, leaning against the wall with his arms folded across his chest. The moment she met his eyes, she regretted it. His stare sent a chill down her spine. There was also a glint of something in his eyes that told Alex he was not to be trusted. He looked ruthless.
The woman flicked her blond curls over her shoulder and said, “It’s none of your business, Kyle.”
Kyle moved forward and brushed his finger against her cheek. The blonde shoved his hand away and snapped, “Don’t touch me.” She glanced over at Alex and said, “She’s your type. Low and dirty. If you don’t get to sleep with that slut Britney tonight, go for her.”
“Sarah, that’s enough,” Kyle said, his voice hard.
“Make me,” she mocked, sneering at him.
Alex thought this woman looked like an angel, but her character was like the dark lord Satan himself.
When Kyle glared at her, Sarah stood back and folded her arms across her chest in satisfaction. She turned to look at Alex and said, “Those toilets are dirty. Do your job properly.” Then she strode away, her expensive heels clip-clopping on the expensive marble floor. Kyle shook his head and followed her.
Once Alex had freshened up and felt better, she returned to her seat.
“Feeling better?” Gracie asked.
“Yes, thank you,” she replied.
As the other three women made small talk while they waited for their food, Alex was consumed with anger. She couldn’t believe Jayden had lied to her. She couldn’t believe she actually had believed him. Oh, how he tormented and teased her. Then the picture of her half-naked in front of him rushed back to her in full force. She blushed at the thought. He had seen her breasts, touched her bare skin, and kissed her. She was furious thinking about it as she stuffed down her spaghetti Bolognese.
“Alex?” Kelly’s voice echoed faintly in her head. “Are you all right?”
Alex paused. She had just realized that her plate was a mess of red sauce, meatballs, and spaghetti and that she was eating without manners. She sighed. It was all that damn Jayden’s fault. She didn’t normally behave this way.
“I’m sorry. I’m just suddenly very hungry,” she said apologetically, putting her fork down. “This is delicious.”
Gracie reached out and patted her hand. “You’ll need the energy for the long afternoon,” she said, winking at her.
Alex blinked. “Yes, that’s true,” she replied absentmindedly. She’d need all her strength to confront that lying son of a— “Don’t swear, Alex,” she murmured under her breath.
“What was that?” Stephanie asked, looking at her.
“Nothing,” Alex replied and even managed a full grin.
“Eating lots is good, as long as you eat healthily. You are eating healthily, yes?” Gracie asked.
“Yes, of course,” Alex replied, nodding her head.
Alex gritted her teeth as she glared at the meatballs. Blast you, Jayden! I’m going to kill you when I see you. And blast that Britney! She was going to have a complete makeover, and that was that!
* * * * *
So that is how a real gay man behaves, Alex thought to herself as she watched Lawrence gently stroking her long hair and giving every single dark strand his undivided attention.
Dressed in a bright pink-and-white-striped shirt neatly tucked in the dark-grey skinny jeans, he looked immaculate. Not to mention those crocodile skin shoes and that sleek bob hairstyle made him seem almost on the verge of being tipped over the fashionable scale.
Alex noticed that Lawrence behaved nothing like Jayden. Lawrence was sweet-talking, his voice always high-pitched, and his hands were constantly moving in a wishy-washy fashion as he spoke. Occasionally, those hands touched the man’s backside whenever Lawrence happened to pass a particular male he fancied. Oh, yes! Lawrence—a sweet gay man who treated every woman like his best girlfriend—behaved nothing like Jayden.
“Darling, how could you ruin your hair like that?” he said. “Simply not done, darling, simply not done.”
Alex, who was sitting on a high chair with a full-length mirror in front of her, wanted to laugh at the situation she found herself in. She was surrounded by beautiful, fashionably dressed people, Lawrence as the chief stylish, Lisa as a beauty therapist and makeup artist, and Mitch as a hairdresser. They were all examining her and touching her hair, face, and hands.
“Can you do it?” Kelly asked finally from somewhere behind Lawrence, which Alex couldn’t quite see.
“Of course I can do it,” Lawrence said, hands on hips. “Are you questioning my ability, darling?”
Kelly chuckled. “No, Lawrence, I’m not questioning your ability. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be here, right?”
Lawrence did a high-pitched laugh, his hand delicately waving in the air. “Of course, darling. Of course.” He turned to Alex. “Now then, I assume you’ve had this dark hair since forever?”
Alex nodded.
“Ah. Boring color, this. Doesn’t suit your complexion at all, sweetie.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Too dark for your fair skin. We’re going to change that.” Lawrence turned to Lisa. “Light brown, Lisa, with a hint of blond. The cut? Layer! Lots and lots of layers. And some curls. Understand?”
Lisa nodded.
Lawrence returned his attention to Alex. “Now then, sweetie, your skin needs special care. It’s so dry, yet it’s oily around your T-zone. I’m no dermatologist, but I can see that you need some help there.” He did another high-pitched laugh as he turned to Gracie, Kelly, and Stephanie. “Luckily, I have just the right person who’ll be able to help.”
The three women, all smiling, nodded at him in acknowledgment. Lawrence turned back to Alex and touched her chin. “Sweetie,” he said, a hint of jealousy in his voice. “You are one lucky gal. How could you hide yourself in there? Your eyes, your straight nose, your full lips. It’s model material.” He shook his head. “I wouldn’t mind trading my soul for that pair of kissable lips.”
Kelly chuckled. “Lawrence, you’re supposed to be gay.”
Lawrence turned to Kelly and glared. “Darling, I am gay. I desperately want Alex’s lips because I want Jayden to notice me. Speaking of which, is he here?”
“No, he is not,” Kelly replied. “A lunch appointment with Mr. Marcelo.”
“Is that so?” Lawrence commented. “Heard they are having a cocktail party tonight at the Marcelo’s Hotel. Speaking of which, better tell Amy to mess up Britney’s makeup. What do you think? Never liked that woman.”
Alex laughed. She couldn’t help herself. “Does she come here often?”
“Oh, yes, sweetie, all the time,” Lawrence replied. He made it sound as though the very thought of Britney coming was exhausting in itself. “Can’t get enough of us, even when we mess up her hair.” With his hands clasped together, Lawrence said, “I think I got it all sorted. Shall we begin, darling?”
And so began Alex’s makeover. While she waited for her hair to color, Lawrence made her have her manicure and pedicure done. Once her hair was washed off, Lawrence dragged her to a cozy, private room where her legs were waxed, her whole body exfoliated, massaged, and moisturized. She felt so good and so relaxed she almost fell asleep if not for the fact she needed to go to the toilet. At the corridor in one of the other private rooms, she overheard a conversation that bugged her.
“I heard she’s Jayden McCartney’s girlfriend,” a woman’s voice said. A massage therapist?
“Jayden’s girlfriend?” Another voice scoffed.
Alex was sure this
one belonged to Britney.
“She’s not Jayden’s girlfriend. Besides, that girl has no backbone. What a total loser. If she’s his girlfriend, she doesn’t behave like one. By the way, have you seen her? She’s so plain. Jayden would never date a girl like her. I mean, why would he go for her when he has someone like me? I’m rich, I’m hot, and I’m fun. What more does he want?”
The woman said, “That’s not what I heard.”
Alex gritted her teeth in disgust. She heard enough. That Britney was a bitch, and God, how she wanted to slap that woman.
So she didn’t behave like a girlfriend behaved, did she? “Well, we’ll see about that,” she muttered under her breath as she marched down the corridor, her head high.
Alex was exhausted by the time Lawrence was finished with her. Now, she stood in front of the mirror and could hardly recognize herself. She was stunned, and by the looks of it, so was everyone. But not Lawrence because he had a fat, satisfied smile on his face.
“Oh my God,” Kelly said in awe.
Alex bit her lip. Yes, she still had on her skinny jeans and T-shirt, but she looked utterly different. Her complexion was glowing with health, her ash-brown hair with blond highlights was glossy and shining, her eyes were sparkling with vitality, and she felt different, too. She thought the change on the outside had changed something inside her as well—her confidence.
Jayden, eat your heart out!
She wondered if he’d be able to recognize her. The thought caused her to smile broadly. Yes, it was about time she took control of this whole masquerade. Jayden wanted her to pretend to be his girlfriend, Britney wanted to be Jayden’s perfect girlfriend, and everyone expected her to be in love with Jayden. Then so be it. She would be Jayden’s perfect girlfriend.
* * * * *
Chapter 15
Kiwi Bride: Volume 1 (Kiwi Bride Series Book 3) Page 12