His Hired Girlfriend (21 page)

“Make me,” she mocked, her face
sneering at him.

Alex thought this woman looked
like an angel but her character was like the dark lord, Satan
himself.

When Kyle just 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 stalked away, her
expensive heels clip-clopping along the corridor. Kyle shook his
head and followed her.

Another slap in the face, Alex
thought, as she went into bathroom. Once she had freshened up and
felt a whole lot better, she returned to her seat.

“Feeling better?” Gracie
asked.

“Yes, thank you,” she
replied.

Not long afterward the waiter
took their orders. As the other three women made small talk, Alex
was consumed with anger. She couldn’t believe that Jayden had lied
to her. She couldn’t believe she had actually believed him. Of
course, she reasoned with herself, the man was too hot to be gay.
Oh how he had tormented her and teased her. Then the picture of her
half naked in front of him rushed back to her in full force. Her
cheeks burned crimson at the thought. He had seen her breasts,
touched her bare skin and kissed her. The more she thought about it
the more furious she became 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
realised 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 of course. 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, even
managed a full grin.

“Eating lots is good, as long
as you eat healthily. You are eating healthily, yes?” Gracie
asked.

“Oh yes, of course,” Alex
replied, nodding her head.

Everyone
smiled and turned their attentions back to their food. Alex gritted
her teeth as she glared at the meatballs
.
‘Blast you, Jayden’
– she thought –
‘
I’m gonna kill you when I see
you.’
And blast that Britney! She was
gonna have a complete make over and that was that!

***

‘
SO THAT’S
HOW a real gay man behaves,’
Alex
thought as she watched Lawrence gently stroked her long hair and
gave every single dark strand his undivided attention.

Dressed in a bright pink and
white striped shirt that he neatly tucked in the dark grey, skinny
jeans which showed off his shapely legs – he looked immaculate. Not
to mention those crocodile skin, shinny shoes and that very short,
sleek bob hair style 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
almost always high pitched and his hands were constantly moving in
a wishy-washy fashion as he spoke. Occasionally those hands would
touch men’s backside when ever Lawrence happened to pass a
particular male he fancied. Then of course when Lawrence’s eyes
were not on women and searching his brain on how best to enhance
such beauty into perfection – he’d admire good looking men and then
tsked deliciously.

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 and a full length mirror in front of her, wanted to laugh at
the situation she had found herself in. She was surrounded by
beautiful, fashionably dressed people – Lawrence as the chief
stylish, Lisa as beauty therapist and makeup artist, and Mitch as
hairdresser. They were all examining her and touching her hair,
face and hands.

“Can you do it?” Kelly asked
finally from some where 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 pitch
chuckle, his hand delicately waving in the air. “Of course,
darling. Of course.” Then he turned back to Alex. “Now then I
assume you’ve had this dark hair since forever?”

Alex nodded.

“Ah. Boring colour 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 blonde. The cut? Layer – lots and lots
of layers. And some curls. Understand?”

Lisa nodded.

Lawrence turned his attention
back to Alex. “Now then sweetie. Your skin needs special care. It’s
so dry and yet it’s oily around your T-zone. Now I’m no
dermatologist but I can see that you really need some help there.”
He did another high pitch chuckle as he turned to Gracie, Kelly and
Stephanie. “Lucky I have just right person who’d 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 jealously in
his voice. “You are one lucky girl. 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
those 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-date with Mr. Marcelo.”

“Is that so?” Lawrence said,
turning back to Alex. “Heard they have 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. Then she thought that not many people like Britney, except
for Beth. “Does she come here often?” she couldn’t help asking.

“Oh yes, sweetie, all the
time,” Lawrence said. He made it sound as though the very thought
of Britney coming was exhausting in itself. “Couldn’t get enough of
us, even when we messed up her hair.” Another high pitch
chuckle.

The discussion of Alex’s
makeover continue for another fifteen minutes and then they all
stepped back, which Alex breathed in a sigh of relief because she
found the cramped up space was beginning to suffocate her.

Lawrence said, “I think I got
it all sorted.” With his hands clasped together, he said, “Shall we
begin, darling?”

And so began Alex’s makeover of
which she found herself being pampered and constantly surrounded
with people. First she had her hair coloured, and while she waited,
Lawrence made her have her manicure and pedicure done. Once her
hair was washed off Lawrence dragged her to a cosy, private room
where her legs were waxed, her whole body exfoliated, massaged and
moisturised. She felt so good and relaxed that she almost fell
asleep if not for the fact that she really needed to go to the
toilet afterward that urged her to get up and rushed out the
door.

As she was trying to find where
the bathroom was she heard voices from across the corridor in one
of the other private room.

“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’s. “She’s
not Jayden’s girlfriend. Besides, that girl has no backbone. What a
total loser. If she is his girlfriend, she surely 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 had heard enough. That Britney was a bitch, and God
how she wanted to go in there and slap that woman silly.

So she didn’t
behave like a girlfriend behave, did she?
‘Well, we’ll see about that’
– she
thought as she marched down the corridor, her head held
high.

Alex was exhausted by the time
Lawrence was finished with her that evening. Now she stood in front
of the mirror and could hardly recognise herself. She was stunned,
and by the look of it, so was everyone. But not Lawrence because he
had a fat, satisfied smile on his face.

“Oh my God,” Kelly said in some
kind of 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 light brown
hair with blonde highlights was glossy and shining, her eyes were
sparkling with vitality, and she felt different as well. Alex
thought that the change on the outside had really changed something
inside her as well – her confidence. She was still her yet she
wasn’t her old self.

‘
Jayden’
– she thought
– ‘eat your heart out’
.
Then she wondered if he’d be able to recognise her. That thought
brought out a laughter from her, and everyone smiled, knowing that
they’ve done a great job.

Alex had decided not to
confront Jayden after all. Yes, he had lie to her in order to get
her agreement, but then again she had agreed with her own free
will. So she was going to get this over and done with – with the
best of her ability. And Jayden? Well damn it! He can decide for
himself when he wanted to tell her that he was not gay. And hell
yes! She was going to have her fun and enjoy herself while she’s
was here.

It was about time she had taken
control of this whole masquerade anyway. Jayden wanted her to
pretend to be his girlfriend, Britney wanted to see her be Jayden’s
perfect girlfriend, and everyone expected her to be in love with
Jayden. Then so be it, she thought, her eyes sparking with plans
and her lips curving with mischief.

She will be
Jayden’s
perfect
girlfriend.

*****

CHAPTER 15

FOR THE FIFTH times that
afternoon, Jayden felt his ears burning. He touched it and wondered
yet again how the girls’ shopping trip went. He felt like such a
jerk for leaving Alex. But Britney had been so insistent and in
such a hurry that he hadn’t had time to see Alex.

Lunch had been excellent with
the talk of his interest in buying Mr. Marcelo’s island on the west
coast. He had wanted to leave after lunch but Britney had insisted
that he must come to the Marcelo’s Hotel to look at the property’s
paper work – an invitation that he couldn’t resist. So he found
himself in Mr. Marcelo’s office going through countless papers
relating to the land. Before he left, however, Mr. Marcelo had
invited him to join a cocktail party he was hosting, and refusing
the powerful Marcelo was simply not done. Hence Jayden found
himself rushing home to change into something proper, hoping to see
Alex there. Only no one was home except for Beth who informed him
that they had an emergency meeting with the wedding planner.
Feeling deflated, he went upstairs and changed, still hoping that
Alex would be home before it was time for him to leave again. No
such luck, however, because the house was as cold and empty as a
graveyard.

Not long afterwards Jay found
himself at the ground floor restaurant of the Marcelo’s Grand Hotel
with Britney once again, who was even more sexy and elegant now
dressed in her sleek beige, strapless gown.

“Sweetie, you simply must meet
Mr. Weatherson,” Britney said into his ear, giggling. “He’s such a
darling.”

Jayden knew Britney had a bit
too much to drink that evening and that she had been giggling,
clinging onto him and touching him intimately which he thought was
very inappropriate.

“Perhaps another day, Britney,”
he said, scanning across the room at the elegantly dressed guests.
Most of them were powerful business men from around the states, and
with them their wives. Oddly enough he found it all very boring and
dry, and he wished that he was back home instead.

He was talking to Mr.
Weatherson and his wife about his trip to New Zealand and the
things he had done there when he saw them. His heart missed a beat
then thumped furiously as he lapsed into a sudden silence.

“And?” Mr. Weatherson prompted,
waiting for him to continue.

“Ah, you young men simply love
danger,” Mrs. Weatherson said, shaking her head. “I couldn’t do it,
you know. Heights...”

“I never want to go to New
Zealand. Don’t even know where it is,” Britney slurred and started
laughing loudly. When she stopped, she took another sip of her
champagne. Then she glanced at Jay. “Darling? Is everything all
right?”

Jayden blinked and nodded,
clearly still gazing at the couple on the other side of the room.
Britney curiously looked that way and saw Sarah and Kyle. “I had no
idea Daddy invited them.” Turning back to the Weathersons, she
said, “Excuse us.”