Tangled Beauty (2 page)

***

“This is never going to work,”
I told my friend, Jesse, as I slid into his Jag a couple of hours later. “Trust me, we will
never
fool anyone.”

He
reached over and patted my knee-cap. “Sweetie, it
will
work. It
has
to work.”

I pulled my
hair back behind my ears. “Then you’d better stop calling me ‘sweetie’ and quit primping yourself, every five minutes. You’ll never fool your parents if you keep acting like a princess.”

Jesse
threw his perfectly chiseled face back and laughed. Then he stopped abruptly, and scowled at me with venom.

I smiled.
“Hey, I’m just saying…”

“
God, you’re such a snotty, little bitch.”

I shook my head.
“No, you’ve claimed
that
title, honey, and I wouldn’t dare try and take it from you.”

Glancing into the rearview mirror, he
ran his fingers through the top of his short, blonde highlights, the ones I’d given him last night. “And that’s why you’re my best friend, Sinclair. You know just how to sweet-talk me.”

I
laughed. “Seriously, though. What were you thinking by inviting me?”

“
Well, since it’s their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary, they expect me to bring a date of the
female
persuasion. I certainly can’t bring Alex, Sin. My parents are
assholes
- both of them. They’d never accept the fact that I’m gay and would no-doubt freeze up my trust-fund if they find found out the truth,” he bit one of his finger-nails. “And I know it sounds shallow, but I can’t live without that money.”

I put on my seatbelt.
“So, you’re just going to keep lying to them? How long do you propose to do that?”

He started the car and the engine purred to life
, like an eighty-thousand-dollar kitty. “As long as it takes, Sin, as long as it takes.”

Forty-
minutes later, after listening to him rant about his friends, his career, and his sex life, we finally pulled up to his parent’s summer home on Huntington Beach, a luxurious oceanfront property that took my breath away.

“Wow,” I breathed
, staring at the white, massive structure that screamed “wealth”, “power” and “dream on, losers”.

“I know,” sneered
Jesse. “They’re disgustingly rich, fortunately for me. But it’s also
old
money and even
older
ideals,
not
fortunate for me.”

I’
d only known Jesse for eight months, ever since he’d walked into
Tangled.
From the moment he’d plopped his Armani-clad butt in my chair, we’d clicked and I’d become his personal stylist and he- one of my very best friends.

“So, what
exactly did you tell them about me?” I asked, feeling nervous now that we were actually going through with it.

The ruse
had sounded like fun at the time- a weekend of parties, celebrities, and a chance to escape my own hum-drum life. It had been almost a year since I’d found my ex’ fiancé in bed with another woman and I’d basically taken on the habits of a hermit soon afterwards. My life now consisted of work, taking care of my finicky black cat, Felix, and reading trashy, romance novels. It was boring and sometimes lonely, but safe, which was what I needed after having my heart crushed by Shawn.

Jesse
unwrapped a peace of gum and slid it into his mouth. “Okay, so you and I have been dating on and off for the last six months. Nothing serious yet.”

I raised my eyebrows.
“Yet?”

“Well, I mean we’ve fucked and everything,” he said, snapping his gum
, a little too obnoxiously for a twenty-four-year-old.

I feigned a look of shock. “We have? Was it good?”

He puffed out his chest. “Damn right. That’s why you won’t leave me alone, you crazy, horny, bitch.”

I
laughed and shook my head. “Oh brother, you’re so freaken’ arrogant.”

He blanched
. “Arrogant? Gawd…I
hate
that word.”

I stared at him and wondered how in the world his parents
could think he was anything
but
gay.

“Well, you might want to pretend to be
‘arrogant’. That’s a trait you’ll find on a lot of manly, men,” I said, deepening my voice.

“Si
n, I’ve
never
been a
manly
man and my parents have known me all of my life. They just think I’m a very creative and outgoing guy.”

I understood
that because Jesse really is very creative. He’s a graphic designer, which hadn’t particularly sat well with his parents. They’d wanted him to become a doctor or lawyer, like his older brother Reed, who I’d had yet to meet. Supposedly, Reed
was
an arrogant, cocky lawyer who had little time for his younger brother.

“So, you get to act natural while I’m the one who has to be totally enthralled by you?”

He smiled. “Oh, come on. It can’t be that difficult. You know you’d ‘do me’ if I was straight.”

I rolled my eyes. “
Oh, here we go…”

“
What? I’d probably ‘do you
’
if I was straight.”

“Enough,” I said, raising my hand.

He sighed.
“Sinclair, you really need to work on your self-confidence. I know it’s hard because of what fuck-head did to you, but you really need to get over it. I mean, you’re attractive, funny, and have crazy skills when it comes to hair. You’re an awesome catch, girlfriend.”

“Tell it to the straight guys,”
I answered, dryly.

“Honey, if they can’t handle a woman who isn’
t afraid to speak her mind,” he said, “then they certainly don’t deserve you.”

Jesse
was being kind. The fact was that I had a little bit of a temper and sometimes didn’t know when to keep my mouth shut- which, come to think of it, was a trait we both shared. After I’d caught Shawn cheating and kicked him out of our apartment, I’d vowed to never let anyone manipulate or take advantage of me, ever again. So now, if I didn’t agree with something someone said, I let them know it or if I felt threatened in any way, I usually pounced first. Surprisingly, it sat well with my customers because they kept coming back and asking
me
for advice. Even Jesse had laid his problems out for me- which lead to where I was now- his newest partner in crime.

“How does Alex feel about all of this?” I asked. “Is he still giving you the silent treatment?”

He sighed. “Yes. He’s still pissed off that I’m hiding him from my parents. He just doesn’t understand. His parents are so freaken’ cool and mine are just…well,” he sighed, “mine.”

I was having a hard time
understanding, why he didn’t just ‘come out’. Jesse had a decent job and his partner, Alex, was
very
well off. The only thing I could fathom was that Jesse’s monthly allowance from his trust fund was pretty damn considerable.

“Well, you’re going to have to break it to them
, someday.”

“You don’t understand h
ow intolerable my parents are, Sin, but,” he bit his lower lip. “You will.”

“Great, can hardly wai
t,” I answered, now wondering what in the blazes I’d gotten myself into.

We slid
out of the Jag and into our roles right away, by strolling hand-in-hand towards the front door, where we were greeted by a very eloquent grey-haired gentleman.

“
Young, Mr. Eddington,” beamed the older man. “So nice to see you, again.”

Jessie stood straighter than usual.
“Thanks, George,” he answered, in a slightly deeper tone. “This is my girlfriend, Sinclair Jeffries.”

I looked at
Jesse, trying to hide my surprise. The transformation, from a prima donna to a heterosexual male was comical, considering, I knew he hated every minute of it.

One of George’s eyebrow
s lifted as his eyes darted between us. “Charmed to meet you, Ms. Jeffries,” he said.

“Same to you
,” I greeted him. “Just call me Sinclair or Sin.”

George’s eyes studied both of us for a
few seconds and then he nodded. “Very well, Sinclair.”

“
Crap, I forgot our bags,” sighed Jesse. “They’re still in the trunk.”

“
No problem, Mr. Eddington. I’ll go retrieve them,” said George, holding out his hand for the keys. “Will you be staying in your old bedroom, or,” he glanced at me. “One of the guest’ rooms with Ms. Jeffries, sir?”

“Sinclair,” I corrected him.

“Of course,” smiled George.

“I’m sure
Mimi would prefer that we sleep separately,” said Jesse. “So, for
her
benefit, I think we can handle two nights apart.”

Decidi
ng to have a little fun, I slid my arm through Jesse’s and pouted. “But Jesse, I don’t think I can handle a night without your strong, manly arms around me.”

H
e smiled, wickedly. “Now, Sin, I doubt my parents want us banging the headboard against the walls from dusk until dawn. You’ll have to live without this guy,” he said, pointing down towards his crotch. “For just a couple of days. Then, I’ll take you back home and
rock your world
.”

I had to
bite my lip to keep from laughing. “Okay, but it’s going to be so hard, not being together at night.”

He slapped my butt
. “I’ll show you
hard
come Sunday night, lover.”

George cleared his throat. “Very well, I will prepare the guest room, for Ms. Jeffries.”

“Thank you, George,” said Jesse. “Come on Sin, I’ll show you around the palace.”

“Okay.”

He pulled me away from George, who was still watching us, curiously.

“Oh, my God,” I whispered, giggling. “I think your butler almos
t lost his composure there for a moment.”

“No, not George.
He’s used to my brother bringing his trollops over.”

“Trollops?”

He rolled his eyes. “Fine, his hags, his bitches.”

I pulled
my hair over to the side. “I knew what you meant, goofball. You’re just acting so different now that we’ve entered your parent’s domain.”

“Sorry,” he said, picking a piece of lint off of his light blue Dolce and
Gabbana shirt. “Something comes over me the minute I walk into my parent’s home. It’s like I become an entirely, different person. Maybe that’s why they don’t have a clue that I’m gay. I just can’t seem to let myself really go when I’m around them.”

I smiled. “Don’t worry,
Jesse, I can still see the real you behind those baby-blues.”

“T
hat’s a relief. If I get too stuffy, however, drag my ass out of here.”

“You got it, sweetheart,” I said, grabbing his hand.

***

Michael

I watched from afar as the young couple strolled up to the front of the house, walking hand-in-hand.
It was a good thing I’d been keeping tabs on her the last few days. This was the last place I’d have expected to find her.

And with him.

Tightening my grip on the steering wheel, I fought to suppress my rage
, although, it was very difficult- the smiles on their faces made my blood boil.

How could she do this to me?

This
boy
was barely old enough to drive let alone hold her hand in his, like a familiar lover. It didn’t make sense.

She was mine!

I studied his movements as they knocked on the door and it was then that it hit me.

“Of course,” I said out loud, smiling
in relief. From the way he carried himself, any idiot could tell he wasn’t warming
her
bed at night. They were friends and nothing more. She still fancied me and was obviously waiting for me to make that first move.

In time,
my love.

I wrote down the address and then started my engine. It was time to start the preparat
ions for our new life together. 

Reed

“Is this seat taken?”

I was lounging in the Marina Bar at LAX, drinking a beer and checking emails on my laptop when I looked up to find a gorgeous blonde smiling down at me. She had a come-fuck-me stare and a cleavage most guys would do anything to get lost in.