Eight Weeks Later NEW YORK CITY, USA Alex was tired and frustrated. Finally, she thought with some small triumph, she had arrived in New York City. Now standing there in the lobby of LaGuardia Airport, she just wanted to collapse on the floor and rest. Where was Jayden anyway? Oh, God! What if he forgot to come and get her? Well, she couldn’t blame him if he had because she was late. She was supposed to arrive yesterday afternoon. But being the clumsy, inexperienced traveler she was, she managed to miss the flight from Sydney to Los Angeles and then the rest was history. She was still upset she missed that flight. It was first class. Now she would never know what it was like sitting in that luxurious, comfy seat with the airhostess serving her every need. Damn! Turning her attention back to her dilemma, she thought if she didn’t see Jay within the next five minutes, she’d take a taxi and check into the nearest hotel. Then she’d give him a ring to tell him where she was. She dragged
Alexandra had the most horrible headache ever. She flashed her eyes open and rubbed her temple, swearing silently. The bright sunlight didn’t help either. She squinted and gritted her teeth. “Good afternoon, sleepy head.” She snapped her eyes open, wondering who was in the room with her. She licked her lips and turned to look behind her. Jayden was standing just at the end of the bed, hands in the pockets of his trousers. His white shirt was unbuttoned halfway, showing off his muscular chest. Oh my God! He was so handsome—just like a devilishly hot Calvin Klein model. She had no doubt he was wearing Calvin Klein anyway. Then she wondered why Jay asked her to be his fake girlfriend when he could have chosen someone prettier—someone like Mary St. Clair. But then again, Jay was gay. Because he wasn’t interested in women, he wouldn’t know which was hot, which was pretty, and which was plain like her. That explained why he wasn’t affected by Mary’s famous charm. God made him a perfect cr
How does one work this blasted thing? Alex wondered as she stared at her BlackBerry. She searched through the menu, found the call section, and started dialing. She brought the BlackBerry to her ear and waited as the ringing noise continued. A moment later, she heard her brother’s voice saying, “Hello, Tim speaking.” “Hey, Tim, it’s me.” “Alex?” He chuckled. “Man, you sound weird and so far away.” “Of course I’m far away. I’m in America.” “You got there all right, huh?” “Yeah, I’m here safe and sound.” “Cool.” “Hey, how’s Mum and Dad?” she asked, wondering if her dad was taking things easy or was he up to his old, stubborn self again and working hard. “Dad is taking things easy. Mum makes sure of that.” Alex sighed with relief. “That’s good. Is Mum there?” “Yeah. Hold on a sec.” A few seconds later, Alex heard her mum’s voice through the phone. “Hey, sweetheart. Glad to hear your voice. I’m worried, you know. I know you’re a big girl now. Your dad’s doing well. I make sure
Jayden never thought Beth would interrogate Alex as though she were a suspect in a murder case. Alex kept looking at him for guidance every time Beth fired a question at her. As if any of that were important, Jay thought gloomily. He rested his head against the back of the sofa and closed his eyes. He could feel a headache coming. “Heard your girlfriend has finally arrived,” a voice said at the door. Jay flashed his eyes open to see his dad, Tom McCartney, standing there with his hands in the pockets of his trousers. Tall, brown hair, and grey eyes—and right then dressed in a Zegna suit—he looked handsome and powerful. He must have just returned from the McCartney Hotel. “Hey, Dad,” he greeted. “Yeah, Alex is here.” Tom came to sit beside his son. “You don’t look too happy.” Jay thought his dad could say that again. “Beth.” “Ah, Beth,” Tom said as if that explained everything. “Has she mentioned Britney yet?” “Yeah. I hope she realizes it’s not going to happen.” “Don’t you mind
Alex was exhausted. Her feet ached. She just wanted to scream and kick off the shoes. She blamed the four-inch high heels or stilettos or whatever they were called for this because she was unaccustomed to them. Sneakers and slippers were her best friends. When she had no one to talk to during their long dinner party, she dreamt of her thick, fluffy Sylvester the Cat slippers. She dreamt of how warm and cozy and soft they’d be on her feet. Her eyes were also irritated because of the dry weather. It was worse when she wore her contacts. She wanted to take them out and put in some eye drops to relieve the irritation. At least for the past two hours she found the conversation with Tom McCartney immensely stimulating. They talked about politics, which she knew nothing about. She, however, managed to tell him a little bit about John Key, the prime minister of New Zealand. She also felt quite good when she happened to mention Obama and how smart he was. Tom had a pleasant personality, like
Jayden listened to Alex’s rhythmic breathing as she slept. Oddly enough, he found it comforting, and soon he, too, fell asleep. When he woke up the next morning, it was to the smell of strong, black coffee and freshly baked bread. Chef Leon must have just finished baking that wonderful French bread he so enjoyed. He breathed in deeply as though he were inhaling fresh air into his lungs, enjoying the delightful aroma. He stretched his body. Damn, his neck felt stiff. Apparently, the sofa didn’t make such a comfortable bed after all. He sat up and started to massage his aching muscles. He turned his neck left and right as he groaned. Then he turned his neck too far to the right and it cracked, making a loud noise. “Shit!” he muttered at the sharp pain erupting throughout his body. He stopped short when he saw Alex watching him, a pretty smile on her lips. “Good morning, Mr. McCartney. Good sleep last night?” she asked sarcastically. Jay saw the mischievousness in her glowing eyes an
Alexandra stared at herself in the mirror, her fingers touching her slightly sore, red lips. She could still feel that lovely sensation that resulted from Jayden’s kiss. She groaned. A feeling of sadness built up within her heart. “Alex?” She heard his voice from the other side of the door, which was then followed by a couple of soft knocks. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do that to you.” Sorry? She didn’t want him to feel sorry for what he did. “Alex, you hear me?” Alex sighed and reluctantly replied, “Yeah, I’m fine. Don’t be sorry, Jay. I know it’s not real anyway.” “Alex, look—” She cut him off by turning on the shower so she couldn’t hear his explanations or excuses or whatever it was he was trying to say. She tiptoed to the door and listened to see if he was still there. When she heard nothing, she relaxed and rested her head against the door. Oddly enough, her heart hurt in a strange, painful way. What could it be? A sign of disappointment? Oh dear. Didn’t she warn herself a
Jayden came down to breakfast, still thinking about Kelly’s words. Surely she didn’t mean everything would fall apart. What about Alex when all this was over? He wondered what her reaction would be if he were to tell her he wasn’t gay. He had never thought about that. She’d probably slap him in the face and call him a liar. “You seem to be deep in thought, Jay,” Gracie called out. Jayden looked up to see his mother and Alex at the dining table. Alexandra was smiling at him. “Yeah,” he said, the dilemma wiped out of his mind. He came to sit opposite them and took a slice of toast. Then he poured himself a cup of black coffee. “Alex has been telling me how you two met,” Gracie said. Jay glanced at Alex. He saw her blushing. “Really? Do tell. I’m curious.” Gracie chuckled. “She spilled tea on your jacket.” Jay took a bit of his toast. After a bit of chewing, he said, “She did.” “Then you spilled beer on her.” Gracie continued. “How clumsy of you, Jayden.” He threw the half-eaten