Chapter Eleven
Stylists, hair designers, makeup artists, their assistants and their assistants’ assistants ebbed and flowed around Jenna as if she were a lone island in a sea of agitated efficiency, while Theodore and Ingrid surveyed their minions with mutual expressions of pride and accomplishment.
The week since she’d arrived in Los Angeles and been reunited with Jacob, had flown by in a whirlwind of appointments, lunch and dinner dates – each accompanied by varying entourages of photographers, journalists, and fans. Jacob posed for photos and answered questions enough to keep them pacified, so when he asked they backed away and left him and Jenna to enjoy their evening together.
But it was the quiet privacy of Jacob’s apartment Jenna treasured. They enjoyed the vibrant colors of sunset over drinks, before playing pool, or sprawling on the sofa; her head on his chest as they talked of everything and nothing, the madness of his upcoming film schedule, how she liked spa pools but hated baths, how on his next trip to Morocco he’d buy four punched-silver lamps to hang above the kitchen island, and who was the better blues singer - Eva Symone, or Persephone Jones.
Now here she was; Jacob’s guest bedroom taken over for the purpose of making her ready to attend her first movie premiere. She hadn’t seen him since dawn first crept over the Hollywood hills and through the open windows to shade the white comforter gold, heralding Ingrid’s arrival as she hustled Jenna away.
She raised her arms on command as three assistants maneuvered her gown over her head without smudging makeup or touching one hair of her elaborate up-do. Her natural shyness at being half-naked in front of a room full of strangers had evaporated within the first hour, along with the illusion that beneath all their finery celebrities got to wear expensive lingerie. After her shower, wax, and mani-pedi, Jenna switched her robe for a strapless sausage skin in nude – complete with built-in panties.
While two assistants smoothed the fitted sleeves down her arms, and another two shaped the scoop neckline around her breasts before smoothing the bodice and skirt, it all made sense. The shiny undergarment allowed the fabric to move without clinging and helped support her posture without the inconvenience of visible bra straps and pantie lines.
Jenna felt taller and more glamorous than she’d ever felt in her favorite emerald silk. Perhaps it was the small army of experts. Or maybe it was the knowledge that Jacob Starr, Hollywood action hero superstar, would be her date. She might be living the fantasy of more than a few women around the globe, but to her he was just Jacob - lover of modern blues, chocolate pecan ice-cream, and collector of sci-fi graphic novels; hater of sand, reality TV shows, and leaver of wet towels on the bathroom floor.
Jenna smiled to herself as she used a nearby shoulder to keep her balance and lifted first her left foot, then her right, in answer to the tap on her toes. The glittered four-inch stilettos were gold instead of red, but she was careful not to tap her heels together.
“Mirrors, mirrors now please.” Theodore broke her trance with an imperious clap of his hands.
The crowd parted like the red sea for Moses as two full-length mirrors with ornate white frames were brought in and positioned in front and back of Jenna.
“Rest assured you are stunning, Jenna, darling.” Ingrid purred as she stepped into view behind Jenna, an elaborate diamond lace collar draped between her fingers. “The final touch and my work here will be done.”
Theodore huffed; theatrical as always in his offence. Jenna reached a hand out to him and squeezed his fingers in grateful acknowledgement. Without him she would never have traversed the fashion minefield and survived. He squeezed back, adding a delicate pat for reassurance.
The necklace’s cool weight settled around her neck and contoured to her collarbones. Its center drop emphasized the soft swell of her breasts. Jenna lifted her chin. She felt like royalty. Her nerves contained within the slinky red fabric and lace inserts of her mermaid-silhouette gown.
“A word of warning, Miss Long.” Ingrid’s usually-melodic tones cut the air like an axe murderer going after his latest victim. “You wear two-hundred-and-fifty-thousand dollars on your perfectly-lovely décolletage. It is on loan from Villa d’Alessandro and should anything happen to it your handsome Mr Starr will be residing in a cardboard box.”
“Why would Villa d’Alessandro entrust such an expensive treasure to me of all people?”
“It’s not about you. Fashion houses are not alone in their desire to hawk their wares on the world stage.” Ingrid glanced up from fixing the clasp. “Who wears what to a Hollywood premiere will be talked about for weeks to come, what better advertising campaign could one ask for?”
Jenna’s hand fluttered over her chest, overwhelmed by the idea of someone having enough disposable income to purchase the breathtaking creation outright. The responsibility was daunting enough she almost told Ingrid to take it back, but she couldn’t deny how cool and decadent the jewels felt against her skin. The idea of fucking Jacob cowgirl-style while wearing nothing but a two-hundred-and-fifty-thousand dollar diamond necklace was one hell of an aphrodisiac too.
“I’ll be careful, Ingrid, I promise.”
Ingrid met Jenna’s gaze in the reflection they shared and held it for a moment longer, before giving a satisfied nod. “I believe you will.”
The friendly chirp of Ingrid’s phone brought everyone to life once more. Mirrors disappeared, makeup cases, hair cape, driers, blowers, and their operators, all vanished with them as if sucked into a time vortex.
“Now it is time for me to give up playing fairy godmother and go.” Ingrid slipped her hand into the crook of Theodore’s arm. “The car will be downstairs in ten minutes, do not keep him waiting. We are all but slaves to the schedule which maintains the illusion of glamor.”
“’Tis a fact of life, darling.” Theodore waved a large hand in a c'est la vie gesture then slung two garment bags over his shoulder.
“Thank you for everything, Theodore.”
“Just be sure to enjoy yourself at the ball, and don’t worry about no stinking pumpkin hour.”
Jenna wrapped an arm around her middle for fear her laughter might burst a seam. “Never been a fan of pumpkins.”
“Quite right. Orange, with that hair and skin tone, hideous!” Theodore winked at her, the diamantes in his glasses twinkling in the low light.
“Come now, Theo, we must depart. Jenna, darling, you look marvelous.” Ingrid stepped in to bestow her ritual air-kisses. “I shall meet you on the red carpet. Remember to remove your sweat pads before exiting the car or you will regret it when they appear in every photograph across the world.”
Jenna had forgotten the pads her stylist shoved between the gown and her armpits as they dressed her. When asked, the woman had answered with a gruff nerves make you sweat like a pig. A trick of the trade Jenna was grateful to learn. The thought of revealing ugly sweat patches under her arms while standing in front of thousands of cameras and phones was horrifying.
“Jenna?” Jenna startled. It’d been an entire day since she’d last heard his voice, and it thrilled her to her bones, heated her blood and set her heart racing. “Shall I come in?”
“No!”
“Okay.” The wariness in his voice made her realize she’d barked like a junkyard dog.
“No, no.” She chuckled to reassure him as she figured out how heels and cocktail train were supposed to work together. “I want to make an entrance here. That way if I fall on my ass, it’ll just be you witnessing my humiliation, and not the entire world press.”
His laughter buoyed her. Although there’d been times in their unconventional courtship where the chasm between their worlds was glaring, Jenna had never felt like she didn’t belong with Jacob. Dressed in the trappings of his world showed her another version of herself, one she would be happy to explore in depth in the future.
Jenna stepped from guest room to living room and grinned as the handsomest man she’d ever seen stared back at her, brown eyes wide and dark with appreciation.
“Holy fuck!”
Jenna bobbed a curtsy as best she could and fluttered her lashes at her lover. “Such compliments are liable to make a girl blush, Mr Starr.”
“You take my breath away.” He truly sounded breathless as he strode from the balcony doors across the room to take her hands in his. “How’d I get so lucky?”
“It’s a question I ask myself every time you look my way.” Jenna stroked the backs of his hands and felt satisfaction simmer beneath her skin when his eyes fluttered at her touch.
He wore an exclusively-tailored black suit, a matching vest, black dress shirt, and a black tie with a metallic shimmer. She had seen him dressed up before, yet the masculine prowess and sheer sexiness he projected seemed only to increase with each occasion. She suspected even years into the future Jacob Starr would still have the power to turn her insides to liquid want. In fact, if they weren’t expected somewhere so important, Jenna would’ve demanded he take her right there against the wall.
The intercom buzzed just as Jacob leaned in to kiss her and Jenna sighed with both relief and disappointment. If only she’d had the forethought to have him kiss her senseless before they took an hour to do her makeup. Now she’d have to wait until the dark of the cinema. Would they be able to sit in the back row like a couple of teenagers on a first date? Her lips twitched in amusement even as she dismissed the notion for the time being.
“Ready?” Jacob stood by the open front door and held out a gold clutch purse to her.
“As I’ll ever be.” Jenna smoothed away the non-existent creases over her abs and reached for the purse.
“Just smile, and remember, I’ll be with you.” He pressed a soft, lingering kiss to her the curve of her shoulder, his breath a hot mist on her bare skin.
“Thank you for a wonderful evening.” He glanced up from locking the door, confusion furrowing his brow. “Just in case, with all the limelight and flashbulbs, I forget to tell you, later.”
Jacob ducked his head, a bashful flush coloring his cheeks as he offered her his arm. “C’mon, we better get going or Adam’ll have them eating out the palm of his hand before we get through traffic.”
“What are we waiting for then?” Jenna picked up her skirt so she could take longer strides without catching her heels in the hem. “Let’s go, Mr Starr, your public awaits.”
They were still laughing when they reached the sleek black-and-oyster limousine parked against the curb outside Jacob’s building.