𝗜𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁 𝗔𝗳𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗿𝘀 | 𝐁𝗼𝐛𝐛𝐲 𝐊𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐝𝐲/𝗥𝗙𝗞

XXIV: "Prima Donna"

"Mama, we're leaving for Ted's barbecue. So, no dinner for us tonight." Evelyn took a glimpse at her watch, the needle was pointing at seven o'clock. "Have fun, girls. Evie, don't forget to mingle with people. Who knows— they might just be a Hollywood director." Julia added with a sense of teasing in her words. Wendy giggled with her hand covering her mouth. "Ha, ha." Evelyn walked up to her mother and gave her a kiss on the cheek before exiting the house at a quick pace.

Once Evelyn saw the variety of cars being parked across the road, she knew she was in the compound of the Kennedys home. All of a sudden, her nerves started to work up—she was drenched in cold sweats by the time they were in the backyard.

"Lyn..." A close, gentle sounding voice called out to her. "Jack, hi." The girl shyly fidgeted with the handbag she was holding. Wendy was starstruck by the man in their presence. "Wow, you look... gorgeous." Jack had to resist the temptation to caress Evelyn's soft skin — her revealing silky dress was attracting more attention than she thought she'd ever get in a lifetime; both men and women at the party had their eyes on her as if they'd been hypnotized. "And who is this?" Jack shifted his sight to the slender woman next to Evelyn. "Oh, this is Wendy Lester. We're roommates at Harvard." She once again had to introduce her friend.

With a pair of admiring eyes, Wendy reluctantly lent her hand to shake Jack's. "Enchanté. By the look on your face, I assume you know who I am?" The man showed off his sparkly teeth with a wide grin on his face. They shook hands and Evelyn noticed the way Wendy rubbed her thumb on top of Jack's hand. "Yes, of course! You're a great congressman, Mr. Kennedy." There was no effort from Wendy in hiding her excitement—she was a fan, for sure. "Oh, please. I'd like you to just call me Jack. None of that formal stuff here." Jack didn't mind the grip on his hand, he seemed to be rather excited that Evelyn had brought her equally gorgeous friend to the party.

"Gosh, I feel awkward standing here." Evelyn joked, she repositioned the thin strap of her bright dress that was laying on her shoulder. "Come on, I'll introduce you to some of my Hollywood friends." Jack nodded to Wendy before squeezing between them. He laid his warm, robust hand on Evelyn's back — the calloused surface of his palm met with the most tender and unwrinkled skin. The man could feel the sweat streaming down his neck when Evelyn promptly wrapped her hand on his waist. As they arrived at Jack's inner circle, he introduced the two girls—one in very high regard.

"Fellas, may I introduce you to my friends? This is Wendy Lester." The way Jack placed Wendy's name before Evelyn had made her uncomfortable. Wendy timidly waved at the men who were clearly judging her. "And the future Hollywood bombshell— Evelyn Bellamy." Jack stroked Evelyn's back a couple of times before letting go. The girl flushed in embarrassment — her cheeks roseate when the men in front of her nodded their head and smiling with admiration in their eyes. "Jack's overestimating me, but... fingers crossed." Evelyn reluctantly winked at the youngest looking man in the group. "Well, aren't you something?" He responded with a dark smirk upon his boyish face. "Something? Jack just said I'm Hollywood's future bombshell." Then in a blink of an eye, Evelyn had completely turned into someone different — she was charming the concupiscent group with her body movements and sultry voice. Jack and Wendy stood in silence — or shock.

"Jack, you didn't tell us she'd be prettier than Hayworth." An older man spoke up, the cigar in his mouth muffled his voice slightly. "Well... I think they look quite similar, don't they?" Jack stepped closer to Evelyn, he smiled as he pretended to scan the girl from her heels to her head. Wendy, who was standing on the very far right spot of the circle, felt excluded in the conversation. "Only with a pair of green eyes." The third man from the group added his remark. "I'm not going to lie, her shoulders alone can put her in a movie with Cary Grant." A man said and the rest hummed in agreement, nodding their messy heads while gawking closely at Evelyn. "Now, where exactly did a pretty doll like you come from?" A slim man with a slick hairstyle muttered to Evelyn with a debonair flair to himself. Jack could see how Evelyn could handle it on her own, so he turned to Wendy and gestured for her to follow him somewhere else.