Emily Jane was in the midst of planning one of Hollywood's 'It' couple's wedding. Aiden recommended her to his co-star and friend Brandon Jacobs. Brandon was set to wed Jenna Malone, the star of last summer's runaway romantic comedy hit. Fans of 'Benna', as the adoring public called them, were excited for the wedding of the year. Brandon was all dark and handsome where Jenna was all blonde and sunny, the perfect match.
Because of all the attention on the upcoming wedding and Jenna dropping her name every chance she got, Emily Jane had garnered some public interest on herself. A magazine wanted to feature her, Lizzie, and Amanda in their women empowerment issue. They were to be filed under 'Ones To Watch'. She was sitting in front of her vanity looking at her reflection and practicing her smile.
"Sweetie, what are you doing?" Aiden sauntered into her bedroom causing her to jump in fright.
"Oh my gosh, A!" she slapped him on the arm as he got closer to her and kissed her on the lips.
"Sorry, sweets. Jared let me in."
"Sweetie, I don't know how you do this. I am so nervous!"
"The magazine article?"
"Yeah! I must be absolutely ridiculous, right? It's most likely gonna be a blurb with a small picture of the three of us. I don't know why I'm so jittery."
"Sweetie, you are going to be fine; you're gonna look absolutely beautiful and blow everyone away."
"I got into this business because I like to be behind the scenes, making things happen like it's magic; and now I'm being thrust into the limelight. And I'm glad they agreed for me to bring along Lizzie and Amanda; this is OUR business, after all. I didn't know why they only wanted to feature me," Emily Jane frowned.
"Come here," Aiden said and helped her stand up. He pulled her into a bone crushing hug and buried his face on her shoulder. "Ems, you deserve this, okay? You have been busting your behind making all these weddings happen. It's about time you got some recognition."
"But this isn't important to me, Sweetie."
"I know, but this is a good thing. You'll get more exposure and leave your mark."
"You're right."
"What happened to my little go-getter anyway?" he lifted her chin up so he can gaze into her eyes.
"She's right here," she said with a smile, finally brightening up. "Thank you. I love you so much!"
"There is one thing I'm worried about," Aiden said.
"What is it?" Emily Jane asked with her eyebrows furrowed. She moved her hands from his waist to his hair, playing with his ears.
"That other guys will see your picture and just instantaneously fall in love with you."
"What?" Emily Jane exclaimed, flabbergasted. "First of all, it's a women's magazine, not a men's magazine about the 100 hottest women or whatever list that I would never be a part of. Second of all, that's highly doubtful."
"You think so?"
"Guaranteed," she said continuing to play with both of his ears.
"Well, I don't think it's that guaranteed, sweetie. You are a beautiful woman and so, so, sexy," he growled at her. He brought his lips down to hers and kissed her, parting her lips easily.
"Sweetie, my brother's home," she said against his lips, pushing his chest with the palm of her hands.
"No, he's not. He was on his way out when I came in," he bent down and placed his hands behind her knees, easily lifting her up to wrap her legs around his waist.
"Really?" she asked playfully.
"Really," he grinned and backed her up onto her bed. He carefully got on top of her and resumed kissing her.
Aiden found the tie of her wrap dress and easily pulled the ribbon out of it's knot. He parted her dress and helped her shrug it off of her. He pulled the dress from under her and tossed it to the floor on the side of the bed. He kneeled up to take his shirt off where it soon joined her dress on the floor. She grabbed for him and brought him back down to her. He kissed her fingertips and trailed kisses up her arm until his lips reconnected with her lips and groaned as his body reconnected with hers in a now familiar way.
She laid on top of him, her head on his chest and her arms bent underneath her, her teeth nipping at the pad of her thumb as they both worked to catch their breaths. He tucked her stray hair behind her ears with one hand while the other caressed up and down her spine, feeling the ridges of bones on her back. The blanket was only halfway up their bodies, covering their naked bottoms. Aiden just looked at Emily Jane, memorizing her face. He could stare at her forever. She had the kind of face that grew more beautiful the longer you looked: she had very expressive eyes, and the most kissable pouty lips he'd ever seen. She hummed a melodious tune softly, something he absolutely loved whenever she did it. He tilted her chin up and gave her a kiss on the top of her nose as she looked up.
"Hi," she said.
"Hi."
***
Emily Jane, Lizzie, and Amanda were currently sitting in make up chairs in the studio where their photographs were going to be taken. Emily Jane had her long hair in jumbo velcro curlers as a make up artist set to making her face camera ready. Taupe eyeshadow was carefully applied to her eyelids and smoky black kohl rimmed her eyes, making them more mesmerizing than ever. Nude lipstick and peach blush completed her look.
The wardrobe assistant helped her into her outfit before the hairstylist styled her hair. She had brought her own outfit from her closet, same with Lizzie and Amanda, but they were told that they already had outfits chosen for them by the creative director. Emily Jane wore white tailored skinny pants that stopped at her ankle with a matching structured white blazer. Underneath her blazer she wore a leather bustier, something far sexier than anything she had ever worn in her life. On her feet were black patent leather pumps with six inch heels, making her already proportionately long legs look even longer and leaner. She had to hold on to the wardrobe assistant as the hairstylist took her hair out of the curlers, fluffed it a bit, and sprayed a texturing spray to give it more body and shine. Amanda and Lizzie were also in similar power suits, getting into their temporary super model lives and enjoying themselves.
The director didn't have a hard time with the three because they were all game to try different poses and whatnot. They didn't have to do any high fashion types of posing, mostly ones that boldly showed confidence and embodied being a woman of power. The creative director pulled Emily Jane aside after the shoot.
"Have you ever thought of being in front of the camera? The camera loves you. You have this natural charisma; very charming face and personality."
"Oh thank you, but no, thank you," Emily Jane quickly said.
"But I've seen your pictures with Aiden. Sometimes he even just becomes an afterthought," the casting director went on.
"Oh stop it," she blushed.
"Honestly, Emily Jane. If you ever wanna quit your day job..."
"Let's just leave that to Aiden, shall we?" she laughed and thanked the creative director and walked to her two friends.
"What was that all about?" Lizzie asked Emily Jane.
"Something about being in showbusiness."
"You could, you know," Lizzie shrugged.
"No way."
"You have an amazing voice. You could make it as a singer," Amanda observed.
"Nah. The spotlight is not for me. Let's go home before you guys get any more crazy ideas."
The three friends changed out of their outfits and into their jeans and t-shirts they came into the studio in. As soon as Emily Jane sat down in the back seat of Lizzie's car, her phone rang. She smiled broadly before accepting the call.
"Hi Sweetie!" she sweetly greeted the caller.
"Hi! How was the shoot?" Aiden asked her.
"It went okay. They had me wear leather, sweets!" she guffawed.
"What?" Aiden asked in surprise.
"Well, a leather bustier underneath a white suit," she clarified.
"Did they let you keep it," Aiden's voice was playful on the other side of the line.
"Sweetie!" Emily Jane shrieked.
"I wouldn't mind seeing you in that...and then getting you out of it."
"Anyway..." Emily Jane steered the conversation away.
Aiden laughed in amusement. He loved his girlfriend's shy ways, especially when it came to them being intimate. When she was in her element in her business, she was no holds barred, will get you exactly what you want for your wedding at any cost, but when it came to talking about their sexy time, she was a shrinking violet. He only liked to bring it up because she was so easy to ruffle.
"How was the interview?"
"It was good, straight to the point. They just asked how we started the business, where we are located, et cetera, the usual, run of the mill questions."
"I can't wait to see those pictures, sweetie."
"I've seen some. They were amazing! Lizzie and Amanda looked absolutely gorgeous."
"She did too!!!" Lizzie yelled from where she sat in the driver's seat.
Aiden laughed a hearty laugh on the other side as Emily Jane giggled. "I'll see you at home later?"
"Your home?"
"Yeah, or I could come see you."
"I'll come over. Do you want anything? I can bring some Chinese food or something."
"Sure. Kung Pao chicken and Mongolian beef please. And fried rice."
"You got it, sweets."
Emily Jane picked up his order at the Chinese restaurant near her house before heading to Aiden's. She changed into a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt, her hair in a ponytail and not a trace of make up left on her face. She looked like a teen ager ready to go to PE, but she didn't care. She wanted to be comfortable while hanging out with her boyfriend. She pulled up to his parking spot, a spot usually open for her whenever she would come over, and rang the doorbell. The door opened almost instantaneously and he scooped her up and gave her a long kiss upon seeing her.
"Hello to you, too," she giggled.
"Come on, let's eat. I'm starving!"
He took the plastic bags from Emily Jane's hands and placed them on the dining room table. He broke apart a pair of wooden chopsticks and handed one to his girlfriend. Emily Jane smilingly took it from him and opened a carton of kung pao chicken as he broke another pair of chopsticks apart. They ate straight from the cartons, she took charge of the chicken while he had the Mongolian beef, occasionally feeding each other to sample the other dish. They polished off all the food and clean up was easy, since they used no dishes. They were cuddling on the couch watching a show about funny home videos. She traced circles on his chest with her pointer finger as he did the same to her forearm.
"Sweetie?" Emily Jane asked timidly, not looking at her boyfriend.
"Hmm?" Aiden replied without taking his eyes off the TV screen.
"Am I good enough to make it in Hollywood?"
"What do you mean?" Aiden finally looked down at her.
"It's just that earlier, the casting director was telling me how I would do well in front of the camera. What do you think?"
"Do you want to be an actress?"
"No. Not at all. I'm just curious as to what you think."
"You would be the next America's sweetheart," he said and kissed the top of her head.
"Aww, sweetie, you're so nice."
"You're so nice," he bent down to kiss her again and his lips landed on her eyelids.
"Well, I don't have any plans of going down that career path, but I guess it's nice to be told you're beautiful enough to at least consider it."
"Sweetie, you are beautiful. Very beautiful."
Aiden stared into her eyes, his blue eyes flickering with pride and admiration. A few moments later, the usual sunny blue turned a darker shade of blue. She kept right on staring into her eyes, starting to drown in his gaze. He had the most beautiful blue eyes she had ever seen, especially when he looked at her in his knee-buckling way.
"Don't look at me like that," she whispered, not breaking eye contact.
"Don't look at you like what?" he asked innocently.
"Like that."
He brought his face even closer to hers.
"Why?"
"Because you're so hot, and I'm melting, and you make me wanna do this," and she closed the gap between their lips and kissed him.
And the kissing led to his bedroom.
***
Emily Jane was talking a mile a minute to the person on her cell phone. She had her hand on her forehead as she paced back and forth in an empty hallway of the five star hotel where 'Benna's' reception was to be held. Aiden arrived dressed in his tuxedo, ready to be one of the groomsmen at his friend's wedding. He scrunched up his forehead and looked at his girlfriend worriedly. He reached her just as she finished talking on her phone. She gasped as she nearly bumped into his chest, she was turned around when he approached her.
"Sweetie, what's the matter?" he asked her anxiously.
"That was the band. They will be here as promised, but their lead singer has laryngitis! They are a pop-rock band, for Pete's sake! They can't do instrumental! What am I gonna do?" she asked as she collapsed in his arms.
"Okay, sweetie, first of all, you are gonna breathe. Secondly, we'll figure this out."
"I can't screw this up, Aiden! This is a major wedding! My career could be riding on this!"
Aiden cupped his girlfriend's face and gave her a kiss on the lips. He needed her to stop thinking and stop talking for a second, she was beginning to get hysterical. He slowly released her lips from underneath his and smiled at her stunned face.
"Ems, Sweetie, I need you to breathe. I need to go to the church now, but I need to make sure you're gonna be okay."
"I'm not gonna be okay," she said as tears formed in her eyes.
"You're gonna be okay. You just need to make a few phone calls and find a wedding singer."
"Sweetie, this is so last minute. I'm a wedding coordinator, not a magician! I can't believe this is happening."
"Sweetie, this is just a test. Breathe, please. You need to breathe to relax, clear your head for a moment. The band will be here, so it's not a complete loss."
"I know, but..."
She stopped. Her face flickered with an idea, but immediately frowned. He studied her face as her expression kept changing from a frown to a grimace and back again.
"Sweetie?" he asked cautiously.
"Sweetie, go to the church. I don't want you to be late. I think I'll be okay."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. I'll see you back here for the reception."
"You're not going to the church?"
"No. Lizzie will handle it there. I still have a lot of work to do here."
"Okay. I'll see you later," Aiden gave her a quick peck on the lips and went on his way.
Emily Jane quickly went to the nearest mall and bought herself a black three-quarter sleeved dress with a boat neck and sequins on the top half with an asymmetrical skirt and a sash that accentuated her waist. She had her black pumps in the trunk of the car luckily to pair the dress with. She drove back to the hotel and grabbed her dress, her shoes, and her make up bag and stashed them in the corner of the dining hall. She saw the band setting up and had a little chat with them. They practiced a few songs together, the lead guitarist assuring her that they can just follow her lead, they were that seasoned as a band. She rushed to the restroom and changed into her outfit, putting her hair in a simple side chignon. She quickly swiped on a cherry lip gloss and lined her eyes in black and put on chandelier earrings to complete her look. By the time she got out of the rest room, she saw Lizzie had gotten Amanda on board to help with the event after sending her a frantic text hours before.
"Em J, wow! You look stunning!" Lizzie gushed.
"I'm fronting the band," she shrugged.
"Great!" Amanda chimed in.
"That was the only solution I got!"
"Ems, you are going to kick ass and do great," Lizzie wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She felt Emily Jane shaking with nerves.
"I'm just so nervous. The band has lyrics to their set so I'm good, and it's a good thing I know all of those songs."
"Break a leg, sister. Oh wait, here comes your main squeeze now," Amanda said with a nod of her head.
Aiden approached them, confusion evident in his handsome face. He kissed his girlfriend on the cheek as he reached her and embraced her in his arms. "What's going on, Sweetie?"
"I'm singing."
"What?"
"Yeah, it was the only thing I could think to do. I'm so nervous, sweetie," she wrapped her arms tighter around Aiden's waist.
"You are going to do great! I have so much faith in you, sweetie, it should be illegal," he joked with her. His joking worked because he felt her laugh against his chest and her fingers pinch his side. "By the way, you look amazingly beautiful. You looking like this should be illegal," he continued more seriously this time.
"Thanks, Sweetie."
"I love you."
"I love you, too."
She waved at him and made her way to where the band was set up on a stage. She waited as the DJ introduced the bridal party and waited for the bride and groom to take their spot on the dance floor for their first dance as husband and wife. She took small steps towards the microphone stand at the center of the stage and took a deep breath as the band started playing The Carpenters' "Close to You". She saw Aiden grinning proudly at her from where he sat and give her the two thumbs up. She got more comfortable as the song went on, Brandon and Jenna smiling at her before getting lost in each other's eyes for the rest of the song. She took a short break after the first half of the set where the band played intrumental music, and Aiden asked her for a dance, to which she happily obliged. They held each other close, just swaying to the music, looking into each other's eyes, deep coffee meeting bright aqua.
"You never cease to amaze me, Ems. I am so lucky to be in love with a woman of many talents."
"Thank you, sweetie. I'm glad you're out here. Just having you near calms my heart. I love you so much."
"I love you, too."
Brandon and Jenna walked up to them and congratulated her. Jenna had nothing but kind words and the highest of praise to say to her, telling her that she had the voice of an angel and that the guests were having a fantastic time dancing the night away to the music played by the band.
"I didn't know you could sing, Ems! You should just do this professionally! Everyone's already asking us who you are and would like to book you!" Jenna excitedly said. "
This is only for you, Jenna. I'm just glad you approve," Emily Jane bantered with the bride.
"I love it! You are the best, Ems! Right, honey?" Jenna asked her husband, to which he nodded. Jenna pulled Emily Jane into a tight hug. "Thank you so much for a very memorable night."
"You're most welcome."
" I do want you out here for the bouquet toss, though, okay? Bran and I already agreed we would aim specifically for you and Aiden," Jenna winked.
"Okay," Emily Jane laughed.
Brandon went first, fishing playfully for Jenna's garter and practically just handed the garter to Aiden. It was as if the guys already had a talk to back away from Aiden as the garter came flying up in the air into Aiden's waiting hands. Everyone cheered and he just smiled good naturedly, lifting the garter up in victory. Jenna meanwhile placed Emily Jane front and center. It was not as easy for her though; there was no agreement, all the women wanting that bouquet for themselves, but in the end, Emily Jane still came out victorious. She was determined to get it, not wanting Aiden's hands on another woman. Aiden took his time slipping the garter up her leg, his hands disappearing beneath her skirt, placing the garter as high as he could without getting censored, so to speak, his eyes keeping contact with Emily Jane's the entire time. If Emily Jane wasn't already seated, she was sure she would have swooned from how sexy Aiden made his move. They took a few pictures with the newlyweds before she took the stage again to play out the last half of the set.