Kate
We were walking down the stairs to meet Jay's family for lunch. Jay had been acting weird all morning. He was busy with work mostly but when he looked at me it was like he was trying to catch me stealing the sliver or something.
It wasn't until we were walking down the stairs when Jay stopped me.
"What's going on between you and my brother?" he asked. I felt my heart jump in my throat at his words. It felt like all the blood has drained from my body and I had to hold the railing for support.
"What do you mean? Nothing" I tried to keep my voice as straight and steady as possible. He kept on looking my straight in the eye for a while before pulling his fingers through his hair out of frustration.
"Fine. I feel like I need to warn you. I don't know what Jake is doing but you need to watch yourself"
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"I've seen the way he looks at you" he said making me feel all fuzzy inside. So it wasn't just me then that saw a difference when Jake looked at me. I loved the way he looked at me like I was the only woman for him, like I was his... Kate not the time to go all girly!
"Jay..." I tried to reason with him but he interrupted.
"I'm just warning you. Jakes a player, always has been. He's been with more models than Prince Harry. He uses young innocent girls like you as a game. He'll use you just to get to me and then leave you straight after" his words were hush and cold and at first I chose to ignore them but... it was like warning bells started ringing in my ears. I knew Jake was a player when I first met him but somewhere on the way I had forgotten but now all them thoughts had rushed back. Jake was a player. He loved his single carefree life. He'd told me himself. He loved games and the chase but did he stick around after?
He was used to models, actresses and beautiful women, not women like... me.
"Well you don't need to warn me, I have no interest in Jake" I tried my hardest to lie and he knew it.
"I've also seen you looking at him" felt like my heart was being held in a tight fist hard.
"I..."
"Just remember you're doing a job here Kate. We have a contract and if you break it... well let's just say things won't work out that great on your side" I know he was right to speak the way he was. He was paying me a lot to be his girlfriend and what was I doing? Hooking up with his brother! I felt horrible.
"Nothing's going to happen" 'Anymore' I thought. Things were getting too dangerous. Too many people were starting to notice something was up. I needed to start focusing on the job at hand.
"It better not... come let's go for lunch"
We went outside on the courtyard where food was being served. We joined a table with all Jay's family and tucked in. Jay was really pushing the girlfriend card today. Pulling the chair out for me, his hands wrapped around my waist high so everyone from the table could see and stealing kisses at every catch he got. On my forehead, on my cheek and when he could on my lips. They were only pecks but they made me feel nervous and I little sick. Not because Jay was repulsive or anything just that he wasn't Jake. I suddenly felt like I was chatting on him every time Jay had his lips on me and his hands everywhere.
"Who's that with Jake?" Jay's mother Sally asked making everyone look over at Jake. My heart started rising at the sound of Jakes name as I looked up to see him standing next to a tall legged blonde. They were both standing too close next to each other. Whispering in each other's ears suddenly I felt even more sick than before.
"That's Cecilie Fredriksen" Lilly answered.
"She's hot" Paul smirked looking at me. I just looked back confused. It was like he was trying to get a reaction from me. I just looked down at my plante.
"She and her sister were named world's most promising female heiresses last year"
"Didn't they used to date?" Connor asked and I felt every mussel inside me tense. I looked back up and saw that their bodies where now touching for standing so close together, laughing and joking with each other.
"They look very cosy" Sally said smiling.
"Jake's got cosy with everyone in this room, minuses the people on this table" Connor laughed.
"Speak for yourself. Jake and I get cosy all the time" Paul joked again looking my way.
"Look at them both, like they don't care who sees" Lilly laughed at her brother.
"I thought she was getting married?" Sally voiced.
"Hasn't stopped him before" Jay spoke with a straight and serious tone. He looked at me again with the same look he gave this morning when he was warning me away from Jake. I knew already that he was a player but I didn't understand what was happening. Why would he be flirting with her right in front of everyone like this. He must know that I can see him. He must know how I'd feel seeing him with her.
"Typical Jake"
"Yeah Jake would do anything to get his leg over" Paul joke but it sent a sharp pain through my heart.
"Paul!" Sally yelled.
Maybe I didn't know Jake atoll. If this was typical Jake behaviour even after he told me that he had strong feelings for me. What was I getting myself in to?
"What? It's true Mother and don't pretend you don't know everything he gets up to" he turned to her smirking.
"Yes but let's not talk about it at the lunch table"
Everyone went back to eating their lunch but I couldn't eat anymore. My eyes were still fixed on the couple across the garden flirting. He was leaning on the outside bar and she now had her hands on his chest playful hitting him as he moved to move her hand by holding it in his.
He then looked up to meet my stare and I saw the smirk that had made it to his lips. Did he think thing was another game... just like what Jay said. Maybe I was just a game to Jake. I stood up quickly as everyone looked my way.
"I'm just going up to the room I suddenly don't feel well" I moved out of the table with everyone watching me concerned.
"Is it your leg?" Jay asked saying like the worried boyfriend.
"Hmm... Yeah, I just need to put some cream on it and I'll be fine" I gave anyone a fake smile.
"You want me to come and help" he asked about to get up but I put my hands on his shoulders to stop him.
"No it's fine, you stay with your family" I leant down to kiss him on the cheek but he moved so I met his lips. It wasn't a long kiss but it was enough to show his family that we were 'in love' and most likely show Jake how pissed I was at him.
"I'll see you all at dinner" I turned to leave the table and walk as slowly as I could out of everyone in eye-line trying to keep it together. I don't know what was wrong with me but I felt like my world was crashing down. It was all too much. Everything was too much. Everything hit me like a ton of bricks at once. Seeing Jake with the long legged woman, laughing and joking. Flirting and touching... God I felt like a fire was burning within my. I've never felt this angry before, like I wanted to beat the crap out of this gorgeous woman talking... flirting with Jake. How was I meant to compare to the likes of that!
I wasn't, simple as. I wasn't meant to be with a guy like Jake. Everything was so royally fucked up! It was like I've been in Neverland for the past few days thinking that everything would work out, sunshine and rainbows but no. How could everything be fine when everything was so cocked up?
I was a penniless waitress/baker/slipper/escort that has been lying to everyone here from the beginning. Jakes family would never allow him to date someone like me! No family or friends. No money or assets to name. Someone with nothing to offer him yet he has everything to offer me.
I've lied about everything to them and I could tell that some of them still didn't like the person I was pretending to be. What makes me think that they would like the person I truly was.
I need to get out of here. I needed to tell Jay that I've had enough and demand to leave.
Things had gone too far, feelings had grown too strong and deep.
I had fallen in love with him.
I know that now better than I know my own name. Even after everything he's done I love him. I love his serious side, his proactive side, his fun and loving side. I loved everything about him. I loved how much he cared about his family and how close he was to his family. I loved his playful side, his smirks and cheeky words. I loved how he always said the right thing when I needed him to.
That's why leaving made it even harder to do. But I needed to do it. I needed to leave, not just for me but more for him. And it hurt so some but it would hurt even more if it went any further.
I didn't know where I was going I just needed to get away from the site before me. My heart was beating out of my skin and my eyes were hot with tears.
"Kate what's wrong?" a voice came from down the hall. I looked up to see Leah standing in front of me in last than a second. I was out of breath from running but a managed to speak, well sob the words out of my dry throat.
"'Leah I need to talk to you"
"Ok how about we get some lunch..." no I didn't want to eat. I needed to get away from these people. They weren't like me, they're all had this air of proudness about them that was cold and harsh that made me feel so little and obscure. Leah... she was different she made me feel like I could be myself.
"Could we go to your room?" I said. She lend me up the stairs to a large suite looking the same as all the others.
"Hey everything's ok, tell me what's wrong" She said as we sat on the bed for a bit as she tried to calm me down. Tears were still falling down my cheeks uncontrollably and my hands were shaking "Kate I'm your friend you can tell me anything. I won't judge, trust me I know what it's like to like someone you're not meant to. But I can't help you unless you talk to me" her words panicked me a little at the thought of her seeing Jake and I last night. I had quite forgotten about that
"Oh Leah I've fucked everything up" I sobbed into my hands.
"Just tell me what happened" she said. I knew I had to tell Leah about... well everything. I needed to talk to someone and I knew that I could trust her. It was just so hard, there was so much to tell and I couldn't know how she would really react.
"I can't" I cried.
"Why?" she asked concerned.
"Because, I'm scared you won't be my friend when you find out"
"I'm your friend I won't care, now tell me before I beat it out of you" she and I laughed trying to loosen things up a bit.
"Me and Jay... Jay and I..." I tried to breathe in and out so my voice would stop breaking.
"Yes... you and Jay..." she repeated.
"We're not a real couple. Jay is paying me to pretend that I'm dating him" I looked up at her confused face.
"Why?" she asked. I knew she was thinking the same thing I thought when I first met Jay. He was a good looking guy why would he need to pay to have a girl date him.
"Because Jay's... Jay's gay" I said standing to walk around the room. "He hasn't come out to his family and thinks they won't accept him if he does which is stupid because I know they would"
"God what drama, so he paid you to act as his girlfriend. Are you an actress or something?" I laughed a nervous little laugh as I shook my head. God if only I was an actress, it would make this story so much easier to tell.
"No... I'm not" I stopped walking and stood in front of her. ok here goes nothing I guess... "You see I needed money. I didn't have an easy childhood... my family... that's not important. Anyway I needed money so I could go to cooking school like I always wanted to do at college. I had money from the bar at the strip club but that's nowhere near enough, I was really considering starting to strip for some extra cash however much I hated the thought of getting naked in front of people but I had no other choice unless I found another job" her face was expressionless as the words just rushed out of my mouth uncontrollable. I'm kept quiet for so look I needed to talk everything through to someone who wasn't Jay or Jake. "So there's this site called SugarDady.com that my boss worked on. It's an escorting service where men pay for girls to show off to their friends and be fake dates"
"oh... Is it..." she asked. I couldn't tell from her face the different thoughts running around inside.
"No its nothing like that, no sex I'm not a prostitute..." I said with a straight face so she would know I wasn't lying.
"Oh God Kate I didn't mean that!"
"Oh I know. Honest I just wanted to make sure you knew I wouldn't ever do something like that ever!"
"I know you wouldn't Kate" she said taking my hand in hers. "Go on" she said so I told her everything.
I told her about working at the club, with the guys bring too grabby and about my boss pushing me into this deal with Jay. I told her about Jay taking me out shopping and making me into a different person to having dinner with his family and meeting Jake.
"He knew, he knew everything about Jay being gay and knew I was just pretending to date him" I told her. "He hated me and wanted me away from his family and friends but Jay persuaded him to leave it and not say anything so he didn't but he wouldn't leave me alone. But... things started to change, I started... to feel things for Jake that I shouldn't be feeling and I think he was feeling them too. The other night you just happen to be witness for" I blushed I could feel it. I went to sit back on the bed next to her lying down. God telling the truth was tiring and from the look on Leah's face it was tiring hearing about it.
"Wow" she starts rubbing her head to try and take it all in.
"Now you know everything" I said as she leant out to lay next to me on the bed.
"I wish you could have told me, I could have helped" she looked my way.
"There was nothing you could do, I got myself into all this and I wish I could get out but... I'm in too deep" I wiped the tears away. "I'm in love with him, it's crazy. I've only known Jake little over a week yet... I feel head over heels in love with him"
I felt her arms go around me in a friendly tight hug. I've never had a friend like Leah before, it felt nice having someone to comfort you.
"Hey... come on. Everything will work out just fine..." I knew her words were just there to make me feel better.
"No it won't! His family will hate me and think I was a cheap tart after money... things would never work between me and him now. His family would hate it and he loves his family so much, hell so do I. They're all amazing" I cried. It was true. They were all amazing people that loved each other so much, to be in a family like that... that's the meaning of live right there. That's what we all work towards really in life.
"But what does Jake think because that is all that matters. Have you told him you love him?" she asked.
"NO! He's a player! All this week he's been saying that he loves his single care free life and wouldn't be tide down to just one woman. Since I meant him I've only been a game to him but I don't know how it happened, somewhere on the way... I fell in love with him" and I felt like an idiot. I did believe him yesterday about him caring about me and that his feels were strong... but love?
I was always told as a child that I was incapable of being loved. I never thought I'd get to feel was it was like to love someone. Now I do I wish I didn't. It just hurt because I know he could never love me back.
"I'm sorry" I kept crying into her arms like a little child.
"It's Ok" was all she said. I just wish it was.