I stood in front of the mirror, simply staring at myself. I had already done my hair into a messy bun and curled my bangs around me face. I was even wearing the annoying stilettos that I had bought for my job interview. My knees felt like they would buckle, but damn, I had to admit that I looked good.
I ran my hands over the lace dress that Greta and I had worked so hard on. Tonight would be the night.
Sighing at the loss of my friend, I picked up the clutch I would be using and made my way towards my front entrance. The cab that I had ordered in advance was already waiting idly in front of my apartment.
My insides started to go crazy at the thought of seeing Joshua. It hadn't even been twenty-four hours since I finally realized the way I felt for him, but I was already losing my sanity. I knew that I shouldn't feel that way about him, but now that it was out it couldn't be locked away again.
I sighed as the cab finally pulled into the venue. It was officially show time. I knew that most of the guests wouldn't arrive until an hour later and that the only people that would great me worked with me.
You can imagine how difficult it was for me to contain my excitement at seeing Johnny and Amanda again. Hell, I practically skipped into the place! I was planning on walking in and barking orders the minute I was there, yet I hadn't been prepared for the awkwardness of my entrance.
Every single eye was trained on me and I didn't know what the fuck to do. I fidgeted awkwardly in my dress as I made eye contact with some of the people in the room. I made the mistake of meeting Johnny's penetrating gaze first and immediately felt like fleeing the room.
Curiosity described every gaze that came my way. Did my dress look wrong? Holy shit, had I put my dress on backwards?
I peered down towards my body and quickly realized that it wasn't the case.
I knew one pair of eyes weren't looking at me, the ones that belonged to Joshua, because he wasn't anywhere in sight. I felt a little deflated at the thought, but then maybe it was better that he wasn't there to see me in my humiliation. That's what it was, humiliation. No one spoke a word.
Until Gola decided to pip up, "Oh, my gosh! Who are you wearing?"
Gola was practically jumping in her glitter pumps with excitement. Who was I wearing? I can't explain why I didn't want to reveal the fact that I had designed it.
The truth was that I was terrified that if I said it was me, everyone in the room would get the idea that I was one of them. I didn't want that to happen, because deep inside I was already having some doubts about who I was.
"I'm wearing...Wal-Mart?" I said unsurely.
I was ready to slap myself after I realized what I had said. Why the flying fuck had I said Wal-Mart? That was ten times worse then admitting that I had made it myself. Instead of getting to mighty stares of distaste, I felt the whole room vibrate with laughter. Jenna Lanning's particular laughter rung heavy over the room.
"Well, it sure looks like something from Wal-Mart" Amanda said meanly, before turning away in her own flowing red dress. What had crawled up her ass? Talking about her ass, that dress did nothing for it.
"Oh, don't worry Lilly. Amanda is probably just bitter, because that dress is making her ass resemble a pair of flap jacks." Johnny said, snidely in the direction that Amanda had gone towards.
At least I wasn't the only one who realized it. Even the gay guy commented on the weirdness of her butt. It did freak me out that Johnny and I thought the same thing.
I could tell that there was a shift, though. From the moment that I walked into the room, Johnny had looked at me with this really difficult to decipher look. It felt like a mixture of curiosity, respect, and calculation. It freaked me out, but I was probably just imagining things.
I tried to figure out Johnny's behavior more accurately, but a loud clash took hold of my attention.
"Lilly, you might look fabulous, but you aren't doing a fabulous job. The guests will be arriving in less than half an hour, and things are clearly not in order." Lanning told me sternly, even though I could tell that she found whatever situation behind the doorway incredibly amusing.
What the hell was so funny? I decided to investigate and headed towards the main room, where all of the guests would be at.
The minute that my heels stepped onto the white marble floors, total chaos surrounded me. People were running around with ice sculptures in their hands and I think I even saw a barefoot chief chasing down a cart full of appetizers.
My eyes widened at the brewing disaster in front of me. I didn't waste time on being surprised. I turned on my business mode and started to bark out the orders I had been planning on giving.
Time flew in a blur as I worked to get everything where it was supposed to be. Guests began to crowd the large room at the exact moment that I managed to push the runaway appetizer cart back into the kitchen. At that point I was ready to cut my feet off. Cursing the invention of heels, I pushed the kitchen doors open with my back.
I was still walking backwards, when I bumped into a solid chest. For a minute my heart went crazy when I wondered if I had bumped into Joshua. Strong hands took hold of my shoulders before I was spun around to face the person that had gotten hold of me. The woodsy smell of cologne hit me as I whirled around.
Expecting Joshua's face, I found myself staring into some intense blue eyes. The sparks that I had been feeling throughout my body instantly shut off when I realized that it wasn't him. Instead, an extremely tall and buff guy stared down at me. I recognized him instantly as Robert, one of the modeling agency's other models. He was the second most booked, aside from Joshua.
"Whoa, there beautiful." Robert smiled down at me. He had a slight Texan accent that made the word 'beautiful' sound way more imposing than usual. Plus, the accent made me feel like a horse he was trying to tame. Not flattering at all. He was tall, good looking, and had a sexy accent. Thus the 'bitch mode' instantly went on full alert.
"Thanks for catching me and for the compliment. Now if you'll excuse me-" My voice was bored and uninterested as I tried to make my way away from the male model in front of me. No luck, because his arms were still around me and he didn't look like he was in any hurry to release me.
"Can I help you?" I told him in between clenched lips, when I realized that I was now a prisoner.
"Sure, you can start by telling me your name." He smirked down at me, with his arms still around my shoulders. The stance was way too intimate for me to feel comfortable. I was ready to bolt out of there.
"Hi," I told him mockingly. "My name is 'Not Interested'."
I smiled a sweetly, before I ducked under his forearms and finally set myself free. Gosh, this guy was even more obnoxious than Joshua had been when I first met him. Alright, maybe Joshua had been way more overbearing, going as far as slipping his tongue down my throat, but at least he hadn't been all creepy prince charming on me!
"Hold on a minute, Darlin'." Again, Robert's Texan accent made me feel like cattle he was trying to group together. One of his hands curled around me wrist before he brought me up to his chest. If I had known my dress would have that effect on people, I would have probably left it at home, because I had never gotten male attention like this.
"Look, I'm working. Why don't you go use your western pick-up lines on some other darlin'?" I told him, mocking his western accent for effect.
Robert was about to open his mouth, probably to shoot me another cheesy endearment, before he dropped my wrist as if it burned him. One second he was all sweetness and charm, and then the next my arm was returned to my side. His eyes held a cold, distant look. What the hell? The atmosphere felt colder then the ice sculptures around us.
"Martin Vance." Robert whispered under his rosy lips.
I turned my head side to side, trying to find out what the hell he was talking about.
"Martin what?" I asked incredulously.
"To your left." Robert said in a low tone. He sounded like some sort of cowboy that was getting ready for a duel. The notion made me giggle. I really needed to stop with the Texas comparisons. I was starting to feel like I was standing in front of an actual cowboy.
Sure enough, a man of medium height was standing a couple feet away from us, chatting with Lanning. Oh golly, more introductions, I thought bitterly. His blonde hair was several inches too long and it almost made contact with his necktie and the shoulders belonging to his expensive looking suit.
"What about him?" I wondered out loud. He looked like a regular person, except for the obviously extravagant clothes he had on. Who the heck wore neckties anymore?
"You really have no clue who he is?" Robert looked at me as if I didn't even have the basic concept of multiplication down.
I looked at him wryly and waited for him to elaborate.
With an astonished huff, Robert explained, "He's probably the most feared man in the industry. He owns Flash magazine. One leaked secret to him, and you can bet your money that the entire world will know it by the next day. The problem is that the man already knows everyone's secrets, including yours. Whatever you do, don't tell him I was flirting with you a minute ago. Sorry, Beautiful, but I don't need you and me on the tabloids."
He knew my secrets? I didn't even have secrets! The entire notion of Martin Vance scared the crap out of me. He reminded me of that popular girl in high school that was always waiting to ruin you socially at the drop of a hat. Also, the cowboy didn't want to be seen flirting with me?
Typical.
My hatred for attractive people made its appearance all over again. Just because I thought I was in love with someone attractive, didn't mean that I didn't hate good looking people anymore. Robert was creeping really close to being on my hate list.
The moment that Martin Vance made eye contact with me, my entire body froze. There was something about him that I couldn't put my finger on. It had something to do with the predator look in his eyes. He looked at me as if he had a secret that he was waiting to blackmail me with. The worst part? Something in the pit of my stomach told me that he did.
There was something else, though. Something was tugging at my memories. Martin Vance looked...familiar. Yet, who the hell did he look like? Had we met before? I was almost sure that we had. Where and why?
I turned back towards Robert the Cowboy, but found myself staring at empty space. How rude!
Before I could try to figure out where the fuck I had seen Martin Vance, a skinny finger dug into my left shoulder.
What now?
Gola stood in front of me, wringing her hands in front of her. She wore a tight black gown that dipped extremely low down her chest and stopped just after her belly button. We stood face to face for a couple of moments.
"Lilly, I just wanted to thank you for taking care of Joshua in Paris and London." Gola said with wide eyes. Jesus, the girl was looking at me as if I were the president of the United States.
Gola was congratulating me?
I could feel a confused look transforming my face. Where was she going with this?
"Joshua didn't...do anything with anyone while we were there, right?" The watery eyes and pouty bottom lip would have been overkill, if I wasn't feelingly mildly guilty. I shouldn't be, though. Joshua and I hadn't done anything wrong during the trip.
I was debating on whether or not to tell her about the Amanda incident, but the fragile happiness I saw in her eyes stopped me. Fuck, I was a damn softy. What the hell had I been thinking? Gola clearly loved Joshua as well. She was the girl he was supposed to be with.
A beautiful, confident model.
Sure, she was ditsy most of the time, but she still deserved to be with him. I was being stupid if I thought that Joshua would ever be with me the way he had already been with Gola. I didn't have sex on planes. I was just the girl that he liked to bug. That was it. I felt defeated, but I also had a sense of calmness. I just needed to let go of the stupid idea that Greta had put into my head.
"Don't worry about it, Gola. Joshua was perfectly loyal during the entire trip." I reassured her, even though the words felt fake coming out of my lips. I wasn't sure if it was because of me or Amanda, though.
"Thank you so much, Lilly. Did he talk about me when you guys were together?" Gola looked like an eager puppy at the mare thought of it.
"Sure, all of the time. Excuse me-" I told her quickly, because I felt awkward lying. I scurried to the other half of the room, near the refreshments table.
My nervous eating and drinking made their appearance over the course of the night. Somewhere in the back of my head I realized that drinking to make myself feel better was not a healthy way to go at it. I stopped myself after three glasses. I expected to feel the effects instantly, the same way it had been with the plane champagne, but I was feeling completely normal by the time it was almost midnight.
Where the hell was Joshua? Now that I didn't have people pulling me aside, I finally realized that Joshua hadn't made an appearance to the party. All of the models were supposed to attend, no excuses. He knew that! Had his plane been delayed? I had no clue. I wondered if Jenna would have my head if Joshua didn't show up. I had already ordered the waiters to distribute the party hats and prepare the confetti for the midnight countdown.
People started to crowd towards the middle of the room, as Lanning stood with a microphone in her hand. She was in the smack center of the crowd, as she began to count down the minutes until midnight. I saw people pairing up together for the midnight kiss.
Oh, marvelous.
Another opportunity for me to feel forever alone, I thought as I served myself another glass of alcohol. This time I didn't even know what was in my cup.
"Ten!"
I took another sip.
"Nine!"
I wondered where Joshua was.
"Eight!"
I hoped that Greta was alright.
"Seven!"
Why did Gola have to be so perfect for Joshua?
"Six!"
Where had I seen Martin Vance?
"Five!"
Why was Gola looking at me with so much excitement?
"Four!"
I realized that she was looking at something behind me.
"Three!"
Was that a hand on my back?
"Two!"
Gola's face falls and I can see her eyes water.
"One!"
Joshua's lips are on me the moment the clock strikes twelve. My arms automatically go around his neck and I kiss him back. I forget about Gola and her love for Joshua. I forget the guilt that I'm going to feel after. I don't remember Martin Vance or Robert. I don't even remember my name, because for those moments there isn't anything on my mind, except for that kiss. A kiss that isn't anything like my first one.
"Happy New Years, Jilly." Joshua says with a smile, after he pulls away.
This was a long one! Wow, what do you guys think? :) AHHH, I've been planning that scene since I started this book! *faints* Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and continue to read Sugar Babe. Please vote, comment, and fan! It means the world to me when you do. You guys are the coolest readers ever *tear* :3 You guys should really enter the Sugar Babe contest! I'm giving away some really cool prizes :)
ALSO, what do you guys think of the snazzy new cover? It took me two hours to make! :D So, yay or nay? Which one do you like better? Old one or new one?
Anyway, I also added the song that I used for this chapter. It really captures the mood for this chapter and helped me write such a long chapter!
Thanks, again!
OH! I added Lilly's dress to the side :)