Chapter Four
NeverMind © 2004
Jade grumbled to herself the entire walk to the boutique. Orlando and Elijah flanked her and Dom was prodding her along from the rear. Billy and Lizzie walked arm in arm behind the comical group, wondering if anybody had noticed them.
“I feel like a fucking Barbie doll,” Jade complained, as she emerged from the dressing room in the 10th outfit she’d put on so far.
“Cheer up, love, it’s not everyday you’ll get to wear clothes like this,” Lizzie said, swirling the skirt on her dress. “Do you like this one?” she asked.
“Yes. You look good in everything,” Jade told her grumpily.
Elijah thrust yet another dress in her arms. “I don’t like that one. The colour’s all wrong. Try this one.”
Jade groaned. “How ‘bout I just don’t go to this stinkin’ premiere anymore? It’ll be less trouble for everyone!”
“You,” Orlando said to her forcefully, “Change room. Now.”
She harrumphed and stalked off.
“For pity’s sake!” she declared five minutes later from the change room. “I can’t figure out how this dress works!”
Lizzie went in to help her. There was some shuffling and cries of “Ouch!” before a silence fell over the room.
“Oh my god,” Lizzie said breathlessly. “This is so the dress you’re wearing.”
She dragged her friend out of the change room. The jaws of all four guys dropped to the floor.
The dress was black and backless with a feathered, knee-length skirt and a halter-top with a plunging neckline.
“I feel naked,” Jade mumbled.
“Better than naked,” Dom countered, eyeing her appreciatively.
Orlando was already reaching for his wallet and Elijah was scrambling around the room to find the right shoes – black sandals that laced all the way up her calves.
“Perfect,” he said, smiling his approval.
Jade pointed at her friend. “You next,” she said, trying to deflect the attention away from her.
Lizzie smiled and slipped back into her change room. She came out wearing a dusty blue, strapless, figure-hugging dress that had a little train at the back.
Billy grabbed her hands and kissed them. “Gorgeous. Get this one,” he said.
Jade eyed her friend suspiciously, but decided to let it pass.
Orlando and Billy paid for the outfits and Elijah paid for shoes and purses. Then they went next door for jewelry. They found a wide diamond-covered bracelet with matching earrings for Jade and a beautiful necklace and earring set for Lizzie. The boys split the cost between the four of them.
“I’ll pay for your hair,” Dom promised them.
“You mean we’re not done yet?” Jade groaned.
“You know you love it,” Elijah said, giving her a quick side-hug.
It was starting to get late, so the guys called their personal assistants and asked them to bring their wardrobes to Lizzie’s so they could change there.
“I don’t know if my place is big enough!” Lizzie tried to protest, her head jerking around while the stylist yanked and pulled her hair into a fancy updo.
“Oh, there’s lots of room!” Dom told her from across the room where he was receiving a manicure.
Back at the flat, the guys started disrobing in the living room. Jade had just wandered in from the bedroom in time to see Elijah naked from the waist up.
“Dear god!” she exclaimed on seeing him. “I didn’t realize you were a Greek god under that baby face!”
He smiled and flexed a little. “I do what I can,” he said cockily.
Orlando quickly removed his own shirt. Jade stumbled back a little.
“It must be a full moon,” she said, more to herself than anyone else. “I have to go. I can’t handle this. Way too many hormones floating around.” And with that, she retreated back into the bedroom.
“No match, mate,” Orlando told Lij. “You might be a Greek god, but I rendered her speechless!”
Elijah scoffed. “50 bucks says I win her over tonight.”
“Don’t you fucking dare!” Lizzie said suddenly, twisting his ear hard enough to make him squirm. “If either of you put the moves on that girl, I’ll make you wish you’d never been born.”
“Okay! Okay! Uncle!” Elijah cried in pain. “I won’t touch her, I swear!”
Orlando threw up his hands before Lizzie could turn to attack him. “Me mum already threatened me!” he said.
“She’s better than you both,” Lizzie hissed. “Don’t forget that.”
“Holy! Protective much?” Lij asked, rubbing his ear.
“Yes, I am. Don’t test me.”
When she was out of earshot, Lij asked, “Bets still on?”
“No way, man,” Orlando said. “She really is better than both of us.” He slapped his friend on the back with a smile and went to find the rest of his clothes.
Lizzie found her friend dressed and made up sitting on the bed staring with a distressed expression at the floor.
“You okay?” she asked.
“Hmm?” Jade snapped back to life to look at her friend.
“You – are you okay?” Lizzie repeated herself.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just feeling kind of surreal right now.”
Lizzie laughed. “Don’t let their ‘celebrity’ phase you. They’re just normal blokes.”
“It’s not that…” Jade said.
“Uh-oh. You do have a crush on him, don’t you?”
“Oh god, I don’t know! I’ve only known him for two days! Can I have a crush on someone I’ve only known two days?”
“Of course you can. Doesn’t mean you’re gonna marry him!”
“I know. I just don’t know if I should do anything about it. I mean, this will probably be the only time I’ll ever see him.”
“Well, whatever you decide to do, don’t sleep with him,” Lizzie advised.
“That was actually the furthest thing from my mind,” Jade said.
“Couldn’t have been that far. You did just see him half naked.”
Jade opened her mouth as if to say something but closed it again, thinking better of it.
“Look, all I know is that sex just complicates things more than not – and he’s no virgin, you know that. You’re only here for a few weeks. Enjoy yourself. Don’t stress out about something that can’t happen.”
“I’m not expecting anything to happen,” Jade said. “I just desperately want to make out with him, that’s all. I’m quite content to leave him here in merry old England, thank you very much.”
“Can I get that in writing?” Lizzie teased. “Of the very little that I know of Orli, I do know that he has left more broken hearts in his path than any other man I know – except maybe Viggo Mortensen.”
“Viggo Mortensen?” Jade asked.
“Aragorn, the king,” Lizzie explained. “You’ll see what I mean when you meet him.”
Jade ran her hands over her dress. “I had not expected to be doing this,” she said.
“Me either, to be quite frank. Billy had…” she stopped herself, putting a hand over her mouth.
Jade smiled at her. “So it is true then,” she said.
“What are you talking about?” Lizzie tried to cover for herself.
“Oh, give me a break! You’ve been swooning over that man since he walked in the door.”
“I have not been!” she protested.
“Give it up, sister. You’re a good liar, but you’re not that good. How come you didn’t tell me?”
Lizzie sighed, defeated. “We haven’t actually told anybody yet.”
Jade just laughed at her friend. “You are a real piece of work, Lizzie Monaghan.”
“Look, it’s just that as block headed as my cousin is, he’s really protective of me and Billy and I are both afraid he’ll go ballistic if he finds out.”
“That still doesn’t explain why you didn’t tell me.”
Lizzie stood there, opening and closing her mouth.
Jade kissed her friend on the cheek. “Don’t bother. I hate excuses more than I hate lies.”
“I didn’t lie…” but Jade had already left the room.
Jade strutted into the living room and heads turned. Elijah let out a low whistle. Orlando walked over to her and kissed both her cheeks. “You look absolutely stunning,” he said.
“Thank you,” she said. “Now when do we leave?”