by Renee Hart
The kids cheered. Emily rolled her eyes. Jane giggled, watching the kids play with their father while Emily got her jacket and her purse. They seemed like a happy family. She had always wanted kids of her own. Her life just hadn't worked out that way. At least, not yet.
Emily led her outside, and instead of the minivan they took Emily's husband's car, a green Hyundai sedan. They drove into the city together, and at first the drive was quiet and awkward. Jane wasn't sure how to make small talk with a woman who was being paid to take her out shopping so she could pretend to be a rich executive's fiance. It wasn't the sort of situation she'd ever been in before.
Finally, Emily broke the silence. “So, this must be kind of a weird day for you.”
“Yeah, that's an understatement,” Jane said, laughing. “I mean, I barely even know Shea. And now I'm supposed to pretend to be in love with him?”
“I'm as surprised as you are,” Emily said. “I mean, I've known Shea for years. He's dated plenty of women. Usually a different one every week. I guess pretending to settle down is the only way he could think to do this. It's not like I've ever seen a woman who could tame him.”
“Is he really that bad? I mean, is he some kind of pig or something?”
“Oh, no.” Emily waved a hand dismissively. “Nothing like that. He's not the 'love them and leave them' type. Honestly, half the time I think it's more about the women than it is about him.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well,” Emily said, “he tends to meet all these high society types. And half the time I think they only want him for his money. He'll meet a woman, go on a few dates with her, but then there's no chemistry. He tells me about his dates sometimes when he comes in on Monday morning. And most of the time he sounds...bored.”
“Bored?” Jane pursed her lips, considering that.
“Yeah. Like, the women he's gone out with have nothing going on beneath the surface. I think he breaks up with them and moves on because he's looking for something more meaningful, and he just hasn't found it yet. There's no connection.”
“Hmm.” Jane ran a hand through her hair. She was starting to wonder if there was more to Shea Gordon than meets the eye.
Chapter 8
The first thing on the agenda was shopping. Emily drove Jane to the shopping district, then they started walking from one store to another, looking for the perfect outfit for Jane to wear to the party tonight.
“You don't have to settle on just one dress,” Emily said while they looked over the outfits displayed on regal-looking mannequins. “Mr. Gordon told me to get you a 'wardrobe.' There's at least three or four parties and dinners he needs to show you off at. We need to get you a variety of outfits so that you can pick what you want each time you go out.”
“How expensive do you suppose these are?” Jane asked, running her fingers over the velvety material of a forest green dress.
“Don't look at the prices,” Emily said. “Don't even ask. The women who come into these places never do.”
Jane looked around for a moment, then leaned close to Emily and whispered, “Did Shea say how much we're allowed to spend here?”
Emily smiled, glancing over her shoulder at the sales clerk, who was hovering nearby. She leaned close and whispered, “He didn't even give me a spending limit. He just told me 'get her everything she needs.'”
Jane's eyebrows shot up. She ran her fingers over the velvety green fabric again, marveling at the way it felt. She wanted to drape herself in it.
She glanced over at the sales clerk and asked, “Do you have this in a size six?”
Jane spent the next few hours trying on clothes. The sales clerk raved about her the entire time, talking about how beautiful she looked in each piece. Jane wanted to believe the woman was just trying to butter her up, since she surely worked off commission, but when she looked at herself in the tall mirrors that lined the dressing room, she couldn't help but believe it was true.
She had never considered herself to be that good looking, but in the right clothes, it felt like a complete transformation. She could only imagine what she would look like after she got her hair and makeup done.
She was already in love with the green velvet dress. It was more low cut than she normally ever dared, but seeing herself in that dress filled her with a confidence she had never felt before. The sales clerk found her a pair of heels to go with it, and she felt like she was ready to parade down the runway at a glamorous fashion show.
Later, she squeezed herself into a lace corset dress, sleeveless in navy blue, silver, and black. It squeezed and pushed parts of her into shapes she'd never thought possible, and she almost would have thought she'd gone up a cup size from the way the dress lifted and accentuated her breasts. With a sheer wrap draped over her shoulders, she felt and looked absolutely fabulous.
In addition to the dresses, Emily insisted that she pick out a few “casual” outfits for the brunch Shea had planned with his grandfather. “Fancy dresses are great for the company Christmas party,” Emily explained, “but you can't go everywhere dressed like you're ready for a night at the Oscars. But we also can't have you showing up to meet Jebediah wearing clothes from Target.”
She tried on a few different mix and match outfits, with tight black pants that she had to suck in her gut to fit into, but which made her butt look amazing. She picked out a violet sweater with a frill around the peplum waistline and a pair of knee-high leather boots. For another outfit she found a long white pea coat with a matching cashmere sweater that went beautifully with a pair of tan pants and suede boots. At one point, she couldn't decide between a pair of zip-up black leather heels and a pair of brown and tan leather cowgirl boots.
Emily waved a hand at her and said, “Just get both.”
Jane grinned. She'd never be able to splurge like this again. If she could have it all without having to decide, she figured she might as well take advantage of that.
They hit several different shops, and each time Jane made a point to cover her eyes when the clerks handed Emily the credit card receipt. She didn't want to know how much she had spent already, though she was sure the number was up in the thousands of dollars. She'd accidentally peeked at the price of one of the dresses she'd picked out, and it cost more than her monthly rent at her apartment. She tried to tell herself she wasn't being greedy or taking advantage of Shea's generosity. But considering what he was asking her to do, she knew she deserved what she was getting out of it.
Emily arranged for all of the clothes to be delivered to Jane's home, except for the dress for the party tonight. They had lunch at a cafe downtown. After lunch, they headed for the spa.
They drove across town, then pulled into the parking lot of a tall building. Emily led Jane inside, then up the elevator to the second floor. The doors opened out into a hall, and right in front of them was a pair of tall glass doors, with frosted letters on the front declaring the place as the “Mystic Waters Spa.” Emily opened the door for Jane, flashing her a conspiratorial smile. “Shea let me pick this place out. I've been wanting to come here for years. And lucky me, part of the deal for showing you around today is I get the royal treatment right alongside you, all on the boss's dime.”
“Sounds like a pretty good deal,” Jane said, laughing. They headed inside, where a pair of gorgeous and immaculately dressed women waited for them behind the front counter.
Emily pulled out Shea's platinum credit card. She walked up to the counter and said, “Appointment under the name Gordon. The Diamond Package.”
Jane looked around, trying to find a sign somewhere that listed the spa's various packages and prices. There were none listed. Apparently, like the clothing stores, this was such a high end place that most customers who came here wouldn't worry about the cost. But while the woman behind the counter was checking them in, she managed to peek at the computer screen and get a look at the price. Her eyes nearly shot out of her head.
She stood up a bit straighter, a grin spreading across her li
ps. It looked like she and Emily were going to be making the most of Shea Gordon's bank account today.
Chapter 9
Jane and Emily spent the next few hours getting pampered, and Jane found herself in a new definition of heaven. She had a long, relaxing massage that left her feeling more alive and invigorated than she could ever remember being in her life.
The women at the spa let her sample a dozen different lotions made with exotic ingredients from around the world, until she settled on one that smelled like jasmine and left her skin feeling smooth and renewed.
After the massage, they both got facials, manicures, and pedicures. Jane spent most of the afternoon lounging in a chair, sipping complimentary mimosas while she was pampered from head to toe.
While they were relaxing and being treated like queens, she chatted with Emily, getting to know her a little better. At first Emily spent a lot of time talking about her family and raving about her two children. But eventually the conversation moved back to Shea Gordon and the problems that were plaguing the company.
“Do you really think he can turn everything around?” Jane asked. “I mean, I've heard some of his ideas, and they seem pretty good. But can he really save the company?”
“It's not so much the company itself that's in danger, really,” Emily said. “This is more about Shea and his grandfather than anything else.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, how much do you know about Shea and Jeb?”
Jane shrugged. “Not much. Shea told me a little bit. He said he needs to impress his grandfather and convince him that he's a guy who can settle down.”
“It's about more than whether he can settled down,” Emily said. “It's about him being a responsible person. But more than that, even. Jeb considers himself something of a visionary. And considering he built a multi-million dollar corporation from nothing, it's hard to blame him for thinking that way. But he doesn't see that same vision in Shea. He never has.”
“So Shea needs to prove he cane be just as good as his grandfather.” Jane pursed her lips, thinking it over. “Will I be enough? I mean, is just finding the right woman enough to change his grandfather's mind?”
“I hope so,” Emily said. “At the end of the day, Jeb cares more about his legacy than anything else. I think that's why he'd rather sell his company than put it into the wrong hands. If we kept things running right the way they are now, the company would continue struggling, but it would survive. But the thing is, that's not enough for Jeb. Just getting by, being second best, isn't good enough for him. He needs to see his company thrive and succeed, and he needs to find someone who can continue that vision for him. If he can't find that, he'd rather sell to a larger corporation and know that he didn't leave his company at risk in the wrong hands.”
“If he sells out,” Jane said, frowning, “a lot of people lose their jobs.”
“He'd consider that to be 'acceptable losses.'” Emily shrugged. “It's how he thinks. Make a sacrifice so that the rest of the company can survive. But I know Shea doesn't want to let it happen that way. In fact, I've never seen Shea so motivated. He's really pushing hard to make his ideas become reality.”
Jane sipped from her mimosa, then switched the glass to her other hand so that the manicurist could switch hands. “The question is, will all his hard work be enough to convince his grandfather.”
“Here's hoping,” Emily said, raising her glass.
Jane tinked her glass against Emily's, but her mind was already starting to wander. The more she learned about Shea and his situation, the more complicated this was starting to seem. If she wanted to make this work, she was going to have to do more than just hang on Shea's arm and be a pretty face. She had to find a way to help him look good in front of his grandfather. To make him look like a visionary man who had big plans for the future.
She settled back in her chair, planning it out in her mind. She didn't know how good of an actress she could be, but if she wanted to nail this role, she needed to develop her “character.” She closed her eyes and let her thoughts spin, working out ways to present herself as the future wife of a brilliant man who had great plans for the future of his company.
Chapter 10
At the end of the afternoon in the spa, they went to the hair dresser. Jane sat in the chair while the hair dresser got ready. She looked at herself in the mirror, studying her plain face and her dull brown hair. It had been a long time since she'd bothered with makeup, since there wasn't much point in wearing any when she was going to end up covered with plaster dust at the end of each day. And it wasn't like she'd gone on a real date in a long time. She just hoped that the hair dresser could do something with her short hair; she'd kept it neatly trimmed for years so that it wouldn't get in the way while she was working, and there wasn't much left to style.
“So,” the hair dresser said. “What are you going for?”
“High society chic,” Emily said.
“What does that even mean?” Jane asked, frowning.
“Elegant,” Emily said. “But stylish. Classy. And smart. It has to look smart.”
Jane's frown deepened. She wasn't sure how her hair could make her look smart, but she decided to trust the hair dresser to do her magic.
The hair dresser trimmed her hair, then worked in some bronze highlights to offset the dark brown color with something lighter and more carefree. Once the highlights were set, Jane's hair was shampooed, then lightly curled, giving it a bit of bounce. After that, she brought in a cosmetologist to get Jane's makeup ready for the night. She blended subtle touches of color with more skill and artistry than Jane could ever have done herself, with a touch of bronze eye shadow and some dark mascara to accentuate Jane's eyes. By the time it was done, Jane didn't even recognize herself in the mirror anymore.
“I look like a movie star,” she said. She raised her fingers to her cheeks, but stopped short of touching them, not wanting to mess up her perfect makeup.
“You look like money,” Emily said. “Which is what these people are going to be expecting.”
They headed to a private room in the spa so that Jane could change into her dress. “What else will they be expecting?” she asked as she started getting changed. She felt a bit awkward changing clothes in front of Emily, considering they'd only known each other for half a day. But she also felt like they were quickly becoming friends, and she saw no reason to be modest.
“Laugh at their jokes, no matter how stupid they are,” Emily said. “Don't eat too much. There's plenty of food at these things, but if you want to look like a lady, just nibble. And just stay by Shea's side the whole night. He'll show you what to do.”
“I don't know if I'm ready for this,” Jane said as she pulled on the green velvet dress. It had a long slit up one leg, and it hugged her hips and her ass so much that she worried that she would be showing rolls of fat to everyone who saw her. But the slimming undergarments she'd gotten did a good job of holding everything in, and once she had the dress in place and she looked at herself in the mirror, she saw a stunning woman standing before her. A woman who deserved the best of the best.
“You look ready,” Emily said.
Jane smoothed the dress over her hips, turning a bit to see what she looked like from the side. She did look ready. She just hoped that she would start feeling ready. She tried to tell herself that she really was the woman she saw in the mirror. But deep down, she knew that underneath the fancy hair, the makeup, and the expensive dress, she was just Jane. Boring, single, middle-class Jane whose longest running relationship to date had been with her cat.
“Try not to worry,” Emily said, patting Jane on the arm. “Just remember what I told you. Beyond the dress and the makeover, you just need to work on selling the picture of Shea as a man with a plan and a future. Talk about kids. Talk about the wedding. Make stuff up if you have to. But play Shea up like he's got this big, grand plan for you and your relationship together. If Jeb thinks that Shea is finally turning himself around
and becoming the go-getter he always wanted him to be, then everything will be fine.”
“But what if Jeb asks me things I should know, but I don't?” Jane wrung her hands, a sick feeling building in her stomach. “I mean, I don't know the first thing about Shea. What kind of music he likes, whether he likes sports, what his birthday is, or his favorite color. How am I supposed to pretend to be in love with this man?”
Emily put her hands on Jane's arms and steered her over to the chair. “It's okay,” she said, settling Jane into the chair. “Jeb doesn't think you've been together that long, so he won't be surprised if some things haven't come up. And I promise you Jeb isn't going to quiz you on his grandson's favorite color. He's more likely to ask things like how you both met.”
“Oh, that's a good point.” Jane touched her fingers to her lips. “What should I say to that? What's a good 'how we met' story? I can't tell the truth. If Jeb knows I work at the factory and met Shea there...”
“Follow Shea's lead,” Emily said. “Let him take the first chance to answer any questions. He'll know the right answers. If he gets stuck, then you jump in.”
“Okay.” Jane nodded, taking a few deep breaths. “Okay, I can do that. I'm sure I can do that.”
There was a knock at the door, then one of the spa employees stuck her head in. “Miss Decker? Mr. Gordon is here to pick you up.”
“Oh boy.” Jane stood up, waving her hands frantically to get the jitters out. “I don't know if I'm ready for this. What should I do?”
Emily turned Jane towards the door and shoved her forward. “My best advice? Have a drink. You really look like you need one.”
Chapter 11
Jane stumbled a bit in her heels as she headed out the door to meet Shea. She felt her face heating up before she even saw him. What would he think of her in this dress? She worried that he would see her as a fool. As a faker. The first time he'd met her, she'd been wearing factory overalls and she'd been covered in plaster dust. She doubted that image would ever truly be banished from his mind.
