Leaning his shoulder against the black limo, Jayden watched as his family and hired girlfriend finally made an appearance.

“Oh, we are late, we are late,” muttered Beth. “We do not want to be late for lunch with Britney, too.”

Jayden saw Kelly smirk and whisper something into Alexandra’s ear. Jay wondered what they were gossiping about. Him, perhaps? They were eyeing him with some sort of interest.

He opened the door for his grandmother, who muttered something about the weather being too hot for her frail body to handle. Then Gracie slid in, followed by Alex. He nodded at her with a masklike face, and that was the most he was going to interact with her from now on, he vowed to himself.

Kelly said, “You look like you want to murder someone, Jay. Don’t worry. We won’t take long. I know how much you hate shopping.”

“Just get in the damn car,” he snapped and gave her a nudge.

Kelly chuckled and slid in. Jay followed her. He found himself sitting beside his grandmother, who was busy on the phone, talking to Britney. In front of him were Kelly, Alex, and Gracie. He thought it was better for him to sit in the front with their chauffeur John. Where he was now, Alex was too close for comfort. She was within reach, and he could simply put his hand out and pull her into his arms if he wanted to. Yeah, he certainly wanted to do that, especially when she grinned at him in that alluring way. She kept nibbling her lip as though she were excited about something.

“Is Madison Avenue big?” Alex asked Kelly. “Is it near Central Park? Is Central Park big?”

Gracie laughed. “We’ll have to take you on a tour, Alex.”

“Yes, please,” Alex replied, at which point she turned her eyes meaningfully to Jay.

Jayden got the hint. Now he knew why she was so excited and kept grinning at him. He had promised to take her on a tour today. Damn! He forgot about that.

“We are on our way to Vera Wang, Britney dear. I assure you we won’t be late for lunch,” Beth said to her BlackBerry.

“Beth, do you have to tell her we’re going to Vera Wang?” Kelly muttered.

Beth ignored Kelly. “I’m on the phone, dear.”

Jay turned over to the chauffeur behind him and said, “Vera Wang, John.”

John nodded and started the car.

As they drove out of the Upper East Side of New York City, Alex widened her eyes with wonder, staring at the tall buildings. And Jay in turn found himself enjoying watching her expressive face.

Not long afterward, they were heading along 77th Street off Madison Avenue. The limo came to a halt in front of Vera Wang. Before Alex could enjoy the sight of one of the most fashionable streets in the world, she was bustled away into the elegant store.

And what a store it was. There were beautiful, expensive wedding gowns on display, chandeliers with bright crystals hanging above them, tall vases of flower arrangements giving off vibrant colors and scents, and sofas and chairs arranged near the dressing room and in the center of the store for comfort.

“You’re here!” a voice sang out.

Alex saw a pretty redhead rushing toward them. Kelly and the woman hugged and displayed some girlish giggle type of excitement. “Oh, I can’t wait to see you in it.”

“I know. I know,” Kelly chuckled. “Oh, this is Alexandra Stewart, Jay’s new girlfriend.”

Alex turned her attention to them. New? What did Kelly mean by that? But before she could ponder on the subject any further, Kelly pulled her aside and introduced her to Stephanie Wilson, the maid of honor.

“So, Alex, how did you meet Jayden?” Stephanie asked, a note of curiosity in her voice.

“Back in New Zealand,” Alex said, eyeing Jay, who was now sitting on one of the antique sofas and making himself comfortable. He already looked as though he were bored to tears. She wondered if he hated shopping that much.

“Well, come along now. We haven’t got all day,” Stephanie said, pulling Kelly by the hand away toward the dressing room. “Nice to meet you, Alex,” she said over her shoulder.

Alex replied, “Same here,” with a bright smile. Then she wondered what she should do to pass the time. She thought about joining Gracie and Beth, who were now comfortably seated on the sofa, chatting and sipping their tea that a sales assistant had placed before them. She, however, decided against it and so busied herself exploring and touching the lovely, soft fabrics of the wedding and evening gowns designed by Vera Wang. They were all so beautiful, the type that she could never afford or ever dream of wearing.

She had just finished her browsing when she saw a stash of evening gowns near the back of the shop. Clearly they weren’t popular to be left there out of the customer’s eye. Curious, she started browsing. They were all elegant, pastel colors with some mixtures of gold and silver laces. Then she found one that caught her eye. She picked it up and inspected the tag.

“Have you found one you like?”

Alex jump. She twisted around, her heart hammering in her chest. “Jay!”

“What?” he asked. “That one looks good,” he commented, touching the lilac-pink silk material in her hand. “Why don’t you try it on?”

Alex widened her eyes. “What? Don’t be silly. I can’t afford it.”

Jay chuckled. “Just try it on.”

“No,” she said sharply, stacked the gown back in its place, and turned to go.

Jay caught her arm and pulled her back. He was so close she could feel his breath on her forehead.

“Come on,” he said, his hand on her wrist as he led her toward the dressing room.

“Jay,” she said sharply. She felt her panic rising as she realized he was serious and the dress was in his hand. “Jayden,” she snapped as she drew herself back. It was impossible because his hand was firm on her wrist.

She reluctantly followed him and then something flashed in her mind. It was like déjà vu. She glanced up at Jay and then she realized it was Jayden who had helped her that Saturday night in the bar when that drunken man tried to take advantage of her. And thus far, he had never mentioned it to her.

He nudged her into a neat changing room. He hung the gown up for her before he left. “Don’t take too long now,” he said as he shut the door.

“What a demanding man,” she muttered.

Alone, leaned back against the wall, her eyes gazed at the dress and a dreamlike smile crossed her lips as she imagined herself in it, dancing in Jayden’s arms.

“Knock! Knock!” Jay’s voice came from the other side.

Alex wanted to laugh. Instead of knocking the door, he said the words. He was being silly, of course.

She moved forward and opened the door. He immediately poked his head in, his eyes wide with expectation.

“That was fast,” he said. Then when he saw that she was still in her own clothing, his face became serious. “You haven’t gotten it on.”

Alex shook her head. “It’s not for me.”

“Don’t be silly,” he muttered and came into the changing room. “Come on, let’s get this on you.”

“Let’s take it back, why don’t we?” she said with a smile, folding her arms across her chest.

“No. You have to try it on. You need help?”

Alex shook her head. She wanted to leave, as the room suddenly seemed small and tight with Jay now in there with her. She found him too close for comfort. And the fact that he was standing right in front of the door didn’t help either. It was as though he were blocking her in, refusing to let her out.

“Do you need help?” he asked again. “Come on, then. I’ll help you change.” He put his hand to the hem of the sweater and started to pull it up.

“Jayden!” she exclaimed. “What are you doing?”

“I’m helping you change.” Then he started pulling her shirt again.

“Don’t be silly! I can change myself.”

He relaxed. “So you’ll try it on?”

Alex was about to say no when she saw the glint in his eyes. She knew then that he’d make

her try the dress on no matter what. She sighed. “Yes, I’ll try the damn dress on,” she muttered and put her hands on his chest and shoved him back.

Jay let her go, a smirk on his lips. He said as he was leaving, “Don’t forget to come out and let me have a look, my sweet. You know the shop owner does have keys.”

In response to his request, she shoved him out and slammed the door on his face.

Alone, she silently seethed while she undressed. About two minutes later, she unlocked the door and poked her head out. She saw him leaning against the wall, waiting too patiently for her liking.

“So you wanna see or not?” she asked in anticipation.

He straightened up as he said, “Of course,” with too much enthusiasm.

Alex readied herself for his criticism as he approached. She waited as he inspected her, her heart thundering loudly in her chest.

“Well?” she asked finally, after a long silence.

Jay smiled at her. “You look good.”

“Yeah, right,” she responded. “I think it shows too much skin.”

Jay moved closer to her, his nose just above her head. He could smell that lovely floral scent pulling him in. “That’s not such a bad thing, is it?” he said, his mind elsewhere. He was gazing at her smooth skin. His fingers automatically came up and started stroking her arm.

Alex felt that magic sensation within her. She tilted her head and gazed at him. She could feel her senses swirling around her, sucking her in like a whirlpool. She wanted to feel his lips on hers.

Jayden moved his head slowly toward her, his lips an inch away from touching her.

“Jay? Alex?” a female voice drifted to them.

Alex blinked. She realized this was wrong. She almost kissed Jay. What was she thinking? Jayden was gay, for God’s sake!

She took a step back, her knees weak and her breath shaky.

The door opened. “Oh, there you two are,” Stephanie said with a bright smile. “You should come and see Kelly. Aw, she is so beautiful.”

Alex pulled away uncomfortably as Stephanie was eyeing them too keenly. Jayden, however, didn’t seem to mind, nor did he sympathize with her that she was embarrassed. He was actually pulling her closer, his hands about her waist and his nose and lips now touching her bare shoulder. She could feel the heat from him on her.

* * * * *

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