The Playboy's Princess (10 page)

“Well, don’t even think about sitting down. Tell me what you’re planning on wearing tonight,” Clare demanded.

With a loud sigh, Jade bypassed the couch and headed down the hallway to her bedroom. Lying on the bed were the clothes she’d picked out before she went to work that morning.

“I’m going to wear my dark denim jeans and that black halter top you insisted I buy,” she said, hoping her selection would please Clare.

“Hmm. Are those the jeans that hug your butt?”

“Yes, the ones that you said my ass looked sexy in when we met for brunch last weekend.” Jade nodded, even though she knew that Clare couldn’t see the action.

“Nope! They won’t do
at all!”
her friend replied firmly.

“What?” Jade gasped. “You specifically told me that those jeans made my ass look hot.”

“They make your
morning
ass look hot,” Clare corrected. “You need a whole other look for night butt.”

Jade froze with her mouth open, not quite sure how to respond to Clare’s logic.

“Huh?” was all she managed.

Clare sighed and began to talk slowly, as if Jade was stupid. “Your butt is perkier in the morning, so those jeans emphasize that. At night, gravity has had a whole day to pull your cheeks down, so you need a different style of pants to get the same sexy look.” She spoke as if it were the simplest concept in the world to grasp.

“I see. And what kind of style do I need for night butt?” Jade asked, playing along.

“Well, something firm, to hold your butt in place, but something softer than denim so it’s sexy.”

Again, Jade was silent. Clare wanted something to hold her butt in place? Where did she think her butt was going to run off to?

“I’ve got it!” Clare shrieked. “Wear those three-quarter black capri pants that make your legs look longer.”

Jade pulled open her closet and grabbed the black pants off the hanger before smirking. “My legs longer? I thought these were supposed to give me nice night butt.”

“Oh, well,
those
pants will do both! They’re tailored, so your ass will look phenomenal, plus your legs will look amazing,” Clare said proudly.

“Problem.” Jade stared at the pants she had just laid down on the bed next to the black halter top. “I look like I’m going to a funeral.”

“You’re right. You can’t wear black pants and a black top on your first official date with this mystery hottie…What about the red wrap-around shirt I bought you for your birthday?”

Jade groaned. The red shirt Clare had bought her showed way too much cleavage and was so tight it looked painted on.

“I, um, don’t know where it is,” she said while staring at it hanging in the closet with its tags still attached.

“Liar.” Clare laughed. “Just try it on.”

Grumbling to herself, Jade pulled it out of the closet and held it up, pulling on the material to see if she could stretch it out at all.

“Stop messing around and just put it on,” Clare encouraged through the phone.

With an exaggerated sigh so Clare would know she wasn’t happy, Jade took her T-shirt off and dropped it on the floor before wrapping the red fabric around herself and tying the straps at the front under her bust. She looked into the mirror and rolled her eyes. Her breasts looked like they would fall out of the flimsy fabric if she sneezed too hard.

“I’m not wearing it, Clare,” Jade insisted.

“Take a photo and send it to me,” her friend insisted.

Jade flicked through her cell phone’s menu until she found the camera, took a quick photo of herself in the mirror, and sent it in a text message.

“Oh, God! What have you done to that shirt?” Clare shrieked when she saw the photo. “You
cannot
wear it like that!”

“That’s what I’m saying,” Jade agreed.

“You’ve tied it up all wrong. Untie it and wrap the straps the other way so that they tie at the back, in the small of your back.”

Jade undid the straps and wrapped them around herself, awkwardly reaching around to tie them at the back instead of the front. When she turned around and saw her refection in the mirror, she was shocked to see the difference it had made. The top now looked classy and elegant. Even though there was still cleavage showing, it was sensual, not slutty.

“Photo,” Clare chirped. Jade gladly took another photo and sent it to her.

She stood admiring herself in the mirror while she waited for Clare to open the text message and cursed herself for not wearing the shirt before. What a waste it had been sitting in her closet for the past few months.

“Oh! It’s perfect! Now…shoes,” Clare cooed.

An hour later, Jade climbed into a taxi to go and meet Drew. The nerves and excitement that she’d felt before the “dress up Jade” session came flooding back. She and Drew were actually going on a real date, and if his moves during the dinner invitation were anything to go by, she’d be melting in her seat.

As she thought of Drew, images of him on the basketball court flooded her mind. The tight T-shirt that clung to his upper arms and showed the definition in his chest, making her want to growl and bite his shoulder. The sweat that glistened on his skin as he ran around the court. The crooked smile he gave without even realizing it when he’d seen her unexpectedly…And those shorts, the baggy shorts that hugged his ass and only hinted at what lay beneath them…Jade hadn’t been able to stop thinking about those shorts.

“Where should I let you out?” the taxi driver asked, breaking her out of her shorts-induced haze.

“Umm, just on the corner here is fine,” she replied as she looked out the window.

“Twenty-seven bucks,” the driver replied and held his hand out expectedly.

She passed him three ten-dollar bills and climbed out of the car. He took off just as she slammed the door closed, and she felt lucky not to have been knocked over.

“Jade!” Drew’s voice called, and she spun around to see him running across the street and waving, with a huge smile on his face.

She couldn’t help but smile back at him and scolded herself for being so transparent. She was supposed to
act
like she was falling in love with him, not actually
do
it.

“You look gorgeous!” Drew exclaimed as he slowed to a walk and stopped in front of her, his eyes traveling over her body.

“Thanks. I wasn’t sure how formal I should dress,” she said with a shrug. The truth was she knew she looked great.

She allowed herself to take him in. His hair was standing in all directions but still looked perfectly styled. His sleeves were rolled halfway up his forearms, and the top button of his slate gray button-up shirt was open, showing just a hint of chest hair. His dress pants hit low on his hips.

“You look perfect,” he said with a smile, mirroring her thought of him. “Shall we?” He reached out and laced his fingers through hers gently, squeezing and pulling her close to walk beside him.

“Are you hungry?” he asked, leaning down and whispering in her ear.

“I could eat.”

“Great. There’s somewhere I’d like to show you. Come on.”

He led her back to his car, and they drove through a residential area. Drew pulled up outside a house in Los Feliz.

Jade looked around curiously but still couldn’t see any reason why Drew would have stopped them in this spot. There was no restaurant or café anywhere in sight.

“Come on,” he said, smiling as he took her hand and pulled her up the driveway. “What do you think?” He stood in front of the porch and threw his arms out wide.

She looked around, still confused. “Umm, it’s great. What is it?”

Drew chuckled and pulled a set of keys out of his pocket.

“This is the house I inherited from my Gran. Once we get married, this is where we’ll live.” He turned and jogged up the few stairs to the doorway.

Jade’s mouth fell open as she stared up at the tall, historical, and probably extremely expensive house in front of her. This was where she would be living? Drew unlocked the door and held it open for her with an excited grin.

When Drew had called this place a house, she’d pictured something similar to where her parents lived, but nicer. She had
not
been expecting to step foot into a two-story villa with a pool and tennis court in the back yard. She looked around the large entryway and marveled at the stained-glass windows that lit up one side of the room. One of the windows had been smashed in, but the others hinted that they had once looked majestic.

“Would you like a tour?” Drew asked after he had closed the door and switched on the lights.

She nodded, unable to speak.

Drew moved through the rooms, pointing out the parlor, the formal lounge, kitchen, butler’s pantry, and living room before they moved upstairs to see the three large bedrooms, a study, and two more bathrooms.

“There is also an attic. It was used as the butler’s quarters,” he explained with a shrug.

Jade wondered if having a butler was something Drew was used to. She would have to ask him about that one day. At the moment, though, she was in too much shock to think of questioning him.

“This will be your bedroom and en suite,” Drew said as he indicated a door opposite the master bedroom suite.

“May I?” she asked timidly.

“Of course,” Drew replied with a smile.

Jade opened the door and gasped when she saw the huge four-poster bed and double glass doors that opened out onto a small private balcony. The furniture was all antique and looked to be very expensive. She could just see herself tripping over the rug and crashing into the full-length mirror standing by the dresser.

“Sorry about all the dust. I’ll have some cleaners come through here before we actually move in,” he explained.

“It’s beautiful,” she said in awe as she took in the smaller details around the room. She stuck her head into the en suite and saw that the counters, bathtub, and shower were all made of a white marble with gray flecks through it.

“The balcony overlooks a park. It’s a bit too dark to see it now, but I’m sure you’ll enjoy the view,” Drew said as he came up behind her.

“I’m sure I will,” she agreed, nodding.

She wasn’t sure why, but she felt both extremely calm and completely on edge all at the same time, and it was very overwhelming.

“I’m going to be fixing it up little by little as I can afford it, and hopefully it’ll be livable by the time we’re ready to move in,” Drew told her.

Jade cocked an eyebrow at him curiously. This place was in much better shape than where she was currently living. She couldn’t see anything that would make it unlivable except the broken window in the front room.

“Come on, let’s go downstairs and get comfortable,” Drew said, reaching his hand out and grasping hers tightly.

He pulled her down the grand staircase, and she let her free hand gently slide along the polished wood of the banister. Everything was so elegant; she wondered if she would ever feel comfortable living there.

“Shall we eat?” Drew asked, turning to face her as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket.

“Uh, sure,” she said, wondering if he was going to cook for her or if he had a chef stashed away somewhere in one of the ornate cupboards.

Drew pulled out his cell phone, and wanting to give him some privacy, she wandered into the informal living room. That was a room she could almost feel comfortable in. The couches were nice but not antique, and the walls were painted a light blue that made the room feel open and breezy. There was an old-fashioned turn-knob television in the corner and doilies on the small tables scattered around the room. It was obvious that an older lady had lived there.

Jade sat cautiously on the couch and pulled the small decorative cushion from behind her back to hold against her chest.

“Change of plans. Can you bring it to the Los Feliz property instead?” Drew’s phone conversation floated from he stood at the foot of the staircase to where she was sitting. “Great, see you soon.”

“There you are,” he exclaimed as his head popped around the doorway.

“Here I am,” she agreed with a small smile.

“I had originally planned for us to have a picnic in the park, but I wondered if maybe we could have it here instead?” he asked coyly as he ran his left hand up through his hair.

“That sounds nice.”

Drew frowned and walked over to her slowly, taking the seat beside her on the couch.

“You don’t seem very comfortable, Ariel. Is everything okay?” Concern laced his words.

“Yes…I think I’m just a bit overwhelmed. This house is just so…so…huge, and I’m not used to being around such nice things,” she tried to explain. “Plus, you make me nervous.”

She slapped her hand over her mouth in horror when she realized what she’d said. If she could have given herself a face-palm without him seeing it, she would have.

He gave her a smug smile and leaned in a bit closer, brushing his cheek against hers. “Does this make you nervous too?” he asked in a deep whisper.