His Hired Girlfriend by Alexia Praks Page A

silk fabric. It’s smooth and soft under
her fingers. She loves the tiny frills and the pleats that gather
to one side of the shoulder. It reminds her of a Greek Empire
dress, only this one has less fabric, is shorter, and in a pale
leaf green instead of pure white or gold. She’s already falling in
love with it. She could never afford anything this
elegant.
    “ I can tell you really
like it.”
    Alex glances at Kelly.
“Are you sure you don’t mind? But what are you going to
wear?”
    Kelly laughs out loud at
that remark. “You silly girl, I have hundreds of dresses I can
wear. Now, try it on.”
    “ Now?”
    “ Of course now,” Kelly
demands, striding out the door. “Hurry up. We don’t have much time.
We have to do your makeup as well.” She closes the wardrobe
door.
    Alex quickly undresses
herself and puts on the dress. Once done, she hesitantly scrambles
to the full length mirror and stares at herself.
    “ Oh, my God,” she breathes. This is her? She looks
different. She looks pretty. Gently, she touches the frills on the
dress and smiles.
    “ Are you ready yet?” Kelly
bursts in.
    Alex quickly turns to look
at the laughing intruder.
    “ Well, well. You know, I
never look good in that dress. But on you, you’re a different story
altogether. Jay’s going to love this. I hope he knows how to
breathe properly when he sees a pretty woman.”
    “ Why would he love this?”
Alex asks naively.
    Kelly laughs as she drags
her back into the bedroom. “Time for your makeup.”
    “ Oh, right,” Alex responds
as she is gently pushed into the seat in front of the
mirror.
    * * *
    Jayden never thought Beth would interrogate Alex as though she were
a suspect in a murder case. Alex keeps looking at him for guidance
every time Beth fires a question at her.
    What does your dad do? What does your mom do? How many
siblings do you have? What’s
your plan for the future? Where is New Zealand? What’s your
financial status? How many boyfriends have you had before you met
Jay?
    As if any of that is important, Jay thinks gloomily. He
rests his head against the back of the sofa and closes his eyes.
He can feel a headache
coming.
    Poor Alex. Why is he
dragging her into his problems? What the hell is wrong with
him?
    “ Heard your girlfriend has
finally arrived,” a voice says at the door.
    Jay flashes his eyes open to see his dad, Tom McCartney,
standing there with his hands in the pockets of his trousers. Tall,
brown hair, and grey eyes—and right then dressed in a Zegna suit—he
looks handsome and powerful. He must have just returned from the
McCartney Grand Hotel.
    “ Hey, Dad,” he greets.
“Yeah, Alex is here.”
    Tom comes to sit beside
his son. “You don’t look too happy.”
    Jay thinks his dad could
say that again. “Beth.”
    “ Ah, Beth,” Tom says as if
that explains everything. “Has she mentioned Britney
yet?”
    “ Yeah. I hope she realizes it’s not going to
happen.”
    “ Don’t you mind Beth.
She’s only watching out for your future. A perfect
granddaughter-in-law means everything to her. And you know how much
she wants great-grandchildren.”
    “ Yeah,” Jay replies. He
suddenly feels guilt mounting in his chest. Beth wants
great-grandchildren. It is his pleasure to provide her some. He
loves her despite her controlling ways.
    “ There you are,”
Gracie says from the door. “The two most important men in my life.”
She waltzes into the room and kisses her husband smack on the lips.
“I’ve missed you today.”
    “ I’ve missed you, too,”
Tom replies.
    “ The guests are
arriving.”
    “ Already?” Jay mutters. He wonders if he should’ve cancelled
the welcoming party. Shit! Double shit! He knows
Alex is not prepared for this. After all, she was hardly prepared
for Granny Beth’s spiteful ways. He thanks God for Gracie’s
understanding. She seems to like Alex.
    “ Don’t worry, honey,
everything is in order,” Gracie says. “Come along.” She drags Tom
by the arm and