Chapter 14 #2
Instead, she crashed into Penny, who was just coming out of Alex’s bedroom.
Her hair was pulled up into a smooth chignon at the back of her neck, and thin straps held up her cream-colored silk dress, a deep-cut neck exposing a lot more than Jasmine was used to seeing from Penny.
The dress was fitted at the waist and over the hips, flaring just slightly at the bottom.
That famous necklace Alex had given her hung between her breasts.
Women like Penny Harrison shouldn’t be allowed to exist in real life, Jasmine thought bitterly.
“Penny, I hope you and Alex don’t mind, I invited Natalie over to get ready with us. She was kind of bummed about the loss, so I thought the party might cheer her up. She should be right behind me.”
With a smile and a shrug, Penny said, “Why would we mind? Of course she’s welcome. I’m sorry about the match. I heard you played amazing, though. One of your net points made SportsCenter back home.”
“Really?” Jasmine said, her spirits lifting just slightly. “I mean, it’s not as cool as qualifying to Wimbledon, but…”
Penny’s pretty features wrinkled in agreement. “Definitely not, but after the way you played in France and now here, people are going to start to notice… and not just because of your last name. You’ve been impressive.”
“You think so?”
With a click of her tongue, Penny nodded. “I know so. If I had any interest in doubles and two fully operating ankles, I know who I’d be calling.”
Jasmine laughed and it felt good, the sting of the loss easing just a bit more. Penny didn’t just say shit to say it. It hadn’t helped her win friends when she’d first arrived at OBX, but Jasmine was grateful for it right now. “Thanks—seriously, I needed that.”
“No problem. I’ll send Natalie up when she gets here.”
The click-clack of Penny’s heels echoed down the stairs as Jasmine slipped into the room she shared with Indy and sighed in relief.
It was empty; Indy was most likely still in the shower.
She set her bag down and went straight to the closet where she’d hung her garment bag.
She’d packed a few dresses, knowing she’d want options for nights like this.
The first was a short, floaty, strapless number, sweetheart neckline, cinched in just under the breasts with several layers of gauzy fabric that would fall unevenly around her knees.
The dress behind it was a cream color similar to the one Penny had on, so she moved past it to the last one, a bright pink halter dress that would hug tightly at her hips.
“That one, definitely.”
Natalie stepped into the room, a bag in hand, and tossed it onto Indy’s bed.
“You think?” Jasmine asked, holding up the first dress. “Or this?”
“The pink. You’ll look super hot.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Jasmine said, taking it from the garment bag and laying it out on her bed, then yanking her shirt over her head. “Can you get the door?”
Before Natalie could shut it, Teddy slid inside. “Whoa, sorry,” he said, spinning around and facing the wall. “I just needed you to tie my tie for me in that awesome knot you know, the one with the layers.”
“The Eldredge knot?” Natalie asked as Jasmine slipped her dress on.
“You know it?” Teddy asked, and Jasmine turned around just in time to see Teddy’s eyes flicker down Natalie’s long, lean frame, so much like Indy’s, made for tennis and red carpets, for sure.
“My dad loves that knot. He taught me when I was little. Come here,” she said, crooking a finger in his direction.
Teddy obeyed immediately, sliding the tie under his collar and stepping closer to her, not having to bend at all for Natalie to reach up and pop the collar of his white dress shirt with a thin blue pinstripe.
Jasmine looked away, tying the silk belt around her waist and adjusting it in the mirror above the dresser.
She didn’t need to watch Teddy turn on the charm with yet another unsuspecting female, but she spied them in the mirror, Natalie’s hands expertly weaving the silk of his tie into a layered knot below his Adam’s apple.
Jasmine blinked and focused her eyes down at the dresser, grabbing her makeup bag and trying to concentrate on her eye shadow options.
“Thanks,” Teddy said, and she couldn’t help it, her eyes were drawn back up just in time to see him squeeze Natalie’s elbow lightly. “Save me a dance tonight, okay?”
“Okay,” Natalie said, and then Teddy was gone. “He’s nice.”
“Yeah, he’s great.” When he’s talking to you and actually being a friend instead of only coming to you when he needs his tie tied, Jasmine added silently, grabbing her foundation and forgetting about the eye makeup. Her hand wouldn’t be steady enough yet anyway.
Just as she was about to swipe some concealer under her eyes, Indy appeared, wrapped in a cotton bathrobe, a towel still around her hair. “Hi,” she said to Natalie, looking to Jasmine for an explanation.
“I’m Natalie.”
“Yeah, I know. Um, I’m Indy.”
“Uh, yeah, I know.”
“I’ll… Let me just grab my dress and I’ll let you guys get ready,” Indy said, shaking out a little pile of gold fabric she dug out from the corner of her suitcase, then grabbing her makeup bag.
Natalie turned and grimaced. “Are you sure it’s okay that I’m here?”
“It’s more than okay,” Jasmine said, shaking her head. “Come on, the cars’ll be here soon. Let’s just get ready. It’s going to be a fun night.”
The Wimbledon gala was mostly a press event. Jasmine had attended a couple of times with her parents. There was a red carpet and a ton of photographers, but it was also a chance for everyone to mill around and chat before the tournament got started in just a couple of days.
The three cars that carried them all pulled up to the party just late enough to be fashionable and not obnoxious.
Most of tennis’s elite were already inside, but the photographers had stayed, and as soon as Alex and Penny hit the carpet, it was obvious why.
Tennis’s golden couple were even more in demand in London than they’d been in Paris.
They posed separately, but the crowd of photographers jeered until Alex stepped up to his girlfriend, wrapping an arm around her waist, pulling her close.
“Such a shame that’s off the market,” Natalie sighed next to her, and Jasmine snorted.
“Their level of hotness really should be illegal,” she agreed with Natalie’s assessment. “Come on, we’re next.”
“Allow me?” Teddy said, offering his arm to Natalie, who took it without hesitation, her sky-blue dress in an odd twist of fate perfectly matching the pinstripes in Teddy’s shirt.
Jasmine didn’t even have a chance to feel that usual pang in her stomach as a warm hand slid from her shoulder to her elbow, tucking her arm into the crook of his. “You look beautiful,” Paolo said, and she felt the blood rush to her head, the sound of his voice making her shiver.
“Thank you,” she said, following his lead as he started down the carpet, guiding her closer to the photographers’ pool where Indy, blond hair hanging in loose curls, body wrapped in an extremely tiny gold dress, was currently getting her picture taken while Jack stood off to the side.
The photographers and reporters cajoled him over and over again to join her, but he stayed firmly planted.
If she and Indy were exchanging more than monosyllables, she’d ask her about it once they got inside, but… they weren’t.
“I wanted to ride in the car with you,” Paolo said, “but you were stolen away by your friend.”
“She’s excited to be here,” Jasmine explained, unable to stop the flush in her cheeks at his attention.
“She should be and so should you. Come on, time to get your picture taken.”
“Only if you go with me,” she said, smiling up at him from beneath her lashes.
“Naturalmente,” Paolo said, leading her in front of the cameras.
The party was in full swing when they got inside, small groups standing at tables chatting, some people dancing, others sitting down munching on the free food.
“Come on,” Natalie said, grabbing Jasmine’s hand as the DJ cued up some house music, the bass pounding through Jasmine’s chest. “Are you two coming?” she called back to Paolo and Teddy, who glanced at each other and then followed them out to the dance floor.
Jasmine let her new doubles partner twirl her in a circle before raising her hands over her head and letting her hips swirl in time to the music. It felt good to just let go for a moment, so she threw her head back and laughed. She’d worry about tennis tomorrow. Tonight was going to be fun.
The music was bad Euro techno trash, crap Jasmine wouldn’t normally listen to, but bouncing around the dance floor with Natalie, joined after a song by Paolo and Teddy, was a blast. She sometimes caught a glimpse of Penny and Alex, who’d squirreled themselves away in a corner and were being absolutely disgustingly perfect, as usual.
Hopefully they could manage keeping racy pictures of them hooking up in some darkened corner out of the press this time.
Jack and Indy had pretty much embraced the idea that people knew about them, and from what Jasmine could tell, they were working the room together, looking like two runway models who had escaped from fashion week.
Eventually, the music shifted into something she recognized, a rap song from the ’90s about clearing your throat that her mom liked to jam to while cooking.
“I love this song,” Jasmine shouted to Natalie, but as the music shifted, so did the dancing, and she felt two strong hands at her hips, fingers spreading across the material of her dress.
“Va bene?” Paolo growled into her ear, and she nodded, stepping back into him a little, leaning her body weight to settle against his chest, their lower bodies finding a slow, grinding rhythm.