"I just can't believe he'd do something like this, Farida! I thought he was a nice guy!".It was a Saturday evening, and Meghan Rose was on the phone with her best friend, Farida Kapoor.
Meghan was complaining about Sam Moseley, her boyfriend of just three weeks. She'd just discovered that Sam had been selling stories and pictures of her to tabloids and online gossip blogs. none of the stories had been overly scandalous...some of them had been positive about Meghan, painting her in a friendly light...but still, Meghan didn't appreciate details of her life being sold to gossip rags. Especially by someone she was starting to trust.
" I just don't understand Farida! I thought he really liked me!"Meghan complained.
" We're super models, Meghan dear. Men date us because we're beautiful, not because they like us", Farida said, in her thick Moroccan accent. Farida loved her best friend, but she often wished that Meghan would take a more realistic approach to the dating scene.
" I just want to meet a nice guy", Meghan sighed.
"You need to be like me, Meghan", Farida continued. " I'm not looking for a nice guy. I'm looking for a rich guy. Preferably an old billionaire who will take care of me once I turn 28, and I'm old and wrinkled, and no one wants to photograph me anymore. Someone who will let me spend ALL his money!".
Meghan laughed. " Farida, you're so materialistic. You're rich on your own, you don't need a billionaire!".
Farida snorted. " That's where you're mistaken my dear! Haven't you learned anything working in our industry? One can never bee too thin, or too rich!"
" I mean it, Farida. If I ever find a truly nice guy...I'm NEVER letting him go!" Meghan said.
" Fine. But until Mr. Nice Guy comes along, how about going with me to that new disco, Club Luxe tonight? I'm in the mood for drinking, and dancing on table tops!"
Meghan laughed. " Okay, I'll go. I need to dance and unwind because I know our modeling agency is going to be furious with me once they discover what Sam did".
" Darling, they already know, trust me. See you later, and make sure to look fabulous!"
__________________________________________________________________________________
A few hours later, Meghan stood in front of her bedroom mirror. She was wearing a new, one of a kind haute couture dress given to her by the last designer she'd worked for, the world known Luca Simotelli.
" This dress was made for a beautiful creature like you, Meghan! You are my muse!" Luca Simotelli had exclaimed.
Meghan wished she could feel as beautiful on the inside as she knew she was on the outside. But she just didn't. Something was missing. Meghan didn't know what it was, but she knew that she didn't feel complete. Maybe it would benefit her to be more like her best friend Farida. All Farida cared about was parties, shopping, money, and more parties. But Meghan knew that living a "good time" life wouldn't last forever. She had to find that missing something. She knew she wouldn't be truly happy until she did.
" Sweetie, where is the rest of that dress?", Vanessa Rose asked, when her younger sister appeared in the living room, smelling of expensive designer fragrance. Meghan's makeup was expertly applied, and her glossy red hair was styled perfectly.
Meghan sighed inwardly. She loved Vanessa, but she was tired of how old-fashioned Nessa could be. Old-fashioned and hopelessly out of the loop. Vanessa couldn't even recognize a designer Simotelli dress! Designer style for Vanessa meant shopping at Target©.
"I'm going out to a new dance place called Club Luxe with Farida tonight", Meghan explained. " This is what I'm wearing".
" I see", Vanessa said, but she still looked skeptical. "Anyway, your boyfriend Sam has been calling me off the hook. He said he can't reach you".
Meghan rolled her eyes. " If he calls you again, tell him to lose your number and mine. I don't want to talk to him anymore!"
"Oh no! Why not?", Vanessa asked, but she suspected the reason. Sam had probably turned out to be another loser. Her little sister had a knack for picking up guys that usually only wanted the prestige of having a gorgeous young supermodel on their arm.
" He started dishing about me to Celebrity Stars magazine, and some other rags. Can you believe it? What a jerk!"
" How awful. I hope he didn't say anything outrageous!"
Meghan shook her head. " No, he didn't. But I'm through with him. I'm going out with Farida tonight to get it off my mind".
Vanessa felt that perhaps Meghan spent too much time at the clubs with her wild friend Farida, and that was why she kept meeting jerks like Sam. But she knew her headstrong little sister woudn't listen to her.
" Well, have fun", she said.
" Oh, I intend to!" Meghan replied, tossing her shiny red hair.
________________________________________________________________
Club Luxe was actually anything but luxe. It was a small, grungy hole in the wall filled with regular people. There wasn't even a VIP area!
" Are you sure this is the new hot spot?", Meghan asked Farida, skeptically.
" Absolutely! Hanging out with the normal people is all the rage, my dear", Farida replied, but she herself didn't look too convinced.
So the two stunning young women tried to make the best of it. From the moment they walked in, they were gaped and stared at. It wasn't often two outrageously beautiful supermodels appeared at a dive like Club Luxe.
Farida tried to dance with a weird guy in a blue suit. But he kept stomping on her feet, while giving her a creepy smile.
Meghan found someone she thought was pretty cool. He was a local scientist, and even though he kept talking about nitrogen structure of DNA and molecular fission, he seemed friendly enough. Until she noticed the big golden wedding band on his right hand. And then he tried to fondle her and grab her in for a seductive hug!
" Get away from me, you weirdo!", she shrieked, and stepped on his foot.
"Farida, this place is terrible", Meghan said, as they sat at the bar.
" Just keep drinking. I have a feeling tonight is definitely going to get better", Farida said, gulping a down a neon green concoction.
____________________________________________________________
It didn't get better. The girls left in exasperation after men kept trying to make unwanted and unwelcome passes. The drinks were lousy, and the music sucked too.
" How about we head to Club Re:Public? I mean, it's not the hot spot anymore, but it's got to be better than this place", Meghan suggested. She didn't want the night to be a total waste.
Farida shrugged. She was annoyed at having wasted her time in Club Luxe. She was also over Re:public. The "in" crowd had abandoned the club long ago. now it was filled with tourists hoping to catch a glimpse of celebrities that no longer showed up.
So the two beauties headed to Club Re:public.
When they got there, they discovered that the club was crowded, and the people weren't too bad. Definitely not A-listers, but not anything like the losers at Club Luxe.
Meghan and Farida set themselves up at the bar, and began to order drink after tasty drink. Neither of them were in the mood for dancing, so they just sat and tried to chat over the loud beat of the music.
They were on their fourth drinks when Meghan noticed a cute guy across the bar. He was definitely a hottie! He wasn't her usual high class style of guy, but he was worth admiring. He was with another cute, blonde guy.
" Check him out, Farida ! The cute guy with the dark hair and freckles...with the tall blonde standing next to him! they're kinda hot!"
" They're OK", she said, with a shrug. She didn't want to waste her time on guys with a tight budget.
" Let's go say hi!", Meghan insisted. " They might be fun! Come on, they're the cutest guys in her! And it's got to be better than hanging out here at the bar all night with the bouncer ogling us".
Farida sighed. She felt bad about having dragged her friend to awful Club Luxe. Plus, Meghan needed to get over Sam asap. She supposed she could take one for the team and play wing man for the night.
Farida introduced herself to the blonde, who seemed extremely pleased to have a gorgeous young woman come up to him.
" I'm Farida. Dance with me", she said, in her superior tone.
" I'm Court!", he said, very impressed, as they made their way to the dance floor.
Meghan wasn't quite as forward as Farida. She introduced herself properly.
" Hi, I'm Meghan. ", she said, and discovered that she actually felt kind of shy in front of the handsome stranger. It was a first for her. She was usually super confident around men, secure in the fact that they'd be interested because she was so beautiful.
The stranger gave her a friendly smile. " Hey, Meghan. I'm Zane", he said.
Meghan couldn't think of what to say next. She didn't know what was wrong with her. She was Meghan Rose, a supermodel who graced the covers of tons of fashion magazines. She was the ultra confident beauty who dazzled on the runways. So why was she so tongue -tied around this cute...but average...guy?
Fortunately for her, Zane turned out to be incredibly friendly. " I've definitely seen you before...are you an actress?", he asked, and she could tell he was sincere in wanting to know who she was. Not like most guys who liked to fakely flatter her right from the start.
" I'm a model", she said, simply.
" Cool!", Zane said, as if he met super models every day. " I'm a news reporter with the local newspaper. But i do the sports section...not the entertainment section. Guess that's why I didn't recognize you.
They fell into easy conversation, and then Zane invited Meghan out onto the dance floor.
They danced a few dances. Meghan noticed Farida having a good time with Zane's friend. Meghan was surprised...farida wasn't usually so friendly to normal guys.
But after a few dances, Zane led to Meghan back to the bar and told her he was going to find his friend Charlotte.
" I actually came here with her", he said, apologetically. " I've lost her in this crowd, and I don't want her to think I've left without her".
Meghan's heart sank. She thought that Zane was interested in her! Turned out he was only being friendly.
Meghan wasn't used to rejection. She was used to getting any guy she wanted. She watched Zane drift off into the crowd, and realized that he hadn't even asked for her phone number.
Disappointed, Meghan went back to the bar. Farida was having a blast with Zane's friend, which was funny, considering she hadn't even wanted to say hi to the two guys in the first place. Meghan ordered her fifth Cosmopolitan, feeling lonely.
_______________________________________________________________
Her fifth Cosmopolitan quickly turned into a sixth and seventh, and soon Meghan fund that the club was spinning. She had no idea were Farida was. She spotted a booth in a corner, far away from the lights, crowd and people. She made her way over, wanting to just close her eyes.
She was drifting in and out, the beat of the music making her head throb. She was just about to fall asleep when she heard a voice.
" Meghan? You OK?". It was Zane!
" I...fink so", she said, slurring her words. She couldn't even focus on him.
' Hey...the clubs about to close. Where's your friend?", Zane asked, and even in her drunk state, Meghan could hear the concern in his voice
" I...donsh know. She was danshing...I fink". Meghan groaned.
" Wow. You don't know where she is? That's not good. You can't get home like this", Zane said, more to himself, than to her. " Meghan, don't move. Let me tell my friend Charlotte that I'm taking you home. You do think you can help me get you home, right?"
All Meghan could do was nod. She vaguely wondered where Farida had gone off too, but was too tired to try and look for her friend.
Farida, it turned out, was perfectly fine with Court Mcallister, Zane's friend. After a couple of drinks, Court started to look mighty fine...so fine that Farida soon forgot that she didn't date regular guys.
In the back of her mind, she knew she should go and try and find Meghan, but Court was such a great kisser!
Zane found Meghan exactly where he left her, slumped in a corner booth. He felt sorry for the beautiful redhead, for some odd reason. She was so breathtakingly beautiful...but he could feel how lonely she was. He helped her up, and allowed her to lean her weight on him.
" Hey, I'm going to drive you home", he said, as he led her out of the club. " Do you think you can give me your address?"
" 150 Ballantyne Lane", she murmured, giving him an address in one of the more ritzier parts of town. There were cabs lined up outside of the club, but Zane didn't feel right putting the beauty alone in a cab. So he tucked her into the passenger side of his car, and drove off int the night.
________________________________________________________________
Meghan lived in the fancy foothills outside of town. Zane knew the area, he'd interviewed some sports players who lived in the wealthy neighborhoods that dotted the hills. He did have some difficulty finding Meghan's house, considering she was nearly passed out. All she could tell him was that there were fountains in front of her home.
He found the house, and was extremely impressed by its size and elegance. He pulled the car up front.
" We're here Meghan", he said, softly. " Think you got it from here? Do you have your house keys?"
Meghan nodded, slowly, her eyes halfway shut. Zane went to the passenger side to help her out. The minute Meghan got out and tried to to walk, she nearly fell over backward, and Zane had to rush to catch her.
He lifted the red-headed beauty in his arms, and found she was feather light. Zane again felt a sadness emanating from her, but he dismissed the feeling. He barely knew the girl. she was just a pretty girl who'd had way too many drinks. He decided he just felt protective of her...it wasn't safe for a young woman to get drunk in a club, especially with a flaky friend who just abandoned her.
" Thanksh. Zane...", she murmured, when she felt herself being lifted into his arms. She knew that it probably wasn't the smartest idea to allow a complete stranger in her house when she wasn't feeling like herself, but she trusted Zane. She didn't know why she trusted him, but she could sense he was a decent guy.
There was a line of freckles running across his nose and cheeks, and Meghan felt the urge to touch them. She didn't realize that she actually did stroke his cheek...softly. Zane chuckled, then found her keys and opened her door.
Meghan's house was huge, a luxurious modern design. But Meghan managed to tell Zane where her bedroom was. He laid her down gently on the bed. He was about to head out when she coughed a few times. Zane had heard stories of drunk people getting sick in the night. He decided to lie down with her until he knew she was safely asleep.
But he was tired himself, and soon found himself dozing off. At one point, he felt Meghan snuggling up to him, and he knew that he should move away. He didn't want her to think he was the type of dude to take advantage of a drunk girl. But he liked how she smelled, how perfectly she fit in his arms. He'd explain in the morning. He only hoped she would remember who he was...
Meghan smiled softly to herself as she curled herself in Zane's arms. Maybe...just maybe...she'd found that missing something.
