Read Starstruck - Book Two for Free Online Page A

the bar stool behind me, eyes glued to his phone
most of the time.
     
    “I can get a head start on wardrobe shopping,” he offered
after a few minutes. He was clearly bored with the makeup gig. “What size are
you?”
     
    Alec himself was not a big guy, and Shanda’s bony wrists
told me she probably wasn’t a big fan of food either. She had to have been at
least a size zero, maybe even a double zero. She was a good three or four
inches taller than me too.
     
    I blushed, not wanting to reveal my size. Back home, I’d
always been proud to be a six. Out here, I felt like that information should’ve
been private.
     
    “Doll, your size?” Alec asked again.
     
    “I guess it just depends on the brand,” I said. “Sometimes a
four. Sometimes a six.”
     
    I was never a four. Ever. I kicked myself on the inside for
lying. He was probably going to run and pull a bunch of size fours and they
were all going to be too small and I was going to feel like a complete idiot
for lying about it.
     
    “I prefer to go a size up and get everything tailored,” he
said. “I’ll pull some sixes and eights for you.”
     
    I closed my eyes and thanked my lucky stars. “Thanks, Alec.”
     
    Shanda finished up with me a little while later. My look was
stunning and flawless, and I could hardly see any of the makeup on me. It
looked so natural yet so polished.
     
    “So? What do you think?” she asked with a huge grin on her
face.
     
    “I love it,” I said. I couldn’t stop smiling at my
reflection in the handheld mirror in front of me. “You did good!”
     
    She began lining up a bunch of products on the counter.
     
    “I’ll take everything,” I said as I handed her Hudson’s
card.
     
    She rang up a bag full of products and I couldn’t bring
myself to look at the total. I didn’t want to know. I didn’t want to spend the
rest of the day feeling like I owed him something.
     
    I found Alec in the ready-to-wear section with an armful of
garments over his left arm. Evidently he’d been pulling like crazy.
     
    “Wow,” I said. “You’ve been busy.”
     
    “Oh, honey, you should see what’s in the dressing room for
you,” he laughed. “This is round two.”
     
    “We’re going to be here a while aren’t we?” I asked.
     
    “Go get started,” he said. “Last dressing room on the end.
That way. I’ll be over in a sec.”
     
    I found the dressing room and stripped down, pulling on
various tops and jeans and pants and dresses. I started with the eights, which
were all slightly too big, and told Alec I agreed we should get them and have
them tailored.
     
    Luckily a good portion of sixes fit me well enough to go
home with me that day. I wanted to get started with my new look. I didn’t have
time to wait for a tailor to take everything in.
     
    Alec helped me find a
California-Coastal-meets-laid-back-Midwestern style, which he insisted I could
pull off well. He customized every outfit and told me what went with what. He
even offered to come by and take Polaroids of the different outfit combinations
so I never had to worry about coming up with something on my own.
     
    “You’re too amazing,” I said to Alec as I hugged him at the
end of the day. “You really made this day so special.”
     
    “Don’t thank me,” he said as he squeezed me back. “Thank
Hudson. He set everything up for you.”
     
    “He’s pretty great, isn’t he?” I asked Alec.
     
    “He likes you a lot,” Alec replied.
     
    We trekked out of Saks and it was already starting to get
dark. I was exhausted and I knew Alec was too. I almost wished we had more time
together so I could pick his brain about Hudson, but I knew neither of us had
the energy. The ride home was pure silence.
     
    “See you,” I called to a half-asleep Alec as I exited the
limo back at Hudson’s.
     
    “Bye, doll,” he said back. He closed his eyes and reclined
back onto the buttery leather seats.
     
    The driver helped me carry my huge bags of