Chapter 4

Just before 6:00 PM, the buzzer to Keira's apartment rang. Looking out the window, she could see Molly's white stretch limo parked at the curb. Being a supermodel had its perks, and one of them was that Molly had her own car and driver at her disposal. It was meant for transporting her to and from photo shoots, but every now and then Molly would sweet-talk the driver, George, into shuttling her to after-hours events -- pleasure rather than business. She made it worth his while by setting him up on dates with other model friends of hers.

Keira took one last glance in her bedroom's full-length mirror. Not too bad, she thought. Her long brown hair was streaked with blonde highlights. Left alone, it would dry into soft waves, but tonight she'd straightened it so it was long and shiny. Her hazel eyes were lined with soft brown eyeliner, and her full lips shone with subtle nude gloss. She looked pretty but not overly made up. After her conversation with Molly, she'd finally settled on wearing a strapless black A-line dress and strappy black flat sandals. She'd considered wearing heels, but her practical side had taken over and the flats won. No way was she going to stand for two hours wearing heels.

I can't believe I spent this much time getting ready, she thought, chagrined. At the same time, she was fully aware of why she had done so.

Keira grabbed her purse and keys and took the elevator down to the lobby. She stepped out into the gorgeous June evening and Molly's driver opened the limo door for her. "Thank you, George," she said politely, smiling, and slid into the car to greet Molly.

As soon as her eyes landed on her best friend, she burst out laughing. Molly was all decked out in a leopard-print halter top and snug black pants. "Oh, no, you didn't," Keira said jokingly.

Molly stretched luxuriously and gestured towards her clothing. "Don't be jealous that you didn't take my advice. Someone has to look like the true Bon Jovi fan."

Molly was the kind of girl that other women loved to hate. Tall, blonde and leggy with striking blue eyes, she was the type of woman who had the confidence to wear the outfit that she was wearing, as well as the ability to make it look trendy and beautiful instead of tacky and trashy. The downside to this was that Molly didn't have many girlfriends. Other women took one look at her and assumed that she was shallow and stuck-up. They didn't realize how funny, smart, and loyal she was. She was there for Keira through the good times and the bad. She was also spontaneous, daring, and fun, and Keira couldn't imagine life without her.

Shaking her head, Keira told her, "I don't know how you do it, Mol, but you look amazing."

"You don't look half bad yourself," replied Molly, looking her over. "Sexy, yet subtle."

"Woohoo, just the look I was going for. It only took me 18 hours to decide on it. And I'll have you know that Rob is pretty pissed off about this whole situation."

Molly frowned. "Ahhh, he didn't like the idea of you going backstage, huh?"

Keira sank back into the seat. "That's the thing, Molly, I didn't even tell him about going backstage. He's just annoyed that I'm not spending the night with him. He's acting so needy lately."

Molly shuddered. "Oh, I hate when they get all needy," she said. "But look at it this way: at least he loves you enough to want to be with you. He'd be stupid not to want to be with you. Just try to put him out of your mind and have a good night."

After a few minutes the limo came to a stop in front of Hurley's, an Italian restaurant in the Theatre District. When she saw the name of the place, Keira couldn't help but groan. Un-freakin'-believable, she thought.

Fifteen minutes later, they sat comfortably at a table in the dimly lit restaurant. The first glass of merlot went directly to Keira’s head, as she’d hardly eaten anything all day. She was finally starting to relax. Before she knew what she was saying, the words tumbled out. “So tell me about meeting Jon. What was he doing at a Versace shoot?”

Molly refilled her wine glass from the carafe in the center of the table. Grinning like the cat who swallowed the canary, she leaned back in her chair and raised a pretty eyebrow. There was nothing Molly liked better than dishing dirt. “Well,” she began, leaning forward as though she was about to share something highly confidential, “Rumor has it that he’s part of a new Versace campaign.”

Keira couldn’t help it. She snorted. “Yeah, right,” she said. “Jon is so against being a model.”

Molly froze, her wine glass raised halfway to her mouth. She stared at Keira.

Suddenly uncomfortable, Keira shifted in her chair and said defensively, “What?”

“Nothing, it’s just that…well…you said that as though you know him.”

Keira snorted again. The alcohol seemed to be making her a bit snorty. “Trust me, I don’t know him,” she said very quietly.

Molly looked confused for a minute, but then shrugged it off. “Well, maybe the model thing is just a rumor,” she said. “In any case, today he was there to visit Cassandra, one of the other Versace models. I guess they’ve been seeing each other for a few months now, whenever he’s in New York.”

Keira took a huge gulp of her wine to keep from showing a reaction. Suddenly she felt a strong urge for a cigarette, even though she hadn’t smoked in over two years.

The waiter arrived with their food, rescuing Keira from any further Bon Jovi-related conversation. She and Molly spent the next half hour amiably discussing Molly’s work, Rob’s issues, and Keira’s writer’s block.

Before they knew it, they were back in the limousine, feeling pleasantly fed and buzzed. It wasn’t until the limo stopped and George came around to open the door that Keira realized they’d arrived at the Meadowlands.