Merry Mix-Up (Holiday Hearts)

7. Jade

7

JADE

D ecember 7th

The crisp sheen of the red taffeta dress caught the light as I stood in front of the mirror next to Jill and Sara. It was scratchy and uncomfortable to me no matter what the others said about it. And Amber and I weren't exactly the same size, so I had to cram my size four body into a size three dress to make sure it would fit her. There would still be last-minute alterations when she got home on the twentieth, but this was the best way to get closer to her size.

"It's so pretty!" Naomi clapped her hands and sighed. "You guys are so gorgeous. The red dresses will look amazing with the guys in their green cummerbunds and bowties." The whole Christmas theme was taking things a little far for my taste, but Naomi loved it. She'd surely go nuts over the design I had for her dress, too. She and Jared would look like Mr. and Mrs. Claus on Christmas morning as they walked down the aisle as man and wife.

"This is so uncomfortable," I grumbled, but Naomi couldn't hear me. Jill, on the other hand, heard me loud and clear and rolled her eyes at me.

I just wasn't the type of girl to conform to societal norms. My wedding would probably be different, no wedding party or crazy traditions. I wanted something simple and sweet, maybe a summer ceremony outdoors to honor Mother Nature. But I had to be Amber. I had to pretend to love this shit because it was exactly the way my sister would act. She and Naomi should have been the twins.

"You can have them do alterations, duh." Jill and Amber never got along anyway, so I didn't feel bad annoying her. It was one small relief in this mess my twin had cooked up for me.

"I'll do them myself." I spat but realized my mistake immediately. "I mean, I'll have Jade do them."

Jill again rolled her eyes and turned to Naomi, who was fussing over Sara's dress. It was a bit large for her hips, but she needed the extra size in the bust. They were talking about alterations which I wasn't even going to think about volunteering "Jade" for. I had enough to deal with in designing and creating Naomi's gown.

"Oh, it's just not perfect, and we need it perfect." Naomi frowned and the saleslady nodded at her.

"We'll have a seamstress right up here to get measurements for you ladies. I'll be right back." She rushed off with her phone in hand, and I stepped off the pedestal they'd forced me to stand on. I hate getting so much attention over this. I just wanted to go hide like a hermit.

"So, Nomie, how's the dress coming?" Jill asked, and I tensed. She was going to call Amber, who would then call me, and I was standing right here. I told Amber something stupid like this would happen, but she insisted.

Naomi turned to me and said, "Well, Mav? Does Jade have a design yet? Can I see it?"

I felt like a small animal on the road as a semi bore down on me. My throat constricted as I turned toward the messenger bag Amber loaned me. She said I had to be convincing, and since she never put her phone in her pocket, I was learning a new habit. At least around the friend group. Around Newt I could be myself, except for my name.

"Uh, let me ask her." I pulled my phone out and faked sending a text message to "Jade" by sending one to Amber with a 9-1-1 incoming and the situation I was stuck in. The girls talked about how Jill's dress fit her and how much she needed a tan to pull off that color, but I was sweating bullets.

When Amber didn't respond, I almost panicked. I had images on the phone that I'd taken of the dress, but I meant to forward them to Amber so she could forward them to Naomi later when I wasn't around. I knew they talked daily, but I didn't know how much Naomi was going to push this. The "morning debrief" from my twin when I woke up said nothing about her getting pushy or nosy about my design yet.

"Just call her," Naomi whined. "Get her on the phone so I can hear myself that she's working on it. You know how Jade procrastinates things."

It annoyed me that my own sister talked negatively about me behind my back with her best friend. It was obvious she did or Naomi would never have felt comfortable saying something so rude right to my face.

"Uh, I'll try." I dialed Amber's number and turned away to hide my frustration. The phone rang through to her voicemail and I ended the call and turned back around. "She's busy or something. No answer."

The dressing room area of the store suddenly became stiflingly hot. My cheeks flushed and I fanned my face. I didn't want to be here anymore. I had the urge to run out into the crisp December air and suck in a breath, but my feet stayed planted. I couldn’t move.

"Mav," Naomi whined again, doing that thing with her shoulders where her arms dangled and shook and she looked like a toddler throwing a tantrum. I hated that. I didn't see how Amber put up with it at all. It was so immature, and they called me the immature one because I chose a profession that was artistic instead of "serious."

"I'll try," I breathed, and my fingers went to work on the keyboard of my phone. I sent her a message and shot all the pictures to her, but I added my phone number to the texts too. Then I turned my ringer up and waited. As my phone dinged over and over with the images I'd taken of the design and fabric, Naomi's eyes lit up.

"Yay!" she celebrated, and she clapped several times as she rushed over to me.

I opened the message and then the images, and she peeked over my shoulder as I swiped through them. Of course there was no color on the sketches yet, but the sheen of the white satin and red ribbons and fluff I intended to use on the dress showed a little of the sass, and Naomi squealed in happiness. She gripped my head and smacked a kiss onto my cheek loudly.

"Oh, my God, your sister is a genius! I love it! Oh, my God, when can I go try it on?" She was too excited. Maybe she missed how the dress was still a folded pile of fabric, not yet assembled or even cut yet.

"Uh…" I laughed. "You'll probably have to wait until she has the thing at least pinned together. She's busy, you know." I almost scoffed at her because I was so annoyed that she enjoyed it so much. That was the point, right? So why was I so frustrated? My negativity should have been aimed at Amber, not her best friend. I was a good person. I was better than this.

"Yeah, but you'll make her do it fast. She does everything you ask her." Naomi and Jill high-fived, and I was so angry I could have stomped and screamed at them, but I snickered and rolled my eyes in true Amber fashion.

"Yeah, you're right… Uh, I have to go do some shopping with Mom this afternoon. Are we done here?" My blood was boiling, but there was nothing I could do about it. It was pointless for me to go out of my way to make sure Naomi's special day was special for her and the dress was perfect and then ruin it by blowing the secret. I could tell Amber off later.

"Yeah, I think we're done. Go on," she said, flipping her wrist.

The saleslady was approaching with another woman who wore a seamstress tape around her neck like a scarf, and I slipped back into the dressing room to put on my warmer clothes. When I was buttoning my jeans in place, my phone dinged again. I expected it to be Amber replying to my chaos, but the notification was just a random number, which meant I didn't have them programmed into my phone yet. I looked at the green box and didn’t recognize the number either, so I picked my phone up and swiped to open the messaging app.

Newt 2:17 PM: Hey, Amber. It's Newt. I was hoping you'd join me for dinner. I can pick you up at five?

I smiled at the sweet message and most of my frustration toward Amber melted. She insisted that dating him was off limits and that I couldn't be seen with him. But we were the maid of honor and the best man, and our job was to take care of the bride and groom. If I was seen dining with him somewhere, I'd just tell them we were talking about wedding stuff. So long as we didn't get handsy or overly public with any displays of "affection", I'd be fine.

Jade 2:18 PM: Sure, sounds good. I'll see you then.

I almost squealed in giddiness the way Naomi had when she saw the dress design. I didn't know why it thrilled me so much that he was interested in me because I wasn't so shallow as to only think about his good looks and money. Maybe part of it was the fact that Amber said he was a no-no and I just got very irritated by how I knew she thought of me.

When I was dressed, I slipped out without even saying goodbye. I didn't want to have to kiss Naomi on each cheek and give her a hug when I was annoyed by the way she and my sister talked about me. I went straight to the door and then straight home to work on the dress. I had a date tonight and I wanted to keep this mood going.

I had just tied my hair up when I heard the bell ring. The clock said Newt was a few minutes early, and I wasn't quite ready. My apartment was in better shape than it was the last time he asked to come in, but it still looked like a unicorn vomited in here. I took my large tan blanket and draped it over the pile of brightly colored clothes on the end of the couch and decided I'd blame the rest on Amber if he asked. I couldn't ask him to wait in the car so long.

I scurried to the door and opened it, and he stood with a bouquet of roses and a smile on his face. The cold breeze blew his scent in toward me, and I inhaled the cologne and practically swooned. This incredibly hot man with dreamy blue eyes and wavy, dark brown hair literally had the whole package.

"Hey," I said and stepped back, feeling butterflies in my chest. "I'm not quite ready," I told him, and then I noticed what was in his other hand. It was a white plastic sack with takeout containers in it. He had brought food with him and probably planned to eat in, not at a restaurant. My cheeks warmed at the thought of being alone with him here, and not just because his eyes were raking over my messy living room of rainbow vomit.

"These are for you," Newt said, handing me the flowers. They were a boring shade of red, but they were the most beautiful things I'd ever seen.

"They're so pretty, thank you." I took them and brought them to my nose to sniff the soft petals as he shut the door behind himself.

"Your apartment looks like your sister's hair." He chuckled and hoisted the bag into the air. "I brought Mexican."

The scent of the food hadn't even hit me yet. I was too busy enjoying how incredible he smelled. I stood staring at him in a daze. Newt Phillips—billionaire with the smile of a God—was standing in my living room prepared to entertain me for the evening. I suddenly felt inadequate and shy.

"You okay?" he asked, snickering. He set the sack down on the stand by the door and shed his layers, first the trench coat, then the suit coat and scarf, and when he loosened his tie and draped his coat over the end of the sofa, I finally unfroze.

"Uh, yeah. I'm okay. I'm sorry about the mess." I winced at the fact that I was drawing attention to the colorful array in the room. I never had to apologize for my style before, but I felt like right now, I had to. Newt thought I was Amber, tame and predictably boring. It didn't bode well for any real connection we might be building, either. If he didn't care for "Jade's" wild hair, maybe he didn't really care for me at all.

"Jade lives with you?" he asked, and I shrugged and sighed as I headed toward the kitchen for a vase.

"I stay with her when I'm home, actually." It wasn't a total lie. Amber did stay here sometimes when she came to town. The only parts that were lies were the "I" and "me" parts.

"Wow, this is your place?" he picked up the sack and followed me, and I stood at the sink trimming the flowers and arranging them in the vase while he opened the food containers and set them on the tiny table in the kitchen area.

"Uh, yeah?" I said hesitantly. If he hated the décor, I'd say Amber was a slob, but I really hoped he didn't hate it. I wanted to know that he liked me the way I was. If not, then I was just dreaming hopelessly and I might as well stop while I was ahead before my heart got broken.

"So, you love color as much as she does? Hmm…" His "hmm" sounded positive, but I felt insecure.

"Well, we both love it, but she just puts it on her head and I put it on my walls." I turned with the vase in hand to see the spread on the table. He brought chimichangas with rice and queso and my mouth was watering. "How did you know I love Mexican?" It was one thing Amber and I unapologetically had in common. We both loved ethnic food.

"A little birdie told me." Newt winked and gestured as he took the flowers from me. He set them in the center of the table and we both sat down.

The meal was delicious. We talked a bit between bites, but he seemed as serious about his dinner as I was about Mexican food in general. He was pleasant company, and I couldn't believe he complimented my style. This was my space and he felt completely comfortable with me, even though he probably thought at least some of the influence in my décor was due to Amber. And while the flowers didn’t exactly match the drapes, I proudly displayed them.

When we were done eating, I stood to begin clearing the takeout containers away and he helped me. I got a bit of queso on my finger and went to lick it off, but he captured my hand and put my finger into his mouth to suck it clean.

I snickered and felt very embarrassed as his eyes met mine. "What'd you do that for?" I asked playfully, and he moved closer, pulling me against his body with a hand in the small of my back.

"You know, I was really disappointed when Dad walked in on us the other night." Newt let my hand go, and I rested it on his shoulder.

"You were?" My voice was barely a squeak. I felt where this was going and my heart started to hammer against my ribs.

"I was. And I'd like to try that again and see where it might lead."

Why would a man like him want anything to do with someone like me? He was eleven years older than me with his career set. He owned fancy cars and probably a flashy house. He had a driver to chauffeur him around, for Christ's sake.

"Newt, I…" I couldn't really pull away from him. He held me so snugly. But it wasn’t like I wanted to, either.

"Amber, I think you're one of the most beautiful women I've ever met and for some reason, I can't get you out of my head. The sound of your voice is calming to me in a world where not many things are calming. Please, let me kiss you, and see what you feel when I do. And if you don't like it, I'll stop and we can just watch a movie or something." Newt's thumb strummed the waistband of my jeans like a guitar string and I nodded, but I bit my lip.

The minute his lips brushed over mine, my body was on fire. He was tender yet hungry, and his lips were so soft, like he'd moisturized them just for this moment. He started to pull away, but I hooked my hands behind his neck and pulled him back, too greedy to let him go.

His hands slid up my sides, sending shivers down my spine, and he picked me up, carrying me back to the couch where he set me down gently. His hands moved to the buttons on my shirt, unfastening them slowly, as if he had all the time in the world to explore every inch of my skin. His lips left mine and trailed a heated path down my neck, his tongue dipping into the hollows of my collarbone, making me moan.

"God, Amber, you're so incredible," he breathed, his hands resting on my hips. But I winced at the sound of my sister’s name. It made me feel a pang of guilt right in the moment I wanted nothing more than to forget anyone else even existed. I continued to whimper as his lips trailed fire across my chest to the valley between my breasts, and he kissed each softly as he slid my shirt off my shoulders.

“Newt,” I whispered, but either he didn't hear me or he thought I was just moaning his name. He unhooked my bra and kneaded my right breast while he suckled the other.

"You have no idea how badly I've wanted to do this," he mumbled against my skin, his breath hot against my nipple. I put my hands in his hair, pressing him closer, trying to block out the sound of my sister’s voice in my mind. All I could hear was her lecturing me and telling me why I shouldn't be doing this, how bad it would turn out for her or for Derek, or even for Naomi.

“Newt,” I moaned again, arching toward him as he worked the fly on my jeans.

“Mmm,” he groaned as he undid the button, and the zipper slid right down. My green lace panties did not match my blue bra, but I wasn’t intending to have sex, or at least I wasn’t planning to. “My God, Amber, I want you so bad.”

It was almost physically painful to hear him saying her name when I wanted him to say mine. “Mav,” I blurted out, now feeling a bit uncertain about this. I was lying to him, making him believe I was Amber. It was leading him into a tangled mess, and what if he was hurt by it all?

“Huh?” Newt, paused his suckling and nibbling to look up at me.

“I just… Call me, Mav, please. I don’t like the name Amber so much.” The impact of her nickname wasn’t quite the same, not as harsh or confronting, and he didn’t seem to mind at all

“Whatever you say, Mav.” Newt winked at me and pulled on my jeans so hard I rolled backward as he yanked them off. It made me snicker, and my feet were straight in the air as he shimmied my panties off too.

He stood over me, watching me lie awkwardly on the couch while he shed his clothing and kicked the pile of laundry off the end. His body was bronzed, but not by the sun. He probably spent time in a tanning booth somewhere, but it was worth it. The rippling muscles on his chest were toned and chiseled and one hundred percent man. It made my pussy ache, so I touched myself as he lowered to his knees by the couch and pulled me by the backs of my knees closer to him.

“You are so fucking gorgeous,” he breathed as he parted my thighs. He kissed my inner thigh, then the other, and as he moved higher, my hips bucked toward him. “I need to taste you,” he mumbled, and I wasn’t about to argue.

I bit my lip as his tongue swirled around my clit, making jolts of electricity course through my body. He worked me over, as if he’d known exactly what I needed. I moaned, louder this time, and he smiled against my center, making me grip the couch cushions and moan even louder. His fingers slipped inside me as he sucked me, and I found myself arching my back.

“Oh, my God, Newt, yes!” I cried out, forgetting for a moment anything about my pretend identity. He just looked up at me and grinned, his tongue still working me into an almost frenzy.

He was going to make me come, and hard. I could just tell. His tongue was magic as he went right to my sweet spot, and I whimpered as he hit it perfectly. I whimpered again as he continued to suck me. “Oh, my God!” I groaned louder this time as Newt continued to work me over with his mouth and his magic fingers, and my entire body was on fire, and I couldn't get enough of this feeling.

"Oh, God, I'm coming," I panted, and my body convulsed and pulsed. I twitched and spasmed and had to force my hips not to buck off the cushions. It was so intense I almost pissed myself and probably would have if he hadn’t pulled away.

When I managed to open my eyes and blink them into focus, he was rolling a condom on his dick and it looked like it wasn’t going to fit. He was massive and I wanted him inside me.

“Shit,” I hissed, trying to catch my breath, but he gave me no time at all.

He slid himself inside me, and it burned, but not in a bad way. It had been so long since I had felt anything remotely close to this, and I was almost sure I was going to combust. My nails dug into the flesh at his hips, and he squeezed both my tits at once as he started thrusting.

"Amber," he moaned as he slid in and out. "Oh, fuck, you feel so good.” This time, I didn’t even care that he said her name. I was too lost in the moment to care what he said. The sensations shooting through my body made me forget my own name or why I even thought this was a bad idea to begin with.

“Harder,” I moaned, and he obeyed, slamming into me with a force that almost sent me to a second orgasm. I wrapped my legs around his waist and pulled him even closer, tilting my hips to meet his each time he thrust. The couch creaked under our combined weight, and we both moaned as we moved in a perfect harmony that couples only dream of having.

"Oh, shit, Mav," he grunted, and I knew he was close. I could feel his cock swell inside me, throbbing as he continued to pound into me.

"Oh, God, I'm going to come!" I cried out, and at my words, he groaned loudly, his body tensing up. More waves of pleasure sucked me into their current, and I never even felt him coming. His thrusts slowed, though, dampening the pleasure I felt, and finally, he draped himself across me and kissed my shoulder.

We lay there, panting and sweaty, and for a brief moment, my world was at peace. Newt pulled out, though, tarnishing the perfection, and I watched him slide the full condom off his hard dick. He wasn't shy about it, either. He strolled into the kitchen naked and erect with confidence while I turned on my side on the couch and used the position of my body to cover my sensitive parts.

What had I just done? Because if anyone found out, Amber would kill me. Newt thought I was someone I wasn't. And at the end of the day, that made me a liar, and it made Amber a perceived cheater. This might have just gotten out of hand.