A Story of Love Ch. 01

"I am most grateful" Jena said.

She also neighed and took on her most old fashioned and innocent expression. Scarlett giggled at the display and went back to her own search.

"So, Milady do you think that this attire is appropriate for a woman of my standing on an evening like this?"

"Well, it's not exactly high fashion, but it is a very nice dress."

Jena took off the dress again; she had never been serious about wearing it. She went back to looking, now clad only in underwear. Scarlett couldn't help to take a peek at Jena's body. Jena just stood there looking without any shame at all. Scarlett didn't know what to think.

Scarlett suddenly found the perfect dress to wear. She took it from the rack and held it up. It was a rather strict ensemble with a skirt and a jacket with shoulder pads. It was red and it looked like something a businesswoman in the eighties would wear. Scarlett held it up for Jena to see.

"Whaddaya think?"

"I like it. It is strict, yet feminine. It is wildly out of fashion of course, but still more modern than my dress. So sure, why not?"

"So do you think I should try it on?"

"Yeah, sure."

Scarlett turned around so that Jena could unzip her dress. Scarlett then proceeded to remove her dress. Jena stared intently at Scarlett as she undressed. Scarlett became a bit nervous under Jena's close scrutiny. Scarlett wondered again to herself if Jena was checking her out, but decided that it might just be her imagination running wild. Scarlett put on the skirt and it was just perfect. She then put on the jacket. It was a bit tight over the chest, but it would work. Scarlett spun around for Jena to see and Jena clapped her hands.

"You look sharp Scarlett. That is just perfect."

"Are you sure? Don't you think that I should wear a blouse underneath?

"Naah. It's much better like this. You gotta show some cleavage."

Scarlett was a bit unsure about this whole thing, but Jena's confidence convinced her. Scarlett turned around in order to find something for Jena, but she didn't have to look. She immediately found a matching costume for Jena. It looked exactly like the one Scarlett was wearing, except it was blue. Scarlett didn't even ask she just handed it to Jena.

"It's the same. That's just great." Jena said with an enthusiastic smile on her face.

Jena started to put the skirt on and Scarlett allowed herself to look directly at Jena. Scarlett did have to admit that Jena had a nice body. Jena was quite slim, but that didn't affect her curves. Scarlett shook the thoughts of Jena's body out of her head and decided to focus on how Jena looked in her new clothes.

"Wow, you look good." Scarlett said.

The costume was the same size as Scarlett's and wasn't as tight on Jena. That didn't stop her from looking good in it though. Jena stepped into her shoes again. Fortunately both girls had been wearing black pumps and they decided to wear them throughout the night. Nothing can destroy a night out like sore feet from new shoes, after all. Jena had one more thing in mind before she was ready to leave. She brought Scarlett over to a rack with hundreds of glasses.

"Now the most important thing so that no one will recognise you is to wear glasses. We have to learn from Superman. No one can possibly recognise us if we have glasses." Jena said in a lecturing tone.

Scarlett laughed at Jena's joke and proceeded to look for a suitable pair. Jena also started to look and she was the one who first found a nice pair. She held up a pair of Jackie O style sunglasses and put them on Scarlett, who turned around and looked in a mirror.

"That's it. They might not really belong in the eighties, but they look good and they prevent people from recognising you." Jena said.

Scarlett looked at herself in the mirror and thought that she looked good, but more than anything she trusted Jena's opinion. Jena quickly turned back to her searching and found a pair of John Lennon style sunglasses. She put them on and turned to Scarlett for approval.

"You like?" Jena asked.

Scarlett nodded in approval. She thought that Jena looked cute as a button. The girls stood next to each other and looked at each other in the mirror. With wigs, strange clothing and sunglasses it would be quite difficult for anyone to recognise them. They did look a bit weird of course, but they didn't think that would matter since they were going out in New York.

"Are you ready to go?" Jena asked.

"Yes I am. Let's do this."

"So, do you know where to go? As I said before, this is your city."

Scarlett thought about the calling card she had got from Alicia.

"I think I have an idea, but I will keep it from you until we get there" Scarlett said with an evil smile on her face.

Jena just sighed, she should have known that her withholding from Scarlett would come back to bite her.

Approximately twenty minutes later, the two actresses entered the jazz club. The taxi ride over to the club had mostly been spent with the two girls talking about their knowledge of New York. Jena was going to live in New York for a few months during her work in Doubt, so she asked Scarlett all kinds of questions about the city. Scarlett was happy to provide Jena with information and she even offered to show Jena around one day. That was an offer that Jena gladly accepted.

The club was hidden away on a smaller street in one of the lesser known parts of Manhattan. Scarlett had never been there before, despite being from New York. It wasn't a very big place. It consisted of one dimly lit main room, a stage and a bar. An old back man was playing piano on stage. Neither of the girls knew enough jazz to know what he were performing, but they immediately started to like the music anyway.

The patrons seemed to mostly consist of various artists and other strange people. Most of the people were young, but there were a few there who looked just like they had woken up from the sixties. There seemed to be something like a hundred people in the club. Fortunately they found one free table and they immediately sat down. The girls were mesmerized by the music, so they just sat and listened during the first song.

"So, what do you think?" Scarlett whispered to Jena.

As Scarlett whispered this she had to lean over the table. It was a relatively small table, so she was able to get quite close to Jena.

"I think I like this place. There's something about that is just right, you know?" Jena answered

Jena also leaned over the table and now they were practically face to face.

"Yeah. I know what you mean. This music is just changing my mood. When I first came to the party tonight I felt so tired about everything and now I just feel so relaxed, you know?"

Jena nodded and was just about to say something when Scarlett started to whisper again.

"It's not only the music though. I would be here if you hadn't saved me from a certain boring director who shall not be named."

"Awww. It's nothing. I wanted out of that party as much as you did. I'm glad I've got you with me though." Jena whispered.

For a while the two girls just looked at each other. They enjoyed sitting there in the club and enjoyed each other's presence and the music. They couldn't look each other deep into the eyes since they both were wearing shades, but they could observe each other's peaceful smiles. Scarlett was the one who broke the moment, but not because she felt uncomfortable, she just wanted to see the performer.

Both girls sat quietly and listened as the man on the stage went through his songs. None of the girls had much knowledge about jazz, but they both liked what they heard. Scarlett sent a thought of gratitude to Alicia for suggesting this place. Except for the music, very few sounds were heard. Most people were enraptured by the music and the two actresses were no exception. They listened intently and shared the occasional glance. After a while Scarlet realised that they didn't have anything to drink and she decided to fix that.

"I was thinking about going to the bar. Do you wanna share a bottle of wine?"

Jena put her thumb up in approval and Scarlett went over to the bar. A man who looked like he was around seventy was behind the bar. He had something of a nice old grandfather quality. He had to serve beer to a couple in their thirties, but after that he went over to Scarlett. She was just about to order, when she remembered that she was suppose to be incognito. It wasn't a very big risk that anyone recognised her voice, but she didn't want to risk it. She decided to give her order with a distinct (and poor) French accent.

"I wod louike au buttle de vin s'il vous plait."

The bartender looked a bit strangely at her, but took out a bottle of red wine from under the counter. It was a bottle of French red wine from Bordeaux. He held it up for Scarlett to see and she responded by nodding. The bartender opened the bottle and put it on a tray with two glasses. Scarlett gave the bartender a fifty dollar note.

"Kip ze shaenge."

"You are most generous miss."

Scarlett was just about to take her tray and leave when the bartender whispered to her.

"Don't worry mademoiselle. Your secret is safe with us."

Scarlett froze up. Was her identity out? Would the other guests start to bother her? She decided to try to play innocent.

"Watt secrete?"

"You and your girlfriend over there. You've got nothing to worry about"

Scarlett became both relieved and flustered at the same time. Fortunately the bartender had not recognised her. On the other hand, he thought that Jena was her girlfriend. Scarlett didn't know what to make of it. She didn't answer; she just went back to Jena with the wine. She put the tray down and poured a glass for herself and one for Jena.

"How about a toast?" Scarlett said.

"Here's to .... escaping boring parties"

"Escaping."

The girls clanked their glasses together and took a sip.

They then went back to listening to the music. One good song after another came along and they discussed how good the music was in the short breaks between songs. It was obvious that both girls had a good time as they listened to the breathtaking music and enjoyed each other's company. Eventually the set ended and the man on stage stood up from the piano and received a real ovation. He told the audience that he would be back with requests later and left the stage. People around the room started to talk. Recorded music on a low volume started to come from the speakers. Jena took this opportunity to ask Scarlett a question.

"So, what did the bartender say to you? You totally froze up back there."

Scarlett thought about it for a second and decided to tell the truth, it wasn't like it was her fault that the bartender had made a mistake.

"I ... spoke French with him. I guess he could tell that my French was faked so he kinda figured out that we were here in secret."

"He recognised you?"

"No he thought that you and I were a couple."

Scarlett had expected Jena to become just as shocked as she had been, but instead she was met by a restrained giggle from Jena.

"He thought that now did he? That's interesting. What did you think about that?"

"I ... I don't know" Scarlett managed to get out. She was obviously embarrassed by the subject and she had started to blush. She felt really confused about what to say on the subject. Jena just went on giggling, but decided to change the subject after a while.

"Who are you?"

"Huh?"

"Obviously you're a business woman in the eighties from France. What else is there to know about you Miss...?"

This was Scarlett's thing, to be in a role. That was her reason for becoming an actress. To escape the dullness of everyday life for a moment and step into someone else's shoes was what had defined her life. Somehow Jena had got it just right.

"Mademoiselle Cuvier. Yvette Cuvier is my name. I am a ... fashion designer. I am in New York to establish my new line of clothing. It is underwear. Sexy French underwear from Paris."

"Ok, Mademoiselle Cuvier. My name is Bridget ... Bridges. I am a businesswoman from New York. I run the International Investment Bank on Wall Street. I am a hard and ruthless businesswoman. I like to hang my employees upside down from my window on the 97th floor in order to motivate them."

"Pfffht. That's nothing. I motivate my employees by hanging them from the Eiffel Tower and occasionally dropping them."

"I also flog my employees if they are late."

"I flog them whenever I get the chance."

The two cold hearted businesswomen could barely contain their giggles as they kept telling stories of how bad they treated their poor employees. The methods of torture became more advanced and elaborate as the game went on. It was all in good nature though and after a while neither could contain their giggles any more. They also went on to invent other details in their character's lives.

Scarlett decided that she was unmarried and that she had constant affairs with her company's male models. She also decided that she had inherited the company by marrying and killing an old rich man. Jena on the other hand decided that she had built her career by literally and figuratively backstabbing every one who got in her way. She had reached her latest promotion by framing her boss for a murder she herself had committed. The game went on for quite some time and both of the girls had a really good time.

They kept drinking the wine and soon enough it was time to buy another bottle. Before Jena had a chance to protest Scarlett took it on herself to get the wine. It was a way of saying thank you to Jena for the fun she had brought.

Scarlett got up on her somewhat unsteady legs and walked over to the bar. Like before she had to wait for her turn. A small group of University students ordered some cheap wine and went on to quietly discuss the works of Sartre. Scarlett listened without interest to their pretentious discussion.

There were also a few other people in line before Scarlett. This gave Scarlett the chance to think as she waited for her turn. She looked over to Jena who sat at the table and enjoyed the music. Jena waived at her and Scarlett waived back. This very small gesture from Jena made Scarlett feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Scarlett wondered what the hell was happening to her. Jena somehow managed to understand and entertain her in a way that very few people ever had. Scarlett decided then and there that she would see Jena as a very good friend from now on. A good friend was all that Jena was. A newly found friend who made Scarlett feel really good about herself.

It wasn't unheard of that friends made you feel good. Scarlett had not really gained a new friend since before she was famous. She had gained a lot of acquaintances of course, but no close friends. People in Hollywood tended to be too shallow for Scarlett. Jena was genuine though.

Scarlett thought back to when she had gotten to know other friends. She had many very nice friends, but she couldn't recall ever feeling so good about making a friend. Friend, friend, friend was of course all that Jena would ever be. Scarlett really tried to focus on Jena being a friend. What else would she be?

Why was she feeling so damn good about this? It was because she had been a bit depressed and Jena had helped her out. Of course she was grateful that she had met Jena. She was quirky, smart and genuinely nice. That was the one and only reason Scarlett felt so good, at least that was what she kept telling herself as she stood there in the bar.

Scarlett never took her eyes away from Jena. She didn't see much of Jena of course with the strange clothes, the wig and the shades. She did see one thing though and that was Jena's smile. Jena's gaze was focused on the stage most of the time and this gave Scarlett the chance to study her smile. It was a content and slightly mischievous smile. Scarlett somehow found it very fascinating.

Scarlett had become really fascinated by the female form back when she was in 'Girl with a pearl earring'. She played the lead as a young girl who stood model for a real and now famous painting with the same name as the title of the film. It was a very visual film and Scarlett had done a lot of research about art in order to do be well prepared. Scarlett was sure that she could have done her part in the movie anyway, but she wanted to be as prepared as she could possibly be. She had been to all museums she could and she had also looked at famous paintings in art books. What she studied in particular were paintings of women of course, since the movie was about such a painting. This research had given Scarlett an appreciation of female beauty. She was quite sure that her interest in the female form was nothing more than that.

"Of course women are beautiful, everyone thinks so. Why shouldn't I think so?" Scarlett asked herself quietly.

She realised that she had actually said that out loud and she then returned to her inner dialogue. Jena looked over at Scarlett again and fired off a very warm smile. She also pulled her shades down and winked. Scarlett felt herself melt inside and she retuned it with her own most honest and genuine smile. She had done a lot of phoney smiles earlier in the evening at the party, but this one was real.

Scarlett was suddenly interrupted in her musing by the bartender who now was ready to take her order. Scarlett was a bit flustered at first and didn't really know what she was supposed to do. She had really spaced out there for a while, she realised. She gathered herself and ordered another bottle of wine; it was the same as before. She took it and went back to Jena. She filled their glasses up again.

"You look a lot better now than in the beginning of the evening" Jena remarked

"Yeah. I feel a lot better and I think I owe you for it."

"Really? How so?"

"I don't think I have had this much fun in quite some time. I think I might have been a bit too serious about my career lately. I like it and it is important of course, but I think I might have forgotten to have fun. You kinda brought the fun back into acting tonight."

"It was nothing really. I just love to play around a bit."

"Well. I'm grateful anyway. It is fun to be someone else for a while."

"I take it that if you haven't had a fun lately that you are single?" Jena asked.

"Yes, I haven't really had time for anyone else you know?"

"I know. I'm single too, but honestly it's more 'cause I'm picky."

"So here we are. Two single girls out in New York. We could get any man in this town if wanted to," Scarlett stated with a confident smile.

"Honestly Scarlett, I don't feel like meeting any boys tonight."

"You know what? Me neither! Let's drink to that!"

"Ohh. I'd looove to drink to that!" Jena said.

Scarlett noticed that Jena emphasised the love part, but she didn't know what to make of it. They clanked their glasses together and downed some more wine. Scarlett was definitely tipsy by now, but she was still in that state that would not feel bad tomorrow. She had been surprised by Jena's total rejection of meeting anyone tonight, but she felt quite good about it. She couldn't imagine any person who would make this evening any better. Jena was all she needed for tonight.

Scarlett didn't feel like talking about boys or men or whatever anyway. Her last boyfriend before she became famous hadn't been able to handle her success. He had wanted her to be a groupie to his band and let him be the one in charge. He wasn't happy when Scarlett became famous, he just became jealous. Scarlett had to end it with him of course. It didn't stop there though. He made a derogatory song about her. Ever since then Scarlett had problems trusting guys. She had been on dates since then, but nothing serious had happened. Scarlett didn't want to think about that now though, she shrugged off those depressive thoughts and focused on Jena instead.