Layla
“Layla! Come on, you have to come!” my best friend, Kacey Simms, said as we walked down the street toward our apartment.
Kacey was beautiful and if she weren’t my best friend, I would be jealous of her. She had long raven-colored hair that framed her face, light blue eyes, and an oval face that made her look like an angel. Kacey was only five-foot-three and one hundred and ten pounds at the most. We’ve been friends since freshmen year of high school. Back then, she was new, and when I walked into my first class, she immediately came up to me and said, “We will be best friends!” and we’ve been ever since. We are total opposites, though. Kacey is from a rich family, whereas I come from a poor, dysfunctional one.
Kacey has never rubbed her wealth in my face, however, and neither have her parents. You would think a family with a lot of money would be rude and stuck up, but hers wasn’t. They had to be the nicest people I’ve ever met. They became like my own parents when mine weren’t around. If it hadn’t been for her and her parents, I wouldn’t be where or who I was today.
“Are you even listening to me?” Kacey asked, bringing me out of my thoughts.
“What was that?” I asked.
“I said you need to come to the party tonight.”
“Kay, I can’t go. You know that,” I said, sighing. She’s been asking me to go to some classy club with her for weeks now.
“Yes, you can and you will. There are going to be tons of people there, and so many hot guys. Plus, it’s a great way to end the weekend!” she said as we came to the doors of our apartment building.
“I don’t need to see any hot guys,” I protested.
“Oh really? Layla, you have not had a date in over five months and the last one you had sucked. Please, you owe me!”
I groaned, knowing she wasn’t going to give up. When she wants something, she is sure to get it. I opened our apartment door and pushed through. Kacey followed behind me, still trying to convince me to go. I loved her to death, but sometimes I really wanted to put a pillow over her head. It was hard to say no to her when she gave me puppy dog eyes or when she pleaded with me nonstop.
“Please, please, please! It’s tonight and I know you don’t have work tonight,” she said, taking off her shoes. I put my phone down and kicked off my own shoes. I tried to block out her talking but knowing she wouldn’t stop, I turned to her.
“Fine! I’ll go!” I said, not wanting to hear about it anymore.
“Layla, you have…wait, you said yes? Yay,” she said, yelling and jumping up and down. “We are going to have a blast! And I already have the perfect outfit picked out for you!”
I just shook my head at her and went to sit on the couch.
Our apartment wasn’t huge, but it was pretty good size. Kacey’s parents paid for it no matter how many times I told them I would pay half. There were two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, and a living room. Both of us had decorated it to make it look homier. If it were possible, I would stay here forever and never leave. I wasn’t home very much because I worked long hours, but when I was home I only wore PJs and never left. My job wasn’t the best nor the worst. I worked as a waitress in a café on the other side of the bridge. It was an okay job and if I had the opportunity, I would leave.
Our home was New York City. Yes, the busiest city in the world. We both grew up about half an hour away from the city, and when we got accepted into NYU together, we packed up our things and moved to the Big Apple. At first it was hard adjusting to the busy life the city offered, but now, four and a half years later, it was my home. I loved it here and I knew I wouldn’t ever leave.
College was fun, but now that I am out, I wish I had chosen a different major. If I had known that places didn’t want to hire English majors or that there wouldn’t be any jobs involving my degree, I would have chosen something totally different; that, of course, is how I ended up as a waitress. I was suddenly brought out of my thoughts as Kacey walked back into the room carrying a dress in her arms.
“Let’s get ready!” she yelled.
“Kacey, we don’t have to leave for another hour and a half. And why is it so early?” I said, staring at her from the couch. I was way too comfortable to get up.
“We have to get dressed and do our hair and makeup! We are going earlier ’cause Teddy got us in, and there’s cheaper drinks,” she said, coming over to me. “Let’s go.” She grabbed my arm and pulled me up. For a small girl, she was strong. I stumbled against her but before I could right myself, I was pulled toward her bedroom.
“This is your dress,” she said, handing me the article of clothing. I looked down at it and saw that it was gorgeous. It was strapless with a long white bottom, and the top was tan with gold all around it. I looked up at Kacey.
“Where did you get this?” I asked, awed.
“Had it in my closet.” She shrugged, casual. Don’t ask me why she just had a dress like this sitting around her closet. Kacey had a small problem when it came to shopping. If something caught her eye, she would buy it even if she never had a place where she could wear it. Her closet was jam-packed with clothes and she still went out and bought more. Of course, that wasn’t a problem when she made pretty good money and her parents were rich.
“I can’t wear this.” I pushed it back toward Kacey. No way could I wear something so gorgeous.
“Yes, now put it on,” she urged me. I looked toward the bathroom and started toward it.
After taking off my clothes, I slipped into the dress. I left the bathroom to have Kacey help me zip it up. The dress fits like a glove. Turning to the mirror, I gasped at myself. It didn’t even look like me. Even though my hair was still in a ponytail, I looked good. The dress made my skin look tanner than it actually was.
“You look great already!” Kacey said from behind me. I smiled at my reflection then looked over at Kacey. I must have been staring at myself longer than I thought because when I turned around, she was already dressed in a tight-fitting red dress that showed all her curves and quite a bit of cleavage. It came to mid-thigh, and she topped it off with a pair of Louboutin high heels.
“Kay, you look sexy,” I said, grinning at her. “Are you sure the guys will be all over me?”
“Can’t have you hogging them all. Got to do something to make them see me over you.”
“Yeah, right.”
“Now, we need to get your makeup done.”
I made my way over to the chair she had sitting before her mirror, and I sat quietly as Kacey went to work. She always insisted on doing my makeup, which was good since I’m not the best with it. I usually just bypassed it. A few minutes later she was done, but then she went to work doing my hair. I didn’t know how long I sat there before she was finally finished with me.
“All done,” she said proudly. I smiled and looked in the mirror. My jaw instantly dropped open. She didn’t do much, just added a little bit to make it look natural. She had put on bronze eyeshadow to match my dress, and she put enough mascara on to make my gray eyes pop. My brown hair was simply curled and framed my face. Kacey had majored in fashion and was luckily given a job at Vogue designing the clothing line. She was amazing and could do whatever she put her mind to.
“I look great, Kay,” I said, smiling in thanks. She handed me a pair of nude-colored heels. Luckily, we wore the same size shoe so I could wear hers.
“Wear these.” was all she said. They were higher than any other heel I’d ever worn, but I took them.
“You’re welcome. Now move your pretty ass. I need to get ready too,” she said, shooing me out of the way. Shaking my head at her, I stood up. “Go get your things ready. We need to leave in just a few minutes. And don’t you dare ruin your outfit, hair, and makeup or I will kill you,” she warned me. I saluted her and left the room.
I got a cute bag out and put in the usual stuff I needed—extra lip gloss, my gum, phone, some money but not too much, ID, and keys to the apartment. Kacey’s voice echoed across the hall a few minutes later, telling me it was time to go. Slipping on the heels, I took one last look in the mirror, took a deep breath, and left my room.
***
Ashton
I looked down at my cellphone and saw I had thirty minutes before I had to leave. I went to my closet and picked out something to wear. The only reason I was going to this dumb-ass club was because of my friend Nick. I wasn’t in the mood, but I finally gave in and decided to go, but just for a few minutes. I had work to finish before tomorrow.
You could say I am a workaholic, but having to run a million-dollar company makes you that way. If you want to stay at the top, then you have to work hard to stay there.
Tugging on a pair of black dress pants, I grabbed a white button-down dress shirt and rolled up the sleeves. I left a few buttons open and went over to grab my dress shoes. I dried my hair in its usual messy style. Smirking at myself in the mirror, I grabbed my keys and phone then left out the door. Sliding inside the limo, I leaned back and waited to arrive at the club. The only good thing about going to this club was finding a hot girl to take home. My phone started ringing and I answered it.
“What?” I snapped.
“Sir, there has been a situation,” one of my advisors said into the phone.
“What situation?” I asked, my eyes narrowing. If he were here, he would be squirming in his seat.
“Some files have gone missing, and we have Watson coming over tomorrow,” he said.
“I’m busy. Take care of it, now!” I yelled and hung up. Idiots. Seconds later, the limo came to a stop in front of the club. Clark, my body guard/driver, came around and opened my door. Clark has known me for a long time, and I trusted him. He was my father’s bodyguard and driver before me. Nodding in thanks, I slid out of the car. Thankfully there were no cameras here and I could walk inside peacefully. Immediately I was ushered in and shown to the private section where Nick was already seated.
“There you are, man!” he yelled over the music. I simply nodded at him and looked around the room. It was dark and music blared through the speakers, making it almost hard to talk.
“Have a seat, Ash,” Nick said, moving to sit on the black couch.
Nick and I have been friends since high school. He’s the only one who knows everything about me. After college, I took over the business from my father while Nick invented new technology. We both have become very successful, and I may be a tad more, but we were both two of the most eligible men. We have stuck by each other and even though we get pissed at one another, he is like my brother.
I took a seat on the couch just as a hot waitress came over to me with a glass of scotch. Looking her up and down, I smirked at her and took the scotch. Her breasts seemed to be barely contained inside the material of her shirt, and she wore a very small, tight skirt. The waitress sent me a flirty smile and swayed her hips as she walked away.
“Man, you always have the girls eating out of your hand,” Nick said, shaking his head at me while taking a pull of his beer.
“It’s my amazing looks and charms,” I said, grinning. We have the reputation of being “womanizers.” I use women and I don’t care, and they know what they are getting into when they come flirt with me. So, mostly it was their fault, not mine.
“No, I just think they feel sorry for how ugly your face is,” he said. I gave him a look, but all he did was chuckle. We sat there staring out over the club and sipping our drinks. I scanned the crowd and came to a stop when I noticed a beautiful brunette stepping through the door.
My eyes narrowed as I stared at her. Her brown hair fell around her shoulders and back in light curls, and her white-and-gold dress swirled around her but also hugged her curves. I knew that, underneath that dress, were legs that went on for miles. She was standing next to a short but pretty dark-haired girl in a tight red dress. I looked her over but instantly went back to the brunette. I watched her as she made her way to the bar with her friend. Something about the way she walked and held herself, I could tell this wasn’t her usual scene and that she didn’t feel comfortable. I could see her glance around almost nervously, like she felt like she didn’t belong.
I sat there staring at her, getting lost in her beauty. All the men around her couldn’t take their eyes off of her, me included. As I sat staring at her, the waitress came back with more drinks. She tried getting my attention by sticking her breasts in my face and looking at me suggestively, but I ignored her and stared down at the girl. The waitress finally gave up, and she turned away with a huff. Something about her drew me in. I stood up and finished my scotch.
“Ashton, where are you going?” Nick asked me.
“I’ll be back in a few minutes,” was all I said as I left the private area and made my over to the brown-haired cutie.
***
Layla
The moment we stepped into the club, I felt out of place. I followed behind Kacey feeling uncomfortable in my dress, even though compared to half the girls I wasn’t showing half as much skin. Even the waitresses wore skimpy clothes. Ew, glad I don’t work here. But then I do have to wear short pants and a tight blouse to work, so maybe it isn’t any different. Kacey walked over to the bar and I trailed behind her. If I stick by her, I’ll be fine, I told myself.
“Layla, what do you want to drink?” Kacey said into my ear.
“Just a water!” I yelled back over the music.
“No, you’re drinking something. Layla, you’re twenty-three. Live a little,” she yelled. I looked at her, but she kept staring at me. For someone so small and innocent looking, she packed a mean stare. Groaning, I turned to the bartender.
“Do you have any good beer?” I asked loudly. The bartender was a young, cute guy. He looked surprised at my words but went about finding me something.
I wasn’t much of a drinker but when I did, I didn’t go for fruity drinks. The bartender sat a beer bottle in front of me with a no label. He gave me a wink then went to help his next customers. I took a sip and looked at it approvingly. It was good. As I turned, I ran straight into something hard. I almost stumbled back, but strong arms wrapped around my waist. I looked up and saw a pair of stunning blue eyes staring down at me.