Layla
The next morning, I found myself standing in front of my mirror with Kacey next to me. My floor was littered with every single piece of clothing I had, as was my bed. I looked at myself in the mirror.
“I don’t think so,” I said. Kacey had picked out a dress for me to wear. It was super cute, but it seemed too fancy or like I was trying too hard. Ashton said to dress comfortable but sexy. How the hell am I supposed to do that? “It looks like I’m trying too hard, Kacey.”
“No, it doesn’t,” she protested, turning to me.
“Yes, it does. Let’s look for something different.”
I turned and went to look through my clothes for something better. After a few minutes of not finding anything, I grabbed my phone sending a text to Ashton to see what exactly we were doing.
To: Sexy Beast (Ashton)
From: Layla
It’s Layla. What are we doing today?
I stood by my bed looking over my clothes and suddenly my phone beeped in my hands. Looking down, I saw it was a reply from Ashton.
From: Sexy Beast (Ashton)
To: Layla
Nothing extreme. Probably lunch and something else.
Like that helps, I thought sarcastically. The sound of my name being called had my head snapping toward Kacey.
“I found the perfect outfit,” she said, holding up a pair of dark-washed jeans and a white sweater.
“Okay.” I grabbed them and started taking off my clothes. Kacey and I had seen each other practically naked, so it wasn’t uncomfortable to get undressed in front of her. I stood there in my bra and panties reaching for the jeans. Since they were black skinny jeans, I had to do the little dance to just put them on. I reached for the sweater. As I reached for the sweater, I saw Kacey’s eyes on my stomach. I knew what she was looking at.
Across my stomach from my left side of my ribs to just above my belly button was a jagged scar. Just looking at it made me sick. Not wanting to look at it and remember how I got it, I pulled the sweater quickly over it. Kacey sent me an apologetic look, but I waved her off. I didn’t blame her for staring at it, even I couldn’t look at it too long and it’d been two years since I got it.
“Yes, that’s the outfit. But it needs something,” Kacey said, looking around my room. A second later, she held up a pair of high-heeled black booties with a peep toe. I couldn’t help but smile. Slipping them on, I smiled at her.
“I like it,” I said. The outfit was plain and simple, but also kind of fancy.
“Yes, you look hot but let’s hurry and do something with your hair.”
“Hey! My hair looks fine!” I said defensively.
“Okay. Sit.” She pointed at the chair in front of my desk and mirror.
Obeying her, I took a seat and let her do her work. Honestly, Kacey could do wonders on anyone. I closed my eyes and let her do her thing as she pulled my hair and poked my eyes with eyeliner. I kept protesting why I needed to be all pretty and dressed up, and all she would tell me was that I was going on a date with a millionaire and I couldn’t show up looking like a hobo. Yep, my best friend sure knew how to make me feel good.
“There you go,” she announced proudly. Opening my eyes, I stared at myself. I couldn’t help but smile at my reflection. Kacey didn’t do a lot; she just added enough to highlight my features and make it look natural. My gray eyes popped as Kacey put some eyeliner and mascara on them. Silvery eye shadow also made them pop. A little bit of blush covered my cheeks. My lips were covered in a pale shade of pink. My brown hair hung down in soft waves, and a piece was pulled to the side and clipped at the back of my head. The look was completely me and I loved that Kacey did it that way.
“I love it. Thank you, Kay!” I said, standing up and hugging her.
“You’re welcome. You look smoking hot. Ashton won’t know what hit him.” I smiled at her and grabbed the small shoulder bag on my bed. I put my wallet, keys, some extra lipstick, and gum inside. I grabbed my phone and checked it to make sure I’d didn’t miss a text.
“When you get home, I expect a full report on what happened, what you did. So basically, everything that happens from the moment you leave here until you step back into the apartment. Got it?” Kacey told me, her voice hard and commanding.
“Yes, Mom, I promise,” I said, smiling at her. Even though she could be demanding and sometimes pushy, I loved her to death. I didn’t think I’d be here or want to be here if she weren’t. I’m just glad she’s my best friend and hasn’t ever left me. “Thank you for doing my hair and makeup.” I hugged her tightly.
“You’re welcome. Someone’s got to make sure you live and look amazing. Because without me, you wouldn’t be able to live or look good,” she said.
“Awww, it wouldn’t be a good day without you saying I’m pretty without your help,” I said sarcastically.
“Someone’s got to do it,” she said, smiling at me. Laughing, I shook my head at her. Just then, my phone buzzed. I saw it was Ashton.
“Okay, I gotta go. See you later,” I said, pulling my bag onto my shoulder.
“Okay. See you later. Have fun if he invites you back to his apartment.” She winked at me.
“Kacey!” I said.
“What? Just go.” She opened the door and shoved me out. “Have fun! Use protection!” With that, she shut the door on me. Great.
I walked down the stairs and outside. Idling by the curb was Ashton’s limo. The moment I stepped out of doors, I saw Ashton step out of the limo and come toward me. His driver stood off to the side with the door still open, waiting for us.
“Layla,” he said a smirk as he stopped in front of me, his toes touching mine. I strained my neck up at him.
“Ashton,” I said, my voice kind of shaky. Layla, you got this, act cool. Don’t let him know how he affects you. “I gotta say…you look very hot today.” He looked me up and down. I could practically see him undressing me in his head.
“I know I do. I thought I may see some attractive guys while we are out.” I smirked at him and walked toward the car, leaving him standing there with a weird look mixed with surprise and anger. Smiling and nodding in thanks to the driver. I slid inside. A second later, Ashton slid in beside me. By his posture, I could tell he was angry for some reason. Doesn’t he know I was joking?
The car started forward and we sat in silence. Ashton stared out the window and I sat there playing with the rings I had put on at the last moment. I was usually fine with silence, but for some reason, I couldn’t stand another second of sitting here with awkward silence wrapped around us.
“So where are we going?” I finally asked, biting my bottom lip hoping Ashton would answer.
“Somewhere,” he answered vaguely.
“Great answer. That really helps,” I said sarcastically, looking out the opposite window. We rode in silence as we got deeper into the city. I almost felt like a tourist as I leaned against the window to look outside more easily. New York had always fascinated me, even as a child. I was never allowed to come downtown like most kids in high school. Even after living here for four years, I still have not shopped or looked around in downtown New York. I never had the time or the money to do so. Kacey always invites me to come with her, but I’m either working, have class, or just too broke. So now I was looking at everything I could as the limo driver maneuvered us around traffic.
“Whoa,” I breathed as we passed the jumbo-sized TV’s playing ads, the big posters announcing upcoming movies, and the big crowd surrounding a building for what looked like the Good Morning America set. I felt like a child seeing candy for the first time, and I couldn’t seem to stop myself from taking everything in. “It’s so pretty,” I murmured after we had passed it all. I bet it is as pretty at night with all the lights going.
“Have you never seen downtown New York before?” Ashton asked softly next to me. A blush erupted across my cheeks before I could stop it. I looked over at him sheepishly, not having realized I was acting like a weirdo.
“I-I haven’t before.” I finally stuttered out. God, what was wrong with me? Layla, get yourself together!
“You’ve lived here your whole life but you haven’t seen downtown?” he asked, confused.
“Well, I lived about twenty minutes outside of town and my parents were…strict,” I replied vaguely. I’d really only seen downtown New York briefly once or twice, when Kacey made me go to a party with her at night.
He sat there quietly, a strange look on his face. Not even a minute later, he smirked to himself and turned back to me. I looked at him confused, but also curious. What was he thinking about? I wondered. Before we could say anything, the limo came to a stop. I tried glancing out the window behind Ashton’s head, but I couldn’t see anything. The door opened up not even a second later. Ashton stepped out of the limo then turned, holding a hand out for me. I slid over and tried to gracefully step out like Ashton did, but instead almost ended up tripping. Ashton’s warm hand gripped my hand, preventing me from embarrassing myself. A blush crept onto my face and I looked anywhere but at him.
“Thank you,” I said. I started taking in the place. In front of me was what looked like an expensive restaurant. Couples and business partners sat outside enjoying the semi-cold air and talking to one another. A slight tug on my arm alerted me that the front door to the restaurant was being held open for us. Ashton tugged me along behind him as we walked through and to the front counter.
“Hello, Mr. Miller,” a tall blonde purred at Ashton. I looked up at her and scowled. And I thought my uniform was small; this woman’s top was so tight you could see the outline of her bra. Her breasts were practically pushed up to her ears and looked ready to fall with a deep breath. I didn’t even want to know what bottoms she was wearing. Her face was caked in makeup, and I could see her hair was dyed that ugly blonde color. Her blue eyes didn’t even glance in my direction as she stared at Ashton as if he were a piece of meat. “Would you like a table outside or inside?” she asked, her voice coming out all nasally.
“A table outside please,” he said, not really making eye contact with her. She seemed surprised for a second, but recovered and grabbed a menu and turned to lead us to our table. Noticing that she grabbed just one, I rolled my eyes and snatched a menu off the counter before following after Ashton. As I trailed behind them, I saw she kept pressing herself against his side. A part of me wanted to walk right up to her and rip her fake blonde hair out. Shocked at myself, I shook my head. Why does it even matter to me? It’s not like we are dating. Yes, but you are out on a date with him and she’s practically on top of him, oblivious to you. ’We finally reached our table and the girl pressed herself close to Ashton as she set his menu on the table.
“If you need anything, just let me know.” She winked at him and bounced off. Rolling my eyes, I sat down in my chair.
“I was going to hold your chair out for you,” Ashton said next to me.
“I got it,” was all I said. I heard him sigh and I smiled inwardly. I wouldn’t be some damsel in distress around Ashton. I can handle things myself and have for years now. But he helped you the other night, a voice reasoned in the back of my mind. Before I could argue, Ashton asked me something. “Hmmm?” I asked, not hearing what he said.
“What do you like to eat? This place has a good selection.” He glanced up at me over his menu.
“I like almost anything, just not seafood.” Something about the texture has always bothered me.
“You don’t like seafood?” Ashton practically gasped at me. I couldn’t help but laugh softly at his expression. He almost looked like I had kicked a puppy or something.
“No. It just tastes weird to me,” I said, shrugging.
“I don’t know who you are.” He shook his head at me but when he looked up, his eyes were filled with amusement.
“Not liking seafood isn’t as bad as not liking cookie dough,” I said.
“I don’t like cookie dough.” I gasped, not believing my ears.
“You don’t like cookie dough?”
“Nope.” He shrugged just like I had.
“What kind of person are you?” Ashton just stared at me in amusement.
“What’s the big deal? It’s just cookie dough. I’d rather eat it after it’s been cooked.” I just shook my head at him and looked down at my menu.
To say this was a fancy would be an understatement. The meals were pretty pricey. A plate of pasta was close to thirty bucks. That better be some damn good pasta. I looked for the cheapest thing to get and only ended up with a side salad for close to ten dollars. Ashton must have seen the look on my face.
“Layla, don’t worry about the price. I’m paying,” he said.
“Have you not seen these prices? They are more than my paychecks.”
“I can afford it. It’s okay get whatever you want.” I really wanted to say “‘yeah, I know,’” but I held it in until after we ordered to hound him as to why he didn’t tell me he was a millionaire. A few minutes later, a waitress came over to get out drink order.
“Hello, what can I get you two to drink?” she asked. She was really pretty with short brown hair and light green eyes, and her name tag read Amy. When she smiled down at us, I saw she wasn’t looking at Ashton like the other girls. Shooting her a smile, I answered.
“I’ll just have water.”
“Same here,” Ashton said as well.
“Okay. Are you ready to order or need a few minutes?” Ashton looked at me silently. Nodding, he turned to Amy.
“I’ll have the lasagna with garlic bread.” He handed her his menu.
“I’ll have the pasta marinara and garlic bread also.” I smiled and handed her my menu as well. Might as well let him pay for my expensive meal. A slight payback for not telling me he had money.
“Sounds good. I’ll hurry and get that in and get you your drinks.”
After she left, we sat in silence. I could feel his gaze on me, making me feel self-conscious.
“So, are you in college still?” he asked, breaking the silence.
“No, I finished almost two years ago.”
“Oh, where did you go? NYU?”
“Yeah, me and my friend Kacey both got in.”
“She’s the one from the club, right?” I couldn’t help but be surprised that he remembered Kacey from the other night. I nodded and not even a second later, our waters were placed in front of us. “What did you study and major in?”
“I studied English and majored in Journalism. I want to be a writer or an editor,” I said, taking a sip of my water. He actually looked impressed. “How about you? What did you study?” I asked, wanting to know more about him.
“I went to NYU too and majored in Business.”
“That’s pretty cool. Is that how you got your company started?” Ashton seemed to be surprised for a second before answering.
“How did you know?” he asked.
“You’re all over the internet and magazines. Did you think I wouldn’t find out?” I asked, giving him a look.
“Well, I guess you would have found out sooner or later anyways. It’s no big deal.”
“No big deal? You’re a multi-millionaire.” He just shrugged.
“Yes, but it doesn’t matter. I leave business at work. I don’t bring it into my personal affairs.” His voice was serious, almost like a warning.
“That’s good. No one likes talking business when they are on a date anyways,” I said, letting him know I was not going to go picking around in his business. What he did on his own time was his business, not mine. He seemed happy after I said that and sent me a smirk. But this time the smirk wasn’t cocky; it was just a smirk, almost a smile.
We sat there and talked for about five minutes about nothing in particular, before our meals came. When mine was placed in front of me, I was happy to know that it was actually a big portion instead of a small one. My stomach growled softly and I put a hand on it, trying to silence it. My pasta looked and smelled amazing, but Ashton’s lasagna looked great too. Grabbing my fork, I took a bite. I couldn’t stop a small moan from escaping my lips. The pasta tasted like something you’d get in Italy.
“Good?” Ashton asked, smirking at me in amusement. I nodded and felt my cheeks heat up.
While we were eating, I couldn’t help but glance up at Ashton. He looked like a model who just stepped out of a magazine. I couldn’t help but think that this date was going to turn out amazing.