“You, of all people, should know that pictures don’t always portray reality. Read these in order and come find me when you’re done.” He hands me a file folder and walks out of my office.
I stare in confusion at the green folder before opening it up to reveal a stack of emails. I take a closer look and see that the email communication is between Layla and my brother, starting one week after she left. I can’t help but to start reading, each page igniting the roller coaster ride of emotions in my heart. Betrayal, hurt, longing, wonder and finally, awareness. One hour later, I sit back in awe after reading her last email to Rhys, dated only four days ago with the news of Jenna’s pregnancy and how her heart ached that I wasn’t there with them to hear it. With Cal still being one of our investors, our staff was on cloud nine after he won the Oscar for Best Actor and even had a congratulatory full page ad created to appear in a couple of major newspapers in Canada and the United States.
I should’ve been in Los Angeles with her.
These emails tell the story of the last seven months of our lives — hers from her perspective and mine from my brother’s. It was difficult reading his earlier emails to her, detailing out my struggles. But reading them makes me proud of my accomplishments. I sighed in relief to read that she’s not dating Torrin Richards, only trying to be his friend through a difficult time in his life.
I’m amazed that Rhys managed to keep this a secret for so long. Two people who I care about developed a friendship, with the common denominator between the two of them being their love for me. Hope starts to fill me as I get up to go and talk to Rhys about what the implication of these emails mean.
All this time she has been inquiring about me.
All this time she has been missing me.
All this time she has still loved me.
“Rhys…” My voice cracks, thick with emotion and at a loss of words when I see him sitting at his desk. He stares at me for a brief moment, love and pride shining in his eyes. He recognizes my struggle to talk and holds up his hand.
“The acquisition of an existing night club is going to take some time to manifest to get up and running to our liking. Staff morale is going to be shaken up due to the changing of hands. It seems that an unspecified amount of time is going to be needed in Chicago.” He clears his throat and tries to act serious, but he’s having trouble containing the smile that keeps appearing on his lips. “Looking at the Lynxes’ next away games, we conveniently play Chicago this Friday night. I have one available seat open on the team charter, but no available seating on the plane ride home. You’ll have to figure that out on your own once our new club is running to standards.” He rises up and walks around his desk to stand in front of me. “So, are we going to Chicago, Chase?” he asks with a knowing smile on his face.
“We are going to Chicago, Rhys!” I command in excitement.
“Well, then let’s get this contract signed.” He extends his hand for me to shake, but I surprise him by hugging him instead.
“Thank you for saving me… for saving us,” I whisper and send a silent prayer of thanks for my incredibly strong baby brother.
30
Layla
It has been a long, tiring week since arriving home from Los Angeles and it’s going to be an even longer weekend with the double I’m working. Robert and I flew back Monday night while Cal and Jenna stayed back because Cal had to do the obligatory press tour the following morning after his Oscar win. Knowing that Jenna is carrying his baby only made the moment of him winning that gold figurine that much sweeter. Since both of their families came in for the monumental evening, they decided to stay longer to keep celebrating by taking Avery to Disneyland. How I wish I could have stayed to see her excitement at seeing Mickey Mouse.
It was exhilarating being in Hollywood, seeing all those famous celebrities and watching Cal be recognized for the hard work he put into his movie. The only downfall of the trip was asking Torrin to come with me. He caught his flight Sunday morning and arrived at our hotel suite bright eyed and excited. We had lunch together and he acted like the old, charming Torrin that I knew and missed. I left him right after lunch to go get ready with Jenna, so I had no idea what he did to occupy his time while I was gone. Once we were all in the limo heading to the Dolby Theatre, the new, coked up Torrin was in rare form. His words were flying out of his mouth a mile a minute, his pupils dilated and he couldn’t stop sniffing. Not a moment after we found our seats, he started fidgeting and stated he was going to the bathroom. He returned one hour later, completely drunk, and for the rest of the evening, talked about who he thought was hot and wanted to screw. As soon as we arrived at one of the after parties, Torrin headed straight for the bar and I didn’t see him for the rest of the evening. Jenna was beyond furious and demanded that I leave him here to fend for himself. I had to tell her the truth about what was really going on with him, which in her eyes, didn’t excuse his behavior.
When it was time to go back to the hotel, he was no where to be found. I left him multiple messages, all going straight to voicemail. I barely slept that night, praying I would see him come through the hotel door at any minute. But when we arrived at the airport and Torrin wasn’t at the departure gate, I determined I was done trying to help him. I had covered for him at work, begged him to get treatment and even helped him the nights he was throwing up from any kind of withdrawal he was having. If he doesn’t want to help himself, I can’t do it for him.
I arrived at work and started preparing for my day to get ready for our usual rowdy Friday night crowd. The crowd will come early for happy hour, wanting to drink away the stress from their work week. I start every Friday morning counting inventory with our head bartender to order more liquor. Before I can even make it half way through, I receive a text from Torrin.
Torrin: Can you meet me in one hour?
Me: Glad to see you’re alive, asshole! No, I can’t. Some people have work to do.
Torrin: Layla, I really need to see you. I’m headed to rehab for six weeks in Arizona. Please meet me!
I drop everything I was doing and meet him at Navy Pier.
He looked like shit when I arrived, sitting alone on one of the benches, looking out at Lake Michigan. His skin was ashen, his once beautiful eyes lifeless. His strong body seemed frail instead of sturdy. Tears start to well up in my eyes at the sight of him.
“Oh, Torrin!” I cry out as I plop down next to him, my eyes transfixed by his form. He smiles sadly at me and shakes his head.
“Yes, I look as good as I feel and from the reflection in your eyes, it’s pretty shitty.” He sighs and rubs his eyes to keep his own tears at bay. “I want to apologize to you for my behavior in Los Angeles. I was out of control and completely out of line. I hope one day you can forgive me.” He looks down at his hands in shame, not able to meet my eyes.
I cover his hands with my own and squeeze. “I forgive you, Torrin. All I want for you to do is get better. I’m proud of you for going to rehab.”
“Don’t be proud yet as I haven’t proven anything to be proud of,” he says, his voice filled with rejection.
“You can do it, Torrin. I have faith in you. Fight for yourself — you’re worth it!” I repeat the words that so many people repeated to me in the past. It took me awhile to believe it, but I finally did. I hope Torrin will realize his worth sooner rather than what it took me to realize mine.
“The owners called me yesterday to let me know the club has been sold to new ownership. They didn’t say who, but for us to not be surprised if they just pop in one day soon.” This news comes as a surprise since I didn’t realize the owners were wanting to sell the club.
“I put in my letter of resignation and asked them to forward it onto the new owners. I also wrote up a letter of recommendation for you to be promoted to the new General Manager.” My head shoots up in surprise at his news. I’m the rookie on the staff and don’t feel the promotion would be justifiable.
“Torrin, thank you, but I’ve been there
less than a year. I don’t deserve to be promoted yet.”
“You’re a leader, Layla. Everyone sees that. They respect and enjoy working with you. You treat everyone as an equal and make sure they’re all taken care of. You would make a wonderful General Manager.” He smiles at me while pushing a piece of wind blown hair behind my ears.
“I learned from the best, Torrin,” I softly say as I brush away the lone tear that has fallen down my cheek.
He stares at me for a couple more seconds before standing up, indicating he is ready to leave.
“I have a plane to catch. Take care of yourself, Layla. Stay safe and I truly hope you find happiness and love again.” He pulls me to him and wraps me tightly in a hug. I hold on as long as I can before he lets me go and walks away.
* * *
As soon as I got back to the club, I called an emergency team meeting and told the staff the news about the new ownership and Torrin. Everyone was in shock — some started crying, others agreed he needed to go. Everyone had questions about the new ownership and I promised them I would get details as soon as I could. With the club opening up in three hours, a lot of things still needed to be accomplished and we all worked as a team to make it happen.
Once the club opened, I stayed on the floor for the first two hours, observing the crowd control at the bar and the dance floor, checking upon the waitresses, bartenders, DJ and bouncers. When I felt we were in our routine flow for the evening, I went back up to my office to decompress and to check to see if I had any emails with information on who the new owners might be and how I could reach them.
The shrill of ringing from my office phone disrupts me and I answer it immediately to make sure we don’t have any problems on the floor.
“Layla, a man claiming he’s the new owner has arrived. Do you want me to escort him upstairs?” Emma asks, her voice barely audible over the thumping of the house music.
Shit, shit, shit, why do they have to show up tonight?
“Yes, please!” I shout into the phone for her to hear me. I quickly hang up and pull out the makeup bag I keep in my desk drawer for the times I work closing. I pull out a compact mirror and groan as I view the bags underneath my eyes and the remnants of my eye shadow barely still on. I quickly apply more blush and lipsticks before throwing everything back in my draw when a knock sounds on my door.
The door starts to open and I walk around my desk to greet Emma and our new owner, when my breath whooshes out of my lungs. I stop dead in my tracks, astonished at the sight of Chase Wilson standing in my office.
My eyes roam over his face, noticing his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down as he swallows in nervousness. He studies me, a flicker of hesitation crossing those turbulent eyes before they clear. Gone is the hatred that was in them the last time I saw him. Instead, there’s something else. Something I’ve seen before. Something I’ve been dreaming about.
Desire.
Chase Wilson still desires me.
“Layla, this is Chase Wilson with Wilson Enterprises. He says he’s the new owner and seems to have brought with him a signed contract to prove it.” Emma tries to hand me the contract, but I’m immobilized at the sight of him. He looks thinner in the face and in his frame, but it does nothing to diminish the sex appeal that ripples off of him. His hair is longer, styled to his jawline. He hides that insatiable body of his in a two piece navy blue suit, silver shirt and tan dress shoes with matching belt. He is still the most beautiful man I have ever laid eyes on.
“Layla, are you okay?” Emma questions, giving me a worried look as she glances between me and Chase.
“I’m sorry, yes… yes, I’m fine.” I try to shake away the trance I’m in at seeing him here. I ball my hands into fists, wanting to feel the pain of my nails digging into my flesh so I know I’m not dreaming. I extend my hand out to him, needing to feel his touch. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Wilson.” The sexy smile he gives back undoes me and it takes every ounce of will power not to fling myself at him in front of Emma.
“The pleasure’s all mine, Ms. Sands.” His husky voice draws my attention to his soft lips. My core starts tingling as it remembers what those lips have done to me, how they made me feel and how I want more. He grabs my hand and squeezes, the electricity from his touch making me gasp out loud.
Emma looks even more baffled at my reaction to him and decides to take her leave. “I’m needed back downstairs. I will leave you two alone to discuss things. Layla, please call me if you need anything.” I ignore the worried tone in her voice and faintly hear her footsteps retreat, the door finally closing with a loud click.
We continue to stare at each other, both of us not knowing what to say, but needing to say everything. He’s here and I don’t know for how long, so I swallow my fear as this is a now or never moment for us.
“You didn’t have to buy a nightclub in order to come see me,” I tease, needing the mood to be less intense. He turns slowly and walks back to the door. I’m about to object to his departure when I hear the turn of the lock. He turns back around, his stride slow and purposeful as he makes his way toward me. His gaze is hungry and I’m more than ready to feed his appetite.
“I bought this place because you told Rhys in one of your emails that you loved it here.” My eyes grow wide with the acknowledgement that he knows about our communication. He stops right in front of me, his chest mere inches away from touching my hard nipples. My heart is screaming at me to make the first move, to show him I’m ready if he is, but my body stays paralyzed.
“If this place makes you happy, then I want to be here with you. The time has come for us, Layla. It’s time for me to fulfill every single one of your desires for the rest of our lives.”
My mouth drops open and that is all it takes for him to swoop in and crush me to him. Our lips meet and I swear it feels like an inferno, the heat we have for each other ready to combust. His tongue invades my mouth and I moan at how good he tastes; how good he feels. Our hands roam all over our bodies, grabbing and needing, ravenous for each other’s touch. Soon we start taking each other’s clothes off, our fingers not moving fast enough as we start ripping and pulling the barriers off, the need to be flesh on flesh too great. He has my senses on overload and all I can comprehend is my want of him inside me.
“I’m so sorry, Layla,” he groans in between his searing kisses. “I’m sorry for the pain I have put you through all these months. You were right that I needed time to myself. You were right and I was too stubborn to realize it because all I wanted was you.” He stops kissing me and touches his forehead to mine, giving us a chance to catch our breaths.
“That’s the past, Chase. All the matters is that you are here now.” I touch his face with my hands and make him look into my eyes. “I love you, Chase.” I bring his lips back to mine so I can show him how much I love him, not caring that I’m at work in a building filled with hundreds of people.
He lifts me up and I wrap my legs around his waist, grinding myself on his erection as he walks us back to my desk. He sets me down, our mouths still fused together as our hands pushing items off the desk, not caring if anything breaks. He grabs my thong at the side of my hips and pulls it down over my legs. He starts playing with my clit with his finger, distracting me as I unbuckle his belt and unzip his pants. I maneuver his pants down his hips and cup his dick, which springs to life from my touch.
“I’m sorry, Angel, but I just can’t wait anymore.” He lays me down, his Adonis like body hovering over me as he quickly thrusts inside of me. Our bodies shudder, our moans of satisfaction loud at the intensity of him finally being back inside of me. He starts to move faster, the desk moving to the rhythm of our bodies. But soon we can’t control the desk from sliding out from underneath me, so he carries me to the couch, never once pulling out of me. He slowly sits down in order to not hurt me and leans back against the couch, bringing me with him, causing him to be deeper inside of me. I move my hips back and forth against him, the sensations of me being on top of him too mu
ch to bear and I start to ride him. I ride him hard and fast, our greed to satiate each other overwhelming. With my orgasm ready to explode, I break our kiss to scream out my release as I continue to bounce on top of him, my walls squeezing as tightly as I can at the same time he yells out my name in his own release.
He crushes me to him, his arms locking around me as we pant out our breaths from our incredible high of love making. I wrap my arms around his neck, every limb of my body now wrapped around his and I inhale his scent that I have come to love.
The scent that I recognize as home.
“I’m never letting you go again, Angel,” he murmurs as we feel our hearts beating against each other’s chest.
“You will never have to, because I’m yours.” I promise and seal it with a kiss.
Epilogue
Layla
Three Months Later
I rub my feet against the soft grass as I look up at the sky to soak in the sunshine. It’s another beautiful day in Chicago, with no clouds in sight. I sigh in contentment, grateful that there’s no rain for today.
“Do you always order up beautiful weather for my visits, Charlie?” I ask his headstone as I sit for my annual visit on the anniversary of his death. It’s the first time I’ve spoken in the ten minutes since I’ve been here. I always just sit and observe the scenery first upon arrival. Normally my mood is bleak and depressed, but life has been wonderful these last three months with Chase by my side.
The House of Royalty is thriving under the ownership of Wilson Enterprises. With Chase’s marketing skills, we have become busier, hosting a record number of events. Due to our demand, we had to double our staff and made the necessary renovations needed to keep the club in the status of one of the most sought out venues in Chicago.
Perfectly Lonely: (Let Me In, Book 2) Page 18