by Alison Mello
“Bye.” I hugged her and made my way to the door.
Stepping out of the bar, I took a deep breath. With the sun down, it was slightly chilly but not cold. Thankfully, one of the bouncers outside hailed me a cab. I was instantly glad Kacey and I came earlier, because a long line went all away around the block. Smiling in thanks to the bouncer, I got inside the cab and give him my address. As the car started forward, I stared out the window. Ashton’s face popped inside my head and I couldn’t help but smile. Something about him seemed very familiar, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. For someone I just met, he plagued my thoughts the minute I walked away from him. The car stopped, so I paid the driver and got out. Not paying attention, I didn’t realize I was not in front of my apartment building until the taxi was gone.
I was standing in front of a black, empty street. I glanced around starting to get scared. I didn’t know what was down the dark street, and I didn’t really want to find out. Knowing I couldn’t just stand there, I walked back toward the direction I came, hopefully toward the club. The only sound that could be heard was the click of my heels. I tried to take my thoughts away from the bad things that could happen to me. I was so busy talking to myself that I didn’t hear voices and footsteps until it was too late. I whipped around and came face-to-face with five very large, mean-looking guys. I unconsciously took a step back but they did the same, following me.
“Look what we have here. Are you lost?” one of the guys said, coming forward. I couldn’t answer. My voice was caught in my throat. I could tell my eyes were wide and scared. I should have just stayed at the club or even paid more attention when the taxi driver stopped. I’d always heard the stories about walking alone at night in New York City, but I never really paid any mind to them until now.
The group of guys got closer and I started freaking out. I’m too young to die! I screamed inside. I would have laughed at how dramatic that sounded, but with the situation at hand, I couldn’t really laugh. Normally someone would be praying, thinking about their family members and what dying would do to them, or even saying their last goodbyes, but not me. I stood there thinking about how my parents wouldn’t even care if I died right now in a ditch. They’d probably throw a party, actually. The thought of my parents made me sad, but for some reason, I couldn’t see why. They never loved me. Hell, they never liked me honestly. But it’s weird that is what my mind immediately went to. Not even the thought of screaming entered my mind. The sound of the men’s voices right in front of me tugged me out of my thoughts.
I looked at the guy in the lead, not sure what he was saying. My body was numb from fear and the realization that something was going to happen to me. I heard the slap before I felt it. My head snapped to the side, and I staggered back a step. My hand flew up to my cheek. Before the guy could take another hit or move closer, the sound of screeching tires echoed around us. All heads snapped up as bright lights blinded us. I squinted and stood still, not knowing if the person inside the car were here to help or not.
All five men stood watching the car, glaring. Time seemed to stand still as the car door opened and a tall silhouette stepped out. My breath hitched in my throat as I heard a familiar voice say something…Ashton? With the car only a few feet in front of me, I did the first thing that I could think of: I ran toward Ashton’s car. I flew past a surprised-looking Ashton standing in front of the open door and jumped inside. He must have realized what I was doing, because he quickly slid in after me, telling the driver to drive. The car was peeling away before Ashton even shut the door. I glanced through the back window and saw the group of men starting for the car, but they stopped once they obviously realized it was no use. I let out a loud sigh and slumped against the comfortable leather of the seat.
About five minutes later, the car came to a stop in a parking garage. I didn’t know where we were, but I wasn’t too frightened. Ashton opened the door and stepped out, waiting for me to follow. I stumbled out of the car and to his side. The limo pulled away and his hand on my lower back guided me to the elevators straight across from us.
The ride up the elevator was silent and awkward. My cheek throbbed and my body felt exhausted. I was ready to crawl into bed and forget this whole thing ever happened. Thankfully, the elevator came to a stop a minute later, and I followed Ashton out and down a hallway. We stopped in front of a door, and he entered a code before throwing the door open. When he gestured for me to go in, I squeezed past him and entered what I could only guess was his apartment. When I walked in, I froze.
My mouth dropped open when I caught sight of the room. It was huge like a penthouse! Everywhere I looked I couldn’t help but gawk at everything. How can he afford this? I thought to myself as Ashton took me into a bathroom.
“Where are we?” I finally asked as I watched Ashton move around the bathroom looking for something. I stood awkwardly off to the side.
“My apartment. Hop up on the counter.” I wanted to ask why but instead, I did what he asked.
“Apartment? More like a penthouse,” I said, amazed at the size of the bathroom. It seemed to be a spare one, but it had a long granite counter with two sinks, a toilet, and dark wood cabinets. Everything about the bathroom screamed money to me. All Ashton did was shrug. He moved around the room quickly and then came and stood in front of me. Gently he pushed my knees apart and stood in-between them. I stared up at him trying to not show how I was affected by his touch.
“This may burn,” Ashton said, bringing a cotton ball to my cheek. “You have a slight cut on your bottom lip,” he added, probably in response to my confused look. I nodded and held still. I felt a stab of pain the instant he touched my cheek. I gripped the counter and bit my bottom lip so I wouldn’t make a sound, but pain laced across my bottom lip. I let go of my lip and hissed. The pain went away a minute later. Honestly, the pain was not the worse I’d ever felt; it was actually a speck compared to other times I’d been hurt. Ashton started wiping my cheek and bottom lip softly while looking to see where else I was hurt.
“Ashton, stop, I’m fine,” I said as he kept wiping my face. He reluctantly stopped and threw the cotton ball in the toilet.
“Does your cheek hurt?” Ashton asked, looking down at me.
“No, it’s fine,” I said, shaking my head and looking into his blue eyes.
“It’s bruised and swollen.”
“Nothing I can’t take,” I replied honestly. Punches, even a few kicks were nothing to a smack on the cheek. “Thank you, by the way.”
I looked up and saw his blue eyes staring down at me. Something about the way he looked at me made my heart flutter. I sat there on the counter staring up at Ashton, my stomach doing flips. I didn’t know how he found me in the alley, but I was thankful and I couldn’t think of how I would ever repay him. I watched as he slowly came closer to me. My eyes latched onto his lips and I couldn’t look away. My body instantly started to move toward him and in a split second, my mouth was against his.
Chapter 3
Layla
My fingers made their way up and through Ashton’s hair. It was thick and soft, just how it looked. Even though his lips were soft, they were hard and demanding. Instinctively, my lips moved against his just as hard, and my legs started to wrap around his waist. A small moan started in my throat and threatened to break free. Just as quick as the kiss started, it ended. Before I could even open my eyes, I felt Ashton untangle my legs from his waist and take a step back. The warmth of his body left me and I sat there stunned and cold. What—
“There’s a spare toothbrush in the far drawer to your left. I’ll go get you some clothes,” Ashton said coldly and turned and left the bathroom. I stared after him, confused. Did I do something wrong? He basically just kissed me, then suddenly pulled away, told me my breath stank, and left. Great.
I slid off the counter and carefully landed on my feet. I put a hand to my tingling lips. Wow, that was a great kiss.
Deciding it was easier to stand and walk, I slipped off my
heels and placed them on the counter. I took a deep breath to get myself ready to look in the mirror, and I was glad I did. My hair looked like a bird had made a nest in it, my makeup was smeared, and my cheek and lip were swollen and taking on a purple color already. I groaned. No wonder Ashton made a quick getaway. Wonder what Kacey’s going to say about my face tomorrow, I pondered. She didn’t know a lot about what my parents did to me. The only reason she found out was when I was put in the hospital one day. I had made her promise to not say anything to anyone, especially her parents.
As high school went on and my beatings got worse, it was becoming harder to conceal my bruises. On most days, I would leave for school extra early and head to Kacey’s house so she could help me cover the bruises on my face and neck. I always joked I helped Kacey learn how to do makeup better, but she never found it funny. Sighing at my thoughts, I shook my head.
Taking Ashton’s advice, I made my way toward the drawer where the spare toothbrushes would be. Brushing my teeth, I stared at my reflection. I stared at the bruise. I couldn’t help but think of my family. It’d been about three or four years since I’d been hit. The beatings used to be so regular that I had gotten used to it, but now, after years of peace, my cheek stung and throbbed. I was so focused on my past I didn’t hear Ashton knocking and calling my name. When the door opened and Ashton started shaking my shoulder, I finally came out of it.
“Huh?” I asked.
“I just said I found you some clothes. I only have men’s clothes so I hope they fit,” he said plainly, handing me what he had.
“Thank you,” I said, taking the clothes. All he did was nod and leave the room, closing the door behind him again. I looked down at the clothes and saw he brought me a gray t-shirt and a pair of boxers. Smiling, I set them on the counter next to my heels and reached back to undo my dress. My hands fumbled with the zipper. After a few minutes of struggling, I gave up. Damn it. Sighing, I opened the door and peeked around for Ashton. Seeing no one, I called out for him.
“Ashton?” I called. I waited but didn’t see him. “Ashton?” I called out louder. A second later, he came into view from down the hall.
“Yes?” he asked.
“I, uh.” I blushed and bit my bottom lip. “I can’t unzip my dress,” I said. All he did was smirk and gesture for me to turn around. Looking down at the ground, I turned. I felt a warm hand press against my shoulder blades while the other went to my zipper. I felt him start to unzip my dress and I grabbed the front so I wouldn’t flash him. The lower the zipper went, the lower Ashton’s hand followed. I suppressed a shiver that wanted to make its way down my spine. Embarrassed by my reaction, I whispered a soft “Thank you” and disappeared in the bathroom.
I leaned against the door and breathed deeply. I wanted to yell at my stupid body for reacting like that to someone I just literally barely met. After a good few minutes of yelling at myself, I went to get dressed. Peeling the dress off of me, I slipped into the gray shirt and boxers. The shirt was really big but smelled half cologne and half pure male. Don’t think I’m a weirdo because trust me, the smell could make any girl fall to her knees. The boxers were like shorts to me, and were surprisingly nice and soft.
Looking around the bathroom, I finally found a brush and I almost jumped in joy. No way was I going back out there looking like a mess. Brushing my hair took a while, but thankfully I got it tangle free, the waves from earlier almost flat. Taking one last look in the mirror, I left the bathroom with my dress and heels in my hand. I was blindly walking through Ashton’s “apartment.” I turned in the direction I’d seen Ashton walk down to see if I could find him. I came to an abrupt stop and my jaw fell open. The hall had made a left turn and opened to the living room I was in before, where there was a doorway that looked like it led to the kitchen, and a staircase leading to who knows where. Wow, this place is amazing! I thought.
In the living room sat a big and comfy-looking black leather couch, a huge seventy-two-inch TV, and end tables with cool lamps. The walls were painted a pretty deep blue that made the room seem even more cozy and casual. I didn’t really expect to see a guy’s place look this good. Setting my dress and shoes on the couch, I padded barefoot over to the doorway leading to a kitchen. I let out a soft whistle. The place was huge! The counter was pure granite, a color mixed with light and dark. Dark wood cabinets lined the kitchen walls, looking great with the dark red wall. I ran my fingers across the flat-top stove, as well as the sink and counter tops.
The kitchen was my dream kitchen. I knew inside the cabinets were every pot you could think of, and maybe more. I loved to cook even though I only had a little bit of money and it wasn’t that fancy. Don’t get me wrong, ramen can be very classy, but only the first time. After that, it becomes boring. Man, this guy has everything, I thought to myself. I opened the stainless-steel fridge and looked inside. It was packed with stuff. I grabbed a bottle of water, hoping it was okay. Glancing around, I decided I better go find Ashton and figure out how I was getting home.
Starting up the stairs, I ran through several responses in my head on how to thank Ashton for saving me. I didn’t even want to think what would have happened if he hadn’t shown up. I didn’t know what they would have done to me, but I was just thankful that everything was okay now. Once I reached the top of the steps, I took a deep breath and went forward.
“Uh, Ashton?” I called out.
“In here!” he called from down the hall. I followed the voice and came to a bedroom that looked even bigger than the living room downstairs. How much money does this guy have? I wondered. I walked through the door and saw Ashton standing at the foot of the bed unbuttoning his shirt. “There you are.” He turned toward me and I saw his shirt was half unbuttoned. My mouth went dry, and I unconsciously moved toward the bed. It was not like me to stare openly at someone, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Ashton’s body.
Taking a seat on the edge of the huge bed, I stared at him. I watched as his long fingers swiftly unbuttoned the last of his buttons. To say he was fit was an understatement. His chest was nice and hard, and he had an eight-pack that was so defined that a diamond could probably break if it hit it. The suit he wore did him no justice; he was twice as good-looking without it. I knew I was staring, but I couldn’t pull my eyes away. This was literally something out of a movie. Someone like me has never and probably will never see this ever again, so I was going to look away all I want.
“Like what you see?” His voice jerked me away from staring at his washboard abs up to his blue eyes. He stared down at me in amusement.
“I, uh.” I tried to say something, but my tongue got twisted.
“Thought so.” He raised an eyebrow at me then went to take off his pants.
“What are you doing?” I yelled, covering my eyes even though every fiber of my body wanted to look.
“Getting undressed. It’s not my fault you walked in on me undressing.” He continued pulling his slacks off. He threw them at me and they landed on my head. I uncovered my eyes and glared at him. He stood in front of me in just his boxers. I tried to hide my expression, even though my body was going into overdrive. Stupid hormones! I shouted at myself.
“These belong to you,” I said, grabbing his pants and throwing them back at him. He smirked at me and caught them one-handed.
“Don’t act like you don’t want some of this.” He gestured to his almost-naked body. I just rolled my eyes and got more comfortable on the bed. As I stared at his body, my mouth went dry. I was sitting there waiting for myself to wake up and realize this was all a dream. With his back turned to me, I pinched my arm and bit back a yelp. Yup, this was real and I wasn’t dreaming.
“Whatever you say,” I said, acting like none of this was affecting me. He just gave me a look and went to his walk-in closet. With him out of view, I slumped my shoulders. I couldn’t even form thoughts as to what I was doing or did for that matter. Layla Kingston would never had gone home with a stranger, let alone kissed him. Layla, just s
tay calm. You’re okay. Everything will be fine. Everything will go back to normal tomorrow. He will just drop you off at home then go on with his life, and you can as well. Calming down slightly, I closed my eyes and tried to stifle a yawn.
When I glanced over at the alarm clock on his bedside table, my eyes widened. It was almost one in the morning. How long was I down that alley? How long was I in the bathroom? No wonder I was tired. I’d been up for twenty hours. Getting up at a quarter to five was now kicking me in the ass. Exhaustion came in waves all of a sudden. Another yawn escaped my lips just as Ashton walked back in. He was still shirtless but was now in a pair of basketball shorts, and his hair looked brushed.
“Can you take me home?” I asked quietly once I had found my voice. I was still having such a hard time forming sentences.
“At one in the morning? I don’t think so. You’ll stay here,” he said, coming toward me. My eyelids became heavy as he grabbed my hand, pulling me up. Ashton stopped me from saying otherwise by shushing me and practically pushing me onto the bed. I didn’t have the energy to protest, so I slid beneath the covers. All of the events from tonight were catching up to me, and my body yearned for sleep.
Ashton slid in beside me and pulled the covers up over us. I mumbled a thank you and sunk down into the soft, comfortable mattress, forgetting about the men in the alley, kissing a complete stranger, and now sleeping in his bed. Everything slipped my mind as sleep pulled me into its grasp. The last thing I felt was a pair of strong arms wrap around my stomach, turn me on my side, and pull me back against something hard and warm. I sighed and sunk into a deep slumber.
Chapter 4
Layla
I woke up with my face pressed against something hard and warm. Warm breath blew against the back of my neck, making me shiver slightly. I slowly cracked open my eyes and lifted my head slightly. Looking down, I saw a bare chest. I turned my head and saw Ashton dead asleep, with me on top of him. How did I end up like this? I asked myself.