Chapter 10: Chapter 10

ARIA

On Saturday, I follow through with my plans to clean and workout, but I also text Katie and Len to see if they want to go out tonight.

We usually just meet up here and there, but we haven’t had a big night out in a while, and I decide to take my grandma’s advice to heart.

Len is all in right from the get-go, and Katie is going on a date with the vanilla bartender but says they (or just she) can meet us out after.

As I’m getting ready, I realize how excited I am and recognize how badly I need to blow off steam. I pick out a dark-green crisscross dress with cutouts across the rib cage; it was an impulse purchase a while ago, and I haven’t actually had a chance to wear it yet.

I wear my dark hair in a high, curly bun and put on a thick layer of eyeshadow for a nice smoky eye. If I play my cards right, I shouldn’t have to spend much on drinks all evening.

I meet Len at a busy neighborhood bar to kick the evening off.

“Hey, gorgeous! You look fucking killer tonight,” he says as I do a small twirl. “What’s the occasion?”

“Thank you! I just need to let loose, I think,” I say as I sit on the stool next to him. “Work’s been crazy, and the rest of my priorities have taken a back seat.”

“Have you heard from Gray since the run-in last weekend?” he asks casually, but I can tell he’s itching for some excitement. He always hated Gray, and hearing how Jett embarrassed him delighted Len to no end.

“No, thank God. But Jett thoroughly humiliated him. I’d hate to be on Jett’s bad side, that’s for sure, and apparently, he went easy on Gray,” I say.

“Really?”

“Yeah, he said he wanted to ‘beat his face to a pulp.’”

“Wow. So, he’s into you,” Len says with covert excitement.

I give a sarcastic laugh.

“What?” Len asks.

“The smoking-hot billionaire, who usually dates supermodels, is not into his temporary personal assistant,” I say.

“Sweetie, I’m gay, and even I know a catch of a woman when I see one. Plus, I don’t think straight men go around threatening to beat up shitty exes just for the fun of it.”

I laugh, but my insides start to squirm. ~There’s no way Jett is into me.~

“Well, he did say I could use his penthouse while he’s away this weekend,” I say.

“Ooo, what’s a billionaire’s penthouse like?” Len asks. “Are there, like, butlers everywhere and decorative vases worth more than my whole apartment?”

I laugh and nod.

“Well, he must want you to be comfortable in his space if he offered for you to use it,” he says.

“He just meant if I wanted to use the gym and whatnot,” I say.

Len shrugs and looks around the bar as he takes the last sip of his drink.

As I’m analyzing my interactions with Jett over the last ten days, a cute guy approaches us.

“Hi. Sorry to bother you, but can I buy you a drink?” he asks as his eyes land on Len.

“Oh, uh…” Len looks at me, and I nod quickly. “Sure!”

As Len walks away with the hunky gay guy (who I clearly didn’t know was gay), I sigh and check both my phones. Even though Jett said he wouldn’t need me this weekend, I still felt it necessary to bring my PA phone with me in case it was just a test and he did text me.

Luckily, it’s silent other than a few emails asking me for this and that on Monday.

“Excuse me.”

I look up and see two cute guys smiling at me.

“Are you meeting someone here?” one asks.

My eyebrow goes up. The guy has a thick yet neatly trimmed beard. His prominent nose sits between two deep-brown eyes, and he has a wide, sweet smile. Tattoos poke out of his collared shirt at the neck and wrists.

His friend is tall with broad shoulders, clean-shaven, and his light-brown hair is styled back. His black-frame glasses give him a college-professor vibe.

“We’re not trying to be weird. We have a bet going. Personally, I don’t see how anybody who looks like you isn’t meeting a date,” the tattooed one says.

I smile. “What do I get if you’re wrong?” I ask, lifting one eyebrow.

He smiles. “How about a drink?”

“Sounds great,” I say.

I learn his name is Marco, and his friend’s name is Chad. They’re office buddies at an investment firm and are out for after-work drinks. They both make sure to tell me they’re single.

Eventually, Len and his new friend, Joel, join us, and we start mingling and having fun.

After a while, we decide to head to a nearby club, where we’ll meet Katie.

“So, what’s Katie like?” Chad asks as Marco puts his arm around my shoulders while we walk. My heart flutters uncomfortably at the close proximity, but I ignore it.

“She’s super sweet and pretty. Kinda reserved at first,” I say.

“Till you get some shots in her,” Len says, laughing.

Chad laughs. “Shots, got it.”

Everyone goes to move inside the club, but I hang back.

“Everything okay?”

I see Marco looking at me with a small smirk. I smile back.

“Oh yeah, I’m just going to wait for Katie to get here,” I say. “I’ll meet you all inside.”

“Is it okay if I wait with you?” he asks.

I shrug. “Sure.”

A slight awkward silence settles between us as the noise of our group advances into the loud club.

“So, where do you work?” he asks.

I sigh. “Um, I work…for a company.”

Marco laughs. “That’s good, I guess?”

“Sorry, I just…I signed a lot of confidentiality paperwork. Let’s just say I work for a rich snob,” I say.

Marco’s eyes go up. “Well, hopefully that comes with some perks,” he says. “I’m honestly surprised you don’t model or something.”

I blush slightly as I think of something to say.

“Aria!” Katie comes striding up to me and gives me a quick hug. “Sorry, I’m so late. It took me forever to get a cab.”

“No worries, was the date a—”

“Total bust? Yes. I need a drink,” she says quickly.

Her eyes wander over to Marco.

“Katie, this is Marco. We met him and his friend, Chad, earlier tonight,” I say, giving her a small wink.

Marco leans in as if he’s telling us a secret. “He’s single and waiting to buy you a drink inside.” I feel his hand slide across my lower back and suddenly feel…weird. Maybe because I haven’t dated in so long?

We quickly head inside and find the others, who are hanging out by the bar. We all take a shot and order drinks. Combined with our earlier drinks, I’m starting to feel buzzed and decide to get on the dance floor.

The next few hours make me feel like I’m in college again. We all dance, drink, laugh, and generally have a rowdy and fun time.

By the time midnight rolls around, everyone wants to leave, but we aren’t ready to call it a night either. As we spitball ideas, Len leans over to me with a mischievous look in his eye.

“What?” I ask.

“Do you have the penthouse key on you?”

My face falls. “Absolutely not,” I say.

“As in you don’t have it, or…?”

“We are ~not~ going to his apartment.”

“Did he not tell you you can use his pool? And didn’t you say he won’t be back until tomorrow morning?”

“Yes, but—”

“So, we’ll just go for a little bit, use the pool, and then leave. No one will be the wiser,” he says.

“No, we are not doing that. If he finds out, I’m a dead woman!”

“Aria,” Len says, squaring off with me while everyone else still chats loudly about other clubs and after parties. “We are young, and out having a wonderful time. You have been working your butt off for this person. Twelve hours a day. He ~told~ you to use his apartment while he’s gone. ~Live a little.~ You deserve it.”

I bite my lip. As I feel the alcohol coursing through my veins and lowering my inhibitions, I think about Len and Jett’s words.

“Fine.”

Len jumps up and down excitedly, and everyone looks at us. I immediately regret my decision.

After several more minutes of back and forth, I make everyone swear not to take any photos or touch anything. I warn them that we will only use the pool and not snoop around. Plus, I make Len and Katie promise to keep the owner’s identity a secret.

Everyone agrees to my terms, and we pick up a bottle of tequila and another of whiskey before heading over to Jett’s apartment. I grow more nervous with every step, but for some reason my feet keep moving forward.

“Wow, this place is amazing,” Katie says as I let us all in with my access card. My hands are already trembling, and I curse myself for even agreeing to this. What was I thinking?

“Your boss must be a billionaire. Even millionaires don’t have places like this!” Marco says as we step out onto the balcony and start stripping down to our underwear.

“Hey! I said no guessing who it is. You need to take a shot now!” My voice wavers, though I’m not sure they notice. Maybe I can still find a way to end this before it gets any worse.

Marco shrugs, unfazed, and pulls out the bottle of whiskey. “You trying to get me drunk?” he asks.

“That ship has sailed!” Chad says, his arm around Katie’s shoulders.

My gaze keeps darting to the clock. ~Jett won’t return from London for another few hours. No one will find out. Let’s just have fun.~

We decide to play chicken in the pool, but even as I climb onto Marco’s shoulders, I’m watching the door for any sign of Jett. My heart pounds harder with each second that passes. When Katie pushes me into the water, I try to laugh it off.

I drag myself out of the pool, shivering more from nerves than the cold. Grabbing the tequila bottle, I stand at the edge of the pool and raise it above my head, forcing a smile.

“Who wants another shot?” I yell.

Everyone pauses and looks at me.

“Whoa, you’re Jett Abrams!” Chad yells and points behind me.

My heart sinks into my stomach as I slowly turn around.

Jett is standing in the doorway to his house with a surprised expression on his face. When he locks eyes with me, I see the rage and heat behind his stillness.

“Aria, can I speak to you for a moment?” he asks calmly.

~I’m fucked. I’m so fucked.~

I follow Jett just inside his living room doors; we’re standing off to the side so the others can’t see us. I can honestly say this might be the most scared I’ve ever been. My heart feels like it’s going to beat through my chest.

Jett turns to me. I can tell he’s livid. I’m also somehow suddenly aware that I’m only in my underwear. I clasp my hands in front of myself.

“Jett, I’m so sorry. I didn’t tell them it was your place,” I start stammering.

He pauses. Is he going to fire me on the spot? I wouldn’t blame him if he did.

“You have ten seconds to get these people out of my house,” he says in a low, dangerous tone that sends shivers down my spine.

“Yes, of course,” I say.

He pauses, looking me up and down with those gold eyes. “You can stay in the guest room, or I can have David take you home.”

“You’re not going to—”

“Fire you?! I haven’t decided yet. I’ll let you know on Monday,” he says angrily as he walks toward his bedroom.

I slip back outside, and everyone is already getting dressed. I usher them through the living room and into the elevator.

“Call us tomorrow, okay?” Katie says.

“Aria, I’m so sorry,” Len says, and he looks it.

I just nod and watch the doors close.

Having put my dress back on over my still damp underwear, I walk quietly down the hallway. The light is still on in Jett’s room.

As I approach the door, his back is to me as he’s unpacking. He lifts his head but doesn’t turn around.

“I, uh, don’t want to bother David, so I’m going to take a Lyft,” I say gently.

Jett turns around and studies me. “I really don’t want you leaving alone at this time of night,” he says.

He walks toward his dresser and grabs a few items. Then he approaches me and puts a clean pair of shorts and a T-shirt in my hands. “Please don’t make me worry about you.”

I swallow hard and nod.

Jett turns away and continues unpacking his bag, but I keep standing there.

“Jett, I really am sorry. I shouldn’t have done this, but I promise nobody touched anything or took any photos.”

He lifts his head but doesn’t turn around. “Goodnight, Aria.”

My heart drops. I turn and head back to his guest room.