by Claire Adams
“I think it is about the money, actually. It’s just the opposite problem of what most people have. You feel like you have too much of it, and since you’re not used to that feeling, you’re letting it paralyze you. Don’t think of it like that, though. Think of it like . . . you need to buy something. Say it’s a purse. Now, you can tell yourself, I can get any purse I want, which, understandably, could make you feel really overwhelmed, because there’s so many different options. Or, you could tell yourself, I’m going to get a new purse that is the same color as the one I have now, it’s just my new one isn’t going to smell like vomit. That’s a much more palatable way of dealing with things. Sometimes, you have to break it down into a more manageable size. The general population believes that it would be a dream come true to be able to get whatever they wanted, but the thing they don’t realize it how fucking overwhelming that can be, when you are thinking in gigantic terms like that. The thing is, most of those people will never be in the position to really be able to get whatever they want—there will always be some sort of limitation. You don’t really have that limitation, which can be a little frightening, especially if it’s not something you were expecting, or wanted.”
I nodded slowly. “Yeah,” I said. “You’re right. How’d you know?”
“I’ve always kind of felt this way. I mean, I know my upbringing was a lot different than many people’s, and I’ve always been used to things being a certain way, but I had to deal with limitations too, as a kid; those were the limitations my dad set forth. I didn’t just get whatever I wanted when I wanted it. I certainly got more than a lot of kids my age did, but it wasn’t just some free for all, despite how it may seem.”
“I did always think you were a spoiled brat.”
He smiled. “I was, a little. But not as much as I could’ve been. And then when I turned eighteen, I got access to my trust fund, so I was the one in charge. I could spend that money on whatever I wanted. And I did buy some stupid shit, but spending money just for the sake of spending it got old. I did buy one thing though, that I really love.”
“Oh yeah? What’s that?”
“You got any plans the next couple of days?”
“Not really,” I said.
“Well then I can show you. I just have to call Anders.”
“Who?”
“My pilot.”
He said it so nonchalantly, like it was totally normal to have your own pilot. “Where are we going?”
“It’ll be a surprise,” he said. “But we’ll have to go to a store so you can get a bathing suit. I assume you didn’t bring one with you.”
“I wasn’t planning on going swimming.”
“I know. But where we’re going, you’ll want to swim. You could go skinny dipping.”
“I’m not going skinny dipping.”
“Then let’s go get you a bathing suit.” He grinned. “I’ll help you pick it out.”
Levi still wouldn’t tell me where we were going, other than we needed a plane to get there, and I needed my passport, and it would be someplace like I’d never been before. There was a tiny voice in the back of my head telling me that I was being irresponsible, that I was supposed to be going back to Bel Air after I checked out of my hotel, not getting onto a private jet headed to who knew where, but a larger part of me felt excited by this new development, by the possibilities that suddenly seemed to open up.
*****
I’d been on planes before, but it was always a commercial flight, always flying coach, and usually there was a crying child within a row or two of me. The private jet that Alex had owned, and that had now passed down to Levi, was like a luxury hotel room with wings. That’s how it felt when I stepped onboard. Everything was upholstered in rich, butter-soft leather, the seats were all recliners, there were two couches, a huge TV, marble countertop in the bathroom.
“Um,” I said, because I couldn’t think of anything else. I didn’t want to come across as totally blown away by it, but I was. I had never been in anything this nice before, never even close, and now here I was.
“Welcome,” he said. “Make yourself comfortable.”
“So . . . are you going to give me any hints as to where we’re going?” I asked as I sat in one of the plush leather recliners.
“I’ll tell you exactly where we’re going. We’re going to paradise.”
“Paradise can be a rather subjective thing, you know.”
“Just one question,” he said. “Do you like to dance?”
19.
Levi
I swear, Alfie had a sixth sense about when I was coming to Ibiza.
Isla and I had only been at the villa for about an hour when there was a knock at the door. That bum ba dum dum that meant it was Alfie.
“Holy shit,” I muttered.
I actually did need to talk to Alfie, though it certainly wasn’t the time for it right now. I was going to suspend my involvement in the little side business we had going on here. If he wanted to keep on doing it, that was certainly fine with me, but now that I was going to be taking over BCM, I knew I needed to sever ties. But that wasn’t a conversation I wanted to have with Isla present.
She was out on the terrace, talking on the phone with her mother, who had called, wanting to know when Isla was going to be back in Bel Air. Alfie kept looking at her and I was overcome with a very strong urge to punch him in the face and tell him to fuck off.
“How’d you know we were here?” I said. “I wasn’t actually planning on coming back out here until next week.”
“Yet here you are,” he said mildly. “No, Rasheed saw you guys getting out of the cab here and mentioned it to me; thought I’d come over and surprise you. Also, I need a check.”
“Sure,” I said. “But listen, man. Just keep it quiet about the business, okay? Isla doesn’t know anything about it and I’d like to keep it that way.”
Alfie nodded. “Yeah, yeah, of course, mate,” he said. “I won’t say a word.” He glanced back over at Isla. “She’s certainly a looker. You’re a lucky man. I don’t think I’ve seen her before. You hit that yet?”
“Not yet.”
Alfie laughed. “Maybe not so lucky. Mind if I give it a go?”
“Uh, yeah, bro, I do. Just because I haven’t yet doesn’t mean I’m not going to.”
“Fair enough. Listen, I’ll be on my way so you can get to it; I’m just going to need a check before I go.”
I glanced over at Isla, whose back was to us. God, she had a nice ass. I’d have to have the chat with Alfie later. I didn’t want her to be around for it.
“Sure,” I said. “I’ll get you the check.”
I wrote the check to Alfie, who would go to my bank and cash it. We’d experimented in the past with giving him a debit card with access to the account, but he was partial to using it as his own personal bank account, so I either had to go down there and make the withdrawal myself, or give him a check, though I supposed this would be one of the last times that I’d be writing one to him. Really, I knew I should just put the account in his name.
“Thanks, mate,” he said.
“No problem. I’ll be in touch.”
He left, and a few minutes later Isla got off the phone. “Was someone here?” she asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “My friend Alfie. He was just stopping in to say hi.”
“Oh. He didn’t have to run off like that.”
“I’m sure we’ll run into him later. You okay?” She was frowning slightly as she set her phone down on the coffee table.
“Yeah, everything’s okay,” she said. “My mom was . . . well, not too pleased to hear that I was out here.”
“Really? How come? Did you tell her where you were?”
“I did, and I think she was expecting me to come back to Bel Air, and I made the mistake of mentioning that we took your private jet over here, and I just don’t think she approves of that sort of thing.”
“I guess it seems like it doesn’t matter what we do; parents are going to find somethi
ng to disapprove of anyway. But hey,” I said. I went over and stood in front of her, put my hands on her shoulders. Her skin was warm and smooth. “You’re officially on vacation right now, here to decompress and relax and try to take your mind off of everything that has happened the past week. I am, too. We can deal with all that other shit when we go back.”
She looked at me skeptically. “You’re dealing with shit, too?”
“I’ve got to dust off the old collared shirt and find a tie and go to work with Cal! Pity me.”
She laughed. “I definitely do not pity you.”
“But I don’t want to talk about any of that right now. Come on, get your bathing suit on; we’re going to the beach.”
20.
Isla
We spent the afternoon at the beach, soaking up the sun while lying out on lounge chairs, swimming in the warm, turquoise-blue water. Every person I saw was tanned, smiling, beautiful, and I tried not to feel self-conscious in the pink bikini that Levi had helped me pick out before we’d left New York.
Only after the sun had started to set did we head back to his place, stopping first to get some food at one of the cafes that was right there overlooking the water.
“Are you enjoying yourself?” he asked when we were leaving the restaurant. “Do you agree with me now that this is truly paradise?”
“It’s pretty great,” I said. The skin on my face and shoulders felt warm and tight, and I knew I’d probably gotten a bit of a sunburn despite the suntan lotion I’d slathered on. I didn’t care though; it felt good.
“Well, I hope you saved a little bit of energy, because there’s one more place that we’re going to go tonight. We can go home and change first.”
“You are just full of surprises,” I said.
The surprise, this time though, ended up being a club, a crowded place not too far from his villa.
Clubbing was clearly as natural for Levi as breathing was; he was that in his element. The place was called the Cobalt Lounge, and it seemed that every single person in there knew him by name. Guys and girls alike swarmed him when we walked in; it was like being with a celebrity, and after only a few seconds I realized that in a way, that’s exactly what he was.
I followed him through the crowd, over to the bar. The music was so loud, I could feel it reverberating through my bones. It was this pounding bass and on top of that, melodic, airy sounding synthesizers. The place was dark, lit only by a frenetic strobe light and strands of tiny white lights that were strung up throughout the space. People were sitting on the couches and at a few of the tables, but most of them were up on the dance floor, dancing, arms in the air, heads thrown back, eyes closed. Like the music was transporting them to another place or something.
“Want something to drink?” Levi asked.
“Uh . . .” I glanced at the bartender, a tall woman with prominent cheekbones, wearing a cropped tank top that showed off her perfect midriff. She gave me a big smile.
“You’re with Levi?” she asked in an accent that I couldn’t quite place. Before I could respond, she gave Levi an approving nod. “He has excellent taste in women.” She touched his arm with such familiarity that I knew they had slept together.
Levi laughed. “Thanks, Shana,” he said. “Isla, this is Shana. Shana, Isla.”
“Hi,” I said, shaking her hand when she offered it to me. I could barely hear anything over the music. “I’ll just take a water.”
“So, how long have you known Levi for?” Shana asked as she slid a glass of water across the bar to me. I picked up the glass, which had already started to sweat, and took a big gulp.
“We’ve known each other for a while,” I said, “but recently reconnected.”
“It’s the funniest story,” Levi chimed in.
“I’ll bet it is. You are always full of funny stories.” Shana reached out and let her fingers brush against my forearm. “My plans fell through for later tonight,” she said. “If the two of you are looking for any company.”
“Oh, Shana,” Levi said. “That’s very kind of you to offer. This is Isla’s first time in Ibiza.”
I decided not to add that this was also my first time at a club. That sounded entirely pathetic to say out loud, but it was true.
“Well.” Shana drew her hand back, but not before she let her gaze linger on me a few seconds longer than felt comfortable. “We will let her get acclimated then, no? Then maybe you will be ready for company.”
I looked at Levi after Shana went to help some people down at the other end of the bar.
“Shana goes both ways,” he said.
“So by asking if we wanted company, she was . . .?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Is that something you want to do?”
“Um, no, I don’t think so,” I said quickly, feeling my face flush.
“Well, if you ever change your mind, she’s definitely game.” He grabbed my hand. “Come on, let’s dance.”
There wasn’t any time to protest or to come up with an excuse not to; he pulled me out onto the dance floor, and there I was, standing amidst a throng of gyrating bodies. He was a good dancer, especially considering this music felt impossible to dance to. I danced a little, only because it felt even more awkward to just be standing there while everyone else around me was moving, but I knew my moves were awful and that just made me more self-conscious. I felt as though everyone was watching me, which they weren’t, but when I looked at Levi, his eyes were on me, even as he danced around.
“I need to get my water!” I finally shouted, hoping it was loud enough to be heard over the music. “I’ll be right back!” I fled back to the bar, with no intention of ever going back out there.
My water glass was gone though. Shana saw me and came over, bringing another water without me even having to ask.
“Sorry,” I said. “I just left my other glass here. I didn’t know Levi was going to make me go out and dance.”
“Levi is very good dancer,” Shana said. “He’s one of those people who is really in communion with the music. It’s quite a thing to behold.” I followed her gaze back out to the dance floor where a group of girls had surrounded Levi and they were all dancing together.
“He sure seems popular,” I said.
“Of course he is. He’s one of those people that’s just always the life of the party. But I’m sure you know that already.”
I took a sip of my water. “I’m beginning to get that idea.”
Shana rested her forearms on the bar and leaned toward me. “This is your first time to a club like this, no?”
“How’d you know?”
“I can tell. You don’t quite look like you’re enjoying yourself yet. You look a little nervous. Especially out on the dance floor.”
“I’m not much of a dancer.”
She shook her head. “That’s rubbish. Everyone is a dancer. This music, it’s primordial. It’s like being back in the womb, when you were floating around in a sea of amniotic fluid, letting your limbs go whichever way they wanted. You didn’t think about it then—you just let it happen. It’s the same now—you just have to let it happen.”
I could tell she was probably an excellent dancer. “Yeah, I’m just not sure I really know how to let that happen,” I said. “I went out there and I felt like I had two left feet. I’m tone deaf, too, if that matters.”
She smiled slowly. “You are honest. That’s a good quality. Levi deserves to be with someone who is honest.”
I felt a flare of guilt; if only Shana knew my real reasons for being here with Levi.
I managed to avoid getting dragged out onto the dance floor again, though Levi tried to entice me several times.
“I’m really tired!” I finally had to shout over the music. That wasn’t entirely a lie, either; when we finally left and got back to his place, I was asleep almost before my head hit the pillow.
My phone woke me up the next morning. At first, as I opened my eyes, I couldn’t figure out where I was. The bedside table my phone was
on looked completely unfamiliar. It took me a second to remember that I was here, in Ibiza, in the guest room at Levi’s place. I reached over and picked up the phone. It was Kelly.
“Hello?” I said, my voice sounding groggy.
“Isla!” Kelly exclaimed and I winced, pulling the phone back from my ear. Maybe I should have waited until I’d at least had a cup of coffee before talking to her. “Where have you been? I’ve been calling and I stopped by your house and you haven’t gotten back to me! Sophie said you went to New York but that you should be back by now.”
“I was planning to be back, but something came up,” I said. I decided not to tell her where I was. I threw the sheets back and got up. “I know that you probably want to talk about the gym.”
“Well, yeah. It’s important. We’ve got some important decisions to make.”
“You didn’t tell me about Fitness Universe. I saw Clara at Starbucks the morning of the flood and she was surprised that you hadn’t mentioned it to me.” I walked out of the bedroom and down the hallway. I could smell coffee brewing. Levi was in the kitchen, cutting the tops off of some strawberries. He smiled when he saw me.
“Good morning.”
“Hi,” I mouthed to him.
“Who was that?” Kelly said instantly. “Was that a guy?”
“Never mind that,” I said. “You’re right that we do have some important decisions to make about the gym. Though I don’t know if we need to talk about them now. Never mind the flooding—the whole thing with Fitness Universe kind of messes everything up anyway, doesn’t it? And you should have told me, you know. I felt like an idiot when Clara mentioned it and I had no idea what she was talking about.”
Kelly sighed. “I know. Part of me thought if I didn’t bring it up, the whole thing would just go away. It’s really a nightmare. But I think we have loyal customers, and we can provide them something that a place like Fitness Universe can’t.”
“What would that be?”
“We know our clientele. Know them by name. We’re a small place. We don’t have a lot of intimidating gym bunnies, which is exactly the sort of people Fitness Universe is going to attract. I think that we might lose a few people, but overall, we’ll be fine.”
