by E. D. Brady
“I don’t,” Jay replied, matter-of-factly. “I pay someone to do it.”
“Of course,” Layla answered, realizing the stupidity of the question.
A small hallway beyond the right side of the living room led to a less formal family room. Two leather couches, similar to the ones in his North Carolina home, sat facing an enormous flat-screen TV. Sliding doors at the far end of that room led to a screened-in porch. “We barely use the other living room,” Jay explained. “We spend most of our time in here. This is where Joey and I spend countless hours playing X-Box.”
“Does Joey live here with you?” Layla asked.
“Yes,” Jay replied. “Ben and Issy have a house on Long Island that they spend a lot of time in, but they’re here a lot of the time also.”
“How long ago did your parents die?” Layla questioned, wondering how a young man of barely eighteen could seem so relaxed being head of a multi-billion dollar company.
“My mother died when I was fourteen,” he answered. “My father took her death really badly and basically drank himself into an early grave.”
“I’m so sorry,” Layla said softly.
“Yeah, well, it was a long time ago,” he responded. “My dad died three years later, but by that time he had basically given up on life, and I was already taking care of myself. In some ways, I grew up very quickly after my mother passed.”
Layla squeezed his hand gently in a show of support. Jay looked down at her and smiled adoringly.
“There’s a room facing this one that I really want you to see,” he stated, suddenly animated with excitement. He pulled her across a narrow hallway. He pushed open a door and gestured for her to enter before him. “This is my library,” he stated proudly.
There were books on shelves all over the walls. In the center of the room was a couch with two reclining chairs angled around a large, Mahogany coffee table.
“This is so cool,” Layla blurted out, eyes wide. “Your own library.”
“In the center by the far wall, are my most prized books,” Jay said, smirking.
Layla walked over to see no less than a hundred Harry Potter books in different languages, different editions, all set out in order, grouped together in complete series’. “Wow, you really weren’t kidding about that Deathly Hallows statement last month, were you?”
“Nope,” Jay replied. “I have all the so-called classics also, but those are my favorites.”
“Speaking of that…” Layla mumbled, trailing off.
“I know, we never did do that project,” Jay finished the thought for her. He pulled her over to the couch and sat down, tapping the space beside him.
“So what is your gripe with the classics really?” she questioned, sitting next to him.
“I don’t have a gripe as such; it’s just that a lot of books, especially ones that are hailed as being genius, deal too closely with death, heartache, destruction, and delving deeply into the negative aspects of the human condition.”
“And that’s a bad thing?” Layla asked skeptically.
“Not necessarily,” Jay answered. “It’s just that I think life is very short for the average human. Why spend it focusing on the negative? Humans have been questioning the meaning of life since the dawn of time, and I believe there are some questions that are just never going to be answered, so why bother spending that little time allotted in dead-end pursuits? Why not celebrate all the many wonderful and positive things?”
“You don’t think that humans will ever figure out what it’s all about?” she queried.
“Not with the mind,” he replied, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. “I think the meaning of life can only be understood through the heart, at least that’s my opinion anyway.”
“Why?” she asked, becoming fascinated with his theory.
“The mind is limited in what it can comprehend,” he said, taking both her hands in his. “The heart, however, knows no limits.”
“So what is it about Harry that you find so appealing?” she pushed.
“He’s a good and honest kid, a person who goes out on a limb for his friends and to do the right thing. He’s a true hero in every sense of the word. But besides all that, the story is the most imaginative I’ve ever read.”
Layla nodded and looked up into his eyes. “You’re really amazing,” she said. “I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone quite like you before or ever will again.”
Jay shrugged and smiled lopsidedly. “I’m really no different than anyone else except that I’ve had a lot of responsibility thrust on me at a young age.”
“And you handle it all so well,” she said in awe.
“Maybe,” he replied. “Sometimes I’m not so sure about that.” He stopped talking and looked at her, narrowing his eyes. “This is a big moment for me,” he said.
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve never had a girl in my home before, well except for Issy and women coming in to do various jobs. What I mean is, I’ve never had a girlfriend in my home before.”
“You haven’t dated much,” Layla correctly assumed. “Why not? You’re Arthur Vallen. You must have women throwing themselves at you.”
“And therein lies the problem,” he stated. “I don’t want anyone to like me for what I have. I’m really not interested in spending time with gold-diggers. And besides that, I live very privately, so in actual fact, there aren’t women throwing themselves at me. The only women who know who I am are at Vallen Enterprises, and I like to keep things professional there.”
“So why me?” she asked, looking up shyly.
“Layla, you’re beautiful,” Jay replied. “I mean that in every way. Obviously, you look beautiful, but you’re also lovely on the inside. But besides that, you have a great personality, a personality that is usually in sync with mine. And you liked me for who I was, or at least who you thought I was. You liked me when I was just an average eighteen-year-old guy. I can’t even begin to explain how good that felt for me.”
“What about Rachael Newman?” Layla questioned then bit the inside of her cheek.
“Yes, well, she was my first choice, but I had to settle for you,” he said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.
“Really?” Layla said then pursed her lips in a disapproving manner.
“No, not really,” he replied. He leaned over and pushed her backward on the couch. He gripped her waist with both hands then dug his fingers in, causing her to scream with laughter. “Are we done with the sarcasm, Ms. Sparks?” he asked, mercilessly torturing her with tickles.
“Um, hum,” she answered, wiggling underneath him.
He let go of her waist but continued to stare down at her, his expression changing to one of awe. “You’re so, so beautiful,” he whispered. He leaned forward and kissed her long and deep. She relished the feel of their arms tight around one another’s shoulders as she returned the kiss enthusiastically.
He pulled away from her but continued to gaze into her eyes, pushing another strand of her red hair behind her ear. “For all the effort she puts into it, Rachael Newman could never hold a candle to you. No one could.”
Layla put her hand on his cheek, overcome with emotion, knowing that she was losing the battle to keep her feelings at bay. His deep brown eyes probed into her, tearing down the fragile barrier she’d placed in front of her heart. And what made it all the more scarier was the knowledge that it was no longer a barrier to keep herself preserved from an aloof boy who was carrying tons of baggage—this was one of the wealthiest men on the planet. They were from two different worlds, his, a world she’d never be able to fit into.
“Why did you decide to forgive me?” he asked, still staring down at her.
“I put all the pieces together and realized that your choices were probably limited. I realized that you were still Jay, the Jay I had come to care about, the Jay I had so much fun with. And I guess I just didn’t want to stay angry at you,” she replied quietly, gazing back up at him.
“Th
ank you,” he whispered then leaned down to kiss her deeply once more.
“No problem,” she murmured as he pulled away.
“I wish I could keep you here forever,” he said. A sadness descended upon the moment, an unspoken understanding that they both knew his wish was impossible.
Layla pushed herself up and gathered what composure she could, seeing no point in drowning in despair. If she was going to be stuck here for a few days, they may as well make the best of it. “I’d like to see the rest of your house,” she said, smiling happily.
“Okay,” he responded with as much forced happiness as she was displaying. He leaned in and kissed her quickly on the lips.
He jumped up and held out his hand to her.
He led her through another long hallway past the kitchen, to a staircase. They walked down the stairs and came to a small hall with a thick, oak door on one side and a stained-glass door to the right. Jay pushed open the stained-glass door and ushered Layla into an indoor pool oasis. The Olympic-sized pool was surrounded by thick, dolomite limestone in natural hues, accenting the brown bricked walls that were flooded with sconces, creating a soft, romantic effect. The room was complete with waterfall, hot tub, sauna to the side, and fireplace.
“Wow,” Layla said, looking around the magnificent room. “You really live well.”
Jay shrugged. “I don’t know if that’s necessarily true,” he disagreed. “This is just stuff. It’s a novelty at first, but it wears thin after a while. Like I said, Joey and I spend most of our time in the family room. We barely use the rest of the house.”
“You’re just like Issy,” she replied. “She basically said the same thing.”
“When all of this stuff comes easy, it loses a lot of its appeal,” Jay explained. “It loses its ability to amuse after a while.”
Layla nodded, seeing the logic in his words. “Still, a lot of people would consider you very lucky,” she added.
“I am, but not for all this stuff. I’m lucky to have Joey, Ben and Issy. I can’t imagine what my life would have been without them,” he answered.
“You really love them, don’t you?” Layla questioned.
“Very much,” he responded. “But anyway, let me show you the rest of the house,” he added. He led her back to the tiny hallway and through the heavy oak door, flicking on a light as he walked into the room. “The wine grotto,” he announced.
She entered a long, narrow room made completely of gray, stone slabs, rounded at the ceiling, giving the room a medieval effect. Dark wooden gates, spaced out every four feet, enclosed racks and racks of wine bottles. Hanging on the walls between the gates were paintings, all of towns and cities in Spain, and on the very back wall hung a large, antique, Spanish flag.
“Do you ever drink any of these?” she asked.
“Once in a while I’ll have a glass, but not very often,” he admitted. “Most of these bottles were here when I bought the house. I’m told some of them are worth a fortune.”
“It’s kind of spooky in here,” Layla said, looking around the dimly lit, narrow room.
“Really?” Jay replied. “See, I was thinking that it was kind of romantic.” He leaned down and pressed his forehead against hers, forcing her gently against one of the wooden gates. He put both hands on either side of her neck and kissed her fervently, causing her heart to stammer in her chest.
“Hello? Are you guys down here?” they heard Ben’s voice call from the stairwell.
Jay pulled away from Layla and rolled his eyes. “Dude has the worst timing…” he mumbled. “Yeah, we’re here,” he called out loud, leading Layla back toward the doorway.
“What were you doing in there?” Joey asked, decked out in a multi-colored swimsuit.
“I was just showing Layla the wine grotto,” Jay answered.
“Uh, huh,” Ben mumbled, raising his eyebrows.
“We thought we’d go swimming,” Issy explained. “Layla, I brought you a bathing suit. I brought you a one-piece because I didn’t know how modest you’d be and—”
“No, this is fine,” Layla replied, taking the dark-blue suit from Issy’s outstretched hand.
“Come on, I’ll show you where you can change,” Issy added.
“Now?” Layla asked. “I haven’t finished my tour of the house yet.”
“You’ve seen most of it,” Issy replied. “The second floor is only bedrooms. The third floor consists of a gym and a movie theatre that you’ll see tonight because we’ve planned a scary movie marathon.”
“We have?” Jay questioned.
“Yes, we have,” Issy confirmed.
“Oh, God,” Layla huffed. “I don’t do well with scary movies.”
“Don’t worry,” Jay piped in. “You can bury your face in my chest as often as you like.” He winked at Layla, causing a shiver to run down her spine. She suddenly decided that she loved the idea of a scary movie marathon.
“And that’s everything,” Issy said, ignoring Jay’s comment, “unless you want to see the ten car garage.”
“Why would anyone need a ten car garage?” Layla asked off-handedly.
“Well,” Ben butted in, “between Jay’s Mercedes GL-class, his classic 1965 Mustang convertible, the Tasman green metallic BMW 5 series, the Aston Martin DB9, the Ascari A10, Joey’s Bugatti Veyron and his Alpha Romeo 8C Competizione—”
“Okay, okay, I get it,” Layla interrupted, holding both hands out in front of her to stop Ben from talking any further.
“Boys…” Issy muttered, rolling her eyes. “So easily amused.”
Chapter 17
They spent the next couple of days swimming, watching movies, playing video games and board games, and eating tons of junk food.
All too often, Layla forgot her reasons for being there and immersed herself in the best vacation she’d ever had.
On Monday morning, she woke to gentle knocking on the bedroom door.
“Come in,” she called out in a groggy voice, pushing up into sitting position.
Issy walked into the room and smiled. “It’s just you and me today, kiddo,” she announced.
Layla felt her heart sink. As much as she loved hanging out with Issy, she and Jay had been inseparable for the past couple of days, and the mere mention of him not being there caused her to miss him instantly. She realized the danger in that reaction immediately; she understood the impending doom of the broken heart she would face some time in the near future. “Where are the boys?” she asked.
“Gone to work,” Issy said vaguely.
“You mean that Jay has gone out to use himself as bait to lure some very dangerous men into attempting to kidnap him?” Layla pushed.
“Um,” Issy answered, wincing. “Maybe it’s best if we try not to think about it that way.”
Layla sighed and nodded her agreement.
“Cable news just broke the story that the CEO of Vallen Enterprises has reappeared, claiming he was on a safari in Africa when he was in a car accident and spent three months in a coma,” Issy explained. “Of course, he wasn’t carrying any ID, so no one knew who he was. I can only imagine what money has been offered to a hospital in Kenya to back up his story.”
Layla shook her head. “That doesn’t sound the least bit convincing. Would anyone actually believe that?” she questioned.
“You’d be surprised what people will believe if they hear it on the news,” Issy responded. “On a happier note, stocks are soaring this morning.”
“Well, that’s good, I suppose,” Layla replied. “So why are you here? Weren’t you supposed to be a part of that wonderful plan?”
“Yes, but Jay thought that you’d be uncomfortable spending the day in the house alone with only Rick for company, so he asked me to stay with you. So, what do you want to do for the day?”
“Run,” Layla replied, throwing her legs off the bed.
“Excuse me?” Issy questioned.
“I feel like going for a run,” Layla reiterated. “I’ve been eating crap for the last cou
ple of days.”
“We could go workout upstairs,” Issy suggested.
“Okay,” Layla said, smiling. “Then we’ll have a healthy breakfast and after that we can watch some girly movies for a change.”
“Really?” Issy screeched, her face lighting up like a Christmas tree.
Layla narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Not something you do often?” she asked.
“Never,” Issy replied. “I don’t have any girlfriends.”
“Wow, you four really keep to yourselves, don’t you?” Layla asked.
“You have no idea,” Issy responded.
At seven o’clock that night, after oatmeal, two salads, and three romantic comedies, Layla’s phone rang. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Jay’s name on the front. “Hi,” she said, placing the phone to her ear.
“Hey, there,” he replied. “How’s your day going?”
“Good. Issy and I are having a lot of fun together,” she answered. “How are things with you?”
“Okay,” he said. “Quiet…a little too quiet.”
“When will you be back?” she asked.
“Much later,” he answered. “I haven’t been here for months, and we’re checking out files on past employees to see if we can come up with any leads. Someone who worked here before may have been in a position to acquire a good bit of information about me without me knowing it, possibly.”
“I thought you said that it was likely that those men were working for a larger organization,” she reminded him.
“While that’s still a possibility, the more we think about it, the more unlikely it appears. Like I said on Saturday, a larger organization would have hired more men to do the job right.”
“Okay,” Layla said, feeling her heart sink once more.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” he said.
“Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Layla…” he blurted out before she hung up.
“Yeah?”
