The Sweetest Kiss: A Billionaire Love Story (8 page)

I
t was perfect
. At least that’s what I thought it was until the next day when there was a knock at the door. I immediately thought it was Ethan returning for another day of untold bliss. When I swung wide the door I had to pick my jaw up off the floor.

“Hello, Hayley.”

Before I could say anything she burst through the door and was walking around as if she owned the place. It was Stephanie Holms. The bitch.

“Hang on a minute. What are you doing here?” I asked, trying to catch my breath.

She tossed her bag on a chair and without even looking went to the back door and slid it open.

“Wow, this is absolutely breathtaking. I am going to love this.”

“Hold on a cotton-picking minute!” I charged outside balling my fists. I had a good mind to knock her out right where she stood.

“What are you doing here?”

“James sent me. Yeah, he said that it was probably best we both worked on this. He doesn’t want anything to be screwed up and well…”

“Don’t you even say it.”

“I didn’t,” she replied.

“And where is Markus?”

“Oh him. Please, that guy wasn’t a man. I can see why you dumped him now. What a loser he was.”

“Um, I didn’t dump him. You stole him away from me.”

She pushed past me as though she was the queen of Africa. Stephanie was a blonde with a body like a fitness model. Her teeth were bleached so white you really needed to wear a pair of shades when you were around her. Then of course there was the tan. Dear, me, you would think she slept in a tanning bed. It was the worst thing I had ever seen. Okay, it wasn’t that bad but you know… it was overdone. Her nails were always in tip-top shape and I had never seen her not wearing heels. Whereas you had to pay me to get into heels. They scrunched up your toes and hurt like hell. Why we women wore them was beyond me.

“So where are you staying?” I demanded to know.

“Hang on to your panties, I will be renting just across from you.”

“What?” I stammered.

She pointed towards Mrs. Arnet’s place.

“By the way, have you seen the hottie that works over there? Dear me, I could eat him up with a side of lobster.”

That was it. I was now seeing red. It was like my worst nightmare had come true. I had flown miles and miles to get away from my old life. I never in a million years had expected this tart to show up. Now here she was as clear as day waltzing around my place like she owned the joint. Then to top it off she was now eyeballing my guy? It dawned on me. Yeah, he was my guy. We had made love. We had begun something and she wasn’t going to interfere… then it hit me like a Mack truck. If she found out about Ethan and me, she was bound to spin it. What better way to make a name for herself than to expose the latest girlfriend of billionaire Wayland son number one? I ran a hand over my face, unable to comprehend that this was happening. Was she just a mirage? Was the heat getting to me? I pinched myself hoping I would wake up and find myself next to Ethan. But it wasn’t a dream. It was actually happening.

“Anyway, I wanted to drop by and let you know that I’m here. We will need to get to work on this ASAP, you know how James is. Always ranting about deadlines and whatnot. By the way do they have a spa on this island? As I am dying to get my nails done and get a massage.” She paused. “Maybe the hottie across the way can give me the massage.”

My nostrils flared. “Get out. Get the hell out of here now.”

“What? What are you on about?”

“You know full well. I wouldn’t work with you if you were the last person on the planet. I am going to have words with James and get your ass back on a plane before you have had time to take a pee in this place.”

“Actually I already went before I came here.”

“Oh shut up and leave.”

I opened the door and shoved her out.

“But what about my…”

Before she could reply I opened the door and tossed her bag out, hitting her square in the chest.

“Now get off my property.”

Ethan must have been outside working on one of the cottages. The men who were working on mine started laughing and then wolf-whistled to which Stephanie bowed and slinked away like the snake she was.

The morning sun was already beating down on us and yet somehow the day no longer held the light that it had. It might as well have been a hurricane outside with grey skies. I immediately picked up the phone and rang James. He was about to get an earful. The phone rang but he didn’t pick up. C’mon, pick up, pick up, I thought. He was avoiding me. He knew all too well that the moment she landed I would be chewing him out.

Fact was he didn’t trust me. He wanted to make damn sure he got that story and that it was seen from two points of view. Just in case I tried to skew it, which of course was what I was going to do. I was going to come up with some elaborate idea for the article that would give readers what they wanted: gossip. But still paint the family in a good light. I had no intentions of rubbing Ethan’s nose in the dirt, not after what we had just experienced together.

Don’t shoot yourself in the foot, my sister would say.

This time I used the landline to hide my number. Within a few seconds he picked up.

“James.”

“Oh crap.”

“Oh crap, indeed. Don’t you dare hang up on me. I want a word with you. What on earth are you doing sending the witch down here?”

“Now calm down, Hayley. You know me. I wouldn’t send anyone to work with you unless I really thought it was important. This is a big deal. We have to get this right.”

“And you will. You don’t need her here. I will put her on the next flight back.”

“Can’t have you do that, Hayley. I have already told the Waylands that she is going to be meeting them today.”

“What?”

“Yes, you have to go and meet Max Wayland later today. Don’t screw it up. He’s going to give a big interview to you guys.”

“Why both of us?”

“It’s all about perspective, Hayley. You are going to see and hear things that Stephanie won’t and vice versa. It will make for a stronger article in the end, trust me on this.”

“Trust you? When you never even told me you were sending her?”

“I know. But if it’s a problem you can let her handle it all.”

I couldn’t believe he was saying that. He knew how much she riled me up, he was aware of her man-eating ways.

“I’m not going to let her be the only one doing this. She will screw it up. You know how much more experience I have than her?”

“Yes.”

“Eight years. I was spitting out winning articles when she was just in high school.”

“Listen, Hayley, I don’t want to hear about problems. All I want is the article. Listen, whoever writes the best piece will be given a promotion. Now I know you are all set on being there for a year and such, but trust me. A front-page piece on the Waylands could set us up for a great year. And damn we need more readers right now both online and offline.”

“But...”

“No buts. Get on with it, or leave it to Stephanie. Your choice.”

With that he hung up.

“Hello? James? You good for nothing…” I tossed my phone at the couch and paced back and forth like someone about to go into the ring with a world champion heavyweight fighter. Sure I could bail out. I could continue focusing on the cottages. But right now they were being fixed by the crew. I wouldn’t be able to start advertising for a week.

A promotion? What kind of promotion was James on about? I tried to push this from my mind but I couldn’t. I wasn’t a cottage owner. I wasn’t built for this kind of work. I was a photographer, editor, and journalist. A serious one. Well, at least I thought I was. I was trying to make my mark and this was the opportunity. Or at least my opportunity to get back at that catty cow, Stephanie. I was fuming.

My thoughts were interrupted by the front door again. If that was Stephanie, I was about to go all MMA on her. Not that I knew any mixed martial arts but I would figure out that part while I was pummeling her into the ground. I swung the door open and was about to step forward for my first prize-winning slap when I saw Ethan. He jumped back surprised, maybe even a little shocked.

“Whoa, tiger. Who the heck has got you riled up?”

I narrowed my eyes.

“Have a guest, do we?” I asked, trying to hide my frustration.

“Yeah, she says she knows you. From the
Enquirer
. Is down here to do an interview with my father.”

I turned and walked back inside. He followed behind me.

“Hayley? What’s up?”

“That’s the woman who stole my ex from me. Not that I care now. He was an asshole but still, it’s the principle. She was vying for my job at the
Enquirer
for a long time. Now she is down here apparently to assist me in getting a story.”

“Assist you in getting a story? You don’t work for them anymore.”

“I know. I quit. But my boss kept my position open in the event that I decided to return anytime in that year. He saw this as nothing more than a sabbatical. A long one. Seems he thinks that should include a bit of work.”

“Which reminds me. Why on earth is the
Enquirer
doing a piece on us? There is no way in hell that my father would have allowed that. He knows how they spin stories. He knows they are ruthless with anyone who has money.”

“Maybe he’s had a change of heart. Who knows? All I know is I’m involved.”

“Why not just let her do it?”

“You think I’m going to let Ms. Long Legs steal this from me after stealing away my ex? I might have been stupid back then but I’m damn well not going to let her do it again.”

“Okay, are we on about the same thing here? The interview?”

“Tell me, has she come on to you yet?”

Ethan palmed his forehead. “Why do I always get involved in these types of things?”

“Types of things? What do you mean?”

“Doesn’t matter. Look, you don’t need to do this. You are running this business.”

“It doesn’t seem that way,” I said.

He breathed out a lungful of air.

“What time is this interview?”

“You’ll have to ask Long Legs.”

“Long Legs? Oh, her.”

“Yeah. Apparently she has the schedule.”

“I’ll go find out and be back in a minute.”

“I’m coming with you.”

He raised his eyebrows.

“You don’t know her like I do. One second she will be all smooth talking, the next she will have your underpants off.”

I closed the door behind me and we strolled off down the path. The workmen looked amused. The sun was already getting hot. I could see she had a number of suitcases being brought in. Was she planning on staying here for the rest of her life? If so I was liable to leave the island sooner than I thought.

“Yes, just put them over there. Thank you. Now where is the fan in this place? It’s horribly hot,” she said, moving her arms around as if she was conducting a symphony orchestra.

“Ms. …”

“Holms,” she said, walking towards Ethan with her hand out. Did she expect him to kiss it? I had a kiss for her, one attached to the end of my foot and it was going to go right up her…

“Hayley,” she said, giving a curt nod.

“What time is the interview?” I asked in a harsh tone.

“A quarter past one.”

I looked at my watch, we had hours until then. I turned on my heel and charged away. I didn’t want to stick around her any longer than was necessary. Ethan wasn’t that far behind me. He at least had the good sense not to linger around. When I got back to the cottage I began looking for my camera, pen, paper, and recorder. I wasn’t going to be made to look like a fool in front of the Waylands.

“Hayley. Hayley,” he said, trying to get my attention. Eventually he took a hold of me and spun me around. He must have known what worked well as he planted a kiss on my lips that made me forget everything that had happened. At least… for a few brief seconds. When we parted he had a hold of my shoulders. “C’mon, it’s not that bad. You get the story and send it in, she goes back and we carry on like nothing has happened.”

“You don’t get it, do you? This isn’t going to be some nice write-up that paints your family in a good light. Of course, that’s what it will seem when the interview is being conducted but we are going to have to spin this. That’s what this is all about. The
Enquirer
has been waiting for this for years.”

“Well, what’s the piece about? The marine conservation?”

“It’s going to be about all the dirty secrets of the Waylands. That’s the stories they have us write. We find out the truth, twist it, and make it hyped up. It’s what sells magazines.”

He stared at me, studying my face. “But you won’t do that, right?”

“No, I mean…” I trailed off as he stood there staring at me. “It was just going to be me doing it. Then they sent her.”

“You? When did you know?”

“A day ago.”

“And you never told me?”

“I was going to write something good. Submit it and say that there was nothing bad going on.”

“But they would have still twisted it.”

“There’s nothing I can do about that. But yes, they would twist it if they didn’t think it was dirty enough.”

He stood there studying me as if he couldn’t believe that I was telling him this.

“Is that why you came down here? To write a dirty piece on my family? Did you even want to take on this cottage for your sister?”

“Of course it’s not. And I didn’t want to take this place on, but that’s changed now. You know… since you and I…”

“I don’t know what to believe,” he said and then turned and walked out.

H
ad it all been a lie
? Or was she one of these women who couldn’t let the past go? I didn’t know what to make of what I’d just heard. One thing for sure I was going to get some answers from my father. He must have been completely out of his mind to agree to this.

I jumped on my moped and gunned it over to the north end of the island. The wind whipped against my clothes as I zipped in and out of different trails. I had worked damn hard to build that marine conservation and I wasn’t going to have my father or anyone destroy it. I thought of her all the way there. I wasn’t wrong about her, was I? Maybe I was overreacting.

As I swung a hard right into the Wayland resort area I saw my a few of my father’s bodyguards. Why he needed them was beyond me. He had wanted to get them for each of us but I wouldn’t have it. If someone had a beef against me I would face them. I wasn’t going to change my life just because we had money.

I burst into the main offices where my father was drinking coffee and talking with Hector, another one of his business partners.

“What the hell are you doing?” I said.

“Well hello to you, son,” he said, placing his coffee on a side table.

I ran a hand through my hair. “Why did you agree to let the
Enquirer
interview you?”

“Hold on a minute.”

“No, you hold on. You can’t seem to leave me to work on this island. You always have to be involved. Maybe I should move on. Do my own thing.”

“About time,” he said.

“Really? That’s what you want?”

My father shook his head and asked Hector if they could reconvene at a later date. Hector nodded, smiled briefly as he passed me, and went out. My father got up and closed the door.

“Don’t you ever embarrass me again like that.”

“Oh please, Father, I’m not your fourteen-year-old. I’m a grown man. Treat me with a little respect.”

“When you start acting like a man, maybe I will.”

Had I heard him right? I could not believe the nerve of this man. He had no sense of when to close his mouth. He treated us like we were his business partners, not family.

“Now, take a seat. I will explain what’s going on.”

“I’ll stand.”

He narrowed his eyes. In times gone past he would have blasted me there and then but he knew as well as I did that his years of controlling us were far behind him. Slowly bit by bit each of us were pulling away from his businesses and starting our own ventures. Jace already had a good selection of bars that he owned. Connor, his motorcycle business was taking off like wildfire. None of us needed the work. We each had more than enough money in the bank to retire if we wanted to. But it was never about the money. Maybe we were trying to prove ourselves to our father. It may have sounded odd but when you are born into wealth, achieving lofty goals holds little challenge, especially if you can buy your way in. No, it was all about getting the respect and attention of our father. At least that’s what my previous girlfriend had said. I didn’t believe it but the more I looked at my own actions I was beginning to wonder if there was some truth to it.

“I invited them to come and do an interview for the simple reason that bad press is better than no press.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“You still don’t get it, do you, Ethan? The only reason we stay at the top. That clients are willing to pay large sums of money is because of who we are. Our name, the Waylands is branded. It’s as much a part of American history in this day and age as Levi’s is.”

“Oh my god, I can’t believe you just compared our family name to a pair of jeans.”

My father took a seat behind a large desk, pulled out a cigar, and snipped off the end with his own personalized cigar cutter. I watched him roll it around in his hand, then light the end. Large plumes of smoke filled the air masking his face.

“Advertisers, investors, clients, all of the people who keep the cogs turning in our business do it because of their association with our name. Not because they want a piece of land, or a bar, or want to buy a motorcycle. It’s what is written above the bar, on the motorcycle, and the deed to the land. Our name. It’s what gives them bragging rights.”

I slumped down in a chair knowing this was going to be another one of his long spiels about how he had borne the weight of a billion-dollar company on his own for years. He had toiled harder than any other man because that’s what winning was all about. The whole thing was one bloody big competition to him. He didn’t care about what we thought. Only what the public thought and the fact is as much as I wanted to say he was wrong, he was right. Magazines sold because of the dirt they had on our family. A large portion of the revenue was generated because our name was on it.

“Do you remember that chain of restaurants. What was it called?”

“Planet Hollywood.”

“That’s it. It never really took off.”

“Oh I think it did.”

“Whatever. In my mind unless they hit it out of the park with everyone it didn’t take off. And you know where they went wrong?”

“No, but I’m sure you are going to tell me.” I began drumming my fingers on the side of the chair.

He puffed away on that cigar as though it was pure gold.

“There were too many involved. You see you had Arnold, Stallone, and Willis involved and not one of them had their name in the title of the restaurant. Planet Hollywood? Are you kidding me? It was a joke.

“Now, our places. Well, people are buying a piece of land, piece of machinery, or even a piece in the bar industry. They are buying a piece of our name. Like a stock option.”

I shook my head. “Okay, Father, I think you’ve made your point.”

“No, as you still don’t get it. It doesn’t matter if the
Enquirer
spins the story and makes us look bad. The public will eat it up. It’s like fuel to our fire. It keeps us in the public eye. We don’t become some forgotten entity like so many other companies who were big in the ’80s but no one knows about them now. We need to stay relevant, that’s what this is all about. What other reason do you think I told you to go ahead with the marine conservation?”

“Because I thought you were finally letting go of your need to control. But once again you proved me wrong.”

He let out a chuckle before taking another strong pull on the cigar. The room was beginning to feel like a sauna. I was overheated from anger and the smoke was lingering in the air like steam.

“Listen, I’ve met someone.”

“Really. Wow.” He nodded enthusiastically. “Tell me more.”

“She owns the Fields residence.”

An eyebrow shot up.

“And she’s one of the women who is going to interview you today.”

“Are you serious?”

I never replied.

“Ethan. A reporter? What happened to Ava?”

“Dad, that was two years ago.”

“But she was a good woman.”

“You just liked her because her father had money.”

“Well, I look forward to meeting her.”

At that moment the phone rang. He picked it up.

“Yes, one minute.”

He placed it close to his chest. “Good talk, Ethan. Can we catch up later?”

And that was it. That was always how it was with him. Non-stop meetings, conversations on the phone, and dashing to and fro around the world. I wondered if at the end of his life he’d regret not spending more time with his kids. I didn’t think so. Some fathers were just that way. Driven to succeed only to realize that their success mattered little to their kids. It was the small things that really mattered. Taking time out to go get an ice cream, go for a swim, watch a movie, or play a game of baseball. All the things that had been missing from my own upbringing.

I remained in the north end checking in on the marine conservation until around one. As I was about to return to my cottage I saw Stephanie and Hayley pull up outside. Both of them had bags over their shoulders. There appeared to be a fair amount of shoving and I wish you would die looks being exchanged between them.

“Ah, Ethan, yoo-hoo!” Stephanie yelled. I had hoped they wouldn’t spot me. The last thing I wanted was to get caught in between the drama or be reminded of what a bad decision this was. An interview for the
Enquirer
could only end one way. Badly.

I paused by my moped as the two of them stumbled their way over.

“Ladies.”

“Aren’t you going to stick around? I was hoping to get an interview with you.”

“Oh he’s far too busy,” Hayley said, obviously trying to speak for me.

“I really have a lot to get done on the cottages but my father will answer all your questions.”

“You aren’t going to give us a tour around your marine conservation area?”

“He already has,” Hayley said, smiling as though she had one-upped Stephanie.

I shook my head.

“Oh what a pity.”

“I’ll see you this afternoon?” I asked.

“Yeah,” Hayley said.

Stephanie scrutinized us.

With that I gave a curt nod and drove off. I wanted to kiss her but who knew how the other woman would spin that.