His Games, Her Rules

There’s a lounge in this private jet and I just stumbled upon it. I glance around, taking in the little details at how simple and beautiful this place looks. A man, whom I later realized is Oliver, Dominique’s closest and only friend, sits on one of the barstools with a glass of drink in his hand. There’s a bartender dressed in a white long-sleeved dress shirt and black vest behind the counter and he’s wiping a tumbler clean.

I stand next to Oliver and set my empty glass of drink on the counter. Oliver turns to look at me at the same time I turn to look at him. This is the first time I’ve had a good look at him up close. He’s very attractive. He’s like your typical playboy millionaire bachelor, with the looks and the body, matched with piercing gray eyes.

“Oliver, right?” I ask him.Please check at N/ôvel(D)rama.Org.

He gives me a warm smile. “In the flesh. What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be with Dom?”

“Yeah. I needed a quiet place to get my thoughts together.”

“Couples fight?”

“We are not a couple.”

“Right.” Oliver chuckles. “But you’re his pretend girlfriend?”

“Sadly, yes.” I exhale, pushing my empty glass toward the airplane bartender and gesturing to him to give me a refill. “Is Dominique always a dick?”

“Maybe. But not all the time.”

“Of course, you will support him. Bro code.” I smile and shake my head.

“If it helps, he really likes you. And that’s a first for him.”

“I don’t think he’ll appreciate you being his wingman. Dominique has expressed his feelings in different ways and I understood all of them.”

“Is that so?” Oliver asks.

“Yup.”

The bartender hands me my drink and I take it, bringing the glass to my lips and gulping it. Setting the empty glass on the counter, I turn to look at Oliver who’s been watching me.

“It was nice chatting with you.” I flash him a small smile as I walk out of the lounge.

Right now, I just need a nap.

***

I’ve been to California three times in my twenty-six years of living. I had come here to attend a business meeting for my dad the first time and that was in Los Angeles, and the second and third times, I was here for a personal vacation and both times I was visiting Santa Monica. I liked the cold breeze and beaches.

I look out the tinted window of Dominique’s Bentley, not because I find anything interesting to stare at, but because I don’t want to look at Dominique. I’ve been avoiding him ever since he pulled that stunt with me and he knows I am angry at him. He didn’t bother to confront me, but he kept throwing me glances in his jet before we landed.

Right now, I can feel his eyes on me in the backseat of his car as we drive to the hotel we’re supposed to be staying here. It turns out Camilla Gray is a Hollywood actress who lives in Los Angeles, California. She met her soon-to-be husband, Anthony, in Santa Monica for the first time. The idea of getting married in Santa Monica instead of LA is to relive their first meeting and also because, like me, Camilla loves the beach. Leo told me all of this back at the jet.

“How long are you gonna keep ignoring me?”

“All week, if I have to,” I say, not sparing him a single glance.

Dominique lets out a quiet laugh. Suddenly, he grabs my chin and forces me to look at him.

“What?” I glare at him.

He holds my chin, not refusing to let go as he looks into my eyes. We’re too close, so close, I can smell his masculine scent mixed with an expensive cologne. My eyes flutter shut and I breathe him in, wanting to savor the scent a little longer.

“I hate to see you mad.”

“Yeah? Maybe think of that before you go around digging shit about me and interrogating me like I’m some fucking criminal.” I say, pushing him away as I shoot him a death glare.

“Digging shit? I didn’t dig anything about you.”

“Fuck you, Gray.”

Thankfully, the car stops and I don’t have to endure another long car drive with Dominique and his intense gaze. My door opens suddenly and I step out of the car, with Dominique’s guard or driver, or whatever he is standing by the open door. Dominique follows suit as he stands next to me. I stare at the luxurious hotel in front of me in awe. Oceanside Hotels and Suites is written in bold letters at the entrance of the building.

“Can you at least behave for a few minutes as we check in? Then you can yell at me all you want once we’re in our room.” Dominique says, his hand on my lower back as he stares at me.

“Why do you sound like we are a couple?” I ask as he leads me inside.

“We are a couple. Don’t forget that. You should try to act like my girlfriend.”

“Of course, when you treat me like one.” I flash him a smug smile as I look away. I can feel Dominique’s eyes on me and from my peripheral vision, he’s smiling down at me.

Once we are in the reception, Dominique gives the receptionist our reservation as she checks us in while I sit down on a couch. She hands Dominique a key card and Dominique takes it.

“A staff member will take you to your Suite, Sir.”

Dominique nods as he turns to look at me. I stand up and walk toward him. As predicted, Dominique puts his arm around me as a staff member leads us to our room. We step out of the elevator and into a luxurious living room. I travel a lot, but this is one of the most beautiful Penthouse suites I’ve seen. The walls of the living room are plain white. There’s a white couch, with white throw pillows in the living room. There’s a glass table in front of the couch with a vase on top of the table. Inside the vase, there are fresh daisies. At the left side of the far end of the living room, there’s a transparent wall that views the city, with a small white couch by it and a tall, arched standing lamp. Outside, on the balcony, there’s a white couch there, too, with a small coffee table.

Not too far from the living room area is a small dining room that bleeds into the kitchen. Opposite the long white couch with throw pillows is a 78-inch flat TV screen.

As the worker talks to Dominique, I wander off, glancing at the furniture and even the art in this suite. I enter the room as I stare at this beautiful space. Everything in here is white too, with a large plasma TV on one side of the wall. Next to the bed, is a transparent wall that views the ocean. I could wake up to this every morning and not get tired. I’ve been craving a vacation for a long time but my commitment to my work wouldn’t let me take one. Maybe I owe Dominique a thank you for bringing me here. It reminds me there are beautiful things to stare at.