Page 58 of Once Upon a Prince

“No, we totally talked about that. Thank you for nudging me to have that conversation. We had a good talk on the flight home. We both are happy with the way things are and we’re going to try and see where it goes now.” I smiled into my glass.

“So, are you saying you are Dax Moore’s girlfriend now? Does he have a girlfriend?” Ara teased.

“We didn’t get to that point and I’m not sure what we would label it, if we were to label it,” I said.

Ara turned and glared at me. “Stop, don’t do that. Everyone says that when they’re afraid of what the other person is going to say or not say. If you think you’re in a relationship, if it feels like it is one, and that is what you want, then tell him that. If he isn’t willing to give you that, then you shouldn’t be giving him anything. If you know what I mean,” Ara said.

“I think we definitely know what you mean,” Layla said. “What do you want, Ella?”

“Things are good. We had a great vacation. It was a bit intense to be around him all the time, to have our time together be just us, but it also made it better. We really got to know each other, in all aspects,” I said and glared at Ara. “But the relationship is still new, we have only been together for a little over a week. I’m not sure what we are or even what I want us to be. Come tomorrow, we’re going to have to work together again. Before he was just my boss, now he’s my lover too. I’m not sure how that will change things or not.

“We never discussed it because I don’t think either of us is ready to discuss that yet. It could all go horribly wrong when we get back to work. I don’t think so but I don’t want to have the conversation about us being something if we aren’t ever going to get to that point. This wasn’t just a fling, we’re both into seeing where it goes, but that’s all either of us is willing to commit to.”

“I can see your point. You had a good time, things went well, you’re happy with him, right?” Layla asked.

“Yes. The week was the best of my life, he was everything I could have hoped for and more,” I said and blushed.

“And more huh? Do tell,” Ara said.

“Maybe not,” Layla interrupted. “As long as it’s what you want, then we’re happy for you,” Layla said.

“You just don’t want to hear about her sex life because you aren’t getting any,” Ara said to Layla.

“Neither are you. Don’t think we’re going to avoid the conversation about Bash and him coming back to town,” Layla said and tilted her head at Ara.

“Wait, What? Why? How? When did he tell you?” I asked and turned to look at Ara.

“He didn’t tell me. I’m sure you two saw the blurb a few weeks ago about the possibility of him coming to New York to do a play. Apparently, he’s officially in talks. Though I can’t see him doing it. It must be a publicity stunt or something. The man hates New York. His life is in California and Hollywood. It would be counterproductive to his career to come here.”

“Maybe he isn’t coming because of his career. Maybe he’s coming for another reason?” I asked.

Ara glared at me like I had said the dumbest thing in the world. Ara and Bash had met at the same camp where we all met. They had an instant connection and had been hot and heavy during camp and even stayed together after. Layla and I thought they were going to stay together forever but they hadn’t. She never told us what happened and played it off that they had grown apart.

Layla and I knew that she still cared about him and had never really gotten over him. He alluded in interviews to losing a woman he cared about years ago as to why he had never married or been serious about any person. We were convinced it was Ara. Ara did not agree, but the fact that he was coming back to New York made me think we might have been right.

“He must be hoping to work with a director in New York and needs to be here. The man only cares about his career, getting his picture on social media, and making as much money as he can. If he’s coming to New York, it’s for those reasons and those reasons alone. You two need to not make it into something more than it is,” Ara said and downed the last of her wine.

“Sure,” Layla said and looked over at me.

“Completely. You’re right. We’ll drop it. Definitely not coming to see you.” We weren’t convinced by her comment and by the looks Ara was giving us, she wasn’t either but Layla and I didn’t push it.

“What about you and Nic? Isn’t he about to close on a new lucrative deal? Didn’t your father call you specifically to tell you about it?” Ara asked.

I turned and looked at Layla and waited for her to explain.

“My father wanted me to know that things were going well for him and Nic, there is no need to read anything into it. Dad likes to tell me about his successes, this one just happened to be with Nic,” Layla said.

“Maybe Nic told your father to tell you,” Ara suggested.

“That is ridiculous and you know it. First, Nic wouldn’t tell my father to do something like that, he wouldn’t tell anyone to do that. Second, if the man really wanted me to know, if he cared enough about me to want to share in his life, he would have told me himself. He didn’t do any of those things so it’s obvious that the man doesn’t want to have anything to do with me.”

“Did you ever figure out what you did to piss him off?” I asked.

Nic and Layla had been friends growing up, best friends, to the point I was a little jealous. They had been inseparable when they were younger but when they were in high school Nic stopped talking to Layla and he hasn’t talked to her since. It was at the same time that his father had gone to prison for embezzlement. He had become a bit of a recluse and the rumors had swarmed that he had disfigured his face in a skiing accident, or that he was actually dead, and it was Layla’s father who was running the company.

All of it wasn’t true but it had given enough speculation to have people interested in Nic. Nic had taken what was left of his family’s money and turned it into a billion-dollar company. His father had worked in hedge funds, while Nic only worked in real estate. He still stayed in the shadows and was rarely if ever seen. His deals were considered daring, cutthroat, and reckless but had yielded excellent results. He had done so well that eventually people forgot who his father was and what he had done. Between him staying out of the public eye and his ruthless behavior he had become known as the Beast of New York.

The fact that Layla’s father worked with him only complicated matters. Layla and her father were close but they had an unsaid rule that they would never talk about Nic. including business deals. It was odd for her father to tell her and I wondered what the real reason behind it all was.

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