Alpha Billionaire Series
Hot Mess Chapter 17

KAYLA

"Look, I've already been told these are good apartments. The neighborhoods are nice, you'll be safe in any of them," Isaac said as he stood in my hotel room.

"Then why do I have to go?" I had never gone apartment hunting before. I didn't know what I was supposed to be looking for.

"I didn't know what you would want. Especially when it comes to bathrooms, some people are shower fans, I didn't know if you needed a tub. Go pick out which apartment you want, and then tell me." "Okay, I guess. Is there a list?" I expected him to hand me a sheet of paper with the information scribbled down on it.

"I just sent it to your phone."

I looked at my phone and there it was. Okay, a short list of addresses with names and phone numbers.

I could do this. My second day in Los Angeles, alone, I was apartment hunting.

I followed Isaac out of the hotel and waved as he got into the car waiting for him and left. My car was already waiting. This was a luxury I could get used to.

"Good morning," my driver said as he opened the door for me. "I'm your driver for the day, you can call me Stu."

"Hi, I'm Kayla. I'm going to make some calls. I can't tell what area these addresses are."

I scooted forward in my seat and held my phone into the front area of the car. Stu took my phone and glanced at the list.

"The first two look like the West Hollywood, Beverly Hills area. I'll head in that direction, and you can see if you can get in contact with those property managers."

"Thank you." I sat back and dialed the first number. It went straight to voicemail. I hated feeling so overwhelmed and out of my depth. But all of this was so new. Mom hadn't done me any favors by keeping me at home and insisting I take college classes online, instead of replaceing a nearby campus where I could take classes.

At the time I really hadn't thought much of it. Now that I was older, I realized her attempts at protecting me had really sheltered me entirely too much. I was twenty-four and had no idea how to go apartment hunting.

My phone rang. I didn't recognize the number. Thinking it was the property manager I had just called, I answered.

"Hello, this is Kayla."

"Kayla! Oh, my gawd, I can't believe you are in LA and didn't say anything."

Crap. It was Jessie.

"Hey, Jessie. I was waiting until I got a little more settled before I touched base. I know how busy you are."

"I'm never too busy for my favorite cousin!"

I was her only cousin.

"What are you doing today? We have so much to catch up on."

We didn't, we really didn't. I had been gone for just over a month, and I couldn't imagine that anything had happened in her life that I wanted to know about. She, Kiki, and Claire probably went to a few more parties with Gabe trailing after them pretending to be their keeper or something kind of creepy like that. I certainly had no interest in telling her about my life. I was barely telling Amber.

Nick holding me so that I didn't get scared on the flight. Nick looking like some Greek god in that velvet tux. Nick kissing me again. Nick dancing with me. Nick. No, I wasn't telling Amber anything about him, specifically what he did to melt my insides.

If I wasn't telling my best friend, I certainly wasn't going to tell my cousin, who I didn't particularly like.

"I'm apartment hunting," I admitted. I figured I sucked at lying, and I didn't know what my mother had told her.

"I thought your job came with a place to stay?"

The snarky tone in Jessie's voice made my skin crawl. I could just tell she thought she caught me out in some kind of lie. Was she going to tattle on me, and tell Mom? What could any of them do about it? Nothing, so I needed to stop panicking. I took a deep breath. "Oh, it does. There was some delay in confirming a place, so I've been given a list of addresses and am checking them out. I get the final say."

"How are you getting around? I know you don't drive. I could pick you up. We could spend the day together. It would be fun."

I shook my head; it would not be fun. In the days after returning home, I came to realize that one of the reasons my first trip to LA had ended the way it did, with me running away, was because I had been the butt of Jessie and Gabe's jokes. Jessie took me shopping only to make herself feel better, not to replace anything for me, since we never went anywhere with plus-sized clothes.

Lydia, the stylist, may have been a total bitch to me, but she had shown up with a rack full of dresses in my size. Not just one, but a rack full. As much as I had felt like the only bigger girl in the whole city, I knew that was complete crap. I wasn't. I wasn't even the only big girl at the event the night before.

Knowing I wasn't alone made me feel a lot better about my situation.

"I'm good. I have a driver for the day," I started.

"Wow, this new boss of yours must be a real high-roller."

"You could say that."

"And you met her at the Halloween party we all went to? Do I know her? I knew practically everyone there."

"I don't know. I mean, I met her after Gabe introduced me to Marci Wolf. And she didn't seem to know you or Gabe when I mentioned your names. But yeah. She has big clients."

I figured if I just kept pretending Isaac was my new mysterious boss- after all I had used his name as my inspiration- then things wouldn't go too far wrong.

"Oh, come on, Kayla. You don't have to be embarrassed about what the apartments look like. Rent in LA is a beast. Thank God, Daddy lets me live at home. Let me come look with you."

"We're at the first address," Stu announced.

The car slowed and pulled alongside an empty spot at the curb. I had been here long enough to know replaceing a parking spot right where you wanted one was a rare event.

"Look, Jessie, I'm at the first building. I need to call the property manager."

"Whatever. How about lunch?"

"I can do lunch. Text me where you want to meet. And I'll be there."

I couldn't get off the phone with her fast enough.

The property manager answered on the first ring and was able to give me a brief tour of the apartment. It was nice. I think. The walls were boring and white. The kitchen was not much bigger than what I had in the hotel, and the bathroom did not have a tub, only a shower.

Isaac said he couldn't decide if this was good enough or not. I shouldn't complain, Nick was paying my rent. But this wasn't my idea of a nice apartment. I thanked the property manager for her time and told her I had to review another one for my boss. The next one was just as small, only plus point that the bathroom had a tub.

"Are all apartments like this?" I asked Stu as he drove me to my lunch with Jessie.

"You mean overpriced and too small?"

"Exactly," I said.

"These are all in some really nice neighborhoods, so replaceing something bigger, you might have to look elsewhere."

I groaned. The apartment situation was supposed to have been done. I wouldn't have complained one bit if I had shown up and Isaac handed me the keys to either place. But now that I had a say in the matter, I was feeling very picky.

Stu pulled the car to a stop in front of the restaurant Jessie had suggested. A doorman helped me from the car. This was way fancier than what I had expected.

"There you are!" Jessie did that weird, hobbled run she did when her heels were too high.

She looped her arm in mine.

"This is my favorite place. Thank you for buying me lunch. This is such a treat."

"I..." Crap. I had opened the door and fallen into her trap. I certainly hadn't said I would pay for lunch, but I also hadn't specifically said I wouldn't, either. "Jessie, this place is out of my budget."

"Nonsense, you said your new boss was a high roller. Just put it on her expense card."

I stopped. We were a few feet from the hostess stand.

"My boss has money, not me. I'm not buying you lunch here."

If laser beams could shoot out of her eyes, I'm sure she would have lasered me dead then and there.

"Sorry, there's been a mistake," I said to the hostess, who stood poised with menus in hand.

I turned and walked out. Jessie followed me, fuming.

"I know you're lying about everything Kayla. I saw pictures of you with Nick Sadler at the Children's Hospital charity dinner. You were in a f*****g designer dress, so don't tell me you are here on some kind of job and can't afford to buy me lunch."

I turned to glare back at her. She held out her phone and there was an image of me with Nick from the event. How many pictures did she have of us? What could I say? I wasn't about to tell her I was being paid to be Nick's escort at events because of studio pressure.

I turned around and kept walking. "Look, there is a taco truck, right up there. I'll buy lunch there."

"What were you doing with Nick Sadler? Huh? Are you going to tell me?"

I didn't want to tell her anything.

"Is your boss some kind of pimp? Are you working as an escort?"

I stopped in my tracks. I was, but not like that. What the hell could I tell her to get her to drop it?

"It was more like a blind date. My boss was supposed to go, but ended up with a stomach bug, so I went instead. The dress was hers. I barely said anything to him all night. Okay? The whole thing was awkward, I'd like to forget about it."