Chapter 9: The big bad wolf
1594 Words
Lynn
The plane touched down at the ski city international airport, I leaned back and relaxed, letting the joy of being there again consume me. It was not more developed than Hillwood but perhaps it brought that fresh feeling, an escape from the suffocating Hillwood. After clearing with the immigration I dragged my suitcase behind me to the taxi cab area. One of the guys marched forward and helped carry my luggage.
"Where to mum?" He asked looking at me via the rear view mirror.
"Eastlake Hotel"
"Okay, buckle up. Would you care for some music?"
"Play country if you don't mind"
"I got you"
That was also another good thing about ski city. The human infrastructure, although I had noticed it only among the cab drivers and of course the man I was trying to avoid...Kai. The people were friendly, the weather was perfect and the party never stopped.
To enjoy what this beautiful city had to offer, I decided to use a different apartment for my second visit and yeah, I was also making sure I didn't have to bump into the same guys. The window of the cab was rolled down, I could see the city coming to life, lighting up as beautiful as a galaxy and I couldn't help but remember the view from his house that night. Screeching of tyres, metals clanging as the shop owners opened and locked their shops, LED signs glowing in a plethora of colors advertising various services and a sea of people walking in different directions.
"Good music" I complemented drawing my attention back to the car.
"Thank you mum, am glad you're enjoying"
I was trying to build a rapport with him before getting to know a few things about Kai that were in the public domain. The more I tried to forget about him the more I got curious to an extent I didn't even care if he was not thinking about me anymore.
"So what do you know about Kai Watson?"
He looked surprised at first, cleared his throat and grinned back to normalcy.
"You're another one on the long list of girls who are obsessed with him"
"Am not, I just want to know a few things"
"Google him up"
"Okay" that was cold but true at the same time, there was an entire profile of him, his family and wealth on Wikipedia. Nothing I had not read already.
For the next few minutes there was this awkward silence in the car. Dolly Parton’s version of "I will always love you" was tenderly blaring the speakers and it couldn't chose the worst time. Bringing love to a broken heart, caught between putting itself out there or staying in its shell not to mention a one night-stand obsession on a billionaire who probably had forgotten her face and wouldn't have wanted to see her again.
"There is something broken in him, the far way you stay from him the better. That one the internet won't tell you"
The driver made me even more curious. That dark version of him, he and some internet sources were talking about was not the one I met in person.
"What do you mean broken?"
"A social misfit, he is constantly mad, easily irritated with paparazzi and sometimes when angry he growls like an animal, don't be fooled by his good looks. In ski city we say, the devil is also handsome. He is the devil, if he has a face then Kai is the devil incarnate"
"And how do you know all this"
A look of devastation on his face said it all. That wasn't cool, doubting him after asking him for Intel.
"I have a friend who works for him and he tells me the guy is weird, nuts and deranged perhaps it explains why he has no wife with all that money and even the girls who have went out with him vowed never to see him again"
"Ooh"
"Don't even think of getting closer to him. You'll be disappointed, you look like a nice girl. Get someone else but not him, free advice...we are here"
"Thank you" I said paying the bill.
"You need help with the suitcase?"
"No, it's lighter than you think. Thanks for everything" I said waving him off
When he was far gone I exhaled sharply. What was so broken in Kai that everyone was warning me about him? If it was true what they said about him, then why was he so nice to me that night we spend together? There was nothing weird I could remember about it or maybe the oxytocin hormones released during that memorable s*x clogged my judgment. Anyway, I didn't want to find out his brokenness first hand. Maybe when we met I got lucky. It was not fair to tempt God again by taking myself to him.
"Welcome, thank you for staying with us" The sassy slim figured girl standing at the reception said without raising her gaze. She was thumbing away on her keyboard.
"I booked a room online" I said looking around the elegant hotel.
"Just a minute" she picked up a call on the landline, mumbled something inaudible then Put it back and cracked a warm, welcoming smile, "sorry, your name please"
"Lynn Campbell"
She typed on the keyboard for a few seconds then I heard something print. Pulled out a drawer and from it she got a key card. I noticed her gaze was fixed on the TV mounted above the wall behind me. Out of curiosity I turned around and there he was on screen. Kai.
"He is cute isn't he?" She asked sliding the key card and that paper towards me.
"Yeah, I mean it's not a secret every girl might be thirsting over him"
"Are you new around here?" She asked taking her seat in a slouching position, the pity in her eyes startled me.
"Sure"
"That's why you think that. He is my boss, I know him so well and trust me girl, and women are as dull as dishwater to him. He doesn't hesitate to make it known. Your room is ready, do you need someone to help you with the luggage?"
"No, am good. You mean he owns this hotel or how is he your boss?"
"Kai owns half this city, enjoy your stay"
How the hell did I miss that? I had just checked into a hotel he owned while trying to avoid him and the receptionist, his employee, had just send the last nail to his coffin. There was no need for any further testimonials. He was the big bad wolf they said he was and like mum said I was better off without him, out of the limelight.
From the reception I took the lift to my room on the third floor. It had a window overlooking a green park and golf course. From there I could see couples in the park having romantic dinners, at eight in the evening while lonely Lynn had no one to even cuddle with. I put on some music and hit the shower. For close to half an hour I sat in the tub washing my hair and feet until it was not fun anymore. I ordered for room service and sank on the comfy couch in my tiara shirts and a baggy T-shirt watching TV.
"Room service!" A feminine voice said after a gentle knock.
"Coming" I said trying to slide into my sandals and at the same time walk across the room to the door.
The door opened to a woman in her forties with glossy curled hair, a set of brown glittering eyes and a great banana shaped smile standing behind a small trolley.
"Come all in" I could already feel my taste buds getting watery.
She unpacked everything on the table. I had ordered fish and some mashed potatoes with ice cream and a glass of mango juice. Sometimes eating just knocked me out of misery.
"Thank you" I said as she dragged her trolley away in silence.
Girl I was starving, I washed my hands by the sink and quickly attacked the meal. Laughing through a mouthful of food when "Just for laughs Gags" came on. It was fun just being alone, enjoying the food with no mum....my phone buzzed. It was her.
"Hey mum, am kinda..."
"In the middle of something? Liar, you don't have shoots until tomorrow"
"Okay, I landed safely, am eating fish"
"Good for you. I just called to remind you not to sleep around again"
"Mum"
"Am just saying. Those boys with money are problematic. You can't keep running head fast to the same brick wall"
How nice? My own mother making fun of my miserable love life. She was talking about my heartbreaks. The friend part of our relationship. The motherly part was yelling in my ear.
"Am not falling in love with anyone mum"
"That's not the point, fall in love with the right person"
"Trust me dear, there are no right people anymore. What you said about ka...billionaires" I didn't want her to know I slept with Kai, she once claimed he was too handsome for any woman, "they are very problematic"
"Now you talking, goodnight Lynn I love you baby stay safe"
"Love you too mum"
For that few days I was going to stay in ski city I decided to spend my time, if not working, in the apartment, watching movies and listening to music. But destiny had other plans, and they involved Kai Watson.
- Writer
