Icing on the Cake

FOUR

Forty minutes later, Sylvia came out of her room looking for Jaden again. She would go out this morning and she wanted Jaden to accompany her. She searched everywhere in the house but could not see him. Then, she decided to check his room.

She got there, took a deep breath, and knocked on the door. Once, twice, thrice, she didn't hear any reply. Just where had he gone to?

"Hey, driver," Sylvia said softly, leaning against the door as she spoke.

She then heard his voice, laughing, and suddenly the fluttery tiny fairies in her stomach fluttered, all marveling at the sound. He had a nice laugh, she thought. Maybe, that was why he loved to smile a lot, or he was just using it to charm women. She used to smile a lot, but she hated her laugh. So, she had decided not to laugh much in public.

Jaden had stopped laughing now and was asking something about how his parents and sisters were doing. Wow, she thought, so Jaden had sisters? She began to wonder how they were like. Well, he was on the phone; she decided and started going back to her room, intending to check on him again after ten minutes.

Just as she got to her room door, which was a room after Jaden's room, Jaden opened his door. She stopped and turned to look at him and she simply regretted it. Or rather she was dumbstruck!

He stood by the door with a smile on his lips. His eyes were fixed on her and he still held his phone to his ear. He was still talking to the person on the phone. He was handsome, she thought, very handsome. He had charming eyes, a nice smile, and thick black hair and was extremely tall, say about six foot-four. Up until this moment, Sylvia had never admitted that her personal driver was more than a very nice young man or a really fine young man.

He was bare from the waist up and wore a pair of yellow shorts. His chest was broad and beautiful which made her wonder if he was some sort of angel sent from heaven or even a god. He was all hard muscles and ripples, and every inch of his upper body was magnificent. Forget a six-pack; Jaden easily had an eight to ten-pack.

He put his hand over his phone and angled his head towards her. "I thought you wanted to see me," he half-whispered.

"Uh?" she muttered, not knowing what she had wanted to do anymore. Think Sylvia, you cannot be swept away and left confused by just a mere man. Yeah, just that he was not a mere man, he was Jaden. And don't forget he is good-looking, a voice said within her, making her cover her mouth for fear that she had just said that.

"What's the problem?" Jaden asked concern etched all over his features.

"Um... I'm okay. Did I say anything?"

"Apart from a sound only made by dummies, you didn't say anything else," Jaden replied.

Before she could reply, he put his phone back to his ear and walked towards her. He held her by the hand and took her into his room, closing the door after them. Then, he went to sit on his bed, leaving Sylvia close to the door. When he was through with the call, he looked up at her.

"You wanted to see me," Jaden said.

Sylvia folded her arms and moved closer to the bed. "First of all, do you realize you're a driver?"

Jaden paused. Had he made any mistakes again? Or had he been impolite? "Yes."

"Then, do you know you're not supposed to be naked?" she asked, not even considering the fact that he was not behaving like an employee at all.

"I know and I'm not."

"According to my observations, you are."

He sighed. "If you're referring to the shirt, I took it off because I was hot and besides, I'm in my room."

"But you came out with it?"

"That was because you were knocking on the door."

Sylvia sighed.

He paused. "Did I unnerve you?"

Sylvia eyed him and ignored his question. "Who was that?"

Jaden smiled a little. "Why are you asking?"

"Because my life might be in danger," she returned. "Who was that?"

"A very close friend of mine who's not a kidnapper," he said. "Satisfied?"

"No. What's this very-close-friend-of-yours' name?"

"Are you interrogating me now?"

"I would have very much loved it if I was."

Jaden sighed. "He's Keith. Keith Roberts. We've known each other since kindergarten and our parents have been friends for a long time also. He also referred me here to take a job. He is the same height as me, good looking, and rich. He only loves..."

"Hush! I didn't say you should give me a life history," Sylvia cut in. Tilting her head towards him, she added, "And if I listen to it," faking a yawn, she continued, "I might fall asleep since only lame things come out from your mouth."

Jaden chuckled a little. "Whoa, and look at me, trying to believe what your dad said."

Frowning, she asked. "What did he say?"

"He said you could really be friendly at times."

She smiled wryly and replied, "I'm being friendly right now you jerk!"

Frowning too as if thinking seriously, Jaden said, "Maybe you're the dummy. You don't even know the difference between friendliness and unfriendliness."

"Hey! You're..."

"Just go to the point. What do you need me for? You're only increasing the heat in this room," Jaden said, lying down on his bed and picking up a book.

Sylvia stared for a while, already getting distracted by him and for being so close to the bed where he lay. She regained her wits and said, "So you do have a mouth, you i***t!" She muttered, "Sarcastic dummy," Then she shouted, "Just get dressed. We're going out in less than ten minutes."

She turned to leave the room.

"What? Why?" he asked, sitting up.

She stopped by the door. "What? Don't you want to go? Fine! Let's see how you'll answer to my dad! He can be really frightening when he's angry, y'know, especially if it concerns me."

With that, she opened the door and left, slamming the door after her.

"Aish! Seriously," Jaden complained and cursed silently.

He got off the bed, took a quick shower, and changed into a pale peach top, jeans, and a light blue blazer. He took his black sneakers and then went downstairs to wait by the car.

Barely a minute after he got down, Sylvia emerged from the house wearing a blue shirt and a pale yellow short skirt. Her long, wavy weave-on cascaded down her back and her feet were covered in a pair of blue fancy boots that reached her knees. She was also holding a small, yellow bag.

Jaden caught himself admiring her as she walked down the stairs, frowning a little bit at the way she looked nervous. He could sense something was wrong.

She smiled briefly at Jaden and got into the car. Jaden also got in.

"C'mon, let's move, we don't have time to waste," Sylvia said as she fastened her seat-belt.

"Are you okay?" Jaden asked her as he noticed she looked either nervous or apprehensive.

"I'm fine," she replied, offering him a brief smile. "C'mon, let's hit the road."

Nodding, Jaden started the engine, reversed and drove out of the compound. "Where exactly are we going?"

"Pine Ridge Hotel."

"A hotel? Hey! Are you going to meet your lover there and keep me waiting again?"

Sylvia stared at him for a while. "You're a driver. You're supposed to be kept waiting."

"Uh... let's say, I'm not used to waiting. I don't have that patience."

"Well, you could learn it."

"But yet..."

"Hey, I'm not going to meet any stupid lover there, okay? And even though I was, would you follow me into the hotel room just because you're my bodyguard?"

"Am I not supposed to?" Jaden asked, smiling innocently.

Sylvia smiled and said, "We're going to see someone."

"Okay. Do you mind...?"

"Do not ask for the person's name. You'll see him when we get there."

"Must it be a guy?"

"Do you mind?"

"Even at that, I hate suspense," Jaden said. "This will be hard," he muttered.

Sylvia smiled again and looked at Jaden. He looked so innocent and gullible but yet still mature and experienced at the same time. Stop this Sylvia; it was his type who did not care about women. They pretend they do but it all ends when they get you into their bed. 'Are you that naïve?' a voice questioned her.

"Thank you," Sylvia said after a while.

Taken aback, Jaden did a double take but couldn't remember anything he had done that merited a thank you. He glanced at her. "What exactly for?"

"For last night. You took me home and also to my room. It was very thoughtful of you," Sylvia said, her voice soft. "At least, you had the sense for once to do a thoughtful thing rather than being a dummy."

The smile Jaden already had on his lips disappeared faster than one could ever imagine.

"Hey! Is this how you are? One second you're thanking me and the next you're insulting me."

"Yes, that's the way I am. And so what?"

"I just can't imagine what your wedding day would look like."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that if we were to be married, one minute you'll be confessing your vows to me and the next, you'll be complaining about the kind of ring I got for you."

Sylvia could only stare at Jaden. Formerly, the prospect of getting married to Jaden would have been repugnant to her but now, it was some-what appealing.

"Miss? Miss Browne? Are you listening?" Jaden asked.

"No, I'm not! And I said it is Sylvia not that thing you're calling me. You're making me feel old."

"Why were you not listening?"

"Because I can't listen to thrash that you talk about! That way, I'll never learn to be a dummy like you."

"Really? I thought you were the one who'd taught me. You're the worst kind."

"Don't talk to me that way, jerk!"

"Just be quiet. We're here," Jaden said as he drove into the hotel compound.

Sylvia's nervousness returned. She didn't know why she was doing this but she needed to move on with her life and she was sure that this was the step to take first.

"Are you really sure you're okay?" Jaden asked her.

"Yes, I am," she replied and glanced at Jaden, contemplating if to ask him or not. "Uh... can you do a little favour for me?"

"If I am up to the task, I'll give it a try."

"Please, promise you'll be by my side for today. I think I'll need someone to lean on and to cheer me up."

"Hmm, that's a big one."

"If you don't want to do it, you don't have to..."

"I'll do it."

"Thanks," she said and then came down from the car.

Jaden followed suit and was beside her in a short while.

"Uh, don't mind my asking but don't you have any friends?" Jaden asked although, he doubted she would have any because of her character. Or maybe that was just the way she treated her bodyguards.

"They're all busy now. They're two actually. Sandra and Sally. My best friends. But if it's too much pressure on you, I'll just..."

"No, don't. I don't think I want any questioning from your dad."

Sylvia smiled and nodded, with Jaden returning the smile. Taking her hand and squeezing it lightly to assure her, they both walked into the hotel, ready for Sylvia to take her next step.