Chapter 10: Chapter 10

SHAY

^THURSDAY, JULY 14^

Shay woke up just as the seat belt lights turned off. She looked out the plane window and saw that they’d landed.

Pushing the blanket to the side, she stretched her body, then stretched her neck until it cracked. She was still exhausted from the flight, which was the reason she hated flying.

“We’re here,” Ian announced, softly nudging her.

“I’m so tired,” she said.

“Come on, I’ll get the stuff and we’ll meet everyone by the car,” Ian said.

Nodding her head, she looked around. Her family were all in attendance, and some of their close business partners had joined the trip as well.

Ivan, Ian, Pete, and Shay had agreed to split the bill for the entire trip. They’d chartered a private plane for all twenty guests for today, and there would be another ten guests coming in two days.

They’d also reserved the entire resort. She knew the bill would be costly, but it was worth it to have everyone together for a relaxing few days.

Shay had been looking forward to this trip since they’d decided on the destination.

Sadly, Ethan hadn’t been invited, but he had some other things going on and he couldn’t have made it even if he wanted to.

After Shay told Ian about their dating, both of her brothers had showed up at her apartment that night. They weren’t happy to say the least.

Although, now that they’ve had days to process the news, they were a little more open to it.

Ethan had gone out for drinks with her brothers, and although he never told her what happened, Ian and Ivan seemed to have a better perspective of things now.

However, she wanted to keep the relationship between them. She didn’t want to put pressure on it by telling her father, because she knew her father wouldn’t take it well when it came to one of his little girls.

He was already disappointed with Sky for losing her virginity—and other actions—and Shay never wanted to be on the receiving end of one of her father’s disappointed looks. It would be heartbreaking.

Exiting the plane, Shay covered her face with her phone to block the sunlight as she went down the steps. She knew the paparazzi were waiting below, eager to take pictures of her and sell them to news outlets.

She put her head down as one of the security guards escorted her to a black car with dark tinted windows. As soon as she was in, she sank down in her seat, trying to avoid having her pictures taken.

She wasn’t ~that~ popular, but she had a huge following in Mexico. Many complimented her on the color of her skin.

“I don’t get how you do this for a living,” Ivan said as he ducked into the car, sitting in front, Ian following suit.

She sighed. “They aren’t usually this bad.”

When the car started to drive, Shay looked out the window and admired the beautiful views. They had to pass through the city to get to the beach, and she couldn’t wait to explore the place on her own.

She remembered that she had to text Ethan, so she turned on her phone.

Shay

I’ve landed. Call you later. I miss you 😊

As she sent off the text, she felt butterflies in her belly, like a schoolgirl with her crush. She loved the feelings Ethan gave her. Aside from the butterflies, he gave her a sense of security and comfort.

When she’d dated Pete, it had been completely different. They were already comfortable with each other and were just blurring the lines between them.

~Bzzz bzzz.~

Ethan Ramsay

Ok.

She scrunched up her face, unsure why he’d replied that way, but put her phone away and decided not to let it affect her trip. He was probably just busy and hadn’t had time to properly respond to her.

The drive to the resort took about an hour and a half, and through speaking to the driver, Shay got to know the place a little bit more. Although she wasn’t fluent in Spanish, she knew enough to hold a conversation.

When the car came to a halt, she looked around to make sure there were no paparazzi waiting for them before stepping out of the car. She smiled at the security guard and thanked him.

Hiring security guards for the trip had been her father’s idea—knowing that she was considered a celebrity, he wanted to keep her safe.

When she was a kid, they’d had a few scary security breaches, which caused her father to hire his own security detail. So she grew up thinking this was the norm.

Haze Industries, though it was doing very well and had accomplished much, had many enemies. Especially when they’d initially taken their company to IPO.

Pushing that thought aside, she looked around the resort as the other guests started to arrive. She could hear the sounds of the waves on the beach, and excitement started to bubble up.

She couldn’t wait until she could just sit and relax. It had been a long time since she’d taken time off, and she was looking forward to playing games with her family—and the massages she’d booked.

“Welcome to Be Tulum,” a woman greeted them as the other staff lined up, smiling. “You must be the Haze family.”

“Yes, I’m Hank Haze,” Shay’s father said as he stood beside her. “And this is my brother Holden Haze.”

The woman quickly introduced herself as Maria, the resort owner, and insisted on giving them a private tour where she explained everything in detail and showed them every part that they’d potentially be using.

“What about the beach? Is it private?” Shay asked.

“Ah sí,” Maria said, “our beach is private, and as advertised, we are an adults-only resort. So nudity is allowed in the beach area.

“But to avoid causing discomfort to our staff and guests, it is only allowed within the lines that are clearly marked on the beach.

“And of course, any pictures taken by the guests will not be our responsibility. We also do not assume any responsibility for leakage of photos that are taken. That being said, we are all consenting adults.

“What you do, and consent to do, will be strictly under your own conscience. Please be respectful to one another, and we have no tolerance for violence or vandalism.”

Just then, Shay spotted her mother from the corner of her eye. She hadn’t realized Zola would be joining them on the trip.

Sighing, she leaned her head on her brother Ian. Though she missed her mother, she also knew she needed constant supervision.

“I didn’t know Mom would be here,” she whispered, loud enough for him to hear.

“Yeah, well, Billie thought it was a good idea.”

As soon as the tour ended, Shay passed out the keys to the villas.

She was staying in the resort, not in one of the villas they’d rented. She wanted her own room that overlooked the sea, wanted to wake up and walk to the beach, instead of partying the entire night with her brothers in a house.

“Mom,” she said as she passed a key to her mother.

“Why do you look so tired, baby girl?” Zola asked.

“I just hate flying, that’s all,” Shay explained. “I was thinking of taking a nap actually.”

“Do you want me to stay with you?”

Shaking her head, Shay said, “It’s okay, Mom. Go and enjoy yourself.”

But the truth was, she didn’t want to spend time alone with her mother, no matter how much she loved her. Zola Haze was a difficult woman to deal with. Especially when she had an episode.

Shay knew she should be more patient, considering Zola was bipolar, and most of the time she was. She tried to be there for her mother whenever she needed her, but Zola only ever wanted Sky.

Because of their similarities in character, Sky was Zola’s favorite daughter—and favorite child.

“You sure?” Zola asked.

Pulling her lips into a tight smile, Shay nodded her head, and Zola grabbed her bag and went to the porter, instantly seeking assistance to carry just one carry-on.

Stopping herself from rolling her eyes, she forced a smile and waved to her mother who was making her way to one of the villas.

As the guests slowly dispersed to their respective rooms and villas, Shay found her luggage and, grabbing it by the handle, started to roll it to her room.

Walking across the lobby, she noticed everything was clean and placed to perfection. The resort looked very cozy and rustic, exactly how it looked on the website.

She was glad that they hadn’t been duped into booking something that didn’t look anything like the photos. It was definitely worth the price they paid for it.

Arriving at her room, called Agua, she swiped her card to unlock the door. It opened instantly, and she sighed with contentment when she spotted the beach right outside the room.

The room was big, with a rustic bed and big sliding doors that led to the white sand beach. Everything was in gray wood and looked absolutely Instagrammable. She was glad she’d gotten tickets for five of her staff.

They would be enjoying just two nights in Tulum, but she was eternally grateful for having them in her life, especially Dario and Karen.

She placed her bag in the closet and removed her shoes, then opened the sliding door, allowing the sea breeze to enter the room. She closed her eyes and smiled as she inhaled the smell of the water, feeling her shoulders relax.

~Knock knock.~

She turned around, not sure who would be at the door.

~Knock knock.~

“Coming!” she yelled as she made her way to the door. Without looking through the peephole, she swung the door open.

“Ethan?”

“Surprise, baby!” He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her to him, then kissed her—a kiss which she happily returned.

Feeling her body temperature rise, she pushed him away, needing some air as well as some answers.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, stepping away from him.

“I planned it with Ian and Ivan. They agreed to keep it a secret. I wanted to surprise you,” he explained.

She bit her lower lip. She was excited that he was here and that they could spend some time together, but…

“You lied to me,” she said, frowning. Smacking him playfully across his chest, she stomped deeper into the room. “I thought you didn’t want to talk to me, based on your last message.” She huffed and sat on the bed.

“Baby,” he said softly as he knelt down in front of her. “I just wanted to surprise you.”

She nodded her head and smiled. She couldn’t even pretend to stay mad at him—she was just too infatuated by him.

“But I’ve got some bad news…” His eyes looked away, like he was nervous. “So, I have a new joint venture, and I had to bring her here,” he explained carefully.

Shay raised her eyebrows. She didn’t quite understand.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“She’s just a friend.” He paused and stood up, scratching the back of his head uncomfortably. “She was my ex-girlfriend of seven years.”

Not sure how to react, Shay remained silent, processing the information.

“We were together when I started Entice Corp,” he continued. “She was there with me. But after some time, we went our separate ways. We lost contact. A few weeks ago she reached out to tell me she started her own company.

“After we caught up, she said she needed help in bringing her product to market.” He paused, allowing her to digest this new information.

“I couldn’t turn her down. It wouldn’t be fair.” He got up and paced back and forth. “She helped me when I was just starting out, and without her my company wouldn’t be what it is today. I’m returning the favor.”

“Do you still have feelings for her?” she asked.

Ethan stopped and looked at her as if he was surprised to hear that question.

“If you still have feelings, I wouldn’t blame you,” she said, looking away as she did. “You guys were together for seven years. I don’t want to get in the way of anything.”

She didn’t like the situation, but she knew there wasn’t much for her to do about it other than stepping away.

“No, I don’t have feelings for her. Not anymore,” he confessed.

Looking him in the eyes, she could tell he was sincere. “Why did you guys break up?” she asked.

“Honestly? Because I cheated on her. More times than I can remember,” he admitted carefully, watching her reaction.

She’d done her own background search before going on a date with him, so she knew he was a playboy, knew he tended to sleep around. So this didn’t come as a surprise to her.

Shay had experience with the tabloids, and she knew that when you lived in the public eye, even nothing could be made into something. But in this case, there were pictures along with the news. Pictures that couldn’t be denied.

Although she knew his reputation, he made her feel safe, and she’d never wondered if he was cheating. But maybe she’d thought she could change him, just like the stereotype.

“Shay?” he said as he knelt down in front of her once again.

“Okay,” she finally answered. “I trust you, and I trust that you don’t have feelings for her. But like I’ve said on our first date, I will not tolerate cheating and lying.”

“I’m only interested in you, Shay,” he confirmed.

She closed her eyes for a moment and allowed the information to sink in, then asked, “Which room is she staying in?”

“Unfortunately, mine—but I’ll take the couch,” he answered. “Or I could sleep with you if you want.” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Rolling her eyes, she leaned down on her bed, feeling the soft material under her. “We both know my brothers would kill you.” She sighed as he joined her on the bed, lying beside her.

“Then maybe I’ll sleep in the living room or whatever, but we’ll figure it out, okay?” He climbed on top of her and kissed her cheek lovingly as she nodded, then melted into his touch.