Amanda
Los Angeles, the one place on earth I had never really visited despite me loving everything about it. It was not like I had much of a choice to begin with. Edward never really let me set foot in Los Angeles as soon as I started growing boobs. He would always stress that I could be eaten by piranhas.
I never understood what he would fuss about but I figured it was his own lame attempt at keeping men away from me. From the moment I stepped out of my jet and looked down to stairs that met the tarmac I smiled as I felt the warm Californian sun on my skin.
Que 'California Love' by 2Pac, Roger and Dr. Dre!
I should have worn a bandana!
It was not Trinidad but gosh how it made me miss it. Being here at least would make the flight a lot shorter, I would steal weekends if I could to go visit family. I raised my head to look around the private airport owned by the Agassi family and was surprised to find it eerily quiet for an airport.
Edward had mentioned no one used it besides close associates and family so I figured that made up for the lack of traffic. There were a few jets being prepped in the distance and some going through what looked like service. The airport was the fanciest I had ever seen and it showed by the special warehouse my jet was parked in front of that had 'Coleman' written on top.
Even from the outside I could see one of Edward's custom black and gold jets inside and wondered if he just left them lying around in different countries. He had so many it was hard to keep track on which was which. My bright pink jet looked like a child's next to his which made me smile. That would surely bring some life into the sterile space.
As I walked down the stairs, a black Rolls Royce Phantom waited at the bottom with a blonde haired man dressed in a black suit, white button shirt and black tie with the shiniest formal shoes I had ever seen that I was confident I could see my reflection off on.
He gave me a dazzling smile once my feet hit the tarmac and was quick to walk to me with his hand outstretched, "Miss Coleman, great to meet you. My name is Cody Smeda, Mister Agassi has assigned me to be your personal driver throughout your stay in Los Angeles."
"Nice to meet you Cody," I smiled as I warmly shook his hand. My security inspected the car whilst the other loaded my bags into their convoy. "I thought Mister Agassi would pick me up from the airport himself." I could not help the sting of disappointment.
For someone who was my brother's best friend he had kept his distance extremely well throughout the two weeks I planned to move down here. He only spoke to me through his assistant and despite my best effort to try to talk to him he always somehow managed to evade me.
I held onto some hope that he would keep to his promise of picking me up at the airport but he somehow seemed to wiggle his way out of that too. How in the world was he meant to be my mentor when he avoided me like the plague?
"Mister Agassi asked me to send over his apologies. An unexpected emergency came up that he needed to attend to but promised he would see you tomorrow for your meeting."
It seemed my reaction to that made Cody feel a bit ashamed of his employer's behavior from my pursed lips and scowl.
"Just take me to my hotel please," I ran my fingers through my curls with a sigh.
"Miss Coleman, Mister Agassi also wished for me to inform you that he had cancelled your hotel reservation and wishes for you to stay inside one of his penthouses instead as he believes it will be more comfortable for you."
If I was a cartoon steam would have blown out of my ears and my whole body would have turned dangerously red. "And how was I not informed of this!" I stomped my foot as I balled my hands into fists. "Does he just think he can boss me around like I am his little doll?"
"I-"
"You know what it's fine," I held up my hand and smoothened down the jacket of my unicorn printed pink tracksuit. If Marco wanted to play dirty then he had another thing coming for him. "Take me to his dump of an apartment."
"Is there anything else?"
"No thank you Cody, I just need a moment." He nodded and opened the back door for me before he closed it once I was comfortable.
My mind was moving at what felt like a thousand miles per minute as I silently fumed at the back of the car. Marco had some nerve the more I thought of it. After eight years you would think he would treat me with a little bit more decency but no he still treated me like his best friend's little sister. As if I was a child just waiting around on him.
Another woman would have been over the moon to spend time in his personal home but not me and I would do everything in my power to get that through his thick skull.
By the time I walked through the grand golden french doors of Marco's penthouse my anger had grown nuclear. The place was a mansion on drugs just like Edward's and it nauseated me. There was not a corner that made me think I could slip on the marble floors and accidently knock over some ancient Italian vase he displayed all throughout the penthouse.
His art collection was unlike anything I had ever seen before and even though I was impressed it did not mean I was any happier.
Cody showed me to what would be my guest bedroom and left me to freshen up. Yet the more I thought of it the more I wondered if Marco dealt with all his business partners with the same loose hand he dealt with me.