by L. L Hunter
I froze and turned to look at her.
“So, which part was the lie?”
I knew as soon as the words left my mouth that I was a gigantic hypocrite. This whole time I had been lying to Chloe. It was time to tell her about Alexa.
“None of it. Uh… I mean, all of it. Ugh. I don’t know. Those journos have a way of slipping under your skin and pulling out all your secrets. They know how to strip you bare until there’s nothing left.”
I looked down at my champagne flute. “I didn’t know you felt that way.” I took a sip and then set the glass on the counter. ‘I need to tell you something’ was what I had wanted to say, but she distracted me, and I soon forgot all about the lie.
“Jack, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean what I said. It’s just… it’s been a long day. And I don’t have control over what comes out of my mouth anymore. This champagne and the chocolates are all that’s going to hold me together until the after party. I’m starving, and maybe champagne isn’t such a good idea on an empty stomach. I only had time to stuff half a sushi roll in my mouth in between interviews earlier.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry. I just thought that because you’re a journalist yourself, you were used to the types of questions they were going to be asking. It was my mistake. I just thought you would be able to handle it. Maybe this is all too much. Maybe I shouldn’t have invited you.”
This was such a bad idea. I was so stupid. She got off her chair, and then she was on my lap. All reasonable thoughts went out the window, and all lies escaped. It was just her and me at this moment. And I wanted to bask in it forever.
23
Our limo pulled up alongside the red carpet. The screams were already starting. Flashes of light surrounded the car. I forgot all about Alexa, all about the nomination. I knew I wasn’t going to win anyway. All I focused on was Chloe.
“You ready?” I asked her.
“Not really.”
“Just do as before. Smile, but no teeth, and don’t give one reporter all the glory. Pose and then move on. You’ll be fine.”
“Okay. Let’s do this.”
Chloe did fine in front of the cameras. She was a natural. But those cameras and reporters could be too much for even seasoned professionals. I watched from my spot a few feet away. I posed and talked to a few reporters, but I kept a close eye on Chloe. When I noticed her begin to look around, worry marring her expression, I knew I had to rescue her.
As I was about to reach her, someone called my name. I turned in the direction of the voice, and that’s when I saw her. Alexa was here! She was in her element, acting like everything was normal on the other side of the red carpet. That’s why Alexa was one of the best. That’s why she was successful in this industry. She knew how to play the game. And the worst part was, she looked absolutely fine. Oh, she knew how to play the game all too well.
“Unbelievable,” I muttered. I was about to storm over to her, but that would cause a media circus, so I turned back to the reporters lining the red carpet.
“Jack, where’s Chloe?” asked one reporter.
“Oh, she’s here. She’s doing her own thing.”
“What does Chloe think about being here? Is she excited?” asked another.
“Yes. Yes, she is.” I looked over to find Chloe, and she appeared to be stuck. Time for me to be a knight on a white horse and swoop in to rescue her. “Excuse me.”
I finally reached her, and she looked thankful. I pulled her into me, putting a hand on her hip.
“Let’s get out of here,” I said in a tone low enough so no one else could hear. She nodded. We posed for another few photos together before I whisked her away.
“Thank you,” she said at last when we were in the theatre.
“It’s okay. Are you okay?”
“To be honest, not really.”
“Don’t worry. It’ll be over before you know it and then we can relax.” I spotted a waiter and signalled for them. A second later, they appeared before us with a black tray filled with champagne flutes.
“Here. Down this.” I grabbed a flute and handed it to her. Then grabbed another for me. When the waiter was gone, we drank the champagne quickly. Chloe made the most adorable face as the bubbles hit her nose and slid down her throat. I chuckled and leaned in to peck her on the mouth.
“What was that for?”
“The kiss or the champagne?”
“The champagne. I’m already tipsy.”
“That was to take the edge off. These things are a mixed bag of boredom and nerves. Being tipsy makes things better,” I told her with a wink.
“Okay. Thanks for letting me know.”
“Besides, the cameras will be on us almost all the time. So, we can’t eat or drink during the show.”
“Okay. What about if I need to go to the bathroom?”
“If you need to go to the bathroom, go during the ad breaks. The ceremony will be broadcast live around the world. There are no seat fillers at this event, so if you’re not in your seat by the time the camera rolls again, it will mess up the whole effect.”
“Seat fillers?”
“People hired to fill the seats of celebrities on camera when they need to use the bathroom or accept an award or be on stage. They’re really only used during the Oscars.”
“That’s a real job?!”
I laughed. “Yes. It is.”
“Wow. Awesome!”
“Come on. Let’s take our seats.”
The presenter clutched the envelope and then began opening it slow as they read it out. This was the category I was nominated in, but I had the slimmest chance of winning. Casey Affleck had been amazing in Manchester by the Sea, and Andrew Garfield even more so in Hacksaw Ridge.
“And the winner of Best performance by an Actor in a motion picture is… Casey Affleck.”
I knew either Casey or Andrew would win somehow. When the announcement was made I sighed in relief. Chloe had been gripping my arm in anticipation. We clapped as Casey went up to accept his award.
Chloe leaned over and kissed my cheek and said, “Don’t worry. One day that will be you. Don’t give up hope.” I smiled at her. At that moment, I loved her more than ever. I was glad she was here with me.
24
After the ceremony was over, we all headed over to the after party. Now it was time for everyone to let down their hair and eat, drink, and relax. This event was usually phone free, but in the age of social media, nothing was secret anymore. I walked with Chloe hand in hand to the hotel where the after party was being held.
As soon as we entered the ballroom, I saw Alexa. Her eyes were darting here and there, and she looked a little on edge. There was also a slight sheen to her forehead. Great. She was in withdrawal. She probably had a sachet of drugs in her purse to keep her going. I would have to watch her.
“This is nice,” said Chloe, looking around the ballroom.
“Yeah. This is one of the best parties. The music is usually performed by a famous artist, and the food is to die for.”
“I can’t believe I’m here.” Her eyes were wide with excitement and disbelief as she took it all in. I watched her and couldn’t help but smile. I took her hand and kissed it.
“I can’t believe you’re here with me. Thanks for accompanying me. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“Aww. Thanks for inviting me.” She stepped closer to me and wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me.
“You’re welcome.” I kissed her lips, and we headed toward our table. “By the way, if you see anyone you’d like to meet, just let me know. I’d be happy to introduce you.”
“Thank you. I think I saw Cate Blanchett back there. My magazine has written about her in the past.” She glances around. “Oh, my God! Is that Scott Eastwood?!”
I snorted. “What’s the deal with Scott Eastwood? Women love him. He hasn’t even been in any good movies. Just because he’s Hollywood royalty, doesn’t make him the bee’s knees.”
Chloe laughs and shove
s my shoulder. “Are you jealous?”
“What? No. I just don’t see the appeal. That’s all.”
“Because you’re a man, that’s why.”
I snorted again. “Whatever. I’m starving. Let’s sit so we can get served.”
“Again, you’re thinking about your stomach!”
I chuckled as I pulled out Chloe’s seat. A wine server came by and asked what we wanted. We both ordered red wine. Then, thankfully, a server with appetisers arrived and placed a couple of share plates on the table. I grabbed two of each and put them in front of me. I peered at Chloe and found her staring at me.
I laughed. “What?” I stuffed a mini chicken burger in my mouth whole. I then realised I’d grabbed food for myself, and Chloe had nothing. “Oh, sorry. Contrary to what you must think, these all aren’t for me.” I pushed the plate toward her.
“Oh, thank you. So kind,” she said in sarcasm. She grabbed a burger and dug in. “Mm. These are so good!” she said with her mouth full. She moaned. My head snapped toward her.
Oh, God. I think I just about came in my pants.
“If I have to watch you make love to that burger much longer, I’m going to have to take you right here on this table in front of all these people.”
She gave me the side-eye as she continued eating.
“Now that will certainly get tongues wagging,” she said after inhaling the last bite of her burger. And then she set about licking every single one of her fingers.
I adjusted myself in my seat and reached out to grip her thigh. She gasped.
“Chloe, what are you doing to me?”
“What? I’m not doing anything?” She reached for another burger and then began to pull it apart slowly. The mayonnaise oozed between the bun and the chicken, and I just about lost it.
“Chloe!” I hissed. I gripped her thigh harder, and then slid my fingers up so they traced the outline of her most sensitive area.
Now it was time for Chloe to lose it. She froze in her deconstruction of the burger and closed her eyes. She slid forward slightly so she was pressed up against my hand. She gripped the table with the other hand that wasn’t holding the burger. She bowed her head and groaned.
“Jack… I think I’m going to use the bathroom.” Then she promptly got up, grabbed her purse, and walked toward the bathroom. And I was left alone at the table with a massive erection. I looked around and used a napkin to cover myself. But it was no use. The napkin only tented over the top.
Shit! This had never happened before. I had never done this before. Then again, I had never met someone like Chloe. I’d never felt like this about anyone before Chloe. Love made you do many, many reckless things. It was a good thing phones weren’t allowed in here, because if the paps found out I got a boner at the Globes After Party, I would never hear the end of it.
I looked around cautiously as I made sure no one was looking, and then glanced down at my crotch. It was still up, but not as bad. I was going to have to make an escape to the bathroom. But, as I was about to get up to go relieve the pressure, Chloe returned.
I jumped up, and she eyed me suspiciously.
“Jack, what the… Are you okay?” I still held the napkin partially over my groin area. Then dropped it onto the seat and replaced it with my hand. Thankfully, it had gone down a little more. But I was still aroused. And having Chloe this close was not good. I mean, yes, it was good for my libido, but not good for here.
“I… I’ll be back in a minute.”
“Okay.” She drank her wine and sat back as the music started. I was finally able to make my escape. I made it into the bathroom at last, and after locking myself in a toilet cubicle, I relieved myself.
When I was done, I flushed. Then I slammed my hand against the back wall and swore.
“Fuck!” I had never been so reckless before—but being with Chloe made me do reckless things. She made me do very, very bad things.
When I stepped out of the cubicle, I wasn’t expecting to find Alexa standing at the sink. I quickly made sure I was zipped up and approached a sink far away from her and washed my hands. But she soon made her way over to me.
“Alexa, what are you doing in the men’s bathroom?”
“I wanted to talk to you, and I couldn’t with your little girlfriend out there.” I finished washing my hands and turned to face her.
“Okay, fine. I want to talk to you too. Why are you here?”
“In the men’s bathroom? I wanted to get you alone. It seemed like the perfect opportunity.”
“No, I mean at the Globes. Why aren’t you in rehab?” I lowered my voice when I said the last part, glancing around to see if anyone else was listening. But there was no one else in the bathroom.
Alexa turned and began to walk away.
“Alexa, wait!” I grabbed her arm, and she turned back to look at me. This close, I could see how dilated her pupils were. She was high. I took my hand off her. “You’re high again. I can’t believe it. After all we went through.”
“I’m sorry, but I couldn’t stay in there. I’m not crazy, and I don’t do hospitals.”
“You could have died, Alexa.”
“Yeah, well.” She flicked her hair over her shoulder. “I didn’t, did I?”
And then she dropped her gaze and looked at my crotch. “I see you fixed your little problem. You should have asked me. I would have been more than happy to do it for you.” She reached down and grabbed me by the balls and tugged me toward her. I hissed.
“Ah, fuck. Alexa.” She finally let me go after a few seconds and cackled wildly before walking out of the bathroom. I was left clutching not only a bruised manhood but a sore ego.
I don’t know why I let her get under my skin. But she wasn’t good, and I had to stay away from her. Alexa Long was bad news.
25
I finally made it back to the table and to Chloe, no worse for wear. I grabbed a wine glass straight away and downed the crimson liquid inside before gesturing for the waitress to refill it. Then I downed that as well. I wanted to get very, very drunk and try to forget everything that had just happened in the bathroom. I had to get Alexa out of my head. She was toying with me. She took immense pleasure in seeing me suffer, knowing she was the cause of it.
“Are you okay?” Chloe asked in a low voice, placing her hand on my arm.
“Yeah. Fine. Is the next course here yet?”
“Yeah. They’ve just started bringing it out.”
“Good. I need food. And more wine.” The waitress refilled our glasses again, and I grabbed mine and sipped.
“Are you sure you’re okay? You seem stressed or something.”
“I’m fine. Sorry. Are you enjoying yourself?”
“Yes. You wouldn’t believe who the musician is!” she squealed.
“Who?”
“Sia! I love her!”
“Oh, really? That’s cool.”
At last, the main meal was served, and it was alternate, just like at weddings. I chose the steak and Chloe chose the salmon.
Halfway through eating, I felt something hit my leg. It was from the left. Chloe was seated on my right so it couldn’t have been her. I looked up and found Alexa watching me. She wasn’t eating, just sticking her fork in her salmon and slowly destroying it to make it look like she was eating. I went back to my food, and then a couple of minutes later, something kicked my leg again. I shot her a glare. She smirked and gestured that she wasn’t looking at me but at Chloe. And she wanted me to know all about it. The way she looked at Chloe was like she wanted to eat her alive. I shook my head and mouthed, “Stop it.” but that didn’t stop Alexa from playing and toying.
After the main meal, Chloe excused herself to the bathroom, and when she was gone, Alexa got up and left as well. I prayed she wasn’t following Chloe into the bathroom to confront her—or to do another line of coke.
I listened to Sia sing in that enchanting voice of hers to try to distract myself, but it was at least ten minutes or so before Alexa returned to t
he table. Chloe was nowhere to be seen.
Everyone was either dancing or chatting with other people away from the table, so I leaned across the table toward Alexa.
“Did you see Chloe in the bathroom?”
“Oh, yeah. She’s a fireball, that one.” She laughed and looked down at her phone. “No wonder the press loves her.” I didn’t think anything about the phone, or Alexa’s implication until I heard numerous ringtones go off at the same time. Then the whispers began. I glanced around the room, wondering what was going on, until, at the door, I saw a figure retreating into the night. I stood up, and that’s when I noticed everyone was staring at me. I shook it off and ran toward the bathrooms.
“Chloe?” I checked the female restrooms, ignoring the surprised looks from the ladies in there, but Chloe wasn’t one of them. There was no one in the stalls. She wasn’t there. I ran out of the bathrooms, and everyone was still talking behind hands and looking my way. I stormed up to Alexa.
“What is going on? What did you do?”
“Oh, nothing. Just had a little chat with your girl. I can see why everyone just loves her.” She showed me her phone, and that’s when I knew what was going on. I took the phone and pressed play on the video.
The video featured Chloe and Alexa standing in the bathroom exchanging words. They matched each other’s stance, squaring off.
“Jack chose me,” were some of the words exchanged. I had heard enough. I gave Alexa back her phone and walked out of the ballroom.
26
When I made it to the end of the red carpet, I searched for Chloe, but I didn’t see her anywhere. She had obviously fled already. And it was all my fault. If only I had told her about Alexa in the first place, then none of this would have happened, and I wouldn’t be standing in the middle of the red carpet alone like an idiot. If only I had never gone back to see Alexa and found her unconscious and overdosed. If only… I pulled out my phone and dialled Stephen. He would know where Chloe had gone. She had probably called him to pick her up.