“Come on, Leisel. Give us a smile.”
“Fuck off!” I yell, throwing the Porsche into reverse, my heart thundering as I drive backwards until I round the corner, creating just enough distance between us that I make it into the enormous shopping centre’s car park without them on my tail. Then I flick off my lights and wind my way through the levels until I reach the exit furthest from the way I entered. As I drive through the gate, I tell my phone to navigate to Marcus’s place so I can continue driving without my lights on. It’s not the greatest plan in the world, but all I need is a few minutes head start to get into the parking garage without those bikes getting in there with me.
When I’m almost there, I flick the lights back on to warn the cops doing crowd control that I’m coming. The mob screams the moment I slow down, and I’m so thankful for our police department for setting up barriers and keeping this calm enough that I can get inside. I’ll have to send something to the station to show my appreciation.
The moment it closes behind me, I park the car and breathe a huge sigh of relief before I burst into tears. I never want to be involved in a paparazzi chase ever again. That was just… horrible.
On shaky legs, I get out of the car. Wiping away my tears as I head to the elevator bay, using the key on Marcus’s chain to gain access to the penthouse.
My chest stutters as I ride up to his apartment, feeling awful because I failed. I was supposed to bail him out and I couldn’t get anywhere near the police station. I just hope he has Karen’s number written down upstairs. She’s the only person I can think to call who’ll be able to pull this off.
My phone buzzes in my back pocket, and I pull it out, relief flooding my veins when the letter M lights up the screen.
“Marcus?” I press the handset to my ear, sniffling. “Where are you? Are you OK?”
“I’m fine. I’m home. What about you? Where are you? The news is saying they lost you.”
“I’m OK.” I sob down the line as the stress of the evening comes crashing down on me.
“Don’t cry, baby. I’ll come and get you. Forget the car, get out and dump it. I just want you safe.”
“No. I’m fine. I’m in the lift to your apartment.”
“I’m waiting for you,” he says in a deep rumble that calms me.
I let out a shaky breath. “I’m coming,” I whisper.
The doors ping open, revealing the most magnificent thing my eyes could ever see. “Marcus,” I cry out, practically throwing myself against him as I exit the lift.
He catches me effortlessly, lifting me so I’m wrapped around his middle. Instantly, his mouth is on mine and I’m crying and kissing him, shaking like we’ve just travelled through a war zone to get to each other.
“I hate paparazzi,” I whisper.
He lowers me to the ground, holding me steady in his arms. “Me too,” he says. “Fucking leeches.”
“How did you get back?”
“Theo and Naomi.”
“Are they here?” I ask, looking around him.
He shakes his head. “It’s just us.”
“Thank god,” I gasp. “Not that I’m ungrateful. I’m just so damn tired.”
Brushing his fingers through my hair, he presses a kiss to my forehead. “Then let’s get you tucked up in bed,” he says, scooping me up in his arms and carrying me like a baby, taking care of me like no one else can.
Sixteen
Lisa
“Look. The world didn’t end,” I whisper, feeling drunk on emotion as Marcus lies on top of me, his cock still inside me after waking me up with an orgasm or two the next morning. I slept like the dead. So I’m glad Sandra is taking care of Perry for me.
“Maybe it did and we’re the only two people left,” he says against my skin, kissing and suckling, our bodies already greedy for another round. Until Marcus’s phone starts to ring.
“There goes that theory,” I whisper, rolling my hips against his. He’s still inside me, and still hard. “Let’s just have one day of perfect before we deal with the world again.”
“That sounds perfect,” he murmurs, gripping my hips and rolling to his back so I’m now straddling him.
His hands cup my breasts as I rock against him, pressing up through my thighs, and squeezing at him internally as I lift myself up his length then drop myself down, deepening our connection beyond the point of full.
“Shit,” he hisses when his house phone begins to ring.
“Ignore it. They’ll call back,” I pant, trying to keep my focus while the world screams at us electronically.
He grips my hips and stops my movement. “Babe, I’m sorry. That’s not the phone, that’s the intercom. Someone’s here.”
“Seriously? It’s like”—I look at the digital readout on Marcus’s bedside clock—“eight-thirty on a Saturday morning. What the hell are they doing here?”
“Who the fuck knows.” He rolls me so I’m lying on the bed beside him and kisses me. “Hold that thought. I’ll get rid of them and we can switch everything off and spend the day together. OK?”
“Sure,” I say, disappointed. There’s no way we’re going to get a day to ourselves. We’ll be harassed constantly until one of us emerges for an interview. The press is relentless.
Pulling the sheets around me, I feel tears prick behind my eyes. We can’t stay here.
Marcus
The intercom blares it’s insistence into the room until I snatch it up and press it to my ear. “Yes?”
“Sir, I’m sorry to disturb you,” Serge, the attendant at the building’s security desk says in his overly polite tone. “You have some visitors. They’re claiming to be your family,”
“Can you put them on?” I ask, wondering if it really is my family or someone from the press trying to trick the poor guy into losing his job.
“Hey, it’s me and Naomi,” Theo says straight away. “Thought we’d bring you some food since the mob out here isn’t thinning out anytime soon. If you don’t wanna face them, you’re in there for a long haul.”
“Thanks, man. Pass the phone back to Serge and I’ll get him to let you up.”
I also tell Serge to put them on the list of people who are allowed to visit whenever they want then hang up the phone and rub my hand over my messed up bed hair. I should probably put on some pants.
I head back into the bedroom, hating the knowledge that the press are outside. It’s exactly what Lisa didn’t want when I started insinuating myself into her life, and now here we are. Exactly where I promised we wouldn’t be. We won’t even be able to think about that place in the country until this chaos dies down.
“What’s going on?” Lisa asks from the bed. She’s wrapped in the sheets and looks absolutely divine in my eyes. I want to tell her that nothing is wrong and take her back to bed forever. I don’t think I’ll ever have my fill of her soft curves.
“We need to get dressed. Theo and Naomi are on their way up with food. They say there’s still a mob downstairs.”
My heart aches for her as I watch her mouth open and her eyes blink rapidly to force her tears back. She clears her throat and swallows. “Well, that’s to be expected, I suppose. They don’t have their story yet.”
She sits up and picks up her dress and her bra, looking at her torn panties before holding them in a ball in front of her. “I need to shower.”
“Wait.” I move to my dresser and pull out a pair of track pants and a T-shirt for her. “Wear these. I don’t have spare panties, but…oh shit, I do.” I pick up the jeans I was wearing last night, digging in the pocket to find the clean pair of panties she threw at my chest when we were arguing. “Here you go.” I spin them around my finger before handing them to her.
She smiles, accepting the clothes. “Thank you.”
I lean down and kiss her. “It’ll be OK. We can wait it out together.”
She nods, turning for the bathroom with a sadness in her step. I don’t blame her for being upset over the past twelve hours. I just wish I could do
something more for her.
The lift chimes so I pull on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, then head to the foyer. Naomi holds up a large brown bakery bag and a tray of coffees. “Breakfast?” She’s grinning that grin of hers that lights up a room and it immediately makes me feel better. Normal. I’ve missed these guys.
Theo stands beside her, holding bags of groceries. He isn’t as dark and broody as he has been for most of his life. I think Naomi’s lightness has rubbed off on his dark. Maybe he’s grey now. “Where’s your kitchen?”
“It’s through here,” I say, offering to take the bags. Theo refuses so I just lead the way. “Thanks for this, guys. This is a great surprise.”
“I hope this is OK,” Naomi says, as she sets things on the kitchen bench top. “We don’t want to intrude, but we saw the news this morning and thought you could use the help.”
“No. It’s fine, honestly.”
“Where’s Leisel?” Theo asks as he does the same with the bags of groceries.
“She prefers Lisa. And she’s taking a shower,” I tell them, hoping she’s not in there crying her eyes out.
“Well, I look forward to meeting her properly when she comes out,” Naomi says. “I can’t wait to chat to the girl who’s made Marcus Bailey weak at the knees. She must really be something.” She smiles, talking to me like we haven’t spent the last two years ignoring each other.
“She’s everything,” I say, feeling the goofy smile that takes over my face.
Theo laughs. “He’s got it bad.”
“I do. I love her. And I’m quitting music for her.”
Lisa
God, here I am, crying again. I don’t think I’ve cried this much since the last time the press decided to rip me a new arsehole. Why is there so much emphasis placed on the famous? Why can’t I just fall for a guy and not have to worry about looking over my shoulder?
Splashing my face with cool water, I pat it dry with a cream-coloured hand towel and take a breath to calm down. “This too shall pass,” I say to my reflection.
Stepping out of the bathroom, I follow the voices into the kitchen, finding Marcus standing around the bench with Theo and Naomi.
“Here she is,” he says, his eyes lighting up when he sees me. He gives me this amazing smile that’s both happy and filled with relief.
“I guess I should properly introduce myself,” I say, watching the way Theo and Naomi exchange glances when they see me. “I’m Lisa. I’m dating Marcus.” I hold my hand out and give them each a warm handshake. “I’m sorry I didn’t say anything when we met last night. We were still keeping things quiet.”
“Don’t sweat it,” Theo says. “I don’t think any of us were expecting last night to end up the way it did.”
“I’m just happy he has someone to keep him in line,” Naomi says behind her hand, and I decide I really like her, even though she’s the girl who got away.
“Feeling better?” Marcus asks as he slides one hand over my arse while handing me a coffee with the other. “Naomi and Theo brought coffee and pastries. I saved you the chocolate croissant.”
I take a grateful mouthful of caffeine. “Thank you. This is really thoughtful.”
“Our pleasure,” Naomi says. “That crowd out there is something else.”
“I suppose you’re wondering what I was doing at an event my ex-fiancé was visiting when I’ve been in hiding?”
Theo bounces a shoulder. “Crossed my mind.”
“A friend of mine sold me on a girl’s night out. I had no idea what we were walking into until I saw my brother. I was on my way out when you guys spoke to me. Then some guy I don’t even remember recognised me, and well…” I shrug.
“Marcus said you guys are planning to disappear together now,” Naomi says, taking a sip of her coffee. Her expression is passive, but I can see the disappointment in her eyes.
“Look outside. Would you want to live with that?” I ask in response.
“Maybe if you give them the interview they want they’ll back off,” Theo suggests.
I frown. “But why should I have to compromise myself for them? I didn’t ask for this. I didn’t ask for any of it.”
“Some would argue otherwise,” Theo responds, and I scoff.
“If a regular person did what I did, no one would care. There’d be an article on the fourth page of the paper and maybe a five-minute story on the nightly news. Then it would be over.”
“Yeah. But you’re not a normal person. You’re Jimmy Marx’s daughter. You had a massive following of your own. People are always gonna be watching. It’s part of the deal.”
“I didn’t make that deal. It’s why I walked away from it all.”
“Well, you’re dating Marcus now. Like it or not, you’re back in it. You guys can run, but you’ll be running forever.” He turns his gaze to Marcus. “Not to mention the label will bankrupt you over a broken contract.”
Marcus blows out his breath and runs a hand through his hair. “I know, man. I know. But let’s not focus on that shit now. It’s the first time you’ve seen my place, and since I’m probably gonna lose it soon, why don’t you let me show you around? I have my own recording studio.”
Theo’s eyebrows shoot up. “For real?”
“Sure do. And I’ve been working on a song I wanna show you.”
Theo’s demeanour completely shifts as he follows his little brother from the room, excited to play with the big boy toys. I smile after them.
“I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to see those two talking again,” Naomi says also watching Theo and Marcus walk down the hall, laughing and joking together before they disappear into a room I’m yet to see.
“Is this the part where you ask me not to take him away again?” I ask, taking a sip of coffee. The caffeine is certainly helping to wake up my sleep-deprived brain.
She tilts her head a little as if she’s studying me. “I’m happy he’s found you. I’ve never seen him like this. He looks at you like the stars shine in your eyes.”
“But?”
“But I love Theo. I want to marry Theo. And he won’t marry me without his brother there. He doesn’t feel like a whole man without his family around. You should have seen how excited he was to come and see Marcus today. Don’t let that brash exterior fool you, the man is a puppy dog, and he lives for his loved ones.”
“You’ll still be able to see him. He’s just retiring from the public eye.”
“And look what happened when you popped up again. If Marcus disappears then reappears for our wedding, it’ll become a circus. And I know it sounds selfish, but it’s supposed to be about me and Theo.”
“I get it. I do. I just…I don’t know how to make this work. This kind of attention doesn’t go away with an interview or two. It’s constant harassment. Physically and mentally, I can’t go through it again. And I feel blessed to have found a man who understands that.”
“At what price?”
My eyes burn and I look away.
“Listen,” Naomi says, her voice gentle as she reaches out and touches my arm, “I’ve been on the wrong side of the press as well, so I get it. When Marcus had his ‘fuck you’ moment, all the press wanted to do was talk to us about what happened. But Theo, myself and our other band members decided that we would simply refuse to comment and ignore the whole affair. It was hard for me, because I got a fair bit of hate mail from fans who thought I chose the wrong brother. But, you know what? Fuck them. They don’t know me. They don’t know Theo, or Marcus for that matter, and they certainly don’t know you. Don’t let them win.”
Shaking my head, I lean back and fold my arms over my chest. “I wish it were that simple, Naomi. But it’s not. Do you even know why they hate me so much? Do you remember what I did?”
She nods. “Yeah. I do. It was everywhere.”
“Then you know how bad everything got. It wasn’t just hate mail and questions. I couldn’t go anywhere without someone calling me ‘whore’, ‘bitch’, ‘psycho’ or some de
rivative of all three. I had things thrown at me, my car, my house. I was spat on. God only knows how long it would have gone on for if I hadn’t decided to lie low and change my name. It’s the only way I could make it stop.”
She takes a breath to say something to me, but Theo calling from the other room interrupts us. “Nomes, get in here and see this setup he has. It shits all over the garage.”
Calling out that she’s coming, she stands and places a hand on my shoulder, giving me a reassuring squeeze. “I know this is hard for you. But if you can stick it out, maybe we can all get what we want instead of Marcus being the guy who loses everything he’s worked his life towards.”
Tears prick in my eyes as I swallow back my emotions and nod. “OK.”
“I’ll be back in a minute,” she says quietly.
I sit and finish my coffee on my own, running through my conversation with Theo and Naomi along with every moment since Marcus and I met. I love him. I love him so much my chest aches when I think about him. My ideal life is quiet and secluded, something a gregarious man, whose first instinct is to reach for a guitar will eventually despise. He wants it now, but what about in five, ten years? Will he look back and resent the loss of his fancy lifestyle and private recording studio? Will he look at me and regret his choice? I will ruin you. I don’t want to be his downfall. I don’t want to be the woman who robs the world of Marcus Bailey’s soulful voice.
My hope wants me to stay right here, wait for them all to come back, pretend that everything will be fine. We’ll just ride it out and live together happily ever after...until he resents me…
Fuck. Naomi is right, I can’t take him out of his world. And Theo is right, the press will never stop coming for us, we’ll always be running. I was right in the beginning. This can’t work. We are oil and water. And I’m not strong enough to tell him I need to leave and actually go through with it. And he wouldn’t let me go if I did.
There’s only one solution.
Picking up my bag and shoes, I walk quietly through the foyer and call the lift. I wince when it dings open, stepping inside with my heart beating wildly, leaving like the chicken-shit-scum-of-the-earth bitch that I am. I’m sorry.
Beautiful Boxset: Beautiful Series, books 1-4 Page 138