Charlotte tossed and turned the entire night. Guilt seeped into her conscience. They were having so much fun and she spoiled it by not giving in to Sean’s request. A part of her hoped, he would have followed her inside but he didn’t. Instead, she heard the limousine drive away with Sean in it. Charlotte was crushed. She had never felt this way about another man. Charlotte valued her privacy and saw firsthand what could happen when things went public. What if it didn’t work out between them and he tried to ruin her? If only she could get Sean to understand. What was so wrong with wanting keep her privacy? She saw how the intrusion of the media could ruin relationships. She didn’t want that to happen to them. After holding her cell phone and going back and forth over whether or not she should call Sean, she finally hit the send button. The first time the phone rang out until she got voice mail. She ended the call and decided to call right back. This time her call was sent straight to voice mail. Not sure of what she wanted to say, she disconnected the call without leaving a message.
Her phone beeped indicating she had a text message. Sean’s name displayed on the screen. She smiled…that is, until she read his words out loud. “I need to concentrate on my tour. If it’s business, have Jason refer the message to me.“
Her attempt to apologize backfired. She was disappointed he wouldn’t talk to her. She needed to figure out a way to make things right with Sean. She cared about him and wanted to talk to him to see if they could reach some common ground. She hoped she wasn’t too late.
Upset about how she may have messed things up with Sean, Charlotte put on some gloves and went to cleaning her house. She cleaned the windows, dusted, swept and mopped the floors. By the end of the day, she was exhausted.
She later took a long hot bath. Every time she closed her eyes, she fantasized about Sean sharing the bath with her. She’d recalled the last time he’d been in her bathroom and how gentle and soft his hands felt against her skin.
Charlotte leaned her head back and began to pleasure herself. She moaned Sean’s name as she came to a climax.
The coldness of the water finally broke the trance. She got out of the tub, dried off and put on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt.
She needed to get her mind off Sean but he’d infiltrated himself into her world. There was only one thing that got her mind off her problems. She grabbed her laptop from the living room and her iPad. She logged online and checked her work emails.
She also needed to prepare for her meeting with Carmen. She’d asked Felicia to compile a list of all of Carmen’s current clients. She opened the email with that information. She’d seen several familiar names such as Rose Purdue, the academy award-winning actress. She’d also seen Hailey Barnes’ name on it. Although Hailey wasn’t one of her favorite people, she would be a good client to have on her roster. The ex-model, now talk show host held the number one spot in ratings and from what she’d heard through the grapevine, was looking to explore other avenues in the world of entertainment.
Charlotte wanted to be a part of that. With the vision she had in mind, if Hailey listened to her, she could enhance her brand and there would be residual income for years to come for both of them.
Charlotte continued to go through Carmen’s list of clients. In the ideal world, Charlotte would love to have all of Carmen’s clients’ transition to her firm, but she knew it wasn’t realistic. Charlotte’s strategy however was to at least obtain 90 percent of her big money makers along with some of her clients that were lesser known or considered on the D list when it comes to celebrity status.
Despite the excitement she felt about adding Carmen’s clients to her roster, she couldn’t help but think about how lonely it would be without Sean in her life. She picked up the phone to call him again, but didn’t. She pushed her personal needs aside and thought it was best she waited because he didn’t need any distractions. He needed to concentrate on his tour.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Sean poured himself into his work. His ego was far from being fragile, but there was just so much one man could take. There were women all over the world who would do anything for him. Who would help fulfill any one of his fantasies, but the woman he wanted, was unwilling to compromise and give him the type of commitment he desired.
It’d been almost a week since he’d seen Charlotte and sent her that text. His act of punishing her was also punishing himself. He wanted to talk to her, but thought he would give her a dose of her own medicine by not having any contact.
Bobby came inside of the Chicago venue dressing room. “It’s almost show time.”
“Give me a minute,” Sean responded.
He stood and looked at his reflection in the mirror. The tight, black t-shirt accented his muscles. He had to get himself together. His fans counted on him to give a good show and that’s what he would give them. He smiled and left the dressing room. The crowd yelled the moment he graced the stage. He gave a stellar performance at another sold out arena.
Sean ended the concert and exited the stage while the crowd cheered. He stopped and gave autographs and took pictures while making his way to his dressing room. Once behind the door, he closed his eyes and sighed in relief.
“Life’s been treating you well,” a blast from his past said, in a soft sweet voice.
Sean’s eyes popped open. “Pandora, what are you doing here?”
Pandora, wearing a skin-tight, black, mini-dress, embraced him. “I couldn’t let you come to my city without seeing you.” Pandora gave him a quick peck on the lips.
A knock was heard at the door. Sean moved away from Pandora and opened it.
Priscilla walked in. “There’s a reporter from the Times who wants to interview you. What do you want me to tell him?”
“Give me a few minutes and then bring him on in.”
Priscilla looked Pandora up and down. “What are you doing here?” she asked.
Pandora looked at Sean. “Sean, I suggest you tell Ms. Cilla to mind her own business.”
Sean ignored Pandora and said to Priscilla, “Can you get the reporter now, please?”
“Sure. What about her? You want me to get rid of her for you?” Priscilla asked.
Pandora moved from side to side. Sean stepped between the two women.
“No, I got this. You just take care of what I asked you to.”
As soon as Priscilla was out the door, Pandora was in his face. “I can’t believe you let her talk to me like that.”
“Priscilla is harmless.”
“She doesn’t like me and I don’t like her.”
“She doesn’t like you because you tried to use me, so chill out.” Sean turned his back to Pandora. He couldn’t ignore the fact that seeing Pandora again, brought back some old memories. Memories he didn’t wish to revisit.
Sean picked up a clean towel off the table and wiped the sweat off his body. He went to the clothes rack and removed a black buttoned-down shirt from the hanger.
“You forgave me, so she should too.” Pandora walked behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist.
He removed her arms and continued to button his shirt. “Look. I got this interview to do. If you want to hang out later, wait around. I’m supposed to be going to this after party at some club. If not, it’s good seeing you again.”
“I’ll be waiting,” Pandora said. She turned and shifted her hips from side to side as she walked to the door.
An hour later, Sean’s limo pulled in front of one of Chicago’s premiere clubs. The crowd was hyped when they noticed Sean and Pandora getting out of the back of the limousine. Cameras flashed.
“We love you, Sean,” a lady nearby screamed.
Sean stopped and gave her a hug. “I love you too.”
“Can I get a picture with you?” someone else asked.
Sean took out his phone. “Why don’t we see how many people we can get in this one picture?”
“I’m tweeting this now,” Sean said, right before leaving his satisfied fans.
The party at the club was in full swing. Pandora did her best to occupy most of Sean’s time throughout the night. Despite their past, he didn’t protest. He enjoyed her company.
After leaving the club, they sat together in the back of his limousine. Sean turned to Pandora. “Where should I have the driver drop you off?”
Pandora rubbed his leg. “I was thinking about spending a little more time with you, if that’s okay.”
Sean opened the dividing window and said to the driver, “Take us back to the Omni.”
“Sure thing,” the limousine driver responded.
Pandora continued to rub his leg. She leaned in to kiss him but Sean turned his head. “Hold up.”
Pandora shifted her dress upwards, exposing the fact she wasn’t wearing underwear. “Don’t act like you don’t want it.”
Sean pulled her dress down. “There’s no denying you’re still sexy, but my heart’s committed to someone else.”
“She doesn’t have to know. I’ll be discreet,” Pandora assured him.
“If you want to hang out and talk, we can but I’m telling you now, sex is not part of the equation.”
“Fine. But you can’t blame me for trying. We used to be so hot together.”
Sean agreed. “Yes, but that was then and this is now.”
Pandora leaned back in her seat, pulled out her cell phone and started pressing her screen. Sean looked out his window with his mind on Charlotte. Despite her breaking his heart, he was still loyal to her and had hopes she’d come around.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Charlotte sat across from the fifty-year-old Carmen Cain. Carmen was the manager to people in all forms of entertainment. She was immaculately dressed in a black Liz Claiborne suit, freshly manicured nails and salon-fresh hair.
“Charlotte, thanks for meeting me here. This is one of my favorite spots. I like to come and people watch,” Carmen said.
Charlotte looked around, impressed by the restaurant’s decor. “I was happy to get your call. I wasn’t sure how our last meeting went.”
Carmen laughed. “I know I wasn’t too talkative. I learned a long time ago that if you’re talking, you can’t listen. I needed to see what your overall career goals were for yourself as well as your clients before saying what I have to say.”
“I hope I was able to address all of your concerns.”
“I’ve been watching you for awhile. You’re not afraid to stand up for your clients. In this business, you have to be strong, especially as a woman.”
“Tell me about it,” Charlotte said, as she sipped her iced-tea.
“Over the next few weeks, I’ll be talking to all of my clients. I want to recommend you to them. I can’t guarantee they will sign, but they trust my judgment so I’m pretty sure most will.”
Charlotte smiled. “I want to make the process as smooth as possible. Whatever agreement you have in place will just transfer over to me. I can have my attorney get with your attorney to make sure all of the legal paper work is handled correctly.”
“I do have one concern,” Carmen admitted.
Charlotte hoped she wouldn’t bring up Darryl.
“You currently have seven associates, am I correct?” Carmen asked.
“Yes, but I’m already in the process of hiring more.”
“I think we can help each other in that area too.” Carmen removed a folder from her tote, handing it to Charlotte. “Here’s a list of people who are currently working for me but will be needing jobs once I close my office. I’m not recommending anyone who isn’t a go-getter. I’m not one to tell you how many more associates you will need to handle your roster. Only you can do that.”
Charlotte placed the folder near her purse. “You’re a legend in my field so if you’re recommending them, then I will definitely consider hiring some of them.”
Carmen’s phone beeped. “Hold on for a minute. I need to take this call.”
Charlotte estimated from their conversation, she would need to hire at least seven more associates. While Carmen handled her business, Charlotte sent a quick text to Felicia calling an emergency staff meeting.
“Sorry about that. One of my clients, which may end up being yours, has gotten herself into some trouble. I’m not sure if you’re familiar with Pandora, but she’s an up and coming actress. She started off in videos but I’ve been able to place her in a couple of movies since then. She’s up for a role in a drama series, but this drunk driving charge might hurt her chances.”
“Artists have to be careful these days with social media. Companies are more conscious about taking on clients with negative press.”
“Indeed they are, that’s why we have to stay one step ahead of the drama. I hate to cut our meeting short, but this is something I need to handle.“ Carmen placed a hundred dollar bill on the table. “This should take care of lunch.”
“Thank you. But you’ve already done so much. I can pay the tab,” Charlotte offered.
“No, dear. This one’s on me,” Carmen said, right before walking away.
Charlotte returned to the office feeling jovial.
Felicia met her at the door. “I’m so glad you’re here. Jason’s been looking for you.”
“Did you schedule the meeting?” Charlotte asked.
“Everything’s all set.”
“I need you to cancel the employment ads. I got a list of potential employees right here.” Charlotte waved the folder with the list of names in front of Felicia. “I want you to get me information on each one of them. Please have it ready for me by the end of the day.”
Felicia didn’t look too happy. “This is a lot of names. I’m not sure I can finish this by the end of the day.”
“There’s a bonus for you if you do but if not, no later than noon tomorrow.”
“Sounds good.” Charlotte headed to Jason’s office.
“Knock...knock. Felicia said you needed to see me.”
“Yes. You might want to have a seat for this.” Jason had a worried look on his face.
Charlotte took a seat next to Jason’s desk. He turned the computer screen around so that Charlotte could get a clear view. There was a picture of Sean and the actress, Pandora, leaving a club in Chicago.
“Let me get over there,” Charlotte said. She and Jason switched seats.
Charlotte read the blog aloud. “‘Are Mr. Naughty and the former Video Vixen a couple? After leaving the club, sources say Pandora was seen outside of Sean’s hotel the next morning. We’ll keep you informed when we learn more.’ She didn’t look drunk here so I don’t know why others are reporting she got pulled over for a DWI.”
Charlotte felt her heart drop. If Sean cared so much about her and wanted a commitment with her then why was he hanging out with this woman?
“This is not the kind of press Sean needs right now,” Jason said.
“Sean’s not the one with the DWI charges, this Pandora woman is,” Charlotte responded.
“I’ve spoken to Sean. He’s in Detroit now. He was unaware Pandora had been pulled over for DWI. He said she was sober when she left.”
“So the part about her being at the Omni was true.” Charlotte asked the question out loud but wasn’t really expecting a response.
“I’m afraid so,” Jason admitted.
“Get Sean on the phone for me. He and I need to talk.” She was upset but not for the reason Jason thought she was. She was upset because her rejection of Sean could have led him into the arms of another woman. She needed to get to the bottom of things.
Jason stood, reached across Charlotte and picked up his phone. “Anything for you, boss lady.”
“Sean, it’s Jason. Charlotte needs to talk to you.�
��
Jason handed Charlotte the phone and left.
Chapter Thirty
Sean sat on the edge of the hotel bed and listened to Charlotte’s concerns from the other end of the phone.
“You need to be careful about the people you hang around. Jason’s issued a short statement on your behalf.”
Sean bent down to tie his new pair of Jordan’s. “Anything else?” Sean asked.
“Yes. What is she doing coming out of your hotel room at eight o’clock in the morning? You know people are watching you. I’ve seen pictures of you online.”
“Are you jealous?” Sean asked. He smiled.
“I’m only asking because as your manager it’s my job to make sure you don’t tarnish your image.”
“Let’s see. I’m a sexy R & B singer with women of all ages and races lusting after me. It’s not odd to see any woman coming from my hotel room. In fact, it’s expected.”
Charlotte stuttered, “Just make sure you’re more discreet next time.”
“If there’s nothing else, I need to make a stop at the radio station before heading to the concert venue.”
“No, that’s all.”
Sean could have easily put Charlotte’s mind at ease by being clear that he didn’t have sex with Pandora but instead, he disconnected the call without waiting on Charlotte’s response.
Priscilla knocked on his hotel room door.
“Come in,” he yelled.
“The limo’s waiting for us,” Priscilla said.
“I’m coming.”
After the radio interview, Sean performed to another sold-out arena in Detroit. Fans flocked to him afterwards.
Over the next couple of months, Sean went from city to city giving his fans a show they would never forget. The celebrity bloggers posted pictures and gossip during each stop of his tour. He was seen partying with a different woman just about every night or so it appeared.
What the paparazzi didn’t know was he spent most of his time working on new songs for his next album. He hung with his band members and fans after each concert. When the tour ended, and he returned to Los Angeles, Sean planned on having a heart to heart talk with Charlotte. This time, he would not let her go.
Secret Relations: Women in Hollywood, Book 1 Page 11