It's early morning when my life shatters and everything changes. I'm woken up by several noises in Scott's master bedroom. I hear my phone ringing, Scott's phone ringing and the house phone ringing all at the same time.
What the hell?
I look over to the clock on his nightstand and it's barely three in the morning. The ringing on my cell stops, just to start back up a moment later. Scott's cell does the same and I can't recognize the voice yelling on Scott's answering machine in the other room.
I sit up in bed and rub my eyes, trying to clear the fogginess in them from lack of sleep. Scott's still lying next to me passed out to the world.
He wasn’t kidding when he told me he sleeps like the dead.
I move over him and shake his body.
"Scott. Wake up, Scott! Wake up!" I yell at him over the noise of what feels like every electronic device going off in his home.
"Hmm," he moans, squinting his eyes to look up at me.
"Your cell and your house phone are ringing off the hook."
I move off the bed and over to the chair in the corner of his room to grab my purse. I’m pretty sure I left my cell phone in there last night. The ringing stops and I sigh in relief but then I hear my text chime go off repeatedly. Who the hell would serial text me at this hour?
Shit. What if something's wrong?
I start digging through my purse frantically, trying to find my phone. I find it in the pocket of my change purse and pull it out. Sixteen missed calls and seven text messages. All from Jared and Autumn. I click on my text app to read those first. I figure that's faster than listening to the voicemails.
Autumn: I'm going to kill Scott.
Autumn: Pick up your FUCKING PHONE!!!
Autumn: What on earth possessed you to do this.
Autumn: Jared is freaking out please call me back so we can try to figure out what you were thinking.
Autumn: Scott's going to wish he were dead when Jared's done with him. Call me back so I can do some damage control.
Autumn: Why the hell aren't you picking up your phone?
And the last one is from Jared. His calm text is what scares me the most.
Jared: I don't know why you both did it and frankly it's not my business but I need to talk to you both before the press gets a hold of this. I'll need to do damage control in the media and I can't do that if I don't have the facts. This affects my image so PLEASE call me back.
I'm not stupid. I know this has everything to do with the video we shot two weeks ago but I have no idea how they've found out yet. I look up from my phone and Scott's sitting on the bed. His fingers are moving at a fast speed as he texts someone on his phone.
"Scott," I call to him timidly. He finishes typing and then looks up at me. "They know, Scott. How do they already know?"
"I'm still going through my texts, Winn, but it looks like Don released the video at midnight. It's already got over five hundred thousand downloads on his site, babe."
He sounds excited as he continues to read the messages on his phone, but I just want to curl up in a ball in the corner and die. I thought I would have more time than this. I wanted to sit Autumn down and tell her before it was released. It wasn't supposed to happen this way.
"Scott, I think we should talk."
"One minute, babe. My phone is blowing up." He doesn't even look at me as he speaks. He just smiles down at his phone and continues to read messages and type away. I tighten the grip on my phone, grab a t-shirt and boxers and walk out of the room. I head down the hallway and into his living room where I pull the shirt over my head and slip the boxers on before sitting down next to Sinatra on the couch. She's wide-awake from all of the commotion and when I fold my legs over she rests her head on my thigh.
I swipe the screen on my phone and tap on my internet browser. How would I even go about searching this? I search for Don's website and then click on the link. Sure enough, on the home page of his website is a picture of our DVD cover. Written underneath is a brief description.
Are you a huge fan of Brandon Boner? Are you looking for your next Boner fix since he left the limelight? Well, we have just the movie for you. We've uncovered the hidden sex tape of Brandon's twin brother, Brayden Boner. Watch Brayden as he plays, fucks and sucks his brother's sister-in-law in every place imaginable. Watch all your fantasies come true in... Brayden Boner: The Hidden Sex Tape No One Wants You To See.
This is not good.
I click on the link and it brings me to another page asking for my personal information and credit card number. I'm not subscribing to his website just to see a preview of the video. I go back on my search engine and type in Brayden Boner Sex Tape. Several articles pop up; all released in the last few hours and my head spins.
After reading through several of the articles I sigh in relief. Maybe I'll get lucky. It doesn't look like my name has been released so I still might be able to save face.
I hear another ringing and this time it's the doorbell. There's no way I'll want to know who is behind that door so I wait impatiently for Scott to come out of the master bedroom to answer it. When the doorbell rings again, followed by intense banging, I get up off the couch and walk over to the door. Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath and look through the peephole.
It's Jared and Autumn. The fact that he hasn’t just walked in here himself must mean that he's forgotten his key.
Everything will be okay. You're an adult. You're a strong woman. Don't let anything that's said change the way you look at yourself. Everything will be fine.
I keep repeating these words of affirmation in my head as I unlock the front door and open it. Autumn storms through the door leaving her husband in her dust. He smiles down at me and then walks in to follow her and I close the door behind them.
Autumn paces back and forth in the entryway. Her anger is seeping out of her skin and I've never been more afraid of her than I am right now.
"Where is he?" she asks, her voice uncharacteristically low.
I look back and forth between her and Jared, not knowing what to do.
"Scott," I call out, loud enough that he can hear it in the bedroom. "I think you should get in here. You have company."
Scott walks into the open space without a care in the world. When his eyes fixate on Autumn and Jared he smiles and says, "What's up, guys."
"What's up? WHAT'S UP? You fucking prick! You defiled my sister for the whole world to see and that's all you can say?" I've never seen Autumn this mad before. She's usually so calm and understanding.
Scott's smile falters but he still stands tall and arrogant. "That's none of your business, Autumn. That's between me and Winnie."
"You use your brother's name and fuck my sister on camera and you think it's none of my business? You've got some screws loose, Scott. This is every bit my business." Her long blond hair is pulled back in a knot; her pale skin is make-up free and her green eyes glow, like something straight out of a horror movie. She's in sweats and a t-shirt and I feel bad that this has disturbed her good night sleep. With the pregnancy she needs to be getting rest.
"Let's all calm down and have a seat before we all start saying things we regret," Jared chimes in. He's wearing sweats and a t-shirt too. His tattoos stand out in the light from the entryway and even as everything is falling apart before my eyes, I can't help but admire his good looks. Even at three in the morning he looks fantastic. It's unfair. It's no wonder why he's such a hard person to replace in the porn industry. Looking as good as he looks, he should have never been in porn to begin with.
I walk back over to the couch next to Sinatra and we resume the same position we were in before. Scott sits down on the other side of me and Jared and Autumn take the loveseat. Jared starts the conversation off.
"Can one of you tell me why I had to receive a call from Kelly at this ungodly hour telling me that a sex tape has been released of you two on Don's website?"
I stay where I am and don't move. I have no intention on answering that questi
on because I have no idea where to begin. Luckily, Scott speaks for us.
"Not that it's any of your business, Jared, but this was a mutual decision we both made two weeks ago. I didn’t think I needed to come to you about every decision I make."
"When you're using my name to sell copies, then you have to come to me. Jesus, Scott. I could sue you over this bullshit."
"But you won’t because I'm your brother."
"You're right, I won't because I obviously have more thought and consideration about you than you have about me."
"Maybe everyone should take a breather before we continue," I whisper, unsure of my own voice.
"Winnie?" Autumn asks me hesitantly. "I know you, Winnie. You're impulsive and crazy and that's what I love about you, but I also know you would never do something like this unless there was a reason. Why did you do this?"
I look up into my sister's green eyes and then quickly look away. We know each other too well and I can’t lie to her about something like this, which means I can’t answer her either.
"Maybe you don't know Winnie as well as you think you do," Scott interrupts. "She's a grown woman who can make her own decisions. She doesn't need to explain those decisions to you."
I'm not sure if Scott is trying to defend me or if he's trying to be an asshole, but I'm not liking the Scott I see right now. His cocky arrogance is pissing me off. I'm a grown woman but I did this for him and only for him, so he needs to shut the fuck up while I still have my emotions under control.
"Don’t you care about anyone but yourself, Scott? Didn't you even consider what this could do to Winnie's reputation?" Autumn asks him.
His face pales slightly, but other than that he has the perfect poker face on. How ironic.
"And what about me, Scott? Did you ever think of the repercussions this could have for my business? My livelihood? The fact that another production company released the exclusive sex tape of my brother could look bad for business. This could affect everything I've worked so hard to build."
Jared's right. I never even thought about what this could mean for him. I was only thinking about Scott and how to get him out of the predicament he was in. He needed my help and in the end I only thought about him in the decision-making. I didn't think about Jared or his company, I didn't think about Autumn and my family, and I didn't think about myself.
It shocks me a little that all of the blame for this video seems to be falling on Scott's shoulders when I was just as big a part of it as he was. Sure, the only reason we did the video was to save Scott's ass, but Autumn and Jared don’t know that.
"Is this going to affect your company?" Scott asks Jared.
"It already has. In the last few hours alone subscriptions to Don's website has grown by the thousands and I've lost a few subscribers. Nothing major, but if this continues it could make a significant dent. Are there more videos? Is this going to be a series or something?"
"It was a one-time thing," Scott replies.
"Why? If this was a one-time thing then tell me why, because it makes no fucking sense to me. If neither of you have aspirations to be in the porn industry then why risk your reputation for one video?"
His question is a valid one, but I know Scott will never answer it truthfully. He turns his head to glance over at me and smiles. "If you were with someone as beautiful as Winnie, wouldn't you want to document it?"
Is he trying to be a douche bag? God, I'm going to be sick. My hand comes up before I can even think and I smack Scott across the face. I stand up and in fear I won't make it to the bathroom, I run into the kitchen and puke out the contents of last night's dinner into the chrome sink. Autumn comes up behind me to pull back my hair as I continue to puke and when my stomach empties it turns into dry heaves.
"What the fuck?" Jared asks from somewhere behind me.
"Is she okay?" Scott asks, and I hear his footsteps getting closer.
"Back the hell up, Scott. Don't come near her." My sister's voice is hard and low and if I were Scott I wouldn’t mess with her at a time like this.
"Someone is going to tell me what is going on here because my sister wouldn't have just slapped you and started puking for nothing. There's more to this story and I want the fucking truth... NOW!"
I want to say something but every time I attempt to stand up my stomach protests and I'm back to dry heaving in the sink. Scott's quiet and I can feel the tension in the room escalate.
"Scott, you need to tell us the truth. Does Donnie have something on you guys? Is that why you agreed to do the video? It wouldn’t be the first time he turned dirty to get what he wanted," Jared says.
"God, no. We weren't blackmailed into doing anything. It was... It was... Jesus, Winnie. Are you okay?" His voice breaks at the end as he tries to get closer to me but my sister stops him in his tracks.
"It was just what, Scott?" she asks.
"If I didn't know any better I'd think you and my brother were jealous. Is it because it's selling so well? Are you scared our video will start outselling the infamous Brandon Boner?"
Fucking Christ, he is full of himself right now. If I could get my head out of the sink I'd walk over there and slap him again.
"Jealous?" Jared asks. "You think I'm jealous? I've only ever wanted the best for you, Scott, and if this outsells me and that's what you want in life, then I'm happy for you. I want you to succeed, but I know that's not the case. You may be fighting for the world's biggest prick right now, but I know Winnie enough to know she would never do this. She might dance in lingerie, strip and even have a threesome with you and Tawny, but she'd never do porn unless there was a significant reason."
He knows about the threesome? Kick me while I'm down, why don't you?
Scott's silent and instinctively I know he's watching me. I turn on the faucet and rinse my mouth out with cold water. I turn it off and Autumn hands me a towel to wipe off my face. When I turn around to face them I feel weak and defeated. I don't know how much more of this I can take. Scott must sense this, too, because he confesses everything.
"Alright. You're right; you are all right, okay. Winnie did it for me. I started gambling again and I lost everything. I mean everything, but it didn’t stop me and I kept going. I ended up owing a hundred grand to some guys I should have never gotten involved with to begin with. They're the ones who beat the hell out of my face and gave me ten days to come up with the money.
"I couldn’t go to you, or Mom and Dad, because of what happened last time and, long story short, Donnie gave me a way out and I took it. I was supposed to shoot it with Tawny, but Winnie took her place at the last minute. There, are you happy?"
The room is silent and I'm stunned Scott was so quick to tell his brother the truth. It almost feels like everything we did was for nothing. I have no validation now for what I've done because Jared knows now anyway.
"You're. Fucking. Pathetic," Jared replies loud and clear. "I thought that maybe you cared about her and that's why I turned the other way and didn’t say anything. I was wrong."
Jared turns to me and continues speaking, "I'm so sorry, Winnie. This is my fault for not getting you away from him sooner. A real man would never let his girlfriend do something like this. A real man would protect his woman's body and reputation, and my brother's not a real fucking man."
His words hurt to hear and I'm ready to stand up for Scott and defend him. He needs me on his side right now. He needs someone on his side.
"She's not my fucking girlfriend."
Those five words silence me and do irreplaceable damage to my heart. He says the words maliciously and his cold voice is not the same man I've shared a bed with for over a year.
His stance is cold, his arms are lying across his chest as he looks Jared dead in the eyes, and I want to scream at him. I want to scream at him and hit him and then tell him everything I'm feeling all at once.
I hate him.
I’ve never felt hate like this before in my life. It overwhelms me and I can feel it taking over every i
nch of my body. They say you can never truly hate someone unless you loved them first. I never believed that until now, because I loved Scott. I would have done anything for him and he just broke my heart.
I turn to my sister, tears threatening to spill from my eyes and ask, "Can I go home with you now?"
She nods her head and places her arm over my shoulder, pulling me out of the room like a frightened child.
"Winnie? Winnie, where are you going?" Scott calls from behind me, but we ignore him and walk through the house and out the front door. I don't even bother putting shoes on. Autumn opens the door to the backseat of Jared's car and I slide in. She follows right behind me and closes the door. I lean my head on her shoulder as she embraces me in a hug and I just cry. I cry for everything I'm feeling, and I cry for everything I'm not. I cry because basically, I don't know how I'm feeling.
Scott doesn't follow us out and a moment later Jared's climbing in the front seat and pulling out of Scott's driveway. He doesn't ask me any more questions and I'm grateful. I don't think I could say anything more at this point.
Chapter Twenty-One
The last three days have been so unbelievably horrible I almost think I dreamt them. When I woke up the morning after the big confrontation at Scott's house I half expected him to be there. I thought he'd be waiting for me in the kitchen until I woke up and was ready to talk to him, but he wasn't. I checked my phone and I had no messages or missed calls from him either. This shocked me.
We've shared a lot together over the past year and a half and I thought he'd fight more for me. At least see how I was doing, but his lack of communication hurt me that morning more than anything else.
Autumn told me it would be fine. He was probably waiting for me to cool off before he tried calling me to apologize. It made sense. I can get a little crazy when I'm upset. He was probably just waiting for the storm inside me to blow over before he apologized and begged for forgiveness for the things he said.
Playing His Game (The Reynolds Brothers) Page 17