Extremely Famous

by Heather Leigh

  “So, are you enjoying the press tour so far?” he asks me.

  I arch my eyebrows and my mouth drops open. “Are you kidding?”

  His face falls. “Uh, no. Did I say something wrong?”

  I stifle a laugh. “No, no. It’s just that, I guess I’m used to people knowing that I can’t stand interviews or reporters or any of that Hollywood stuff.”

  He smiles, relieved that I wasn’t offended at something he said. “Whew, I thought I insulted you. I wouldn’t want Forrester on my bad side when we still have a lot of days left to this thing.”

  “Yeah, having Drew mad at you is definitely no picnic,” I agree.

  “Well, I’ll let you relax. Do you mind if I take this chair?” Zane indicates toward the one he’s currently occupying.

  “Not at all.” I lay back and close my eyes, ready for a little nap.

  When I wake up, Zane is gone so I gather my stuff and head upstairs to shower. As I’m lathering up my hair I think about what a nice quiet day I had. Well, except for finding out that the tabloids are going apeshit on my personal life, again. But New Sydney doesn’t care, right?

  I’m so wrapped up in my thoughts that I don’t notice Drew watching me shower until he speaks.

  “The view from out here is pretty nice.”

  I scream and drop the bottle of conditioner.

  “Jesus Drew, you scared the crap out of me!” I yell.

  He smiles, his gaze traveling up and down my soapy body.

  I hold up a hand. “No way buddy, stay out there,” I threaten.

  His eyes darken at the challenge I’ve just thrown down. “Why would I do that? It looks so much better in there where you are.”

  I instinctively lick my lips and lose my train of thought for a moment. His shoes and socks are off and his dress shirt is unbuttoned. When Drew starts to move toward the shower I snap out of it.

  “No, I’m starving and I want to get dinner. I haven’t eaten all day.” Plus, I want to talk to him about why we can’t announce the engagement and get him on my side. That way, I can let him know I won’t be wearing my ring for a few weeks. I’ll never be able to do it if he distracts me with sex.

  His eyes narrow and he mashes his lips together in frustration. “Fine, but I don’t think I’ll have this image out of my head. I’ll be thinking of it all through our meal.”

  Hmmm, if he’s thinking of me naked the entire meal, maybe I’ll get what I want.

  “Okay Drew, you can picture me naked if you want.” I run my soapy hands all over my breasts and stomach, down to the junction of my thighs.

  “What are you doing?” His voice is clearly strained.

  “Me?” I ask innocently. “I’m washing up.”

  I have no time to react, because Drew is in the shower with me, fully clothed, pressing me against the wall with his body before I can blink.

  “Drew…” His lips crash down on mine before I can say anything else. He penetrates my mouth with his hot, probing tongue, his hard length digging into my soft flesh through his soaked pants.

  I reach out and push his wet shirt down his arms, letting it slap to the tile floor. Drew hurriedly undoes his zipper and yanks down his pants and briefs with one hand, fisting the back of my neck with the other so I can’t move away from his aggressive kisses.

  He hitches my leg on his hip and thrusts into me unexpectedly, forcing a moan to tear from my throat. “This is what you get for teasing me,” he growls against my mouth as he releases my neck and grabs my other leg, shoving me against the cold tiles and driving into me over and over as the hot water rains down on us.

  The sensation of him filling me up, pounding against that incredible sweet spot that he always manages to find, renders me speechless. All I can do is cling to his strong shoulders and cry out in ecstasy.

  “Fuck.” The word slips from Drew’s mouth as I clench around his steel length, quickly falling over the cliff in a burst of pleasure that pulses through every nerve ending in my body. He grunts and submits to his own release, the tight grip of my orgasm milking him dry as he shudders against me.

  “Jesus Syd,” he whispers into my neck between rough breaths, dragging his lips up and down from my ear to my shoulder. Drew gently lets my legs down to the floor, never letting his mouth lose contact with my skin. “You make me crazy,” he admits as he pulls back to look in my eyes.

  I smile and stroke his face. “I’m still hungry. You’re not getting out of feeding me.”

  He laughs and turns off the shower. “Then I guess we should eat.”

  “I’ll be ready to go in about fifteen minutes,” I tell him sweetly right before I dash out the door to get dressed.

  Drew doesn’t want to leave the hotel to get dinner so we’re eating downstairs at the same Italian restaurant we ate at the first night. I hope that his post-sex contentment overpowers his possessive nature and I can get him to drop the whole ‘announce our engagement’ idea.

  Once our food arrives, I broach the subject. “I know you’re upset that I don’t want to tell anyone about our engagement.”

  Drew looks up from his food, surprised that I’m bringing this up. He finishes chewing and takes a sip of wine. “Yes, I am. But you know this already. I don’t like that you aren’t wearing your ring either, Syd.” His eyes fall to my hand and back up to my face.

  My skin heats up, embarrassed, as if he caught me doing something I shouldn’t. “I just want us to be on the same page, Drew.”

  “So do I.” He shifts in his chair and puts his utensils down on his plate. “What’s this about Sydney?”

  Wow, direct as usual Forrester.

  “I’m tired of feeling guilty for wanting to keep this private. I don’t want the media poking around in my life.”

  Drew lowers his voice and narrows his eyes. “Syd, this isn’t the place for this.”

  Looking around for the first time since we sat down, I notice that the dining room is pretty full and a lot of the patrons are sneaking glances at us.

  “Jesus, see what I mean Drew? We can’t even have a conversation without it ending up on TMZ.” I throw my napkin on the table, my appetite gone.

  “What do you want me to do?” he asks, unexpected condescension dripping from his voice. “Should I threaten to punch everyone who listens to our conversations? Because you get pissed when I do shit like that!”

  I feel as if he just punched me in the gut. Blinking back tears, I push away from the table and stand up. “You’re being an asshole,” I hiss as I turn on my heel and leave.

  I stalk to the elevator and jab the button repeatedly, wanting to get to the room before I break down or start yelling. It takes so long to arrive that Drew and Steve have caught up, and they quietly stand next to me while we wait.

  The ride up is uncomfortable, and no one says anything. The second the doors open on our floor I dash out, unwilling to pretend that everything is okay.

  “Yeah, I’ll call you if I need one of you later,” I hear Drew say to Steve as I put the keycard in our door.

  I dart into the suite and down the hall to the bedroom, yanking off clothes as I go. Pulling on my tank top and sleep shorts I stomp into the bathroom and wash my face. As I scrub I think about Drew’s attitude. Why should he always get his way? I don’t want this and he knows privacy is important to me. He should give me this one concession.

  I leave the bathroom, even more determined to get what I want from Drew. His stubbornness isn’t going to deter me this time, if he wants a fight then he’ll get one.

  I find him in the living room of the suite, talking on the phone and pacing back and forth in front of the wall of windows, yelling at whoever is on the other end. Frightening doesn’t even come close to describing the look on his face.

  “Holy shit!”

  “Yeah…”

  “No, you bettah fuckin’ fix this!”

  He is beyond angry. Drew is the angriest I’ve ever seen him and I’ve seen him pretty damn furious. His neck and face are so red
that they’re almost purple, his veins bulging as he speaks.

  “I’ll fuckin’ kill them!” he roars and I cringe back into the doorframe.

  What the hell is going on here?

  I want to know what has him so upset, but I’m too disappointed. There’s no way I can talk to him about the engagement when he’s angry like this.

  Drew doesn’t even seem to notice me standing by the door. He’s too focused on screaming at the person on the other end of the call. Knowing I’m not going to get anywhere with him tonight, I go back into the bedroom and climb onto the bed, listening to his half of the conversation.

  “Fuck!”

  “No, this is bad, really bad…”

  “You bettah be prepared to unleash everything on those assholes!”

  “Yes, everything!”

  “I don’t fuckin’ care, just do what I fuckin’ say!”

  “Call Sam, now!”

  “I don’t fuckin’ care what time it is, get him on the mothahfuckin’ phone now!”

  Holy shit!

  It’s finally silent, so I’m guessing he ended the call. Should I go out there? Rubbing my eyes, I decide that I really don’t want to face Angry Drew right now. Then I hear a loud crash and fly off of the bed and down the hall.

  Dear God please don’t let him break his hand again!

  I run into the living room and find Drew pacing the room like a caged tiger. Scanning the space I spot a pile of broken glass near the fireplace. Vase? Lamp? I can’t tell. Drew seems unharmed, so I’m somewhat relieved.

  “What is going on?” I ask him, staying far back from his hostility.

  Drew’s head snaps up in surprise, he hadn’t even noticed me until I spoke to him. “Don’t worry about it!” he barks at me rudely.

  “What the hell Drew? Don’t yell at me.” I put my hands on my hips and watch him. He looks like a lit powder keg ready to explode.

  “Don’t start with me Sydney! Not now!” he roars.

  That’s twice tonight that he’s made me feel like a child. I stare him down, not caring how pissed he is. He can get over it.

  “Fuck you!” I snap.

  Without saying another word, I go back into the bedroom and close the door. I have no desire to be around him when he’s being such a giant dick. I feel the hot, angry tears as they fill up my eyes and streak down my cheeks.

  Exhausted emotionally, I climb into bed and pull the covers up over my head so I can silently cry. A few minutes later, the bedroom door opens, but I don’t bother to look up. I just don’t have the energy to deal with him right now.

  Drew’s voice is cold and emotionless as I listen from under the covers. “I’m going to meet Rhys for drinks.”

  I don’t answer him. When the door to the suite clicks shut, I allow myself to fall to pieces, crying in big ugly heaving jags until I pass out from fatigue.

  CHAPTER 17

  Morning comes and I wake up early. Too early. My head is pounding from the emotional night. I roll over and see Drew sleeping next to me. He looks terrible and smells like alcohol. There are shadows under his eyes and his hair is sticking up all over the place. He’s still wearing last night’s clothes in the bed.

  What the hell happened with that phone call?

  I carefully swing my feet over the edge of the bed and stand up, freezing in place when Drew shifts in his sleep. Something on his hand catches my eye so I walk around to his side of the bed for a better look. I gasp in horror when I see that the knuckles on his left hand are black and blue, two of them have cracked scabs on the rough skin.

  Confused and hurt, and now a little concerned, I get dressed and make some coffee in the suite’s full kitchen. Grabbing a mug, I take it out on the porch with my cellphone, hoping to call Leah before Drew wakes up. I need to talk to a girlfriend about all of this crap and she’s the only one who knows that we’re engaged.

  Before I get a chance to dial, the phone rings in my hand, startling me so badly that I spill hot coffee all over my bare leg.

  “Shit!” I jump up and put the cup on the outdoor table, doing my best to wipe up the spill with my hands. The phone almost slips from my grip but I’m able to get it before it hangs up. “Hello?”

  “Syd?”

  “Allie?” It’s Drew’s sister, Allie Forrester.

  “Yes, what’s going on over there? Have you gone and lost your mind?” she asks.

  What the hell is she talking about?

  I wipe my hands off on my shorts and press one to my temple. Another high maintenance Forrester, I really don’t need this right now. “I need more info Allie. I just woke up and spilled coffee all over myself. I have no idea what you’re talking about and my brain is still asleep,” I complain.

  She sighs dramatically and I can picture her frowning through the phone. “Syd, you know I don’t ever bring up this crap unless I have to, and I only talk to you about it because Drew would have a fit if I asked him.”

  Okay, I think to myself.

  She continues in an overly concerned voice. “Since I’ve been dating Dex I realize just how bullshit most of this stuff is, but I love you guys so I have to know what’s going on.”

  Drew’s sister has been dating Declan Foster, an up and coming actor that she met on the set of Ryker’s movie in London. When her coworkers at the hospital she’s a pharmacist at in Boston found out she was Andrew Forrester’s sister, she had to quit. It took exactly half a day for people to try and use her to get to Drew and it became uncomfortable. Such bullshit.

  I huff and pinch the bridge of my nose in frustration. “Allie, spell it out. It’s six in the morning here and I haven’t had coffee. Please,” I beg her.

  “Okay, there are tons of articles online.” She hesitates before continuing, giving my stomach a second to twist nervously.

  “You know most of whatever it is isn’t true Allie,” I caution her.

  “I know, but there’s some weird stuff here and there are pictures.”

  “Alright, like what?” I rub my aching head again.

  “Did you get a driving lesson from Bruce in a $250,000 car?”

  I laugh, that’s what she’s worried about? “Yes, so what?”

  “Does Drew know you did that?”

  “No, but who cares? I’m old enough to drive.”

  “Okay, did you hang out in a skimpy bikini with a smoking hot, half-naked Zane McNamara?”

  Crap! “Yes, but not like that!”

  This shit, it’s never going to stop. They’re going to follow me no matter what I do or where I do it. I can’t escape the media.

  “I know Syd, but there are also pictures of you at the Santa Monica Pier sleeping on the beach! Why would you do that? With no bodyguards? The photographer got right up on top of you!” Allie is getting upset now, her fake concerned voice replaced by actual anxiety.

  Great, when Drew sees that I went out without one of the guys he’s going to go ballistic. I really can’t deal with this right now. Plus, I’m a little creeped out that someone snuck up on me at the beach. Damn, that was stupid. He could have been a crazy stalker.

  “Yes, I did that,” I admit reluctantly. “Sometimes I don’t want to be babysat Allie. You can’t blame me. I’ve been followed by bodyguards my entire life. Sometimes I want to be alone!”

  “Syd, I don’t blame you, but you’re being ridiculously stubborn! You can’t go out by yourself. It’s not safe, and you’re too recognizable. I can’t believe Drew let you go without protection.” Allie chastises me just like Leah did when I sent Bruce home from the coffee shop and insisted on walking home.

  “So who cares then? I don’t give a crap if they print that.” New Sydney doesn’t care, right? Except I do care, a lot. I fucking hate it, but I’m not going to admit my weakness to Allie, especially after she helped me try to get over it in London. Clearly, I still have a long way to go to put my shit behind me. “Anyway, I don’t need Drew’s permission to go out either!”

  “It would kill him if anything else happened
to you Sydney!”

  She’s right, of course. I was being selfish, thinking only of myself. Drew would be devastated if I got hurt again because of something as stupid as going out alone.

  “It also says you and Drew had a big argument last night in the hotel restaurant and that he was spotted out at a bar, pissed off and drinking afterwards. They’re making it sound like you’re running all over town disregarding his feelings and hooking up with his co-star and that you drove him to drown his sorrows in alcohol.”

  “You know that’s a bunch of lies, Allie.” Except maybe the part about running all over town, disregarding his feelings about me being without a bodyguard.

  “I know you guys are engaged.” she tells me, slipping it into the conversation when I wasn’t expecting it.

  Shocked and caught off guard, I can’t lie to her and deny it. She’s like a sister to me. “You do?”

  “Drew told me his plans when we were in London. Remember when he came to my bedroom to apologize for being an ass about Dex?”

  “Yes,” I tell her, recalling how I came into Allie’s room expecting them to be at each other’s throats and found them smiling and happy instead. That’s what they were talking about?

  “That’s when he asked me if I thought you would be okay with a proposal at a baseball field,” she giggles.

  “Actually, the engagement is what we were arguing about last night. He wants to release an official statement about it and I want to stay under the radar and keep it out of the news.”

  “That sounds just like Drew. He always was the go big or go home kind of guy. And he’s super territorial, Syd. He’d probably piss on you if it were socially acceptable,” she snorts. “That’s why he wants everyone to know.”

  She really does know him well. I exhale deeply. “Yeah, he is. You know me though, Allie. I can’t stomach that kind of media feeding frenzy. They’ll swarm us until they suck every last bit of life out of me and I’m curled up in a ball on the floor, rocking back and forth and sucking my thumb. I can’t do that, not now. I made all that progress in London, and it’s slipping away.”