by J. L. Ostle
“Is he dead?” I sob out. “Is he dead?” I cry out harder. “We had our second chance, this was our second chance.” My voice is quivering. “Our second chance,” I breathe before darkness takes me over.
I got checked out in the hospital and with just a few bruises, I am going to be okay, but it’s not me I’m worried about. We are all in the waiting room, waiting for news on Colin. Because he was knocked over the head, he had to get a C.T. scan to see if there are any internal damages.
Mom is holding me as I look over to Xander who is pacing up and down. He saved my life. If he was two seconds too late, I would have been raped. I know I would be sitting here feeling completely different than I do now.
I am still in shock by the whole thing, but I hold onto the fact that he didn’t go any further. We were told reporters are swarming the front doors, the leeches. They want to know what happened, and soon we will have to tell them.
My eyes are getting heavy when I hear a cough and I look up to see two detectives giving me concerned looks.
“I am so sorry for what happened, but we need to ask you a few questions,” The one with light brown hair and brown eyes says.
“Can’t this wait until tomorrow?” Mom asks.
“Mom, it’s okay. If I talk now, the sooner they can throw the book at that sicko.” The two detectives sit.
“I’m Detective Morse and this is Detective Gilmore.” I look to the other detective and he looks older than the other, more rounded in the middle area. “I need you to tell me what happened.”
I nod. “I’ve been getting letters and flowers for the past few months but thought nothing of it. Thought it was a huge fan, but it started to get worse.” I pause. “They were getting into my changing rooms, my home. Taking pictures of me as I slept.”
“We did inform the police,” Xander interrupts. “But nothing could be done.” The detective looks to him then back to me.
“Xander asked Colin to be my new bodyguard because of it. But it didn’t stop. More photos were taken, more flowers.”
“You had more pictures?” Xander asks me.
“Yes,” I whisper.
“What were in the pictures?” Detective Gilmore asks me.
“Of me and Colin being intimate,” I say, feeling my cheeks heat up.
“Your bodyguard?” he asks and I nod.
“He was my boyfriend back in school, we just got back together yesterday, I think that’s what put Danny over the edge.”
“Danny Sullivan?” He asks, writing it down.
“He went to school with us, I never really knew him, other than he was friends with Colin. Well, I thought they were friends, but he told me that he started getting feelings for me back then and that he has watched me ever since.”
“Stalked you?”
“Yes. He is the one that got me all the gigs through college, he is the one that helped the band get signed.” Mom gasps.
“He did what?” Xander yells.
“His uncle is the guy who signed us on.” Xander pulls his hair and starts pacing again.
“What happened at the house?” I feel tears prickle my eyes.
“I was in my changing room getting ready to go home when he comes in saying he’s waiting for Colin. We start talking, then it clicks that it was him sending all the photos and before I had time to react, he grabbed me and everything went dark. I woke up tied up on my bed. He was telling me how much he loved me that I was his.” I press my hands to my mouth.
“It’s okay, take your time, sweetie,” Mom says softly.
“I heard Colin come into the house, but he gagged me so I couldn’t warn him. I watched Danny hit his head with a statue and he fell to the floor.” I start to cry. “He didn’t move. I saw the blood.” Tears flow down my cheeks.
“Danny started to touch me, telling me that I will soon feel what he feels. He was touching my breasts, kissing my stomach, his face was down here.” I try and control my breathing. “He said how good I smelled. When I saw him start to undo his belt, I started to panic and the ties around my wrists got loose and I got free and hit him as hard as I could, giving me enough time to get away. I got to Colin but still nothing. I tried to get help.”
I look to Xander. “I had to get help. I heard Danny behind me and he jumped on me, causing us both to tumble down the stairs. He hit me hard a couple of times across the head. My whole body started to feel weak.
I watched as he unzipped himself, he used his fingers.” My whole body starts to tremble, remembering it all. “I felt him at my entrance. I thought I was going to be raped, right there on the floor, then he was pulled off me by Xander.” I feel Mom cry against me as she holds me.
“I am so sorry you had to go through all that.”
“What happens now?” Xander asks.
“We will get a statement from Colin when he wakes, but with all the evidence stacked up against him, Danny will be locked away for a very long time.
“Thank God,” Mom whispers.
“Thank you for your time, Miss Bennett, and again, sorry for what has happened.” I watch both detectives stand.
Hours have gone by and we haven’t heard a thing. My heart is hammering against my chest. I just need someone to tell me he is okay. When I see a doctor walk towards us, I run over to him. “How is he?” I ask frantically.
“He’s doing good. The scans came back clear, no brain trauma. Just a very large bump. He’s going to feel that for a while, but nothing serious. He has to try and stay awake for the next twelve hours, so you have to keep an eye on him. It’s just a precaution.” I sigh in relief.
“Can we go see him?”
“Sure, he’s been asking for you anyway. Stubborn young man.” I can’t help but laugh.
“Yeah, he is.” But he is my stubborn man.
When we get to Colin’s room, he is sitting up on the bed. He smiles when he sees me. I run over to him, laying my body over his. Tears once again flowing.
“Hey, why are you crying? I’m fine,” Colin says, stroking my hair.
“I thought I lost you when I saw you on the floor, not moving, I felt my whole world crumble away.” I sniff.
“Shhh, I’m ok, we are okay. I’m just sorry I didn’t help.”
“You came for me. You almost died to save me.” I start to cry again and he pulls me in close to him.
“Thank you, Colin. For everything,” Mom says from behind me.
“I didn’t do anything. It was Dad that saved the day, I hear.” I look to Xander and tears are in his eyes.
“When I saw you on the floor, all the blood. I thought I lost you, I thought I lost my son. The last time we talked…” He stops.
“Dad, it’s okay. I’m fine. I get where you were coming from, but I love her, nothing is going to stop me from being with her.”
“I know. I’m just happy you are okay.” Colin looks to me and touches the bruises on my face.
“I love you, Sasha Bennett,” he says softly.
“I love you, Colin Baxter.” I lean forward and press my lips to his.
Colin
1 year later
I look around the set, not believing that I am on the Ellen DeGeneres Show. I look to Sasha and she is sitting there smiling, looking calm. I entwine her fingers with mine, lifting her hand to my mouth, kissing her knuckles, and she smiles brightly at me.
I am so lucky to have her.
The past year hasn’t been easy; a lot of bad press went out about us being together. It went all over the media, especially social media. People gave their opinions, and trust me, some were nasty and repulsive.
A few acted like we grew up together as children under the same roof, but we stuck it out. Not letting them get to us.
Sasha had a press conference not long after I left the hospital, telling her side of the story of what happened. She talked about Danny and how he was her stalker, but it led to her telling the world about me also.
She said she loved me back in school and that she is still very much in l
ove with me now. The news spread like wildfire: Upcoming rockstar, sleeping with her stepbrother.
Sasha and the band did a ton of interviews to get the story straight.
The news was all about us and not the ordeal Sasha had to go through with Danny. They just wanted to know more about our relationship, which I found appalling.
Danny got sentenced to twenty-three years. He should have got life in my opinion. But because there is no true evidence of an actual rape, he got fucking forty-three years. Least he will be old and lost most of his life behind bars, where he should be. I still find myself to blame at times.
He was supposed to be my friend, and he grew a fascination with Sasha.
I watch as Ellen starts talking and shakes both of our hands, introducing us to the audience and my palms start to sweat. I don’t know why I’m so nervous. I shouldn’t be this nervous.
We met Ellen prior to the show and I swear she is now my new best friend; she is so funny and down to earth.
“Sasha and Colin, thank you for joining us today.” Ellen smiles to us both.
“We are so honored to be on the show.” Sasha smiles to her.
“You have had one busy year.”
“I definitely have.” Sasha chuckles.
“You just finished your tour, your second album has gone platinum, you got stalked by an old high school classmate, and you are in a relationship with your stepbrother. Anything I left out?” Ellen teases, and we both laugh.
“Nope, I think you got it all.” Sasha continues to laugh.
“I read and saw about how you both met.” She looks to us both. “Your life definitely has been interesting, so tell everyone who doesn’t know your story.” Sasha looks to me and then back to Ellen.
“Well, back in high school, I was the music nerd.”
“Which I still hate you being known as,” I interrupt her and she rolls her eyes.
“Colin here was the star quarterback. One of the most popular guys at school. I had a huge crush on him while I was growing up and didn’t realize that he had a little crush on me, too.” She chuckles. “Colin was going to get kicked out of school and to stop that, he had to join the talent show I was working on, and trust me, I wasn’t happy at the time.”
“Why weren’t you happy?” Ellen asks her.
“He was a jock, he flew through that school and I didn't want him to think he would get away with the same treatment towards me. But without me knowing, he and his friends made a bet to see how far he could get with me.” A few boos go off in the audience.
“I was a kid, it was peer pressure,” I try and defend myself.
“So, that’s how he started talking to me, we kind of clicked right away. A spark that I can never explain. Every time I was around him, even now, this pull to be with him is just always there. He stopped the bet, but I did find out about it, which I wasn’t happy with.” She gives me a look.
“You really were a bad boy,” Ellen jokingly scolds me.
“I forgave him of course; we loved each other, so how could I not? But then we find out our parents were set to get married so we ended it. We wanted our parents to be happy.”
“You gave up your love for your parents.” The crowd awes.
“It was hard, don’t get me wrong, when I thought there was a chance of us still being together, and then it didn’t happen. We graduated from school and lost touch for years. He became a pro footballer as I went through college, trying to get as many gigs as I could, as well as working my ass off through assignments.”
“But he came back into your life?”
“He did.” She smiles to me. “Unfortunately, an injury that happened to Colin stopped him playing pro and he became my new bodyguard since I was receiving letters, flowers in my home, and dressing rooms, but it was the photos of me sleeping that made things real.”
“That must have been so scary.”
“I don’t think I really took the seriousness of it until some photos were taken of me and Colin being intimate. I knew Colin would keep me safe so I just continued without worry until that point.”
“Did you and Colin get along while he was your bodyguard?” We both burst out laughing.
“She was a real piece of work, Ellen, so stubborn.”
“What about you?” She pushes me. “You were a jerk, too.”
“Only because you were the B word.” I make sure not to swear. She shakes her head at me.
“So, it wasn’t all rainbows?” Ellen laughs.
“Nope, it even took us arguing, again, until we realized that we needed each other and that we both still wanted each other.”
“What about your parents? What did they think when they found out?”
Sasha looks to me. “Sasha’s Mom, Marie, was amazing. She accepted us right away.”
“But your father?”
“It took him some time, but he knows that I love her and that she loves me.”
“I am happy that you both found each other again, even under bad circumstances, you both get my full support.”
“Thank you, Ellen.” We both say at the same time.
“Colin, though, has asked me for a simple request, which I am allowing.” Ellen smiles to me and Sasha turns to face me, looking confused. She watches me stand, then I go down on one knee and she covers her mouth with her hand. A wall moves behind me with Karen, Leo, and Brady playing Leanne Rhymes ‘Right Kind of Wrong’. The song Sasha sang for me.
“Colin,” Sasha breathes as I take her right hand.
“Sasha Bennett, you are everything I ever wanted in a woman. You are funny, sweet, kind, and you keep me on my toes.” She chuckles. “You never stopped loving me, you kept fighting for us, even though I kept pushing you away. The years I spent apart from you are my biggest regrets. I never want to be away from you, I love you with all my heart. You own me, you always will. Please, be my wife.” I take the ring box from my pocket, opening it up, and watch her face light up, tears in her eyes as she smiles at me, making everything worth it.
“God, woman, tell him yes,” Ellen yells, causing us all to laugh.
“Yes, yes, yes,” Sasha says repeatedly. I place the ring on her finger before standing up, helping her up so I can lay the gentlest kiss on her lips.
“I love you, Sasha.”
“I love you, Colin, so much.”
Read on for the first two chapters of
Seduced by a Rockstar
Excerpt - Seduced by a Rockstar - Chapter 1
“U.G.L.Y. You ain’t got no alibi, you ugly,” my mum and I sing out from the top our lungs.
“What, what?” my mum raps, and we join in together on the last word, ‘“ugly’.” We chuckle as we look out the window. It seems like we are slowing down. I look at the moving van in front of us and yup, we are parking up.
I guess this is it.
“It doesn’t look so bad.”
I lean forward, eyeing up the building that is going to be my new home. We are moving into an apartment complex until we find a house of our own. I miss my old house. It was my childhood home. I have been in that house since I was six. But I guess it’s now tarnished with bad memories.
“It looks posh. Maybe it’s too posh for us,” I try to joke, and my mum scoffs at me.
“We can be posh.”
I roll my eyes. We park the car and I get out, leaning against it as I really take everything in. I’m glad we are finally here. We stopped at my ’aunt’s—my mum’s sister—for the last two weeks, and living out of a suitcase wasn’t ideal. Especially when sharing an airbed; my body is aching to sleep on a proper mattress.
I was just happy when all our furniture arrived and we booked the moving van to take us away. I love my aunt, but it’s my chirpy cousin that I can only take so much of. She was away for the summer with her friends but she came back, and the last four days were getting to be too much.
“Let’s go take a look at our new home.” My mum smiles warmly at me and I smile back as we walk side by side while the mov
ers start sorting out our furniture.
I watch as my mum unlocks the front door of the building and we walk inside. Thank God, it’s clean. Dark grey covers the walls and floors. I see stairs and an elevator in front of us and we decide to take the easy route. I press the third floor and watch the numbers change on the dial. When the doors open, I see one door ahead of us and mum lets us in. I walk in first, taking in my surroundings. It’s bare for now until we unpack, but it’s clean and spacious.
I head to the bedrooms and one is massive with an en-suite, so I’m guessing that will be my mum’s. I walk to the next door and see that it’s a bathroom. Everything in here is pearl white, and I am just happy that there is a separate bath and shower. I notice all the flooring around the place is laminated, which should make it easy to keep clean. It’s a sunny day and the sun is shining through the windows, making the place seem bright and cheerful. I get to the last door knowing it’s my room; I’m happy that it isn’t the size of a closest.
Mum did say it was a double room, but I know people exaggerate when they advertise a double—it’s normally a single size but luckily this isn’t. I can already sense where I’m going to put all my stuff. So far this isn’t so bad. I take out my phone and Snapchat a picture of it and send it to my friends.
God, I miss them already.
I hated that I had to leave them, but we promised to Snapchat and FaceTime every chance we get.
For the next couple of hours, the movers start bringing things in while Mum and I get to work. We made sure everything was labelled on the boxes so we’d know which box would belong where. I start unpacking in the kitchen first as I need my tea fix, and I know my mum will want her coffee fix soon too.
When it comes to our looks we are very similar—long brown hair, chocolate brown eyes, with a decent figure. I am a size ten but I hate my stomach. I promised myself I’m going to start running and try to get the same figure my cousin has. I don’t think I’m ugly, but when standing next to my perfect blonde, model look-alike cousin, you start to feel dumpy, but one thing I have that she hasn’t though, is good-sized breasts. She went on and on about my D cup and complaining about her B cup. She said it was unfair and I wanted to pull her hair and drag her to the mirror and point to her face then to mine and say how is this fair? I look average and she looks like a celebrity.