Reluctantly Famous

by Heather Leigh

  “Drew? Syd? Are you guys still sleeping?”

  I push open the door to the dark suite. Apparently no one is awake yet.

  Grateful I don’t have to face Drew Forrester and his firing squad of overprotectiveness, I start to sneak off to my room.

  “I’m coming!” His voice rings out loud and clear from Sydney’s bedroom.

  Damn.

  The sounds of playful giggling and sheets rustling stop me dead in my tracks. “Ewwww, gross, are you guys in there doing it?” Dear God why would he answer me if they’re having sex? “No wait! Don’t tell me!” I cringe back and move towards my room.

  “Unfortunately, no. We aren’t doing it, Allie,” Drew says, right as he comes out of the bedroom, wearing only a pair of jeans.

  I roll my eyes at him. “Don’t bother getting dressed on my account, Drew.”

  “I should be asking you that. Where the fuck were you all night? You took off before the meeting with the agent then stayed out all fucking night! What the hell?”

  Christ, he’s so fucking high-handed.

  “I am twenty-five years-old, jerkoff! I don’t have to explain myself to you!” My anger at everything shitty happening in my life explodes on my idiot brother. I’m so pissed off that I’m literally shaking. But I’m not stupid, Drew isn’t someone you want to face when he’s angry, sort of like the Hulk. I quickly move through the kitchen, putting the table between myself and Drew, who looks livid enough to try and rip the table in half.

  Hulk indeed. All he needs are cutoff shorts.

  “You’re my sister and it’s my job to look out for you! So yeah, you do have to explain to me where the fuck you’ve been all night!”

  Over Drew’s shoulder, I see Sydney slip out of the bedroom. Her eyes fly back and forth between Drew and me, hesitant to get involved but probably worried enough to attempt it.

  “It’s none of your damn business where I was or who I was with!” I defiantly cross my arms over my chest, giving Drew the adult version of sticking my tongue out at him. For some reason I want to piss him off even more.

  It works, because my brother clutches at his hair, something he only does when he’s on the verge of losing his shit.

  “I don’t want you to have a fuckin’ reputation as another conquest, Allie! I’ll beat his fuckin’ face in! That shit’ll follow you around for the rest of your life! You wanna be the girl guys wanna fuck just because some movie stah had you!”

  I gasp from the slicing pain of his words, almost bent over from the agony. That was a low blow, even for Drew who pulls no punches when he wants to get his way. He doesn’t know details, but he sort of figured out what happened at B.C. For him to use that against me… it’s fucking cruel.

  “You’re an asshole.” Before I can cry in front of them, I go to my room and slam the door shut.

  “Shit, shit, shit…” The memories that I’ve tried to repress flood back, making me nauseous. I throw myself down on the bed, burying under the thick down comforter, using it as a shield to protect me from the pain. Unfortunately, you can’t escape your own mind, no matter how hard you try. That’s a lesson I learned all too well.

  Allie – then

  “This is a bad idea, Al.”

  I finish putting the last coat of mascara on my eyelashes, batting them in the mirror to see how they look.

  “Beth, you worry too much. It’s going to be fun. I mean, not everyone gets to go out with the star of the football team.”

  She moves out of my way as I grab my favorite pair of Manolo boots and shove my feet into them.

  “Allie, I just…”

  “Listen,” I snap, “you’ve been hounding me ever since people found out about my brother. I’m having a great time. I always have to live in his shadow. Here, I’m the one everyone wants. Me. I’m going to have fun and live it up while I can. Be my friend or don’t, it’s up to you. Just stop fucking killing my fun!”

  Beth flinches back as if I slapped her. The wounded look on her face nearly has me apologizing. Nearly. I grab my coat and purse and stalk out of the room without saying another word.

  “Hi Troy.” Ever the gentleman, Troy opens the car door for me, helping me up into his tall SUV before going around to get in behind the wheel.

  “Allie, you look gorgeous.” Troy smiles. He’s all wholesome good looks and tousled blond hair. “I was so glad you finally agreed to go out with me.”

  “Well, I figured since you were persistent enough, you deserved a break.” He asked me every day for over a week before I finally relented during a party at his teammate’s place.

  Troy grins over at me, his blue eyes burning with something I can’t quite put my finger on. I shiver as a chill ripples down my spine.

  “Cold?” Troy asks as he maneuvers the large vehicle onto the road.

  “Yeah,” I say with a weak smile, “well it is November in Boston.”

  We chat about useless stuff for the thirty-minute ride to the restaurant. Troy mostly talks about himself, since it’s football season and all. He pulls up in front of an upscale place that I’ve been to before with Drew and my parents.

  “The Chart House?” I’m surprised that a student can afford a place like this. He’s really going all out to impress me.

  Troy gives his keys to the valet. “You’re worth it, Allie. I wanted to do something special.”

  He flashes that perfect smile again, making my insides turn to mush. He’s really freaking hot, tall, fit, beautiful face… I can’t believe I get to look at that all night.

  We have a great time at dinner. I tell him a few stories about growing up with Drew. He tells me about his two younger brothers who are still in high school. For some reason, they don’t card me for alcohol and I’m able to share the bottle of wine that Troy orders for us.

  “How come they don’t ask for my I.D.?”

  Troy laughs and puts his hand on top of mine. Liquid warmth spreads throughout my body, giving me a wonderful tingly feeling all over.

  “Because they know me. I’m famous around here.” His gaze bores into me, “You should know what that feels like, seeing who you are.”

  I’m about to protest, explain to him that people don’t know who I am. They know who my brother is, and since I never tell anyone about Drew, no one is the wiser. Then I remember that everyone on campus does know me now, I am famous… to them anyway.

  “You’re right, it’s pretty cool. Getting what you want just because of who you are.” I give Troy a coy smile. “I haven’t had to pay for Starbucks in a while. There’s always someone willing to give it to me for free.”

  Troy’s eyes darken. His beautiful smile turns into a sort of leer. “Yes, that’s exactly what I’m talking about.”

  I would have noticed that his words and his expression carried a hint of what was to come, but my judgment was impaired. I was too caught up in the attention, the feeling of being better than everyone else, the wine. Then the drink back at Troy’s apartment… God, I should have just said no to that drink.

  I wake up to the worst hangover I’ve ever had in my entire life. I barely make it to the trash can next to my bed before heaving into it for the next ten minutes.

  “Jesus, Al. Have fun last night?”

  Beth’s irritated voice slams into me like a fist to the face. God I was such a bitch to her.

  “I don’t know.” I pull the covers up over my head, ready to wallow in my misery when my roommate sits on the side of my bed.

  “What do you mean, you don’t know?” she snaps angrily. “I’ll tell you what happened. Troy had to bring you home and help you into bed. You were so fucking drunk, Al. You could barely stand.”

  Even though my brain feels as if it’s shattering in my skull, I try to go over the events of my date. I remember dinner, the ride to Troy’s apartment. He offered me a mixed drink that he said he perfected, then… nothing.

  “I don’t remember that. God, I must have had a lot to drink.”

  Beth gets up and leaves the room.
I hear her mutter, “Learn to limit yourself, Al,” as she shuts the door.

  Now that I’m awake, nature is calling, desperately. I sit up and am nearly blinded by the sharp pain in my head. Holy shit! This is a thousand times worse than any hangover I’ve ever had.

  After resting a moment to stop the room from spinning, I get up to use the bathroom. “Ugh.” My body hurts so badly, like I was battered and bruised in a boxing match.

  What the fuck did I do last night?

  When I sit to use the toilet, I wince in pain. My crotch is on fire. I dab the toilet paper carefully so as not to make it worse and notice blood.

  Oh God.

  I check my panties only to find more blood there. There’s a deep ache inside me, an unfamiliar ache. A safety lecture from freshman orientation rings familiar. A lecture about date rape drugs.

  Horrible hangover even if you didn’t drink a lot.

  Unable to account for a period of time.

  Feeling as though you had sex, but can’t remember it.

  Of all the ways I imagined losing my virginity, this wasn’t one of them.

  I’m barely able to turn around fast enough to throw up into the toilet right before I break down in tears.

  Chapter 7

  Declan – now

  I’m pretty sure I’m about to wrap up the strangest week of my life. Most of my time was spent with a gorgeous, intelligent, fascinating girl. We slept together every night, usually with my arms around her, but never had sex, not even a kiss. Countless hours were spent talking. I told her everything about myself and listened to her do the same, swapping stories until late at night or sometimes early in the morning.

  Allie and her friends finally figured out how the tabloids were recording their conversations. Fucking room service, who knew? On top of all that, I almost received a beat down from the Andrew Forrester.

  Like I said, strange.

  The ride to Heathrow is quiet. Allie has to head back to Boston for work. She’s nervous about how her coworkers will react to finding out she’s Drew’s sister. There were pictures in the article along with her name and where she lives, so there’s not much chance of hoping no one saw it. She wouldn’t tell me any details, but apparently some bad shit happened in college after a similar situation exposed her identity.

  “You know I want you to stay, right?”

  Allie turns her focus from the window to me, her green eyes shimmering with despair. It kills me to see her so broken. It’s so fucked up. It’s wrong in so many ways. “I wish I could say it’s going to be okay, but…”

  “I know.” Allie puts her hand over mine, threading our fingers together. “It’s not your battle to fight. I’m just glad you were here. I don’t think I would have made it through the week without you.”

  “Maybe you should tell Drew.” I don’t think her brother has a clue as to how broken his sister really is.

  “No.” Her voice is firm, unmovable. “He doesn’t need that shit in his life. Plus, honestly Dex? His solution would be to either offer me a job so I can be near him all the time and he can ‘protect’ me…” She makes little air quotes and rolls her eyes at the word protect.

  I smile. Glad she can still joke around. It means that fiery personality is still in there somewhere.

  “Or,” Allie continues, “he’d want to storm the hospital and personally threaten every single person who even twitches the wrong way in my presence. Nuh-uh. Drew is better off not knowing anything. He thinks I’m strong and I like it that way. It gives him peace of mind.”

  “You are strong,” I whisper, our eyes still locked.

  Allie’s gaze drops to my mouth, then flicks back up. A rush of emotions floods me, urging me into action. I can’t let her go without at least a small taste of how amazing I know we’d be together.

  I tilt my head slightly and lean in, my lips brushing across hers in a gentle kiss. She moans softly, shifting so she’s facing me on the seat. When her lips part, I dive in, sweeping my tongue over any available surface, reveling in the taste and feel of her.

  It goes on and on. Our teeth clash as we greedily try to get enough before we have to stop. I slide an arm around her back and pull her onto my lap. Allie grinds instinctively, searching out that delicious friction we both crave. Her hand ends up in my hair, tugging and petting and I relish every single second.

  Too soon, the car stops in front of the departures terminal at the airport.

  “I have to go,” she murmurs. I devour her words, needing one last kiss, one more taste.

  Finally, we separate, our foreheads pressed together as we catch our breath. “Call me?”

  “Yes. Let me know if you can come to Boston.” The fundraising ball for her brother’s charity, I’ll move mountains to make sure I’m there.

  “I will. I’ll miss you.” I put it out there, raw and unrestrained. I’d regret anything less if I can have a chance with her.

  “Me too. You’re…” Allie sniffs, her eyes getting watery. “I’ve never met someone like you.”

  “Me either.” I want to help her out, carry her bags inside, but we decided that with all of the press and the insane paparazzi presence at Heathrow, I would stay in the car. Our driver opens the door, waiting for Allie to exit.

  One last quick brush of our mouths and she’s gone.

  Allie – then

  “Mom, just go away, okay?”

  I can hear the loud sigh from the other side of my bedroom door. Hmph, it doesn’t even feel like my bedroom. Drew made us move this past summer, right before I left for college, when his fans wouldn’t stop ringing the doorbell of our old townhome. He said it wasn’t safe. That a deranged lunatic could be waiting on the other side of the door, that people would use us or try to get near us however they could.

  I should have listened, but I was too busy thinking Drew was full of shit.

  “Will you at least come down for dinner?”

  Jesus, she’s going to give me the five-star guilt treatment. Granted, all I’ve wanted to do since I got home from school last week is hide in my room and cry.

  “Fine. Just tell me when it’s ready.”

  I snuggle back down under my covers and pretend that my life isn’t falling apart. The buzz of my phone interrupts my sulking.

  Beth

  My roommate is the only person who knows what happened with Troy. She found me sobbing on the floor of our bathroom and sat with me until I was calm enough to speak. I couldn’t manage to tell her everything, but she got the point, and damn was she pissed.

  Me

  Beth

  Beth doesn’t realize that he’s already won. My trust is zero, my faith has been wiped out, and I never, ever want anyone to know who my brother is again. Besides, Beth is still pissed that I didn’t press charges, but with everyone knowing who he was and me being who I am, the story would have made national headlines. There was no way I was doing that.

  Me

  I turn my phone off and shove it under my pillow. There’s no way I can deal with all that shit right now. I’ve already applied to a pharmacy school nearby. If I get in, I’ll live at home, go to class, and study. No friends, no socializing, no worries. And no men.

  A soft knock on my door wakes me out of a light sleep. “Allie, dinner’s ready.” My dad sounds kind of sad, not the loud, happy guy he usually is.

  With a groan, I get up and trudge down the stairs to a dinner I don’t want to eat, just to make my mom happy. The powerful scent of my mom’s special baked ziti fills the hall. I hear voices in the huge kitchen. One in particular sounds angry, the volume getting louder and louder.

  Fuck, Drew’s here? They must have called him, told him I won’t leave my room and won’t go back to B.C. This is going to be so awful. I can’t deal with Drew’s overbearing bullshit right now. I can’t even deal with my own bullshit right now.

  The discussion comes to an abrupt halt the second I
step into the room. Flashbacks from school send a shiver down my spine.

  “Are you cold?” Drew hurries over and wraps me up in a big, warm hug.

  “No.” I let him do his thing. His near obsessive need to take care of others when they’re hurting has been a part of him for so long, I’ve given up on questioning it anymore.

  “Let’s eat.” Mom starts dishing out food onto big plates. I pull away from Drew to take my seat, but he doesn’t loosen his hold.

  “Drew…” I can’t do this right now.

  “Allie, please…”

  “Not now. I want to eat, okay?”

  Drew presses his mouth into a tight line. I recognize the expression well. It’s his ‘I don’t have to like it, and I’ll make you do what I want later anyway’ look. He lets me go, so we can have dinner.

  Thankfully, Mom and Dad drill Drew with questions about his newest movie, which has been talked about as an Oscar contender for awards season. My good luck only lasts until dessert.

  “Allie, Mom said you’re not going back to B.C. next semester, is that true?”

  Seriously, if looks could kill, my brother would be dead right now. “Mom, I asked you not to say anything.” I know I sound whiney and petulant, but I could care less.

  “We just care about you dear.”

  I want to yell at my mom, to sneer and tell her to back off. My family really does mean well, though. I’m lucky to have people who give a shit.

  “I know, Mom. I just… B.C. wasn’t a good fit for me, okay?” I practically choke on the tears that threaten to fall. Somehow, I manage to hold them back, but barely. A ripple of guilt shudders down my body, starting on my scalp, raising every single hair until it hits my toes. I should tell them, lean on them, use the support they’re offering. But I won’t. My pain shouldn’t be their burden, especially Drew. He would outright kill Tony White, no doubt in my mind. I much prefer my brother out of jail.