by Ann Lister
Ben saw the flashing blue lights before he heard the car door and nuzzled Sydney's ear again. “Don't panic, but we have company.”
“Do you have an I.D., sir?” the police officer asked Ben, illuminating them with the beam from his flash light.
“Yes. It's in my back pocket,” Ben said, and slowly reached around to retrieve his wallet.
Sydney stepped away from Ben.
“What about the lady? Does she have some identification?” the officer asked.
Sydney glanced up at Ben; fear creased her brow.
“My license is on this chain,” she said to Ben, and lifted her press pass credentials from where they hung around her neck and handed everything to Ben.
“What's your business here?” the cop asked Ben, taking their identification to inspect.
“I was showing my girlfriend the view,” Ben said.
“Anyone else in the vehicle?”
“We're alone,” Ben said.
“Move along,” the cop said, handing the licenses back to Ben.
Ben waited until he heard the door to the cruiser slam shut and then smiled at Sydney. “Well, I guess our sightseeing is over for tonight,” he said. He reached for her hand and directed her toward the truck and began driving down the hill.
“Thank you for taking me up there, Ben. It was really beautiful,” Sydney said.
“Thank you for the kiss,” he smiled.
The truck fell to silence as they headed toward the hotel, leaving Ben to wonder what she was thinking.
“You're awfully quiet, Syd, and that always makes me nervous.”
She looked at him and smiled weakly. “You told the cop I was your girlfriend.”
Ben reached for her hand and set it on his thigh. “It feels that way to me,” he said. “Don't you want to be my girlfriend?”
He pulled the truck in front of the hotel lobby door and parked. A valet attendant ran over to Ben‘s window.
“Do you want this parked, Mr. Gallo?” the man asked.
Ben opened his window. “Give me a minute,” he said, then he reached for Sydney who was already exiting the vehicle and grabbing her camera equipment from the back seat.
“You didn't answer my question,” he called to her.
He followed her into the lobby, but was sidetracked by several fans looking for autographs. He sighed heavily and watched Sydney disappear into an elevator, leaving him behind. He politely signed his name and posed for several photographs, then finally stepped into an elevator. Several minutes later, he was knocking on Sydney's door.
“You didn't wait for me,” he said with a smile.
“Well, they weren't looking for my autograph,” she said.
She let him inside her room and shut the door. He quickly pulled her against him. His mouth connected with hers and the flames between them ignited again. The level of intimacy between them was overwhelming to Sydney.
“Would you like me to stay?” Ben asked in a hushed tone, his hands pressing her against him.
Sydney shook her head. “Not tonight. I still have a lot of work to do.”
He studied her expression and nodded. She looked nervous and he understood why, but that wasn't going to make it any easier to go back to his room alone.
“I understand,” he said, and reached for the door knob. “I'll see you tomorrow. Two o'clock.”
Five minutes later, her cell phone was ringing.
“Miss me?” Ben asked.
“You just left!”
“I know, and I realized I left without an answer to my question.”
“Are you still in the hall outside my door?”
“I'm just about to enter my room. Why? Do you want me to come back?”
“Ben!”
Suddenly, the sound of two women giggling came through the phone and Sydney froze, the smile quickly fading from her face.
“How the hell did you two get in here?” Ben asked, addressing the women in his bedroom.
“Simon told us to wait in here for you.”
“Sydney, I've got a situation here I have to deal with,” he said. “I'll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Of course,” Sydney said. The heat inside her felt like it pitched several degrees in a matter of seconds.
She hung up her phone and sat down on the end of the bed. She couldn't help but wonder what Ben was going to do with the women. Would he ask them to leave or would they be invited to stay? She buried herself in work for several hours, then went to bed; falling into a fitful sleep.
The next morning she took her time getting ready. She wasn't looking forward to seeing Ben and did everything she could to stall their meeting. By the time she arrived in the hotel lobby, she was twenty minutes late. Big Mike met her as she got off the elevator and hurried her outside to the waiting limousine.
“You're late,” Ben said, a magnificent smile lighting his face.
“I over-slept,” she lied, and purposely avoided his eyes.
He moved closer to her and attempted a kiss, but Sydney turned her head away.
“What's wrong, Syd?”
“Nothing,” she replied, unnecessarily shuffling things around in her camera bag and still refusing to make eye contact with him. “Where's the rest of your band?”
“I sent them along in the van.” He reached for her hand. “Talk to me. It's obvious you're upset about something.”
“Did you sleep well last night?” she asked, finally looking at him.
“I guess so. Why?”
Sydney moved away. “I heard the girls in your room last night,” she said.
Ben winced like he had been slapped. “Please, don't tell me you're assuming I slept with them?”
“It doesn't matter.”
Ben dropped her hand and slid toward the opposite side of the car.
“Wow,” he sighed, shaking his head in disappointment. “I was kissing you last night, Sydney. Why the hell would I go back to my room after that and sleep with someone else? What kind of asshole do you think I am?”
Sydney looked at him. She could clearly see the anger set in his jaw and immediately regretted her accusation. “I don't think you're an asshole,” she said quietly.
“Well, thank God for that! I feel so much better now.”
A long pause filled the car.
“I guess I over-reacted,” Sydney said.
“You guess?”
“Okay. I did over-react. I was wrong.”
Ben tipped his head toward her. “I'm not like the other musicians you're used to dealing with, Sydney. I thought you had finally seen that for yourself. So much for trust.”
She turned away and looked out the window. Ben sat motionless beside her. The tension in the car was unnerving. Sydney was wishing she could get out and take a different vehicle to the arena. Finally, Ben began to fidget with nervous energy.
“I've been told we have a bus-load of contest winners coming tonight for a meet ‘n’ greet before the show. There will also be a lot of VIP's arriving for a pre-show party,” he said quietly. “I'm not sure of the exact schedule for everything yet, but we'll want you to take photos of all of it.”
“That's what I'm here for, isn't it?”
Ben ignored her sarcasm and turned away. He remained silent until he saw the exit sign for the venue approaching on the side of the freeway.
“I'm sorry I raised my voice, Sydney, but I don't like being accused of things I didn't do.” He took her hand and entwined his fingers with hers. “If anyone is going to share my bed, it's going to be you. I'm not interested in anyone else - especially girls that Simon has set-up for me.”
“So, what happened?” she asked.
“I sent them back to Simon's room - where they belonged.”
Sydney dropped her gaze to their clasped hands and smiled. She was relieved to hear his words and sad that she had jumped to conclusions that weren't true.
“I'm sorry, Ben.”
He squeezed her hand and nodded. “I'm sorry, too, because I thought yo
u understood my feelings, or maybe it has more to do with your reluctance to want to believe it. Which do you think it is?”
“I don't know.”
“Sydney, when I emotionally commit to a woman, I take it very seriously and kissing you last night sealed the deal for me,” he said. “And, I'm really hoping you feel the same way. I wasn't joking last night when I asked if you wanted to be my girlfriend and you still haven't given me an answer.”
“You're very old fashioned.”
“I was raised to respect women.”
“Your brother sure doesn't share the same values.”
Ben shrugged. “Simon is his own man. I'm not his judge or jury. What he chooses to do with his down-time is his business - until it involves me.”
Ben slid across the seat toward Sydney and pressed his shoulder against hers. “So, what do you say? Are you interested in being my girlfriend?”
“Yes, I think I am.”
Ben dropped his head to the back of the leather seat and exhaled loudly. “Finally, the woman gives me an answer!”
Sydney rolled her head against his shoulder and smiled. She felt Ben kiss the top of her head, then angled herself to see his face. His eyes quickly met hers and held. His expression turned serious. He nuzzled his nose against hers and brushed her lips with his.
“You know I'm crazy about you, right?” he asked.
“I like you, too, and that's not easy for me to admit.”
“I know and that's why it means so much to hear you say it.”
Ben kissed her again, painfully slow and thoroughly. He didn't stop until the car pulled to the curb outside the back door of the arena.
“Are you ready?” he asked. He grabbed her camera bag and stepped from the car.
Sydney walked with Ben into the building. He kept his free hand positioned at the small of her back. It was an intimate gesture that caused more than a handful of people to notice and made Sydney feel uneasy.
Laura met them in the hallway. Her eyes immediately dropped to Ben's hand on Sydney's waist.
“I know, Laura. We're late,” Ben said.
“You're not that late,” Laura said, and flipped through the pages on her clip board.
“Last show in L.A., then we get a change of scenery,” Ben said.
“I have a few schedule changes to run by you,” Laura said.
“What are they?” Ben asked.
“Billy Iris is here early. Something about a previous commitment he couldn't reschedule. He wants to see you now instead of later.”
“That's fine. Where is he?” Ben asked.
“He's waiting for you in the small press room,” Laura said.
Ben nodded. “I'll go see him first before I change.”
When he finally turned his attention to Sydney, he realized she had drifted down the hall in the opposite direction toward the exit. He took two quick steps and caught up to her.
“Where are you going?”
“I can't stay here,” Sydney said.
“Are you sick?” he asked, his hand cupped her elbow.
“I'll give Peggy a call. She can shoot the show,” she said, and pulled away from him. In seconds, she was at the door.
“Sydney! What's going on?” he asked, trying to catch her before she slipped from the building.
He grabbed her by the arm and pressed her up against the wall beside the door. When her eyes finally met his, he saw panic masking her face and she began to tremble. He embraced her and buried his face against the warmth of her neck.
“Talk to me.”
“I can't. I have to go,” Sydney pleaded. Tears began to trickle down her cheeks.
He looked at her again and suddenly it hit him.
“It's Billy Iris, isn't it?” he asked, wiping the tears from her face. “He's the one that attacked you.”
“Ben, please, let me go,” she said. She pushed him away and ran through the exit door.
He caught her by the hand again and stopped her.
“Sydney, I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I'll have Mike take you to my bus. You can wait there and I'll go inside and ask the prick to leave. Okay?” Sydney struggled in his arms.
“I'm sorry, Ben, but I can't stay.”
Ben yelled to Mike. “Take Sydney to my bus. Do not let her off that bus and don't let anyone on with her. Okay?”
Mike nodded and Ben turned to Sydney. He held her face in his hands.
“Please, Syd, go with Mike so I know you're safe and I'll go take care of Billy.” He wiped the tears off her cheek. “I won't let anyone hurt you. I promise.”
Ben took Sydney's hand and tugged her toward Mike. “Take care of her and I'll be right back,” he said to Mike, and disappeared inside the building.
Ben quickly made his way down the hall and found the small press room, then stood in the doorway. His band members were scattered around the room. Billy Iris was standing in the corner swapping war stories from the music business with Simon. He watched their interaction briefly, as rage began creeping through his veins. Seeing Billy's smug smile made something inside Ben snap and without warning he lunged at Billy, punching him in the face. Billy hit the floor hard and the room went silent.
“What the fuck was that for?” Billy screamed at Ben.
As soon as Billy was on his feet, Ben slammed his fist into the side of Billy's face, sending the man crashing into a table.
“That's for Sydney!”
Billy staggered to his feet. “I would have been willing to forget the first hit, Gallo, but that second one is going to cost you,” Billy said, wiping the blood from his face on the back of his hand.
“You piece of shit!” Ben yelled, thrusting his fist toward Billy's face for a third attempt.
This time, Billy ducked and landed a punch above Ben's right eye, instantly drawing blood.
“You're a dead man, Gallo!” Billy shouted, his knuckles opening up the skin on Ben's cheek.
“Fuck you!” Ben screamed at Billy.
The two men hit the floor. Tables and chairs crashed around them as fists and feet attempted to find their intended targets. Several people in the room tried in vain to separate Billy and Ben. Finally, two police officers ran into the room and demanded both men stand.
“He attacked me and I want to press assault charges,” Billy shouted to the cops.
Blood dripped down the side of Ben's face, but he stood defiant and smiled at Billy.
“The time I spend in that holding cell will be worth it for what you did to Sydney,” he said. A cop clicked a set of handcuffs around Ben's wrist and tugged him from the room.
Sydney walked the floor of the bus like a caged animal. It was taking Ben too long to return and she was beginning to worry. Finally, Mike opened the side door to the bus and stuck his head inside.
“I just got word Ben was arrested for assaulting Billy Iris,” Mike said. “I'm leaving to go post his bail. You'll have to come with me.”
Sydney covered her mouth and turned toward her camera bags.
“Leave your equipment here and I'll lock the door,” Mike said.
Mike brought her to a waiting limousine and directed her into the backseat. Simon was already sitting inside, staring at her with his usual look of discontent.
“Would you like to explain why my brother would kick the shit out of a guy we've known for years and say he did it for you?” Simon asked.
“I don't know what you're talking about,” Sydney said. Her attention went to the people walking beside the car as they slowly made their way from the parking lot.
“I was there, Syd. Ben ran into the room, unprovoked, and started slamming his fists against Billy and he said he was doing it for you. So, I'm asking, why would my brother do that?”
Sydney's eyes focused on a tall, thin man as he approached a waiting limousine. The recognition was instant.
“Stop the car!” Sydney screamed to Mike.
Billy Iris and his body guard were at their car preparing to leave.
; “Stop, Mike! Stop the car!”
Before the forward motion of the car had halted, Sydney had jumped from the car and darted toward Billy.
“Billy Iris?” she asked.
“Who wants to know?” Billy asked, wiping blood from beneath his nose using the back of his hand.
Sydney took two cautious steps closer to Billy and stopped. Billy's body guard inched forward, too, taking a greater interest in Sydney's motives, as did Mike.
“You don't remember me, do you?” she asked.
Billy's eyes scanned Sydney from head to toe, then he shook his head.
“Sorry, darling, but I don't know who you are.”
“My name is Sydney Willows,” she said, and took another step toward Billy. “I was your tour photographer seven years ago. Is it ringing a bell now?” she asked. Anger was heating her from the inside out, her fists clenched beside her thighs.
Billy forced a smile. “Sorry, honey,” he said and opened the back door of his limousine. “I'm lucky if I can remember the details of last week, never mind seven years ago.”
“You don't remember holding me on your bus for three hours and…raping me?”
“Raping you?” Billy laughed at the thought. “Sweetheart, if you were on my bus for three hours, I'm guessing you were enjoying yourself as much as I must have been.”
His words sliced through her like a knife. The last ounce of control she had over her anger disappeared. Like a flash of light, she spun around on one foot and slammed her other foot into Billy's chest. The force sent Billy to the ground beside the car.
The bodyguard quickly jumped into action and sprang toward Sydney. She blocked his attempt to grab her arms, spun around for a second time, her foot making contact with the man's rib cage. The body guard fell against the bumper of a car and slumped to the pavement unconscious. The erupting fight caused several people in the parking lot to stop and take notice.
Behind her, Billy began to stand. Sydney stepped beside him and kicked him in the groin. Billy fell into a fetal position at her feet, groaning in agony. She looked down at his pathetic form and bent in closer.
“It would be in your better interest to drop the assault charges against Ben Gallo,” Sydney seethed through clenched teeth. “Because if you don't, I will hunt you down and I will kill you.”