“Molly, come here with me please.” He grabbed my hand and led me to a chair by his desk. Forget about me… who the hell is that bitch? He grabbed my face with his hands and lifted my chin up to look at him. “Are you hurt?” His eyes begged for an answer.
“I’m fine. I promise. I was just startled,” I answered quietly, embarrassed.
“I didn’t know you were stopping by for lunch. I have a lunch meeting, but can I see you for dinner?” he pleaded.
I nodded, hoping he would notice how uncomfortable I was. I handed him one of the sandwiches I bought and kissed him goodbye. Seeing him in there with another woman ate at me all afternoon. I could hardly function the rest of the day.
“What’s wrong with you?” Travis asked after watching me spill ingredients and drop utensils several times. I could barely focus on what I was doing.
“Nothing…sorry. I’m just super clumsy today. A lot on my mind I guess.” I shrugged, hoping he would just let it be.
After the day was over, I went to pick Stella up and walk her home. I needed a walk to clear my mind, so I offered Stella an ice cream treat before dinner.
“Ice cream?” Stella asked, shocked and confused.
“Yeah, why not?” I smiled.
“Awesome! Can I get bubble gum flavor with gummy bears on top?” she asked excitedly, like she knew exactly what she wanted.
“Of course you can, baby. Get whatever you want.”
I indulged in some peanut butter rocky road with marshmallow sauce. If one thing calmed my nerves, it was ice cream. For the next hour, Stella and I talked about her day. She bragged to all her little friends about going to the Shedd Aquarium with her boyfriend, Jacob. She sure had a great imagination.
Stella was so happy and innocent; it made me feel relaxed again. We walked hand-in-hand back to our apartment, smiling and giggling. The ice cream put Stella in a sugar coma, and she plummeted to the loveseat and turned on her cartoon network.
“What’s up, my lovely ladies?” Michael chimed in through the door, happy as a clam.
“Someone’s perky,” I smirked back. Michael was usually in this type of mood when he had gotten lucky the night before. He was definitely a man’s man.
“Damn right, girl. I have a-mazing news. You are looking at the next featured blogger for Quest Magazine!” He jumped up and down, clapping his hands like a child.
“Holy shit, Michael, that’s awesome!” I squeezed him tight. “We need to celebrate!”
“Chinese food and a glass of chardonnay are all I need.” He smiled. He was too easy to please sometimes.
I decided to call Drake to make sure he was still coming over tonight. I was hoping he liked Chinese food, too. It was one of my favorites.
“Hey baby, how are you?” he asked still obviously concerned about me.
“Great. Are you still coming tonight? Michael has some great news, and we’re celebrating with Chinese food and wine.”
“No, I’m so sorry, baby, I have to cancel. My lunch meeting ran short, and we rescheduled for tonight. I promise to make it up to you, okay?”
“Oh…..We’ll miss you,” I pouted slightly. Was red-haired bimbo part of his lunch and dinner meetings?
For the rest of the evening, Stella, Michael, and I chowed down on Chinese food and watched chick flicks. Drake and Travis were both on my mind. I tried to act casual about Travis sending me flowers, but deep inside I wondered if they had any hidden meaning behind them.
Knowing that Drake was probably in a dinner meeting with that redheaded skank ate me up inside. It was like she had fed off my embarrassment, just sitting there watching me wither. Drake hadn’t explained to me why she was there, or even introduce us. It made my mind flutter with worse case scenarios. Was that Kendra? Was she someone else from his past? How many women would come up from his previous relationships?
After Stella was tucked in for the night, I decided to take a bath to wind down. I didn’t want to be one of those clingy girlfriends calling their boyfriends all the time. It drove me crazy not knowing what he was doing, but I knew he was working and that I shouldn’t bother him. Still, I wondered.
I soaked in the tub for what felt like hours. The water had turned cold, and all the bubbles were gone, but I didn’t care; I could stay in here forever. Michael barged in without as much as a knock with my cell in his hand.
“Damn, girl. Your phone will not stop ringing. Drake has called five times and left three voicemails. He’s also texted you twice…” the phone beeped once again, “nope make that three times.” He looked annoyed that someone could call and text so much in just an hour or so. He left the phone on the counter and walked out.
I quickly dried off and grabbed for my phone. Before I could check any of my messages, the phone rang once again. It was Drake.
Before I could even answer, Drake was on the other line panicking. “Molly? Oh, thank God, you answered.” He sounded out of breath, as if he’d been running.
“Drake, what’s wrong? I was taking a bath and didn’t have my phone. Are you all right?” I was extremely worried now, hearing him panic like this.
“I’m almost to your apartment. We’ll talk in a few minutes,” he rushed and then hung up. I quickly dressed and waited for him to knock.
He barged in practically in a sweat from running all the way here. His face was flushed, and his cheeks were red from the chill in the air. He bent over to catch his breath before saying a word.
“Molly…the photos…were leaked…tomorrow…press… Kendra,” were the only words I could catch. He was panting so hard; I tried to figure out what he was saying.
Holy shit…Kendra leaked our photos out. That fucking bitch!
“Our photos were leaked to the press?” I panicked.
“Kendra came into my office today at lunch. She came to apologize for blackmailing you and to tell me all her files on her computer were stolen. She didn’t think anything of it until she received a letter. Everything in her files were going to go public if she didn’t give the person ten million dollars,” he paused, letting everything sink in. “She comes from a very wealthy family, Molly, but not even she can come up with ten million dollars in just a couple days’ time. They gave her until midnight tonight to come up with the money, and that’s why I have been busting my ass all night, trying to come up with a solution to protect those photos and files of whatever else she has.”
“So now the photos are going to be leaked to the press?” I questioned, trying to understand everything.
“It’s likely. If they can’t get the money from her, they’ll sell those photos and anything else they found in her files ,while making a huge ass out of me..” I grabbed him a glass of water, and he finally sat down.
“Why didn’t you bother telling me all this earlier? Now I have no time to prepare myself, mentally or emotionally. What the hell am I going to do?” I sat down slowly, trying to project what my life was going to be like after this incident. Blakely would never let this go, my teachers would all see them and suspect the worst, my parents would be humiliated, and the likelihood of getting a job after graduation would be slim. This could ruin me.
Ruin us.
CHAPTER 13
The next morning, I woke up totally exhausted. I hardly slept. I knew what today was going to turn into. Although my peers at my internship had already seen the photos, it was nothing compared to the whole world seeing them. How would I explain this to my parents? To Stella some day? This was complete and total humiliation.
Last night was a blur. Drake came over and shared the horrific news, and after that, it was as if I blacked out. A flash of what happened appeared in my mind…
“Molly…please, believe me. If I could change this, I would. But there is no way my family is going to buy off some moron with photos of us. It just lets others think they can get away blackmailing us too.” Drake was begging me to respond, to say anything. I was numb. I just sat there staring into space. I wanted to go curl up in a ball in a dark cave wher
e no one could find me. Unfortunately, I would have to get up and go to my internship tomorrow morning. This fucking sucks.
“Drake, you should go. I need some time to myself please,” I finally said.
“Molly, please. Don’t push me away. Don’t be mad,” he begged. “I love you.”
“How did you not know there were surveillance cameras in the kitchen? How could you let us get naked right in front of them?” I demanded.
“I know, Molly…it was careless of me. I don’t know…I was in the moment. You were there…I was there…it was like my head was somewhere else. I wanted you. And it just happened,” he explained. He looked so distraught and weak. It made my heart hurt at this whole situation.
* * *
I finally got out of bed to begin my normal routine. Stella to school, me to internship. Drake ended up staying the night, holding and comforting me. When I walked out of my room, he was already in the kitchen making coffee and breakfast. He had his lawyer on standby in case the pictures were released. I tried not to think of what could happen if they were leaked. Like another celebrity scandal. I could see it all over E! as being the next big story. It wasn’t that Drake himself was famous or a celebrity, but his family name was as popular as Trump’s. It was a big deal.
We both went to work, and he promised to keep me updated as much as he could. By noon, I still hadn’t heard anything from Drake, so I assumed no news was good news. Oh, how wrong could I be? Heading out to the deli to grab a small sandwich, when a mob of paparazzi I was ambushed by a paparazzi mob.
“There she is! Ms. Woods! Ms. Woods! Over here!” They were like vultures ready to eat me alive at any moment. I could not believe the press was all over me already. I had not expected anything like this.
Luckily, the deli was just down the block, so I was able to escape from them quickly. What did they want? Did they expect me to be like ‘oh, hey, what’s up, y’all?’
I hid as far in the deli as I could until they were out of sight. I decided now would be an appropriate time to call Drake and freak out!
“Babe, are you okay?” he asked panicked. Apparently, he heard the news.
“No, Drake I’m not! I am hiding in a deli from like twenty paparazzi. They won’t leave me alone. They followed me over here, and now they are out there waiting for me to leave. What do I do?”
“Oh my God, babe. I had no idea this would spin out of control so soon, otherwise I would have warned you. I just received the news that the photos were leaked to a local tabloid magazine,” he sighed. I could tell he was as frustrated as I was in that moment. Our relationship was no longer our own business. “Stay right there. I’m coming to get you,” he said, ending the call.
I waited for ten more minutes before I heard more commotion outside; sounds of cameras clicking, people yelling Drake’s name, and people hollering from the sidewalk. This is crazy! Drake pushed his way through the mass of people and walked into the deli, where he found me in the very back. He softly kissed my lips and grabbed my hand squeezing it tightly as we headed out of the deli. He pushed back through the crowds to where his white Escalade limo was waiting for us.
“That was insane!”
“I know. Pictures went viral only an hour ago. My lawyer is petitioning to get them removed ASAP, but until then we need to lay low,” he directed toward me. “Mark, take us to Ms. Woods apartment, please,” he commanded his driver. Apparently, going back to my internship was not an option for me today. Fucking great.
At the entrance of my apartment building another herd of paparazzi gathered, just for a change to get a shot of Drake and me. We pushed through them, and hid out in my apartment the rest of the afternoon. I called Michael to fill him in on what was happening since I would not be able to go out and get Stella after school. What would I say to her?
“So do you know who’s responsible for stealing Kendra’s files and the pictures?” I asked, hoping to get some answers on what we were going to do next.
“My security team has a few suspicions. They are working on it. Until then, don’t speak to the paparazzi or anyone else about the pictures of us. They will use anything you say and twist it around to make a better story,” he said, looking worried.
“What am I going to do about my internship? I can’t just not go. I need to be there to earn my credits for graduation.”
“Don’t worry about it, I’ll take care of it,” he answered sternly.
“What do you mean you’ll take care of it? I need to be there, Drake. I’m can’t do this with favors from you. I’m already on shaky ground because of the email. They’ve already seen the pictures anyway, what’s the big deal?”
“The big deal is that they’ll be getting swarmed by the paparazzi, too, just to get answers about you. Anything you say to anyone can be used against us.”
“I won’t say anything unless I have to… about the class and cooking only,” I pleaded. “Please, Drake. I have to go. I can’t let them keep me locked up inside. I need to go to my internship and classes.”
“Fine…but I’m having someone go with you. You aren’t safe by yourself. The paparazzi can be dangerous, Mols, and I don’t want them anywhere near you,” he stated flatly.
“Okay, deal. I won’t say a word unless I have to. Promise.” I gave him a half-smile so he would know I was happy we were able to compromise.
He scooped me up off the chair and swung me in his arms, kissing my lips hard. With all this craziness going on, we had forgotten the real reason we were in this mess: we were completely, madly in love with each other.
The following morning, Drake had his driver pick me up for another day at the restaurant. There were more paparazzi than the day before. The story about Drake Stagliano hooking up with an intern in his restaurant had spread like wildfire overnight. Now, everyone knew. That was not a pleasant phone call I had to make to my mother and father…
The tone in my father’s voice still rang in my head. I could tell he was disappointed, but I think at the same time he was relieved I had finally moved on. My mother was just as upset as I was, but was slightly happier to know that I was moving on, as well. Was it that obvious that I had hung on for so long?
His driver walked me into the restaurant where I had about fifty eyes -staring at me. Well, this is awkward. I nodded to his driver that I was fine now, so he would leave. I didn’t want a chauffeur following me, and adding more attention than was necessary. Blakely sneered at me as I walked past her. I could tell she loved this— complete and utter embarrassment on my part. I knew if anyone approached her, she would be thrilled to bring up the being-half-naked-in-the-freezer-with-Travis story. How would I explain that one to Drake? Crap.
Travis gave me a sympathetic look as I stood by him. He was like my big brother/bodyguard. I felt safe around him. I drew a deep breath, mentally preparing myself for the day. Let’s just get this over with.
Mr. Cooper assigned us in pairs today instead of groups. Thank God! I got paired with a girl who had short, frizzy, dark blonde hair and huge glasses. Was this girl for real? Did she own a mirror? I wasn’t the type to judge or ridicule, especially given my own situation, but this girl looked like she needed some serious guidance.
“Hi, I’m Phoebe. What’s your name?” she asked, clearly oblivious as to who I was.
“I’m Molly,” I answered, grateful she didn’t have a clue.
We were to plan and implement a five-course meal. We had to write up a menu plan with appetizers, entrees, soups/salads, and desserts. Mr. Cooper also decided to add a wine menu to our project. A nice, long project would take my mind off things. Hopefully.
“So, Phoebe, where do you think we should start?” I asked, trying to get her involved.
The morning dragged on as Phoebe and I worked together on our assignment. She was an odd character, talking about her pet ferret and her five cats. It was quite refreshing, however, to be around someone who didn’t know anything about me, or who pretended she knew me because of what she had heard.
“Wanna grab some lunch?” Travis asked as we were released to go on break.
“I’d love to, but I’m afraid I can’t really go anywhere,” I sighed.
“Hmmm….Maybe we can disguise you?” Travis looked around. I gave him a puzzled look as he started grabbing aprons and chef’s hats out of the storage closet.
He told me to put my hair in a top bun, leaving no strands. I obliged and watched him put the hat on my head, trying to tuck in any loose hairs. He grabbed an executive chef’s jacket that was at least two sizes too big for me, and placed a red apron over it.
I looked in the little mirror and decided I needed to rub my eye make-up off. I didn’t want to look too feminine. As long as I kept my head low enough while walking out, I was sure I wouldn’t be recognized.
“Perfect!” he beamed, examining his finished work. “I think we can sneak you out.”
He grabbed a baseball cap and a chef’s jacket, and took my hand, leading me out the door. A handful of paparazzi were still out waiting on the sidewalk, but didn’t even glance up as Travis and I walked out. It worked!
We decided to walk to Michael Jordan’s Steakhouse since it would have dim lighting and be crowded enough to blend in. We casually took off our “disguises” and sat down.
Lunch with Travis was a great break from reality. He was funny and genuine and kept everything strictly platonic. I was starting to really feel lucky to have Travis as a friend. He knew I was with Drake and never tried anything with me. It was nice to enjoy a meal with a friend, and for a short time have no worries. “Oh my God!” I just about spit my soda out. I covered my mouth and continued laughing as Travis did an impression of Blakely. “That is spot on!”
We continued laughing and cracking jokes. We finished our lunch, donned our disguises were able to sneak back into the Riverside Restaurant without being detected. We were giggling like teenagers who had just snuck back into our house without our parents catching us. It was such a rush.
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