by Jen Talty
“One of the reasons I stayed in the spotlight, and this is going to sound weird, is because it allowed me not to be private. It put me and my love life on display, and that meant I would never have a relationship with substance because I would never want to protect it.” He leaned in, taking her chin with his thumb and forefinger. “I want to protect what we have, and I’m willing to go to any lengths to do it.” He kissed her tenderly.
Her lashes fluttered over her rich eyes. “You are so going to get laid tonight.”
“Good to know, but I didn’t say those words with any expectation. I just wanted you to understand this is uncharted waters for me.”
Marvin whined at his feet.
“He’s not going to like you being back in your bed. He’s been sleeping on your pillow.”
“Before we know it, he’s going to be too big to share that bed with us, so we better start teaching him to sleep on the floor,” Hawk said.
Marvin barked. Then growled. Then moaned as he dropped his head to the floor and put his paws over his nose as if he understood.
“One thing Lilly didn’t tell me was the take Rusty wanted to do with the interview.” She held up her hand. “I’m just curious. I’m not doing it, but the right angle on your business, moving from the personal to the professional. That might be worth it for you to do it.”
“I don’t know. Considering the piece, they did on your mom and her career, I’m sure it will circle back to us, and I won’t do that to you or your family.”
“Well, Rusty handled everything about my mom and her family really nicely. He didn’t even mention me or you in the last two segments he did.”
“That’s because his producer made sure Cindy had nothing to do with it.” Hawk leaned forward. “Rusty told me he’d heard that the network has threatened to fire her if she pulls any more of her stunts.”
“Maybe that’s all the more reason for you to do it, without me.”
He shook his head. “Rusty specifically mentioned the piece would be about us. The ratings on the day we went were through the roof, and I think the network and his producer see the value in your presence. Not mine.”
Kennedy waggled her finger. “They enjoyed a good cat fight, which I did not. If Rusty doesn’t want to make this about your career, then don’t do it.”
“So, no interview and we’re going to give this relationship a real shot?” he asked with a shaky voice. Butterflies filled his stomach as if he were in middle school, getting ready to hold hands with a girl for the very first time. Never in his life did he need reassurance about his status with a woman.
Then again, he hadn’t cared this much about a woman since he first moved out to California.
“Call me crazy, but yeah. I think I want to give this a go.”
“I’ll never call you crazy.” He stood, yanking her to her feet and tugging her inside.
“Hey. I’m not done eating.”
Quickly, he snagged the plates and tossed the food back into the to-go containers and set them on the dresser where Marvin couldn’t get them. “You can eat after we make love.”
“Impatient much?”
“Are you kidding? I’ve had a beautiful woman that I’m head over heels for sleeping in my bed, and I haven’t been able to touch her for five whole days. I’d say I’m the most patient man on the planet. I deserve a medal.”
She tossed her head back and burst out laughing. “Are you going to tell me you didn’t resort to a little porn and your right hand?”
He gasped as if he were totally offended and then shrugged. “It’s not the same. Actually, it’s depressing as hell and only makes me want you more.” Taking her into his arms, he knew he’d found home.
Kennedy blinked open her eyes just in time to see Hawk hike up his shorts. She yawned and stretched. “What time is it?”
“Five thirty. Marvin has to go out.”
“If you ignore him, he’ll last another half hour or so.”
“Now you tell me,” Hawk muttered as he pulled open the sliding door.
Marvin raced out to the grassy area to find his favorite spot.
She loved watching the dog and how he didn’t have a care in the world. And he’d made himself a happy little home with Hawk.
And if she was being totally honest, with her as well, since for the last two weeks, they’d all been basically cohabitating.
“Want to go to the market today?’ Hawk leaned against the doorjamb and ran a hand through his thick hair. “Maybe get some fresh fish and grill it up tonight.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
“What do you want for your birthday?” he asked with a stupid grin, as if he’d already had a million ideas.
“Oh, no.” She adjusted the covers and sat up. “You already bought me a present for the next twenty birthdays.”
“I can’t go to your parents’ house next weekend empty-handed. That wouldn’t look right.”
“We’ll drive the Range Rover and bring the dog.”
“Hey. Marvin is mine.”
As if on cue, the damn dog came racing into the bedroom as if the ocean were on fire. He leaped onto the bed and circled three times before lying down as close to Kennedy as he could get. He lifted his eyelids and stared at Hawk, daring him to try to snuggle with the lovely lady.
“Damn traitor.” Hawk yanked back the covers. “You’re my dog, and she’s my girlfriend. Got it.” He pulled the dog close to his chest and scratched his ears.
Marvin thumped his tail and licked Hawk’s face.
“That’s better.”
“Are you jealous of a puppy?”
Hawk scooted to the middle of the bed and then set Marvin down on the other side.
Marvin didn’t like that too much, but he settled in with his head resting on Hawk’s stomach and his gaze shifting between Hawk and Kennedy as if he were hanging on their every word.
“That is one smart dog,” Kennedy said.
“Scary smart.” Hawk laughed as he patted the dog on its head. “But seriously. I want suggestions for your birthday. Nothing extravagant. Those days are over.”
“That I don’t believe.” She rolled to the side and propped her head up on her hand.
“If you need something, we’ll get it for you, but I know I don’t need to buy you extravagant gifts. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to get you something for your birthday. You don’t wear a lot of jewelry, so I don’t think that would be a good idea because I would only buy something expensive.”
“I don’t want you to buy me stuff.”
“Well, what about a blouse? Or a sweater for walking the beach at night? Or maybe some slippers.”
She leaned in and kissed him. “You know those little clip-on reading lights that go on books? I could use one or two of those.”
“That’s reasonable,” he said with a smile.
Her phone buzzed.
His rang.
“It’s too early for this.” She rolled over and snagged her cell. “It’s my dad.”
“It’s my mom.”
“That can’t be good,” she mumbled. “Dad?”
Hawk stepped from the bed and made his way toward the bathroom to take his call.
“Is something wrong?”
“Where’s Hawk?”
“He’s on the phone with his mom, why?” She hit the speaker button and set the phone on the bed.
“I don’t want you to watch this alone.”
“Watch what?” She shook out her hands. “You’re scaring me, Dad.”
“Get your laptop and go to Cindy’s YouTube channel.”
Hawk stepped from the bathroom. His face had grown pale. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “That woman is going to be sorry she ever messed with me.”
“Hawk,” her father yelled through the cell. “Don’t go off halfcocked and do anything crazy. She has no idea what she’s talking about.”
“Sir, that’s not even the point. She’s invaded your daughter’s privacy, not to mention mine. What she
did was illegal, and I’m going to have her head for it.”
“I’m really fucking lost here people.” Quickly, Kennedy found one of Hawk’s shirts and pulled it over her head. Then she clicked on the smart television and found the YouTube channel.
“Don’t swear, young lady.”
“Dad, I’m almost thirty-three. I can say fuck if I want to, and when Cindy is involved, fuck is absolutely appropriate. Now someone needs to tell me what is going on.”
Hawk grabbed the remote.
She glared at him. “If she said something about me for the world to hear, I have a right to know.”
Hawk sat on the edge of the bed. “Mr. Monroe—”
“Please, call me Ted,” her father said.
“Ted. Did you watch the entire video?”
Kennedy wanted to scream. “What video? I’m tired of not knowing what the hell is going on.”
“Babe. You’re going to know soon enough. We’ll watch it together. But I just need to talk to your dad for a few minutes, okay?”
She nodded. What the hell was she going to say, no?
“Yes. We’ve seen the entire thing.”
“It’s not what you think, sir,” Hawk said as he rubbed his temples.
“I’ll let the two of you watch it,” her father said. “Kennedy, your mom and I will be home all day. Come on over if you want to. We love you.”
“I love you too.” She tapped the red button. “What the hell?”
“You were right to be concerned about the cleaning people.” He stood and pointed the remote at the television. He clicked away until he found the right YouTube channel. “I need to go call the legal team.”
“It’s Saturday.”
He tossed the remote on the bed. “I’m sorry.” He snagged his jeans and a shirt and headed for the door.
“You’re not going to watch?”
“I’ll watch in my office while I talk with my lawyers to figure out what we legally can do. But the damage is done.” He tapped the screen. “It’s been seen over a million times already. As far as public opinion goes, I’m not sure we can do anything. I really am sorry that I dragged you into this mess. I should have never asked you to lie about anything, and now you’re the one who is going to pay the price.”
Marvin snuggled in her lap.
“I don’t know what that means.”
“You will when you watch. I know this means that things have changed for us. I get that. Just know that you’ve changed my world, forever.” Hawk disappeared down the hallway
She clicked the play button, and Cindy immediately appeared on the screen. God, she hated that woman.
“Welcome to LA Entertainment with Cindy Lockhart. I’m coming to you late tonight with some stunning information regarding Hawk Jefferson and his alleged girlfriend, Kennedy Monroe.”
Alleged. What the fuck did she mean by that?
“It has come to my attention that this relationship is nothing but a sham. As you can see from these pictures and videos taken from inside and outside of Hawk’s home.”
Cindy pointed to a screen behind her in the video.
“We can clearly see that the couple does not share a bedroom. Though, I have to feel sorry for Hawk since he’s clearly given up his own bedroom for this hoax.”
“Motherfucker,” Kennedy mumbled.
“I have it from a close inside source that six months ago, when this image of Hawk carrying Kennedy over his shoulder was taken, it was the last time the two of them were ever seen together outside of work until just recently. No one. And I mean no one can keep a relationship that secret. Not when you’re Hawk Jefferson. There have been pictures of him taken at his home over the last few months and not once have we seen Kennedy there. Or any woman, for that matter.”
Hawk stuck his head back into the bedroom. “I going to meet the lawyers. They suggested that you take off soon in case they put any kind of bugs in here.”
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” She clutched the covers to her chest. The idea they could be spied on, or someone could have made some insane sex tape that might show up on the internet any second now made her stomach turn.
“I wish this was all some kind of bad joke, but it’s not.”
“I can’t do this, Hawk.” She shook her head. The piercing pain bounced from one temple to the other. “It’s too much to take. It’s not just being caught in a lie, that’s kind of no longer a lie, but it’s the complete invasion of my privacy.”
“I know. I get it.”
She snapped her gaze to his and glared. “But you accept it as part of your life. As part of who you are. I don’t. And I won’t.” She sucked in a deep breath and let it out in a slow swish.
“What are you saying?”
A single tear rolled down her cheek. “I’m sorry. I can’t do this.”
“I see.” He snagged his wallet off the dresser. “Please lock up when you leave.” He patted his leg. “Let’s go, Marvin.”
Marvin yelped.
“Now,” Hawk yelled.
Marvin jumped from the bed with a whine but followed Hawk down the hallway.
Kennedy turned her attention back to the television.
“Earlier today, I managed to interview Kennedy’s best friend, Tallulah Craig. Here is a portion of that interview, which is very telling.”
Oh shit. Could this get any worse?
“Tallulah, how long have you known Kennedy?” Cindy asked, shoving the microphone at a smiling Tallulah.
Fuck. Tallulah had no idea what she’d gotten herself into.
“Most of my life. She’s going to be in my wedding,” Tallulah said with pride.
“And did you know about her so-called affair with Hawk?” Cindy asked.
Tallulah shook her head. “I was stunned. Everyone at the office was totally shocked.” Tallulah raised her hand. “Although, not totally surprised. I mean, we could all see that the two of them were close.”
“Because she is his assistant, right?” Cindy asked, but it was more of a statement than a question.
“Well, yes. But it made sense to me that they got together.”
“But if she was your best friend, why didn’t she tell you? Why didn’t she tell anyone? I mean, did she tell her family? Her sisters?”
Oh fuck. Don’t answer that one.
“Well, no. She didn’t tell anyone.”
“And why is that? Did she tell you?” Cindy asked.
“Things happened quickly, and they didn’t want to be in the public eye. They wanted time to figure things out.”
“Is it possible that they manufactured a fake relationship?”
“Why would they do that? What would be the point?” Tallulah asked.
Good question. Right redirection. Way to go Tallulah.
“Could it be because Hawk was really concerned he could be the father of Heather’s twins?” Cindy pointed to an image that rolled across the screen behind her. “This shows Hawk leaving Heather’s condo four months ago, about the same time her twins were conceived.”
“But he’s not the father, that has been proven,” Tallulah said with a dazed and confused look.
“True. But at the time, they were also trying to prove he didn’t push her down the stairs. So, maybe, just maybe, your friend was setting up an alibi.”
Tallulah frowned. “Hawk didn’t do that, and Kennedy wouldn’t lie for him like that.”
“Well, Hawk did have an alibi, though we still don’t know what happened to Heather, and I was surprised the police never questioned Kennedy,” Cindy said as the camera angle changed, pushing Tallulah out of the frame. “That was until I found out Kennedy and Hawk weren’t in a romantic relationship, so there was no love triangle, and Kennedy would have no motive to push Heather. I could be wrong about that.”
Fuck. What a bitch. Cindy certainly knew how to twist things, but this was just making shit up as she went along.
“I also had the privilege of speaking with the doorman at Kennedy’s building who sp
ecifically stated that he’d only seen Hawk Jefferson enter Kennedy’s apartment once.” Cindy held up her index finger. “One time. And that was the night he carried her home after finding out her boyfriend had been cheating on her.”
“Should I be happy you didn’t tell the world that Tallulah was the one sleeping with my boyfriend?”
“And finally, I was given this video footage from a security camera at the Land Rover dealership where Hawk bought Kennedy a brand-new Range Rover. Was it really a birthday present for his girlfriend? Or was it a bribe so he could save face? Well, watch and you’ll be as mortified as I was to find out that Hawk basically bought Kennedy to pretend to be his girlfriend to get his parents off his back and to impress an old friend from college. It’s all so Pretty Woman.”
“Oh, fuck me.” Kennedy turned off the television. She didn’t need to relive the conversation she had with Hawk in the lobby when they sort of argued over buying the car.
Specifically, the part about him thanking her for agreeing to be his fake girlfriend in front of his old college buddy Rusty and his wife, Lilly.
She picked up her phone and started a group text.
Kennedy: Are you two up for Saturday morning breakfast?
Ethel: Hell yes. Where?
Kennedy: Anywhere that isn’t public.
Jackie: Come to my apartment. I’ll have pancakes, bacon, and alcohol. Lots of alcohol.
Ethel: That Cindy is a bitch.
Jackie: You can say that again.
Ethel: Fucking bitch. But Kennedy, how did she get that video?
Kennedy wiped the tears from her cheeks.
Kennedy: What she’s reporting is true. Hawk and I didn’t become a thing until last week, and we just broke up.
8
Hawk spent the rest of the weekend holed up in his house, avoiding the media and trying to get a hold of Kennedy.
By the time Sunday night rolled around, he couldn’t stand it anymore. He sat at the bar at Thirsty’s and nursed a bourbon straight up with the bottle left on the counter and James giving him dirty looks from the other end.
He’d been humiliated before in the eyes of the public, and normally, he didn’t give a shit. As Kennedy always told him, he managed to come out smelling like roses because he was generally a good guy.