by Joy King
"Dear, your relationship with William is in the past and it should be left there. It's not like you're still sleeping with him. You really need to be mature about this. William is destroyed that you're so upset with him."
"He should be. William was my mentor and the person I turned to for advice."
"And he still can be."
"Don't you get it? Every time I see him now I'll have flashbacks of the two of you having sex on a table."
"The visual could be worse. Both William and I are extremely sexy."
"Yuk! Goodbye, Mother. I'll talk to you later." Tyler grabbed her belongings and left her mother standing in the trailer alone.
Maria couldn't comprehend why her daughter was overreacting, but reasoned she would soon come to her senses and get over it.
Chantal had to sit in jail for three more days before her attorney was able to get her out. "Mitchell, I can't believe it took you three days to get me sprung from that despicable place. What happened to all your high powered connections?"
"You're out aren't you? So let's just leave it at that."
"Whatever. I just want to go home and take a shower. You are giving me a ride home, right?"
"Actually, that car parked right over there will be taking you home."
Chantal looked in the direction that Mitchell was pointing and the only car she saw was a black Bentley with dark tinted windows. "You're talking about that Bentley?"
"Yes."
"Who sent that car for me?"
"When you get in ask the driver. I really must be going. But if you want to get home I suggest you get in that car."
Chantal reluctantly walked towards the car trying to get a peek as to who was inside. If she wasn't so desperate for a bath and a hot meal she might've declined the waiting ride, but Chantal was in no position to turn down anything, especially since she had absolutely no money on her.
When she reached the car and opened the door, her mouth dropped. "T-Roc! What are you doing here?"
"I put up the money for your bail, so why not pick you up?"
"You paid for my bail, why?" Chantal questioned as she got in the car and shut the door.
"Think of me as your secret Santa, except I'm not a secret anymore."
Chantal knew that all this playing on words meant something, but she hadn't figured out what yet. Then like a bright light going off in her head it hit her. "You're the one who has been paying all of my legal expenses. You hired Mitchell Stem and paid the million-dollar bail. But why? I mean we did have great sex at one time, but did I make you feel the earth move to that point?"
T-Roc let out a boisterous laugh. "That's what I love about you, Chantal, your over-the-top sense of humor."
"That can't possibly be the only thing you love about me."
"Of course not."
"Seriously, T-Roc, you don't do anything without a reason. What gives?"
"You're no good to me locked up. If you're in jail how can you put a wedge between Tyler and Andre?"
"I doubt I'm having that affect on them. From what I've seen, they're happier than ever."
"How wrong you are. That little outburst you had at the charity event the other night has really put a damper on the lovebirds. Andre is having a hard time accepting that Tyler used to be involved with me."
"Oh good. That made my brief stint being locked up worthwhile."
"Then I guess that means you don't mind that I had you kept there for an extra three days."
"Excuse me?"
"Yes. Of course with all of Mitchell's connections he was able to get you released on Tuesday, but I thought you needed some time to clear your head and think."
"You're telling me I could've been out of that dump on Tuesday but you purposely kept me there? How dare you!"
"How soon we forget. If it wasn't for me you would be doing much longer than three days. You could never afford an attorney like Mitchell Stern, and Andre was in no rush to get you out of jail the first time around, and it didn't seem that my cousin Ian was too eager for this go round. I seem to be the only man you can count on, Chantal, so you should show more gratitude for my kindness."
"Who told you about me and your cousin? I know it wasn't Ian since you all don't speak any longer. It's amazing how Tyler wreaks havoc wherever she goes."
"No, Chantal, that would be your specialty. You seem to forget that you're no longer in Southside, Chicago. Engaging in public brawls just isn't the thing to do. But speaking of Tyler, I want you to leave her alone. For now on she is off limits."
"But I thought you just said that you liked me putting a rift between her and Andre."
"I do, and you can harass Andre as much as you like, just make sure Tyler isn't part of that harassment."
"You still think you have a chance with her, don't you?"
"Of course I do. I have a very strong feeling that soon Andre will need someone to nurse a broken heart. Maybe you can be that someone."
"What have you've done now?"
"I haven't done a thing."
"Can you please just tell me why?"
"Why what?"
"Why you're so determined to have Tyler to yourself There are thousands of women out there. What makes her so special?"
"If I knew the answer to that then she wouldn't be special now would she? I would love to sit here and play these question games with you, but you're home."
Chantal looked out the window and saw she was in front of her condo complex. She was hoping to have a little more time to pick T-Roc's brain, but that wouldn't be the case. "I appreciate the ride home and everything else you've done for me. Bye for now, but I'm sure we will cross paths again."
"I'm positive we will too. But, Chantal, remember what I said; stay away from Tyler. You know how quickly my kindness can turn to vengeance." With that T-Roc slammed the door and the driver drove off barely giving Chantal a chance to step on the curb.
When Chantal reached her front door she was greeted by several piled up newspapers, and at the very top was the LA Times with the headline, "Hollywood Royalty or Would Be Murderer?" and underneath there was a mug shot of Andre Jackson.
Tyler dropped her power shake when she picked up the morning paper. The glass splattered on the kitchen floor spilling the drink over her crisp white sneakers and baby blue track suit.
"Ms. Blake, are you okay?" Deanna, the maid asked, startled by the loud crash from the glass.
"No I'm not. Can you please clean this mess up?"
"Of course, but what's wrong?"
"Everything! Did you see today's paper with this mug shot of Andre?" she asked, holding up the newspaper.
"No, I didn't."
"They're saying all sorts of terrible things about him, and I hope none of its true."
"You're so upset. Sit down and I'll make you something to eat."
"Thank you, but I have to go." Tyler ran out of the kitchen, gripping the newspaper. Before becoming hysterical she wanted to speak to Andre. He still hadn't come home in the last few days, instead staying in a bungalow at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Tyler had only spoken to him briefly a few times because he told her he needed time to think, but this couldn't wait.
With security guards in tow, Tyler had her driver take her to the hotel. As they were leaving, the paparazzi swarmed the car when the gate opened. Because the driver was skilled and used to the shenanigans, he had no problem maneuvering his way past them without his vehicle causing bodily harm.
Tyler's cell phone was blowing up like crazy but she ignored each call until Andre's number popped up.
"Andre, what is going on?"
"Where are you?"
"In the car on my way to see you."
"Okay, we'll talk when you get here."
Tyler was hoping that the first thing Andre would've of said when she answered the phone was that the article was nothing but a big fabricated lie, but he didn't. She was getting a nauseated feeling in the pit of her stomach and it was scaring her.
When they arrived at the hotel
the driver pulled around to a back location that a lot of high profile celebrities used when they wanted to avoid the media or not be seen by the general public. Tyler had one of the security guards escort her to the bungalow, and he stayed posted outside in case there was any drama.
After Andre opened the door, he walked back over to the living room area and sat down on the couch not saying a word to Tyler. She could see the newspaper article on top of the table and went over to pick it up. "Are you going to explain this to me?"
"I'm sure you read it. It's pretty self-explanatory."
"Are you telling me what they're saying in this article is true?"
"What do you think?"
"I don't think you're a murderer. But I need to know what happened."
"I don't want to talk about it."
"You can't be shutting me out. You're the same man that hasn't been home all week because you're so pissed at me for not telling you about my past relationships with two men. Now you have the audacity to say you don't want to talk about it. What happened to that great speech about not having any secrets? That was all a lie?"
"This is different. Somebody is playing with my life. When I find out who the motherfucker is that leaked this story, I swear I'm going to rip their head off!" Andre said before ripping the plug out the wall as he picked up a lamp and threw it across the room.
"Ms. Blake, are you okay?" the security asked while banging on the door.
"I'm fine." Tyler paused and turned back to Andre. "You need to calm down."
"Don't tell me to calm down. Ever since I came to this bullshit town and got involved with you I've been in a twilight zone. These Hollywood phonies will do anything to get a story and use it to destroy your life. Hollywood royalty or would be murderer-what sort of garbage is this?" Andre said, tossing the paper on the floor.
"You blame me for all of this?"
"You're the one so desperate to be a movie star. If it wasn't for you I would've been left this place and went back to New York."
"No one forced you to audition for `Angel'. That was your decision. So obviously you wanted to be a movie star just like me."
"Maybe at first, but I told you a long time ago that the stakes are way too high. These people will cross any boundaries to get what they want. And somebody is going through a lot of trouble to bring me down. These records are sealed. They were supposed to be buried so deep that not even the FBI would be able to recover them."
"Andre, are you going to tell me what happened?"
"What difference would it make? The media is going to put their spin on it anyway. They'll have fact and fiction so convoluted that I won't even know what really happened anymore."
"Baby, please don't shut me out," Tyler pleaded.
"I think we need to end this for a while. Take a break and see what happens."
"Andre, you can't mean that."
"I do. I need you to leave," he said coldly.
Tyler ran to him, latching onto his arm begging him to take it back. But he didn't. Instead, he pushed her away, went to the bedroom and locked the door. Tyler banged on the door crying her heart out for five minutes, but she realized Andre had turned the volume on the television all the way up to drown out her pleas. Tyler was crushed. She couldn't accept the fact that the love of her life had rejected her.
"Shari, did you hear about Andre?" Chantal asked, standing up and reading the article for the hundredth time. She was so engrossed that the long bath and hot meal she dreamed about having while in jail still eluded her.
"Damn sure have. But before we get to that, where in the hell have you been?"
"You haven't spoken to Jalen?"
"Nope, not since I got back to Chicago. He left a message for me yesterday, but when I called him back it went straight to voice mail. Why?"
"Girl, I've been locked up for the last few days."
"Bitch, stop lying!"
"Girl, I ain't lying. I went to this shindig with Ian and ran into Tyler and Andre. I had to check that bitch and that turned into a heated argument with blows being exchanged, and of course I ended up in jail."
"What, over a fight?"
"Can you believe that? I mean getting knocked around is how you handle your business where we from, but these corny ass motherfuckers ain't having that shit. Some silly ass white broad ran and told the cops that I was violating my restraining order so they arrested me."
"Damn! Where was Ian at during all this?"
"Over there kissing Tyler's ass, apologizing for bringing me. Can you believe that shit? Ian didn't even come to check for me, bail me out or nothing. I ain't feeling this town. These people on some other shit. Point proved, look what they doing to Andre."
"Oh yeah, back to that. We'll finish discussing your incident later `cause I know they're some blank spots I need you to fill in."
"I got you. But yeah, they got my baby daddy all splashed on the front cover talking about he a murderer. I know that's a lie. Andre do have a bad temper, but with all the tricks and scams I pulled that would cause the average man to kill my ass. Andre never raised a hand to me. If he ever needed a character witness I can attest to that. Now whoring, that's something else."
"So what does the article say, because on the news they only giving bits and pieces."
"The break down is this: They claim that when Andre was seventeen he was overseas with his father who was doing a concert. Supposedly Andre had met this girl who was fifteen. They went back to his hotel room and he raped her. He got scared that she would go to the police so he pushed her over the balcony of his hotel room and she died."
"Yo, that shit sound crazy! So what happened?"
"They locked his ass up. They saying because his father was huge over in Europe that he was able to use his money and fame to get Andre released and the charges dropped."
"Talk about damage control, Andre got a lot to do. Has he ever discussed that with you before?"
"Never. Not to defend him, but I can't see Andre raping nobody. He ain't never been pressed for pussy like that. Too many bitches be throwing it at him."
"I feel you, but people love to believe the worse. So if Andre don't step up and give his side, everybody will be more than happy to run with this story."
As T-Roc was making his way towards the movie set, he saw Chrissie parking her car and thought it would be a good time to play nice since he hadn't had the time lately to stroke her ego. "How are you this morning, beautiful?"
"What do want, T-Roc?"
"That's no way to greet the star of the movie you're doing publicity for."
"You mean the movie you manipulated your way to star in."
T-Roc was surprised by Chrissie's brash attitude. "The logistics of how I got the part didn't seem to matter to you before. What's changed?"
"I'm busy. I don't have time to have this discussion with you."
"I see that you're obviously in a bad mood today so I won't keep you for too long. But I wanted to talk to you about Tyler.
"I should've known. Your two favorite topics-you and Tyler. I heard you the other day using the problems she's having in her relationship with Andre to cozy up to her. You really have no shame."
"Is that jealousy I hear in your voice, Chrissie?"
"Please! I know how diabolical you are. Because Tyler is vulnerable right now, I don't want you to try to use it as an opportunity to weasel your way back into her personal life."
"When and how I get back into Tyler's life is none of your concern."
"While you're being so sure of yourself, don't forget that I know exactly how you manipulated the whole Tyler, Andre and William situation so you could end up with this role, so watch how you speak to me or I can blow your cover wide open."
Before Chrissie could turn around and walk away, T-Roc grabbed her by the back of her neck and pulled her in so close that she could smell the flavor of his Ice Breaker gum. "You seem to forget that it was you who assisted me with my little scam. Don't turn into a woman scorned because I dismissed yo
u from my bed after I got what I wanted and you were of no more use to me. When you're playing with the big boys, you have to learn to suck it up like a man, so don't you ever threaten me because I would hate to break such a lovely neck."
Chrissie saw the coldness in T-Roc's eyes and knew he was dead ass serious. She couldn't believe that there was a time in her life she was so in love with him that she turned on her best friend to please him. When T-Roc originally asked her to help him expose Tyler's personal relationship with Andre to William, she thought it was because he felt slighted that Andre got the starring role in `Angel' that should've gone to him. He wanted Andre booted from the movie and he figured if William found out that Tyler was carrying on a secret love affair with her costar, especially since he and Tyler were romantically involved at the time, he would oust Andre and it would leave the door wide open for T-Roc to step in. The relationship did explode wide open exactly the way T-Roc expected, but both he and William underestimated Andre's dedication to the movie, and he finished it even though at the time Tyler had ended their relationship.
William felt so terrible that he jumped the gun and gave T-Roc the part before knowing for sure if Andre was backing out, that he offered him the staring role in his next film. It wasn't until after that deal was signed, sealed and delivered that T-Roc burst Chrissie's bubble by telling her that not only did he want to be a movie star but he wanted Tyler, not her, by his side when he got there. Chrissie was devastated.
Soon after, T-Roc did a one-eighty, laid on the charm and convinced Chrissie he was sorry for how he acted and that he was truly over Tyler. But when Chrissie overheard the conversation between T-Roc and Tyler the other day, she realized he still had a sick obsession for Tyler and used her to get one step closer to getting Tyler back. If Tyler and William knew that T-Roc was the one that orchestrated the whole fiasco in the first place, neither one of them would allow him to star in the movie. Chrissie knew she would have to reveal her role and hope that they would forgive her, and it would be worth it to get T-Roc out of all of their lives forever.