CHAPTER 17

 

 

Fawn gasped as Seth raised his voice. How could he deny it? He must’ve blown her cover. “I don’t want make-up! I want you to learn how to keep your mouth shut and not blab to your friends like a teenager.”

Seth laughed mirthlessly. “You’re so full of it! How do you know it wasn’t lover-boy Danny? Or those girls that recognized you on our first date? How many other people might’ve recognized you Fawn? What makes you so sure this is all my fault?” He slammed his hand down on the counter making Fawn startle.

“I’m not, but you sure didn’t look surprised to find them outside this morning.” Fawn said as she started walking to the bedroom.

“Really?” Came Seth’s voice as he followed her. “You wanted me to act more surprised? Shit Fawn I didn’t expect a bunch of cameras pushed into my face when I opened my front door.”

“You opened your front door, wearing that?” Fawn shouted. He was wearing nothing but jeans and that wasn’t even completely buttoned. He looked sexy as hell, and like he’d just been fucked. If they got a picture of Seth like that the headlines were already a sure thing in the morning.

“How the hell was I supposed to know the ruckus would be a bunch of reporters? Damn I thought it was a neighborhood scuffle.” Seth said running a hand through his blonde bed-hair.

Fawn groaned. “Really Seth, you have neighborhood scuffles in the Hamptons. You’ve got me in your goddamn bed; couldn’t you for a second stop and think before opening the door?”

Seth shook his head before letting out a heavy sigh. “Listen, it happened and there’s nothing I can do about it now. The question is now that it’s happened, what do you want to do?”

Fawn thought about shouting at him for being so calm, but knew deep down he was only trying to help. “I don’t know.” She said feeling her world was crumbling around her. First John’s criticism of her music and now slutty headlines to follow.

“Want me to get rid of the reporters?” Seth asked softly as he moved towards her.

“How are you going to do that?” Fawn asked knowing it wasn’t that easy.

Seth smiled mysteriously before taking her phone. He dialed Dom’s number and waited for him to answer. Fawn watched him confused, how did he plan on getting rid of half a dozen reporters on his doorstep.

“Hey Dom, no it’s not Fawn it’s me. Listen I need you to do something.”

Fawn followed Seth as he walked into the spare bedroom and pushed the blinds aside until he had Dom in his view.

“Walk towards your car and hold your hand over your mouth, as if you don’t want them to hear who you’re talking to.”

Seth and Fawn watched as Dom obliged.

“Right now nod your head a few times before dropping your head and saying surprised loudly ‘what’”.

Dom did that and Fawn turned to Seth confused.

Seth smiled at her before speaking into the phone again. “Look at the house and shake your head and run towards the driver’s side of your car.”

Dom ran towards the car and jumped in.

“Drive! You need to pull out with your tires screaming or they won’t follow you. Take them on a bit of a detour before heading towards the hotel. I’ll have Fawn there in ten minutes.”

Seth ended the call and handed Fawn the phone as she watched all the reporters run to their cars and follow Dom.

“Get your things; I’ve got ten minutes to get you back in the penthouse.” Seth’s voice was harsh as he left her in the spare bedroom.

Fawn felt awful for accusing him, but still believed he must’ve told the wrong person about her whereabouts. She couldn’t think about that now, she needed to get to the hotel. She ran to Seth’s bedroom where the sheets lay rumpled on the bed.

A few minutes ago they were still tangled in those sheets blissfully in love, holding onto each other and now Fawn wondered if she would ever lie down in that bed again.

Emotion rushed up, closing her throat as she grabbed the few things she had bought along, it was time to go home.

 

 

As the plane’s wheels bumped the tarmac Fawn woke up. The reality of that morning crashing through her mind.

This morning she had made love to Seth believing they might have a future. Her music might have a future. In a few short minutes all that changed even his attitude towards her. Now Fawn couldn’t help but wonder if it wasn’t all her fault?

Seth had driven her to the hotel without speaking a word. He had accompanied her to the door of her suite where he had greeted her with a brief –goodbye Fawn- before he had gotten back into the elevator and disappeared from her life. Within an hour Dom had arranged her private jet to be ready and fuelled to take her back to California.

Fawn was still reeling from the events of that morning, but maybe it was for the best. She was starting to fall for Seth.

As she got into the limo that waited beside the tarmac to take her to her house in Beverly Hills, Fawn didn’t want to admit she already missed him.

They didn’t even say goodbye properly or talk about if they would see each other again. Had she over reacted that morning? No, she didn’t she assured herself.

It must’ve been Seth that slipped something that had the press turning up at his front door, if was anyone else the press would’ve turned up at the hotel.

As the limo pulled up outside her house her assistant Callie came rushing out to meet her. “Fawn, honey are you all right? You sounded so upset this morning.” She pulled Fawn into a big hug before rushing around to take Fawn’s bags from the driver.

Fawn smiled as Callie took over. Her bouncy fire-red curls bounced happily on her shoulders as her green eyes assessed what needed to be done. That was exactly why she had hired her two years ago. She was more a friend than an assistant, but a friend that didn’t mind picking up the strings when Fawn needed to let go. A friend that organized her life along with her social calendar and her wardrobe.

As Fawn followed Callie into the spacious mansion she had called home for the past few years, she realized how much she had missed her.

Callie set the bags down in the foyer before turning to Fawn. “We’ll deal with that later, first we’re going to have a glass of wine and then you can tell me why it looks like someone took your candy.”

Fawn smiled sadly as she walked to the kitchen where Callie pulled out a bottle of chilled chardonnay. The vintage would be good, Fawn thought. That was another thing Callie was excellent in, selecting wine.

After they both had a glass in hand they moved to the living room where large oversized couches stood invitingly with the last rays of sun casting an orange glow in the living room.

“What happened in the Hamptons?” Callie asked softly, concern lacing her voice.

Fawn wanted to tell Callie about the EP, about the beach and so many other things, but instead of finding her voice, she only found tears.

As the first tears softly slipped down her cheek Fawn couldn’t help but think Seth wouldn’t be there to wipe them off tonight. “I fell in love.” She answered softly.

“Oh baby.” Callie said as she stood up and walked over to Fawn pulling her into a hug. “Tell me about him.”

Fawn sniffed before she smiled. “I don’t know where to start. He’s like every other handsome player I’ve ever met and yet he’s nothing like them.”

Callie laughed knowing what Fawn meant by every other handsome player. “So he’s hot.”

Fawn laughed as she took her first sip of wine. The cold liquid slipped down her throat leaving a bouquet of zing and flavors lingering on her tongue. “He’s very hot. Think blonde, blue eyes…think Viking.”

Callie’s eyes widened. “Ooh, do tell more.”

“He’s surname is Northman and his parents own a whole chain of hotels. But he’s nothing like the rich entitled guys I’ve met before.” Fawn tried to think of a way to describe Seth before speaking again. “He gets me Callie.”

Callie’s eyes softened and she took Fawn’s hand in her own before she spoke. “What went wrong honey?”

Fawn sniffed back the tears that threatened to escape. “Everything was perfect Callie; he drove me nuts at first and then won me over bit by bit. I didn’t want to fall for him. I swear. I fought against it every step of the way, but he just managed to get through to me.”

Callie smiled as Fawn spoke without interrupting.

Fawn sighed as she continued. “We spent the past three weeks fighting what was between us. Last week he rented out a studio so I could record my folk song. He believes in me, in what I write. He believes I’ll make a success of it. It was only Friday night that we realized we couldn’t fight it anymore. We spent the whole weekend in bed, talking and making love. I’ve never felt this way before Callie; I don’t know what to do with all these emotions.”

Callie saw emotion was overwhelming Fawn again and took her empty glass from her. She walked to the kitchen where she refilled both glasses before returning to her seat next to Fawn and handing her the glass.

Fawn gratefully accepted the glass, taking a sip before she continued. “This morning when you called the press was outside, he opened the door wearing nothing but half buttoned jeans. Callie do you have any idea what the papers are going to say about me? John is going to be furious!”

Callie thought for a moment before speaking. “Fawn it wasn’t his fault, if he really feels about you the way you think he does he wouldn’t have told anyone, besides shit happens and John knows that. You pay him to deal with it.”

Fawn laughed at Callie’s callous words. “I know but still. He’s worked so hard to build my reputation and might’ve just thrown it all away and that's while he’s still mad at me.”

Callie frowned. “Why is John mad at you?”

Fawn smirked. “There isn’t just one reason. He’s mad because I went to the Hamptons, because I turned down the appearance on the talk show, because I recorded my own EP without him and mainly just because I didn’t come running back when he told me to.”

“You’re not his pet Fawn. You’re a person. Where is this EP you keep talking about? When can I hear it?” Callie asked interested.

“It’s on my laptop, but I’m not sure it’ll ever hit the airwaves. John says it’s a waste and I should stick to my sound.”

Callie shrugged and tilted her head before speaking. “Fawn if this Seth is as wonderful as you say he is I don’t think he would’ve lied. If he says the EP is good maybe it is. Besides, you know what sounds good; you’ve been in the music industry for most of your life. Maybe John is just scared to take a chance?”

Fawn felt a flicker of light in the darkness that had overtaken her heart. “Maybe.”

“What do you say we listen to it as you tell me more about your Viking in the Hamptons?”

Fawn laughed at Callie’s description, even though she missed Seth and couldn’t help but wonder what he was doing; Callie’s lightheartedness was exactly what she needed the night before the press massacred her reputation.