Sean looked out the window of the roaring jet as it prepared for landing. He could see the downtown Houston skyline from his window. He smiled. He’d come to the place where he grew up. The place he once called home.
Fans and reporters met him as soon as he got off the plane. While his road manager and crew got their luggage, Sean signed autographs, talked to reporters and took photographs with those around him.
“I’ll see y’all tonight at the concert,” Sean said, as he waved and followed Priscilla and Bobby to their waiting limousine.
“Being home and getting this kind of love from everyone has really touched me,” Sean marveled.
“You worked hard to get here. This is your time. Enjoy it,” Bobby said. “I know I sure am.”
“Thanks, man. You’ve been my road dog since day one. Remember traveling to the little hole-in-the-wall clubs?”
“They paid money but nothing like what you’re getting paid now,” Bobby reminded.
Sean spent the next twenty-four hours visiting family and making public appearances. He’s stopped at several of his neighborhood schools and talked to the kids. He popped into one of the popular hip-hop radio stations and was the guest deejay for an hour. Sean loved his hometown and enjoyed being Houston’s pride and joy.
The day of the concert, he met with his band to do a sound check. It took a little longer than expected to get it right, but once they did, it helped ease some of his anxiety. He didn’t want anything to go wrong, leaving nothing to chance.
Right before the concert, he met with a group of children from his neighborhood and took them shopping. News cameras followed them, but the kids were still able to enjoy themselves. Sean felt good knowing he could give back to his community in some way.
The Houston traffic caused him to be late getting to the concert venue. Bobby had the opening act add ten minutes to their set. Shaka, another local R & B talent, didn’t complain. She sang two more songs and prepared the crowd for Sean’s appearance.
Sean changed into a pair of black slacks and a black satin shirt. He kept on his white tank top underneath it.
He went through his ritual of saying a prayer before leaving the dressing room and headed into the hallway.
Bobby walked up to him and said, “I was just about to come get you. Show time.”
One of the popular deejays from a local radio station announced, “Here’s what you all came for. Houston’s own. Sean Maxwell!”
The band started playing.
“Houston, it’s been a long time but here I am. It’s a dream come true for me to be headlining this tour. I want you to know I got nothing but love for my hometown. H-town, this song’s for you.”
Sean sang and worked the stage while the background dancers also wooed the crowd.
Sean performed for an hour and a half. By the end of his show, he was shirtless and the women went wild. Bobby ran out on stage and handed him a black t-shirt. He slipped it on over his head.
Sean said, “Thank you, Houston, for showing me love. Peace.”
Another voice was heard and the Mayor of Houston walked out, “Sean Maxwell, on behalf of the city of Houston, I’m here to give you the key to the city. Today has been declared Sean Maxwell Day.”
Sean shook the mayor’s hand, accepting the plaque with his name and the date engraved on the front of it. Sean kissed his two fingers and threw it towards the crowd. “Thank you, H-town. I’m out.”
The crowd roared. Sean walked backstage with the mayor and they posed for a few pictures.
He mingled with other fans and celebrities who lived in the area.
“Water, please,” Sean said to Priscilla.
Priscilla left and returned with a cold bottle of water.
“Excuse me for a minute.” Sean opened the bottle and drank the entire thing. He went back to posing for pictures.
He saw his older sister, Marie, walking towards him. He ran to her and picked her up off her feet with a tight hug.
She playfully hit him. “Boy, put me down.”
“How did you like the show?” Sean asked.
“I would have liked it better if it had been that sexy Trey Songz on stage instead of you.”
“You’ve always been a hater,” Sean teased.
“You did well. I’m proud of you, little brother.” Marie touched his biceps. “Well, you’re not really little anymore.”
Sean flexed his muscles.
“Boy, you need to stop showing out in front of these women.”
“We got people waiting on you,” Priscilla walked over to remind him.
“The club’s not going anywhere. Chill out.”
Priscilla stepped back. “Hey, Marie, I’m sorry. I was so focused on getting Sean where he needs to be, I didn’t even recognize you.”
“No problem.” Marie hugged Priscilla.
“Ok, let me get out of here. Got some phone calls to make. Good seeing you,” Priscilla said to Marie. She dialed a number on her phone and placed it to her ear as she walked away.
Sean stepped in the changing area to change clothes. “You want to hang with your little brother tonight?” Sean asked.
“I’ll pass. Just be sure you stop by tomorrow before you leave,” Marie said.
Sean returned in a pair of black jeans, white t-shirt and black leather jacket. He walked from behind the curtain and gave Marie a hug and kiss on the cheek. He followed her out and made sure she got into her limousine. He got in the limo parked behind it and headed straight to the after party being held in his honor.
Chapter Thirty-One
Charlotte eased her way through the crowded Houston club. She looked around until she saw the VIP area. She ran into a few people she knew along the way. She spoke to them and took a few pictures.
“You must be looking for my boy,” Rocky, the rapper said, as she made her way towards the VIP section of the club.
“Hey, Rocky.”
They greeted each other with a hug.
“Sean’s on the other side of the club. People keep hounding him for pics.” He pointed to the right side of the club.
“Thanks. I’ll find him.”
Charlotte went in the direction Rocky pointed. Her eyes locked in on Sean. Several women surrounded him. Some were very close to Sean. One was practically in his lap. Charlotte watched him laugh. He didn’t seem to mind the attention, in fact, he looked to be enjoying it. One woman whispered in Sean’s ear and he tilted his head back and let out a hearty laugh.
Charlotte walked closer to get Sean’s attention but before she could get near him, Pandora brushed past her. She walked up to Sean as if she had a right to be with him, grabbed his head and kissed him. Sean didn’t appear to resist her. In fact, it looked as if he was enjoying the kiss. Charlotte stood nearby and watched the exchange. Tears welled in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks before she could control them. Sean looked up and his intense gaze landed on Charlotte. Charlotte, feeling hurt, that she’d come to Houston prepared to apologize and make things right with Sean, couldn’t run through the club fast enough. She rushed outside and called for her driver.
“Charlotte!”
She heard Sean calling her name but jumped in the back of the limousine as soon as it pulled up.
“Please hurry!” Charlotte yelled as she closed and locked the door behind her. Tears rolled down her cheeks.
Sean made it to the passenger door while the driver was getting behind the wheel. Charlotte watched him pull on the handle.
“I said hurry,” Charlotte yelled at the limousine driver.
He pulled away from the curb almost knocking Sean over, but she didn’t care.
Charlotte cried the entire drive to her hotel and ignored Sean’s phone calls as she searched online for flights back to Los Angeles.
The driver pulled in front of the hotel, parked and opened h
er door.
“Wait here.”
Charlotte rushed and packed in a hurry, practically falling over herself in her mad dash from the hotel. The driver remained out front as requested. He helped her with her bags and drove her to the airport.
Charlotte checked in and made it to her gate just in time to board her flight. She didn’t exhale until she was tucked safely under the covers of her own bed. Exhausted and hurt, Charlotte fell into a fitful sleep.
The sound of someone banging on her door woke her. Glancing at the clock, she realized she’d slept for ten hours.
She dragged herself out of bed and into her robe before answering the door. She peeked out of the curtain. Mona and Kem were standing outside.
“Open up. We know you’re in there. Your neighbor told us,” she heard Mona say.
Charlotte opened the door. “That’s what I get for having such a nosy neighbor.”
They greeted her with a hug. Kem burst out, “You look a mess.”
Mona grabbed her arm. “But that’s not why we’re here. You’ve been working hard and deserve a day of pampering.”
Kem looked down at the luggage near the front door. “Going somewhere?”
“Let me shower and put some clothes on and I’ll tell you everything,” Charlotte countered.
“We’ll be here when you get out,” Mona said. “And after you dress, we’re going to the spa. We can talk while getting our massages.”
An hour later, they lay side-by-side as Charlotte told them what happened.
“You can’t be mad at Sean,” Kem said, being the voice of reason.
“She’s right. In fact, you overreacted,” Mona surmised.
Charlotte turned in their direction. “Whose friends are you? You’re supposed to be on my side.”
Kem spoke out. “When you’re right, I will back you. But, Char, dear, you handled that situation all wrong.”
Mona said, “To me, it looked like a misunderstanding. You should have stayed around to see what was going on. You can’t be mad at him for socializing.”
“But you didn’t see all those women on him and the kiss.” The thought of seeing Sean kiss another woman made her cringe.
“You said yourself that Pandora walked over to him. It wasn’t like he initiated it,” Kem pointed out.
“He didn’t push her away either,” Charlotte noted.
“If he was so into Pandora, he wouldn’t have left her to run after you,” Kem theorized.
“He’s tried to do things the right way, but you turned him down. So, Charlotte, deal with it,” Mona said, matter of factly.
Charlotte let their words marinate. She closed her eyes, trying to tune them out. Maybe she did overreact. Maybe she should have stayed and talked to him. Instead of being here with her friends, she could be enjoying time with Sean.
“I love Sean. I have to figure out a way to make things work,” Charlotte said.
“If there’s something you need us to do, we’ve got you,” Kem assured her.
“I’m going to figure this out,” Charlotte insisted.
“Now that your problem is semi-solved, let me tell y’all about my egotistical boss. He’s a womanizer. He’s a workaholic and he gets on my nerves,” Mona said.
“Then find you another job,” came from Kem.
“If you hired me as a writer on your show, I could do that,” Mona responded.
“Mona, we’ve had this conversation before. The last time I hired a friend, I got burned. I like to keep my personal life separate from business. You know I like your writing and will give you glowing recommendations but we can’t work together.”
“One day, you’re going to regret those words,” Mona said.
“Ladies, where’s the love?” Charlotte asked.
Mona pointed at herself, then at Kem and back at herself. “Love don’t live here anymore.”
“Stop playing. I love you like a sister,” Kem said.
“Like Cinderella’s step sister,” Mona added, and then laughed. She looked at Kem. “I’m just kidding with you. I understand your rules, I just don’t like them.”
Charlotte and Kem listened to Mona’s long rant about the struggles of being a screenwriter.
Later on that night, Charlotte lay in bed thinking about her conversation with her besties. Maybe, they were right. Maybe the kiss was just one big misunderstanding. Maybe she was overreacting and needed to give Sean a chance to explain himself. Her hand flew up to her head as it pounded. She didn’t know what to believe.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Sean tried his best to enjoy the rest of the weekend with his sister, Marie. But he couldn’t help but think about Charlotte. He had no idea she was in Houston. Priscilla informed him after the fact that Charlotte had been at the concert. She claimed she forgot to tell him Charlotte would be meeting him at the club later.
Pandora kissing him caught him off guard. He didn’t even know Pandora was in Houston. By the time he’d realized what was happening, he’d seen Charlotte standing there. He thought she was a mirage. He tried going after her but couldn’t catch her before she got into the limousine.
His calls to Charlotte had been rejected so he decided to stop calling and wait until he got back to Los Angeles to see her face to face.
Marie walked Sean to the door of the large three-bedroom home he’d bought her when he signed his first record deal.
“Do I need to come out there and talk to this Charlotte?” Marie asked.
“Sis, I got this.”
“I don’t like seeing you hurt.”
Sean shrugged his shoulders. “I’ll put this southern charm on her when I get back. She’ll come around.”
He hugged and kissed Marie on the cheek. “Love you,” she said, holding him in a tight embrace.
“Love you too, baby girl.”
Leaving Marie behind was hard. He wished he could talk her into moving to Los Angeles. He really needed his family around.
Ten hours later, Sean was back in his Los Angeles home. It was too late to go to Charlotte’s, so he decided to reach out to her the next day.
Sean got up early the next morning fully refreshed and on a mission. He dressed in one of his custom-made, gray Italian suits. He slipped on a pair of black socks and tied his black, leather dress shoes.
He met Priscilla in the hallway. “Where are you going this morning?” Priscilla asked.
“Out. If something comes up, text me; otherwise, I’ll be busy,” Sean responded.
He grabbed the keys to his Maybach.
As he neared his destination, he made a quick call. “Thank you for making the appointment for me. I’m pulling into the parking lot now.”
Sean parked his car and less than ten minutes later, he was walking into the waiting area of Charlotte’s office.
Felicia greeted him with a smile. “She doesn’t know it’s you, but she’s ready for you.”
Sean responded, “Thanks for doing this for me.”
“I knew there was something going on between y’all. I’ll do anything for love. Go get your woman,” Felicia said, as she stood smiling from ear to ear.
“I hope you don’t get into any trouble on my account.”
“Don’t worry about me. I keep this office running like a well oiled machine. Charlotte’s not going to get rid of me. In fact, later, she’ll be thanking me.”
Sean crossed his fingers. “Let’s hope.”
“Good luck,” Felicia said, as Sean walked away.
Sean knocked on Charlotte’s door.
“Come in,” Charlotte responded.
Sean took a deep breath and entered Charlotte’s office.
Charlotte’s mouth dropped open when she laid eyes on him. “What are you doing here? You can’t be here. I have a meeting in a few minutes.”
“I know. I’m y
our eleven o’clock appointment.” Sean walked in and closed the door.
“Wait until I get my hands on Felicia.” Charlotte stood and walked from behind her desk.
“It’s not her fault. I asked her to do it.” Sean walked towards Charlotte bringing them within inches of each other.
“You’re not supposed to be here,” Charlotte said, as she bit her bottom lip.
Sean reached down and grabbed Charlotte’s hand. “You came to Houston for a reason. Why?”
“Houston was a big mistake,” Charlotte said, as she looked into his eyes.
“I wasn’t expecting to see you there,” Sean confessed.
“Obviously not. I guess you forgot you’d asked me to come.” Charlotte jerked her hand away. She walked to the other side of her office and stood by the window with her back facing Sean.
“I don’t forget anything I tell you. I didn’t expect you to be there because you pushed me away. There’s only so much a man can take.”
Charlotte turned to face him. Sean wanted to wipe her tear-filled eyes, but refrained from doing so. Instead, he kept his hands at his sides.
“I tried reaching out to you after that night, but you wouldn’t talk to me,” Charlotte said.
“I didn’t want to hear any more of your excuses,” Sean replied.
Charlotte walked to her desk and took a seat. Sean sat across from her.
Charlotte would barely look at him. “So is that why you hooked up with Pandora?”
“There’s nothing going on between me and Pandora.”
“Obviously she thinks so otherwise she wouldn’t be kissing you.” Charlotte folded her arms.
“Pandora’s still upset I turned down all of her advances. And you want to know why? Because I don’t care about her. I care about you. I want to be with you.”
Charlotte uncrossed her arms. “You sure about that?”
“She caught me off-guard. If you would have stuck around you would have seen me push her away.”
“Maybe you did. I don’t know. All I know is I saw her put her tongue down your throat.”
Secret Relations: Women in Hollywood, Book 1 Page 12
