“I knew it. She’s been avoiding my calls all week,” Charlotte shared with Kem.
“I’ve been so busy, I hadn’t noticed,” Kem admitted.
Charlotte looked at Kem, at Brent and then back at Kem. “I’m sure you have been busy.”
“Don’t even go there.” Kem rolled her eyes.
“Tag, you’re next,” Charlotte teased.
“Sean, get your wife.” Kem laughed out loud and then turned to Brent. “Let’s go congratulate the newlyweds.”
Chapter Eighteen
Kem, Mona and Charlotte were now seated in the den away from the crowd of people.
“Kem, I’m so glad to see you with Brent. You two make a cute couple,” Mona said.
“Thanks, but this isn’t about me. It’s about you,” Kem replied.
“It was really a spur-of-the-moment type thing. We flew to Vegas and while we were there, Terrance shared his feelings with me and the next thing you know, we were standing in front of a preacher and saying I do.”
“But you’ve been married a week and didn’t tell us. I don’t know if my feelings should be hurt or not,” Charlotte said.
Mona got out of her seat and squeezed her way in between Kem and Charlotte on the couch. “Terrance and I thought it would be fun to throw a party and let everyone know at one time.”
“Yes, you’ve always been one for the theatrics,” Charlotte noted.
“Drama and Mona go hand in hand,” Kem agreed.
“I’ll let you two get away with it only because I’m so happy and I could have told you before now, but to see your faces when Terrance made the announcement…it was priceless.”
Mona tilted her body forward. She grabbed two glasses of champagne and handed one to Kem and the other glass to Charlotte. She then lifted her own glass. “Can my friends share this toast with me?”
“Sure. I’ll do it,” Charlotte said. “To Mona.” They all held their glasses up in the air. “May you and Terrance’s love continue to blossom.”
Kem added, “May the romance in your relationship never die.”
They clicked their glasses. Kem took a big gulp of her champagne.
The doors of the den flew open. In walked Terrance. “There’s my baby. Everyone’s been asking for you. When I didn’t see Kem or Charlotte either, I figured you all had escaped somewhere.”
Kem stood. “Congrats again, Terrance. You make my girl happy so I’m happy.”
Kem hugged him. “Thanks, Kem. I really appreciate your comments.”
Kem held her empty glass. “I’m going to go and see if I can locate Brent.”
“Your man is probably looking for you too,” Mona teased.
“Terrance, you got your hands full. If you need to vent, you have my number.” Kem laughed and patted Terrance on the arm.
“I can handle her.” Terrance winked.
Mona tilted her head to the side. “Oh really.”
Terrance wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her. Mona blushed.
Kem said, “You were saying?”
“Girl, go find your man and leave my man alone.” Mona smiled.
Kem smiled too. She left the happy couple and Charlotte behind in the den.
Kem heard an obnoxious, irritating laugh. When she looked in the direction of the sound, she saw some brunette with her boobs all up in Brent’s face. Brent didn’t seem too happy. Kem rushed to his side.
Brent bent and kissed her lightly on the lips. “Sweetheart. There you are.”
“Sweetheart?” the woman said.
“Yes. This is my lady.”
“I thought you were single,” the woman responded.
“Well, you thought wrong,” Kem said. She didn’t know if she should be mad at Brent or not. For now, she would handle the woman who was violating her space.
“When I saw you at the Emmys, you clearly stated you weren’t dating anyone,” the woman said.
“As I was trying to tell you, but you wouldn’t let me get a word in, that was months ago. Today, I’m happily involved.”
“Oh believe me. I’m reporting this on my blog tonight. Be prepared for the media storm, buddy.” She walked away.
“Who was that? Her face looks familiar,” Kem asked Brent.
“Sandy Blair. She’s an entertainment reporter,” Brent responded.
“Oh, I know exactly who she is. She’s more like a tabloid reporter. Sounded like she was more concerned about your personal life than getting a story.”
“She made a pass at me at the Emmys and I turned her down so she was trying again.”
“I know the heifer saw you and I together. I only stepped away for about thirty minutes.”
“Are you jealous?” Brent asked.
“Now’s not the time to be joking with me.” Kem sounded angry as her insecurities resurfaced. She turned and saw the venomous look in Sandy’s eyes, but then it disappeared. Sandy held her glass in the air, smiled and then turned around.
“Are you ready to go?” Brent asked.
“Yes, I’m no longer in a party mood.”
Kem searched the room until she saw Mona and Terrance. After saying their good-byes, Kem and Brent left the party.
Brent’s attempt to lighten the mood wasn’t working. Kem seemed to have had an attitude ever since they left the party.
“Kem, we should be celebrating your friends’ marriage not fighting with each other.”
“I’m not fighting with you. I’m just not talking to you.” Kem crossed her arms and looked out the passenger window as he drove.
“Why are you giving a person I care nothing about power over your happiness? I don’t know Sandy personally. She wanted to go out. I turned her down. Now, she’s going to report what? That you and I are a couple? Oh, I get it. You’re upset people will now know we’re dating.”
“If I was really trying to keep us a secret, I wouldn’t have gone to the party with you.”
“It’s one thing to socialize amongst friends, but for the world to know is a whole different tune. Are you afraid people will think you only gave me the part on your show because we were screwing? Is that going to mess up your squeaky-clean image?” Brent didn’t mean to come across harshly, but Kem’s attitude was grating on his nerves. He loved her and he didn’t care about people knowing they were involved.
“You don’t get it, do you?” Kem asked.
“Get what? Make me understand why you’re in such a funky mood.”
“It’s the fact you didn’t do anything to keep her out of your face. You were being too nice.”
“What did you expect me to do? I was trying to avoid a scene. I told her I wasn’t interested. I made it plain. She was the one who was persistent. If you don’t trust me, then we have a serious problem.”
He noticed Kem shift in her seat from the corner of his eye as he drove.
“That’s not it. It didn’t look like you were encouraging her but with women like that you have to be direct.”
“I was direct. I told her flat out I wasn’t interested. That was before you walked over. And I shared with her that you and I were in a relationship. I did that right in front of you. There’s nothing more I could have done.”
Kem sighed out loud. “You’re right. I apologize for overreacting. It’s just been an emotional evening.”
“Apology accepted.” Brent held Kem’s hand. “Let’s have our own private celebration when we get to your house.”
“I’m down for that.”
Kem took Brent’s hand and placed it underneath her dress. Brent smiled when he realized she wasn’t wearing any underwear. He pleasured her with his fingers as he tried to concentrate on the road. He couldn’t wait to get her home so he could please her in other ways.
Chapter Nineteen
The following day, Kem sat behind her computer m
onitor in her home office. Brent walked in carrying her favorite strawberry fruit smoothie.
“I thought you could use a break.”
“I’ve been breaking since I turned this computer on. Your friend wrote this blog post and it’s been circulating all over the Internet.”
Brent leaned in so he could get a clear view of Kem’s monitor.
Kem read out loud, “‘I got the juice. Last night, I attended a party hosted by the newlywed couple, producer Terrance Beckham and screenwriter Mona Beckham. Yes, ladies, Terrance is off the market, but that’s not the juicy part. There were quite a few Hollywood actors and movers and shakers in the room. If some of you are wondering how one particular actor got his job on the number-one show on TV, no need to wonder anymore. Brent McKenzie confirmed with me last night that he is dating the show’s producer and creator, Kim Phillips. I wonder, like so many of you, how long Brent’s been banging Kim.’”
“This is why I hate some reporters,” Brent said.
“She could have at least spelled my name right. It’s K-e-m,” Kem mentioned as she swiveled her chair around. “And she’s not a real reporter.”
“Obviously,” Brent agreed.
“I did some research on her. She’s the one who tried to slam Parris and Casper when Parris was going through the drama with her ex-manager,” Kem stated.
“Oh, yes, I remember that.”
Brent went to the counter and picked up his cell phone connected to the charger. “I have twenty missed calls,” Brent said as he looked at his phone.
“I turned my ringer off.” Kem reached across her desk and picked hers up. “Charlotte’s called me about five times.”
“I’ll call her and put her on speaker,” Brent said. He dialed Charlotte’s number. “Good morning,” Brent said into the phone.
“It’s about time you called me back.”
“Char, it’s me, Kem. You’re on speaker.”
“Good. So how do you two want me to handle this?”
“News must be slow if so many people are concerned about what Brent and I are doing.”
Charlotte responded, “You know folks love celebrity news. So, Brent, I want to schedule you an interview with Terrance J. You can give him an update on an upcoming episode and also share with him your views on love.”
“Putting those PR skills to good use, I see,” Kem noted.
“You know it. So can I schedule it for Monday morning?” Charlotte asked.
“Have him come to the studio. We can chat between shots,” Brent responded.
“Kem, I’m going to call you back on your phone. This time answer.”
“Will do,” Kem responded.
A few seconds later, Kem’s phone rang. Brent gave her some privacy and left the room.
“Char, I’m sorry about not answering. I had my phone on silent.” Kem turned away from the computer and gave Charlotte her undivided attention.
“I figured you two were either under the sheets or somewhere hanging out and just didn’t hear your phones ringing.”
“Contrary to what Sandy the so-called reporter says, we do more than bang. We bang! Bang! Bang!” Kem chuckled.
“Girl, you are so crazy,” Charlotte responded, laughing from the other end of the phone. “You sounded just like John Witherspoon from the movie Friday.”
“My inbox is full. People I rarely hear from have sent me emails trying to find out if it’s true.”
“Have you talked to your mom?” Charlotte asked.
“Not today. I’ve been so busy, it’s been a few weeks since I’ve spoken with her. I’ll call her as soon as I get off the phone with you.”
Charlotte and Kem chatted for a few more minutes. Kem hung up with Charlotte and immediately called her mom. She didn’t get an answer so she left a message. “Mom, hope you’re doing okay. I know you’re talking about me. I’ve just been so busy. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to come to Shreveport for Thanksgiving, but maybe I can get you a ticket and you can fly out here. Call me back later to let me know. Love you.”
Kem’s mom called her back within minutes. They stayed on the phone for almost an hour. Kem chuckled as her mom bombarded her with question after question about Brent.
Brent walked in at the tail end of Kem’s conversation. He paused in the doorway when he heard her say, “Love you” to someone on the other end of the phone.
“Should I be concerned?” Brent asked as he walked closer to Kem.
“Oh no. That was my mom. She didn’t answer so I left her a message.”
“I look forward to meeting her.”
“I want her to meet you too. She absolutely loves you. When I told her we were dating, she was happy to hear it. She already has us married with two point five kids.”
“What about the picket fence?” Brent asked.
“She’s got us living in Buckingham Palace, maids, butlers and all,” Kem joked.
“Seriously, if she doesn’t come for Thanksgiving, maybe we can just fly down one weekend and surprise her.”
“She would like that, but let’s hope she will agree to come out here. And maybe I can convince her to stay until after Christmas.”
Kem and Brent spent the rest of Sunday afternoon watching television and surfing the Internet on their cell phones. “Seems like the world knows we’re a couple.” Brent showed her another article online on his phone.
“This is too funny. This reporter actually took the time to go back through old photos to see if they could figure out when our relationship began.” Kem shook her head.
Brent took his phone from Kem. “I think I want to get on your casting couch. I want to audition for the role of your leading man.”
Brent turned the television off. He hit a button on the remote and some music began to play. He did his own strip-tease show as Kem shouted, “Take it off. Take it all the way off.”
And Brent obliged her. He removed everything except his boxers. He took his shirt and wrapped it around her body, pulling her closer to him. He planted kisses on each side of her lips and then passionately kissed her.
She moaned as his hands roamed over her body.
“Baby, I want you,” Brent whispered.
“I want you too,” she responded.
She kissed Brent on the chest. Brent’s pulse increased immediately. Her hand eased inside his boxers. She caressed his stiff manhood in her hands until he was ready to burst.
Brent pulled down her pants and panties. He looked into her eyes as he entered her. They gasped in pleasure the moment their bodies connected.
“Oooh, baby, yes,” Brent moaned.
Brent couldn’t help losing control as she met each one of his strokes. Being inside Kem felt like heaven on earth for him. He couldn’t control his emotions as he filled her up with his seed.
“I love youuu,” Kem moaned.
“I love you too,” Brent responded as he held onto her as she reached her climax.
Chapter Twenty
Kem and Brent decided to go to the studio in separate cars. When they arrived, Brent went to his trailer to prepare for his scenes and Kem went through her daily routine. She sat behind her desk and stared into the open space reminiscing about the previous night. She’d finally let her guard down and allowed herself to fall in love. A part of her was scared, but for the most part, she was ecstatic. She never thought she would experience true love, but being with Brent made her feel that anything was possible. He was the first guy she’d met who made her want a lifetime commitment.
Ellen walked in and closed her door. Kem stopped typing and looked at Ellen.
“Good morning, I thought I had fifteen minutes before the meeting,” Kem stated.
“You do, but I wanted to talk to you in private.” Ellen took a seat in the chair across from Kem’s desk.
“Any problems I should know about?
” Kem stared at Ellen.
Ellen smiled. “I kind of figured something was going on between you two.”
“What Brent and I have going on has nothing to do with work, so our relationship is not up for discussion.” Kem hated to sound so stern but she didn’t have time for office gossip.
“Oh, I’m happy for you. I’ve been your production assistant for a few years and this is the first time I’ve seen you so happy.”
“I’m glad to hear you are.”
Ellen looked over her shoulder and then back at Kem. She whispered, “A few people are talking about it, so I didn’t want you to be caught off guard.”
“Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion, but as I said, my relationship isn’t up for discussion. It will not affect our jobs so let them talk.”
“Whew, I feel better. I didn’t want you to think I was one of those talking behind your back.”
“Oh, Ellen, I know you would never gossip.”
“No, ma’am. When I do talk, it’s all factual,” Ellen said.
“I know it is,” Kem responded.
As soon as Ellen was out of her office, Kem laughed out loud. Ellen might be okay with her relationship with Brent, but Ellen was also a gossiper. Didn’t nothing go on without Ellen knowing about it.
“I bet she’s mad at herself for not confirming our relationship status before that tabloid reporter did,” Kem shared with Mona over the phone a few minutes later.
“You should walk up to him and give him a big juicy kiss after your meeting. That will really get their tongues wagging,” Mona suggested.
“Let me go. Got to face the wolves.”
Kem ended her call with Mona and went to the conference room. As soon as she stepped inside the room went completely silent.
“You guys are acting like we’re in a morgue. Let’s liven it up some,” Kem said. “Ellen, pass out the updated schedule.”
Secrets Uncovered Page 7
