“Then why would you get in a car with a stranger?”
“She’s not a stranger. She’s my Pilates instructor, and she owns the studio. She’s not just a plastic bimbo off the street. I’ve been to her class three times, and she’s very professional. She comes highly recommended. And she’s the first person I’ve met in LA who was interested in me and not my relationship with you.”
“Just bring one of the guys with you next time. That’s all I’m saying.”
“Whatever. I need a shower.” She stood up and began walking toward the stairs without looking back.
Jon waited until she was in the shower before he came in to finish their conversation. He leaned against the door, watching her.
“Now I can’t even take a shower by myself?”
“Sarah, this is our life. You have to accept it because it is not going away. Sam and the guys are not spying on you. They don’t give me verbal reports about what you did at the Caboose Juice. They are just there to keep you safe and make our lives easier. You can ignore them and they will eventually blend into the scenery. I’ll tell them that’s what you want and that’s what will happen.”
She drenched her face under the spray of the shower and turned her back to Jon’s gaze. She could tell he wasn’t going to leave, so she rinsed her hair and then reached for her towel. When she stepped out, she looked into his blue eyes and knew she shouldn’t be arguing about this. It’s not that she cared that he knew she went for juice after her workout; it was that she needed time to be herself and not on show. She grabbed another towel off the shelf and wrapped it around her head.
“I’ll try. I just need time alone sometimes.”
“I know of this secluded resort we could go to—just you and me.” He stood up and smiled at her.
“Tomorrow?”
His arms slid around her and he leaned down to kiss her. “If that’s what you want.”
His lips brushed hers, soft with just the perfect amount of pressure, and when his tongue slid into her mouth, he lifted her, wrapping her legs around him as he spun and pressed her against the door. He pulled back to stare into her eyes and asked, “Should I set it up? We can skip Cannes for all I care. Let’s just skip the festival.”
He looked so sincere, like he would give up anything just to make her happy.
“No. We can’t skip Cannes. Maybe we can do it when we get back…But we can’t because we have the wedding…and the Demigod Forbidden promotion…and then you start filming again. Maybe we can do it in January?”
“I love you, Sarah. We can find some time for ourselves before the wedding and then we have the entire honeymoon.” His lips perused her neck as he tugged at the towel wrapped around her.
She stiffened and grabbed his hand to stop him.
“Are Sam and the guys coming on our honeymoon?”
He pulled away slightly and moved his hand back to her thigh. He pressed his forehead against hers and looked into her eyes. “You won’t even know they’re there, I promise.”
She slid her legs to the floor and kissed his cheek. “I need to call Megan before it gets too late.”
He shook his head as if he couldn’t believe she just said that. He backed away, putting his hands up in defeat, and she slipped out the door to get dressed.
***
Sarah found her way downstairs to make her first phone call just as Leslie was coming in the door. “Will you tell your cousin I want to be alone with him on our honeymoon?”
Leslie looked at her with a confused expression. “I’m not going on your honeymoon. Jon, what is she talking about?”
Jon followed Sarah down the stairs and grasped Sarah’s shoulders, gently holding her in place as he explained. “She’s worried we won’t have any privacy because Sam and the guys are going to be there.”
“Sam and I have both walked in on you—how many times now? I can’t even keep track anymore. Honestly, there’s nothing more for either of us to see. You two are like horny little rabbits.”
“Not this week, and don’t say ‘little’ when you’re talking about me in that way,” Jon muttered under his breath.
Sarah rewarded him with an elbow in the gut. “That must have been some other girl with Jon, not me, because Sam has never walked in on us.” She remembered Leslie walking in on them once, but never Sam.
“He has, Sarah, and I think Raul has, too. Last week he came into the main house with the prettiest shade of blush on his face. He wouldn’t tell me why, but he told me not to bug you two for at least thirty minutes.”
“No.” Sarah turned and hid her face against Jon’s chest.
“It’s OK, Sarah. It’s a hazard of their job. They’re used to it. They could have it much worse—we’re fairly tame. Don’t let it bother you. It doesn’t bother me.” Jon pulled her against him and began caressing her back.
“You’re used to showing everyone your goods. You strip down to nothing in front of a hundred people. The people who have seen me naked are very limited and I’d like to keep it that way.”
He smiled. “Me too. But it’s not a big deal. It’s not like they stand and watch. They’d be fired—they know that.” Jon looked her in the eyes for several seconds and then whispered in her ear, “I love that you only want to show me your bits, and I will try harder to keep our private time private, OK? You’re right. You are mine and mine alone.”
They stood in silence several seconds until Leslie cleared her throat and said, “Still here. And I could use some help with the swag boxes in my car.” She walked toward the door.
Jon pulled back. “Sarah has a call to make, but I can help you.” He kissed the corner of Sarah’s mouth as he turned to follow Leslie outside.
Chapter Thirteen
Sarah
SARAH CALLED JESSICA first to explore the possible alternative explanations for the leaks. Jessica would tell her what she needed to know before she accused Megan of anything. The conversations started out with a catch-up on the week’s events. Jessica had gotten an A on her nursing clinical final and was excited because Jeff was taking her out for a fancy dinner on Saturday to celebrate. She was convinced the grade was just an excuse so Jeff could officially propose. He had bought the ring, but he hadn’t showed it to her yet.
Alli wasn’t seeing the teaching assistant anymore. He saw the kiss pictures and couldn’t believe she would kiss someone else while they were dating. Alli explained to him that she didn’t even know they were dating at the time, since they never discussed it. It was an ugly argument according to Alli. The good news was that every male at the university saw the kiss picture and now she had more attention than she wanted. Alli was eating it up and acting more like Megan than herself.
Then there was Megan. Chase had been at the rental house four times in the last week. Jessica was afraid Megan and Chase would be getting back together soon if they weren’t already together. She was sure of it, and she wanted Sarah to talk to Megan about what was going on with Chase. Sarah was the only person Megan ever listened to when Chase was involved.
“You have to talk some sense into her and remind her about the hell he put her through,” exclaimed Jessica. “I’ve tried, and it’s like she doesn’t even hear me.”
“I’ll do what I can,” she said, knowing that the accusations she was going to make would probably just push Megan closer to Chase. She hesitated for a second. “Did you know Jon’s friend Liam and Megan kept in touch? Liam mentioned it earlier today.”
“Yeah…She texted me right after he called her the first time. She was so excited. It’s too bad he doesn’t live here. He’s probably the one guy that would stand a chance against Chase.”
“She never told me. Why would she keep that from me?”
“There was something about Jon not wanting his groomsmen hooking up with any of us, because he didn’t want any awkwardness between the two groups. I’m surprised Liam let it slip. Megan said he felt really bad about it because Jon rarely asks for anything,” Jessica stated. “Did everyth
ing turn out all right with his brother’s intervention?”
“You knew about that?”
“Megan was all bent out of shape about it. I think she only told Alli and me, though. She just needed some people to hash it over with. She couldn’t talk to Chase about it. She felt really bad for Liam. He and his brother used to be really close. I think him talking about it stirred up all the bad memories about Chase…not enough for her to stop seeing him though.”
“Did she tell you over the phone or at the house?”
“I think it was on the phone. Why?”
“Don’t…tell…anyone,” she enunciated slowly and clearly. “Liam thinks Megan leaked the story about his brother’s intervention to the tabloids. No one but Megan and Jon knew about it and the story came out in the press over the weekend.”
“She wouldn’t do that. She likes Liam.”
“That’s what I said, but Jon and Liam are convinced it had to be her. If she told you over the phone, though, maybe her phone is bugged.”
“Bugged? Really? Can you say delusions of grandeur?”
“Jess, today two guys swept my house and the courtyard for electronic listening devices while a third guy dissected my computer, Jon’s computer, his iPad, my phone, Jon’s phone. We changed all our Internet account passwords. I don’t even know how to sign on and get my e-mail anymore. It took all afternoon. They swept everything so we could eliminate every other possibility for the leak besides Megan and now I’m supposed to talk to Megan to see if she’ll admit to leaking it.”
“You think that maybe it’s her phone?” Jessica asked, her tone changed.
“I just can’t accept the alternative. You guys are all I have. I’ve cut everyone else out of my life. I don’t have any other friends, not anymore.” Sarah was feeling a little sorry for herself. She chose Jon over her friends. She chose Jon over her freedom to be alone. She knew he was worth it, but she still mourned her losses, and Mia’s pregnancy still hung unrevealed.
“Megan would never sell you out, Sarah. Talk to her. I’m sure it wasn’t her. Chase left about a half hour ago. Give her a call…and don’t forget to tell her to lose the ex-boy toy.”
Sarah chuckled. Jessica always made her feel better.
“I’ll do my best,” she promised. She looked at her computer and the password list on the table trying to gather courage. She knew she and Jon couldn’t go on like this any longer. Someone was leaking information to the press. The leaks had to stop. If it was one of her friends, she was sure it was unintentional.
She met Jon coming out of the office, and without a word he followed her into the living room. He was wearing a new pair of dark sunglasses, probably swag from the boxes in Leslie’s car, and she couldn’t see his icy blue eyes. She rolled her eyes at him as she sat down on the couch and tucked her legs up next to her. Then she took a deep breath and made the call.
“Oh, Sarah, I’m so glad you called. I need some advice.” Megan continued without letting Sarah talk, “Chase was just here, and he wants to get back together. He told me that he never stopped loving me—that we could make it work now. What do I do with that?”
This was the last thing Sarah wanted to do—give dating advice to Megan. She wanted to talk about the leak. She wanted Megan to reassure her that she would never do anything to hurt her. She thought a few seconds and declared, “You know you can’t get back together with him, right? I mean, you know that or you wouldn’t be asking me for advice. He’s never treated you well. Even before he started using drugs, he treated you like you were a second-class citizen.”
Sarah got up off the couch and glanced at Jon, who was sitting next to her, reading. His dark Ray-Bans now perched on the top of his head. She knew he was sitting close so he could eavesdrop on her conversation. She strode into the kitchen as she listened to Megan’s response.
“I know,” Megan admitted slowly. “He just seems so different now though, like he’s really trying. Did you know he bought me a new phone? It’s totally loaded. It has everything. He just gave it to me as a gift—not to say he was sorry and he didn’t expect anything in return. He never would have done something like that before. I really think he’s sincere.”
“He gave you a phone?” Sarah questioned. In her mind this explained everything. “I bet it was totally loaded,” she stated cynically as she filled a glass with ice water.
“Wasn’t it sweet? So un-Chase. I priced it out, and he had to have paid close to eight hundred for it. I told you he’s changed.” Megan didn’t pick up on Sarah’s tone.
“When did he give it to you?”
“Right after we got back from your place. He just showed up with the new one. It had a red bow on it…a bow.” She emphasized the last part.
Sarah paused for a couple of seconds as she took a goblet out of the cupboard and filled it with water. She didn’t know how to tell Megan that Chase hadn’t changed. He was still the same scheming and insincere guy he had always been.
“You know…I talked to Liam today. He told me you two have been keeping in touch.” She walked into the living room and slouched back into the spot she had vacated. She took a sip of her water before setting it on the large wooden tray on the ottoman in front of her.
“He told you? He’s really great. I wish he lived here,” Megan paused. “Is he mad at me?”
“Is there a reason why he should be mad at you?” Sarah asked.
“No, but I called him twice and he hasn’t called me back. Did he say anything?”
“Megan, he thinks you leaked the story about his brother’s intervention to the press. He only told you and Jon and it came out on Friday on Celebrity Daily. After the story broke, his brother disappeared.”
“What? Did they find him?”
“No…He’s still missing.”
“Well…Jon’s got a lot of explaining to do, because I didn’t tell any vultures anything. You told Liam it wasn’t me, right?”
“I tried, but…” Sarah stuttered. “They can’t figure out how else it could have leaked.”
“They? Jon believes it too? I would never do that. You know I would never—”
“You wouldn’t, but the Chase I used to know would. That perfect phone he gave you probably has a stalker app that gives him access to everything you say and text and your e-mail.”
Megan was silent for several seconds. “Damn him…Always the user. Why do I let him do this to me over and over? I can’t believe I trusted him again. I let him back in my life and he does this to me? I bet Liam will never talk to me again.”
“So you didn’t tell anyone about Liam’s brother?”
“No…just Jessica and Alli…and they wouldn’t tell anyone. I can’t believe I fell for his BS. I am so going to tell him where to shove his phone. I should have done it as soon as I noticed him downloading my contact list. I’m going to kill him.”
Sarah was feeling bad that it was sort of her fault that Megan would be losing her dream phone, so she said, “Hey, Jon and I will replace it. Just tell us what you want and we’ll send you a new one.” She wanted to feel secure when she spoke to her friends again, and if Chase had given her the phone, he had to be the source of the leak. Sarah stretched her leg out and tapped her foot against Jon’s knee. He was pretending to read, but she could tell he was listening to her conversation.
He smiled without looking up from his screenplay.
“That’s OK. I still have my old phone. I’ll just switch it back. It would be weird having you buy me a new one.”
As Sarah wrapped up the call with Megan, she bubbled with relief. She felt so different from this afternoon. She had a complete mood transfusion in one phone call. Sarah noticed Jon staring and smiled hugely back at him. When she was off the phone, she climbed onto his lap and kissed him. Gaping at him, she stated, “I told you it wasn’t her.”
“I think we still need to test her after she gets the new phone, just to make sure…before we completely trust her again,” Jon announced.
“You’ll
see…it wasn’t her.”
Jon smiled, his dimple pulling into his right cheek. “I hope you’re right,” he declared. “So what should we let slip?”
“I don’t know…We could tell her we bought a puppy.”
“How is that scandalous?”
“A purebred puppy from a breeder. She knows my parents would kill me. With my dad being a vet, and my parents volunteering at the animal shelter, they would disown me if we got a dog that wasn’t a rescue dog. The story is benign enough that it won’t hurt us, yet personal enough that the press would print it. It’s not like we’re actually going to adopt a purebred, so all we have to do is deny it. If it doesn’t come out in the press—which it won’t—then I’ll just tell her we changed our mind or that the breeder took it back because there was a problem.”
“When did you become such a good liar?”
“Should I become an actor?” she retorted sarcastically. She smiled wryly at him. “I’ll tell her in person when we’re home to rule out the phone, too.”
“Don’t get mad at me,” he looked at her with knitted eyebrows and sternly continued, “but you really scared me today. I know you’re planning to go shopping tomorrow, and I want to go with you.”
“No,” she said blatantly, glaring at him.
“But—”
“I won’t get anything done if you come with me,” she interrupted. “The paparazzi and fans will be all over us. I have a million places to go and it’s the only day I can do it. There is no way you’re coming.”
“Then Raul is going with you.” He glared her down. “It’s not like it’s a new request…same old-same old. I just want you to accept it, without argument.
“He’ll die of boredom.”
“I’ll make sure I write a nice note to his mother then,” Jon declared with a chuckle. “If you’re sure you don’t want me to come shopping with you, then I’m having lunch with Isaac.”
“You just wanted to get out of lunch with Isaac, didn’t you?” She bumped shoulders with Jon.
“No…I want to go to lunch with him. If we don’t get lunch together tomorrow, he’ll sit next to me on the plane and talk business the entire flight to France.”
Between the Lies (Between the Raindrops #2) Page 13
