Feather Light (Knead Me)

by Lorenz Font

  Kelly froze, her heart aching for what she had put him through. She got a glimpse of his face, but his expression gave no indication of his emotions. God, if there was anything she could do to rewind the past weeks, she’d do what was right.

  Not only had she screwed up big-time, but she’d also pushed him right into the middle of the storm that was her life. The urge to protect him from her lifestyle had been overwhelming, but looking back at what had transpired over the last few weeks, it seemed like she’d just made things worse by not telling him the truth. Had she kept her identity a secret just to shelter him from her invasive life, or had she done it for her own selfish reasons?

  Kelly instructed the limo driver to take her straight to Parker’s New York office and found the place looking like a ghost town. During her first visit, it had been buzzing with energy, but today it almost seemed like someone had died. The usually perky receptionist appeared subdued when she walked in. When she glanced up from her desk, the woman didn’t seem surprised to see her.

  “Is Parker available?” She removed her sunglasses and rested her arms on the counter.

  “I’m sorry, but Mr. Davis flew out last night.” There was an intense sadness in the woman’s eyes.

  Kelly’s face fell. Surely, she hadn’t flown thousands of miles just to miss him. “He left? But he usually stays for a week, doesn’t he?”

  The woman nodded. “Something came up, and he had to leave.”

  Kelly had a sinking feeling it might have something to do with her and the paparazzi she’d seen harassing him on television.

  “Is Parker okay?”

  “He’s fine, but he’s a little shaken. I’m sorry, I am not comfortable talking about him.” The woman sounded like she was done answering questions.

  “Thanks for your help.” Kelly turned to leave.

  “Ms. Storm?”

  “Yes?”

  “I’m rooting for a happy ending.” The woman offered a small smile before picking up an incoming call.

  The words touched her deeply. “So am I.”

  Kelly left with an insurmountable feeling of disappointment, which was directed at herself. She rummaged inside her purse for her cell phone and dialed Jessica’s number. Some passersby stopped to gawk at her, but at that point, she was beyond caring and hiding behind her sunglasses. There were more important things besides worrying about people watching her every move.

  “Hey, I need your help. Can you book a flight for me? I need the first flight going out of JFK to LA”

  “What do you mean first flight? Where’s Parker?”

  Kelly heard her already thumping on the keyboard. “I missed him. According to his secretary, he left last night. I don’t know why, but I have a hunch it might have something to do with the paps.” She waved to the driver who was parked just up the street watching for her signal.

  “They found out about him?” Jessica sounded incredulous. “The pictures didn’t show his face at all.”

  “That’s what it seems like from the news. You know how they can find anything if they set their minds to it. And it’s obvious Parker is the flavor of the week now. I’m afraid he’ll end up hating me even more because of this.”

  “Okay, give me a few minutes to find you a flight.”

  The limo parked at the curb. Kelly didn’t even bother to wait for the driver to open the car door for her. “We’re going back to the airport. Drive as fast as humanly possible.”

  Feeling a headache building, she closed her eyes and leaned back against the leather seat. Jessica came on the phone a few minutes later.

  “Okay, you’re booked to fly out in … let me see … two hours. Just head to the kiosk of United Airlines and print your boarding pass. Call me if you need anything else.”

  Kelly sighed. “Thanks.”

  “Kelly? Don’t worry about anything. Just take care of yourself.”

  A tear slipped through her lashes. “Why is this so much harder than I thought?”

  “Because, my dear, love isn’t easy. Go and win that man’s heart.”

  “I hope I’m not too late.”

  “Don’t be too pessimistic. I’m rooting for you, babe.”

  Kelly wished she had the same confidence. There were some things even fervent prayers couldn’t answer. Maybe she was too late.

  “Thanks, Jess.”

  For the duration of the ride to the airport, she tried to forget all the worries that had been gnawing at her but was unable to rid her mind of Parker’s haunting image. She was too tired to fight the memories of the last time they’d been together.

  During the flight back to Los Angeles, Kelly powered up her laptop and secured a satellite Internet connection. She skimmed through the pages, something she’d thought she would never do in her life. When stardom struck, most of her friends in the business had advised her not to read articles about herself. For the most part, she had stayed away. But this time, she was curious to see what garbage they’d concocted about her.

  Once she typed her name in the browser, an astounding number of articles appeared, some dating back three years. Pictures upon pictures of her graced the monitor, thousands if she kept looking. Most were taken during events, with her in a gown, walking the red carpet, attending a gala opening at the MET, or posing with countless costars in films. She felt very empty as she kept scrolling down the innumerable images of her basking in the glory of fame and fortune.

  More pictures showed up of her and Matthew attending the Academy Awards together. Some were taken during happier times, and a few were of her alone, after their relationship had ended up in the dumpster. Then there was the picture of her crying aboard a friend’s yacht, taken by Rigor James using a telephoto lens.

  Memories surged back in torrents, as if they’d just happened yesterday. She closed her eyes to stop the torment, but once the memories started, it was a futile effort. It all came back with a vengeance.

  She thought of Matthew, who had used her celebrity status to get ahead in the business, and his eventual unfaithfulness. There was also the short-lived happiness after finding out she was pregnant, only to lose the baby. And now Parker had learned of her lies. There would be no way to bring back her daughter, but there was still hope for her and Parker—granted he listened to her and accepted her apology.

  “Ms. Storm, would you like a glass of champagne?”

  The flight attendant’s question brought her back to the present. Kelly had no idea she had been staring out the window the whole time.

  She looked up and shook her head. “But I could use a glass of water and a couple of Aleve if you have them.”

  The woman left to do her bidding. Kelly glanced out the window again while the merciless pounding in her head continued. A lump formed in her throat, and errant tears trickled down her cheeks. She brushed them away.

  “Here you are, Ms. Storm.” The flight attendant took one good look at her and panicked. “Is everything all right? Can I get you something else?”

  “It’s just a monster headache. Thank you.” Kelly accepted the glass of water and the pills, and then looked away, not wanting to explain herself any further.

  “Call me if you need anything.” The attendant left as soon as Kelly nodded.

  After taking the medicine, she continued her search for the latest gossip about her. Parker’s pictures came up, captioned as the new love of her life. “A blind, self-made man has calmed the storm,” another article said. At least they’d gotten their facts right for a change. She had indeed fallen for Parker.

  Why do people have to refer to him as a blind man? Kelly didn’t understand the tag being affixed to his name. When she’d first seen him, she had to admit, he hadn’t seemed blind at all. What she’d seen was an attractive man, so sure of himself and quite capable of stringing hearts along. She’d had no idea it was hers he would catch.

  True, she’d immersed herself in researching everything she could about his condition, even read a few articles about him and how he’d dealt with
the disease with grace and courage. The more she’d learned about him, the more her fascination had grown. For Kelly, the single threat his blindness posed was his uncanny ability to probe her deepest emotions just with a touch of his hands on her body.

  Kelly didn’t realize that she had fallen asleep. She woke up in a daze and found that they had landed. After gathering her things, she deplaned, rushed to her car, and noted that several reporters and photographers were trailing behind her. She hated to be rude, but there were times when she just wanted to be left alone—something she knew would never happen. The public owned her, and the media would do whatever it took to get pictures of her.

  The first thing she did when she got into her Rover was dial Parker’s number. She backed out of the reserved parking space as soon as the valet gave her the go-ahead. She noticed with annoyance that several cars were already geared to follow her.

  After several rings, her call went to his voicemail. “Parker, I need to speak to you. Can you please call me?”

  Her plea sounded desperate, but she was beyond caring. Kelly waited a few minutes, unable to decide where to go. When she decided to take Sepulveda Boulevard to get to the freeway, she noticed two cars trailing her. She recognized them as the same cars that had been waiting for her in the parking lot.

  “Damn it!” She slammed on the accelerator.

  Her SUV responded with enough power to create a big gap between them. Snaking in and out of cars, she tried her best to lose them. With her heart pounding hard, she kept up the pace, but one of the two cars was gaining on her.

  She was approaching eighty miles per hour, and yet the pap was closing the distance between them. With a furious dose of adrenaline pumping within her, Kelly floored the gas just as a car veered into her lane. Instinct pushed her to react, and she stepped on the brakes. She swerved to avoid hitting the car, sending hers spinning out of control. Although she tried to counter by hanging on to the steering wheel, the car continued to turn. Her screams drowned out the screeching brakes around her while other cars swerved to miss her. At one point, all she could think of was that she was going to die because of her own stupidity, and without even getting a chance to talk to Parker.

  “No, no, no!”

  Reining in her fear, she allowed her car to spin a few more times while it seemed to be losing its momentum. It rammed into the center divider with enough force to send shards of broken glass and metal flying around her. The airbags deployed, whipping her head back at the impact. Kelly heard a sickening crunch. Her scream rose to a fevered pitch as her left arm was pinned against the door by the airbag.

  When the car halted, steam sizzled from under the hood. When the airbag deflated, she had a chance to survey the damage. She hoped her recklessness hadn’t caused anyone else to get into an accident. With trembling hands, she tried to remove her seat belt, but it wouldn’t budge. Stifling an urge to cry, she fumbled with it, punching the release button several times, but it still wouldn’t release. She tried to open her door, but she was trapped by the concrete divider. Stuck, she buried her face against the steering wheel and began to cry. Kelly heard voices around her while cars slowed and others came over to check on her.

  “Miss, are you okay?” one gentleman asked.

  “I already called for help. Just stay where you are,” another one said.

  She continued sobbing at the realization that her choice to outrun the paps could have gotten herself and others killed. In a matter of minutes, she heard sirens. Orders were shouted, and then someone wrenched the door open from the front passenger side.

  Someone tapped her on the shoulder. “Miss, can you move?”

  Kelly looked up, trying to see through the blur of tears, and gave a weak nod. “I’m okay. Is anyone else hurt?” Her voice shook, and for the first time, she tasted blood in her mouth.

  “I need a gurney here, stat!”

  Kelly had no idea what happened next. All she remembered was the sympathetic face of one of the fire crew before her vision blurred and everything went dark. When she woke up, she was lying on a hospital bed surrounded by Jessica, Dave, and Lizzie, their faces marked with worry.

  Jessica moved closer to the bed. “Oh, Kelly, I’m glad you’re okay.”

  She looked around and winced at the sudden pain in her arm. “How did I get here?”

  “Reports said you passed out,” Dave said as he moved to the other side of her bed.

  “Can I get you anything? Water perhaps?” Lizzie asked.

  “If you don’t mind.” Kelly turned to Dave. “I made a big mess. What am I looking at?”

  “According to police reports, several motorists said that they noticed another car chasing yours, and then that car veered in front of you, which was why you swerved and lost control. Regardless, you’ll be getting a speeding ticket and maybe a fine for damaging public property. I’m not sure yet. I contacted your lawyer and asked the investigator to speak to him directly.”

  “No one else got hurt, right?” She held her breath while she waited for Dave’s answer. He shook his head. Relieved, she closed her eyes. “I’m glad.”

  “As for your pursuers, they got the bastards’ license plates. One of them was Rigor James, your favorite pap. Your lawyer is building a strong case to get him off your back once and for all. I can’t believe the lengths people will go to get that perfect shot. He could’ve killed you.” Dave shook his head in disgust.

  Jessica snorted. “I don’t understand his fixation on you. I guess your picture is worth so much he just doesn’t care about the outcome.”

  “I’m here, and I’m alive.” Kelly forced a smile. “Let’s just hope he’s nailed this time. He can’t be doing this to others.”

  “Believe me, the bastard won’t be able to get near you again,” Dave said and moved toward the door. “I’m going to make some phone calls. I can’t believe how news can travel so fast.”

  She looked at Jessica. “What is he talking about?”

  “You made the news again. You’re all over the Internet—Twitter and wherever else you can think of.” Jessica threw up her hands in disgust. “I had Lizzie bring an overnight bag for you.”

  Lizzie handed Kelly the water and helped her into a sitting position. Her head throbbed when she moved, but she drank in greedy gulps, and then sank back against the mattress.

  “I have to get out of here. I need to see Parker.”

  Jessica sat down on the bed next to her. “Sorry. The doctor said you’ll have to stay overnight for observation.”

  “But I’ve wasted so much time—”

  “Look, you have a nasty cut on your forehead.” Jessica pointed to her head. “And your arm is banged up, in case you haven’t noticed.”

  Kelly felt the bandage on her forehead and flinched when she caught sight of her left arm, which resembled an eggplant. The bruising had started, and she guessed it would look a whole lot worse in the days to come.

  “I can’t wait any longer.” She pushed the sheets down and tried to get up.

  “Oh, no, you don’t.” Jessica held her arm, preventing her from getting out of bed. “Lizzie, call the nurse.”

  Kelly tried to shake off her friend’s hand, but the throbbing in her head was much too painful to ignore. She was forced to remain motionless to get the pounding to stop. Tears threatened to spill again, and she hated them for making her feel weak.

  “Have you seen what they’ve been doing to him? Following him wherever he goes? And he had no idea what was happening because I was too damned selfish, thinking only of myself.” She felt raw, tired, and hopeless.

  “I know what’s going on, Kells, but there’s nothing we can do about that. You need to rest tonight if you want to be discharged tomorrow. I called Debbie and told her what happened. She’s planning on taking the first flight out of Chicago in the morning.”

  Not her sister. The woman would be fussing nonstop, and that was the last thing Kelly wanted. What she really needed at the moment was to get out and find Parker. Her
hopes of escaping were dashed when the nurse entered the room holding a medicine cup.

  “Ms. Storm, Dr. Keller said you could use some of this.” The cup contained one white pill.

  Kelly recoiled. “What is it?”

  “You need to calm down, and this will help you sleep.” Jessica took the pill from the nurse and the glass of water from Lizzie.

  “When you wake up in the morning and after a consultation with the doctor, then you can go home and do whatever you want.”

  “Ms. Storm, you need to take the pill and rest. You’ve been through a lot today.” The nurse nodded.

  Without any other choice, she took the pill and popped it into her mouth.

  “Parker, what the hell? Will you answer your damned calls?”

  He listened to Cork’s message, one of the many his brother had left, and then deleted it. It had been two days since he’d come back from New York and relegated himself to staying indoors, opting to hide until he was ready to face the world.

  The image of Mrs. Crawford flashed in his mind, creating havoc and confusion. He took a swig from the bottle of vodka, enjoying the momentary respite the alcohol offered. How could he have missed the signs she was in distress? What kind of man wouldn’t see if a person was dying right there on his table? Parker knew the answer to that question—only a blind man.

  Of course, people around him offered the customary platitudes to ease his guilt—it wasn’t his fault that Mrs. Crawford died of a heart attack, and there wasn’t anything he could have done about it. That was all bullshit. Nothing they said changed the bitter reality. He could have done something if he’d been able to see, if he’d been able to identify the symptoms. But it was too late. Parker’s hands had failed him. His touch hadn’t been enough.

  His phone rang again. This time it was Webster. He listened to the voicemail before getting rid of it. His mood had spiraled out of control. Even running for hours on the treadmill couldn’t lift him from the rut he’d been dwelling in the past few days.

  Parker paced the room, rage engulfing him. He hadn’t turned on his computer, nor had he listened to the news since Mrs. Crawford’s death. The media reports about the incident had escalated to the point that his lawyer had to get involved to do damage control. To top it all off, the news about his relationship with Kelly Storm, the famous actress, was being replayed over and over.