by Olivia Jake
As they were drying themselves, Sam took Laurent’s wrist to turn him to her. He was surprised at her commanding touch. She grabbed his other wrist and he teased, “Turn about is fair play, Cheri?”
Sam was serious, “Playtime is over. We have to address this situation, and I want to work on it together.” Sam emphasized that last word. “Laurent, you and I work very well together. I think we respect each other’s input and perspective. Do you agree?”
“Yes, you know I do, Samantha.”
“Bon. So here’s the plan, Laurent.”
“You already have a plan, Cheri? I thought we were working together.” He chuckled.
She smiled, “If you would let me finish,” he raised his eyebrows and smiled too, then nodded as if to say, ‘go on’, “I was going to say, the plan is, we order some food and do not leave here until we have agreed as to how we’re going to deal with the shit that’s outside of this hotel, n’est pas?”
“Oui, Ms. Davis. Whatever you say.” He winked as he gave her ass a playful slap and went to go get dressed.
They ordered lunch and Laurent made a point of also getting every newspaper and daily gossip rag. He was quick to snatch all the papers before Sam could see any of them and said, “Samantha, you need to promise me something,” he waited until she nodded, “you know that they print lies. You know you can’t believe what they write in here.”
“You mean that aliens haven’t landed on earth?” Sam tried to make light of the situation, but Laurent’s expression made it clear, there was nothing funny about any of this. “I’m sorry, Laurent. I was just trying to diffuse the tension. I know that it’s not going to be easy to see whatever it is they have to say.”
Unfortunately for Sam, all the photos were from the previous night, showing her in pigtails. She expected this, but seeing them, she winced. Laurent was right, the papers made up all kinds of stories because they didn’t have anything to print. All they had were some photos of them walking into the hotel. Sam knew that there would be more material from this morning’s disaster that were probably already online. She was trying not to freak out, but it was a lot to digest. Like everything else with Laurent, it was just… a lot. Sam went from being single, very private and all about her work to suddenly in a relationship with a semi-public man and that relationship was now the focus of not just her life, but the topic of public conversation.
The stories ran the gamut from dredging up the old story about Laurent to speculation about what Laurent was doing back in France with his network just having launched, that he was escaping bad ratings, which couldn’t have been farther from the truth, the ratings and viewership were through the roof. Basically, the stories were just that. Stories. Which helped calm Sam’s nerves and actually made her chuckle at the lengths these papers would go to come up with something, anything, to fill their pages. Sam had never been a fan of entertainment magazines, snapping photos of stars as they went about their daily errands, but she never realized how far off the information could be. Being in the entertainment industry, she knew enough to know not to believe most of what she read. But again, she had never before been the subject. And even though she had expected to see the photos, it was a very strange sensation seeing pictures of herself and her name printed in the newspaper. It was a bit surreal, which actually helped Sam not freak out.
“They’re not as bad as I thought they’d be.” Sam said as she popped a strawberry into her mouth.
“Just wait. Trust me, they’re just getting started. Now that they know I’m here and they now know you, there will be more, and it’ll get worse. I don’t need to tell you that the paparazzi here are much more aggressive than in America. So, while we are here in Paris, you do not go out alone. Period.” Sam opened her mouth about to protest, but she knew he was right. She didn’t want to experience what happened this morning ever again. And his expression made it clear this was one thing that was not negotiable.
“Will you run with me? I have to run Laurent.” She hated pleading, but she understood her new reality. And Laurent knew how important exercise was to Sam. Perhaps it was part self-preservation, as he knew that if Sam didn’t exercise, well, it wasn’t the Sam anyone wanted to be around.
“Do you think you’ll be able to keep up with me?” he teased and winked. Sam just rolled her eyes as she playfully hit him which he immediately blocked before it could land. “You’re going to have to be faster than that, Samantha.” Oh, this was good. He was being light and playful while talking about a very upsetting subject.
Sam stopped when it dawned on her, “what about your mom, or your sister and brother’s families?” Realizing for the first time that it wasn’t just about them.
“I’ll tell Phillipe and Charlotte, but they’ve probably read the stories by now. They know enough to know not to believe them, and mostly the press leaves them alone. They’re pretty boring and don’t give those leeches anything to write about. They’ve seen me go through my phases and grow up. They know who I am and they don’t believe that crap.”
“When we go to the hospital a bit later, I’ll talk with their security and make sure that nobody bothers my mother. Luckily, being in Busserolles, she never really got wind of the story from before.” It was clear that Laurent really hated talking about this, but more than that, he hated that it affected the people he loved. Sam could see just how controlled he was fighting to be, his voice measured and calm, but the veins on his forehead and neck spoke volumes about what he was really feeling.
“And I assume she doesn’t know about the, uh, procedure you had?” Sam asked tentatively.
“Oh, mon dieu, no! She wasn’t kidding about waiting for me to get married and have children. It would kill her if she ever knew. And she would kill me…” he smiled a sad smile. Then he got a worried look on his face and asked in earnest, “Cheri, do you want children?” Sam’s eyes went wide. With everything else they were discussing, were they really going to have this conversation? They had only been together a few months even though she now couldn’t imagine life without Laurent. Their entire relationship was so compressed having spent every day together for the first couple of months that they had probably spent more time with each other in that short period than most couples did after dating for years.
The truth was, Sam never really did want kids. Like with relationships, she really didn’t have any positive examples to draw upon from her past. And, she couldn’t ever figure out how she’d be able to deal with children with all the responsibilities she had with the agency. It had never been part of her plan before. And it certainly wasn’t on her radar now. With so much in her life changing, she couldn’t imagine adding children to the mix.
“No, Laurent, I don’t. But it’s a shame you felt you had to do what you did. Seeing you with your nieces and nephews, it’s so clear that you’d be a great father.”
He smiled, “I’m not so sure about that. I love playing with them, but to be a parent 24/7, I don’t know if that’s for me, for my lifestyle. And I wouldn’t want any child to suffer because of that.”
“Oh, Laurent, no child of yours would ever suffer.” She said as she stroked his hand.
“They say it’s reversible, Cheri.” He looked at her earnestly.
“Laurent, one step at a time. Let’s figure out how we’re going to get out of this hotel today without getting mobbed, ok?” He laughed and nodded his head in agreement. Now was not the time to discuss the issue of having children.
In the end, Laurent spoke with the hotel manager who, by now, was very well aware of what had happened and practically fell all over himself apologizing profusely to both of them. He knew that part of the fault lay with his lack of security, for letting them get that close to a patron. He knew how powerful Laurent was and did not want to lose his business. So it was agreed to let them come and go through the underground employee entrance for the rest of their stay.
Laurent and Sam talked about hiring a security guard, but given that they were probably going to be l
eaving Paris soon to take his mom back home they decided to forego that for the time being and revisit it when they returned. They both hoped that with a little time, and no story, the press would back off and they wouldn’t need to take any drastic measures.
CHAPTER 5
Mme. Román remained in the hospital for exactly one week. She let everyone know, doctors, nurses, physical therapists, and of course her family, that she, in no way shape or form, would be spending one more day there. As she put it, hospitals were for sick people, and she wasn’t sick. She was one of the healthiest people she knew, according to her of course. And everyone had just overreacted to an old woman having what she affectionately termed, a setback. Not once did she say the words heart attack. She refused to admit that someone who was as independent and strong as she was could possibly succumb to such a common problem. Heart attacks were for other people, not her, she would make sure to tell anyone and everyone so that by the end of the week, even though the doctors thought she might use a couple more days of physical and occupational therapy, no one there wanted to argue with Mme. Román any longer.
If it was any question as to where Laurent got his stubbornness from before, there was no question any more. Though if anyone could understand what Mme. Román was feeling, it was Sam. Mme. Román had been on her own, living independently for most of her adult life. To suddenly be dependent on someone, or to realize that she was no longer self-sufficient, well, Sam could understand the denial and anger. And fear. In fact, she was probably able to be more objective about the whole situation than any of the Román children.
With the exception of the isolation being an issue, so long as Mme. Román took all of her medications as directed, there was no reason that she couldn’t return home to Busserolles. Marie, the caretaker, had been trained as a nurse and could also serve as her proxy physical therapist, ensuring that Mme. Román did the exercises the doctors wanted. The reality was that her daily life included much more physically strenuous tasks than any of the exercises, so getting her moving again wasn’t going to be an issue. Much as the Román children tried to convince her to stay with them in Paris, or even move to California with Laurent, they knew that wasn’t going to happen. The biggest concession was that Mme. Román agreed to Laurent showing her how to email and use a laptop. He wrote and printed directions showing her how to Skype. The agreement was that she would email her children every day and Skype with them once a week. The emailing she wasn’t to thrilled about, but once Laurent showed her the benefits of video chatting, she was an instant convert.
As much as Mme. Román loved her children, and loved having them at home with her, she knew the only reason everyone was down there was because of her health, which meant she had to admit that something bad had happened. It was because of this, because she wanted to get back to normal, that she sent everyone away after just the first night. She didn’t want anyone feeling sorry for her and knew that they all had families and lives to get back to. Plus, there just wasn’t enough room for everyone.
Sam and Laurent agreed that after having already spent a week in Paris, and in light of what they might find if they went back, they’d spend the next week exploring the rest of the country before heading home. They spent a day wine tasting in Bordeaux, Laurent explaining to Sam about the different types of soil and grapes and vines and every nuanced detail of the various wines and growers. It was clear that when Laurent chose a ‘hobby’ he immersed himself in it.
While travelling with him was wonderful, there was a heightened awareness of the people around them. For the first time in her life, Sam was conscious of people’s stares, conscious of the fact that she and Laurent might not just blend in but rather be the focus of strangers’ attention. Many knew who Laurent was, though thankfully, in smaller towns, most people didn’t. She could now understand why stars often donned sunglasses and baseball caps everywhere they went. She couldn’t imagine being on display 24/7. It was so odd that complete strangers knew who she was and could be interested in her life. Luckily, other than what had happened in Paris, it didn’t really affect their time together. After Bordeaux, they spent a couple days down in the South of France, then toured the chateaux in the Loire valley.
After the pacing of Paris the week before, Sam really appreciated the smaller towns, the long drives in the country, and the variety of what they experienced. And as much as she enjoyed Laurent’s family, being alone with Laurent was better than anything. They were back in their own little fairytale touring castles and medieval towns.
They were walking hand in hand down a cobblestone street in Blois when Sam said, “You know, Laurent, I can understand wanting to live in a castle, with a moat, and a drawbridge, keeping the rest of the world at bay. I’ve never thought about it before, but now I can see not just the appeal, but the necessity.” Laurent looked pained, and instinctively pulled his hand away as she said it. “Laurent?”
“It’s my fault, Cheri.”
“Laurent! It’s not your fault that people have some sick fascination with total strangers, or the twisted pleasure of both putting people up on a pedestal and simultaneously wanting, waiting for those people to fall. It’s not just envy and jealousy that makes your private life interesting to them. If you fail, it justifies their place in life. It makes it ok that they haven’t achieved because even the mighty fall.”
“That may be true, but whatever the reason, you never would have been brought into this if it weren’t for me and my past. I’m sorry, Samantha. If I could change it, I would.”
Sam smiled and stroked his cheek, the way he often did to her, and said, “I know you’re a very powerful man, Laurent, but even you can’t change the past.”
CHAPTER 6
Their last night was spent back in Paris. Sam could feel the tension come over both of them as they drove back into the city. Laurent had phoned ahead to their hotel to let them know they were on their way. The hotel made the employee parking entrance available so that they could arrive in privacy.
As Sam and Laurent walked through the lobby towards the elevators, they both stopped as they saw George LaRue sitting, oh so casually, clearly waiting for them. Laurent’s grip on Sam’s hand tightened. Instantly, paparazzi was the least of their concerns.
“Laurent, Samantha, what a surprise running into you both here!” Of course, this was not some random coincidence. Laurent started to walk again, not wanting to engage him, but George had other plans, as he stood up, effectively blocking their way, “Oh Laurent, come now, we didn’t get a chance to catch up the last time you were in town, and we have so much to talk about.”
“We have nothing to discuss, George.” Laurent bit out through gritted teeth.
“Oh, but I think we do. Now, we can do this here, in the lobby, with the paparazzi outside,” at which, Sam and Laurent both turned to follow George’s gaze out the front window. Sure enough, there were a few men with baseball caps and cameras milling around just outside the front. “Or, we can go up to your suite and discuss like old friends.”
“We are not friends, George.”
“I think you’re giving Samantha here the wrong impression about us, Laurent! Now, let’s go upstairs and have a chat. Otherwise, I’ll be forced to talk with my new friends outside and give them a nice juicy story about you and that poor woman, what was her name? Emilie? That you killed her and fired me because I was the only one who knew the truth. Hmmm, that has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?”
“You always did have a very active imagination, George.”
George’s tone went cold and sinister. “You have no idea, Laurent. Now, you’ve kept me at bay long enough. Let’s go have a chat.”
“Laurent, we could call security.” Sam said, which just added fuel to George’s fire.
“Mon dieu, Laurent. I never thought I’d see the day that you would be led around by a woman. Samantha, what is the American phrase, pussy-whipped, non?” George was smiling, clearly enjoying this.
At that, Laurent dropped Sam’s
hand, put it on the small of her back and started leading her to the elevators. “Ok, George. Let’s get this over with.”
“Now that’s more like it, Laurent!” he said as the three of them walked into the elevator together. They rode up in silence. Sam could feel George’s gaze on her, on them, but she forced herself to focus on the numbers ticking by as the elevator ascended, floor by floor. She stared at those numbers like they were the most interesting things she had ever seen. Aside from her heart pounding, she could hear every creek, every whir, every tiny noise the elevator made. The ride felt like it took an eternity, when in reality, it was probably less than a minute.
When they finally got to their suite, Laurent turned to Sam and said quietly so that only she could hear him, “Go wait in the bedroom.” She was about to argue but knew better. She didn’t want to give George any more ammunition than he already seemed to think he had. And the look on Laurent’s face, there was no question that this was the Laurent she had seen only a few times, but she knew him well enough to know that she would not argue.
When Sam got to the bedroom, she sat and wondered, is this what reality with Laurent would be like? Outside of their little bubbles, when issues came up, would he always push her to the side to deal with them? Their relationship had come so far so fast, but the reality was that they both had pasts, they both had their own lives, and figuring out how to live with each other and work with whatever baggage there was, that would take getting used to. She didn’t have a lot of relationship experience, but she knew enough to know that Laurent’s baggage was far more dramatic than what most ‘normal’ couples brought to a given relationship.
Sam was not the type of woman who would try to listen to what was going on in the next room. If Laurent wanted to share, he would have included her or would tell her after. He knew who George was, and Sam obviously didn’t. She understood that whatever it was that George had to say, his beef was with Laurent, and she would just be a distraction. The last thing she wanted was in any way to weaken Laurent’s position. But the longer she sat alone in the bedroom, the more time she had to think and the more clear it became that she needed to keep her own identity, her own life. As great as things were when she and Laurent were together, she needed to still be Sam. She couldn’t be defined by Laurent, not that he asked her to be. But these last few weeks that they had spent together, with his family, she was slowly fitting into his world. And she hated to admit, that she was fitting so easily into it. Was it only because they were here in France? She wouldn’t know until they got back home and got into whatever their new routine would be. Everything up until now had been so intense, and figuring out how to be in a relationship with him was such a defining part of who they were, what would their reality be when they stripped away all the extreme circumstances?
