by KL Shandwick
Pushing his chest into Bernie, Flynn backed him against the wall. “Is that right? How fucking dare you two talk like that in front of Valerie. That’s my girlfriend you’re both referring to, not some piece of fresh meat Tyler or Tommy has collected along the way. Half of our fucking album has been inspired by that girl over there. You’ve become rich because of my feelings for her. So watch your fucking mouth and apologize right now or I’m not fucking coming at all on Wednesday.”
Watching Flynn lash out at them made my stomach turn. I’d never seen him so mad. The fact that he’d defended me in that way and put his band member and manager in their place made me scared for him. I was worried how they’d respond.
Craig stepped up beside Flynn and shook his head at Bernie. “You really are a shitty manager you know that? When are you gonna learn that this fucker here isn’t the band,” he gestured at Tyler. “Tyler, you really need to go to a rehab clinic, and while you’re at it, get that fucking attitude adjusted because if you don’t, you’ll be the death of Major ScAlz. I have no idea why Flynn puts up with the shit he takes from all of you, but I’m saying it now. Apologize to Valerie. She’s making our main dude happy. She’s doing your fucking job for you, Bernie.”
Bernie glanced over at me and back at Flynn, “Fuck. Sorry Valerie. Happy now?” he said insincerely to Flynn and me.
Turning away from Bernie, Flynn gestured me over to him with his open hand. “Come on, Valerie, let’s get the fuck out of here.”
As I came alongside him, Flynn turned to Bernie. “Friday. I’m not coming back until you apologize properly, and Val and I aren’t open for apologies until Thursday,” he growled. Looking down at me, Flynn smiled, “Looks like we have a couple of days to sort out some of those appointments of yours, Valerie.”
Chapter 31 ~ Scandal
True to his word, Flynn made the band wait until Friday before showing his face for rehearsals. Bernie tried everything from threatening to pleading with him to show his face at the scheduled time. He didn’t. Instead, he’d chartered a plane. We flew to my parent’s home so that I could deal with some business. It was weird, the big rock star coming with me to help me with my work issues.
I rearranged what I could and passed some other work to a guy I knew a couple of towns away, who worked in a similar style to me. I’d already decided that I’d probably try to do some shots on tour while Flynn rehearsed in various cities. All I had to do was contact some model agencies and rent studio space or locations.
By Thursday night, I was on my way back to Chicago with him. My parents had been pretty vocal about me going on tour with a band. The fact it was Flynn’s hadn’t seemed to make much difference. “Alcohol, drugs, and debauchery aren’t what I want for my daughter’s life,” my dad had told Flynn.
Somehow Flynn had remained calm and talked my parents into letting me go. We were out the door before they’d had too much longer to think about it. Not that it would have made much difference. Once I’d made my mind up about something it was pretty difficult to persuade me otherwise. But they already knew that.
Touching down in Chicago late that night Flynn’s cell had rung as soon as he switched it on. His band’s PR team warned him that Iria had called in the big guns and had kept her word about going to the press. She’d spun a story so sensational that most of the tabloid newspapers around the world were leading with it. Everyone had been calling the PR team while we were in the air for comment. When Flynn hadn’t been readily available their stock response had been, “No comment.”
Flynn’s face was tight as he listened to the feedback, his eyes darting back and forth between me and Lee, who checked his own phone when he sensed something was wrong. Lee found the story they were running online and read it to us. “Bullshit, get my legal team,” he hissed and punched the seat of the car in frustration. It made me jump, and Flynn pulled me to his chest and kissed my head.
“Sorry, babe. I’ll fix this, don’t worry.”
Why was it whenever someone said that to me, I worried?
“They’re already on it boss, I’ve got an email about it here. I can’t take you home, the paps are fucking everywhere. Found a couple of them in the grounds near Niamh’s place they said.”
When I heard the paparazzi were hounding us it made me even more worried.
“Shit, get Niamh and Teague out of there for a while.”
“Already done, boss. Hired a place for them next to mine, doing stuff as we speak,” he said continuing to study his cell.
“I’m taking you to my place in Lincoln Park. No one knows I have it. It’s in my sister’s name as an investment for her for when she’s an adult,” Lee commented.
Forty minutes later, we passed Lake Michigan on our way to our hideout until Flynn had time to digest the story. Lee drove us to an underground garage and ensured we weren’t seen entering the apartment.
The spacious two-bedroom apartment with polished wooden floors was a spacious living area. Apart from the living room, there was a kitchen, bedroom and bathroom downstairs, and a metal spiral staircase leading up to a mezzanine bedroom upstairs. It was adequate, but a world away from the luxurious home Flynn was accustomed to. Lee threw the keys on the table. It was only then I realized it was his intention to stay with us.
For over an hour, I sat listening to Flynn argue his point of view to his lawyers. He told them he wasn’t going to feed into Iria’s mental state with denials about anything. His direction to his legal team and Public Relations guy, Logan, was to ask the press to prove that he was the father of Iria’s miscarried baby or to retract their statement and apologize. He said if they hadn’t done so in the following twenty-four hours he’d instructed his lawyers to sue every last one of those who hadn’t for libel.
It was a long night of forced and tensed words as one by one the band members got in touch with Flynn. Finally, Bernie called. The phone call between Flynn and him got so heated that I jumped at the tone Flynn used with him. It was clear Bernie was not going to support us through the lies that Iria had told, and he was more interested in self-preservation. He commented on the phone that he was being tainted by Flynn’s reputation because he’d been the one to give the spot in the band to Flynn in the first place.
“Don’t be so fucking ridiculous,” Flynn spat, “We told you how it was. You’d rather distance yourself from me and let a jealous and deceitful woman, your friend’s daughter I’m gonna add, control my life than stick up for the truth? What does her Dad have over you, Bernie?” When he didn’t answer, Flynn lost it. “Well fuck you, Bernie. As soon as the dust settles on this, I think we need to be parting ways. I’d rather be a fucking wedding singer than make you another dime.”
Tyler was a total jerk and implied that Flynn was no better than a child molester, which had Flynn almost out the door to find him, his rage was so out of control. It felt like a living nightmare and the more I heard the worse I felt for Flynn.
A few hours later, I slipped into the bathroom unable to keep my emotions in check any longer. Tears ran freely down my face as I tried to comprehend why this was happening when I felt at my happiest. I sobbed quietly into a towel because I felt partly responsible for the position Flynn was in, but I hadn’t wanted him to hear me.
I must have been in the bathroom too long because Flynn came looking for me. When he’d seen how upset I was, he pulled me close to him. Cradling my head in his hands, he wiped my tears away with his thumbs, his eyes pained at the distress I was in.
“Hey, babe, please don’t cry.”
I sniffed and glanced up at his beautiful face. He looked so worried.
“I hate that she’s doing this to you. To us.”
“Maybe it’s payback for having thoughts about you like that when you were so young.”
“I was the young one. My thoughts about you were the same. So maybe I was giving you signals without knowing. Maybe it was my fault you felt like you did.”
“Stop it, Valerie. You weren’t that young. And for all
your innocence, you were mature around boys from growing up with your brothers. It was a few weeks from your sixteenth birthday for God’s sake. Iria just didn’t want to accept that I wasn’t interested in her. I tried to love her, and I’d thought I had at one point, but it was a fast burning infatuation. Probably rebound feelings after meeting you. Once I got to know her, there was nothing in here and I ended it,” Flynn said, pointing at his chest.
It had been difficult listening to him talk about his feelings for Iria. Jealousy gripped my heart and squeezed it like a fist had tightened around it.
“Listen, I’m not standing for this. I have no idea what she thought this would do for her. We’ve got to face this head on. Hold our heads up, Valerie. I think we should just go right back at her with this. What do you think? Can you cope with riding this out?” I was scared but he was right, hiding away and not commenting only made him look guilty and we both knew that he wasn’t.
When the lawyers were informed of Flynn’s intentions, they tried to prevent him from going public. He and I argued with them that there was no need for us to hide as Flynn was innocent. Once the lawyers knew they weren’t going to change his mind, a draft was started of the statement we wanted to share with the public.
Flynn was very open about his feelings when he’d met me and the circumstances around that, and stated categorically that no inappropriate behavior had taken place between us. The first time our relationship had moved onto an adult theme had only been days before, when he’d come to see me this last visit. I’d called my parents and told them what was happening.
I’d felt mortified that they had to be told that we were in a sexual relationship. My mom surprised me by telling me how surprised she was to hear that Flynn was my first, as she’d thought that Daryl and I had been having sexual relations. Flynn chuckled at her description.
The lawyers sent Iria warnings that Flynn was going to sue. Meanwhile, Craig had already broken his silence about Iria, calling her a liar and told the press that she’d been emotionally blackmailing Flynn and the band for a long time with these lies. He outright blamed Bernie for being unable to act in the best interests of Flynn and stated that he was behind Flynn and me one hundred percent.
Interestingly enough, Tommy hadn’t commented and that made me wonder if he was waiting to see what side of the fence he should jump on. When I said that to Flynn he’d said that I was far smarter than any of them knew. Flynn joked that when the incident had blown over, maybe I should be his manager. Even with everything going on he’d managed to make me laugh.
When we drove back to his place the young fangirls had gone and in their place were TV trucks, hundreds of cameras and the local sheriff and state police had put up barriers to keep the road clear on the way to Flynn’s house. We passed them at the top of the road, and Lee drove for another two miles before we arrived at the back gate. There were still news crews and paparazzi there, but nowhere near the numbers that were at the front of the house.
My heart was in my mouth and I felt like I was going to throw up. Every part of my body was tense, but Flynn sat relaxed in the back seat of the SUV with me and squeezed my hand. “You okay?”
I nodded, and his serious expression softened. His mouth lifted into a small smile, “I guess today’s the day we make it official we’re a couple, huh?” he teased.
“You sure you don’t want to change your mind?” I asked with a little more seriousness than he was probably expecting.
“Never, Valerie. Don’t worry, babe, give this a week, and all this shit in the newspapers will go away. It may take some people a lot longer to fully accept we’re together, but eventually, they’ll leave us alone. Well, they’ll leave me alone, but they’ll start asking what the fuck you see in me,” he smirked.
Once inside, Flynn took the stairs two at a time to his office. By the time I’d caught up with him he was reading a fax. Listen to this,” he said.
“I’m saddened today to have been informed that Iria Santos, my ex-girlfriend, has publicly shown a weaker side to her character. By trying to discredit my new partner, Valerie Dansin, and me, she has demonstrated that she has no respect for our previous relationship or my privacy and current relationship with Valerie. Although I don’t feel like I should have to explain how I know Valarie, I will. Valerie and I have known each other since she was fifteen, five weeks away from her sixteenth birthday, in fact. Valerie was my friend and the sister of my late friend, Martin Dansin. Valerie and I have had a long history as I have been supporting her during the past few years at key times in her life. However, we have only recently come face to face after more than two years and have become romantically involved. Sometimes one or another partner has difficulty in accepting when a relationship ends. Ms. Santos was indeed having this particular issue long before Valerie and I were connected in any way other than platonic. Still, it is sad for me to realize that someone who’d helped me at the start of my career should wish to spread malicious lies to discredit everything I’ve worked for since. I’d like to address the issue of paternity on the ill-fated pregnancy, Ms. Santos has chosen to discuss. Ms. Santos neglected to state in her carefully worded statement that the child that she miscarried while we were in a relationship, was not mine. I should perhaps clarify that the pregnancy which she had chosen to share with the world was in fact from a previous relationship. I had no part in the conception of that. What Ms. Santos would have you believe and what is factual are poles apart. This is the only statement I will make on this subject and I will not answer any questions on this matter in the future because to do so would be seen to attach some credibility to the lies Ms. Santos has shared, and indeed the media have chosen to publish. I have asked for a retraction of these untruths from all parties within the next twenty-four hours. Failing this, legal action will vigorously and robustly be sought for libel toward any media outlet which has aired these falsehoods. Thank you for your attention.”
Once the statement from Flynn went public, there was a flurry of PR statements issued regarding our wish for privacy and for the following twenty-four hours Flynn and his legal team followed the news carefully.
Retractions came thick and fast, but one newspaper seemed to think there was no smoke without fire, and went to my hometown. Heidi, Coleen, and a few others from my high-school days were interviewed, and it felt for a while our stunt on the bleachers was going to come back and haunt us.
Those interviews could have been damaging for Flynn except they went to interview Daryl, who stated that I’d cheated on him with Flynn a few days before, which was technically correct because he’d had no idea I’d broken up with him until the following day.
The saving grace for Flynn when he’d been challenged on our relationship was when Daisy McGinty came forward and told the press I couldn’t have slept with Flynn that week because he’d been with her. The weirdest thought entered my head, and I was suddenly thankful to my late brother for arranging that night out with Flynn to keep him away from me. His protective gesture toward me had given Flynn the perfect cover.
By the time Flynn and I had been together for four whole days, we’d weathered our first official public crisis.
Craig arrived the evening of the final retraction to see Flynn, and I liked his girlfriend Simone straight away. She’d told me she’d never liked Iria and had often argued with her. Several times she’d tried to warn her about her hanging on to a relationship that was purely one-sided. Craig said it was the reason Simone had stopped going over to hang out with the band, and stated that he’d also be avoiding them as much as possible.
Flynn turned to Craig and slapped his hand on his back, “We need to have a serious talk, buddy,” from the tone of his voice I knew that what he was going to say wasn’t good.
“I’m leaving the band,” Flynn stated flatly. My jaw almost hit the table.
Craig’s eyes flicked to Simone and back to Flynn, “I’d figured that may happen. You only get one life, dude, I don’t blame you. Bernie isn’t good for y
ou. If you leave the band, he’ll be gutted because without you there is no band.”
Flynn sat silently for a minute and looked at his bandmate. The expression on Flynn’s face told me his decision hadn’t been taken lightly. I could tell that they cared about each other. Craig looked physically shocked as his reality sank in. He was a good guitar player, but the band wasn’t a band without Flynn.
“Don’t worry, Craig where I go you’ll go, if you want to that is?”
Relief washed over Craig’s face, and he almost jumped to hug his band brother. “Jesus you had me going there. Whatever and whenever, I’m with you,” he confirmed.
“We’re committed to the tour, so we’ll see it through, not a word. Understand?”
Craig nodded, and Simone’s face brightened, “Thank God, Flynn. You’ve made my day. I fucking hate those people. We can do the next few months. It was the next few years we were worried about. Craig even talked about walking away. He wouldn’t have left you there with them on your own, though.”
Flynn smiled and hugged her, “And likewise, I’d never have done that to him.”
Reaching for me Flynn pulled me tight to his chest. “Just a few more months and we’ll be clear of all of them, Valerie. You and Simone just have to stick together and support each other, and when the tour is done we’re all gone, okay?” he asked rubbing my back.
After Flynn had faced his difficult situation with an amazing amount of dignity, and the humility he’d shown toward Craig, I’d have followed him anywhere at that point.
Chapter 32 ~ First concert
The following morning and for the rest of the rehearsal sessions afterwards, Flynn and Craig had done everything by the book. Both arrived with minutes to spare for practice. They left no time for talking and barely interacted with the other band members or their manager.
