Secret Relations: Women in Hollywood, Book 1 (9 page)

Chapter Twenty-Two

Sean intensified his morning workout. He needed to release some of the frustration he felt. Charlotte’s need to keep their relationship a secret was beginning to take its toll on him. It upset him when he first saw Allen with Charlotte. He felt some relief when he discovered Allen truly was just one of her friends. Sweat dripped from his forehead as he sparred with the boxing bag in front of him. He punched the bag over and over.

“Somebody must have pissed you off, the way you’re hitting that bag,” Priscilla blurted, walking in wearing a short white mini skirt and low cut lime green blouse holding her iPad.

Sean stopped briefly. He picked up a nearby towel and wiped the sweat from his face and neck. “It’s Sunday. What are you doing here?”

“Your tour starts this week so there were a few things I needed to do today like finalize your schedule and follow up with a few people.” Priscilla walked near him and looked him up and down. “Your fans will appreciate how hard you work out.”

“I do it for the ladies.” Sean went and grabbed a bottle of water from the mini refrigerator and drank it.

“I have a question about the after party. Who do you want on the list?”

“The usual people,” Sean responded. “Oh and don’t forget Charlotte and Jason.”

“Will do.”

“Be sure you spell her name correctly, two t’s, because I don’t want there to be any problems,” Sean said.

“C-h-a-r-l-o-t-t-e, I know how to spell her name.”

“Good. Just want to make sure there are no misunderstandings.”

“Sean, I wasn’t going to say anything, but I don’t want to see you ruin your career over some woman.”

Sean sat down on his weight bench. “What are you talking about?” Sean sounded irritated.

“I care about what happens to you. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“Besides this Dana situation, all is well in my world, “Sean stated.

“It could get worse if you keep messing around with Charlotte. She used to date the rapper Big Boss and he said she tried to ruin his career. You can look it up. It’s all over the internet.” Priscilla tapped on her iPhone. She then placed it in front of Sean.

Sean moved it out of his way. “I don’t need to see it. I know all about Darryl and his lies.” Sean leaned back on the bench and lifted the weights up and down. “This conversation is over.”

“But, Sean—”

Sean started counting his lifts out loud, ignoring Priscilla.

Priscilla finally seemed to get the point and left him alone. He stopped when she was out of earshot. He placed the weights on the bar then sat up.

He located his cell phone, and dialed Charlotte’s number. He got her voicemail. “Charlotte, I really need to see you. I’ll be over around four.”

Charlotte’s plan to lounge around the house alone got interrupted. Someone repeatedly held down the doorbell. Wearing a jogging suit and a scarf around her head, she got up from the sofa and went to the door.

She looked through the window first and then opened the door. “Sean, what’s wrong?”

Sean, dressed in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, stood holding several grocery bags in the doorway. “I left a message informing you I would be coming,” he said.

He walked inside without waiting to be invited in.

“My phone’s on silent. I didn’t want to be disturbed.” Charlotte closed the door. “The way you were ringing the doorbell, I thought something bad had happened.”

“I’m going to cook for you,” Sean boasted. “Direct me to the kitchen.”

“Hold up. You don’t just come in someone else’s house and tell them what you’re going to do. For all you know I’ve already eaten,” she snapped.

“Have you?” Sean asked.

“No, but that’s not the point.”

Sean ignored Charlotte’s rant and walked through the house with Charlotte on his heels.

“Where’s your seasoning? I forgot to get some when I was at the store,” Sean said, as he placed the bags on the counter.

“I haven’t given you permission to use my kitchen, yet.”

“I don’t need it. I’m here now so I’m going to cook. Whether you like it or not.” Sean removed the items out of the bags and placed them on the counter.

“Sean, you better be glad I’m not in the mood to argue.” Charlotte frowned.

“Neither am I. Do you mind getting me a big boiler, a skillet and a long pan?” Sean seemed unmoved by the fact that Charlotte was frustrated.

Charlotte retrieved the items he requested and made plenty of noise by slamming the cabinet doors as she removed them. She placed the items on top of the stove. “Anything else?” she asked.

“No. I’ve got it from here,” Sean said.

Relieved that Sean’s visit wasn’t business-related but now she wondered what could be wrong. Charlotte left Sean in the kitchen alone. She went straight to the bathroom to jazz up her appearance. She removed the scarf from her head and pulled her hair back into a ponytail. She brushed the wand from the tube of lip-gloss across her puckered lips. She exchanged her jogging suit for a pair of jeans and a purple Laker’s t-shirt. Satisfied with her appearance, she headed back to the kitchen to see what had Sean frazzled.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Charlotte re-entered the kitchen. Sean smiled when he looked at her. “You’re so beautiful.”

“Thanks. You have it smelling so good in here,” Charlotte said, as she admired the dishes he’d prepared.

“Dinner will be ready in about ten more minutes. Go have a seat and I’ll bring your plate to you.”

Charlotte left the room as Sean removed the garlic bread out of the stove. He cut it into several slices. He placed some on each one of the plates. He carried the plates to the dining area and sat one in front of Charlotte and the other in the chair across from her.

“Shrimp fettuccine Alfredo. I hope you like it,” he said.

“One of my favorite dishes,” Charlotte responded.

“I’ll be right back. I forgot the wine.” Sean walked back to the kitchen and returned holding a bottle of wine and two wine glasses.

He removed the cork from the bottle and poured each one of them a glass.

He then took a seat across from Charlotte.

Sean held his wine glass in the air. “To us.”

“To us.” Charlotte tapped his glass with hers. She placed the drink on the table, picked up her fork and began eating. “Umm. This is good,” she said.

“Glad you like it.”

“I’m impressed. I didn’t know you could cook like this,” Charlotte praised, in between bites.

“I’ve always loved to cook. I like experimenting and trying new things. If I didn’t make it as a singer, I would have become a chef.”

They ate dinner with hardly any other words between them. Sean washed down his food with another glass of wine.

Charlotte stood and grabbed their empty plates.

“I’ve got this.”

“My mom always taught me if someone else cooks, you can at least do the dishes,” Charlotte said.

“Who am I to argue with that? I love to cook, but I do hate doing dishes,” Sean confessed.

“I’ll wash. You dry,” Charlotte instructed.

Sean removed the empty wine bottle and wine glasses from the table and followed Charlotte into the kitchen.

They chatted while Charlotte washed dishes. “Are you ready for Thursday night?” Charlotte asked.

“I think so.”

“Do I hear some doubt in your voice?”

“Promise me you’ll be there,” Sean pleaded.

“I told you I would be.”

“I’m going to hold you to it,” Sean promised.

Charlotte went back to washing dishes. Sean made sure their hands touched when she passed him the last dish.

He took the dish from her and laid it on the counter before devouring her mouth with his. Sounds of pleasure could be heard throughout the kitchen Sean took one of his hands and stopped her from unbuckling his pants. He pulled away. “Before we go any further, we need to talk.”

Charlotte seemed to be in a daze. “I thought this is what you wanted.”

“I want more than just sex from you. I want a commitment. I want to know that you’re mine and you can be reassured I’m yours. The next time we make love, I want you to savor the moment and let yourself go. I don’t want you holding back because you’re so concerned with what other folks think.”

Sean walked away. He went to her living room and took a seat on the couch.

Charlotte sat next to him. “Sean, I feel great after we make love. If it wasn’t for our circumstances, I would shout from the roof top how I felt about you. But I live in reality and I know the outcome. I don’t want our personal relationship to cause more problems for you.”

“I’m not Darryl. I’m able to separate our personal relationship from business.” Sean looked at Charlotte hoping she could see the pain in his eyes.

“You just don’t understand.” Charlotte looked away.

“Then help me understand. Make me see the fact that you’re denying yourself and me a chance of happiness. I know we could be great together.”

“We are together. Isn’t what we have good?”

Sean clenched his teeth in frustration. Charlotte was being stubborn. He needed her to understand he wanted her and didn’t care who knew about it.

Charlotte felt like the walls were closing in on her. She was falling in love with Sean without a doubt but she couldn’t risk having their relationship go public. If something drastic happened, she didn’t think their relationship nor her reputation would be able to survive it.

“You’re everything a woman wants in a man. You’re sensitive to my needs. You’re caring and compassionate.”

“Then why, Charlotte? Why won’t you give in to your feelings and let’s start building a life together?”

Charlotte looked away. “Let’s let things die down first and then we can talk about commitments and going public.”

“Dana should be a non-factor in this. I can’t keep putting my life on hold because of what happened to her.” Sean’s tone sounded harsh to Charlotte.

“I can’t believe how insensitive you’re sounding right now, Sean.”

Sean’s eyes pleaded with Charlotte. “I hate what happened to Dana. I really do, but why am I having to pay for something I had nothing to do with?”

“It’s only temporary. Give it another month or two and then we can decide.”

“If you can’t give me a commitment then maybe we should reconsider everything,” Sean said.

“So what are you saying?” Charlotte stared at Sean. She didn’t like ultimatums.

“It’s all or nothing, Charlotte.”

“Why can’t you just accept things the way they are?” Charlotte asked.

Sean dropped Charlotte’s hand. Her reasons for not making a full commitment didn’t sit well with him. “Good-bye, Charlotte.”

Sean stood and walked to the front door.

Charlotte walked behind him. “Don’t leave like this. Nothing has to change.”

“Things already have.” Sean didn’t bother to look back as he walked out the door and got into his SUV. He hit the steering wheel before he pulled out of the driveway and roamed the streets of Los Angeles to clear his head.

Chapter Twenty-Four

After the gym, Charlotte recanted what happened with Sean the night before to Mona and Kem over coffee at their favorite little spot.

“Sean wouldn’t have to beg me for a commitment,” Mona proclaimed.

“How long are you going to allow Darryl to control your life? He’s still winning. You’ve given him power that he shouldn’t have,” Kem added.

Charlotte looked at Kem. “I know you’re not trying to school me. You can’t talk. You’re still holding a grudge over your dad about something that happened twenty years ago.”

“That’s different. He abandoned my mom when she needed him. You and this Darryl thing should be over. But you keep holding on to it. It’s wreaking havoc in your life,” Kem surmised.

“For the last time I’m over Darryl. I’m trying to do the right thing. The police are still investigating Dana’s death and with the public scrutiny surrounding it, I don’t want to cause Sean any more problems.”

Mona fanned herself. “Girl, forget the public. You got to live your life. Go call your man and make things right. If you don’t, some other woman will come along and snatch him up.”

After talking with Mona and Kem, Charlotte drove back home, changed her clothes and headed to the office.

Felicia greeted her with a smile. “Parris Mitchell’s in your office. I hope you don’t mind me telling her she can wait there.”

“No. I forgot she was coming in this morning. Can you hold my calls, please?”

Charlotte walked inside of her office. Parris turned around and said, “I was just admiring your pictures on the wall.”

“Sorry, I’m late. I worked out this morning and thought I had enough time to make it for our meeting.”

“No problem.”

“Have a seat,” Charlotte said, as she walked around and sat behind her desk.

Parris sat down. “You come highly recommended.”

“Thanks. But I’m curious. Carmen Cain’s your manager and she’s one of the best in the field. Why are you seeking my services?”

Parris eased to the edge of her seat. “It’s not public knowledge yet, but Carmen’s retiring. She’s met a man and they’re getting married at the end of the year. She’s moving to Florida.”

“Wow. I can’t believe she’s giving up her agency because of some man.”

“Love will do it to you. But it’s not just because of her future husband. She shared with me she’d been a workaholic for years and up until she met Franklin, her company was her husband.”

“As women, we should be able to have both.” Charlotte tapped her foot under the desk.

“I agree. I think she’s just tired of it all and wanted a change.”

“I need to give her a call. She’s one of the few people who stood by me during that fiasco of mine a few years back.”

“Carmen says you remind her of herself when she was your age. She has a lot of respect for you.”

“I’m honored to know she feels that way.”

“So, are you going to be my new manager or not?”

“I’ll be in touch with Carmen and we’ll make it happen.” Charlotte extended out her hand to Parris. “Welcome to the family.”

“Thank you.”

Charlotte grabbed a business card and handed it to Parris. “This has all of my contact information, including my personal cell phone number. Don’t hesitate to use it.”

“I won’t.”

“I’m glad America’s sweetheart will now be on my roster,” Charlotte said. “Come. Let me introduce you to some of the associates.”

Charlotte took her around the office. “This is Jason. He doesn’t know it yet, but he’ll be the one managing you.”

Jason moved from behind his desk and shook Parris’ hand. “Wow. No words.”

Parris looked at Jason and then at Charlotte. Charlotte said, “Excuse Jason. He’s not normally at a loss for words.”

“I apologize. I’ve been admiring your work for years. To be able to work with you is a dream come true for me,” Jason explained.

Parris smiled. “I’m glad you feel that way, Jason.”

Charlotte led Paris out of the room. “Jason’s been with me since the beginning. He’s good at what he does. You won’t be disappointed. He’s good with details and when he needs to be stern, he can be.”

“I can sometimes be bossy so I hope he’s ready for me,” Parris responded.

They finally circled back to the lobby. “Parris, this is the end of the tour. I’ll contact Carmen’s office. You should be receiving a contract within the next few days.”

Charlotte watched Parris leave and smiled knowing that with Parris on board, the possibilities for expansion were endless. She stopped by Felicia’s desk.

“I need you to schedule a meeting with Carmen Cain for me. The sooner the better.”

“AM or PM?” Felicia asked.

“Whatever time fits her schedule. If it conflicts with something else, rearrange those other appointments. This meeting is very important. If it goes the way I want it to, we might be expanding around here.”

Felicia smiled. “Does this mean I get a raise?”

“Who knows? You just might.” Charlotte smiled.

“I’ll let you know what she says,” Felicia said.

Charlotte went to her office and closed the door. She sat behind her desk, leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. She needed to figure out what to do about Sean. Her friends’ words hadn’t been lost on her. She wanted to be with him and knew if she didn’t act now she could lose him forever. Why did things have to be so complicated?