Extremely Famous (7 page)

“Calm down,” I say to my poor, stressed out fiancé. We’re sitting in the back of a limo with Jane, Evan
, and Steve. Sal is sitting up front with Bruce as we maneuver through the streets of New York City to my dad’s movie premiere.

Drew stares out the window and clutches my left hand, fingering my diamond engagement ring, still
spun backwards to keep the paparazzi in the dark. I wanted to leave it at home tonight but Drew threw a fit.

“Have a drink babe.
” I convinced Steve to open a bottle of champagne for me, hoping that it would ease my nerves, but right now I think Drew needs it more than me.

“No,” he snaps, turning to look at me. “I need to be able to pay attention to everything.”

“Drew, that’s their job.” I motion toward the two massive bodyguards that make the back of the limo seem much smaller than it is.

“No.” He resumes fiddling with my ring.

This is going to be fun.

The limo turns onto W 54
th
Street and stops. Traffic is a mess. The premiere for my dad’s film,
Anti-Hero
, is being held at the historic Ziegfeld Theater. It’s massive, holding over a thousand people and from the looks of the crowd, they filled every last seat. It’s a big budget blockbuster starring another A-list actor along with my dad, so the studio is going all out with the marketing.

Since it’s August, it’s still light out. That means no irritating spotlights lining the red carpet. The media presence, however, is daunting. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a giant crowd outside a theater before. I knew this movie was supposed to be huge, but this is unlike anything I would have imagined. How they managed to squash bleachers onto the narrow sidewalk is beyond my comprehension. Next to that, hundreds of fans line the street, hoping to get a glimpse of their favorite celebrity
, probably my dad.

“Shit,” I mutter under my breath.

Drew whips around to face me, a grimace on his beautiful face. “This is why I didn’t want to do this Sydney. I’ve been to premieres here before, it’s a giant clusterfuck every single time because the theater is so big.”

“It will be fine.
” I try to assure him, not quite believing the words as I say them. “We were assigned one of the last arrival times, so hardly anyone will be left on the carpet by the time we pull up.”

Yeah right, it’s going to be so awful.

My only comforting thought is that it’s so crowded there’s a chance we won’t see Adam at all tonight. As a result of finding out Adam will be here tonight, Drew spent half the day yesterday sparring with Damien at his gym. I went to watch since I was tired of being locked up in the brownstone with nothing to do. Drew was overly aggressive, holding back nothing as he pounded on his friend. As hot as it was to watch, I’m kind of worried that he’ll lose his shit tonight if Adam so much as breathes on me.

“We’re next,” Jane says, sliding down the seat towards the door.

I squeeze Drew’s hand and give him a quick kiss on the cheek. “We’ll be fine,” I whisper in his ear. He says nothing and clenches his jaw.

“Okay, so Steve will get out first, then you,” Jane says to us. “Evan and Sal will follow. There’s a reporter with ET immediately to your left, stop there and do a quick three minute interview. By the
n your dad will be here Sydney,” she says to me.

“Alright
. We can walk with him, right?”

“Yes. He’ll be expecting to meet up with you as soon as he gets here. Pose for whoever you want with him, then walk. Let him do his interviews, join him, don’t join him. It’s your choice. Then at the step-and-repeat, you’ll do photos with him and photos with just the two of you, okay?”

“Yes.” The step-and-repeat is the big banner with the movie’s name on it that you have to walk past to get inside. The press is lined up opposite and they take thousands of photos as you stand in front of it. It’s literally blinding and by far the worst part of the red carpet.

“Here we go,” Jane says as the limo glides to a stop. A burley man in a tuxedo steps up to open our door. I notice the small wire curling from behind his ear and down into his collar and wonder if this guy works for the FBI.

“Ready?” I ask Drew as Steve gets out and waits for us.

“Not even for one second am I anywhere near ready for this
, Syd.” I can see the fear in his eyes and suddenly I feel very selfish for insisting on coming tonight. He truly is in extreme distress worrying about my safety. He thinks he’s hiding it, but I know him so well that I can see it as plain as day.

Drew releases my hand and steps out, turning to help me exit gracefully. I take a deep breath and put my left hand in his, letting him feel my ring in the hopes that it will calm him down some
., smooth down my black Grecian gown and look up.

It’s like looking directly at the sun. There are so many flashes that I have no idea where to
go first. Drew starts to walk, following Steve’s lead. He leans down to speak to me, barely audible over the roar of the crowd, all eager to see the couple that can’t seem to stay out of the tabloids. With us here, a potential confrontation with Adam, and a public reunion with my Dad tonight- it’s a feeding frenzy for the paparazzi.

“Stay close to me, don’t let go of my hand for anything.
” I nod and smile for the dozens upon dozens of cameras pointed at us. Drew tightens his grip on my hand and we somehow find our way to the ET reporter on the side of the red carpet.

The lovely dark-haired reporter beams as we step up to the marked spot and smile for her.

“Hi,” she says to us. Then to the camera, “We’re at the world premiere for Reid Tannen’s new action film,
Anti-Hero
, and have Andrew Forrester and Sydney Tannen with us tonight.” She turns back to us and starts her interview. “You both look stunning tonight…”

Drew fiddles with my ring as I answer her questions, one after the other; who made my dress, is there increased security here because of th
e death threat, have I seen my dad recently?

She turns to Drew every once in a while and asks him a qu
estion. Has he met my father before, does he admire his films, she even asks about Drew’s hit
A Soldier’s Burden
. She’s professional and charming and I decide that I like her a lot.

I know
the exact moment that my dad arrives because the low roar of the crowd becomes deafening. Steve ushers us back to the center of the red carpet to join my dad as he adjusts his jacket.

“Hi baby,”
Daddy says, giving me a peck on the cheek. The paparazzi go nuts when they see us together. Ignoring them, he shakes hands with Drew, forcing him to drop my hand for a minute. Drew reaches back and takes it as quickly as he can, afraid to lose me in the crowd.

The three of us make our way up the line of r
eporters, stopping whenever my dad is told to give an interview. It takes forever. Drew spends the entire time scanning the huge crowd and messing with my diamond. I would think it would make me nuts that he won’t leave it alone, but knowing he’s touching it seems to make me feel better. Like we’re sharing something that belongs to us and no one else.

After what feels like an eternity, we hit the step-and-repeat and I’m blinded again by the sheer number of flashes, my cheeks in pain from smiling so much.

We finally make it inside the lobby, packed with party-goers and staff. Drew relaxes some, but not completely. The lobby is where I was attacked at his premiere, so he’s not going to unclench until we’re home.

“I’m glad you both made it,” Daddy says. “I was afraid you’d let those threats keep you home.”

“Actually, I wanted to stay home,” Drew says gruffly. “I don’t think it’s wise to be out with the threat hanging over our heads, especially in light of what happened last time.” His face is shadowed by stress, making him seem older.

“Drew,” I warn, not wanting him to make
Daddy feel bad.

“I wouldn’t have blamed you,” my
dad tells us. “You have to do what you feel is necessary.”

“Well, I feel it’s necessary to live my life my way. Not according to the whims of crazy people,” I say stubbornly.

“There she is,” my dad says proudly. “My Heartbreaker, always throwing caution to the wind.” He turns to Drew smiling. “She’s been like this her whole life. Can’t tell her what to do or when to do it.”

“I’ve noticed,” Drew says dryly.

A man comes over and pulls my dad away to do an interview. We greet the various people that stop by, many of whom Drew already knows or has worked with.

“Sydney!” I hear a
familiar voice call out.

O
h shit! Don’t come over here.

Drew stiffens next to me, pulling me closer
to him in a territorial move.

I attempt a smile but i
t comes out weak. “Adam,” I say to the tall, gorgeous man headed our way. I can’t believe he’s doing this in front of Drew, especially after those articles painted us as lovers. I’m starting to think he either has no common sense or enjoys antagonizing my fiancé.

He pointe
dly ignores Drew. “I was hoping to introduce you to my mates,” he says as he reaches for my free hand.

“Don’t touch her,” Drew says menacingly
from my side.

Adam turns his head, forced to
acknowledge Drew. I see a hint of a smirk on his frustratingly handsome face. “Forrester, nice to see you again.” There isn’t even a suggestion of sincerity in his voice.

Drew
takes a small step toward Adam. “You have a lot of nerve coming over here Reynolds,” he snarls. I tug on his hand, hoping to pull him away from whatever confrontation he thinks he’s going to have in a lobby full of industry people.

“What?” Adam says innocently. “I told Sydney I would introduce her to my band, so here I am
.” He drops his gaze back to me. “Didn’t I, Sweetheart?”

Drew’s expression is murderous.
“What did you just call her?” He says each word slowly and clearly. Shit, he’s getting super pissed.

“Adam, stop it.
” I know he’s antagonizing Drew on purpose. I can see it all over his face. He thinks Drew can’t do anything about it here without making a giant scene. Unfortunately, giant, public scenes seem to be Drew’s specialty lately.

Adam ignores me and looks back at Drew, smiling. “I always call beautiful women sweetheart. We’re just friends, right Sydney? Just like you and Kiera were just friends
.” He focuses his penetrating hazel eyes on Drew.

“What are you doing Adam?” M
y voice is pleading with him to leave it alone. He’s poking a sleeping bear with a very sharp stick.

“You’re wrong,” Drew says calmly. “I was never friends with Kiera. She’s too much of an intolerable bitch to be near, let alone be friends with.”

Adam’s eyes widen in surprise at Drew’s description of his co-star and Adam’s ex-girlfriend, then he grins. “She may be a bitch, but she sure knows how to shag, right Forrester?” He winks at Drew knowingly.

Holy Fuck, Adam has a death wish!

“Adam, what the hell has gotten into you?” I ask. I knew that these two hated each other but I didn’t think Adam would sink to taunting Drew outright.

Before he can answer, Drew
pushes me behind him and takes another step forward, almost touching chests with Adam. “Shut the fuck up and get out of my sight Reynolds. I don’t know what the fuck your problem is but I’m sick and Goddamn tired of your shit,” he says in a low, scary voice.

“Like you don’t know what my problem is,” Adam spits back at Drew. “My girl up and dumps me so she can be with you while you make your pathetic little movie. Everywhere I go I hear your bloody sodding name and
now you’re trying to keep me from my friend. I’m fucking fed up!”

My heart drops into my stomach from Adam’s confirm
ation. Kiera’s flat out crazy. She had her sights on Drew from the beginning. “Adam, I thought Kiera was cheating and that’s why you broke up,” I say in a low voice.

Adam focuses back on me, then down to my hand clutching Drew’s. “I was involved with Kiera when she was cast opposite this arsehole. So she shagged her current co-star and let me walk in on them so she wouldn’
t have to tell me to my face.” He lets his sentence taper off when he realizes what he’s saying in front of Drew.

“I’m sorry Adam, I didn’t know about any of that and it’s certainly not Drew’s fault that she did that
.”
God this is so awkward
! I want to melt into the wall and disappear. People are starting to notice the hostility between the two men and it’s making me even more uncomfortable.

Adam takes a step toward me but Drew moves between us. “Don’t,” he warns.

“Why are you always such a giant wanker?” Adam says to Drew. “You’re always in my way. Sydney and I were friends before you even met her!” he growls, a sneer on his handsome face.

“See, I don’t feel that I’m in your way,” Drew says calmly. “I feel like I’m way out in front of you, leaving you in my wake. Sydney is with
me
and she always will be. She doesn’t need friends like you. Back. The. Fuck. Off.”