Relatively Famous (17 page)

I shouldn’t have looked up my dad right before talking to Drew on a webcam where he can see my facial expressions. Especially since this is our first Skype in a few days, so my weight loss is more noticeable.

“Are you okay? Do I need to
send over a doctor?”

My sweet, caring boyfriend, freaking out over my freak out, “Nothing’s wrong, Drew. I’m just tired that’s all.”

He huffs in exasperation. “One day, Sydney, you’ll let me in so I can protect you from whatever it is that haunts you. Between the shit you’re going through personally, the extra workload, and that ass Adam Reynolds trying to steal you from me; I should have just cancelled this project and stayed with you!”

He can’t control the situation from California, and it’s getting to him. But honestly, he wouldn’t be able to control it from here either. His face is flushed from anger and he keeps raking his hands through his hair
, which I know is a sign of his frustration.

I feel bad that he knows I’m hiding something from him. It’s in his nature to take care of me
, protect me, and when I won’t let him he gets frustrated. I look down at my hands, ashamed that I won’t let him help me.

“I know, I’m sorry. And Adam Reynolds isn’t trying to steal me, Drew.” Changin
g subjects, I get more animated. “Oh! I forgot, I have news.” Very big, very good news for once.

He perks up at the
sudden change in my personality. “What news?” Drew still looks nervous as though afraid he isn’t going to like whatever I say, even though I sound excited.

“Not pregnant
.” I smile as I say it.

One less thing to put stress on our relationship. The distance between us is hard enough without him blaming himself for the whole no condom incident. He finally stopped apologizing for it when I yelled at him
and stopped Skyping for the last three days since he wouldn’t let it go.

I mean, I’m a grown woman and it was just as much my fault as his. I don’t even think he was upset because I could’ve been pregnant; it’s more like he feels that a pregnancy would have sent me over the edge mentally and it’s his ‘job’ to
shelter me from anything that upsets me or causes pain.

I expect him to be as excited as me, but instead
he just gives me a small smile. “That’s great, Syd. Really great. The timing would have been awful.”
Timing?
There’s no good time to get knocked up by a guy you’ve been dating less than a month.

“I know. It’s a relief to have a little less to worry about.”

“If you’re less stressed, then it’s great, Sydney. So, I also have news.” He smirks and I see a hint of dimple.

Playful Drew is back, thank God
.

He reaches down and
taps on his phone. After a moment, he puts the phone up to the camera so it fills my screen. I see an email with the confirmation for his flight to New York dated for tomorrow.

“You’re coming home tomorrow?” I screech and practically jump from my chair. He laughs and lowers his phone so I can see his face. He’s so unbelievably gorgeous, and I love that I can make him
happy. His sexy dimple is making an appearance. I’m so excited; tomorrow I get to lick that dimple.

“Yep. I got Chad to rearrange a few things with the schedule so I can see my girl!” I melt when I hear him call me his girl. Could I be any luckier?

“I cannot wait to have you here, should I get you from the airport? I can use the hotel car service.”

“No!” He practically shouts at me.
What the hell?
“I don’t want you to have to go all the way to JFK. I have Bruce to drive me. I’ll swing by my place to grab a few things then can I stay with you?”

“Of course I want you to stay with me, just call me when you land. You get in at 7pm, right?”

“Yes, and since I won’t be bringing any luggage I can just go straight from the plane to the car. So I’ll probably be over around 8 or 8:30, sound good?” We’re both grinning like idiots.

“Sounds amazing!” I feel myself relaxing
some just knowing he’ll be with me tomorrow.

We chat a little more about random things like the café and Leah’s new man and he tells me
about L.A since he has no clue that I used to live there. Even though we speak every day, we never have awkward silences. It sounds so cheesy, but it feels as if I’ve known him forever. Like he’s a puzzle piece that I hadn’t realized was missing until I found him. Now he fits so perfectly in my life that there would be a Drew-sized hole if I ever lost him.

Our conversations had been
somewhat tense with the possibility of an unintended pregnancy hanging over our heads, well I was worried about the pregnancy, and Drew was worried about hurting me. Now we just have to get past my freakish secrecy, his need to protect me from everything, and his extreme jealousy over Adam and we’ll be great.

I think.

Chapter
23

I’m so depressed. Drew left a few hours ago to go back to the airport after spending Thursday, Friday and Saturday night here with me. We acted like a couple of shut-ins, and didn’t leave my loft for almost the entire weekend. Drew did go back to his place to change out some clothes and do a few things for work, but otherwise it was heaven, living in our perfect little bubble. Food was delivered when we were hungry so we could spend every possible minute wrapped around each other in bed, and on the couch, and the floor, and against the windows.

Lifted up and
fucked by Drew against the windows. All of my favorite positions involve his strong arms holding me against a wall, or a counter, or windows. So hot
.

Leah stopped by Saturday morning with croissants and coffee for us. It was nice seeing my best friend get along so well with my boyfriend. She told us a hilarious story about a couple that made a huge scene at an upscale restaurant she was at with Carter.
Food was thrown, wine was dumped and someone stomped out in the middle of dinner. We all got a kick out of that one.

Leah didn’t seem to think dating Drew was such a great idea at first, but after spending time with him she’s become a member of Team Sydney & Drew.

Drew was miserable this afternoon as he packed his overnight bag to head out. Actually, he was in a pretty bad mood all morning too. I had asked him if I did anything to upset him, but he assured me that we were fine. It had felt like he wanted to get something off of his chest but whenever he looked like he was about to say something, he just pressed his lips together and stayed silent.

Of course, I’m too much of a fucked up mess to beg him to tell me. And why should he open up? I won’t open up to him, and it hurts him deeply, I can tell.
I’m sure he thinks I would shut down if he tried to have a serious discussion with me. Honestly, if it were about the “date” with Adam, I just wouldn’t want to talk about it anymore.

About an hour after he left I made the decision to tell him about my parents. He deserves the truth, not an anxious
, nerve-wracked girlfriend with a bunch of secrets. Plus, I think I’m in love with him.

I know, right?

The next week threatens to break me. Both Drew and I have been so consumed by work that we haven’t had time to speak more than a few minutes here and there. I had to work through the weekend to fix a problem with the carpet in the main lounge area in order to stay on schedule for the launch party, which is now only three weeks away.

He’s always working late too, and with the three hour time difference
and my long hours, I’m asleep by the time he’s able to call. Drew still hasn’t been able to confirm if he can come with me to the Warren, so I put Leah on notice that she may be my date. Well, my other date if you don’t count Adam, which I don’t.

Another week flies by before I know it. It’s now been two weeks since I’ve seen Drew, and it’s unbearable. He was supposed to fly out this past weekend, but because of hotel management insisting on scheduling a massive party an unreasonable amount of time after beginning the remodel, I had to spend all weekend at the site again. I only leave the hotel to eat and sleep, and I barely do either of those these days. I didn’t even get to run for three days straight.

Without Drew and without my exercise, I haven’t slept much at all, so I’m feeling run down and tired from the grueling schedule. Of course, I’m at work late again when Jeff Talley walks into the club where I’m supervising the setup of the main bar.

“Hello, Jeff,” I say as politely as I can. I’m still pissed at him for causing problems in my relationship with Drew by making
me go with Adam to the launch.

“Hello, Sydney.” He strides across the
room to where I’m leaning on the bar watching the crew assemble the taps and the shelves that will hold all of the liquor bottles. “The shelves are coming together nicely,” he says.

The shelves are a focal design element. Instead of long parallel lines, there are hundreds of different sizes of boxes that line the entire wall. Each one is under lit by a small bulb hidden in the wood of the box. Liquor bottles of various sizes and shapes will fit perfectly into each specific cubby and glow when the room is dark. I hired a local artist to design it and it’s going to be stunning once it’s complete.

I glance over at Jeff as he watches the workers carefully. Some people would think Jeff is handsome, and technically, I guess he is. He’s not as tall as Drew, but somewhere just under six feet. Slender and fit looking for a man in his late forties or early fifties, he keeps everything about himself neat and orderly, from his short graying hair and beard to his expensive custom suits. He just rubbed me the wrong way with pushing the club opening and the whole Adam thing, so that seriously detracts from his looks for me.

“Yes, I agree. It’s going to be the main element for the room. Jeff, as long as you’re here, I was hoping we could go over the details for the night of the party,” I say as I pack up my files and my MacBook both of which are currently spread along a three foot length of the highly polished brown ebony and chrome bar.

“Okay, let’s go to my office.” He gestures that I should go first toward the elevators and follows behind me.

We enter Jeff’s large office on the third floor business wing of the hotel. I sit in one of the tan leather chairs across from his desk and dump my bag on the floor. Jeff takes his seat behind the huge modern desk, a gorgeous view of Central Park behind him. He moves a few folders stacked on his worktop off to the side and leans back so he can put one of h
is ankles up on his knee.

“So Sydney, the project is going well. Everything looks flawless, I expect that you believe Verve will be ready for the launch as planned in two weeks? I’ve personally spoken to many very important celebrities that will
be here for our grand opening. So far Delilah Fornier, Benson Hale and Kiera Radcliff have all confirmed.”

Ugh!

He has that arrogant attitude people get when they think rubbing shoulders with ‘famous’ people makes them special or better. Who knew that Jeff Talley was a name-dropping suck-up? He’s already acting different, and he hasn’t even met these people yet. I hate it.

“Yes, the club should be ready by the 8
th
. And I’m sorry; I have no idea who any of those people are.” I try hard not to look disgusted, but I think Jeff can tell I’m unimpressed. I can’t hide my feelings at all.

He leans over the desk
, “You know Adam Reynolds, the man who currently holds the record for the highest-grossing concert tour of all time, and you don’t know who three of the top actors in Hollywood are? Pfffttt, I don’t believe that for a second. You can’t tell me you don’t want to go on this date with him.” He waves me off with a hand gesture that pretty much says ‘no way’.

Now I’m irritated. Who the hell is he to tell me who I want to date? “Well Jeff, Believe it. I don’t care about celebrities and I don’t go to the movies. I’m also involved with someone whom I care about very much, so no; I don’t want to date Adam. That’s not why I wanted to discuss the party though.” I speak through my clenched teeth, trying hard not to scream in his face that he should date Adam since he loves him so damn much!

“What can I do for you then, Sydney? Obviously, you won’t be asking me for an introduction to any famous people that night.” He laughs like he’s the funniest guy on earth. God, I used to think this guy was nice.

Douche!

“I just wanted to be sure that our deal still stands and neither photos of me, nor my name will be printed or released to anyone for any use. Also, I still don’t know if I’m bringing my boyfriend Drew, or my friend Leah, so I’d like to have them both put on the VIP list just in case.” I look him directly in the eyes so he knows I’m dead serious. He still doesn’t think that anyone would ask to
not
be associated with fame, since he thinks so highly of it himself.

He taps his index finger against his lips, trying to decide if I truly don’t want any public link to the opening or the guests or if I’m just feigning modesty. He concedes, “Okay, no problem. Just give my secretary Donna, your friends’ names and she’ll make sure they’re on the list. Bring them both if you want. She’s handling the entire guest list anyway.”

“Thank you, Jeff.” I stand up to leave, and he hops to his feet to see me out. I guess even self-absorbed jerkoffs can be gentlemen sometimes. “I’m heading home now, but I’ll be here at seven again tomorrow.”

He
shakes my hand and says goodbye. “Oh and I wanted to tell you, the CEO and CFO of the Warren Hotel worldwide chain will be here next week for a final walk through before the opening. I’ll let you know which day as soon as they narrow it down for me. So be prepared to be available for any questions that they might have.”

I turn and look back at him from the hallway and give him my biggest, fakest smile
. “Sure thing Jeff. Looking forward to it.”

I head down the hall and scribble Drew Forrester and Leah Quinn-Slade on a piece of hotel stationary with a note stating they are to be added to the VIP list as my guests and leave it on his secretary’s desk. She gets to leave at a reasonable hour, so of course, she’s already gone.