Taming Precious Sinclair (6 page)

Stone was wearing a windbreaker, a polo shirt, a pair of Bermuda shorts and deck shoes. He’d been out boating with her parents for the afternoon. She was certain that his time spent with her parents was purely recreational for his part. But she wasn’t so sure about her father. She knew the plans that lie harbored in his heart.

Stone reached down, cupping her hand with both of his. He smiled his easy smile, saying...

“I didn’t expect to see you here today.”

“I didn’t expect to be here today.” She responded brusquely and immediately she winced due to her abruptness. In spite of her rude behavior, Stone fully understood. For the past year, Precious have lived under a microscope. Her every move dissected and judged. Then she was maligned by her fans after refusing his proposal. He wanted to take her pain away but this situation was out of his control. He felt her fingers easing from his hold. Precious stepped back and away from him. Her eyes drifted to where her parents stood near Hamilton.

With the attention on him now, Hamilton turned to introduce himself. He held out his hand to her father first.

“Hello Mr. Sinclair. I’m Hamilton Gantry. The producer of Grosse Pointe Bachelorettes.”

Her father grasp hold, squeezing like most men do, when sizing up the other.

“Colten Sinclair. Nice to meet you Mr. Hamilton. And this is my wife, Camille Royal Sinclair.”

Camille’s eyes were still on her daughter and the way she looked; creating space between her and Stone. She didn’t like this standoff between her and her daughter and she wanted to put an end to it. Colten tapped his wife on her shoulder. This startled her, and she still had not responded, so Hamilton said...

“Mrs. Sinclair, it’s lovely to finally meet you. I’m sorry if I’ve come at a bad time but I wanted to see to your daughter arriving here safely. There was an incident at her...”

The words never managed to make it out of his mouth because Camille finally found her voice.

“Incident...? What incident? What happened Precious? Are you all right dear?”

Camille left the men standing where they stood. She moved with haste to check on her daughter. Her eyes did a quick once over.

“Mom, I’m fine. It wasn’t anything.”

Camille stood back, noticing something odd. There was something sticky covering a portion of her daughters clothing and she smelled like strawberries. Her nose danced a little wiggle, then her brain caught hold to something else. Precious was wearing head to toe black in the middle of summer. She didn’t have to be told what had happened or why her daughter was dressed like a ninja. Her mother said...

“Who did this to you? Who threw food on you?”

“What?” Now Colten’s feet were moving. He joined her mother in the chorus.

“What happened Precious? Tell us. I’ll get Leonard on the phone and we’ll put an end to this nonsense...”

“Dad, you don’t need to call your attorney. I’m fine. Can’t you see that I’m fine.”

She wasn’t fine and Hamilton hoped that her parents knew her well enough to see through her masquerade. Stone stood back curiously watching this scene play out and Hamilton wondered at what point he would speak up. Then he imagined that her parents were asking enough questions for every person standing in the foyer.

Hamilton closed the distance, but he lagged back just a bit. He had a promise to keep. He needed to make a few calls. If he acted fast, he could smash this problem in under a week. But he was wasting time standing in the Sinclair’s home watching Precious and her family rehashing details he’d already witnessed. He had a mind to make a dash for the door, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave unless he knew with certainty that Precious wouldn’t return to her home.

Precious told her parent’s the truth. There was no need to lie because she was certain the local news would broadcast the picketers. She listened to her father while he wagged his finger. He also selectively chose to forget that she was twenty-three and not his little girl. He insisted that she stay at their home, and Precious emphatically said,
no
. While father and daughter battled with words; Camille’s eyes pleaded with Stone to step in and do something. Nice guy that he was, Stone answered the call of duty.

“Precious, I think I have the perfect solution to your problem. It sounds to me like, your fans just need a little cooling off time. A chance to think about something else. While they’re doing that, you should spend a little time away from the city.”

“Stone, I can’t leave the city. I do have a job, you know.” Precious said swiftly dismissing him, but her father quickly responded saying...

“Yes, we know you have a job, and I’m your boss. Which means, I’m putting you on an extended leave.” Her father stood with his arms resolutely folded over his broad chest.

“Daddy, you can’t do that.”

“The hell I can’t. Precious, face it...” Her father narrowed his eyes saying... “Presently, your celebrity status isn’t working in your favor. If you’re forced to resort to sneaking around; using backstair wells or dressing in disguises. If that’s the case, then you’re doing our clients a disservice. And the negative press isn’t good for the firm.”

“But daddy... My job.” Her voice sounded like a child. Not a professional hedge fund manager employed by her fathers financial management firm. But in her defense, Precious had been wounded. She’d worked her butt off to achieve her goals. And now, overnight, all of her hard work had turned to mush. She sensed that her life was slipping away from her.

Precious felt as if she were being ganged up on. Colten Sinclair said...

“Precious... I don’t believe in handouts. I hired you because you earned it. You showed me what you were made of, and you never shrunk away from any obstacles. That’s the reason I gave you that hedge fund to manage because I knew you were ready for the challenge. I still think you deserve your position...and your job will be waiting for you when you return. It’s just that... Right now, I think you need to lay low for a while. Just until this bad publicity dies down a bit. Actually it would do you good to leave the city.”

Precious pursed her lips, saying...

“Fine... If that will satisfy everyone and get you people off my back.” When she said you people, they all knew that she was referring to her father, but he wasn’t appeased.

Colten Sinclair said...

“Good, but I have one stipulation. Since you’ve agreed to leave the city, then your mother and I will go with you. You’ll need a second set of eyes to keep watch.” Her father eyed her, knowing that something awful had happened today. He worded his comment; speaking as if he were in the know. He said... “This kind of thing can just as easily happen out of town as it did here in Grosse Pointe, where you live.”

Her father was right of course but she wouldn’t admit this to him. Besides, she needed more time to figure out when and where she would go. If she needed a traveling buddy, there was always Regina. Her friend still had not left town for the summer, and Precious knew that she was the reason for this. But the idea of two women from the same reality show traveling together; that would increase the odds of them being recognized. She couldn’t risk being in a foreign country, then forcing Regina to deal with another food throwing incident. No, she thought to herself. This was her problem and she would deal with it alone.

While her father chimed on and on, suggesting that they continue this conversation at their vacation home up north; Stone had been quietly watching Precious’ facial expressions. The one that currently covered her face, looked as sternly resolute as her fathers and he knew nothing good would come from this conversation. So, he said...

“Precious, I have an idea. Why don’t you come to Fiji with me. We can leave this evening. The resort isn’t finished but I own a small house on the island. It isn’t much, but it’s comfortable and there are more than a few added amenities.”

Precious already knew about his little house. The place was five thousand square feet of luxury from one end to the other. But, in his defense, Stone’s home here in Michigan was four times the size of his island home.

“Stone...” she said his name like a whisper. Her voice was so soft and tender, Hamilton couldn’t bring himself to remain in the same room. He’d never heard her speak so tenderly. A streak of jealously shot right through him. He eased pass them all, assured that Precious wouldn’t return to her home. He spoke while he moved in the direction to the front door.

“Precious, I’ll call you this evening on your cell phone. Don’t worry about this. I’ll handle it.” Hamilton said in a confident voice.

“Wait Hamilton... Where are you going?” She felt like a part of her being was being wrenched from her soul and Precious didn’t understand where this feeling stemmed from. Hamilton’s comings and goings were always sporadic; ushered in by swift silent exchanges. Most times, he would enter a room, then leave and she wouldn’t even have known that he’d come and gone. But there had always been a special something about his presence. That intangible solidness that wasn’t actually there, but she’d grasp hold and this feeling had grounded her to the show. It wasn’t until now that she realized, she needed him. He needed that grounding force that only he possessed. She felt her legs moving at the same rapid pace of her beating pulse.

“Hamilton...” she said breathlessly. “I thought you said that...” She paused, trying to recall the details of their conversations. Her head had been heady and weighted with concerns. How to deal with a problem that was truly no fault of her own?

Hamilton’s eyes scanned her face, and she did something, she’d never done before. Precious gazed into his mesmerizing silver-gray eyes. Most times he wore dark shades, and she’d never stood this close to him. She spoke low, saying...

“I can’t... I can’t do this alone.”

Her fingers were tightly wound like knots, turning pale. Hamilton peered over her head, and he noticed the others. Their confusion was palpable. Until today, his name had only been words scrolling during the shows credits. He was fairly certain that Precious had never talked about him or his role as the shows producer. And why would she? As the shows producer, traditionally, his contact with the cast was usually limited but this project had been different. During the taping of the Grosse Pointe program, Hamilton rarely saw his office in California, because most weeks he was somewhere in this state. He also knew that Precious was the reason for this. In the past, he’d done his best to avoid her. But now, he was faced with a difficult decision. He knew what he should do, and dammit if he didn’t do the opposite.

He closed his eyes momentarily, then he opened them. Hamilton rested his hand on her elbow, easing her to the side. If he was going to do this, then he would do it right. He would talk face to face to her parents and her ex-boyfriend. He maintained his calm cool exterior while embracing the irony in this situation. At one point he’d done his best to avoid her, and now he was telling a lie to ensure that she’d be glued to his side.

“Look folks...” He said as his opening statement. They didn’t leave nor did they interrupt him, so he continued.

“We all want what’s best for Precious and we want her to be happy with this choice. Today, while we were talking... Finding a safe place for her to ride out this storm, had been one of our topics. Now... When I brought her here, I wanted her to tell her parents what happened before you saw the story on the news.”

Precious couldn’t believe the web of lies that were being woven, but she was willing to play her part if he needed backup. She listened, while Hamilton continued.

“I didn’t want to whisk her away before she had the opportunity to talk to you.”

“Whisk her away...” Her mother said. “Precious darling... Where are you going?”

“That’s the beauty of this Mrs. Sinclair.”

Now, his hand lay resting at the base of her back. Hamilton lightly guided his fingers up and down; soothing as he stoked and caressed. He had this and he didn’t want her to worry. He’d told her that he would fix this. So he reasoned, why not go all the way. He was telling a story that might end up being true.

He continued...

“The best way to ensure that Precious will not be followed...well, we’ll have to do something that the media would never expect. I’ve given this some thought and I’ve decided on a plan that I believe will work. I’m taking her to a secluded location, while my PR firm works on this little problem of hers. I can’t see into the future, but these people are good at their jobs.”

That part of his web of lies was true, and he really believed that in a matter of weeks, Precious would have her life back. Of course, Stone might have to cooperate but he’d not seen anything today that would hint that he wouldn’t.