Chapter 6
Tessa
Twenty-One Years Old
Masks come in various forms—physical and metaphorical.
I wear one every day, pretending to be someone I’m not. Portraying the version of a woman that everyone loves to chase. A person who, occasionally, everyone even hates.
Millions dream of being in the limelight—beloved, cherished, and adored by the world. But they never get to see the darker side of being a celebrity—the part where all we want to do is disappear and fade to black just like our movies…
My eyes fluttered open just as dawn started to break over the horizon. I could still taste the stale champagne on my tongue while I pushed myself up, taking in yet another mess I had created to escape my ever-changing reality.
To no surprise whatsoever, I found a half-naked man lying in bed beside me, snoring loudly with his face sandwiched between the fluffy pillows.
Ew—I mean, at least he had a great-looking ass… but still… Ew.
The white marble floor of the hotel suite was completely littered with the unconscious bodies of my entourage and their friends, twelve, twenty-six, thirty-nine… all of whom showed up to party the night before.
I shrugged on my peach Chanel silk blouse in an effort to cover up my lack of discernment and slid out of bed to find the rest of my belongings, tiptoeing around and trying to remain as silent as possible.
The last thing I needed was to wake up the entire penthouse and create even more problems for myself.
God only knows how many photos were already circulating on social media.
Snatching up my white Jimmy Choo pumps and black Valentino clutch, I made a beeline to the open elevator and hopped inside, repeatedly pressing the gold button for the lobby.
My long, dusty brown hair was a fucking rat’s nest. The loose-fitting blouse was barely hanging on my body, exposing far more than just my black lace lingerie corset, and to no surprise, there was now a long split in my black leather miniskirt. Talk about a rough start to the day.
As the elevator slowly descended the forty-two floors of The Empress Hotel, I dug through my purse and pulled out my phone, calling my bodyguard, whom I already knew would be pissed off with me, seeing as how I’d managed to ditch him last night, again.
“Are you fucking kidding me right now?” His scolding tone was exactly what I had expected, nothing less.
“Oh, Teddy. I love how bright and bubbly you are at—” I pulled my phone away from my ear to see it was just after four in the morning.
Yeah, I’d be pissed off too if someone called me this early.
“Okay, on second thought, the time is irrelevant. Just get me the hell out of here before this entire hotel wakes up and alerts the media to where I am.”
“Or I could not, and let the sharks have you for breakfast instead.”
I audibly gasped at his audacity—he was being fucking serious.
“You wouldn’t dare.” I challenged with a slight growl in my tone. “I sign your paychecks, Teddy.”
“And you’re a royal pain in my ass. You don’t pay me enough to chase you halfway across the fucking country every night.”
“Okay, first of all, Malibu to LA is not halfway across the country...” I mocked his serious attitude, tilting my head to the side as I watched the number on the elevator reach the twenties.
“Right, you wouldn’t know what sitting in LA traffic is like. You're too busy fucking around on your phone in the back seat, taking selfies for IG.”
“Hey! I resent that! Do you kiss your wife with that mouth?”
“Every single morning before work. I’ll meet you in the back.”
“You’re already here?” My brows knitted together as I pursed my lips in suspicion. If he knew where I was, why didn’t he raise hell and drag me out of the suite hours ago?
“Been here all night. It’s my job to ensure your safety.”
“Suck up.”
“That’ll cost you extra. See you in five, Tess.” Theodore’s voice softened into a fatherly tone, and I huffed out a laugh while stuffing my phone back into my clutch just as the elevator doors opened.
I peeked into the lobby to see if any paparazzi were lurking, just waiting to pounce on me for their next meal ticket.
With it being so early, I had hoped to have beaten them at their game, but I couldn’t be too sure—desperate people will do dire things if it means a little extra cash to fill their greedy pockets.
Feeling confident that the coast was clear, I scurried out of the elevator and slipped into the shadows along the furthest wall, padding my way to the back end of the hotel.
After careening around the last corner, I found my knight in shining armor awaiting me with the emergency exit door propped open with his boot and a nasty scowl on his face. The bantering bodyguard turned feral guardian in the blink of an eye.
“This has to stop, Tess…” Theodore grumbled as I stepped past him and climbed inside the blacked-out Cadillac Escalade right before he slammed the door shut behind me with a warm, over-the-top, and pissy attitude.
As he got into the driver’s seat, I shot him a saccharine smile, to which he responded with a livid glare over his shoulder.
“Don’t tell me I hurt your feelings by outsmarting you again, Teddy.” I teased with a pouty expression.
“This is the last fucking time, Tess. I’m getting sick of cleaning up after your shit.”
“Calm down, it wasn’t that big of a—”
“Do you know how many cameras are in that lobby right now, waiting for you to do the walk of shame? Do you have even the faintest idea as to how many jackasses I had to pay for the photos they’d managed to take of you last night?”
“There are photos?! Oh, lemme see!”
“Tessa!” Theodore snapped while bashing his fists into the steering wheel, startling me into silence.
“You need to get your shit together. You are twenty-one years old and are going to get eaten alive by the media one of these days if you can’t keep that party girl personality in check.
” I sat there with my mouth hanging open as I remained speechless at his harsh words.
“You need to be better than this, and if not better, then at least more discreet. I won’t always be here to cover your ass, and your skirts are riding very fucking close to exposure. ”
“How long did it take you to develop that analogy?” I quipped, blowing him off while falling back and lazily slouching in my seat.
“I’m fucking serious, Tess. Enough with the entitled diva bullshit. I’m retiring in five years, and the next guy assigned to take my place won’t protect and care for you to the same extent as I have.” Like a father...
Theodore worked for my mother before she discovered she was pregnant with me and continued to do so until I signed my first movie deal at the age of thirteen.
Then she restructured his contract, and he’s been there for me ever since—the father figure I needed.
My real father was too busy with his own chaotic acting schedule to give me the time of day.
“What are you saying?” I narrowed my eyes at him, attempting to call his bluff.
We had a routine. I would do something stupid, he’d reprimand me for said stupid shit, I’d give him a snarky childish comeback, and then he’d threaten to leave if I didn’t shape up. He wouldn’t actually leave me this time. Would he?
“I’m saying that you need to find a better outlet for your rebellious behavior before your name headlines more tabloids than trophies. Don’t destroy the reputation your parents fought so hard to build for you.” Yeah, the same parents that were never around to even give a shit…
The confident, party girl, fuck-all facade I had worn so proudly the night before was slowly starting to fade as his words settled underneath my skin.
I caught a glimpse of my reality in the rear-view mirror—a trainwreck of a woman who’d had everything handed to her on a silver fucking platter, every celebrity’s nightmare, a wake-up call.
“I-I’m—”
“You’re going to go home, get cleaned up, and when you’re ready, we’ll discuss an alternative to the sneaking around and late-night dance parties. Something that will keep your reputation safe and allow you freedom to express yourself away from the eyes of the public.”
Sobering up and biting my tongue, I nodded, realizing just how real my situation had become. I wasn’t a child anymore. Big brother was always watching and waiting for that one tiny slip—the ultimate fuck up to end my life and career.
Everyone knew who I was, and unless I could suddenly turn into somebody else overnight, my identity belonged to the media—nothing more than a buffet of scandal and lies for them to feast upon at their leisure.
Theodore kept me grounded, and I’d be lost without him.