3. Chapter Three
Chapter Three
PENNY
W hen Lucas goes into the bathroom, I grab my hotel room keycard from the table, and I head to the door. Looking through the peephole, I’m thankful to see the hallway empty. Quickly and quietly, I leave Lucas’ room and dash across the hallway and into mine. I breathe a sigh of relief when no one catches me. Last night was a nightmare. I know the paparazzi can be brutal, but I’ve never experienced anything like it, and I never want to again.
And then there was Lucas Alessi—my rescuer. The devil himself. That was the biggest surprise of the night. I had expected him to leave me in the hallway to fend for myself. What I didn’t see was him coming to my aid. It was probably his date that had him changing his mind. Whatever the reason, I’m grateful for his help. It doesn’t mean I dislike him any less. Although, unfortunately, I still think he’s the most gorgeous man I’ve ever seen.
When I woke up to see him wet from a shower with only a towel around his waist, displaying his tanned skin and corrugated abs, I nearly swallowed my tongue. I’m not attracted to him at all, but I’m not blind. The man is gorgeous.
Did I really lie all over him and tell him he’s hot? I walk to the bed and sit on the edge. I shake my head. No, surely I wouldn’t do that. He was teasing me. Playing with my mind. My punishment for taking his bed. The man is evil with a cold heart. Except for when he helped me at my most vulnerable state; even if it was his date’s idea, he could have said no. That was far from cold. Then he let me sleep in his bed. If he really wanted me out, I’m sure he could have woken me up. The alcohol had knocked me unconscious, but I wasn’t dead.
Whatever his reasons, I don’t have time to worry about that now. I need to catch a plane, and I have to get ready fast to make it to the airport on time. And I need to figure out how I’m going to get out of the hotel without the paparazzi noticing. If I could wait a little longer, maybe they’d get bored of spying on me and leave. However, my flight leaves for Bora Bora in three hours, and I need to get to the airport right away.
Picking up my phone from the nightstand, I check my text messages. There are five from Darren, which I delete without reading. There’s nothing more he can say to me that I want to hear. Seven from my mother. I don’t have the energy to talk to her just yet. I’ll call her before I board the plane. And there are two from Claudia. I open those.
The first one says: The statement is out. Fingers crossed it takes the spotlight off you. I’ll talk to you in the morning. Hope you get some sleep xx
The second one, which was sent ten minutes ago, reads: If you don’t reply to my message in twenty minutes, I’ll assume you’re still sleeping or dead and will call to wake you up.
I text back: Hey, I’m alive! Terrible hangover but ready to sit on a beach and do nothing. Are you picking me up or am I meeting you at the airport?
Claudia: Glad to hear you’re alive. I’m running late, so I’ll meet you at the airport. I’ve arranged for the hotel to have a security guard meet you at your room in half an hour and take you to the garage where a driver will be waiting for you.
What would I do without her?
I reply: You’re the best! See you soon xx
After a quick shower, I swallow down two Tylenol to help with the jackhammering in my brain and dress for the airport. I wish I had time for coffee, but the security guard will be here soon. It will have to wait until I get to the airport. Once I’m there, I plan to forget about the past two horrible days and switch onto vacation mode. Seven days on a tropical island with my best friend sounds like heaven. There’s nothing on my itinerary except soaking up the sun and trying every cocktail on the menu.
Right on time, there’s a knock on my door. I collect my things and look through the peephole to see the security guard.
“Good morning, Ms. Aldin,” he says when I open the door. “I have a private elevator ready. It will take you straight to the basement parking deck where a car will be waiting.”
“Great, thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Here, let me take your bags.” He takes my luggage and rolls it down the hallway.
I hold my breath, waiting for the paparazzi to spring from a room and shout at me. When I step into the elevator without incident, I breathe a sigh of relief. Then I pause. Lucas is leaning casually against the mirrored panel wall. He’s dressed in faded jeans and a light sage colored t-shirt that draws out the green in his eyes. His dark brown hair looks finger-combed off his face. With a disgruntled expression, he appears just as annoyed at seeing me as I am at seeing him.
“I hope you don’t mind Mr. Alessi sharing the elevator. I thought the quicker I can get you both out of the hotel, the better,” the security guard explains.
“It’s not a problem,” I say through a fake smile.
I step further inside and turn my back toward Lucas. When the doors close, his image is reflected on the elevator doors. I focus my attention on the illuminated descending numbers. Why is Lucas sneaking out? It’s not like he has the paparazzi hounding him.
“She loves my company. Don’t you, Penelope?” I hear the sarcasm in his tone.
I throw him a dirty look over my shoulder. I want to wipe the smug grin off his face. “Oh yes. You are such a delight.” I don’t hide my distaste.
“After the amazing night we spent together, I thought you’d be a little more friendly toward me.”
I gasp, take a quick look at the security guard, who is inspecting the cuff of his sleeve like he’s taking no notice of our conversation, then swing toward Lucas. “All we did was sleep .” All I need is for the security guard to think there’s something going on between us. Who knows what rumors he might start?
“What about your wandering hands?” Lucas winks.
I turn my back on him again. “In your dreams.”
He chuckles, which makes my blood boil, because I really don’t know what I did in my sleep. Surely, even in my alcohol-induced coma, I would never go that far. Not with Lucas Alessi.
Thankfully, the elevator arrives at basement level, and we step out into the garage.
“See you later, sunshine. Actually, hopefully see you never,” Lucas says before he walks away, disappearing among the rows of cars.
Jerk! I want to scream at him. Instead, I take a deep breath and keep my composure.
After a moment, I notice there’s no car waiting. I turn to the security guard. “How long will my ride be?”
He flicks out his wrist and checks the time on his watch. “Should have been here by now. Let me check and see what’s happening.”
As he’s on the phone, a black jeep drives toward us. It must be my car.
Then the elevator chimes, indicating it’s reached the basement. Seconds later, voices shout behind me. “Penelope! Penelope!”
Spinning around, I’m faced with the same men from last night. Darn it, how did they find me? Why won’t they just leave me alone? Don’t they have enough humiliating pictures of me? I need the car to get to me fast .
Before the men get too close, the security guard lifts his arms out wide and steps in front of me to block their view of me. “Get back now or I’ll get the police involved!” he warns.
Ignoring the guard’s threat, one asks, “Did you spend the night with Lucas Alessi?”
Another asks, “How long have you been together?”
One by one, they fire questions at me. Trying to hide behind the guard isn’t keeping them away.
The jeep approaches and slows down. Thank God my ride is here and this will be over with soon. But the car doesn’t stop. Instead, it picks up speed and drives past me. My mouth drops open as it continues on. If that’s not my driver, where are they? I need to get out of here.
Once again, I’m surrounded with cameras pointed in my face and men asking inappropriate questions. I search around the garage for any quick exits I can run to and hopefully lose them. Because even though the security guard is on the phone talking to what I’m assuming is the police, these men aren’t going to stop pestering me until the authorities arrive. I can’t stay here a moment longer.
Just as I’m about to hatch a plan to get out of here, the screeching of tires echoes through the garage. Up ahead, the black jeep has stopped suddenly, its brake lights illuminating in the dim garage. Then it reverses toward us and stops in front of me.
The passenger side door flings open. “Get in,” Lucas demands.
For a moment, I’m stunned to see him, and I don’t move.
“Are you going to just stand there, or do you want to get away from those fuckers?”
That breaks me from my frozen state. Once again, Lucas is coming to my rescue. I’d rather it be someone else, but I don’t have the luxury of being picky.
Opening the passenger side door, I hop into the car. Realizing what’s happening, the security guard opens the back passenger door and tosses my suitcase onto the backseat. I slam the door in the paparazzi’s faces, and the wheels of the jeep squeal as Lucas floors it out of the garage and onto the busy street. Without saying a word, he zigzags and cuts through the morning traffic.
“Are they following us?” I twist in my seat to look behind us.
“By the time they get to their cars, there will be no chance of them catching up.”
I turn back around and slump into the seat with a relieved breath. “They’re vultures. Don’t they have anything better to do than harassing people and making their lives miserable?”
“You’re the hot topic of the day. It’s how they make their money.”
I lean my elbow on the door and drop my head on my hand. “I wish I wasn’t. Thank you for helping me again. I know how you feel about me. I’m surprised you didn’t leave me behind.”
“The thought crossed my mind,” he says dryly. “I’m not gonna lie, I’m not sure why I did it.” His face is expressionless as he drives. The clenching of his fingers around the steering wheel is the only indication that he’s not happy with his decision. I’m not happy being stuck in a car with him either.
“Well, I’m grateful you got me out of there.”
While I waited for my driver to show, the paparazzi would have bombarded me. I’d hate to see what they’ve posted about me. That’s why I’ve avoided opening social media on my phone. After what happened last night in my disheveled state while sitting on the floor in a bathrobe, I’m sure the photos will be anything but flattering.
But I don’t have the energy to worry about that now. Better to avoid it and deal with it later. I need to focus on what’s important. Right now it’s getting to the airport to meet Claudia. All I want to do is disappear and forget what a disaster my life has become.
“Where am I taking you?” Lucas asks.
“Do you mind dropping me off at JFK, please?”
He pulls his attention off the road to glance at me for a beat. “Are you running away?”
“Yes.” No point denying it. “Hopefully to someplace no one will find me.”
He doesn’t respond to that, and we fall into uncomfortable silence. I’m grateful for the music coming from the speakers that fill the car with noise.
During the ride, my thoughts bounce all over the place. From needing to call my mother—she’ll be so worried I haven’t spoken to her yet—to hoping Claudia is waiting at the airport, ready to whisk me onto the plane. My thoughts are also drifting to whether Darren has moved Karen into my apartment now that I’m gone.
Lucas takes the ramp to the departure terminal. A bunch of people are standing at the entrance of the building. When they spot the car, they lift cameras to their faces and aim them in our direction.
My heart drops to my stomach. The paparazzi found us.
“Those slimy fuckers.” Lucas slams a palm on the steering wheel.
“How did they know I’d be here?” I hold my hand up to conceal my face.
“They’re snakes. They find these things out.” He pulls the car over to the curb and stops. “I hope you can run fast and get to your gate,” he says with no sympathy.
Panic pinches my skin. “You’re not leaving me here, are you?”
“Don’t you have a plane to catch?”
“Well, yes, but—”
“Then you better hurry,” he suggests.
I look out the window at the people surrounding the car and then back at Lucas. “If I go in there, they’ll know where I’m heading. I won’t have any privacy on my vacation.”
He gives a nonchalant shrug. “Not my problem.”
My heart races. My breathing grows choppy. I’ve used up all my lifelines. Lucas isn’t helping me anymore.
Oh God. This is it. I have to walk out there.
Lenses press against the windows. Flashes of light blind me. With a shaky hand, I try to unlatch my seatbelt. I keep missing the button with my fumbling fingers. After multiple attempts, a large, warm hand covers mine. I glance at Lucas’ frowning face.
“Leave it. I’m getting you out of here. Okay?”
I nod, my throat too clogged with unshed tears to speak.
Claudia is probably worried where I am, so I send her a quick text.
Me: Don’t wait for me. I’ve left the airport. The paparazzi found me.
A moment later she replies: Are you okay? I’m heading back to my apartment. I’ll meet you there.
Me: I’m fine, don’t worry. I’ll call with details of where I’m staying as soon as I can. Talk soon x
I send another text to my mother so she doesn’t worry.
Lucas quickly pulls out onto the street. “I should hit these fuckers for getting so close to my car,” he grumbles. As the car veers away, the paparazzi jump out of his way.
He pulls into the traffic. Cars honk at him for cutting them off. I clutch white-knuckle tight to the edge of the seat, praying we don’t get into an accident.
“Where do you want to go?” he asks.
Darren is probably still in my apartment. I can’t go back there. The thought of seeing him makes me sick. I wonder if he’s getting this much attention. He’s the captain of the New York Dragons; surely they’re hounding him too. Hopefully, they’re showing what a dirty, cheating worm he is. I could stay with my mother or Claudia, but if the paparazzi know my every move, I’m sure it won’t take them long to find me there too.
I sigh. “There’s no place I can go where they won’t find me,” I say with defeat. I want to curl into a ball and fall into a dark hole. Maybe then I’ll get some peace.
Lucas gets back onto the freeway. He’s going faster than the speed limit, frequently changing lanes and glancing in the rearview mirror. After a couple of minutes, he slows down. He must know no one is following us.
“Where were you headed?” he asks.
“Bora Bora.”
“Nice.”
“I was going on my honeymoon with my best friend.”
He scoffs. “That’s so pathetic.”
I swing my head toward him to glare at him. “No, it’s not.”
“No? This is how it would have gone. You’d arrive at a fancy hotel room overlooking the crystal blue water. Rose petals are spread over your bed. A bubble bath is waiting with more rose petals floating on top of the water with a bottle of Dom Perignon chilling in an ice bucket next to it. A beautiful welcome basket filled with chocolates and strawberries addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Ellis is displayed on a table for you to enjoy. All that romantic stuff will smack you in the face, reminding you of getting cheated on, and you’ll spend the entire vacation crying into your pillow while your best friend hand-feeds you the complimentary chocolate.” He shakes his head. “Like I said, pathetic.”
I cross my arms over my chest. “Oh? What would you have done?”
“Never gotten engaged,” he says like it’s a no-brainer.
If I knew what a lying, cheating, scumbag Darren was, I never would have said yes to his proposal.
“Instead of taking your best friend, you should have traveled alone, found your rebound guy at a bar, and taken him back to your room to fuck the asshole fiancé out of your system. And to top it off, I’d make sure he found out about it.”
I cough out a shocked laugh. “You’re not serious.”
“Totally.”
“Well, I don’t work that way.”
He glances at me with a cocked eyebrow. “Really? Because I thought getting revenge was your thing.”
A guilty shiver trickles down my spine. Of course he’d think that; I’ve given him every reason to. But I’ll never forget the humiliation he put me through that caused me to strike out the way I did.
I don’t want to poke at old wounds, so I don’t reply to his comment. Instead, as I notice we’ve left the city, I ask, “Where are we going?”
“Someplace no one will find you. Isn’t that what you want?” he says with an ominous tone.
“Are you taking me someplace where no one will find my body?” I joke to lighten the mood.
“There’s too much evidence showing I’m the last person you’ve been seen with. I’d be the number one suspect. Don’t worry. You’re safe.”
“If you’re not burying me in a shallow grave, where are you taking me?”
“I have a cabin in the woods a few hours away from the city.”
“A cabin in the woods! Are you sure you’re not going to kill me?”
“The thought crossed my mind,” he grumbles under his breath, but not low enough for me not to hear. Letting go of the steering wheel for a second, he says, “Do these hands look like the hands of a killer?”
They are large and strong and look like they could easily wrap around my throat. “I don’t want you going out of your way. If you could just drop me off at the nearest hotel, that would be great.” And I’ll hope no one finds me there.
“I’m on my way there anyway.”
“You’re going to the cabin too?”
He frowns. “Would I drive for hours just to take you there?”
“Are you staying the night?”
His frown deepens. “I’m planning to stay a few days.”
I nibble my bottom lip. “I can’t stay there with you.” How can I spend days alone with Lucas when we hate each other? This car ride is uncomfortable enough. We’d probably kill one another.
“Didn’t you want to go someplace where no one will find you?”
“I do.” More than anything.
“If that’s what you really want, the cabin it is. If not, I’ll drop you off on the side of the road and you can find your own way to a hotel. I’ve wasted enough time already.”
Well, what kind of reaction did I expect? I have dragged him into my problems.
The cabin is far from lying on a white, sandy beach with a mojito in my hand. Although, it is a place where no one can find me and I can take the time to nurse my wounds. Sort my feelings out and heal my broken heart. Except, at the moment, I feel more furious than heartbroken. Darren embarrassed me in front of millions of people. How could he do that? So, if sharing a cabin with Lucas is what I need to do to sort out the emotions swirling through me, then so be it.
“I’ll stay at the cabin.” The Alessis are rich. It’s probably more a mansion than a cabin. If I stay in my own room and keep to myself, we won’t have to be in each other’s space much. Right?