#1 Fan (29 page)
Authors: Andrew Hess
S
: Evan’s personal assistant.
J
: Is she cool?
S
: Yeah.
J
: Is Evan going to be okay with it? He completely flipped the last time we had a girl’s night out.
S:
Doesn’t matter. He had a bachelor party and didn’t tell me until I pried it out of him.
J
: That little weasel. Oh well, it’s our time now. Let’s party.
Sara looked up from her phone with a smirk. “My friend Julie’s in. When do you wanna do this?”
“Give me a day or two to set something up.”
It had been several days since Evan confessed his role in the bachelor party and what took place. It was the right thing to do. He needed to tell Sara to get the lies off his chest. Knowing it would take time to win back Sara’s trust, he decided to keep a low profile during his stay in Seattle. He didn’t dare venture from his room other than to go to one of the book signings.
The nightly calls were going to straight to voicemail, which didn’t allow much hope of forgiveness to enter Evan’s head. Despite the lack of discussion, Evan continued his routine of text messages of wishing Sara good morning, good night, and when he arrived at his hotel room after a signing, letting her know how things went. His phone would sporadically ding, informing Evan of the new message, or the reply to one of his many messages.
On his final night in Seattle, Evan decided to snoop around Sara’s Facebook. It was wrong on so many counts, and would be considered spying on her, but he didn’t care. Evan needed to know what was going on back home, before leaving the next morning for his flight to California.
Scrolling through her timeline, he noticed random status posts, and stupid quizzes she took throughout the week. Then he checked her pictures, finding several from a few nights earlier. The photos showed Sara at a bar taking a selfie with Julie. It wasn’t uncommon for her to spend a night on the town with her. He knew they needed some time to catch up and have fun while he was out of town. Evan scrolled a little more, finding a picture of Sara standing with her arms around Kat and Julie.
Evan remembered sending Kat to New York to get the perfect wedding dress for Sara, but didn’t think she would become friends with his fiancé. Knowing how quickly things got out of hand the last time Sara had a big girl’s night out, Evan wasted no time in contacting Kat to get the full story.
He dialed her number and heard her voice after the second ring. “Evan,” she said with a bit of surprise. “I wasn’t expecting your call so soon.”
“Cut the crap Kat. What the hell happened the other day?” He could hear her inhale as if she were about to deny knowing what he was calling about, but he beat her to the punch. “I saw the pictures on Sara’s Facebook.”
“Oh…”
“You mind telling me what happened?”
“Look, Sara was fuming about the whole bachelor party thing when I picked her up from the apartment. I took her out for a while and got her to agree to a dress. She told me everything, including how Waters deceived you about why you were in Vegas.”
“So you know it’s not my fault.”
“No, it is. You could have stayed in your room that night, or told them no at any given point throughout the night. You could’ve told Sara the next day, or sent her a text that night.”
“I know what I should’ve done, but I was pretty wasted. I didn’t think texting her that night was a good idea. I was still piecing everything together from the night before when she called me the next day.”
“What do you mean; piece everything together?”
“I was trashed, and didn’t remember most of the strip club, or leaving to go to the club at the hotel, or going back to my room.” Evan thought about telling Kat about finding the panties in his jacket pocket too, but didn’t want to incriminate himself any further.
“I don’t like that you left yourself that vulnerable around them. We both know Christopher Waters is a bit of a snake, and I trust Audrey as much as I can throw her.”
“I’m fine. I questioned them both about that night until they told me everything until I made it to my room. Nothing happened.” He took a moment to consider finding the thong in his pocket one more time, but dismissed the notion. “Besides, you need to tell me what happened the other night. Why were you out with Sara and Julie?”
“Well, since you had an unplanned bachelor party, I decided it was only fitting Sara had one of her own. So I put one together for her and had a fun night out with the girls.”
There was an uneasy feeling creeping up on Evan. “Where did you girls end up going?”
“We went into the city for dinner and a show. Then we went to a couple of bars and saw some male strippers before dropping the girls back off at the apartment.”
The information poured into Evan’s head, but the only thing he picked up on was the word male. “Strippers? You took my fiancé to see male strippers?”
“You went to a strip club. I only find it fair that Sara went to one as well.” Anger consumed Evan as his left hand balled into a fist, wanting to strike anyone or anything in his way.
“You crossed the line, Kat.”
“First off, cut that tone. I am not your property and will not be spoken to in that manner. Secondly, you crossed the line before either of us did. I was merely trying to cheer up your fiancé and do some damage control on your behalf. Lastly, nothing happened that night. Sara had fun drinking and dancing, but mostly talked about you all night.”
“She did?”
“Yes, she did. So if you speak to her, you better not make her feel like shit about going to her bachelorette party.”
“Okay, I won’t” Evan said timidly. Thinking back to the last two days, Sara barely responded to his texts and refused to answer his calls. Something still felt off. “Is she still mad at me?”
“I think she’s still a little hurt, but I don’t think she’s mad.”
“Then why hasn’t she called me back?”
“I think one day was due largely in part to a massive hangover from a fun night of partying. Other than that, I suspect she feels a little guilty over not telling you.”
“I gotta go. I need to talk to her.”
********************************************************
Sara
Sulking around her room for the second straight day after working eight hours, was not Sara’s idea of fun. She would rather be out on a date with Evan, or driving around Jersey with Julie. Anything would be better than sitting around doing nothing, but somehow it felt deserved.
She spent two wonderful days hanging out with Evan’s friend/associate, Kat. She took her shopping, accompanied her to the movies, and did anything Sara wanted to do. It was like having a best friend that just wanted to make her happy. On top of Kat spending all of her free time with Sara, she also planned a bachelorette party that was more than she ever dreamed of.
She didn’t know how to pay Kat back for the show, the dinner, or the limo, not like Kat would let her try. Any time Sara pulled out her purse, she was told by Julie and Kat to put her money away.
“This is just the prelude to a night you’ll never forget,” Kat told her. It was a thought Sara was afraid of, and prayed nothing happened.
The bars and clubs were where Sara’s fears went into overdrive. She remembered what happened the last time she let her guard down when there was a lot of alcohol involved. Julie almost went home with a random sleaze ball, and Sara was groped while the sleaze ball’s friend tried sticking his tongue down her throat. With a gorgeous woman like Kat hanging out with them, every straight man in town would be on the hunt.
The first bar was fun for the first half hour. They ordered their drinks, took them down to the dance floor, and found a table where they could sit back and enjoy themselves. The girls discussed the show and how Sara wanted to see it for the longest time, but never did. In fact, there were a lot of things that Sara never did; including going to a strip club.
“What,” Julie exclaimed. “How is it we’ve been best friends all these years and you never went to one with me?”
“I just never thought about going to one.”
“Well, that’s changing tonight.”
Kat picked up her phone and silently scrolled through her contacts list. “I’ll make a call.” She held the phone up to her ear while using a finger to plug the other shut.
“I really don’t think it’s a good idea,” Sara said as two men approached their table. One was a big Italian guy in an open black button down shirt with a black tank top underneath. The other guy was taller than the first. He talked loud and fast which matched the shirt he was wearing.
Sara and Julie looked at each other, shook their heads in unison and said, “Let’s get out of here.” Julie nudged Kat and whispered in her ear. She stood up and walked from the table. The guys must have thought it was their lucky day, because they followed the girls to the doors.
Julie noticed the two guys following, and turned around. “Oh hell no. When I said let’s get out of here, I meant us; not you.” Kat motioned to the bouncers who blocked the two guys from following the girls any longer.
Once the limo picked them up, Kat directed the driver to the male strip club one of her friends owned. They were granted V.I.P access, given a comped bottle of vodka, and had a gorgeous specimen of a man standing guard. One by one, the owner sent men in multi-colored banana hammocks to the table. They gyrated in front of the women, let the women feel their chiseled chests, all while they flaunted their endowment.
Sara enjoyed herself at first, but didn’t seem to like the men touching her or forcing her to touch them. Instead she drank until the room darkened. The last thing she remembered was Julie pushing her out of her seat and directed one of the strippers into the chair as the girls took turns giving a lap dance to their male companion.
Slowly, the memories of the night came back to Sara as she nursed the hangover the next day, but the barrage of phone calls and texts from Evan wasn’t helping her mood. She wanted to tell him everything, but was scared to tell him after the last time she went out with Julie for a night of careless drinking.
After two days, Sara couldn’t take it anymore. The phone was ringing next to her sad and depressed body. Evan’s name was written in blue letters across the screen. It was time to confess her sins to him and hope he was more understanding than she was.
“Hello,” she answered in a somber voice.
“Hey,” he replied. The surprise in his voice indicated how shocked he was that Sara answered. After all, it had been several days since they last spoke on the phone.
“Look, I…”
“No, please let me start.” Sara quieted herself down allowing Evan to talk. “I know about the bachelorette party.” There was a hint of disappointment in his voice that he was unable to hold back. “It’s okay; I get it. We both had a wild night of partying where we got drunk off our asses and danced with strippers.”
Sara didn’t know why, but tears uncontrollably streamed down her cheeks. “Evan, I’m so sorry.”
“Sorry for what?”
“I knew about the bachelorette party, I just didn’t know about the strippers and how much drinking we did.”
“It’s okay,” Evan said soothingly.
“No, it’s not. I gave you shit over your bachelor party. I shouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry.”
“We’re both guilty of the same thing, but it’s okay; nothing happened.” Sara listened to Evan’s words as she leaned over the bed. Her fingers picked up a small white business card.
“Yeah, nothing happened.” Sara turned the card over in her hand and saw the club logo and information. At the top was the name Rod of Steel.
“I miss you,” Evan said softly into the phone. “I can’t wait to see you. You’re still coming right?”
“Yeah, I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
“Perfect. I’m leaving for California in the morning. I guess I’ll see you in a week and a half then.”
“Love you Evan.” Sara’s tears dripped onto the card as she hung up the phone. She closed her eyes as flashes of strip club came swimming back to the forefront of her mind.
A week in California flew by faster than Evan realized. After freeing himself from the guilt of his bachelor party, he decided to take full advantage of his time sightseeing. The first two days in California had been booked with signings at local and corporate bookstores. On his first free day, Evan took a Hollywood studio tour, which allowed him to check out sets of various T.V. shows and movies. Waters surprised him on the second free day by getting passes to Disney. The trio took the limo to the park and were provided access an hour before everyone else were permitted into the park.
Having back to back days of experiencing parks and studios he had never seen before was the most relaxed Evan had been since going on tour. It was exactly what he needed going into the last weekend of the tour, and the last weekend before the wedding.
Kat was on top of all the planning. She met with the vendors and reported back to Evan throughout the day to ensure everything was set according to his wishes. Of course Evan knew everything was being run by Sara as well.
“Are we all set?” Evan asked.
“I am meeting with the florist in an hour to view the final arrangement. I will send you a picture once I see the final product. Your suit will be delivered to the hotel and will be waiting for you when you get up. The venue is completely paid off, and the weather is expected to be a bright sunny day. I also have a room at a different hotel booked for the night of your wedding.”
“Perfect. What would I do without you?”
“You don’t really want to know.” There was a momentary pause before Kat continued. “Sara’s plane lands in an hour. Are you sending someone for her?”
“No, this time I think I’ll surprise her.”
Evan hung up the phone and finished dressing, ensuring his tie was straight and his black suit jacket fit perfectly. He hurried down to the lobby and found his driver standing with his hat tucked under his arm.
“How do I look,” Evan asked.
“I do believe your fiancé will be caught completely off guard.”
“Perfect, then let’s head to the airport.”
It took nearly an hour for the limo to arrive at the airport terminal. Evan called in to find out which gate Sara’s flight was pulling into. He hurried through the doors and found the baggage claim area had luggage and duffle bags spinning around on the conveyer belt. He took his position and waited until Sara arrived.
His gaze flickered and flashed around the escalators as passengers filtered down from their arrival gate. It was hard to contain his excitement, but to pull off his plan, he would need to harness all of his restraint. Evan waited until he caught sight of Sara from the corner of his eye. Her dark brown hair had lightened a bit since the last time he saw her. He wanted nothing more than to abandon his plan and take her in his arms, smothering her with an onslaught of kisses. Instead he held his arms above his head, holding the white sign high enough for Sara to see. He watched her grab her bags and reluctantly march towards the paper with her name in big black letters. Evan dipped his head low so the hat he wore blocked Sara from seeing his face.
“Not again,” she sighed. “I’m going to kick his ass for this.”
“Now, why would you want to a do a thing like that?” Evan raised his head slowly, letting Sara catch a glimpse of his face. “I mean, he comes all this way and dresses like a driver just to surprise you.”
Sara flung her arms around Evan’s neck. “Ugh, I could kill you, but it would take too long to break in another fiancé.” Evan pressed his lips against hers.
“So, you were going to kick my ass, huh?”
“If you sent another driver to pick me up instead of coming here yourself.” Sara moved in front of Evan. “I only want to see you when I visit.”
Evan took Sara’s hand and walked towards the door. “In a few days, you’ll get to see me as much as you want, whenever you want.”
“If only that were true,” Sara mumbled.
“Did you say something,” Evan asked sincerely.
“Nope; just said I can’t wait.”
**************************************************
Sara
Finding Evan at the airport was a nice surprise. She fully expected him to send a driver to pick her up like he did last time. Instead, he dressed as a driver to fool her. Was she a fool, or was she fooling herself? Ever since the bachelorette party, Sara had been uncertain of what she wanted. There was no doubt in her mind she loved Evan. She could easily see herself married to him, but was it really what she wanted.
Sitting back against the seat of the limo, staring at the world as it whipped by the window on the way to the hotel made her reflect more on the party. There were flashes of memories that still didn’t make sense. The last thing she remembered in full was being told someone paid for her to have a private dance with Rod of Steel. She stood up and followed the blond Adonis to the back, passing the velvet curtains to a hallway of rooms.
The fear of what happened next haunted Sara for days, with no one giving her any explanation of what happened. She apologized to Evan for what she had done, but never mentioned the parts she couldn’t remember. Part of her wanted to find out the truth before leaving for California, but knew pushing the wedding back would devastate Evan.
His surprise overwhelmed her. The jacket; the hat; he pulled off the driver look with ease. She had no clue it was him. She didn’t deserve his grand romantic gestures, not when she may have a secret looming over her head.
“What time is your signing today,” she asked. Sara hoped it would take up most of the day. At least then she would have some more time by herself. She could call Julie and see if she found out any more about the bachelorette party, or what happened behind that curtain. But knowing Julie, she would just tell Sara she was getting cold feet.
Evan flicked his wrist, revealing some fancy gold watch. It wasn’t a Rolex, but it looked just as nice and just as expensive. “The signing starts in three hours, but I need to be there in about two, two and a half.” The brief moment of relief came and went like a gust of wind on a warm summer day. “Did you want to come with me?”
Sara wanted to pretend she didn’t hear him, but that would only make him ask her again. Knowing he would be disappointed if she didn’t go, Sara came up with the only excuse she could. “I’m a bit tired from the flight. I was thinking about staying in the room for a while to rest until you got back.”
Sara couldn’t look him in the eyes after she said it. The undeniable disappointment would stare back at her, and that was something she couldn’t bear to see.
God, please let it be cold feet
.
Evan tried to get closer to her, and reached for her hand. None of it tore her away from the window. He leaned in closer, hooking a finger under her chin, trying to bring Sara’s attention back to him.
“What’s wrong baby? You’re not yourself today.”
The lingering doubt screamed “how can you tell? You haven’t been around long enough to know her on a daily basis.” But Sara kept tucking that feeling down as if it didn’t exist.
“Nothing, I’m just tired.” There it was, the go to excuse to get Evan to back off. She just flew across the country to see the man she loved. Of course he would have to believe she was exhausted. But that excuse could only carry on for so long before Sara had to face reality.
Evan’s arm snaked around her neck, drawing Sara closer to him, ripping her attention away from the window. His hand came down and rested on her shoulder. There was something comforting about her laying in his arms. It helped to melt away the worry from her mind long enough for her to enjoy twenty minutes of the limo ride.
When they arrived, the driver opened the door, allowing them to escape the confines of the backseat. The absence of Evan’s arms made Sara wish she had just given into the romance from the beginning instead of letting what happened earlier in the week get to her. She followed Evan into the hotel, past the front desk and waited by the elevator. All she wanted was to be in his arms again. All she wanted was to be his wife. He became her whole world the moment they met at the bar. Destiny seemed to work her magic on them the next day. And in two days she would marry him. But could she go through with it without knowing the truth, without Evan knowing everything that happened during her bachelorette party?
“This our floor,” Evan said as the elevator came to a halt.”
Sara followed him down the hall as he wheeled her luggage to their room. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the key and unlocked the door. “After you.” He held out his hand in a gesture that Sara would normally find endearing. But until she could get her head straight, every romantic gesture Evan did made Sara want to scream.
The door closed behind them as Evan put down the bags. Sara sensed Evan hovering behind her while she took in the room. His hands appeared around her waist as his lips hit the top of her back. She knew he wanted to take advantage of the brief alone time they shared before he had to go, and before the craziness of their wedding weekend began. His tongue scraped the nape of her neck working its way from one side and back to the other. It was taking everything in her not to give into the temptation, but she couldn’t resist. She arched her back into his chest, as Evan’s hands slid up the front of her shirt. She could feel him cup her breasts over the padding of her bra.
Sara closed her eyes, letting images of a dark room with dimmed red lighting enter her mind. She was sitting on someone’s lap, grinding against a man. She leaned back as his hands crept under her shirt, removing it, and throwing it to the floor. Strange fingers worked quickly on her bra, casting it aside as her nipples pebbled. Feeling the man pinch them sent a shock wave of excitement through her body. When Sara twisted to face the man she was visualizing, she realized it was the stripper from the club,
In a panic, Sara pushed herself away, shaking herself from the memory, leaving Evan confused. “Everything okay?” he asked as Sara backed into the wall.
“Yeah, I-I just got a little light headed that’s all. I think I need to lie down for a while.”
“You want me to join you?” Evan wiggled his eyebrows, insinuating his desire to continue.
“No, I think I just need some water and some rest.” She looked at the disappointment in Evan’s eyes. “Maybe we can pick this up later.”
Evan glanced down at the bulge in his pants. “I think I need to hop in the shower before I get ready.” He stripped out of the pants, shirt and tie, hanging them up neatly in the closet before entering the bathroom.
The sound of the water hitting the base of the tub woke Sara from the unbearable realization of what happened. Slowly she inched closer to the bathroom door, listening for any sign of Evan. Her body leaned against the wall, preventing her from collapsing. The truth hit her hard and unexpectedly. Now she had to figure out what to do with it.
Sara climbed under the sheets, pretending to be asleep when Evan exited the shower. She hoped he wouldn’t continue pressuring her to fool around. She could feel his eyes staring at her as he walked around the room, as if trying to catch her poking her head out to see if the coast was clear. She waited until Evan kissed the top of her head, telling her he would be back later to meet with her for dinner. She grunted her response as if she were half conscious. Once she heard the door close, Sara quickly slipped out from the covers and grabbed her cell phone. She needed to get the secret off her chest, needed to tell someone what happened, hoping to remember the rest of the night.
“Julie,” she shouted when her friend answered the phone. “We need to talk now.”
“Relax girl; I’m on my way to the airport right now.”
“No, this can’t wait. We need to talk now. It’s important. It’s about the bachelorette party.”
Julie started laughing immediately which didn’t make Sara too happy. “Shit, that was one hell of a night.”
“Yeah, I’m glad you think so.”
“What do you mean? You seemed like you had a good time.”
“I think I had too good of a time.”
“Don’t tell me you’re getting cold feet.”
“Yes…no…I mean I don’t know.” Sara took a deep breath and decided to start at the beginning. “A lot of that night is still a blur. I remember everything up until you started giving the strippers lap dances.”
Julie laughed again saying, “Yeah, I definitely gave them more than just the tip.”
“Can you stop turning this into a joke? I need you to be serious for once.”
“Okay-okay; I’ll be serious.”