Chapter 28

David
A week later, David woke to his phone ringing. He had two movies premiering the next day, so he wasn’t surprised to see it was his publicist, Frank Ingram, calling.

“This is a total clusterfuck.”

“Well, good morning to you, too,” David said.

“Can you call your fixer and have him take care of Isabel Alexandra and Lexi? They’re about to fuck up your premieres,” Frank shared.

“Slow down and explain why any of this is my concern. I would think Ben would be the center of all this.”

“TMZ called me bright and early this morning to tell me they no longer agree to hold off on the Isabel and Ben breakup. That’s because it’s been leaked that Lexi made claims against Ben that have his production in Paris on hold while they investigate. There are rumblings that he blackmailed her and forced her to be his PA and have sex with him.”

“I call bullshit ... and I might have proof,” David said.

“If you do, I need it like yesterday,” Frank said.

“When Isabel gave me the photos, I had Fritz hire an investigator to confirm it. Not that I didn’t believe her, but you know how images can be doctored. Fritz told me that Ben and Lexi are, in fact, having a sexual relationship. I decided I didn’t want to see the video proof.

“But that doesn’t mean you can’t. I bet if you watched the video, you’d see that Lexi wasn’t being coerced. I think she panicked when you and Kent opened your big mouths and leaked about how I don’t want her to work for me again. That, by the way, caused her to try to call me like a hundred times. She must have concocted the harebrained blackmail story to explain it away. Now she’s backed into a corner and is doubling down,” David mused aloud.

“This will ruin Ben’s career. And yours, if you’re seen as supporting him in any way,” Frank said. “You know how the hashtag-Me-Too thing works. The accuser is always right. If it’s found out later that the man was innocent, it’s too late. This shit is radioactive, and anyone near him will get splattered.”

“This is why I pay you,” David said.

“Yeah, yeah,” Frank said. “Okay, first, you have to disinvite him from your vodcast. Second, I’m going to pull you out of any interviews where the two of you would be involved.”

David had talked the cast from both movies into joining him for his class project. Professor Blum had moved the taping to the largest auditorium they could film in so an audience could attend. It sounded like the whole department and every film student was trying to get tickets. David had been told they even planned to hire professionals to work behind the scenes for this episode.

“Before we do that, call Paul Andon. He might want to have a talk with his daughter and have her make nice. Lexi’s a smart girl, and her dad should be able to get her to see reason,” David suggested. “Believe me, I know how bad this is, but let’s not cast the first stone on rumor alone.”

“I should tell him about the videos you have. As a father, it will kill him, but he needs to know the truth,” Frank reasoned.

“Be careful who you share those with. I don’t want Lexi or Ben suing me for them getting out on the internet,” David warned.

“If Paul wants to see them, I’ll show them to him on my laptop. I won’t let them leave my possession,” Frank promised.

’If he does, I’ll send Paddy O’Malley to see Frank,’ David thought, even though he’d promised to never hire his fixer again. The man was more than a little scary.

For now, he would wait it out and see whether the Ben and Lexi story broke. Frank hung up on him. David called his security chief and told him to personally deliver to Frank the proof the investigator had gathered on Lexi.

He lay back down, intent on getting another hour of sleep.

“Why are you getting calls so early?” Crystal asked, a bit grumpy.

Matt had promised to be out of the apartment by today, which would make David’s life so much easier. He was all but positive that Crystal was intent on getting him to make a move on her. She, in fact, had made good on her word regarding sleeping nude.

To put it into perspective, she had quickly made his list of the top four sexiest women he knew. The list included Rita James, aka America’s Sweetheart. Even though she was the mother of two adult children and pushing 40, she was one of those women who looked twenty years younger and had an ass you could bounce a quarter off.

The retired—at the ripe old age of 28—supermodel Adrienne also was on his list. He’d met her at a modeling event where they’d been introduced after David signed his first contract with Ford Models. She’d been on the way out, as she wasn’t happy with their representation. Eventually, she opened her own agency. Adrienne had liked him and had become a friend and mentor.

The final member of the list was also a supermodel: Kate Upton. David had actually convinced her to go to his high school prom with him junior year.

Crystal edged out Kara Tasman—another model—and Jill Lacier, his younger brother’s ex. David still couldn’t believe that Phil had let her get away.

If Crystal hadn’t looked so damned good in San Francisco, David would have never agreed to let her live with him until Matt moved. At the time, he’d done it because he really was done with dating, and having a faux girlfriend to take to events made sense. Crystal would look spectacular on his arm at the next day’s premieres.

Reality had set in when she’d sauntered into one of his afternoon football practices and kissed him in front of the team. His part of their deal was to be her beard, so to speak, to keep guys from hitting on her once they knew Matt was out of the picture. While he didn’t like Matt in the least, David nonetheless felt like a complete douche.

The team had stood in stunned silence as she kissed him. An entire soap opera had exploded into existence moments later as the rumors began to fly. David would neither confirm nor deny anything but one fact: he had not made a move on Crystal before she and Matt broke up. David knew Matt wouldn’t take it well, and he didn’t need to make it worse by letting him think David had actively had a hand in ending their relationship.

Everyone assumed they were doing the deed because one of Cassidy’s rowing teammates had spotted Crystal leaving his bedroom one morning. Before Crystal even made it down the stairs, that little factoid was all over the USC campus.

David was rather proud of himself for resisting temptation while having a very naked Crystal in his bed each of the past seven nights. That didn’t mean that the sexual beast hadn’t encouraged Mr. Happy to try to wrench control of the body from the big brain on several occasions.

“Ben Cowley has gotten himself into some hot water with his PA,” David explained.

Crystal didn’t seem interested.

“Since I’m up, I might as well go take a shower,” Crystal announced and began to crawl over David.

He found her tits rubbing across his chest. Mr. Happy tended to be half-hard around her at all times and was suddenly trying to drill a hole in her navel.

“What the fuck?” he exclaimed.

“It’s closer to get out on your side of the bed,” Crystal said as she looked David in the eyes. “If you wanted to save some water...”

She screamed in surprise when David grabbed her and rolled them over so he had her pinned to the mattress. He quickly grabbed a condom, and Mr. Happy played bloodhound and found her wet opening. Crystal soon found herself stuffed with his cock.

Going a week without, after what at times had seemed like constant sex with Colleen, had finally caught up with him.

He came to his senses and looked down at a smiling Crystal.

“Finally,” was her answer to his unasked question.

David had left her sound asleep after they’d had their fun. She might have been the best he’d ever had. Then again, it could have been the week-long buildup that clouded his judgment.

When he came downstairs, he found Cassidy, Ruth, Dare, and Corvus eating breakfast.

“Would you be willing to allow us to set up our VR cameras in your bedroom? We might have another market...” Dare began seriously.

“No!” Cassidy growled before David ended his nerd friend’s life.

David knew exactly what Dare was thinking. The socially inept twerp was confused because he wasn’t sure what he’d said to get Cassidy riled up. But the boy kept his mouth shut because he was, in fact, afraid of Cassidy. Dare knew David wouldn’t hit him, but he’d seen her take down her share of boys. Dare didn’t want to end up on the kitchen floor, squealing like a little girl.

“I’m not going to let you film porn with me in the lead role. Now, if you or Corvus want to star, have at it,” David said.

“We could go get tacos,” Corvus suggested.

“I don’t know. Uh... ‘buying tacos’ is starting to be expensive. Cassidy said it might be cheaper to just marry her,” Dare said.

David held it in as long as he could. He finally busted out laughing as he gave Cassidy a fist bump. Then he got serious.

“Before either of you goes home, you’re going to get tested for STIs.”

The nerds simultaneously came to the same realization. They got up and had their heads together, whispering as they went upstairs.

“I wish I’d thought of that one. Hopefully, they’ll be willing to get something other than tacos for lunch,” Cassidy said.

And then she turned her eyes on David. He held up his hands.

“She’s moving out either today or tomorrow. I’ll lend her my car so she can do it as soon as possible,” David promised.

“Good, because Ruth had to stop Dare from breaking into your room this morning. He thought Crystal was hurt.”

Even Ruth laughed.

David had given his security woman permission to fill Cassidy in on the Crystal situation. He’d caught wind of a pool on when the two of them would break and finally sleep together.

“Who won the bet?” David asked.

Cassidy pulled out her phone to check.

“Chloe.”

David took a moment to think which one she was. Then it came to him: she was Veronica’s sister. The girl with iron-straight curtains of perfect dark hair that reminded him of the sky on a moonless night.

David’s calendar reminder pinged. He had to leave for his vodcast.

“Duke! Buddy!” David said happily as the dog rushed to him for some loving.

When Duke hadn’t appeared on his Elite 11 vodcast, there had been an outpouring of disappointment on social media. His parents had agreed to bring his dog to his remaining shows. While Duke got the attention he wanted, David spotted an unexpected guest.

“Uncle John!”

“Your dad was invited to play golf, and your mom is ... uh ... busy. So, I volunteered to bring him.”

David stood up, and the two of them hugged.

“You must be here for my birthday.”

“I am, but I’m under strict orders to not talk to you about it.”

“That’s fine, but I have something I need to talk out. Would you be willing to chat?” David asked.

“Sure.”

David took Duke and Uncle John out of the room and found an empty classroom. David shared with his uncle the drama and potential fallout of the Ben and Lexi mess.

“Tell me what’s really on your mind,” Uncle John requested.

David saw that he’d changed tactics since they’d last talked. Instead of digging for feelings, it was the radical-acceptance technique school counselors were so fond of—which his uncle had been. Accept reality. Your feelings are to be felt. Et cetera, et cetera...

“I plan to talk to Ben before the show and hear what he has to say before I decide if I freeze him out or not,” David said.

“And...”

“I hate you,” David admitted. “There are two sides to the story, so I have to talk to Lexi as well.”

Uncle John nodded knowingly, as though David had finally gotten the correct answer on a test. And he had, in a way.