FLEE Read online

  A little envelope on my phone alerted me to a voice mail. My heart jumped at the little spark of hope it was him.

  “Hey, Aurora. It’s me. I just thought I would test your number. I was very disappointed to wake up without you, but I’m glad we hung out last night. I’m guessing you’re in class. I just got my call sheet and I will be out of pocket for the next couple of days with filming. I didn’t want you to think I was ignoring you. I’ll be thinking of you. Okay. Bye.”

  I hung up and sunk into a one of the chairs on the courtyard. Images of tall, dark, and handsome filled my head.

  “You skanky bitch! How could you not tell me?” I looked up. All five feet one inches of Bree were standing in front of me. Her hands were on her hips, and she looked pissed. Really pissed.

  “What?”

  “I can’t believe you! You didn’t tell me you were dating Gavyn Dhaval! How could you leave that out?” She slammed her purse on the table before dropping into one of the chairs at the table. “Seriously, how could not tell me?”

  “Dude, lower your voice. How did you find out?”

  “Not from you for damn sure.” She leaned forward in her chair. “I saw it on the internet. There’s a picture of you two on one of the blogs I read.”

  “Oh, crap.” I hid my face in my hands. “I don’t want that kind of attention, and I don’t think he does either.”

  She pulled down one of my hands so she could see my face. “Hey, relax. It’s on a blog, not a tabloid.” She smiled. “They called you the mystery woman.”

  I sunk my head on the table and groaned. “No, no, no. Not good. Please kill me now.”

  She laughed. “Oh, stop. It’s freaking awesome you’re dating a movie star. You have a lot of surprises, don’t you?” She patted my arm. “I knew you had a big secret.” She shook her head. “I knew it.”

  “Well, shit. Cat’s out of the bag,” I said.

  “Don’t worry too much. I doubt very many people read that particular blog.”

  But we glanced around us to find the eyes of several of my classmates resting definitively on me. Their whispers filled the air.

  “Or I could be wrong,” Bree added.

  “Great.” I grabbed my backpack. “I’m going to go to the gym.”

  “Stay here with me. I want to hear more about him.”

  “I’m sorry. I can’t deal with this right now. Thanks for the offer though.”

  As soon as I rounded the corner of the administrative building, a cold, hard feeling nestled at the base of my spine. The hair stood on ends all over my body

  It was here. I could feel it.

  I picked up my pace as I passed the tree grove. It was a bright, nearly cloudless day, but there were lots of shadows, way more than the trees would create.

  They were out there.

  Reaction flowed through me and before I could stop it, my feet were off the ground a few inches.

  “Crap!”

  I sank back down to the ground and looked around. Thankfully nobody was around to see my freak show, but I had more pressing problems. A dark figure had emerged from the trees.

  I ran until my backpack ripped and my books went flying all over the place. I stopped to pick them up. I was far away from the tree grove and I didn’t see any shadows. Students gave me funny looks as I cried and shoved my books into my broken backpack.

  When I finally had my books contained, I sat on the nearest bench, far from any tree groves. Young undergrads were milling around a nearby coffee stand with their lattes, no doubt worried about first dates, English 101, and their roommates.

  I pondered the only two possibilities I could think of. The first one, and the most likely, is I was losing my mind.

  Second, and far more dangerous, is what I saw was real.

  My cell phone buzzed in my pocket.

  “Hello?”

  “We need to talk.”

  “Mom, now is not really a good time,” I said.

  “What are you doing carrying on with a movie star? Are you crazy?” She continued as if I hadn’t said a word. “My friend forwarded me some celebrity gossip blog, and behold there you were in a recent paparazzi photograph with Gavyn Dhaval.”

  “Mom, I—”

  “A Hollywood actor? Do you realize how many fans he’s probably had sex with?”

  “It’s really not like that.”

  “Sure. They all seem nice at first, but don’t be naïve. All men are like that.”

  “Mom, really?” I shoved my broken backpack on the ground. “I’m an adult, and we are not having this conversation right now.”

  “Oh, yes we are. He’s famous. If it happens in front of him...”

  “I’m the one who can fly here, okay? I’m painfully aware of the risk. End of discussion.”

  “Ah.” She was quiet on the other end of the line for a while. “I knew this would happen someday. I knew you would fall in love, and this would come up.”

  “Whoa, whoa whoa. There’s no L word being thrown around here.”

  “I know my own child. I should be happy for you, but I’m just too worried.”

  “I’ll be very careful around him, okay?”

  “If you truly fall in love with a man, it’s going to be very difficult to keep any part of yourself from him.”

  I picked up my mangled backpack. “We’re not there yet. I’m definitely not there yet and I’m not getting into this right now with you. I need to go.”

  “Fine, just tell me one thing.”

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “Are you on the pill?”

  “Mom, oh my God! We are not talking about this, okay?”

  “If you are sexually active you should—”

  “Yes, okay? Stop, now. For the love of all that is holy.”

  After I hung up the phone, I cried. When I was done, I walked out to my car and drove home.

  ***

  I stayed home for two days on a claim of sickness. Gavyn didn’t call, but I knew he wouldn’t with his schedule.

  After a couple of afternoons of daytime television, I was bored enough to go back to school. Bree was happy to see me, and I must admit, it was nice to return to some sort of normalcy.

  I sat with her in the courtyard after our second class. She was filling me in on her latest date, and nobody was staring at me.

  That didn’t last long.

  “Hi, ladies.” Gavyn appeared out of nowhere. “Mind if I join you?” He sat down next to me, across from Bree.

  As usual, he wore big sunglasses and a baseball cap, but it was still obvious it was him. He extended a hand to Bree. “You must be Bree. I’m Gavyn.”

  She shook his hand without hesitation. “Very nice to meet you” she said, as if she met movie stars every day.

  Other people were not so calm. Students stared openly. The courtyard filled up as more and more people found a reason to come outside.

  “Hey, babe.” He kissed my hand.

  I saw several female classmates giving me looks ranging from envy to admiration. I did my level best not to look too smug.

  Okay, maybe I didn’t try at all.

  “Hey,” I said.

  “I’m on a quick break. We’re filming at the church on campus today, but do you want to have dinner tonight?” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “Something low key. I guess our little outing got picked up on the tabloid circuit. I’m very sorry.”

  “I’m sorry you were photographed with me. It’s probably not good for your career.”

  Bree chimed in. “Not true. You look super hot in the photos.”

  Gavyn smiled at her. “I agree with Ms. Bree here. You looked amazing.” He returned his attention to me. “Really. I didn’t want you to have to deal with this.”

  “This is small potatoes. So, what time should I come over tonight and what should I bring?”

  “Whenever you get back from school. I’ll order in some food for dinner. The only thing you need to bring is yourself.” He smiled, but it wasn’t his norma
l smile. It looked a little strained.

  “Okay. Consider it done.”

  He stood. “Awesome, I better go.” He glanced around at the growing mass of students. “It’s getting a little crowded here. Nice to meet you, Bree.”

  And then he was gone, his bodyguards surrounding him the second he stepped away from the table.

  I dropped my head against the back of my chair. “Oh, swoon!”

  Bree giggled. “Oh, my God, he is positively dreamy. And so nice and normal.”

  “I know.”

  “Have you guys done it yet?” she asked.

  I lifted my head. “You and your dirty mouth.”

  “You need to use your dirty mouth on him. That man is sexual perfection,” she said.

  I agreed.

  Three hours later, I was freshly showered, clad in jeans and a low-cut fitted shirt that did nothing to hide my bust, and standing outside the penthouse suite.

  “Good. You’re here,” he said, giving me a quick hug as he opened the door. “I just ordered some food. I had a feeling you would get here around this time.”

  I walked into his giant room. It appeared he had done some tidying up since the last time I was here. He walked up behind me and wrapped his arms around me. “How is it you make jeans look sexy?”

  “I’m glad you think so because I’m definitely a t-shirt and jeans girl.

  “One more thing to love about you,” he said. My heart jumped at the word.

  A white-capped service attendant delivered the champagne, prime rib and steamed vegetables, set them on the small two-top near the window, and left quickly.

  “Have you ever had a serious relationship?” he asked after our champagne toast.

  I gulped it down. “Abrupt topic change much?”

  “Well?”

  “Not really.”

  “Really? You’re twenty-three and you’ve never been in a serious relationship?”

  “No.”

  “May I ask, why not?” he asked with his super sexy smile.

  “Just haven’t met the right person, I suppose.” I shrugged, hoping he couldn’t read the lie in my eyes.

  “Hmm. Aren’t you going to ask me the same question?”

  “No. It doesn’t have any relevance to today and now.”

  I pushed my plate away, walked over to him and stood in front of him. He scooted his chair away from the table, confused. He started to rise, but I put my hand down on his chest, gently pushing him back in the chair.

  I straddled him. He looked surprised, but smiled as I leaned forward and kissed him.

  His hands slid down my back and parked in my back pockets. I ran my fingers through his thick and unruly hair. When I did, he turned his face up to me. His mouth tasted sweet and warm. His hands left my pockets as he brought them to my face, then through my hair, finally moving them so he was cradling my neck.

  I took a deep breath and pulled away. He leaned back in his chair and exhaled as his hands fell to his sides. “Something wrong? Sorry if I—”

  “I’m the one who jumped on your lap, remember?”

  “You must really like beef,” he said, gesturing at our plates. “If I had any idea you would react this way, I would have taken you to steakhouse the first time we met.”

  He pulled me back into his arms, dissolving all my concerns when his warm lips touched mine. The buzzing filled my body, and I was in trouble. For a brief moment, only his arms were keeping me on the chair.

  His eyes flew open. “Are you okay? Did I do something wrong?”

  He hadn’t seen anything and I was now firmly planted on the chair. I tried to give him a reassuring smile. “I just couldn’t catch my breath there. I’m sorry. You can do that whenever you like.”

  “For a split second, you felt weightless in my arms.” He rubbed his temples with his eyes closed. “I’m so sleep deprived it’s not even funny.”

  Shit. Super, stinky, double triple shit. “Um, bathroom.” I stood.

  “What?” He dropped his hands from his face. “You okay?”

  “Yep, just need to go. Excuse me.” I fled the room.

  I put my hand on either side of the sink and faced myself in the mirror. It was time for a reality check.

  He was going to find out. It was only a matter of time before I lost it in front of him. I should make an excuse, walk out the door, and never see him again.

  Even as I thought it, I knew I wouldn’t do it. There was something with him I could not walk away from.

  Bad decision, I knew. But it was done.

  I returned to him. He looked at me with tense eyes.

  “Where were we?” I asked.

  “You okay?”

  “Yes. Are you?”

  He took my hand and led me to his bed, sitting on edge. “I’m sorry. I’m so exhausted. I can’t even function any more.”

  I sat next to him. “I’ll get out of your hair so you can sleep.”

  “Stay,” he whispered. “No funny business. I promise. I never thought I would say this, but I would rather sleep than do anything else.”

  I did, wearing his boxers and t-shirt, snuggled against his chest.

  Chapter 6

  “Clean up in aisle three, cleanup in aisle three.” The annoying old-school twang was clear in the announcer’s voice. I was standing in front of the canned goods, thinking about dirty things I wanted to do to Gavyn instead of looking for the low-sodium canned green beans on my list.

  I’d spent the night in bed with him and had the cute note he’d left on my pillow in the morning snug in my left pocket to prove it. He’d fallen asleep right away, but that didn’t stop me from thinking about it and him all night.

  I glanced to my right. A very wiry man with hair so blonde hair it was almost white stood near the end of the aisle. I wondered, for an instant, if he could tell what I was thinking. Of course not.

  I grabbed the green beans and shoved them into my cart. I normally enjoyed grocery shopping, but it was much more difficult with Troy’s restrictions and my restricted budget. Too bad I was the only one who saw the results of my hard work. Soon, though, maybe not. More dirty thoughts paraded through my mind.

  I finished my grocery shopping and dropped them off at my apartment. I’d hurried to my door without a glance at the trees. I felt the darkness, but I ignored it and kept walking with my head held high. It was my new tactic: ignore bad things and maybe they will go away.

  My next stop was the bookstore. It was high time I brought some reading material that didn’t involve torts, the Uniform Commercial Code, or obscure English common law.

  I parked in the parking lot of the largest bookstore in town. It was tucked into the side of an uppity open air shopping mall. It was a glossy, national chain store with huge floor to ceiling windows expanding to the second floor.

  I perused the fiction section. I loved everything about books from the way they smelled to the little worlds contained between their pages. Passing through the sci-fi section, white-blond hair caught my eye.

  It was distinct, that platinum hair color. I’d seen it before, today actually at the grocery store.

  He shifted as he re-shelved his book. It gave me a chance to glimpse his features in profile. It was him.

  I was being followed outright now. No trees needed.

  I put the book I was holding down with a shaky hand. In a city of over a million, what where the chances?

  The familiar buzzing sensation went through my body as I went on high alert. I slowly walked out from the tall row of books. I ducked behind a display shelf of new releases lining the second floor until I was near the escalator. I stepped onto it and waited to go down, not wanting to even make the noise of walking down the metal surface.

  As I descended to the first floor, I watched him. He glanced in the direction of where I’d been standing, and then scanned the second floor with a little anxiety in his face. When he saw me descending, relief washed over his features.

  That was the look he left me with.


  As soon as I got to the first floor, I dumped my selections on a nearby shelf, and took off like a rocket out the front door. I almost ran into a woman with bright curly red hair. “Pardon me,” I croaked as I shouldered past her and into the sunlight.

  Once I was back in my car, I hit the major loop around the city and went north, instead of south, which was the way home.

  I tried to make note of the tiny cars in my rearview mirror like I saw in detective movies, but in the clustered later afternoon traffic it just wasn’t practical and I didn’t think my junkmobile would survive another fender bender.

  I got home just as the sun was descending behind the hills in the north. The presence in the trees was quiet, but definitely there.

  I bolted my door, and put the chair back up against it. I checked my cell phone to make sure it had a full signal and dug out pepper spray out of the recesses of my purse and set it on the table.

  I sat on the couch and stared at the black television screen. I couldn’t tell my mom because she would freak out, and I didn’t want to go home and have whatever was going on follow me to her house. That left me with no one to tell. I was trapped, alone in my head.

  At some point, I would have to take action instead of pretending weird things were not happening to me, but not today.

  I poured a large glass of wine and pulled out my school reading assignment for the following Monday. Thank God it was Friday. Maybe if I got drunk enough tonight, I could sleep away at least part of the weekend.

  ***

  The ringing of my cell phone woke me up the next morning. I answered without looking at the caller I.D.

  “Yeah?”

  “Will you let me in please?” Gavyn’s voice came over the line.

  I was shocked out of my sleepy state. “Oh! Yeah, just a sec.”

  I hung up the phone and darted out of bed toward the bathroom. A quick glance in the mirror confirmed I looked like absolute crap. I brushed my hair, used mouthwash, and splashed my face with water. Thank God my nightgown was short and cute. I glanced in the mirror again. There was marginal improvement, but I still looked pretty bad.