Rachel gulped. That was a threat, right? The Vera Chang and Nate Madden public divorce had been years ago, two - or was it one - years ago. Between then and now there had been worse news for the media to strip apart. But the Chang-Madden divorce had really taken the Hills by storm. Nate Madden, billionaire playboy had finally settled down with one woman. No one had expected the fragile, sweet-spoken Vera to be his kind of woman given his dating history and they had been the talk of the town. Everyone said she made Nate Madden look almost human for the first time. So when the divorce news got out every news outlet had latched onto it like vampires on virgins. The rumor that Nate neither confirmed nor denied was that he was a wife-beater. Even though Nate never went out of his way to make any official statements Vera had evidence to prove it. There were images of bite marks, whip marks…everything that would make Ted Bundy proud. Still, Nate’s lawyers fought hard. Eventually, they lost
On the 3rd floor of ABN the crew of Celebrity Lifestyle and Everything In-between were setting up the final moments before going on air. In the gallery Ben was talking to the camera crew and the technical men in charge of the teleprompters, getting them ready for the show. Ben was in a foul mood. Dana was late. He hated Dana. As much as he hated people who thought Taco was a sandwich because it had meat. He preferred Rachel. She was smart, and tough, asked the right questions and she was funny. She was a natural in show biz. But Dana…no Dana was a dumb street rat trying to be crème de la crème. She lacked the charisma that Rachel had. All she had going for her were her crude jokes and her hatred towards anyone she viewed as better than her which was why she hated him. At least Ben thought that was why she hated him. How she had gotten the position as Rachel’s replacement just within 12 hours he didn’t know but what he knew was while Dana was going down on the Allen Brothers- like t
Rachel wanted the ground to open and swallow her up. The red velvet carpet of Sheldon’s looked like a good place to hide from the glares and gloating looks she was getting from the patrons – was that the Joan Rivers lookalike Susan Mists looking at her? Rachel had ordered chicken, salad, and wine. It was all nice and delicious but all she found herself reaching out for was wine and more wine. Nate was generous enough to order two bottles of red for her alone. She could just see the tabloids: Rachel Rivers drowning in a river of red. She didn’t care. Actually, she did which was why she was trying to forget by drowning herself in the bottles of wine. Across her Nate ate slowly, chewing every bite and watching her intently. Between the glare directed at her by the same people she made enmity with on her climb to stardom and the direct look Nate was giving her, she didn’t know which she preferred. But she guessed she should be grateful that Nate’s presence with her put the enemies at
He didn’t let her go as they drove to his home a mere 5 minutes away from the Hermes bridge. To Rachel, it felt like forever. Her body was awash with a new fire she never felt before. Sex with Jacob was routine. She got undressed with the lights turned off, he kissed her, took off his clothes, and climbed over her. He entered her slowly, sometimes fast if he was feeling wild. Her mother had told her that sometimes men were so caught up in their own pleasures that they forgot about a woman’s satisfaction. Patricia Rivers had told her that she was supposed to endure it. Marriage was about endurance. Yet here she was in Nate’s car feeling her mother must have been wrong. He held her firmly against him, his fingers toying with her nipples. He nuzzled her neck and ears but didn’t go any further until his driver pulled into the drive and he led her under the cover of darkness into his house. Rachel could barely see. She vaguely made out the huge silhouette of his house. She could barely w
Rachel tossed lightly under the warmth surrounding her. Whatever it was around her was warm and soft and so comfortable she wanted to burrow deeper into it and what was that delicious smell? She flipped on her belly and the dull tingling sensation between her legs brought back hazy memories from last night. She was suddenly awake, her eyes shot open and she gazed around her at the strange surroundings. Once she threw the huge warm blankets cocooning her aside her eyes stretched even further. She was naked. She had barely comprehended that bit of information when she looked across the room to the figure standing by the window looking out into the void. She couldn’t see what he was looking at but Nate seemed to be staring at something out the windows of his Vancure apartment. Maybe he was watching the city wake up beneath him. Maybe he was replaying the events of yesterday night in his head. Worst of all maybe he was regretting it. Was she regretting it? Rachel wondered about that
But Rachel wasn’t thinking about going back to Gem Hills any time soon. She spent the rest of the day hiding in her old bedroom away from the August visitors who had heard that she was back in Ermernia. Any false move and she would be hiding from people trying to take pictures of her. It was later during the day while she was watching two birds have a conversation about which electric lines to land on that Mabel brought the newspaper one of their old neighbors, Mrs. Smith, the renowned town’s gossip had brought on her visit to see if the rumors were true. True to Nate’s warnings, they made front page. There she was in his arms. Well given her affinity for the front pages lately she wasn’t surprised. Nate looked as good as ever, his fingers were placed dangerously close to her boobs. And she looked like she had wine for dinner, which she did. The article wasn’t flattering though. There were speculations about her confession about teenage boys and if Nate Madden was somehow running an
They stumbled out of the bar. The cold night air blew against Rachel’s naked thighs. She pulled the gown down hoping her underwear wasn’t showing for everyone to see. Leo didn’t seem to mind that. His slender fingers were running up and down her body, testing the waters, gripping her waist, and tickling her skin. There was a sense of urgency about him that excited her still she needed to be cautious. “Hey be careful,” she warned when she tripped on the curb and almost fell. Leo was right behind her holding her up. She could feel his erection on her butt. “Aren’t you a bit too eager to get me out of my dress tonight?” she murmured in a slur. He laughed. Once he righted her up he led her away from the bar area leaving the music and noise. On the sidewalks were blissfully drunk people making out. Rachel stared and giggled at a couple being sloppy over each other. She was so drunk to her eyeballs that she even pointed at them. Leo’s drinks had been so delicious she drank them without st
“Excuse you? Get out of my way.” She tried to push past him but he was a solid wall of lean immoveable muscle. His skin was warm under his shirt. Her mouth felt dry as she remembered the feel of his chest on Wednesday when she stumbled out of Sheldon’s with him and on Thursday night when he held her against his chest. Which begged the question, what was he doing following her to Ermernia? “How did you find me?” she demanded. “Sit down Rachel. Don’t make me beg,” he warned but she wasn’t having any more of his nonsense. Crossing her arms in front of her chest she stared him down – which was kind of hard since he was taller. “No. I don’t care if you beg, how hard you beg I don’t want to be here! You wanted me out remember? You said we couldn’t see each other again so why did you come for me? Why did you trail me all the way to Ermernia you stalker?” “Because I want you. And for all the wrong reasons." Rachel sputtered. That effectively took the spark out of her. “And you want me t