Fame

Chapter Eighteen

I awoke to sore muscles and an aching down below that reminded me of the full night I'd had just a mere five hours earlier.

I really needed to get up before I was late to my first class, but I couldn't move seeing as there was a burly arm draped over me and was pressed up against me in a spooning position that was probably the most comfortable position I'd ever been in.

I turned slightly to gaze at his face in the morning light, and I was almost breathless at what I saw.

His dark brown hair was shining in the sun and I could see hints of red coming through. He had a little more than a five o'clock shadow, but it suited him more than a completely hairless face.

He looked so peaceful when he was asleep that I didn't want to wake him up, I just wanted to stay in the bed with him forever, but I knew reality would hit us as soon as the memories came flooding back from the night before.

I could still feel his lips all over me, tracing a pattern down my body, and it sent delicious shivers running through me at the thought of another round.

I wanted to relish the moment, but the sharp trill of a cell phone ruined the moment.

Sawyer stirred from his slumber quickly and I pretended like I was still asleep so he wouldn't know that I had in fact been staring at him hardcore like a crazy stalker, but thankfully he didn't notice as he carefully extracted himself from our spooning cuddle and grabbed his phone on the end table.

"Hello?"

He pulled on a pair of jeans on the ground and stepped into the bathroom to take the call.

I could hear bits and pieces, but I could tell most of it was business. I wasn't too interested in it until I heard Sawyer begin to raise his voice.

"I thought you said I didn't have to do those anymore?"

A little bit of silence followed as the person on the other line responded.

"Yeah, well you can tell her that she's doing a terrible job at it! And I need you to have Jason call me back, the equipment in my studio is messing up again and I need some help fixing it or I won't be recording anything. Yeah...I think I'm getting her on board."

I was trying to piece in my head why he was so angry at the beginning of the call when I heard him raise his voice once again.

"Jesus, can't I do anything alone? I'm so tired of the publicist, and the manager and the social media manager and I just—I just need some time to myself. I'm playing the concert this weekend but after that I don't want to do any appearances for at least a month. Yes! How can you not make that happen, you work for me remember?"

I could hear his heavy breathing as he had only cracked the door and I rose up in bed as he obviously wouldn't think that I could sleep through that.

"Today? Seriously? Well, when?"

He slammed his fist down on the counter.

"Fine. But after this weekend, I want one month. One month off the grid, no social media presence, no interviews, nothing. I'm...helping my little sister through something. Family emergency."

"Great. See you soon."

He came strolling back into the bedroom after having brushed his teeth and I looked up at him questioningly.

"Sorry you had to hear that...I have some ahh...business I have to take care of today. Work is never ending and all that."

I felt a pang in my chest as I realized that I could have had his life once upon a time. From the look of stress on his face, I could tell that I was probably better off.

"That's okay...I have classes I need to get to. It sounds like you'll be tied up so I'm going to call a ride service."

His eyes looked guarded, and there was an awkward and strange atmosphere around us. It wasn't like we were two people who'd just had a marathon of sex the previous night, or even best friends who had fallen into disarray.

It was like we were strangers, and that wasn't a dynamic that I was used to.

Did he just want to use me for sex, and then dump me like I was trash the next day like he had done to me when we were kids?

"Okay, that works. I'll let you use the bathroom and all that, and Amy's got some clothes she left here the other night when she stayed in here, I washed them and put them under the sink."

"Thanks..."

I hopped off the bed and groaned as I clutched my abdomen as the soreness really hit me.

"You okay?" he asked, concern shining through his bright blue eyes at me.

"Yeah I'm fine, just sore..."

His eyes darkened in remembrance of our night before and I became flush as all my blood rushed to my face.

He cleared his throat and I walked to the bathroom in his t-shirt and no underwear and I was thankful he had a long torso otherwise he'd be getting an eye full of my behind, not like he hadn't already seen it enough the night before but still...

The cold light of day brought embarrassment back to the forefront, as well as other feelings that I thought had been washed away from our night but I was starting to realize that sex wasn't the cure all when you hated someone, it only complicated things more.

I jumped in the shower and rinsed the night off of me as flashes of what we'd done in that very shower the night before made me begin to feel those rushes of lust all over again.

Sawyer was on the phone again, but this time he was outside on the back patio that was accessible by the French doors close to the bathroom in his room.

There was a skylight open in the bathroom above the spa like walk in shower so I could hear everything he said clear as day, even though the water was splattering off the tile and caused a roaring sound that reverberated through the room making him think I couldn't hear anything at all.

"I told you I was getting her on board, now will you chill out? Yes, yes I realize that."

He was still angry and it sounded like the person on the other end of the line wasn't giving in.

"She just needs a little more time to come around, that's all. I've already been working on it. And you're sure they don't like what I've already sent them? They only want one of her songs?"

I heard something shatter on the ground and I gasped in surprise. I tried not to jump to conclusions about what his conversation was about, but I had a creeping sensation he was talking about me...and my songs.

"Goddammit, Max! I'm trying everything I can think of here, okay? It's not like I can just go and steal her intellectual property! No, no it's not even that simple anyway. I don't think money would help the situation either. Look, I know her, have all my life. Just let me try this my way, okay? Thank you. I've gotta go, she's still here. Okay, I'll let you know when I've got them. Thanks. Bye."

It was as if the water had turned into shards of ice.

He had used me. He only wanted me for my songs. Everything was suddenly becoming oh so clear.

The only reason he was apologizing and acting sorry was because he wanted my songs from me.

Hot tears trailed down my face as I felt so ashamed and stupid for giving myself to him last night and honestly thinking that he wanted me.

How stupid was I?

Sawyer was still the same self-centered prick who had ditched me in ninth grade and I didn't deserve to be treated like dirt under his feet anymore.

He wouldn't have my songs if it was the last thing I ever did. I made it a point to destroy them once and for all.

I was never touching my piano again, and I vowed to never let Sawyer Reeves ever hurt me again.