“Landon? What’s wrong?” I ask, unsure if I want the answer he’s about to give me. He turns his head toward me and I can see the pain across his expression.
“Baby, I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry. I never meant for this to happen.” His voice cracks halfway through.
“What are you talking about?” He looks back down at his phone then hands it to me. I take his black iPhone and open the screen to see what he’s been looking at. It’s a rag magazine that always posts the skimpiest photos and articles. The article titled Prince Gets Kinky in Conference Room At Red Carpet Event.
My heart drops. The first thing I notice is the name, Sandra O’Neal. The same bitch from the party last night. I scroll down to get more of the story. She doesn’t normally write for this magazine, at least not according to what Landon said last night. I skip through the reading and get stopped on the images that pull up. Image after image of me, my body covered with Landon pressed up against me from behind. The expressions on my face make me look slutty as he presses me to the table.
My mind goes crazy and I try to figure out where the images could have been taken from, but then I realize it had to have been from the door. That would be the only angle that would have worked to get these shots. I never saw any flashes so they were discreet.
“I’ll fucking bury her.” Landon stands as I scroll through the rest of the images. Tears are falling from my face now. He yanks on a pair of sweats and a shirt and kneels before me. The pad of his thumb brushes the tears, but they’re falling too quickly for him to catch them all. These images are out on the web for everyone to see. Granted, the images of my breasts are blurred but you can clearly see my face and know who it is. Especially since my name is in bold letters in the writing. It even mentions Carson by name and I have no clue how she could have found out about him.
“Baby, please talk to me.” I look at Landon and I can’t form words in this moment. I’m humiliated and I feel sick.
“I need to go.” Standing, I hand the phone back to him and go get dressed in the clothes I brought with me. He’s leaned against his dresser, his eyes watching my every move as I change and pack up my things. My cell phone is the last thing I grab. I have forty-three missed called and sixty-two text messages. I pull up my Uber app before opening any of the messages and request a car to my location.
“Let me drive you home, don’t leave like this.” He steps in front of me as I try to move for the door.
“I just need time, Landon.” He nods and steps out of my way. I reach up and press a kiss to his lips before walking through his door.
Chapter Seventeen
It’s been a week since I’ve seen or talked to Landon. The tabloids are still posting images from that night at the red carpet. I’ve had to pull Carson out of school for the week because he was getting harassed by other kids about the situation. I took a week of vacation, but the school board would like to meet with me when I return tomorrow morning. I’m pretty sure I know what this meeting will consist of.
“Mommy?” Carson’s little voice says above the TV. “When will we see Landon again?”
“I’m not sure, bud. Soon,” I say, not sure what is truly going on with our relationship. Landon calls and texts every day but I can’t bring myself to return them yet. I know I’m being selfish and he didn’t cause this to happen, but the truth is none of these would be happening if I’d just kept my distance and followed my gut.
Carson’s attention returns to the show he’s watching and I’m thankful for the silence I’m greeted with, if only for a few minutes. The doorbell rings twice before I notice what the sound is. I get up from the couch and toss the blanket I had across my legs over the back of the chase lounger.
When I get to the door and open it, I’m shocked to see a uniformed officer.
“Are you Kelsi Fran?” I nod.
“Here you go, ma’am.” I thank him and close the door as he walks away. The large yellow envelope in my hand causes my heart rate to speed up.
“Who was that, momma?” Carson asks. He’s leaned over the back of the couch.
“No one, baby. They were dropping something off, that’s all.” I smile at him.
I glance down at the envelope and run my hand across the top. The return address is an attorney I haven’t heard of. I rip open the top of the envelope and let the papers fall to the dining room table.
Kyle.
That fucking douchebag is taking me to court for custody of Carson. Tears immediately flow and I begin to panic at the thought of having to tell Carson any of this. I pick up my phone and shoot a quick text to my parents and Chrissy. They all reply that they are on their way.
When they arrive, I’m still at the same seat I was when I texted them. I haven’t looked away from the papers. My dad takes Carson to the park down the street so he doesn’t overhear any of this.
Chrissy takes the papers and reads through them quickly. She slams them down with a loud “mother fucker” then my mother does the same. My heart is shattering and for a second all I want to do is call Landon, but I’m too hurt and embarrassed right now give myself what I need.
Chapter Eighteen
Kyle
Motherfucker, that hurt like a bitch. My hand moves to my ribcage, I'm sure something is broken. I roll to my side in the alley I was just tossed in. Dumpsters line one side and trash the other. I’m lucky to be alive, I wasn’t thinking clearly when I attempted to count cards in the poker game tonight. I just needed some quick cash, and I'm usually good at hiding my counting, but tonight didn’t go my way.
I’m twenty-thousand dollars in the hole now and I have no idea where i’m going to get that kind of cash. My life wasn’t always this screwed up, I wasn’t always a worthless son of a bitch. Drugs can change a person. Mix that with alcohol and the need to gamble away everything I own and you end up with someone like me. Worthless. I roll my eyes and attempt to raise myself off the cold ground. There’s no telling what kind of nasty shit is smeared all over me now.
It takes me a minute to stand fully, my ribs are sore and I'm pretty sure my brow is busted open. I haven’t had my ass kicked like that in a while. It’s nearly two in the morning, so the streets are starting to calm down, which means less people are likely to ask me what the hell just happened to me.
As I'm walking past one of the benches just outside of the alley entrance, I notice a magazine tossed on the ground. Normally, these types of things wouldn’t catch my attention, but what does catch my attention is the woman on the cover. Nearly naked, with her head to the sky. And i’d recognize those tits anywhere, it was one of the only things that kept me interested for as long as I was.
Kelsi didn’t strike me as the type to end up on a magazine cover, especially not in this type of detail. When I read through the article, I realize she is with Landon Prince, a player for the Atlanta Hawks. Big money. I roll my eyes, some people just have it and I'm not one of them. Glad I'm not having to deal with that bitch anymore. The day she told me she was pregnant, oh was I jumping with joy. I laugh, that was a damn lie. I was being tied down and I fucking hated it, not to mention having to deal with her parents for the rest of my damn life. Fuck that.