“Sean, my dear, this is a low-level reporter named Kate Asher from SIO,” Madge said, folding her arms over her chest and glaring at me. “She’s one of those awful people who is banned from Kings Stadium.”
“What? Bullshit.” Sean let go of my hand and rolled his head on the pillow to look at me. “Tell her who you are, Katie.”
I licked my lips and took a deep breath and prepared to lie, but it was no use. The ruse was up. Lying further would have only dug my grave deeper a foot deeper.
“I’m sorry,” I said, my voice quivering. “I didn’t mean for things to get out of hand. I was just trying to get an interview.”
“Get out,” Madge said. She nodded at Leon like she was sicking a dog on me. “Get her out of here before I call the police. And tell security she is not allowed back into this room.”
“Please, let me explain,” I said. Tears were streaming down my cheeks as Leon came around the bed and gently took my arm.
“Come on,” he said softly. “You don’t want to go to jail.”
I looked back at Sean, who was glaring at me with tears in his eyes.
“I let you in,” he said quietly. “I let you in and you lied to me. It was all a lie. You just wanted a fucking story, like all the others.”
“It wasn’t a lie,” I said desperately. “Sean, please, let me explain.”
“Out!” Madge shouted, coming at me with her finger pointed toward the door. “Now!”
“Come on,” Leon said again. I let him lead me to the elevator. I dug tissues out of my purse as he pressed the down button and stood waiting with me.
“I didn’t mean for this to happen,” I said, wiping my eyes.
“I know,” Leon sighed. “But it did happen. Now you just need to leave him alone and let him recover. He doesn’t need a lot of drama right now.”
The elevator doors parted and he put a big hand on the door to keep them open. I said, “Please tell him I’m sorry.”
He gave me a slow nod. He looked back down the hallway toward Sean’s room. Madge was standing in the doorway, glaring g at us.
He said, “He thinks you are gonna write a story about the real Sean Donovan. Is that true?”
I wiped the snot from under my nose and gave him a slow nod. I said, “Yes, that’s what this was all about. I wanted the world to see all sides of Sean Donovan, not just the bad boy party side.”
“Write your story,” he said. “Then leave him alone. He’s got enough shit to deal with now. He doesn’t need to deal with you.”
He took his hand away and the doors closed.
It was the last time I ever expected to see him or Sean again.
Sean
“Can I get you anything before I leave, Mr. Donovan?”
I looked up from the spot on the couch where I’d been spending most of my days and nights since getting released from the hospital and shook my head at the housekeeper.
“No, Maria, thanks,” I said with a smile. “Have a good night.”
“She’s hot, man,” Leon said after the front door closed. He sat next to me on the couch, rubbing his hands together. “I could tap that fine Latino ass.”
“She’s old enough to be your mother,” I said, picking up the TV remote and switching the channel to ESPN. “Let me guess, Monique has cut you off again.”
He grunted and rubbed his eyes. “That damn woman uses her pussy like a… fuck, I don’t know what. But every time she gets pissed at me about something, she cuts me off.”
“What’s she pissed about now?”
“She’s pissed because I told her not to spend a fucking arm and a leg on the fucking flowers for her fucking wedding.”