Mark forced her to turn and wrapped his arms around her as she wept for a few minutes. Why things couldn't stay progressively positive was a mystery. Did the wealthy of the world always have someone on their trail trying to dismantle their success, their fame? It would seem so.
"Let me get Alex." Mark brushed the back of her head and released her.
Jamie walked over to the bookshelf by her window and grabbed a few Kleenex. "I need to get out of here for a while." There were more interviews, but she was bailing out. No way. She was done with the press. They were all monsters.
"We'll go to an early lunch. There's a park a few miles from here that I found the other day. We'll grab sandwiches and go hang out. It's a beautiful day." Mark tapped on the door between Jamie and Alex's office, getting nothing in return. He opened it and stuck his head in. "He's not in there."
"It's okay. I don't want to bother him with this right now. He's got enough to deal with." She blotted her eyes and picked up the trashcan. "I'm going to clean this up. I'll meet you out front."
"Okay. You want me to do it?" He tried to catch her attention as he stopped by the window.
"No, but that you would be willing to means a lot." She turned and walked out of the office, ready for the day to be over. It was turning into one of those days that belonged next to the worst she'd had. Funny how many more of those days she'd experienced after meeting Alex.
Luckily enough, the best days of her life were due to meeting him too.
*
"He doesn't have a sex tape. I would never let someone tape me." Jamie glanced over at Mark before taking a small bite of her sandwich. "He's making that up to get more attention."
"Do you think your sister knows about Stephen's interview and allegations?" Mark lifted his bag of chips in the air and tilted his head back to empty the contents into his mouth.
"I don't know, honestly. She's always been a thorn in my side, but over Christmas she was different. Remember how sweet she was?" Jamie set her sandwich down and picked up her Diet Coke, taking a quick sip and closing her eyes to enjoy the warmth of the sun on her skin. "Must have been because she and Stephen were fighting so much."
"Or because it was the holidays. Everyone is nicer around that time, or at least most people are." Mark got up, and Jamie opened her eyes to watch him stretch. He was good-looking and had a nice body. He was no Alex, but he didn't realize how many women did a double take when he walked by.
"I need to call Christine and see if she's aware of this shit." Jamie pulled out her phone. "Or maybe not. I mean, really, what good would it do?"
"Hey. No more tears." He reached down and pulled her up by her arms, cradling her in a warm hug. She sank into his hold, enjoying the feeling that she wasn't only gaining a lover in Alex, but a big brother in Mark.
The soft clicking of a camera caught her attention, and she jerked around to find three different reporters in the park with them.
"Really?" She called out to them. "Get a life and stop trying to ruin other people's."
"Don't pay them any attention." Mark sat back down and picked up her unopened bag of chips. "You gonna eat these?"
His calm, laid-back persona forced her to relax, and she was once against grateful for him.
"No, but you know chips make you feel bloated." She smirked, trying to force herself back into a good mood. Why the press would want pictures of her and Mark was silly. That would only solidify the rightness of her relationship with Alex. That she was in good with his family was a positive thing, right?
"So what do we do about Stephen? I think we need to at least figure out if he does have a tape. That's important, and Alex needs to know what's up too." Mark opened her chips and ate them in large handfuls.
"Yeah. I'll talk to him when we get back today." She leaned back and breathed in deeply. "I'll call my sister when we get back to the office too, or just go visit her. I'm not surprised by Stephen doing something like his. He's an asshole all the way, but he and my sister are struggling financially. They're living with my parents right now."
"That's no excuse for what he's done. You know
that, right?" Mark glanced over at her, giving her a stern look.
"Oh, I know. I'm just trying to figure out why the asshole would want to destroy whatever good I have in my life." She picked up her sandwich and took another bite before offering it to Mark.
He took it and finished it before wiping his mouth and shaking his head. "He's jealous. If you were with him before, then obviously he's jealous. It's almost funny that he called you sex-starved. You don't seem like that kind of girl at all."
"I'm not." She picked up her purse and stood, not wanting to look him in the face. The article was filled with malicious lies, but the bits about her being horny and slutty were a little too close to home to dissect. There was nothing she enjoyed more than a good fuck, but it was a private matter. To have it splashed across the pages of a magazine, even one that people expected to be filled with ridiculousness, was painful. Embarrassing.
"We ready to head back?" Mark stood up and stretched.
"Yeah, now that you've eaten my lunch and yours." She poked at his stomach and smiled. Another camera flashed.
"Get the fuck out of here. What’re you guys doing?" Mark turned toward the reporters and started their way. They took off in various directions, still clicking their cameras behind them as they ran.