A Humble Heart
Page 41
“Darn it,” she muttered. She got stuck on a page that wouldn’t back track. She hit the home key to refresh the screen and felt her heart speed up with an alert on Yahoo. “Sex tape of Edward Pierce and Dana Mathews leaked on web.”
Her hand shook violently as she clicked on one of the links. It brought her to another site where a video began to play. Two bodies in a moon lit car were going at it. A man with what looked like brown hair was pumping into a woman with her legs wrapped tightly around his waist. “Oh no,” she mumbled.
She had to do something. There had to be a way to stop this. She minimized the screen and ran quietly upstairs to Amy’s room. She would know how to handle this. After all she had a degree in public relations and management. That had to come in handy with a sex scandal.
Dana opened the door and walked in. Elizabeth was sleeping on one twin bed while Amy was on the other, lightly snoring. She gently shook Amy. “Amy, wake up. I have a problem.”
“The babies?” Amy shot up in bed.
“No,” Dana said.
Amy looked her over as she asked, “What's going on?”
“Come downstairs,” Dana whispered.
They made their way downstairs without a word. Dane pushed Amy into the seat and maximized the page and hit play.
“You woke me up to watch two people have sex?” Amy asked, sounding confused.
Dana pointed to the small caption. “Oh my god! This is you? When?” Amy practically shrieked.
Dana winced. “Last night or rather this morning. The police caught them. I bought the tapes. Well, I thought I got them all,” Dana said quickly.
“Wait, this is my brother? I don’t want to see this!” Amy said, turning away in time to see Edward walk up behind them.
“Who’s that?” he asked.
“It’s okay, Edward. She knows,” Dana said.
“Okay, but who are they?”
“They are us,” she said slowly as if she were talking to a child.
“Hmm, I don’t remember wearing a condom and I definitely don’t remember you having a tattoo on your ass, granted I was gone for nine weeks. Perhaps I should take a look,” he said, moving towards her playfully.
Dana pushed his hands away and whirled on the screen. She replayed it and paid more attention. The woman had a tattoo on her backside and Edward was right, she didn’t have one. The man wore a white condom, well glow in the dark and he certainly hadn't done that with her.
“Hey, your car isn’t red,” Amy said. Now that she knew it wasn’t Edward she joined in on the viewing.
“She’s right, look. It looks like a door to a-” Edward started to say.
“Jeep,” Dana said, finishing for him.
“What do we do?” Edward asked.
“We only need to release one press release that will not only clear this all up, but send people flocking to Dana’s new movie,” Amy said with an evil grin.
“What?” Dana asked cautiously.
Amy froze the screen on the woman’s ass. “This tattoo, all anyone has to do is go to your movie to see it isn’t you,” she said confidently.
“Oh,” Dana said.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Edward demanded. Both women looked at each other.
“You didn’t tell him?” they said at the same time. “You said you were going to.” They pointed at each other. It would have been a funny moment except for the brooding man standing between them.
“Tell me now!” Edward demanded.
“Perhaps I should go,” Amy said, looking longingly towards the stairs.
“No, you’re staying,” Edward said. “Tell me you didn’t show the world your ass, Dana.”
The words stuck in her throat. She looked to Amy for help. She was equally frightened. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was open in mid word. “When I read the script a few months ago there were only supposed be hints of skin. Are you telling me you showed more?”
“What is all this yelling? There are two kids sleeping upstairs. My goodness, Edward!” Eleanor said.
He jerked a thumb to Dana. “Do you know what she did?”
“What, sweetheart? Oh my lord, is that a p**n o?” she asked as she made her way to the screen. “That’s not you, if you’re anything like you were when you were a baby you’d have a cute little dimple right about….,” she tapped a finger on the man’s ass now that they were in a different position, “there.”
“No, it’s not us.” He clicked off the page. “Mom, do you know what Dana did?”
“What are you telling on me like I’m five? There’s nothing to tell your mother. She was there all five days when we were filming those scenes!” Dana snapped.
“You were there?” Edward asked, horrified.
“Oh, you mean the love scenes? Yes, of course. I had to renegotiate her contract, plus she felt more comfortable if I was there, Amy stayed too. That Lucas has a really cute butt!”
“Mom!” Edward said, appalled.
She waved him off. “Oh, I still think your father’s butt is cute so don’t get all upset.”
Edward pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. He was getting a headache now. “What exactly did you show on screen?”
“Um…..,” Dana started nervously.
“Her bottom and chest will be seen on screen. Don’t be so upset, it was done tastefully. Plus, she has nothing to be embarrassed about. Hell, if I had a body like hers I would take up that offer Playboy keeps pushing at her before the babies come.”
“Mom!” Amy snapped. “You wouldn’t do that!” she said, mostly trying to convince herself that her mother wouldn’t do that.
“Hey, you only live once,” Eleanor said, shrugging.
“So, let me get this straight, you did an actual nude scene with Lucas? Please tell me he wasn’t also completely naked.”
“Get over it, Edward, you’ve done love scenes before,” Eleanor pointed out.
“Never fully nude!” Edward snapped back.
“You should, you have a cute little bottom,” Eleanor said.
“Oh hell,” Edward sighed. Now he had a migraine.
“I don’t understand the problem. It wasn’t a p**n o. I thought the script was excellent and Dana and Lucas did an amazing job. Everyone thought so,” Eleanor said defensively.
“The point, Mom, is that I don’t want every man in the world getting a good look at my wife’s body,” he said through clenched teeth.
“You know what? I’m not your wife yet. I cannot believe you’re acting like this.”
He opened his eyes, stunned. “Are you f**king kidding me? How did you think I would act when I found out you were parading your tits for the world to see?”
“Edward Andrew Pierce, never in all my life did I ever think I would hear you speak like that to a woman! Especially one you claim to love!” Eleanor said sternly.
Dana wiped a tear away with a shaky hand. “No, it’s okay, Eleanor. He’s allowed his opinion.”
“Glad you agree.”
“Given that, don’t talk to me for a while,” Dana said and turned to Amy. “Could you do me two huge favors?”
“You want me to get the kids going and you want to borrow my car,” she stated, looking at Edward. “I don’t blame you in the least, Dana. If he wasn’t my brother I would slap that look off his face.” She handed Dana the keys.
“I’m going to go get some things done. Call me when Rick and Eric want to meet, because I’m pretty sure they will,” Dana said.
“No doubt,” Amy said, hugging Dana. “Don’t let him upset you. He always was a spoiled brat.”
“Yes, he was,” Eleanor said sternly. She shook her head at him and left the room. Dana walked past Edward without a word and left him alone with Amy.
“Jackass,” Amy snapped as she walked past him as well.
“Daddy?” Elizabeth said.
Edward turned around to find his precious baby girl with mused hair, standing behind him wearing rumpled pink princess pajamas. “Yes, sweetheart?”
Her hand shook violently as she clicked on one of the links. It brought her to another site where a video began to play. Two bodies in a moon lit car were going at it. A man with what looked like brown hair was pumping into a woman with her legs wrapped tightly around his waist. “Oh no,” she mumbled.
She had to do something. There had to be a way to stop this. She minimized the screen and ran quietly upstairs to Amy’s room. She would know how to handle this. After all she had a degree in public relations and management. That had to come in handy with a sex scandal.
Dana opened the door and walked in. Elizabeth was sleeping on one twin bed while Amy was on the other, lightly snoring. She gently shook Amy. “Amy, wake up. I have a problem.”
“The babies?” Amy shot up in bed.
“No,” Dana said.
Amy looked her over as she asked, “What's going on?”
“Come downstairs,” Dana whispered.
They made their way downstairs without a word. Dane pushed Amy into the seat and maximized the page and hit play.
“You woke me up to watch two people have sex?” Amy asked, sounding confused.
Dana pointed to the small caption. “Oh my god! This is you? When?” Amy practically shrieked.
Dana winced. “Last night or rather this morning. The police caught them. I bought the tapes. Well, I thought I got them all,” Dana said quickly.
“Wait, this is my brother? I don’t want to see this!” Amy said, turning away in time to see Edward walk up behind them.
“Who’s that?” he asked.
“It’s okay, Edward. She knows,” Dana said.
“Okay, but who are they?”
“They are us,” she said slowly as if she were talking to a child.
“Hmm, I don’t remember wearing a condom and I definitely don’t remember you having a tattoo on your ass, granted I was gone for nine weeks. Perhaps I should take a look,” he said, moving towards her playfully.
Dana pushed his hands away and whirled on the screen. She replayed it and paid more attention. The woman had a tattoo on her backside and Edward was right, she didn’t have one. The man wore a white condom, well glow in the dark and he certainly hadn't done that with her.
“Hey, your car isn’t red,” Amy said. Now that she knew it wasn’t Edward she joined in on the viewing.
“She’s right, look. It looks like a door to a-” Edward started to say.
“Jeep,” Dana said, finishing for him.
“What do we do?” Edward asked.
“We only need to release one press release that will not only clear this all up, but send people flocking to Dana’s new movie,” Amy said with an evil grin.
“What?” Dana asked cautiously.
Amy froze the screen on the woman’s ass. “This tattoo, all anyone has to do is go to your movie to see it isn’t you,” she said confidently.
“Oh,” Dana said.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Edward demanded. Both women looked at each other.
“You didn’t tell him?” they said at the same time. “You said you were going to.” They pointed at each other. It would have been a funny moment except for the brooding man standing between them.
“Tell me now!” Edward demanded.
“Perhaps I should go,” Amy said, looking longingly towards the stairs.
“No, you’re staying,” Edward said. “Tell me you didn’t show the world your ass, Dana.”
The words stuck in her throat. She looked to Amy for help. She was equally frightened. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was open in mid word. “When I read the script a few months ago there were only supposed be hints of skin. Are you telling me you showed more?”
“What is all this yelling? There are two kids sleeping upstairs. My goodness, Edward!” Eleanor said.
He jerked a thumb to Dana. “Do you know what she did?”
“What, sweetheart? Oh my lord, is that a p**n o?” she asked as she made her way to the screen. “That’s not you, if you’re anything like you were when you were a baby you’d have a cute little dimple right about….,” she tapped a finger on the man’s ass now that they were in a different position, “there.”
“No, it’s not us.” He clicked off the page. “Mom, do you know what Dana did?”
“What are you telling on me like I’m five? There’s nothing to tell your mother. She was there all five days when we were filming those scenes!” Dana snapped.
“You were there?” Edward asked, horrified.
“Oh, you mean the love scenes? Yes, of course. I had to renegotiate her contract, plus she felt more comfortable if I was there, Amy stayed too. That Lucas has a really cute butt!”
“Mom!” Edward said, appalled.
She waved him off. “Oh, I still think your father’s butt is cute so don’t get all upset.”
Edward pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. He was getting a headache now. “What exactly did you show on screen?”
“Um…..,” Dana started nervously.
“Her bottom and chest will be seen on screen. Don’t be so upset, it was done tastefully. Plus, she has nothing to be embarrassed about. Hell, if I had a body like hers I would take up that offer Playboy keeps pushing at her before the babies come.”
“Mom!” Amy snapped. “You wouldn’t do that!” she said, mostly trying to convince herself that her mother wouldn’t do that.
“Hey, you only live once,” Eleanor said, shrugging.
“So, let me get this straight, you did an actual nude scene with Lucas? Please tell me he wasn’t also completely naked.”
“Get over it, Edward, you’ve done love scenes before,” Eleanor pointed out.
“Never fully nude!” Edward snapped back.
“You should, you have a cute little bottom,” Eleanor said.
“Oh hell,” Edward sighed. Now he had a migraine.
“I don’t understand the problem. It wasn’t a p**n o. I thought the script was excellent and Dana and Lucas did an amazing job. Everyone thought so,” Eleanor said defensively.
“The point, Mom, is that I don’t want every man in the world getting a good look at my wife’s body,” he said through clenched teeth.
“You know what? I’m not your wife yet. I cannot believe you’re acting like this.”
He opened his eyes, stunned. “Are you f**king kidding me? How did you think I would act when I found out you were parading your tits for the world to see?”
“Edward Andrew Pierce, never in all my life did I ever think I would hear you speak like that to a woman! Especially one you claim to love!” Eleanor said sternly.
Dana wiped a tear away with a shaky hand. “No, it’s okay, Eleanor. He’s allowed his opinion.”
“Glad you agree.”
“Given that, don’t talk to me for a while,” Dana said and turned to Amy. “Could you do me two huge favors?”
“You want me to get the kids going and you want to borrow my car,” she stated, looking at Edward. “I don’t blame you in the least, Dana. If he wasn’t my brother I would slap that look off his face.” She handed Dana the keys.
“I’m going to go get some things done. Call me when Rick and Eric want to meet, because I’m pretty sure they will,” Dana said.
“No doubt,” Amy said, hugging Dana. “Don’t let him upset you. He always was a spoiled brat.”
“Yes, he was,” Eleanor said sternly. She shook her head at him and left the room. Dana walked past Edward without a word and left him alone with Amy.
“Jackass,” Amy snapped as she walked past him as well.
“Daddy?” Elizabeth said.
Edward turned around to find his precious baby girl with mused hair, standing behind him wearing rumpled pink princess pajamas. “Yes, sweetheart?”
