A gasp of surprise left my lungs. “No, you didn’t?” My gaze darted from Ashton to Frank and back. Apparently, this conspiracy was bigger than I had initially thought.
“He totally did,” Levi croaked. “Your own brother sold you out for a car.”
A low rumble of laughter erupted. Face smug, Ashton grabbed the keys and shoved them in his pocket.
“Was there anyone who didn’t know about this?” I cried out.
“Not really.” Frank shook his head. Others joined in.
“Did you bribe everyone with a car?”
“It was technically already my car!” Ashton countered. “You kidnapped it.”
More laughter.
The lounge was too hot. Clusters of people grew together into one huge human mass. It was almost impossible to breathe or speak and I felt like the world had started to close in on me. Frank’s hand on my back slid to my side, his fingers wrapping around my waist with a tight grip. A touch of distress. It hit me then. This was an open bar. He was surrounded by hundreds of drinks and waiters floating around with trays.
“Excuse us for a second?” I snaked my arm through his and maneuvered him toward the emergency exit.
Other than a couple of event staffers and a security guard, the back hallway was empty and quiet. Just what we needed. The massive door separated us from the rattle inside the lounge. As always, Frank bypassed the warnings. He spun me to the wall and dipped his head for a kiss. His lips neared my cheek and brushed the corner of my mouth.
I placed my palms on his chest in an attempt to keep him at bay, but the truth was, my heart and my head didn’t agree. “You can’t just show up here and kiss all the mental distress you’ve put me through goodbye,” I said firmly.
“That’s not what I’m trying to do.”
“So…Alisha is your sponsor?”
He nodded, circling his hands around my neck and skimming his fingers through my hair. “Are you jealous?” A frown creased his forehead.
“A few weeks ago, someone sent me photos of you and her.”
I noted a smirk of amusement in his eyes.
“It’s not fucking funny.” I shook my head and blinked back the tears that had been slowly building in me ever since I saw Frank’s name on the screen.
“You should know it by now.” His face neared mine. “You’re the only woman in my life.”
My emotions were raging. Drowning in his words completely, I continued to stare and waited for more. Suddenly, all my doubts were replaced by guilt and a treacherous tear fell down my cheek.
“What’s wrong?” His thumb brushed the wet trail on my skin.
“So there’s no other woman?” My voice shook. I believed him the first time, but for some reason, I needed to hear him say it.
“No, there’s no other woman, silly.” He pulled me closer. “Why are you crying?” Our bodies aligned and clicked like two magnets.
“I thought there was someone else… I went on a date with another man and I kissed him.”
“As long as you didn’t like it,” he mumbled against my hair.
“That’s the thing. I wanted to like it, Frank. So I could forget you.”
He was silent. My confession didn’t render any reaction or questions. Having his arms wrapped around me felt nice and familiar.
“You’re not mad? Not even a little bit?” I asked, swallowing down my tears.
“Why would I be mad?” He cradled the back of my neck and pressed his lips to the top of my head.
“That I kissed someone else?”
“I don’t think I have a right to be mad at you. At least, not for the things you were doing while I was gone. I pushed you away. I’m here now to correct all my fuckups. You’ll give me a chance, right?”
“You know what?” I slipped my hands underneath his jacket and hugged his body. My chin pressed to his chest. “Yes. I think you deserve it. I’m proud of you for fixing the mess you created. It means a lot to me. The support you’ve given Isabella and the effort you’ve put into making it right. I love how the film turned out and I love this theater. Thank you for talking to Margerie.”
Frank’s palm cradling my head froze. “Cassy.” A shuddered breath escaped his mouth. “When I reached out to Levi, the venue had already been secured.”
Pulling my face from his chest, I gazed up at him. “You didn’t ask her to reconsider?”
“No.” He shook his head. “It wasn’t me.”
Shocked, I stared at him unblinkingly. This fact absolutely didn’t diminish the importance of his heartbreaking confessions about his journey that nearly six hundred people had just witnessed on screen, but my mind scrambled. “Then who was it?”
“I don’t know, doll.”
The door swung open and Brooklyn’s head popped in. “Jesus, you two! This is not a high school reunion.” Rolling her eyes, she hurried over. One of the guards trailed behind. “You need to get ready, Frank. They’re about to start.”
Flushed, we were straightening our clothes when the distant noise of agitated voices and footsteps came from the other end of the hallway.
My head snapped toward the commotion. I noted Roman’s bald head and a loud cluster of people near the employee entrance.
I saw him then, behind the line of security. He looked different. Pale. No flashy clothes. No hat. No women attached to each arm.
Frank didn’t move. He stared down the empty stretch of space between him and Dante and I couldn’t read his eyes.
Brooklyn was first to react. “What the hell is he doing here?” She walked down the hall, heels clacking against the cement floor.
The air thickened. Something was happening. I didn’t know what exactly, but the tension was there, deep, ugly, and undeniable. Atoms were shifting. Voices were clashing.
“You need to leave, Dante,” Brooklyn’s shriek drifted from afar. She stopped in her tracks, hands on hips. “If he doesn’t pick up his goddamn phone, that means he doesn’t want to talk to you. I will file a restraining order if you keep doing this.”
“Stay out of
