"That took forever I was just about to go looking for you." Rhys said as he greeted her at the door. She was still pissed at him for being a pussy about Carys. She walked past him and into the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of wine, walked to the bedroom and closed the door behind her. She ran a bath and had just gotten settled when Rhys came in.
"You've got to see this." He said, showing Pearl his phone. David was on Entertainment Tonight, blasting Carys and calling her out on her scheme to lie and set Pearl up as gold digger. He apologized for it, stating he was a mess about his horrible relationship with his father. He said he felt awful that Pearl had to be a pawn in his game and that Carys had taken advantage of the situation to get closer to Rhys and Pearl out of the picture. It was huge. Pearl handed him back his phone and drank the wine directly from the bottle. "I can't believe he came clean." He said "I can." Pearl said, standing up and puttingThe next morning, Pearl woke up spooning the vodka bottle. She brushed her teeth and got dressed. She had a meeting with Iris in an hour and a half and she didn't want to be late.Rhys was making coffee when when she walked into the kitchen. He looked like shit. Good. She thought."Good morning,” He said."Morning,” She replied, grabbing a to go cup."Where are you off to today?" He asked"I have a meeting with Iris at the bookshop. We are going over the itinerary for the next month. I'm assuming that will be a trip to Los Angeles for the Golden Globes pre party and the actual event,Correct? And also, your parents are coming into town." Pearl filled her coffee."Yes. I don't even know if I'm nominated yet. They announce that next week. It's late this year. Usually it's in December." Rhys said."I will have Iris reach out to Amber and find out the details of her party." Pearl said.
"I can't tell you." Pearl said. Rhys looked at her, and raised his eyebrow."You can't tell me?" He said. "Or you won't tell me?""I'm not even sure yet what I'm doing. I have some ideas but nothing in stone yet."She said.He still looked unhappy about it but accepted it. For now."Let's go home and spend the afternoon and evening together." Rhys said."I'm actually going to see the guys for a bit. Band meeting." She said. "I'll be home afterwards.""Ok" he said. He wasn't stupid. Pearl knew it. B she was still feeling weird about things and needed to talk to Dylan. John did want them to meet, also. They needed to talk about album design and photography and a music video for their single."I'll stop and get some things for dinner. I'll cook for you. Sounds good?" Rhys asked."Sounds good." She said. He walked her to her Jeep. "We need to get you a new car." Rhys said. "I like this one just fine."
Pearl walked in the door and Rhys greeted her with a hug. "How did it go?" He asked."It went well. We decided to use the picture of us from our first live show in New York as the inside pic of the band and Dylan's wolf painting he designed as our logo for the cover. It looks bad ass." Pearl told him, walking into the kitchen. "And the video?" He asked."I was going to talk to you about that, actually." She said. Rhys had dinner prepared and it smelled amazing. He poured Pearl a glass of wine. "Come sit. Eat." He said. She grabbed a stool and sat at the kitchen island bar. He spooned a plate of pasta for her and a small bowl of salad."This looks amazing." She said. "Thank you.""I miss you so much. I miss my wife." He said, looking at her with sadness. She leaned forward and kissed him."So, what do you want to talk to me about regarding the video?" He asked, taking a bite of his salad."We want you to direct it." Sh
"I'm nervous." Rhys said, on their way to meet with the guys. Pearl smiled. "Don't be.""Hey Rhys! Glad you could make it." John said, greeting them at the door. Everyone was there and they had Ian on a face call on the computer. They talked a little about some ideas. Blake wanted a werewolf theme because of the song title and the band name. They all quickly shot it down, except for Rhys. "I don't like the cheesy typical werewolf idea but I like what it makes me think." He said. Dylan looked at him and Pearl could see the wheels turning."Beauty and the Beast" Dylan said. Rhys smiled."Pearl is the Beauty type character. One is you is the beast. The rest are hunters, like one, a Van Helsing character and others, we can figure that out. And she has not until a last rose petal falls, to kiss him, but a tree, shedding its last leaf." Rhys said. It was brilliant. They all loved it.Rhys looked at Ian on the screen. "You. You would be t
"Ok, I'm ready. Where are we going?" Pearl asked, walking out into the kitchen."Whoa!" Rhys said. "What is that?" She was wearing a dress that Iris had let borrow last minute. It was black and tight, really tight. The top was a low cut V and the hem was also a V shape that came to a point in the middle. The sides scrunched and hugged her hips."You don't like it?" Pearl asked, looking down. Rhys picked up his jaw and walked to her. He grabbed her hand and turned her around. "Good god, my wife is BANGIN'!" Rhys liked the dress.She giggled and told him to put his to tongue back in his mouth."Shall we?" He asked, holding out his arm. She locked hers in his. "We shall." She said.Rhys had Jim drive them and soon Pearl saw they were flying. "The jet? Where are we going?" She asked. Rhys took her hand and led her on board. "Hey guys! Nice to see you again, Pearl! Thanks for inviting us!" It was Matt, Rhys's director and the
"Wow! This is amazing. Like truly bad ass." Pearl said as they pulled up to the side of the house. "I thought you said this was a condo?" She asked."It's more like a duplex. Sort of." Rhys said, showing her around. "This is first time I've stayed here since I gutted it and the renovation was completed. I bought the statue in New York over three years ago. I hired a decorator but he was back and forth a lot. All the furniture is 1972 or earlier, except for the chaise." Rhys explained. The house was large and shaped like an L. Each side faced a different part of the hills and Rhys's side was right above the Hollywood sign. Each section had a separate pool and landscaped yard with a large stone privacy wall between them. There were floor to ceiling windows on the back patio and looked like it was built in the 1960s. A giant fireplace took up and entire wall in the living room, and it had a floating brick mantle and hearth. The living room opened up out ont
"So, is everything a go for this video? The fellas are flying in tomorrow morning and I want to make sure we have a plan. The thought of Blake and Ian running around without structure scares me in this city." Pearl said, drinking a glass of wine by the fire outside."All good. I've got it all taken care of. My agent Hank will be here tomorrow along with my assistant, Andre and Matt and Fi. Fi is going to help with blocking and acting. She said she'd make a cameo, also." Rhys smiled. Pearl was thrilled. She loved Fi and knew it would be huge for her to be a part of it.The guys arrived at LAX and Rhys had a car meet them at the airport, taking them to his house."This place is awesome." Blake said, as they walked around. Iris hugged Pearl and told her she had some good information for her later.Rhys invited them out onto the patio and laid out the next three days, handing them a script and going over the details. "Matt, my director from
The house was not just a house, it was a Spanish-colonial style compound, in Beverly Hills. The walkway had a small fountain and large rustic-style wooden door, stucco exterior and balconies all around the upper level. The foyer was huge and when they walked inside, there were hundreds of people gathered in the warm atmosphere with wooden cathedral ceilings, chandeliers, dark hardwood flooring, beige walls, stone fireplaces, and windows galore. The entire home was filled with clean and crisp lines and colors that complimented each other. The wood flooring and cathedral wood-beamed ceilings added to the Spanish style with wrought-iron accents of sconces, chandeliers, and detail throughout the home. It had to be 10,000 square feet.Pearl saw faces she recognized and had watched in movies and television most of her life. She was a bit starstruck at first.Rhys and Pearl made their way to the lawn behind the the house, Ian had left them at the front door when they
The flight home was short and Pearl was thankful. She was still exhausted from the jet lag. Her new attorney was meeting her the following day to discuss the company and the process with all the legalities with the transfer. Pearl knew she wasn't the person to run it and hoped she could handle it for the five years she needed to before she was able to sell it. Her and Dylan got back to the house and found a black Escalade parked in the driveway. "Who is that?" Pearl asked. "I have no idea." Dylan said. They got out of the car and the Escalade door opened. "Jim?" Jim what are you doing here?" Pearl asked. "I am your new driver and bodyguard. John hired me just this morning." He said. Pearl smiled and ran to him, hugging him. She missed him. "But what about Rhys? You've worked for him for years." Pearl asked. "I'd like to think that I protect people with integrity. I didn't give my life as a navy seal and special op to follow around a spoiled little movie star that enjoys treating
Pearl's phone rang as she was walking into the hotel. "Erik,"she said, seeing his number light up on her phone. "Mmm nightingale..." His sleepy voice was absolutely adorable. "Sorry I didn't answer the phone, some of us are still asleep at four am. I was hoping you were calling me to tell me you were in London and that you just couldn't stay away." Pearl smiled. "I am so sorry. I am going to have to get used to the time difference between us. I wanted you to know I plugged your charity on the tonight show. I was asked an awkward question about us and I was able to make it about the charity.""Awkward question?" She could tell he was smiling when he asked. "Yes. He asked about me being spotted in Italy with a certain royal," she said. She knew the questions would come and continue but she would try to handle them the best she could. "Why not tell them we are together?"Silence. Pearl wasn't sure if he was joking or not. "Why would I say that?" Pearl was confused and elated, but d
Pearl's phone rang as she was walking into the hotel. "Erik,” She said, seeing his number light up on her phone. "Mmm nightingale" His sleepy voice was absolutely adorable. "Sorry I didn't answer the phone, some of us are still asleep at four am. I was hoping you were calling me to tell me you were in London and that you just couldn't stay away." Pearl smiled. "I am so sorry. I am going to have to get used to the time difference between us. I wanted you to know I plugged your charity on the tonight show. I was asked an awkward question about us and I was able to make it about the charity,” She said. "Awkward question?" He asked "Yes. He asked about me being spotted in Italy with a certain royal,” she said. She knew the questions would come and continue but she would try to handle them the best she could. "Why not tell them we are together?" Erik said. Silence. Pearl wasn't sure if he was joking or not. "Why would I say that?” Pearl asked. He had mentioned long distance but she
I hate this city, Pearl thought to herself. She had not had the best experiences there. Dylan grabbed her luggage and helped her carry her things into the hotel, through the swarm of photogs outside. They were relentless now that Pearl had been spotted with Erik. "Well, well if it isn't the belle of the ball." Ian greeted them with a hug. He leaned closer to Pearl. “I hear the best way to get back at a lying, slimy, shit fucker for an ex is to galavant all over Europe with the royal family, then have the prince of fucking England knock him to next Thursday. I need to take some lessons from my bad bitch bestie." Pearl smiled and hugged him. “I missed you,” She said. "Same kid. Same." She wanted to ask him about Carys and the baby but she figured they would have their time for that. "I want to talk to you about Seattle,” Pearl said. "Oh yeah? What about?" He asked. "I might want to buy a home there,” She said. "My company has it's main base there and it's closer to LA for the ba
Iris was waiting for her at the airport. "Hey there. How are you?""I'm good,” Pearl said, unconvincingly. "How was Italy?" Iris asked, helping her put her bags in the car. Pearl paused and sighed. “It was the best time of my life." Iris drove her to Dylan's house. He was there, at the door, waiting to greet her. "Hey there,” he said, hugging her. "I'm glad you're home." He walked her into the house. "I set up a room for you,” he said, leading her to a newly remodeled bedroom upstairs. He had moved a bed in and bought her new bedding and blankets. All of her books and journals were neatly lined on a bookshelf and her clothes were all hung in the walk in closet. "You didn't have to do this, I was expecting to come home to boxes piled up somewhere,” she said. "I remember your apartment. The boxes you left packed. I didn't want that for you here."She smiled and hugged him. "Thank you,” She said. "You've got a day to get settled and then we are off to New York. Better try to ge
"So you have everything?" Pearl asked him as they were walking to the door. "I do. Listen, Pearl. This was wonderful. Thank you for spending your entire holiday with me,” Erik said,kissing her forehead. "Thank you for making my holiday so amazing. I can't thank you enough. For everything." She sighed and didn’t care how loud it was. He leaned down and picked her up, giving her a big hug. "Ok then. Take care of yourself. Look me up if you ever need a fortuitous meeting in Florence again,” he said smiling sadly. She smiled back and walked him to the car. "Goodbye Charles. Thank you for keeping us safe,” she said, handing Charles a box of cookies the chef had made for him. He thanked her with a nod and walked out to the car. "Alight then. Goodbye, nightingale,” Erik looked into her eyes one last time. He gave her one more hug and got into the car. She watched as they pulled away and she walked to the middle of the road, standing there, watching until his car was out of sight. The
"I'm going to miss you,” Pearl said, giving Fi a big hug. "You saved me this week. You gave me courage. Thank you. I love you." "I love you, too. Let me know where you end up and I will come and see you. You can come and stay with me in LA after I'm done filming the show. My character dies in the last episode so I won't have to work with that pussy boy after this,” She said. "I just may take you up on that." Pearl was truly thankful to have found a friend like Fi. She and Erik walked her to her car and she hugged her again. "Thank you, Erik. For being the bad ass she needed." Fi said to Erik. “It was my pleasure to break that wanker's face,”Erik said. Fi smiled and hugged him "See you soon you beautiful bitches!"Fi yelled as she waved and drove off. "Did she just call me a bitch?" Erik asked. Pearl laughed, “It's a term of endearment." "One I will never, ever use on you,” He said, kissing her head. "We have the house completely to ourselves now. Whatever shall we do?" Erik ask
"There you are. I was worried,” Erik said. "I'm fine, Lancelot.” Pearl rolled her eyes. "I am both Arthur and Lancelot to you, M'Lady Guinevere." He said, picking her up and spinning her around. They heard a throat clear behind them. Erik put her down and Pearl adjusted her dress. Pearl whispered to Erik,”She's got a whole little speech for you. It's adorable." Phoebe curtsied and said "Your highness, crown prince Friederike Pilsen-Chamberlain, it is an honor and a privilege to meet you. I am Phoebe Davies, a friend of his highness prince Augustus Pilsen-Chamberlain." She curtsied again. Erik, in full form, looked formal and stern and took her hand and kissed it. "It is lovely to meet you, Phoebe Davies." Then, to her and everyone else's surprise, he picked her up and twirled her around too, giving her a hug. "Any friend of my brother's is a friend of mine. Welcome and make yourself at home." He said, then turning back to Pearl. "Now where were we? Ah yes." He said, picking her up
"Hello, brother. How has your week been going?" Auggie asked as he sat down. Erik was dressed in all white with sunglasses on. The wind blew through his wavy hair and he ran his hand through it, making an attempt to tame it. "You're growing a bit of a beard. I like it." Auggie said. "Thank you. And my week has been interesting, to say the least." Erik said. "How's Pearl? I just adore the shit out of that girl" he said. "She is good." He said, smiling. He could still smell her on his hands from their early morning love making. "Brother you are blushing? Dear god you've got it bad for her!" He said. "I mean, look at you? Your clothes are wrinkled which never happens, your beard isn't trimmed and your hair looks a tousled bird's nest. You've been living inside of that woman for the last few days and I couldn't be prouder.""Slow down. I haven't been, what you said, well maybe I have. I like her. But I wouldn't say I've got it bad for her. I don't even know what that means." Erik repl