Her Billion Dollar Man

Chapter 5

He came back very late Sunday night so he did not get to see her and she was on the early shift on Monday so she left her apartment early and she knew he was probably still sleeping. She had tried waiting up for him but fell asleep and woke up to several missed calls in the morning. She had not bothered to call him this morning because she had noticed that the calls had come in at minutes to two and he was probably still sleeping.

The morning was gray and bleak and it had been predicted that there was going to be rain sometime today.

“You said you were not seeing anyone,” Ana grabbed her hand as soon as she entered the store and clocked in. It was almost eight and there were a few customers already there.

“What?” Debra looked at her puzzled.

Ana showed her the celebrity paper and Debra stared at it in horror. It was a very big picture of her and Derek as they walked out of the studio.  She was looking up at him and he was holding her arm possessively. There was no doubt as to the relationship they shared. The caption read: Mystery solved! Derek and new girlfriend Debra Brooks seeing coming from his studio in secret rendezvous!’ It went on to say that the recording artist looked like he is finally ready to settle down.

“Who saw this?” Debra whispered, her mind spinning like crazy. Tyler! She thought panicking.

“More to the point is why didn’t you tell me you were seeing Derek Mitchell of all people?” Ana asked her accusingly.

“Because his brother does not know and we wanted to tell him first,” Debra sagged against the counter.

“How long?”

“A couple of months,” Debra admitted.

“And you expect it to be kept a secret?” Ana stared at her incredulously. “Honey do you have any idea how big Derek Mitchell is?”

“I know it sounds foolish but I was not ready for this kind of publicity and it is all too new to be shared with all and sundry.” Debra knew she had to call Derek. “Cover for me I have to go into the bathroom and make a call.”

“Go ahead,” Ana said waving her away.

He answered on the third call just when she was about to give up. “I got in late and tried calling you,” his tone was husky indicating that she had waked him up.

“We have a problem,” she told him urgently. “Our pictures are in the papers and they are speculating that we are in a relationship.”

There was silence for a little bit and Debra felt her heart pounding and then he responded. “I think it’s for the best.” He answered quietly.

“What about Tyler?”

“I will deal with him as soon as he is back from school. I hated the secrecy anyway, now we can be seen together in public. I will pick you up later from the store.” He told her.

“You are coming here?” Debra was still not sure it was a good idea. “You are going to be mobbed.”

“I will bring reinforcements,” he told her in amusement. “You are probably not going to be comfortable working there anymore after this.”

“I am not leaving my job Derek,” she told him firmly.

“I am not asking you to.”

*****

Derek read the papers and studied the photo. He had gotten used to being photographed by the press and had learned to ignore the innuendos and the speculations when it came to his personal life. He was an artist and to him it was all about the music and making music happen and the rest was just collateral damage as far as he was concerned. He had been paired with so many women that he had lost track of them and he had done most of the posing because he had been told by his agent that it was good for his image.

His eyes zeroed in on her. She photographed well, he thought objectively. She was not posing for the picture but one could see her exquisite features and her smile. He had told her he loved her and he meant it but never having being in love before he was still confused. He was wondering if this was just a fluke and by several months time he would be over her. He still had his little brother to deal with and he was starting to find it very tiresome. When he was Tyler’s age he had to fend for himself and did not have anyone trying to shield him from the rough things in life.

“You want breakfast or what?” the gruff female voice asked him from the doorway of his office. He had not been able to go back to sleep after the phone call from Debra and had left the bed and went into the bathroom to take a shower. He grinned and turned to face the plump African American woman who did not pull any punch and treated them as regular people.

“Good morning to you too Maude,” he said in amusement.

“Humph,” she snorted. “You should still be in bed, coming in at that God awful hour with that flock of yours waking the entire neighborhood. I made some cornmeal pop and some toast to put some meat on that skinny arse of yours. And don’t think I am traipsing all the way up here to bring you a tray. I am getting too old to be running after you and that brother of yours.” With that she ambled away still muttering to herself. She ran the household with a rod of iron and the two other helpers who came during the day were kept in line. She was a softie at heart and was fiercely loyal to him and Tyler.

A newspaper had approached her and offered her money for any dirt that came out of the household and she had told them where they could put the cash. He paid her handsomely and she had her own suite of rooms. She did not have any children and took him and Tyler as her own.

He looked at the newspaper again with a sigh. He was going to have to face the music when Tyler came home.