Chapter 16 The Aftermath

Nico

The loud banging woke me. I wasn't sure where it was coming from, but I suspected it was from inside my head. As I came completely awake, I absently realized that my head was pounding, but the noise that woke me was caused by someone banging - loudly and repeatedly - on the door to my hotel suite.

"This fucking hotel better be on fire, or I'm going to kick somebody's ass," I muttered, as I tried to force my abused body to get up out of the bed. I was still wearing my dress pants from last night. Mostly. They were unbuttoned and unzipped, and by this point were hanging part way off my ass. I pulled them up and zipped them as I trudged to the door, hoping with every step that the asshole banging on the door would actually break his goddamned hand in the process. It would serve him right.

I slid off the security latch and opened the deadbolt, then yanked open the door without bothering to look through the peephole. I probably couldn't have focused my eyes enough to see through it anyway.

It was Tony. A very pissed off Tony, whose arm was raised mid-swing to pound on the door again. Behind him, looking every bit as angry, stood Matt and Josh.

"What the hell? What's wrong?" I demanded. Tony stepped forward and shoved me, hard, in the middle of my chest. Only sheer luck and my grip on the door kept me upright. What the fuck was his problem?

He pushed past me and stormed into the living area of the suite, quickly followed by the other two. I let the door slam shut as I turned to follow them into the room. I had no idea what the fuck was going on, but I was pretty damned sure I was about to find out.

Tony, who seemed to be the fucking ringleader of this no-so-merry band of men, whirled around toward me, and pointed his finger in my face.

"Tell me you didn't fucking do it. Please tell me you weren't actually fucking stupid enough to do that shit!" he demanded, much too loudly for my still-pounding head to stand.

Matt suddenly joined in, snarling "Is she still here?" He turned suddenly and made a beeline for the bedroom, coming back after presumably checking the attached bathroom as well. He looked at Tony and Josh, both of whom were looking at him for some kind of confirmation and shook his head no. Tony dropped his chin down to his chest and took a deep breath. Whether it was a sigh of relief, or he was simply gearing up to yell at me some more remained to be seen.

At that point, my brain finally started to come back online, and I was able to form a coherent thought. "I don't know what the fuck you guys are talking about," I said, really confused, and getting really pissed off. "Did I do what? Who the fuck did you think was here?" I asked defensively. "Wait, are you talking about Allie? Is something wrong with Allie?"

Matt, who had been my best friend growing up, long before we even thought about making music, stalked back across the room to me, and then he was the one in my face. He huffed and gave an angry shake of his head. "We don't know how Allie is, asshole. We don't even know where she is. She checked out of her room earlier this morning and isn't answering her goddamned phone. We've called and texted, and she won't fucking respond to any of us."

"Do you have any fucking idea what you've done - any idea of the goddamned shit-show she's starring in because of you? Those fucking photos are everywhere!" Tony snarled angrily. "I'm trying to give you the benefit of the doubt here, man. After our talk last week, I'm trying to believe there's a fucking good explanation for that picture, but even if there is, this is a huge fucking mess, and you're gonna have to fix it really fucking quick!"

I was starting to freak out, since something had clearly happened involving Allie. "Look, I don't have a fucking clue what's going on here. Tell me what the hell happened. Is this about me kissing her?" If it was, there was no way in hell I was apologizing for that. I would remember that first sweet taste of her for the rest of my fucking life.

"Did somebody take a picture of us? That's what all this shit's about?" I asked in disbelief. I mean, no, I didn't want a private moment between Allie and me to be splashed all over the damned tabloids or social media, but it couldn't be that big of a fucking deal, could it?

Josh, who had been quiet so far, shot me a look that was close to pure loathing. He pulled his phone out of his back pocket, tapped the screen a few times, and turned it around to shove it in my face.

"This is what this shit's about. This is what fucking happened, asshole." He held the phone out and gestured for me to take it. "Go on, look at it. Look at what a clusterfuck you created because you couldn't keep your dick in your goddamned pants for one night. Allie was so excited for last night. It was so special for her, and you managed to shit all over the whole fucking thing." His disgust for me and my supposed crimes was clear. "Scroll on through the pics, man. Just look at those fucking headlines."

Tony seemed like he was starting to calm down a little, and waded back into the fray at that point, "Let him try to explain, Josh. We don't know that the stupid shit actually did anything, aside from when he kissed Allie." He shot me a pleading look. "Please, tell me you didn't fuck around with that damned skanky-ass redhead."

"What???" I yelled, my voice rising in horror. "I didn't fuck anybody."

I grabbed Josh's phone out of his hand and tapped the dark screen to bring it to life as Tony kept talking. "Well, someone got a goddamned picture of you leaving the party, looking like you'd just been fucking the bitch hanging on your arm, and then posted it online. The tabloids picked that shit up quick, along with the pictures of you and Allie on the red carpet and you kissing the hell out of her before she left the party," he seethed.

I stared down at the first image on the screen. Allie and me, standing on the red carpet together. She was smiling softly up at me, as I was brushing a small curl back behind her ear. I scrolled to the next picture. It was of us kissing at the party. God, we looked so right wrapped up together like that.

Then I scrolled to the next one. Oh, dear God no! This one made my breathing stop and my stomach clench. I slumped down on the sofa behind me, shaking my head as I stared at the image on the screen in disbelief. No, this cannot be fucking happening! It was a photo of me as I left the party, along with that redhead who'd been trying to hang on to my arm as I got on the elevator.

Shit, she had been such a bitch, and completely drunk off her ass. She had cornered me as I left the ballroom and literally threw her drunk ass at me. If I hadn't fucking caught her, she would have fallen. As it was, she had landed with her face smashed against my shoulder, and as her hand reached out to grab hold of me, she'd ripped my fucking shirt open. Then as I had steadied her back on her feet, the bitch had lunged for me again, throwing her arms around my neck and trying to run her fingers through my hair. I was able to push her off again, and almost made it to the elevator before she caught up to me and grabbed my arm again. That was not at all what the photo looked like though.

"Fuck!" I roared, tempted to throw the phone across the room. Tony was right. The photo looked like I had just had a quick fuck and hadn't bothered getting fully dressed. There was even a smear of her goddamned lipstick on the collar of my shirt, probably from where her face landed when she fell against me. From the angle the picture was taken, it looked like we were walking to the elevator together, her holding onto my arm for support, likely going back to my room to go for round two. In reality, the bitch was being half-dragged behind me because she wouldn't fucking let go.

"Nico," Matt said softly, seeming to have realized that I may not have done anything wrong, "tell us what happened when you left the party."

I flopped back on the sofa and dropped my head back to stare at the ceiling as I spoke, seeing the entire clusterfuck playing out in my mind. I explained it all, starting with the moment I stepped out of the ballroom.

"And that was it," I finished quietly, resignedly. "Security finally noticed what was going on, and they intercepted her just before she was able to get on the elevator with me. Of course, the fucker who took the picture didn't bother to post that one! Goddammit all to hell. I need to talk to Allie. I need to explain what happened. She's gotta believe me, right?"

When nobody said anything, I lifted my head from the back of the sofa to look at them, only to see them looking at each other and sharing some kind of silent communication. Clearly, they had more bad news for me. Matt apparently drew the mental short straw, and he came over and sat on the coffee table right in front of me. Tony walked around and took a seat on the other side of the sofa, and Josh flopped back in the recliner.

Matt leaned forward to rest his forearms on knees and looked at me solemnly. "It's not just the photo of the redheaded bitch, Nico. A bunch of photos of you and Allie on the red carpet hit first. You guys were trending on social media with all sorts of cutesy hashtags and shit, and you were all over the tabloid sites. The fans, for the most part, were loving the idea that you two were a couple after all, and the tabloids were going on about how the great Nico Peretti had been tamed by the girl next door. I mean, you two looked pretty cozy in those pictures." he smiled sadly.

"The picture of you kissing her posted next, and the fans went nuts over it. Once the last photo with the bitch made the rounds online, though, it all shot straight to hell, man. The headline on TMZ was that you cheated on Allie. The comments on social media are even worse though. From what I could tell, most of them are bashing you for being a cheating asshole. The rest are dogging on Allie. I only made it through a few dozen before I got too fucking pissed to read more. It was fucking brutal to read."

"I need to find my phone. I've got to try to talk to her. I have to make her listen," I said urgently, as I jumped up and began to look around the room for it.

"Ok, I'll check the bedroom," Tony said. Josh and I looked all around the living room and small kitchen, while Matt tried calling my number to see if we could hear it ring.

"Got it!" Tony came out of the bedroom, holding it out to me. "It was in the inside pocket of your suit coat. It's dead though. Is there a charging port out here?"

I spotted a docking station on the desk in the corner and set my phone on it to charge. I started pacing back and forth, anxious for it to charge enough for me to try to at least send a text off to Allie.

"Come on and sit down, Nico," Matt said. "We need to figure out how to fix all the other shit going on. I've already talked to Lana and Michael. She's working on a statement but needs your input. Michael has already contacted the security company he uses and has arranged for security at your house and at Allie's. He also wants to get a bodyguard to shadow Allie until this all dies down."

I sat up in alarm. "Bodyguard? Does he think she's in danger over this. Oh, shit. Gracie. Where was she staying last night? Has anybody called Allie's family?" My thoughts were completely jumbled. I couldn't even think straight at this point.

"Calm down, man. The bodyguard is just to help keep the paparazzi from getting too close. They are swarming the hotel. The hotel manager was able to sneak Allie out the back apparently. The guy told Michael he felt sorry for her, and had her car brought around to the employee entrance so she wouldn't be spotted leaving." Matt shot me a look that told me he felt sorry for her too, before continuing, "Lana checked with her sources at the news rags, and the paps are camped out at your house, and have figured out where Allie lives already. Her neighbors called the cops, but you know how that is. They have the fucking right to stand on a public sidewalk."

I leaned back against the sofa and stared at the ceiling again. I felt like I wanted to throw up, and it had nothing to do with my hangover. I couldn't believe that one of the best nights of my life had ended like this. I had planned to see Allie today, to talk to her and tell her how I felt about her. After kissing her last night, I had known that I had no choice. I couldn't just be her friend. I had to try for more. Now, I was worried sick about her, and about Gracie. God, this was so fucked up!

Matt's phone rang, and we all stared at him anxiously as he checked the caller ID. "It's Michael," he said, before answering. "Yeah, we're here with him. No, nothing from Allie yet." He paused, listening to whatever Michael was telling him. "OK, I'll let him know."

"Lana will be here in about 10 minutes. Michael is going to meet her in your suite, so you guys can prepare your statement," he said as he put his phone down. "The security company confirmed that there is no sign of Allie at her house, your house, or the office. Michael got hold of her dad. Apparently, she called her sister this morning and asked her to keep Gracie for one more night. She didn't act like anything was wrong, so Hannah assumed she had just partied too much last night and wanted to rest. Hannah hadn't seen the news at that point, so she had no idea. He told Michael that Hannah tried to reach Allie once she saw it on Twitter, but Allie didn't answer. She did text Hannah shortly after that, to tell her she was fine, couldn't go home because the paparazzi were there, and would call her later when she could talk."

I was still sick to my stomach, but felt better knowing that Gracie was safe, and that Allie had at least checked in with someone. I reached over to check my phone, and it had charged to twelve percent. I pulled up Allie's contact and pressed 'send'. It went straight to voicemail, so her phone was either dead or turned off.

"Allie, please call me right away. That picture wasn't what you think. I swear to you Sunshine, I didn't touch her except to push her away. We're all worried sick about you. Please call me. Please. If you don't want to talk to me right now, call one of the guys. Please....just call." My voice broke by the end of my message.

I sent a text saying the same things in case she didn't check her voice mail. I then tried to call her brother Scott. He answered on the first ring. "What the fuck do you want?" he asked. Great, just fucking great.

"I didn't do anything. I didn't cheat. I know the picture looks bad but - " I was interrupted by my phone beeping as the call was ended. He had hung up on me. I texted him with a quick explanation and asked him to have Allie get in touch with me or one of the guys.

I tried Hannah next. She declined the call, sending me to voicemail both times. I left her a message, then sent her the same text I'd sent to Scott.

Michael and Lana arrived and listened to my explanation of my run-in with the redheaded bitch. Michael had already talked to the hotel manager, who was running down the names of the security guards who hauled the bitch away from the elevator last night. He had also requested any video footage from the security cameras outside the ballroom and by the elevator. Lana hoped to be able to have that footage available to back up my statement.

I looked at Lana and asked, "You think we need all that?"

She gave me a pointed look. "Nico, I don't think you realize how angry people are with you. Even your die-hard fans are pissed. It's bad enough when people think a celebrity has cheated on another celebrity, but with someone like Allie...they feel for her. They empathize because she's an everyday person. Plus, you have the added burden of your reputation as...," she paused, trying to be diplomatic, "as a ladies' man"

Josh snorted at that. I shot him the finger.

"So, bottom line is, I need the guards' statements and the video footage for people to believe me."

"I'm afraid so," she confirmed.'

Josh spoke up at that point. "Since nobody else is gonna ask, I will. Nico, are you and Allie even a couple? Until last night, I thought you were just friends. I mean, I saw you kiss the hell out of her at the party, so yeah, there's obviously something going on there, but I thought maybe it was because you'd both been drinking. Have you guys been dating? Otherwise, if you're not a couple then even if you had done something with the redhead, would it really have been cheating?"

Tony and I shared a look, and Michael cleared his throat. Lana looked like she'd been smacked. Well, that was a good fucking question, now, wasn't it?

"Uh...I guess I just assumed...I mean, I saw the red-carpet pics and then the kiss, and I just assumed that you really were a couple now. Is that not the case?" Lana asked, almost as if she didn't want to know the answer.

"Allie and I haven't had a chance to talk about any of this yet," I sighed heavily. "Shit, I should be telling her this, not you assholes," I muttered. Tony and Matt nodded in agreement. Josh just looked confused. "I want to be with Allie. As far as I'm concerned, I'm fucking committed to her. She just doesn't know that yet." '

Tony snickered, Matt chuckled, and Josh just laughed like he thought I was an idiot. I shot the finger to all three of them that time.

Lana rubbed the bridge of her nose, as if I was giving her a headache. Hell, I probably was. "Ok," she said. "How about we release a statement giving a clear, concise account of everything that happened with the redhead. We won't address the issue of whether you and Allie are a couple or mention anything about cheating. We can add a statement about the struggle celebrities face with overzealous fans, and how hurtful unsubstantiated rumors can be, and end by saying you won't comment further on your private life and ask for Allie's privacy to be respected as well."

"That sounds good to me," I said.

"I'll have a preliminary draft ready for you to look over within half an hour. Michael, can I use your suite to work in? I want to call the hotel manager back to see if he's made any progress on his end with his security office. I would like to have that information 'anonymously' leaked to the major outlets within the next couple of hours to add even more credibility. It takes a lot to win people over when they are this pissed off"

"Sure, Lana. If you want to head up there now, I'll give my wife a heads up so she can let you in, and I'll make sure she gives you privacy while you work."

"Oh, and Nico?" Lana turned to me before leaving the suite. "Don't forget that you still have to be in New York this evening for your interview with Late Night Live.

"Fuck, no. I'm not going anywhere until - "

"Nico, she's right," Michael interrupted. "Aside from the fact that you are contractually obligated to go, you'll just fan the fire if you bail on them. The public would take that as an admission of guilt. You have to go on the show and focus on the Grammy win."

Lana added, "I'll contact the show's producers to make sure they know that you aren't going to talk about this situation in any detail. I'm sure Thomas Landry will ask anyway, but you just downplay it and redirect the conversation. After I get the press statement prepared, we'll head to the airport. Michael already arranged for a private charter, so I'll go with you, and we'll work out a more complete game plan on the flight there."

Seeing the defeated look on my face, she clearly took pity on me. "It will be OK, Nico. We'll set the record straight, your loyal fans will come around, and you and Allie can work out whatever this is between you."