Chapter 17 Leg one of her book tour
2182 Words
Jane Knight was truly feeling ill. She was run down and she was bleeding. She thought it was for the best.
It might have been hard to tell Jeff about a baby that wasn't his.
She took a few pain relievers and swallowed it with a shot of vodka.
She wasn't driving, she took the shuttle to the hotel. Sasha would be coming up tomorrow. Her husband had a family birthday celebration that she would attend first.
Jane arrived at her suite. There were, of course dozens of beautifully arranged flowers in her room.
She smiled seeing them all.
The hotel had out done itself.
Jeff had left a note on one of the arrangements.Break a leg my love.
She was happy to have a whole day to herself away from life to just relax before the big tour started.
Her phone rang.
It was Jeff.
"Did you get the flowers, I am not sure saying break a leg is appropriate, but I wanted to wish you all of the best."
Jane smiled. "You did good. I just feel yucky. The monthly woman thing, you know?"
He said, "I can send a massage therapist down."
Jane couldn't stand the thought of being touched by anyone. She was hiding away from the world today.
"You're sweet, but-no, I want to be alone today, you know how I get before a big press thing."
He knew. He was sure she would be fine.
She sounded, well-sad would be the word.
He was worried about her.
"I love you, call me tonight Jane." She agreed.
Jeff planned on releasing the pictures of Max to the press when she returned.
He wanted to scandalize him as they had once done to his fiance, ruining her reputation.
He would marry her and release the photos once they consummated the relationship.
He was getting excited about it.
He would lay it at her feet.
He would know for certain that she was over Max and all of the old hurts his family had caused her.
Jane now knew that Max was lost to her forever.
She knew he might even expose her past to her adoring fans. She was preparing for a change once again.
She was sure that she would lose her mind if that happened. It almost crushed her the first time.
She had poured out all of her emotions into her books. It was like therapy for her.
Jane tried to lay down and rest. She decided that needed some exercise. She went out of her room wearing her hair up in a pony tail. She put on a pair of loose sweats and sunglasses.
She went out the side entrance and onto the street.
She jogged slowly along the side walk. She felt better after about ten minutes, when the endorphins kicked in.
Jane was getting painfully thin. She hadn't been eating much. She always lost weight before a big book tour, mainly from all of the stress of being found out as a fraud.
When she returned to her suite, there was a note slid under her door, the hotel letting her know someone had called for her while she was out.
It was from Tim Turner. Call me back Jamie.
She almost ripped it up and threw it out.
She sat down and dialed the number.
"Hello, it's Jane knight."
Tim said,"You breached your contract, you need to pay the money back. You know what I can do to you, I crushed you once, I can ruin your life, Jamie."
Jane laughed at him now.
"Hmm. You better talk to your son, he found Jane Knight, not the other way around.
I'd say you breached the contract. Maybe you owe me." He was quiet.
"You already drained me dry when you sent your new boyfriend after my company and ruined Max's future by steeling all my future earnings.
You're a real b*tch.
Max told me himself how much he hates you."
Jane was pondering all of the things Tim had revealed to her.
She said, "Jeff bought you out and hired Max? Don't you see what he's going to do? He will ruin him.
Tim, you have to warn him about Jeff, please Tim.
I will send you a check for all of the money. Give me your account number, it will be there by the end of the day."
Tim gave her the account information. He had no intentions of telling Max.
She asked him once again,"say you will warn Max, please Tim?"
Tim said, "I might warn you about Max instead. He will make you pay. He will crush you."
He hung up the phone.
Jane made a deposit in the amount of $ 500,000. to Tim's account.
She paid all of the money back to him. She sank back into her chair.
She didn't tell Tim that Max had already punished her.
She felt the tears well up thinking about it.
She rolled over and fell asleep with dried tears on her face.
Sasha caught a flight as soon as she could. She had to warn Jane against marriage to Jeff Allen. The man could be ruthless.
Sasha rented a car at the airport and drove up to meet Jane for breakfast.
She knocked on the door. No answer. She called the hotel desk to be sure that she had the right room.
They sent the house keeper up to let her in. Jane was in bed. The black out curtains were drawn.
Sasha grabbed an apple from the fruit basket and ordered some room service. She would wait for Jane to wake up.
Sasha recognized when Jane was stressed, she needed more sleep.
Sasha saw a large sum of money penned on a piece of paper with a bank account number next to it.
She had hoped that Jane didn't spend any money on this book tour, Jeff promised he would cover all expenses.
Sasha ordered enough food for 12 people. Jane woke up smelling bacon, no- sausage. Well, maybe syrup and waffles. She knew Sasha was there.
"Am I late?"She called to her friend, Sasha.
Sasha reassured her she was fine.
"I'm going to hop in the shower then." Sasha told her that the glam squad was on their way.
"Hair, nails, make up, you know the usual."
She brought Jane a hot cup of coffee.
She saw Jane's naked body. She was so beautiful.
She had lost too much weight though.
Her stomach was incredibly thin.
Sasha knew Jane would eat better after this tour was over. She still worried about her.
She stirred some heavy cream into Jane's coffee and two packets of sugar.
Jane laughed.
" Why not stick some bacon in there as well?"
Sasha pursed her lips,"good idea!"
Jane cleaned up, the shower felt good raining down and washing away all of her past.
She felt renewed this morning.
She would try to warn Max about Jeff once she returned home. She couldn't handle any drama today.
About an hour later, people began to arrive at the hotel.
Sasha managed them all.
After four hours, Jane Knight had arrived in style.
She loved the way the team had done her hair.
She was a blond once again. She looked close to her natural self.
Only with longer lashes and padded breasts creating a luxurious look.
She was a movie star.
Jane Knight's fans arrived at the hotel. She looked outside, walking onto the balcony. There was a large crowd, mostly women.
Jane Knight went back in and grabbed some of those flowers in her room.
She tossed them one by one to her fans as they cheered and fought to catch them as they fell.
Several reporters were on scene.
Sasha had told them when to come. They took video of the queen of romance, sending down a cascade of flowers to her devoted fans.
It hit all of the local news at 5pm.
By tomorrow, the crowd would triple. Sasha did her job very well.
Jane knew how to get her fans into a frenzy. She enjoyed seeing their happiness.
MT was watching too. He came last night. He wanted to knock on her door and tell her he was sorry.
He was so sorry.
He sensed she wouldn't answer. He had blown his chance.
Jane Knight left the hotel to go to her first book signing location.
It was the hospital.
She always started there.
She gave her books to cancer patients.
She had one fan in particular that Sasha had arranged for her to meet. It was Laura Anderson a 50 year old wife and mother. She was terminally ill.
Jane Knight had helped distract her through all of her cancer treatments with her romance books.
Laura sobbed as Jane floated towards her.
She hugged her tightly. Jane cried with her. She signed the book.
To my friend and number one fan, all my love, Jane.
Laura was so happy. She couldn't believe that her idol was there in her room.
The staff were excited as well. She handed out signed copies of her new Rebel series.
There were no press allowed at this venue.
MT was there.
He followed her car and made his way in behind her group. He was looking for the photographers.
He asked a nurse about it.
"Seems like when the press get here, there will be pandemonium."
She frowned at him.
"Jane Knight doesn't allow press to know about these visits.
She has been doing private hospital book tours since she started.
She calls them Lolli gigs, after one of her close friends, Lolli, who died recently of cancer.
You must not be a true fan, it's on her knight family fan page, we call ourselves Goodknights.
Jane encourages us to do good deeds, she rewards us with merch and private messages.
We live and breathe all things Jane Knight here!"
MT frowned, thinking that he had once felt that way about her as well.
Jane passed by him on her way to the children's wing. He hid his face behind a pamphlet.
Sasha had boxes of plushies and blankets waiting for her to hand out.
Jane hated this wing.
MT saw her step back.
Sasha said something into her ear.
She nodded and turned, trying to leave.
"Sasha, I can't today. I can't do it, it's so sad."
She was crying.
Sasha wiped her tears and touched up her make up.
Jane adjusted her long button up jacket.
MT could see how thin she was under that jacket.
She squared her shoulders and put on a radiant smile.
She entered to cheering staff. She went one by one and gave each child a gift.
A little girl with tubes in her nose, looked away when Jane approached.
The nurse advised her to take off her coat.
This little girl hated people in long coats. She didn't want anyone to poke her ever again.
Jane took off her coat and removed her hair from the clips. She bent down and talked in a funny voice.
She had a way with the little ones. The little girl giggled. Soon she was up on Jane's lap.
Jane snuggled her with a new blanket and kissed her bald head.
Sasha knew this was it.
Jane would be wiped out.
She called for the car to arrive. Jane said her goodbyes. She handed the hospital administrator an envelope. It was a huge donation.
The administrator held onto her hands.
He was smitten, as they all were.
Max stared, seeing her loose blond hair bouncing softly around her face. She looked as he had remembered her, an angel.
MT remembered when he had felt her charm, he was being seduced by her once again.
Jane didn't even know it.
MT drove to a bar and nursed a beer. He got a call from Tim.
" You need to stay far away from Jamie. You hear me? She's dangerous."
Tim didn't want her to tell him about returning the money.
He wanted that all to himself. He had huge debts to pay. Jeff had given him a nice settlement, but it barely covered his loss from the bit coin he had heavily invested in. He was broke.
MT frowned. How did his dad know that he had seen Jamie? He must have talked to her then.
He worried that she had told him about their last encounter. How he had forced himself on her.
He was feeling sick about the way he had used her body, he had slapped her face.
He was a coward.
Jane was sitting in the dark room at her hotel suite.
Alone in her room. She was a fake. She hated seeing those sick kids.
It destroyed her every time.
She had wanted children of her own. She knew time was running out. She was feeling sad about life.
Sasha knew Jane's moods. She would be okay after a good nap.
Sasha made a phone call. She called her husband. He missed her already. She whispered sweetly to him, she giggled at his words.
- Writer
