Relationship Fast Lane

*These events happened in January 2015*
**Editor’s note: I know it’s been a long time, but I’m going to fill you guys in on Penny’s life for the past month and then come back with even better adventures! Thanks for reading!**

“Where do you see us in, say, a year?” Trent asked over dinner.

“Hmmmm. I don’t know. Living together?” I offered.

The truth was, I hadn’t really given it much thought. I liked where we were, and I was afraid to think about the future with him. Any time I thought about a future with a past boyfriend, it ended shortly after we did something about it. Or maybe I was a commitment-phobe. Granted Tony was a jerk, I did throw myself into work to get my show up and running. But now that it was getting launched in a month, I really should take a step back.

“I like that idea,” he said, smiling.

“What?”

“What do you think about a baby?” he said.

“Oh. In a year?” I said, feeling suddenly light-headed.

“Well, I am in my 40s, so I would like at least one more soon.”

“Trent, where is this coming from? I mean, I’m not against it, I just didn’t even factor kids into my….”

He looked disappointed.

“Let me back track. I’ve been so focused on us and the show. I hadn’t really thought about children for at least a few years. I didn’t think age was an issue….”

“It’s not. Well, it is,” he started. “I mean, I don’t know. I’ve just always wanted to give Nick a sibling. And…”

“And, what?”

“I heard that Melanie is pregnant.”

And there it was.

“Oh Trent. I’m sorry. I just….is it a competition though?” I said, treading lightly.

“No. I guess I just always thought his brother or sister would be one of my own children. And I love you and I know this is going in that direction…But you’re right. Now is not the time for you. Your career should come first…”

And then I realized that I was doing exactly what Melanie did to him. I was putting my career ahead of my relationship and the possibility of a family with him. But was this something I wanted? It’s not that I ever felt our relationship moved too fast, but suddenly I felt like I was living it in the fast lane. I needed to convince him that I wasn’t her. But I wasn’t sure of that myself.

I put my hand on his. “Look at me,” I said, gently.

“I love you. And I would love to have a child with you. I just don’t think right now is the right time. It’s not just my career. There’s also the fact that we haven’t even been dating for a year…”

“You’re right, I’m sorry,” he said, suddenly changing his tune. “I shouldn’t have brought it up. I guess I’m just upset by this news from Melanie. I have to shake it off. Let’s talk about something else.”

“OK,” I said, getting a pit in my stomach. “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” he said, as he leaned over to kiss me. “Tell me about your media blitz.”

As I got into the details of my tour, which was going to coincide with the Tonight Show Arizona show, as well as the Los Angeles weeklong shows, I couldn’t help but wonder if the baby conversation was really over. The truth was, after that scare with Tony a few months before we broke up, I knew I wasn’t ready for a child. And I always knew that Trent and I were at different points of our career and life. He has always been supportive, but I fear that he may resent me for it just as Tony did. But that’s my baggage. Unfortunately, it’s Trent’s baggage with Melanie too.

**********************************************

“What’s up with you?” Matt said.

We were doing more planning for season two and possibly season three of the show. He was only going to be at a few events during the media blitz, so he was also prepping me for being in the spotlight. Luckily, it was really the cast that would get the cameras on them, but lots of media want to meet the brains behind the whole thing.

“Nothing,” I said, still shaken up by the baby conversation a few days earlier.

“Liar.”

“Trent wants a baby.”

“Doesn’t he have a kid?”

“Yes. He wants another one.”

“So what’s the big deal? You want kids too.”

“He wants it like right now.”

“Oh. Hmmmm.”

“Yea.”

“Write about it?” Matt offered.

“Ha. It’s fine. I’ll deal with it.”

“For what it’s worth, I think you’d be a great mom. I mean, I could totally see us sitting here with a bouncer in the corner of your office.”

“Enough. I’m not telling you things anymore.”

“I’m just saying, don’t discount the idea just yet. You’re not getting any younger.”

“Oh my God, enough!” I said, throwing paper at him.

*************************************

“Hey, I’m sorry to throw all that baby stuff at you the other day,” Trent said, as we cuddled in bed.

“Trent, it’s fine.”

“No, it’s not. I don’t want to scare you away.”

“But if it’s what you really want, a discussion needed to be had.”

“True. It is what I want at some point. But you were right. it’s not a competition with Melanie.”

I smiled. Perhaps I was freaking out about nothing. Though, as he kissed down my body, I couldn’t get rid of that nagging feeling that not everything was OK.

Most Wonderful Time of the Year

“OK, you have an interview with EW Wednesday morning, then US Weekly. But you can phone that one in. Then, I have a list of questions that you can just answer by Thursday morning for some other websites that want to feature stories on your show,” Anna said, as we went over my week’s schedule on Tuesday.

Monday, I basically went straight from the airport to work, which was fine because I was thoroughly relaxed and fucked. I was actually surprised I got a tan down there, as we spent a lot of time in the hotel room.

“Grrr. That’s a lot of interviews,” I said, sighing. I hated being the center of attention. I almost wished I could send a proxy ‘me’ out on these media things, but I know it’s important for my face to be seen. And it’s been getting a lot of buzz. Anna has been doing a great job with the social media aspect.

“Well, only one is in person, and you love Entertainment Weekly, so I figured you’d want to be there for that one,” she said. “Then, do you want to go over next week’s schedule?”

“Sure, why not?” I said. I knew I had signed up for this, but it was just getting so crazy.

“Monday and Tuesday, you have to be there for the promo shoots, which are in a studio in mid-town. Thursday night is the dress rehearsal for Jess’ wedding. Saturday morning you have an early appointment for hair and make-up….”

“Got it. And then the wedding I’ve been dreading for the past eight months is in the afternoon…”

“Why dreading?” she asked, then realized why I said it. “Right. Sorry.”

“It’s fine. I’ll just have to see him and her one last time, then that’s it. I won’t ever have to see them again.”

“At least Trent is coming with you,” she offered.

I smiled. “Yea.”

It was a good thing that I was so busy, because I hadn’t really give that much thought into seeing Tony and April at the wedding. I could picture it already though. With her pregnant, he’ll probably get really, really drunk and embarrass himself or something. Whenever he’d get together with Jason, that’s what they’d do anyway. Which is why I wasn’t planning on getting drunk. Just a couple drinks to loosen up, and then maybe sneak off with Trent somewhere.

*********

“So I have some news,” Josie announced at the girls dinner Thursday night. I normally don’t make the girls dinners because I’m working at the Tonight Show, but with the show’s cancellation due to Jimmy’s new baby (yes, I kept that one a secret too), I joined them at the last minute.

“You’re pregnant!” Mandy said, guessing for us all.

“Yup! I’m due in June,” she said, smiling.

“Ohhh! Jayden will have a birthday month buddy!” Emily said, getting excited.

“So many babies and weddings!” I said, actually happy for everyone this time around. I had a lot to be thankful and happy about.

“When are you getting married?” Mandy said, looking at me.

“Really? You’ve been with Jeff for like two years now. I should be asking you that,” I said, turning the attention off me.

The truth was, I had a really good feeling that things may be headed in that direction with Trent, and I didn’t want to ruin it by talking about it. Plus it was scary. The last time I had that discussion with a guy, he broke up with me. It was a sore subject. And it was a good time of year for good things to be happening. The tension was high last year around this time with Tony, and after such a great Thanksgiving with Trent, I knew Christmas would be even better.

**********************

“What do you want for Christmas?” I asked Trent as we lay in bed together Friday night.

As he lazily ran his hand up and down my stomach, I ran my along his back.

“Oooo, baby. That feels so good,” he said. “I just want you in a bow.”

“Really? Well, now you ruined my surprise,” I said.

He looked up at me and smiled. “I love you.”

“I love you too. But seriously, what do you want? You have everything already.”

“I’m sure you’ll think of something. I don’t really want anything though. I don’t want you spending a lot on me.”

“I know that, but I have to get you something!”

“Socks?” he offered.

“You do seem to need socks, I’m always washing the ones you leave here.”

“My feet are always cold, just like yours,” he said, putting his feet on mine. “Like ice.”

“Yes.”

“You’re perfect, Penny,” he said, kissing my belly button and moved lower. “Now, what do you want for Christmas?”

“You to stay down there all night,” I said, moaning and pushing my hips up for easier access.

“Done,” he said, smiling as he dipped his head and licked my sweet spot.

Yes, it was going to be a very good Christmas this year. Now, I just had to get through this crazy wedding weekend for Jess and I could focus on everything else.

Will I Have Time to Bake?

Before you chastise me for being such a slacker, hear me out. I have never been this busy in my life. But I have also never been this happy. As busy as I have been, I never get shit for it. Trent and I manage to find time for each other. Stealing lunches at work and quickies before we both pass out from exhaustion.

Right after Lizzy’s wedding, work at the Tonight Show was busy because she was out, so I was doing the work for two web producers, which was absolutely fine, because I really do love what I do. On top of that, I was waking up early each day to head to the editing sessions for the show. We got a release date for February, which would be here before I knew it. The second batch of promos are almost finished and I’m super nervous how it will work out. BUT, since I had such a great reaction at Comic Con, that puts my mind at ease.

Last weekend, was Jess’ bachelorette party. I swear, it’s like all that extra money I’m pulling in is going right out to partying and weddings. It is money well spent though. This time around, a certain pregnant woman who’s name I shall not mention was not invited. It was just our close knit group of friends and her sisters. At her urging, we took a tour of Nassau Coliseum and got to ride the zamboni at the Islanders game. Then we walked over to the hotel across the street and got drunk at the hotel bar. It was the perfect night for Jess. Nothing too wild, and included her favorite team. Oh, and they won, so that was a bonus.

“I still don’t understand why they won’t let us get married at center ice!” Jess moaned into her beer.

“Jess, they said you could, it would have cost double the amount of what you’re paying for the wedding now though…” I reasoned.

“I know, but how cool would that be?”

“It would be pretty cool. Now drink up, those boys wanted to buy us drinks,” I said, nodding in their direction.

****************

“How was your night last night?” Trent asked the next day.

“It was fun. Nothing crazy happened.”

“No one asked you to cuddle?”

“No. But I did get a lot of free drinks. It was a cheap night once we got to the bar.”

“That’s my girl,” he said, kissing me. “Now, come to bed, I missed you.”

*****************

“So, this week, you have two editing sessions. You’re at the Tonight Show three evenings. Then your flight leaves on Friday morning. You get back Monday night,” Anna said.

We were going over my schedule for the week today. Trent and I were going to Puerto Rico for a long weekend. I found a great deal that wasn’t going to cost us too much. It would be nice to relax for a bit. And this time, I wasn’t running away. I was pumped to take a trip with him.

“Wait, do I have time to bake? I don’t want to be making cookies at midnight,” I said, panicked. I had told my mother I’d bring dessert for Thanksgiving. Trent was going to come by for a bit before picking up his son and going to his parents. Since the incident with Melanie a few months ago, we were keeping interactions with his son limited, which was OK with me. We figured by Christmas, we could all have a small celebration to exchange presents, and I was really looking forward to it.

“Yes. You don’t have dinner at your parents until 2pm. You OK with baking in the AM?” she asked.

“That’s perfect. I can bake while I watch the parade.”

“You’re so cute,” Trent said, coming by to pick me up for lunch before I had to head into work. “You almost ready?”

“Yes,” I said. “Anna, was there anything else?”

“Nothing for today. But the network is going to wait to start setting up some press interviews and such. Should I have them wait until you’re back?”

“Yes, please. Thank you.”

“Fancy, you’re being the one interviewed now…” he said, as we walked to his car.

“Ugh, I know. I wish I could send in a proxy or something.”

“I’ll prep you, baby. You’ll be great. Just remember the TV stuff will just be quotes usually from you. The magazines and papers are much easier. You know this.”

“I know. It’s still nerve-wrecking. I’m so glad we’re getting away for a bit before the whirlwind kicks up again.”

“And I’m excited to meet the rest of your family!”

“Me too. They are going to love you. Just like I do,” I said, smiling.

Yea, life was really good right now. Almost too good. I feel like the last time I said that shit hit the fan. We shall see. Hopefully the next time I write I’ll be writing from a beach!

Stronger

“How was the shower?” Trent said over dinner Sunday night.

“Oh fantastic,” I said.

I decided that I wasn’t going to make a big deal of April’s pregnancy. Was it upsetting? Yes. But I was in a different place now and I wasn’t going to let my baggage or my past affect my current life, which was really good. But I did want to tell Trent because we didn’t keep secrets and he’d know something was immediately up anyway.

“You see Tony?”

“Yup,” I said, nodding.

“How did that go?” he asked, treading carefully.

“His girlfriend is pregnant.”

“WHAT?!?!”

“Yup.”

“Wow. And she showed up at Jess’ shower to steal her spotlight or something?”

“THAT’S WHAT I SAID!” I said, relaxing because it was his answer that made me realize that I’m finally with the right person.

“Did she even know anyone there?”

“Nope.”

“Did she eat?”

“Haha. I love you baby,” I said, kissing him.

He smiled. “I love you too. Are you OK for real though?”

“Yes, I am. At least I think I am. I’m a strong person. This only makes me stronger.”

“It’s OK if you’re upset, you know that right? I don’t want you to hide your feelings because you think it will bother me.”

“I know. I mean, does it bother me? Yes. But what can I do about it? I can’t make her not pregnant. The next time I see them will be at Jess’ wedding, and then I won’t ever have to see or hear from them ever again. And until, I’m going to focus on my awesome, amazing boyfriend and my awesome and amazing TV show I created.”

“I think you’re awesome and amazing. Want to get out of here?” he asked.

“Yes, yes I do.”

*************************

Since the studio was dark this week for the Tonight Show, I spent my days over at the Queens office. We have two more weeks of taping and then I get to be entrenched in editing, perfecting each episode and hoping we don’t have to re-shoot any scenes.

Monday, I hunkered down with Matt for the day, outlining where we’d like to take the second season if we got picked up.

“So, how was this weekend? The new girl show up? Get any new writing material for us?” he asked.

I laughed, because the truth was I did have a lot of writing material. In fact, the whole series is based loosely on my life – just taken to the extreme. Though, some shit I couldn’t even make up if I tried. Like the most recent turn of events.

“Actually, I do,” I said.

“Do tell.”

“She did show up, very pregnant.”

“What the fuck? Really? Seriously Pen, that’s amazing. I mean, it’s not amazing news, but sometimes I feel like we don’t even have to make up stories with these episodes,” he said.

“Oh, I am aware.”

“Are you OK though?”

“Yea. I am. I mean, I was obviously upset, but then when Tony tried to apologize, I just got angry.”

“Wait, he apologized for getting her pregnant? Or for not telling you? Or?”

“Honestly, Matt. I don’t even think he knew what he was apologizing for,” I said, sighing. “But it’s OK. What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger, right?”

*******************************

“Why didn’t you fucking tell me?” Lizzy said, hitting my arm.

“Because you’re busy with wedding stuff. You’re getting married in four days.”

“I know! But seriously? What a dick? Both of them.”

“Haha. Let’s talk about something else. Are you all set? Do you need help with anything?”

“Nope. Getting my dress tomorrow, then rehearsal dinner, then chilling out. Counting down the minutes to my honeymoon.”

“Well cheers,” I said, raising my glass. “Because the next time I see you, you’ll be a Mrs.”

“Ahhhhh.”

*********************************

When I got home from dinner with Lizzy, I got a text from Jimmy to go out east for the day with him. He wanted to talk about the series and just chill, since we really haven’t hung out in a while. I took the train on Wednesday morning and he picked me up at the station.

“Hey pal!” he said, hugging me. “How are you feeling?”

“Much better,” I said, remembering that he was talking about the attack and not the April news, which by Wednesday didn’t even seem like news anymore.

He and I caught up and got buzzed on wine. I took the late train home and went back into the office today. There was an email from the network that they wanted to schedule a meeting next week to talk about the first few episodes as well as a release date. I was pumped, but also really nervous.

“What if they don’t like it? What if they change their minds?” I said to Trent as we lay in bed waiting for #TGIT.

“You’re being ridiculous. You’ve already said they love the scripts, why would they hate it up on screen? They will probably tell you they love it and move up the release date or something,” he said, tracing a trail along my breasts down to my hips.

“I don’t know!” I moaned and then laughed as he tickled me.

“You need to stop this. But I’m glad you’re in better spirits….”

“I don’t want to talk about that anymore. I’m moving forward…with you. Let’s talk about that trip you want to take in a few weeks. Given any thought to where?”

“Bahamas? Turks and Caicos? Puerto Rico?” he said, laughing. Before we started dating, I told him about my solo trip down to PR and he got a kick out of it.

“Ha ha. Will you just fuck me already?” I said, getting frustrated as he teased my sweet spot, but refused to put his fingers inside me.

“Is this what you want?” he said, as he thrust two fingers in me.

“MMMMM, I was thinking more of this though,” I said, reaching down to stroke him.

“God, Pen. The things you do to me!”

“Well lay down, and I’ll do more.”

And just like that, all the stress and troubles melted away.

Mystery Solved Or Is it?

“I’m so, so, so, so, so sorry!” Sophia started, collapsing into tears on my couch.

“Aw. Honey, what is it?” I said, turning into mother mode, handing her a tissue and sitting beside her.

“I did a terrible thing!”

“Sophia. I’m sure it’s nothing.”

And as she looked up at me, her wide eyes spilling with tears, I knew. I just knew. It was her.

“I…I….” she stammered.

“Sophia, calm down,” I said, getting up and grabbing my cell phone. I didn’t know how stable or unstable she was. I needed to be ready to call someone or flee, or both.

“It was me!” she finally said, quietly, bursting into louder sobs. “I sent all those flowers, I…”

“Calm down.”

She got up and started pacing, hiccuping, wringing her hands.

“Sophia, sweetie. You have to calm down and explain yourself,” I said, inching closer to the door and dialing Trent at the same time.

“You’re just the most perfect person. The perfect boyfriend, the perfect friends, the perfect life. I wanted to be you! And then I met Oliver and he was so great, I was so excited to be working with him. And then…and then….” she said, her eyes getting dark. She stopped pacing. “And then, he confessed to me one night that he was infatuated with you. And I couldn’t take it anymore. Yes, you were my boss and super nice and you gave me this great opportunity, but I wanted to break you.”

“I…I don’t know what to say,” I said. And it was the truth. I had no idea what to say. I certainly didn’t view myself, or my life, as perfect. I worked really hard to get where I was. I felt horrible that this young girl, just starting her career, viewed me as her nemesis or something. And I certainly had no idea about Oliver, but I wasn’t too concerned with that at this moment in time.

“Sophia,” I finally said. “I’m flattered that you feel that way. But you are also a very talented smart girl. You have your whole career ahead of you…”

“But I want to be you! You have EVERYTHING!!!” she screamed. Suddenly she wasn’t crying anymore. She turned around, her eyes flaming now.

The next few moments happened in a blur. Just as she lunged at me, I could see Oliver and Bruce running down the hallway to my office, with two security guards right behind them. The last thing I remember before my head hit the ground, was Bruce pulling Sophia off me.

***

“She hit her head, but it’s just a slight concussion. No damage. We’ll keep her overnight to monitor her. But she should be OK to leave tomorrow,” I heard a doctor say.

“What the?” I said, coming to. I could make out a man in a white coat and Trent. In the doorway was Bruce.

“Oh baby!” Trent said, rushing to my bedside, kissing my forehead and grabbing my hand.

The doctor gently moved Trent aside so he could flash a light in my eyes. He asked me the general questions of ‘Do you know where you are? Do you know how you got here?’ And unfortunately (and fortunately), I could answer them all. But I certainly didn’t want to stay overnight. I had work to do!

“Doctor, I feel OK. Would it be OK to just leave now?” I asked hopefully, as he made notes on my chart.

“I’m afraid we can’t let you do that with a head injury.”

“Baby, I think it’s best you just rest. You’ve been running around like a mad-woman lately, maybe this is what you need.”

“Well, someone needs to tell the office, both of them. Well, I guess everyone over at the show knows already…wait…Bruce?” I called out to him.

“Yes,” he said. “How are you feeling?”

“Groggy. And a little confused. Was Oliver with you at the office?”

“Yes. He came to security as soon as he heard what Sophia was doing. Apparently, she confessed to him over the weekend. She made him swear he wouldn’t tell anyone because she was going to stop, but when he heard she was going to confess to you…”

“He worried that she was going to hurt you…” Trent finished.

“Wow. Just wow. I had no clue. She was quiet and sweet on the set. Are we pressing charges?”

“That’s up to you,” Trent said. “The police do need a statement from you. But she’s confessed already. There is this one thing though…”

“What? This is it. It’s over, right?” I said, looking from him to Bruce. “Right?”

“Well..” Bruce started.

“I’ll tell her. Bruce, can you give us a minute?”

“Trent, you’re scaring me!”

“It might be nothing,” he started, after Bruce left. “But Sophia confessed to everything except breaking into your office.”

“Huh? You mean, there’s someone else out there, possibly crazy and obsessed with me? Maybe she’s lying. She’s clearly not all there.”

“She’s not. The night of the break-in, she was with Oliver. He’s her alibi.”

“I don’t even know what to say.”

“The network is going to have a security guard with you at all times at the office, and Bruce has agreed to be with you all other times that I’m not.”

“I don’t need a baby-sitter! I need a fucking detective to solve this already!”

“I know baby, it’s frustrating. But the police are involved now. They’ve gone back to your office to take more fingerprints. It’s going to be OK.”

“OK,” I said, curling into him on the tiny hospital bed. “What’s going to happen to Sophia?”

“That’s up to you.”

“Well, I don’t want to ruin the girl’s life by pressing charges. But I don’t want her on the show anymore. Can she just go quietly? We can re-cast, that won’t be a problem…”

“Sure,” he said. “We’ll talk to Sunny and the network tomorrow. Miriam has already said you can take the rest of the week off. So we can focus on cleaning this up together.”

“I love you,” I said, reaching up to kiss him.

“I love you, too baby. Now get some rest.”

And for the first time in a few weeks, I slept pretty soundly with Trent next to me. I’m pretty sure he didn’t sleep, because there was possibly still some psycho out there. But we were safe for the night.

This Is How We Do

“You need to go to Comic Con,” said Anna.

“What? Like just to hang out? Cool!” I said.

Anna was my new agent. After finally caving to Trent’s advice, I hired Anna as my agent/assistant to sort out my schedule and appearances. It was weird having someone tell me what to do and keep my calendar, as I was doing it myself my whole life. But I felt like I was going to overbook something and miss out on important things, like Jayden’s christening or Jess’ bridal shower. Couldn’t miss those, considering I’m the godmother and the maid of honor, respectively. Anna seemed to have her shit together, like me, so I had a good feeling about her.

“No. You need to be on a panel. Netflix will have a booth and a panel to introduce new and returning shows. You need to be up there to answer questions about the show and then available for photos for at least one of the days. You have the christening that Sunday, so I think Saturday will be your best bet. Thoughts?”

“Oh. Yea. Saturday works.”

“OK. Now what do you want to get Jess for a present. The shower is the following weekend.”

“Um, I was just going to order something online off her registry. And then throw in a pair of Islanders tickets.”

“I can pick those up for you and order the present,” she said, waiting to put down what I wanted to get her on her tablet.

“Wow. I am so not used to this. I guess see what’s in the $100 range and get one big thing or get a couple little things for the kitchen. I’ll give you my login for Bed, Bath and Beyond, so you can just charge to my account. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Will there be anything else for today then?”

“No, I think you covered everything. Thank you Anna. Have a good weekend,” I said.

After I answered a few emails, I summoned Bruce to take me out to Jimmy F.’s. A group of us were getting together to let loose. The past few weeks had been so crazy, that I just didn’t have a chance to relax. Among the group were Lizzy and Paul, Emily, Jess and Mandy, Trent and Sophia and Oliver, from the show. Oliver had sort of become my new buddy on the set, which was nice because it put my mind at ease over my stalker, who was still sending damn flowers to the Tonight Show office.

The photos that were sent to my apartment weren’t leaked…yet, and Trent and I were very careful about keeping our sexcapades, as well as our PDAs, in the bedroom. And this was really the first official outing where my friends would meet Trent. I wasn’t too worried, though. Plus we had Bruce watching out for us the whole night.

“Hey Al!” I said, settling in in our usual spot by the door.

“Hey Penny! How have you been? I haven’t seen you in a while…didn’t I read about…”

“Yes! Shhh. Keep your voice down,” I said, laughing.

“So things are well then?” he said, handing me a beer.

“They are.”

“The girls coming tonight?”

“Yes. And a few new faces too. OH, guess where I have to go in a few weeks?” I said, smiling.

“Where?”

“Comic-Con!”

“No way…for your show!”

I nodded.

“I’m so jealous! You’re going to have fun. But get extra security, Lizzy told me last week about your situation. Is that why Mr. Muscles is by the door?”

“Yup. He’s my best buddy until we track down who this crazy person is.”

“Hey baby,” Trent said, coming behind me. “Hey, man, I’m Trent.”

He and Al shook hands, as I settled into my seat. It really was the first time in a while that I was able to relax. I was with my man at my favorite bar, with my friends, new and old. And even though I was still slightly tense about my stalker still being out there, I felt safer surrounded my familiar faces. It was just what I needed.

***

“LET’S DO SHOTS!” Mandy yelled.

It was 1 a.m., and we were just getting started. Al made sure to close the blinds in front of the bar and alerted the bouncer about my ‘situation,’ so no paparazzi, or stalkers could get in.

As I handed out the shots, I looked over to see Trent chatting up Emily and Jess and got all googly-eyed.

“Hey there,” said Oliver.

“Cheers,” I said, handing him a shot.

“What is this?” he said.

“Don’t worry about it,” I said, turning to Mandy. “What is this shot for?”

“For being fucking awesome!” Lizzy screamed on the other side of me.

“Cheers!” we all yelled.

“Come,” Lizzy said, grabbing me, Sophia and Mandy to the makeshift dance floor as “Come Get It Bae” came on.

“You and your friends are awesome,” Sophia said. “Thanks for inviting me and Oliver.”

“Of course! You guys are phenomenal and really get the characters. I couldn’t have asked for a better cast to make my writing play out…”

“You should write more sex scenes for me and him,” she said.

Well, that was blunt, I thought.

“Hmmm. Do you have a crush on him?” I said, letting the alcohol talk.

“Maybe,” she said.

“Oh! He’s super nice! You should go talk to him some more!”

“BRUUUCCCCE,” Lizzy yelled.

I rolled my eyes and went to find Trent.

“Are you having fun?” I asked, kissing him as he wrapped me into a hug.

“I am. Are you?”

“Yes.”

“Your friends are a good time. I’m glad you invited me,” he said, getting that same googly-eyed look I had earlier.

“Eh, you know. That’s how we do.”

“You’re such a dork. We should settle up the tab, so I can take advantage of you at home.”

***

“Please don’t stop!” I said, holding his head between my legs, even though I knew he wasn’t stopping any time soon. I could feel the waves rush over me as he used his fingers to make me cum even harder.

When he felt I was good and worked up, he hovered over me, smiling and then slowly sunk into me working me up again.

“God, I love you Pen,” he said, as he buried his head into my neck and grinded his hips until I felt another wave rush over me.

“I love you too. You spoil me way too much,” I said, breathless.

After he came, he collapsed on top of me and we lay there catching our breath for a little bit.

“You really are something else. Every day I just fall deeper and deeper in love with you.”

“Me too,” I said, kissing him. “And that thing you did with the vibrator….wow.”

“Eh, you know. That’s just how I do…”

***

I woke up pretty late on Saturday, since we didn’t fall asleep until way after 3 a.m. When I checked my phone, I saw a message from Anna.

Call me when you get this. Someone broke in your office….

Obsessed

More flowers, more notes. The good news is the photos haven’t leaked yet. We let Sunny know to keep her eyes peeled for any mention or release of them, but it’s been four days and nothing yet. I just have a sinking feeling whoever it is that’s doing this will leak them at the most inopportune time. But, “There’s no such thing as bad press,” says Sunny. And according to Trent, she’s the best. She did keep his divorce under wraps for a long time. And she also reps some very famous celebrities. Since she’s a family friend of Trent’s, she’s giving us a very, very low rate for her services.

In the meantime, Trent insists on driving me and picking me up from work. I have to call or text him every hour, and he has his bodyguard friend, Bruce, escort me anywhere I want to go, whenever he can’t. Bruce is exactly what you would picture when you picture a bodyguard. Big, burly and mean looking. He’s also gay. But it was really funny watching Lizzy flirt with him, as she’s into the big, meaty guys.

“So, Bruce, how long have you been a bodyguard?” she asked, her voice suddenly perky.

We were in our office, goofing around until showtime.

“Ten years,” he said, not even looking at her.

He takes his job very seriously.

“Hey, lighten up Bruce! Penny’s not even famous yet.”

He didn’t say anything.

“Do you have a girlfriend?” she asked.

“No, mam.”

“Wife?”

“No, mam.”

“You can call me Lizzy, mam is so formal.”

“Lizzy, give the guy a break, he’s doing Trent a favor…” I said, stifling a laugh.

“Let me flirt a little! I’m going to have a ring on it soon,” she said under her breath, as Bruce smirked.

“OK, OK,” I said, rolling back to my desk and shaking my head.

“Bruceeeee,” she said. “What do you do for fun? And how are you not snatched up?”

I rolled my eyes.

“Probably the same things you like. And I didn’t say I was single, mam,” he said, as Lizzy’s eyes grew wide and her face turned red.

“Oh….I….” she stammered.

“Penny, I’m going to get a coffee, would you like one?” he asked.

“No, I’m good Bruce. Thank you,” I said, laughing as Lizzy squirmed in her seat.

“Mam?” he said, smiling. “Would you like a coffee?”

“No, I’m good,” she mumbled. “Why didn’t you tell me?” she said, throwing a paper at me.

“It was too funny watching you flirt. You are, after all, putting a ring on it soon….”

“I hate you!”

“You love me!”

“Don’t make me re-activate your Tinder account,” she threatened.

***

After the show wrapped up last night, I went back to the office on the set to bang out the last episode with Matt.

Running late. Gonna grab dinner, you want? he texted.
Just get me whatever you’re having.

As I settled into my couch reading over the notes he had left me earlier in the day, I told Bruce he could head home since Matt would be there soon. He really wanted to stay, and it took a phone call to Trent to assure him that I’d be OK the half hour alone in the office. And that I’d lock my door and make sure to not open to anyone except Matt. And that Matt would take me back to Trent’s after we were done.

Instead of reading over the script though, I pulled out all the notes sent with the flowers. They were so random. They all made reference to me in some way and someone watching me. But the instances they mention are so inconsistent. It could mean I had a real stalker on my hands. Someone who knew where I lived and worked. It creeped me out that some stranger was so obsessed with me.

I jumped when there was a knock on my door. When I peaked out the window, I saw it was Oliver, one of the actors on the show. He waved and motioned for me to open the door.

“Hey there,” he said, as I opened the door a crack. I was really paranoid.

“Hey Oliver. What’s up? I didn’t think anyone else was here this late.”

“You know my name?”

“Yea, why wouldn’t I? I know everyone’s name on the staff and crew….”

“Right. Well, I saw your light on and wanted to make sure everything was OK. I know you’ve been getting those notes and flowers…”

“How do you….”

“Security and the big, burly guy always following you around. It’s pretty hard to hide stuff on sets like this.”

“Ugh,” I said, relaxing and opening the door to let him in. “I’m such a newbie at this! And it shows. That’s horrible.”

“No, it’s not! It’s good. It’s refreshing! You know how many sets I’ve been on where the head writers/producers don’t really talk to the actors or crew? You’re so nice!”

“I’m naive is what I am. I’ve had this dream for so long, I didn’t realize I’d be giving up my freedom…”

“Well, there’s no such thing as bad press. So what if you have a stalker? It could be flattering right?”

“Eh. It’s creepy. Plus, I’m so boring! Why would anyone be obsessed with me?”

“Who wouldn’t be obsessed with you?” Matt said, walking in, looking confused.

“Oh! Matt. This is Oliver, he’s one of our supporting actors,” I said, introducing the two and taking one of the bags from him.

“Hey, man, nice to meet you,” Matt said, shaking Oliver’s hand.

“Well, Oliver, it was great chatting with you. But Matt and I have a long night ahead of us….”

“Right. Sorry,” he said, looking flustered.

“Stop by anytime. It’s nice to have another friendly face in here,” I said, smiling as he relaxed a bit.

“I look forward to it.”

“Do you think it’s Oliver?” Matt said, as soon as the door shut behind him.

“Jesus Matt. He’s not even down the hall yet!” I whispered.

“I’ve never seen him in here with you. Or around in general.”

“Matt, I hired him for Christ’s sake! It’s not Oliver. He was just looking out for me…”

“Or taking mental photographs of you for his spank bank later.”

“Oh ew,” I said, throwing a napkin at him.

“I’m just saying, keep an eye on him. I’m gonna tell that big guy to watch him tomorrow.”

“Fine, whatever. Let’s get to work.”

It was a little weird that Oliver stopped by, but he was just being nice. However, I’ve watched enough CSI to know that it’s always the nice ones that have bodies in their basements. Perhaps I would tell Bruce to do a background check on Oliver tomorrow.

This Is Getting Creepy

“You got more flowers,” Manny said, as I walked into the building yesterday.

“Oh no! From the same place?”

“No, mam. Different shop. Is this the third shop in a week?”

“Yes,” I groaned. “This is getting creepy. The notes are so cryptic. I wish there was something you or security could do.”

“If we knew it was from the same shop, we could investigate.”

Ugh. It was getting creepy. I clearly had some sort of stalker on my hands. I had asked every one of my friends, and no one was playing a joke on me. The thought of Melanie crossed my mind – since she was now playing the victim in the settled divorce. The scorned wife – cheated on by her husband. But as much as she was a bitch, I didn’t think she’d stoop this low. But then again, who knows.

***

“Do you think it’s April?” Emily asked.

“April?”

“Tony’s girlfriend.”

“Oh. Her. Yea, I don’t think so. But you never know. She should have no reason to hate me. I mean, she got what I had. And what I don’t want anymore. I still think it’s Melanie for some reason. She is a very powerful person. Knows a lot of people.”

“Did you ask Trent?”

“I”m going to again,” I said. “He doesn’t think it is, but he said he would ask if I keep getting them. Today was the fourth bunch in three days. That’s a bit much.”

“And each note references something sort of personal?”

“Yea.”

“Do you think it’s someone on your new staff? I mean, you don’t know any of those people. Or maybe it’s some random person who saw you in the papers or something? I think you should go to the police.”

“I know. Security at work was looking into it, but this person has been using a different florist for each delivery, so it would be very hard to pinpoint. But, they said one more delivery and they will contact the police.”

“I just don’t understand why the shops just won’t give up the person’s name.”

“He paid with cash and asked to be anonymous.”

“You called?”

“Every shop. Same answer.”

“Weird.”

After I got off the phone with her, I went straight to the next show of the day. Sometimes on Thursdays, we do two tapings so Jimmy can have off on Fridays. It’s usually a long day/night, but sometimes we have Friday to post stuff. In this case however, we were all off today for Jimmy’s big birthday blowout tonight. His wife planned a surprise party and he has no clue! It’s going to be so much fun. And! Trent is actually coming with me! As a couple! It’s going to be our first big event together. Well, our first real outing as a couple together. We’ve been to work events, just had to keep our hands off each other.

I got off work last night around 10:30pm and headed straight to Trent’s apartment.

“Hey baby, how was work? You look exhausted,” he said, pulling me close and kissing me.

“Yea, I’m pretty beat. But I got all the work done, so I can just relax tomorrow before the party. I’m so pumped!”

“Well, I’m just happy I get to have you on my arm. Everyone is going to be so jealous.”

“You are way too good to me. You know that?”

“Only the best for my Pen. So tell me, you got more flowers today Manny said?” he asked, rubbing my shoulders.

“Ugh. Yes! And another shop too. Are you sure…”

“I”m going to talk to Melanie,” he said, interrupting me.

“God, you really are too good to me. You just read my mind.”

“Well, I’ve been thinking about it. And I could see it being her. She’s so manipulative and can be downright evil sometimes.”

“Emily had a thought tonight. She thought maybe it’s someone from the series. I mean, I know they did background checks on everyone. But I don’t know them like I know people at the building, you know?”

“Very true. It could be. Are you going to the set tomorrow before the party?:

“Yes. I’m going to do a little re-con.”

“That’s my girl,” he said, kissing me. “Now, let’s go forget all about all those flowers.”

He pulled me into the bedroom and for the next hour I did forget all about it. But, then I tossed and turned all night, with dreams of being chased by crazy men with creepy clown masks who morphed into zombies. Yea, I’m not bothered by this at all.

Getting in the Groove

Go to the set. Go to the office. Go to the office on the set. Go home. Have sex. Go to sleep. Repeat. That has pretty much been my life for the past week, but I was getting into the groove, which was good. I’m not really complaining. I’ve just been super tired. And now that Babs has been on the show, it’s been much quieter. We do have Jimmy’s birthday coming up in a few days and it’s the big 4-0. But there will be more on that in a later post.

Being on a working set and having input on the scripts has been the best experience I’ve had in a long time. My directors have been great in letting me change things around that don’t work. And we had Channing Tatum in yesterday!

“Hey there, superstar,” Channing said, giving me a hug. (swoon!) “Great part you wrote for me!”

“Thanks! I tried to capture your essence with some embellishments.”

“You did! You have a gift my friend! Don’t lose it,” he said, giving me that Channing smile.

It’s a shame he was married….I mean. I miss Trent!

***

“So this is your new office?” Trent said, later that night.

“Yes. Can we christen it now?” I said, tugging at his belt.

“Frisky today? Channing got you hot and bothered?” he said, kissing my neck.

“No…”

“Liar,” he said, kissing my collarbone and sliding my dress strap down.

“Trent, come on!”

“Slow down baby. We’re going to enjoy this,” he said sliding his other hand up my dress as I moaned.

I bit down on his shoulder as he slid a finger inside me. I knew the walls were pretty thin and with the news of our ‘affair’ still fresh on people’s minds, I didn’t need people to hear us, though everyone had gone home for the night.

As he pushed me back on the desk and thrust into me, I thought I heard a noise outside the door.

“Shhh, baby stop for a second,” I said, turning toward the door.

“What? Did I hurt you?”

“No, I thought I heard something. Whatever, let’s keep going,” I said, still a little paranoid.

“Do you want me to check?” he said, seeing the concern on my face.

“No, it’s fine. I’m probably just overtired.”

***

“Penny – dah-ling, it’s Sunny!” Sunny boomed into the phone way too early this morning.

“How are you Sunny?” I said, groggily as Trent curled up behind me.

“I’ve emailed over a press release on your show to you. Give it a once over and get back to me ASAP. I want to get it into some magazines with some photos from the set.”

“I will look right now. Thanks Sunny!”

“What did she want, baby?” Trent asked, tracing circles around my nipples as they got hard. “Was she calling to tell you that you have the best boobs, ever?”

I rolled my eyes, as he took one into his mouth and got me all hot and bothered.

“Do you want to know or are you going to keep distracting me?”

“No one is stopping you!” he said, smiling and working his way down my stomach.

“She wrote up a pr….oh,” I said, as he found my spot.

“What did she write?” he said, stopping for a second.

“A press release on the show. Don’t stop!” I said.

“Yes, mam!”

***

I went straight into the Tonight Show office after our morning sex, as they were grabbing stock footage around the city for the series. I had stayed up late last night writing up locations and shots that I wanted. When I got into the office, I had two story ideas from Matt, which was great because with the stress of everything I had a bit of a writer’s block. Plus, he was so used to writing and acting and being awesome essentially, I liked having him as my right-hand man.

When I got back from lunch with Lizzy, there were flowers on my desk.

“Ohhh. Who are those from?” Lizzy asked, grabbing the card before me. “Can I read?”

“Um, sure. I don’t know who they could be from though. Trent knows I’m not a flowers kinda girl.”

“Dear Penelope – You make my heart skip a beat. Seeing you is always a treat. Next time I hope for more than just a peek. XX,” she read. “Hmmm. Weird, it has no name.”

“What the fuck. No one calls me Penelope, not even my own mother! And what does ‘more than just a peek’ mean? Let me see that,” I said, taking the card from her.

I immediately texted Trent, who said he wasn’t playing games with me. And then I called Manny, the security guard, to find out which delivery company came. When I called the place they said the guy wished to remain anonymous. Now I was freaked out. It had to be one of my friends fucking with me though, right?

And then I remembered the noise I thought I heard last night when we were going at it in my office. Shit! I thought. It was too late to call Sunny, so I shot her a quick email and then called Manny for an escort out of the building. I was really hoping this was just a joke, but had a funny feeling it wasn’t.

Damage Control

“This is bad,” I said, sitting down and taking a big sip of the beer and passing it back to Trent. “This is really bad.”

“You need a publicist or PR rep. I called mine. They are working on a spin for the story,” he said, sighing. “This is exactly what I didn’t want.”

Oof, I thought. Trent looked up and saw my face when he said that.

“Oh baby, I didn’t mean it like that,” he said, coming up behind me and putting his arms around me. “I don’t regret anything with you. I just don’t want to see the people I love hurt.”

“We’ll get through it,” I said, optimistic, but really not knowing how this would play out.

Would his ex-wife not sign the divorce papers? Would she ask for more money? Would this kill my show’s publicity or would it help it? I’m an unknown after all. Maybe this was a good thing? No! That’s horrible to even think that. There were so many unanswered questions that were swirling through my head, I didn’t see that I had a few missed calls.

“Hi honey! Are you OK? Barbara Stenson just said she saw you in the paper with that news anchor! Call me back!” from my mom. Great!

“Jesse just read the paper. Are you OK? Is he divorced yet? How did they get that photo?” from Emily.

“I know you’re freaking. You’ll be OK. Call me!” from Jimmy.

“So, what’s our next move?” I said after I listened to the messages.

“I have a meeting with my PR rep at 9am,” he said, opening another beer.

“OK. I’ll go with you.”

“Are you sure? You can just hide out, if you want. This isn’t your mess to clean up.”

“No, it’s our mess. There are two of us. We were careful, but clearly not careful enough.”

“I love you,” Trent said, kissing me lightly and then more intensely.

We started to paw at each other when there the buzzer rang. Trent went to answer it and then I heard her.

“YOU ARE SUCH A FUCKING ASSHOLE! You couldn’t have waited two more days!” Melanie yelled.

And then I heard a slap.

“Melanie, calm down. The news of our divorce was going to go public in a week anyway, so we move it up,” Trent said, trying to calm her down.

“Is she here? That little slut.”

My eyes darted around for a place to hide. Quite juvenile.

“Melanie, honey,” Trent started. “Please calm down and let’s talk about this like adults. How many affairs have we both had?”

“That’s not the POINT?!? What about my career? My life? Do you know how embarrassing this is?”

Gee, I thought. I wonder why they are getting divorced.

“It’s embarrassing for all of us. But it’s fine. I’m going to talk to my PR rep tomorrow with…”

Good one, Trent.

“With who? With her? Jesus Trent. You don’t waste any time. She’s a kid! You think her show is really going to last? She’s a web producer for Christ’s sake!” she scoffed.

Well, fuck you too, bitch.

“THAT IS ENOUGH!” Trent yelled. I never heard him yell. “I sat back for years while you worked on your career. I played house-husband to our son while you went off and had affairs. Insisting it was best for our relationship. And now, now that we are getting a divorce finally, you are going to deny my happiness? I’ve had enough of your shit. Get the fuck out. I will see you on Friday when we sign the papers. And I swear, Melanie, if you even think about saying anything negative to the press, I will fight for full custody.”

I could see out into the living room. As Trent threatened full custody, Melanie quivered a little bit. And as serious as all this was, I was the sick person that was really turned on by Trent’s aggressive demeanor toward Melanie. I knew he wasn’t happy in his marriage, but I had no clue about how he sat back all those years. It actually made me love him even more.

I could hear him sigh as he closed the door behind her. I walked over to him silently as he lead me by the hand into the bedroom. And while the sex is always amazing between us, something changed that night. Something magical happened. We made love. It wasn’t fast or rushed. It was slow and oh so pleasure-filled. And right before we came together, he looked into my eyes and told me he loved me, which certainly put me over the edge.

***

“Sweetie! Of course, I’ll take you on as a client. And since you’re a friend of Trent’s, I’ll give you a package deal,” said Sunny. She reminded me of Estelle from Friends. But, I needed someone for times like this. I needed someone who could get in front of a PR nightmare and do damage control. And Sunny and her team seemed great and affordable.

***

When I got to work yesterday, I could see the paparazzi in front of the building. I quickly turned around and went in the side entrance. I texted my favorite security guard, Manny, to come get me.

“You’re quite the entertainment for these guys, today, Miss Penny,” said Manny, putting his arm around me and leading me to the elevator bank.

A rogue photographer dressed as a tourist jumped out in front of us, but Manny stopped him and signaled for another guard to lead him out.

“You call me later when you need me to walk you out, OK?” Manny said, concern in his eyes.

“I will, Manny. Thank you,” I said, grateful for another friendly face.

***

“You had quite a few 24 hours, didn’t you?” Jimmy said from behind his desk.

I have to be honest, I almost felt like a kid in the principal’s office. The one thing about Jimmy Fallon that I’ve always admired was he always managed to stay out of the spotlight. And when he was in the news, it was always good news. And here I was, his star web producer and protege TV writer – getting involved with a ‘married’ news anchor and putting it on blast right before my series, that he got me, starts filming.

“You OK?” he said, concern in his eyes, putting me at ease.

“Yea, I think so. You know he’s signing the divorce papers on Friday, right?”

“Penny, I don’t care. I genuinely care about you. You’re my friend. This is your first time with this kind of publicity. I know you guys have Sunny’s team on the spin, but I also have NBC reps ready in case you need it. I think it will die down pretty quickly,” he said.

“OK. Good, thank you. It is a little overwhelming,” I said, relieved that he wasn’t pissed.

“And, I know this is a horrible thing to say, since I like both of you, but this might actually turn out really well for the show. It will give it some free publicity. I mean, who doesn’t want to watch a show written and developed by the woman who snagged the hottest news anchor on the evening news?”

And for the first time in 24 hours, I smiled and laughed.