Filed To Story: Secret Shifters Next Door Series PDF Free
I ended the call and walked over to the massive window that overlooked Hollywood Hills. From this height, it was beautiful. Down there among the dirt and backstabbing? It wasn’t pretty. Los Angeles had given me a lot, and now it looked like it was going to take its pound of flesh as payment.
Over the next several days, the true fallout of the story became clear. The paparazzi had never hounded me as much as other celebrities, but now I couldn’t set foot outside of my apartment without someone snapping a picture of me. My building security had even had to tackle some photographer who’d dressed up as a maintenance guy to get a shot of me going into my penthouse. Then the gifts started coming—gifts from men all over the country, all sexual in nature.
The story Luca had sold delved deeply into my sexual tastes. S&M clubs? Check. Celebrity swinger parties? Check. Drug-fueled orgies? Check. It didn’t matter that Luca had talked me into them, I was the one who had gone along with it. It had
been fun at the time, and I’d liked some of because I’d gotten to explore my kinkier side, but it had been a desperate attempt to fill the hole deep inside, to pass the time and get my mind off the crippling depression that was suffocating me. So, now every guy with a dick was sending me gifts of leather harnesses, whips, and giant dildos.
I’d had to almost totally shut off my social media presence. The flood of messages was overwhelming. Everybody asked to be my Dom and spank me, or to be my sub so I could pinch their nipples with pliers or fuck them with a strap-on. There were more disturbing messages, too, which spoke about things that were, frankly, a little terrifying. It was all too much, so it was better not to go online at all.
I’d dealt with stalkers before, although I wouldn’t classify the harmless ones as stalkers. Those were the ones who were lonely and didn’t know how to talk to women, so they latched on to an
idea of a woman like me. They’d send me love letters and flowers, but when I didn’t respond, they’d give up. Others were more intense, like the guy who’d actually tried to break into my house in Malibu. He’d have been successful if not for the off-duty cop out for a jog who spotted the guy climbing my fence. Then, the woman who was adamant that we were meant to be together and kept showing up at awards and fashion shows, asking me to marry her. She’d had a crazy look in her eyes, and Larry got a restraining order against her. As scary as those experiences were, some of the people trying to contact me now were terrifying. It was like once the story broke and people thought they knew what kind of woman I was, the real psychos came out of the woodwork.
It made it difficult to go out and enjoy myself. All my food was ordered in, all my shopping was done online. The thought of running into one of those people out in the street terrified me.
What if they didn’t take no for an answer? What if things got out of hand? It kept me awake at night.
Larry was also driving me crazy. He was trying his best to help me, but dealing with him just added to my stress. I was completely sober, something which had been a rare occurrence in the last seven or eight years, but my mental health was actually getting worse. Without the dulling blanket of alcohol and drugs, my whole life was more painful.
I wanted to be safe. I wanted my parents, but they were in Texas. A few years ago, I’d bought them a house there, on the ocean, then moved them out there and set them up for an early retirement. They’d sent me a few texts, none of which were related to the news, but I knew they’d seen. Mom and Dad were probably subtly trying to check if I was all right without coming right out and asking.
After a couple of weeks, I finally got up the nerve to call them. As the phone rang, I wondered how they would react. Surely they’d seen the news and heard all the terrible things I’d been doing with my life. It made me so anxious that I almost hung up before they answered.
On the third ring, my mom answered, “April?”
At the sound of my name, I blinked back tears. When I’d first started modeling, I’d changed my name, and the world now knew me as Fiona Steele. Even Larry called me Fiona, but my family always used my real name, and right then, I was very grateful for it.
“Hey, Mom.”
“Baby… I’m so sorry. I saw the news. I didn’t call because I wanted to give you time.”
“It’s fine, Mom, really. I appreciate it. It’s been… a lot.”
“Your father is also here,” Mom said.
“Sweetheart? It’s Daddy. I love you.”
This time, I let the tears streak down my cheeks. I cleared my throat and said, “Hi, Daddy. I love you guys, too.”
“How can we help you? We don’t want you to be alone. Do I need to come get you?” Dad said.
“No, it’s fine. I have been thinking about things, though. I’ve been a little homesick the last few weeks. Like
home
home. Lilly Valley.”
There was a slight pause. “I think it would be a great place for you to be at the moment. It’s small and quiet. I know your brothers would love to see you. You can relax there, and… I don’t know, get things back together,” Mom said.
The idea had been brewing in my head for a few weeks. It was like some invisible force was tugging at me, pulling me back home, back to Lilly Valley. I’d have privacy there because in Lilly Valley, I was just April Knight. Not Fiona Steele. Quiet? When was the last time I had true peace and quiet? I chewed at my lip, thinking harder than ever. Was this the safest thing I could do? It seemed that way.
“I’m going to call my manager and work on going back home. At least for a little while. I promise I’ll call once I get things figured out.”
“Okay, honey. Let us know if we can help with anything. We won’t tell your brothers; we’ll let you do that when you’re sure.”
I called Larry the minute I got off the phone with my parents, but he was not as excited about my plan as I was.
“Fiona, I don’t know about this. Do you really think going to some one-horse town in the mountains is the best thing to do right now?”
“Larry, dammit, how many times have I told you to call me April? And yes, I do. I can get out of the spotlight. A place with no paparazzi, and the only newspaper publishes stories about chili cook-offs. Sounds like the best place to lay low and mentally recover.”
“Fio— sorry, April, if this is really what you want, I can make it happen. I want what’s best for you, kid.”
“Do it, Larry. Make it happen,” I said. The excitement and longing built stronger in my chest even as I said it.
He sighed. “Okay. I’ll make the arrangements. Cancel any upcoming appearances or photo shoots. I’ll get with the marketing team to release a statement saying Fiona Steele is taking a break from the industry and to respect her privacy.”
“Thank you, Larry. It means a lot.”