Chapter 12

Pearl grabbed her jacket and followed him out onto the balcony of his massive suite. He handed her a cigarette and lit it for her. She coughed. "It's been awhile since I've smoked." She said. Rhys chuckled. "I can see that. Your hair is a bit of a hot mess and I'd lying if I said I wasn't VERY proud of that" He said, gloating and smiling. "Thanks man." She replied and made an attempt to pat it down. "Don't fix it, I like seeing my work. Damn Pearl, what was that in there?"

"I don't know, but it was incredible". She meant it. It was intense and wonderful. "So is this when I say it's been fun and make myself scarce?" She asked, half serious.

"No way! Unless you have to go. I meant when I said I wanted to hang out and spend the night talking and laughing with you. When I saw you in my room and knew we were alone, I couldn't help myself. I'd apologize but I'm not the slightest bit sorry. Stay for while?" Rhys seemed genuine and eager for her to answer.

"Sure. I'll stick around for a little while but I can't have you getting all clingy and fan girling me. Us goddesses have rules you know"

"I'm sure you do" Rhys smiled and said.

Pearl woke up in Rhys' suite and rolled over in bed, looking right in his sleeping face. He was wrapped around her and looked so peaceful she felt bad moving him but she had to pee. Bad. She gathered her clothes and went quietly into the bathroom across the hall. What a night. They spent most of it talking and drinking and laughing. They even managed to write half a song. It was quite literally the best night of her life. She took a quick shower and used some of the complimentary mouthwash in the bathroom. She had some concealer and mascara in her purse. It wasn't perfect but it would have to do. Her hair was a lost cause but she didn't care. It looked wild and wet and reminiscent of the glorious romp she had just had with a celebrity. Screw it, she thought. Then she heard a knock at the door. "Pearl?"

"Uh yeah! Just freshening up" she grabbed her things and opened the door.

"Oh good. I thought you left without saying goodbye. Good morning Pearl with the pretty eyes. Would you like some breakfast...er lunch? It's lunch time. We slept late. Very late." He walked past her completely naked and started the shower.

"Ummm, I think I'll probably get going. I don't want to be in your hair when you have things to do. I'll just show myself out." Pearl said as she started out into the hall.

"Wait! No. Give me a sec. Don't leave til I get out the shower. Promise?" He asked sticking his head out of the shower door.

"I'll be here when you get out" she said. She walked into the giant living room and sat down. What a night. Yesterday was so amazing, she wasn't sure how she would just go back to her normal life without being changed by it. He walked out, still in a towel. His dark hair wet and hanging, making his eyes stand out even more. "I had an amazing time, Pearl. Thank you. For everything " he said.

"Me too, thank you, Rhys. Be safe back to wherever it is you're going and good luck with everything." He kissed her and hugged her, and seemed like he didn't want to let go. She walked to his door, looked back and smiled. He closed the door behind her and she hit the elevator button. His door opened again and he said, "I hope this isn't the last I see you. You know how to get ahold of me." He smiled and closed the door as the elevator opened. She did? She had no idea how to get ahold of him. Oh well. It was what it was. And it was amazing.

She got back to her apartment and changed her clothes, trying to get a brush through her hair. She checked her phone for the first time since the evening before. 13 text messages and two calls. Eight were from Janie and John asking how her night went and if she was ok. One was from her assistant Ashley asking if she got the brochure completed for approval for the next day. Two were from Blake, selfies of him and his friends at the bar with the caption "You should come out with us, we're fun!" Yea, no. And two were from Dylan. "Hey, I'm sorry about being a dick tonight."

"Just wondering if you made it home ok."

Since when did he care? She decided to text him back first. "Yes I'm fine. Safe and sound. And yea, that was weird. Are you ok? You never care about what I've got going on." Good, she thought. Call him out. She texted back Janie and John and told them she was great and not to ask because she wasn't going to talk about it.

She called her assistant and told her all was good to go. There were two calls from her boss, David. She checked her voicemail. "Hey Pearl, it's David. Just making sure tomorrow is a go for the marketing presentation." And a second voicemail "Hey Pearl, David again. Please set up a time for us to meet tomorrow afternoon. I need to speak with you". Great. Pearl thought. She got her laptop out and pulled up her schedule to put him in. They were both free at 4. Scheduled. Then she looked over to the bag of books. Her heart leapt. She felt a little sad, too. She wanted to relive the previous day over and over again. It was perfect. She pulled out the Bukowski poetry book and opened it. There she saw inscribed, "To Pearl with the pretty eyes. 'The free soul is rare, but you know it when you see it - basically because you feel good, very good when you are near or with them.' -Charles Bukowski. If you'd like to chat more about essays and dick pics, I'd love to dive deeper into that mind of yours. Great meeting you. -Rhys. 490-555-2345"

Well shit. Pearl thought. I guess I do know how to find him.