Chapter 130

Pearl looked at his perfectly white smile and smiled back. He was clean and regal. His presence made her feel small and safe, yet he had a completely bohemian way about him. Carefree and soft, layered with mystery and intellect and art. She was attracted to him but being a married woman, it was only to admire him from a safe distance.

"Hello, Erik." Pearl said, offering him the newly vacant stool next to her. He gladly took it and turned his body towards hers. "What do I owe this lovely surprise? I can't say I'm not completely over the moon to see you here."

Pearl shook her head in disbelief. The prince of England happy to see her. She let out a giggle and put her face in her hands.

"What? What is so funny?" He smiled and blushed.

"It's just, I don't think saying that I am flattered to have someone like you happy to run into someone like me is even the word to use to describe how that makes me feel. Thank you." Pearl said.

"Whatever do you mean...'Someone like me' and 'Someone like you'? Aren't we just people after all? And people that happen to enjoy each other's company?" Erik sounded so matter of fact that she thought he almost believed what he was saying.

"Right..." she said, rolling her eyes. He leaned in so close to her, she could feel the heat of his breath on her neck when he whispered, "If you were mine and you rolled your pretty eyes at me like that, I'd put you over my knee and spank you properly until you begged me to keep doing it and harder as well." He moved back and smiled, taking a drink of his beer.

His voice and words made her legs weak and her stomach flutter. She knew she was most likely bright red from the flush running up her neck and into her face.

"But you're not mine. You're a married woman and I wouldn't dream of making you uncomfortable. I apologize." He said, sounding completely robotic and insincere. She looked at him and nodded and he put his beer down and took a deep breath, then looking over at her with an intense and desirous look in his eyes. "Fuck it, I'm not sorry. Not one bit." He said and he kissed her, hard, probing his tongue into her mouth, opening his and hers wide, consuming her mouth with his and biting her lip so hard, she tasted blood. She pulled away and they both looked at each other with surprise.

"I... I have to go. I'm sorry." Pearl said, grabbing her purse and leaving as quickly as she could.

She made it back to her bungalow and closed the door behind her, sliding down to the floor. "What the fuck was that?" She said out loud. She was drunk. It was fuzzy but it happened. She sat there for a few more moments and got up, walking over to the mini bar and slamming everything she could. She wanted to forget everything and the memories of the last several months were swimming circles in her head. David, Rhys, Dylan, them both almost dying, the band, the album, Carys, her divorce, it was all so much to deal with so fast that she had now reached a point where she was breaking. After several more drinks, she heard a knock at the door. She opened it to find Erik standing there. Without a thought or a moment's hesitation, she invited him in.

The sun was peeking through the curtains the next morning as Pearl opened her eyes, blinded by the light. Then reality hit her along with panic. She was wrapped in a sheet and only her bra and panties on. She looked over and saw Erik lying next to her without a shirt on. Oh fuck! She thought. Oh my god. What have I done? There were bottles everywhere and her head was throbbing.

"Good morning, darling. How are you?" Erik asked, wiping the sleep from his eyes.

"I don't know. I.. did we?" She asked, feeling ill.

"What? No. Of course not. I don't make a habit of taking advantage of emotionally wounded, completely sozzled women. Especially one that needed my ear not my body last night." He said, putting his arm over her and pulling her to him. She had some flashes of memory that involved her crying and pouring out to him every detail of her life. All of it. And him listening and holding her while she let it all out. Oh god. She had told him everything. EVERYTHING about her life. And then she remembered vomiting and him taking her clothes off. And his. She was humiliated. "I am so, so incredibly sorry. I don't know how I can make it up to you. I owe you so much. I am so completely mortified." Pearl said, covering her face with a pillow.

"Well, there is one way you can make it up to me." He said, smiling.

"What? No. I mean. It's not that I wouldn't want to, but that's not what I mean. I can't." She started to say when he interrupted her.

"I was going to tell you to have breakfast with me, you bloody pervert." He laughed and got up out of bed. His body looked like a fighter's body. He definitely lifted weights, and she could tell he worked hard at his physique. She was surprised to see so many tattoos. His entire arm was covered in a sleeve on one side, his back and his chest also. "But I'll ask that you shower first. Your hair still smells like vomit." He said, smiling at her.

"Yes. Ok. Of course." Pearl said and walked to the bathroom. She only had one outfit other that the clothes she had on the night before. She had changed after the shoot into jeans and a tank top, which was now covered in vomit. She only her the leather pant outfit she wore for the music video with her. Oh well, he already knows all my secrets and had watched me barf my guts out. Let's have breakfast dressed as a rock star. Why not? She put on what makeup she had in her bag and stepped out of the bathroom.

"Wow. I can't believe how fast you went from hungover and reeking of bile to utter and breathtaking goddess. I'm speechless." Erik said. Pearl blushed and thanked him, putting on her sunglasses and telling him she was ready to go.

He took her to a place called the H cafe. They were up early and Pearl was thankful the paparazzi hadn't found them yet.

"So you just walk around LA with no bodyguards or secret service or anything?" Pearl asked him as they were seated.

"I do. There are people watching us right now, actually. But I don't care as I should. It infuriates my family and I'm called reckless and disrespectful more so than not." He explained. "But enough about me. I want to talk about you." He said.

"I'm pretty sure I talked enough last night." Pearl said, looking down. "I can't tell you how sorry I am to have dumped that all on you like that. I hit a wall and it all caught up with me, fast. You were there and I'd be lying if I wasn't grateful for that." She looked at him with shame. She felt horrible about it.

"I have never felt more... useful and needed by someone in such an intimate manner as I did last night. It was an honor to be there for you. You have been through so much in such a short amount of time. You almost died in a robbery, for Christ's sake! That alone is something that takes a long time to heal from. Then, throw all the other things into the shuffle, I can't believe you haven't gone completely mad. Your husband is a piece of work. I'm sorry. We can get into that another time but my opinion of him is less than it was when I found you home alone the other night." Erik was clearly emotionally distraught from what she told him and it made her feel even worse.

"And for the sake of me not ever wanting to behave like any of the men in your life previously have and treating like an unequal little bird that needs to be pushed away and not respected, I'm going to be completely honest with you now and as long as I know you. I have a confession to make and it might have consequences but that's part of honesty." He said, looking directly into her eyes.

"A confession?" She asked him.

"Yes." He said.