Page 77 of Play Me

Chapter Twenty-Three

“Get up, guys, get up.” A male voice is calling us. And it’s suddenly bright.

I grab the sheet and pull it over my head. I can hear Sebastian growling his own disgust at being woken so early after the night we had.

“Cadence. Sebastian. Guys, wake up, we need to talk to you.” I think it’s Jez, but I know there’s more than one person in the room.

“Later.” Sebastian growls.

“No. Now.” Dennis’ voice speaks up. That seems to get Sebastian’s attention. He sighs and sits up.

I hear the crinkle of newspaper and then silence.

Sebastian mumbles something and I hear everyone leave.

“Yay, back to sleep,” I gurgle happily and tuck the sheet back under my chin.

“Cadence. You need to get up.” Sebastian says, and his voice is firm. Enough for it to penetrate my sleepy haze.

I turn around and he’s sitting up, looking at the newspaper in his hand.

“What’s going on? I was looking forward to a sleep-in. It’s the right of a teacher during school holiday time.” I grumble, rubbing my eyes, waiting for them to focus.

“I know, baby, I know. But um, something’s happened.”

“What?”

“Look. Um. We’ll take it care of it, but it looks like...” He voice peters off, and I notice he’s still gripping the newspaper in his hand.

“Give me the newspaper, Sebastian.”

“Wait. Let me...” He starts and then fades out again. It must be bad if he can’t even tell me.

“Just give it to me.”

He sighs and hands it me.

There, on the front page of the paper is a half-page picture of me. Of me having sex with Sebastian.

And the words, “Rockstar’s Sex-Crazed New Wife- Ex Porn Star?”

My eyes drift to the row of pictures below the main one, and my blood freezes in my veins.

“Oh my God.” It’s a collage of the pictures from the sex video leaked of me seven years ago.

“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god.” I can’t believe what I’m seeing. After all this time, back on the front page of the newspaper. “Oh my god, Sebastian!!!”

Sebastian rips the paper away from me and throws it over the side of the bed. He turns back and all I can do is stare at him. My mind is completely frozen. I can’t even comprehend what has just happened.

“Cadence,” Sebastian starts, reaching out to touch me.

I can’t help but pull away, jumping out of the bed.

“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god.”

Sebastian comes up and wraps his arms around me, trying to hold me, stop me from pacing.

“It’s OK, we’re going to take care of it, it’s going to be OK.”