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Within minutes the driver was pulling up in front of the red carpet lining the sidewalk in front of the historic building where their grand opening ofDirtyBusinesswould be playing in a fewhours.
It was still early by Hollywood standards. The sun pounded down on Hollywood Boulevard making her wish she'd held her ground and insisted that they cancel all red-carpet interviews. By the time she got to the air-conditioned theater, she'd be sweating like abitch.
"Ricky, make sure there's someone to touch-up my makeup in private after we getinside."
"You got it," he replied, updating the tablet he never went anywherewithout.
Trevor stood waiting near the curb, so tall he was a head above the pressing crowd. He'd gone ahead to do a security sweep before her arrival. Her newest and temporary security guard, Darius, had been provided by the studio. He exited the limo first to confer with Trevor. As the door opened, the shouts of fans screaming for Khloe and Dean grew louder, suspecting the stars of the night's premier were behind the thick windows of the luxuryvehicle.
Once the door slammed closed behind Darius, Khloe's stomach gurgled in the quiet car, complaining at her constant neglect. At least her elegant floor-length champagne-colored satin gown wasn't as tight as the dress she'd worn at the pre-screening party in NYC. Her days of starving herself combined with the lack of sleep due to worry about her stalker had at least helped her lose a fewpounds.
She jumped when fans got close enough to the car to start pounding on the windows, screaming her name. Her heart swelled with gratification. They loved her. They wanted to touch her–talk toher.
And one of them could be the one who wants to hurtme.
The thought turned her empty stomach. She tried to focus on the fact that, unlike in New York, tonight she'd have more people on the red carpet with her whom she trusted. People who would watch her back, refusing to let her psycho fan close enough to hurt her. She relaxedslightly.
When Dean tried to open the door, she stopped him. "Not yet. Not until Trevor opensit."
Dean looked annoyed at not being incharge.
The door finally opened, allowing the rowdy shouts for the stars to surroundthem.
Trevor leaned into the back of the car, looking serious. "It's showtime." He stared into her eyes. She could see his worry, and something else they hadn't talked about since he'd kissed her. When he glanced at Dean she suspected it was jealousy as he finished, "I'll be right behind you,Khloe."
Dean got out first and turned to help her out of the limo, already playing the role of the doting boyfriend he no longerwas.
As they pressed through the throng of fans, she heard Trevor cursing behind her. Anger bubbled inside her. The studio's security should be keeping everyone held back. She felt hands touching her and she fought to stay calm, her public smile plastered on her face as she leaned heavily on Dean to press them through until they finally got far enough up the long sidewalk entrance to get to the secured area. She recognized several of her fans, including the trio of pimple-faced teenagers who'd made the trek across country to see her again in Hollywood. They screamed out to her, but she kept going, only throwing them a smallwave.
A long line of media interviews awaited them. In typical fashion, Natalie hadn't done what she'd asked. Bright lights, photographers, microphones and pushy interviewers intent on talking only about her stalker instead of the movie she'd worked so hard on, stood between her and the cool lobby of the building. To his credit, and Trevor's displeasure, Dean didn't leave her side. He supported her when she became unsteady on her feet. They kissed and snuggled like the lovers they no longer were and the cameras loved it. It pissed her off, knowing that the sensationalized photos of her and her cheating ex would be plastered across the Internet and magazine covers, forever memorializing themtogether.
It was how the game was played inHollywood.
What felt like an eternity later, she detected the first gust of air-conditioned coolness as they entered the opulent foyer of the theater. Goosebumps sprung up on her damp skin at the sudden change of temperatures, and for once, she was grateful for Dean's arm pulling her closer againsthim.
A waiter greeted them with tall flutes of expensive champagne. She lived dangerously, drinking one down, filling her empty stomach. The slight buzz it brought was welcome and helped fortify her for the additional interviews and photo ops that waited inside. It also dulled her constant fear that one of the hundreds of people pressing into the foyer was her stalker, intent on getting her alone to do the despicable things he'd described in hisnotes.
It took them another thirty minutes to finally reach the end of the gauntlet where the director, producers, support personnel and supporting actors from the movie who'd gone ahead of them already mingled, waiting for the two main stars of the film to catch up tothem.
She was headed towards the Kaplans to give them a piece of her mind when the studio's coffee runner, Peter, stepped in front of her, this time with a tray full of her favorite treat–chocolate fudge. As if it sensed the nearby temptation, her stomachgrumbled.
The young man with the unfortunate acne was near breathless as she approached. "I've been waiting for you, Khloe. I brought your favorite food in the whole wide world. You told me and Iremembered!"
The producer's nephew had a way of turning up at the most inopportune times, but considering who his uncle was, Khloe always tried to take a moment to say hello to the young man who wasn't quite dealing with a full deck inlife.
"Peter, you shouldn't have. If I eat that much fudge, all of my dresses would stop fitting," she teased as Dean reached out to take one of the biggest pieces from the tray. He must not worry about fitting into histuxedo.
The look of hatred on Peter's face was alarming. "I made this for Khloe, not for you!" Peter actually reached out to try to snatch the sweet snack away from her ex, but Dean was toofast.
"Chill out there, coffee boy. There's plenty, and anyone who knows her knows she isn't going to eat more than one biteanyway."
Khloe placed a hand on Peter's arm, trying to stop him from making a scene. He calmed immediately, forgetting about the stolen treat to turn a smile towards her instead. "I appreciate you bringing me one of my favorites. You're so thoughtful, but I'm too nervous to eat anything right now. Please save me a piece, and I'll be sure to eat it after the screening, okay?" She gave him a celebrity smile that had him bumbling like the inexperienced novice hewas.
"I'll save them all for you, Miss Monroe. Ipromise."
He leaned closer, invading her personal space until she snatched her hand away from his arm, stepping back to put more distance between them and then chastising herself for acting like everyone she meets was her stalker. She was seriously gettingparanoid.
She didn't have time to obsess like normal, though, because she heard a voice she recognized calling out her name from behindher.
