Lady in Red Pt. 02 Ch. 01

"Wow! You really haven't heard? He brought Navy back from a 24 to zip flogging! They beat Ohio State on the last play of the game! I think he'll be starting from now on. Are you okay, Gwen?"

"You mean except for being a total ass, embarrassing myself, missing Steve's game, and possibly ruining my life? Other than that, I'm fine," groaned Gwen as she took a chair one of the girls offered her.

"What happened that was so terrible? Do you want these girls to leave so we can talk?" asked Charlotte as she realized how upset Gwen really was.

"No, they can all stay. Somehow, it makes me feel better admitting what an ass I was to a bunch of people. Jack Timberline invited me to dinner after the concert. After dinner, he invited me to go clubbing. Then, after he got me to have a couple drinks, he asked me to go to his hotel room with him."

"Oh, Gwen! You didn't do it with him, did you?" asked a worried Charlotte. "I warned you that he was a jerk. What are you going to tell Steve?"

"I'm going to tell him the truth; that I played the fool, and I even kissed that damn Timberline, but I did not go to his hotel room, and I most certainly did not have sex with him!" stated Gwen firmly.

"I know there'll be pictures of me with Timberline and probably some rumors about us sleeping together, but I swear I only kissed him once. That kiss reminded me that Steve was so much better. I walked out, called a taxi, and came home."

"You're probably the only woman in the free world that would be upset about people thinking that you slept with Jack Timberline. But after watching that football game and the interview with Steve Hammer, I can see why you'd never want him to think you had anything going with someone else," admitted Dakota. "He's a dream boat!"

"If even half of what we've heard about the romance of Steve Hammer and Gwen Anderson is true, he won't be upset with you," added Cindy. "He loves you and doesn't want to lose you. Just tell him the truth. I can't even imagine being in a position where I'd be worried that my boyfriend, Steve Hammer, would be upset because Jack Timberline is trying to get into my pants!"

"Uh-oh!" exclaimed Dakota as she waved her I-Pad in the air. There's pictures of Gwen with Jack Timberline on the web already! Look at this one. It looks like they're sharing a very hot kiss on the dance floor. Do you think Steve'll see it?"

"My God! I Knew I was being stupid, but now it's confirmed. It looks like I'm going to swallow his tongue! Of course Steve will see it. Every woman on the planet knows that they have to get me out of the picture if they want a crack at Steve. This is their chance. I handed it to them on a silver platter. How will I ever face Steve tomorrow?"

Just then Gwen's phone rang. Looking at the caller ID, Gwen answered quickly. "Naomi! How are things back at the academy? You saw that? Your mom woke you up to tell you about it? She was angry? You're angry? Nothing happened! I know it looks bad, and it really was bad enough, but I didn't do anything with him, except that one kiss. Yeah, I know. It was enough, wasn't it? Are you going to tell Steve? Thanks for that. Oh, you just don't want to be the one to deliver the bad news? Okay! I screwed up. Will you be able to forgive me? Do you think Steve will? That's what I'm hoping, too. I'll see you at the premiere, if Steve doesn't kill me first.

"That was a friend. She goes to Annapolis with Steve. She said there was a lot of celebrating going on at the academy since Navy finally beat Ohio State. She had been asleep for an hour when her mother called to tell her to look at the pictures on the internet of me and Jack Timberline. Her mother was very upset, as was Naomi once she looked at the pictures. She said she wouldn't tell Steve about them because he'd probably punch out the messenger!

"She said that most men would never forgive me for humiliating them like I did Steve. Then she said that Steve was not like most men, and that was my only hope. She thinks I might be able to convince him to forgive me, but if I can't, there'll be a line of women at his door, and she'll be first."

"Give her credit for being up front, anyway," observed Dakota. "I hope this so-called friend is an ugly, fat bitch with warts all over her face?"

"Actually, she's quite beautiful," responded Charlotte. "Steve had his first crush on her about four years ago when his Dad was stationed in Cuba."

"Thanks, Charlotte. I needed to be reminded of that. Don't get me wrong, Naomi is a very good friend. She just told me what I already knew. All my friends, except Charlotte, will be after Steve if we break up. That even includes my younger sister. I can't really blame them. It's my own fault."

"Ah, Gwen? If Steve's available, I'll drop Billy like a rock if I can get Steve to look at me twice," stated Charlotte with a straight face.

"What? You, too? You're kidding me, right? You love Billy. You wouldn't do that to him, or to me," insisted Gwen.

"No, you're right. I wouldn't do that. You know why? Because Naomi, Nadiya, Becky, Kate, Stephanie, Ashley, that red headed Russian woman, and a million other super model types would be after him, so I'd have no chance."

"They would be!" agreed Gwen. "We learned early on that half truths, and lies by omission can damage a relationship. Now I'll find out if kissing another guy in public will damage our relationship."

"We came home right after the concert to have some pizza and see if anything happened in the Navy/Ohio State game, and to see if Steve got to play," revealed Charlotte. "I taped it while we were at the concert. You were very good tonight, by the way, Gwen. I just wasn't too thrilled that you chose to sing that song with that masher.

"Let's watch the game again. I'll fast forward through the first quarter. It's enough for you to know that Ohio State was ahead 24 to nothing at the end of the quarter. They had Navy pinned down on the three yard line on fourth down. Steve went in to punt for Navy. The starting Navy quarterback was hurt in the first series and his replacement played pretty bad. He had a fumble and an interception that led to scores. The punter was hurt on his second punt, so Steve was sent in for him. His first kick was pretty good. The second punt was at the start of the second quarter. Let's watch it from there."

Gwen and Charlotte managed just a few hours sleep as their flight to New York was scheduled for an 8 AM departure. That barely allowed them time after landing to get to their hotel and prepare for the premiere. Gwen was feeling very depressed as she wheeled her bag through the airport in San Jose.

While Gwen and Charlotte were at their gate waiting to board, Gwen received a call from her mother. "Do you care to explain your actions, Young Lady? If your goal was to humiliate and embarrass your family and boyfriend, you couldn't have done a better job. Do you think Steve's going to stand for that sort of behavior? Or have you moved on to greener pastures?"

"Mom! You know better than that! I made a mistake, okay? I'm sorry. I'm very sorry. Have you talked to Steve? Does he hate me now? Is this going to be really awkward? If he wants to break up with me, I won't blame him. What did he say to you?"

"He hasn't commented on it to me, or Ted. Nadiya is here, because you invited her, and she's hanging pretty close to Steve. She's absolutely beautiful. Naomi is staying nearby, too. I'm not sure if she's trying to keep Naydia from getting too friendly, or if she's staking a claim. Kate is trying to stay loyal to you, but it's pretty obvious that she's trying to keep Steve from getting too interested in Nadiya or Naomi. Ashley is totally flummoxed, while Becky and Stephanie are intimidated by Naomi and Nadiya, so they're on the sidelines, watching and maybe waiting for their chance. Thank God that Lisa and Jordan are in committed relationships or this would be an even bigger mess."

"What about Steve? Is he acting interested in them? Do you think he's written me off? What should I do?" moaned Gwen.

"It's a little too late to do the right thing now," responded Paula. "You knew that Jack Timberline was a regular tomcat. Did you happen to see him on TV this morning? That jackass was asked about his night with you and he told the reporter that he was a gentleman and would not discuss personal relationships! He might as well have told the reporter that you guys did the deed all night long."

"Mom! I didn't sleep with the guy! If you think I'd do that, then there isn't much sense talking about this anymore. Does everyone share your low opinion of me?"

"Oh, Sweetheart! I don't have a bad opinion of you. I'm just worried about how this will affect you, Steve, our family, and our company. If Steve leaves our group, we'll have a lot less clout, to put it mildly. We'll work something out over the weekend. A lot depends on how badly Steve takes this... turn of events," responded Paula with emotion.

"Jordan and Lisa were pretty upset when they saw the pictures of you and Timberline. Your father wasn't too pleased either, but we're family and we'll pull through this disappointment. This is supposed to be a wonderful evening with your movie premiere. One good piece of news is that the movie is great! I had the chance to watch it last night and it's really good. You and Jordan show a lot of skin, but you both look fantastic doing it and Steve is amazing, but you already know that."

"We'll be in New York in a few hours. I have a lot of fences to mend and I'll do my best. But if Steve doesn't love me anymore, I don't know what I'll do. I can't imagine my life without him," admitted Gwen to her mother. "I guess I should have realized that a little sooner."

By the time Charlotte and Gwen deplaned and claimed their luggage, they were pressed for time. They had an hour to get to their hotel, get dressed, and make their way to the premiere. As they were riding in a cab, Charlotte gasped as she looked at her phone.

"What is it?" demanded Gwen. "Did you get a text, or an email? What's wrong?"

"I really hate to be the one to show you this picture, but it's all over the internet. It looks like Nadiya didn't waste any time after finding out about you and Timberline. I'm so sorry, Gwen," finished Charlotte as she turned her phone around so Gwen could see the picture on the screen.

"What is... oh, no! I thought she was my friend! I know he must be pissed at me, but did he have to kiss her in public? It looks like Times Square! I don't think I can go to the premiere now. I'll just stay in the cab and go back to the airport," sobbed Gwen as she felt the pain and humiliation of seeing Steve holding the gorgeous Nadiya Misko tightly as he kissed her lips.

The couple was on a sidewalk with all kinds of paparazzi clicking away. Steve was in uniform and looked extremely dashing, while Nadiya was in a blue sundress that revealed a great deal of cleavage as her arms were raised up and wrapped around Steve's neck. Gwen realized that she really shouldn't be surprised, nor could she blame Nadiya. Steve was everything a woman looked for in a man, and Gwen had betrayed him. She had forfeited any rights she ever had to Steve, as well as to her own happiness.