A Star is Born

Tessa snorted realizing her husband had made the DVD intro so he could slip away unnoticed before all hell broke loose. He'd taken the remote so it would take a small amount of time before someone could stop the show.

She knew this because he'd left the remote on the pile with his wedding ring and the divorce papers. In his wake, he'd left chaos.

Everyone there recognized her and Brad instantly. Within thirty seconds, enough sound bites had been displayed that there was no doubt what was being seen. It was she and Brad having sex in several public places.

She was relieved that all that could be seen was her face, tits, and ass. And, of course, that she was having sex. Thankfully, who ever had shot the video hadn't had access to their hotel suites. Having her family see this was very bad, but seeing her in a threesome with Brad and some, young makeup girl...

Her family reacted as she'd expected. Her mother was shocked and just cried, while her father glared at her in disapproval. Her brother gave her an ugly look as he escorted his embarrassed girlfriend out of the room. Her overly pious sister and brother-in-law couldn't even look her in the eyes as they left. The other sister haughtily walked up to her and slapped her. As she and her husband walked out, Tessa couldn't help noticing the way that brother-in-law was leering at her.

Needless to say, the party ended shortly thereafter. All that was left was to assess the damage and begin to clean up.

The divorce papers were obvious, but it was the note Lamar had left that was the most telling clue of what he was thinking. The letter named the Russian websites and confirmed Lamar had contacted a private investigator. It also made plain that he was invoking the prenup that her father had insisted they have.

The prenup was pretty standard fare, but did have an infidelity clause. The consequences of adultery were rather mild, only minor adjustments of the percentages each spouse received, but when invoked would clearly indicate infidelity as one of the causes for the divorce. In a no-fault state like Texas, that at least carried a little weight.

Tessa couldn't help but shed a few additional tears as she thought about his letter. It was short and to the point, much like Lamar, but it was filled with so much pain and anger. It simply stated that she shouldn't come home without calling first. He'd changed the locks, and since their house had been his before the wedding and covered under the prenup, he wanted all of her things out before the end of the weekend.

He went on to call her slut, bitch and whore, things Lamar would never have said to her before. She knew there was some truth in those labels, but knowing her husband now thought them about her hurt deeper than she'd ever imagined.

Tessa pulled the Beemer onto the George Bush and began jumping lanes, trying to make up for the lost time. Unfortunately, the Friday night traffic wasn't going to allow any of that. She tried to stifle another small sob as she accepted the fact that she was going to be over an hour late before she got home. She would have to call Lamar and tell him.

'It's not like he'll be surprised,' she scolded herself. 'I haven't ever been on time for anything during our marriage.'

She steadied herself as she dialed his cell.

"Hello?" Lamar's harsh voice answered.

Tessa froze. Her stomach seemed to turn in knots and more tears began to softly run down her face.

She'd hoped that his anger would've started to lessen by now. They'd talked so many times this past week and each time she could sense he was dealing with the pain better, unfortunately, his anger hadn't faded at all.

"Tessa?"

"Hi, Baby," she said forcing herself to smile, "it's me."

"Dammit, Tess, I told you not to call me that."

Undaunted, she continued, "I'm sorry sweetheart, it's just so hard not to. I promise I'll try to do better," she said, knowing that was a lie. She knew that any chance she had to save her marriage relied on keeping him thinking of them as a couple.

"Why are you calling, Tess?"

"Oh, Lamar, I'm caught in traffic," she said with a hint of pleading in her voice, "I've been here for... I don't know how long!"

She was only met with silence.

"Lamar?" she asked gently.

"I told you, Tess, that if you wanted to talk to me I'd be here until seven tonight," he replied coldly. "I have another engagement that I need to be at by eight and as you've said traffic is really bad at this time of day."

"I would think that saving our marriage would be more important than some get-together," she snapped in frustration.

"If that was true," Lamar growled, "then why the hell wasn't it important enough for you to be here at the agreed-upon time? What was so important that you're going to be at least an hour late for this oh so important meeting?

"Delayed at the hairdresser? Couldn't you choose what to wear? Couldn't work it in with your other commitments?"

"Please, Lamar," she said quietly, "please, don't be cruel. I know I messed everything up. I love you. I know you don't believe that, but I do.

"I need to talk to you face to face. I need to see you. It's been a week! Baby, I need to tell you how sorry I am and to explain what happened. I want to show you that I believe we are worth fighting for!"

"Tess, we've already had this discussion, at least a dozen times already this week."

"But not face to face! It's always been by phone. I need to see you, Lamar! Please!"

"All right, I'll call and let them know I'll be late. But it'll only be a little late, maybe thirty minutes or so."

"Thirty minutes? Is that all our marriage is worth to you?"

"Are you shitting me?" he barked. "Do you really want me to answer that? I'll see you when you finally get here."

As she heard him disconnect, a sense of despair fell over her. Her marriage wasn't just wounded, it was on life support.

Her husband's greatest fear had become a reality. How could they hope to overcome that now? She prayed that he'd be able to do something almost unthinkable... trust her again.

'How do you convince someone to not be afraid when you both know damn well that they should be!'

Tessa sighed, thinking back.

She'd joined the other desperate hopefuls when she'd began modeling at fourteen. By eighteen, she was frequenting catwalks all across the South.

It only lasted about fourteen months. By that time her body had fully developed and she was borderline too busty for the fashion runway. When one door closed, another opened and she became a lingerie and bikini model. To supplement her career, she branched out into acting, as well.

By the age of twenty-two, she was tiring of the lifestyle. She still loved the work but the sexual expectations, the casting couch propositions, and the hard-partying was wearing thin.

Then she'd met Lamar Hopkins. He didn't have model good looks, but he was in good shape and was boyishly handsome. His quick wit and humor made her laugh, and she was certain she could easily get lost in those dark brown eyes.

They'd dated casually for the first several months, but soon Tessa realized Lamar was the one she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. He was her rock, her safe harbor from the chaos of her world.

Whether it was simply resting in his arms watching a Texas sunset or spending a night of passion entwining both their hearts and their bodies, Tessa knew this is what she desired. It was what her heart and soul cried out for.

While Tessa was certain about them as a couple, Lamar was not. She knew he loved her and his desire and lust for her were very evident. What concerned Lamar was her career. He had serious doubts and fears, not about her, but about the industry, and he had every right to.

The world of fashion and acting played hell on even the strongest of marriages. It often blended sex and money and power. The lines between reality and fantasy were frequently blurred, if not totally erased.

From the nature of playing a part, to the expected nudity, to the physical combination of very attractive people, the sexual tension was extreme. Tessa couldn't remember the number of times she'd been propositioned, tempted, or even coerced by directors, agents, photographers, or producers. She'd even known of agents and agencies that encouraged those types of business connections.

It was that fear that'd caused Lamar to struggle with committing to their future together. It had taken her months to assure him that she was done with those extra-curricular things that surrounded the actual modeling and acting.

Now, after years of remaining faithful, navigating those pitfalls, she'd failed. She'd fallen, but it wasn't because of anything in her marriage. Their marriage had still been her foundation, a place on which to build her future. The passion between them had settled some after the first couple years, but it still burned intensely. No, the reason she'd succumbed to temptation this time was simple... fear.

Tessa was almost twenty-nine, far past her prime in the modeling world. In a little over a year, she'd need to decide if she wanted to continue modeling and become an over-thirty, or "silver" model. It was a decision she was avoiding, but the thought of leaving modeling was something she couldn't imagine.

She'd seen others who'd tried to hold on for as long as they could. Their desperate attempts to extend their careers had saddened her, and the thought she'd soon be at that point terrified her.

Another option would be for her to really pursue her acting. In order to do that she'd need to move to LA or New York. Both were daunting, since she wasn't even a big fish in her current little pond.

A third option was the one she had trouble even talking about, changing careers entirely. The few times she and her husband had discussed it, things had gotten very emotional and harsh words had been exchanged. She realized that most of those words were hers and she lashed out primarily out of fear.

'Please God,' she silently begged as she drove, 'don't let him ask me to give up my dream. I know that it's going to change but please...'

She spent the rest of her drive wracking her brain, trying to think of ways to save their marriage.

When she finally pulled into the driveway, she was already emotionally exhausted. The anxiety and anticipation of her meeting had her adrenaline flowing, but she could feel an overwhelming weariness waiting in the background.

Fixing her makeup, she stepped out of the car and strode up to the front door.

His welcome was cool, at best. She stepped forward to hug him, but he stepped back and shook his head.

"Lamar, I'm so sorry!" she began.

"I am, too," he replied coldly. "Why don't we take this to the living room. Would you like something to drink?"

"Something strong, please. I feel like I may need it."

"Your usual gin and tonic?"

"Yes, that would be fine. Thank you."

She watched as he quickly fixed her drink and then led them to the living room. He was looking good wearing a nice dress shirt, dress jeans, and cowboy boots. She hoped he recognized her attire that evening, as well, since she'd tried to put on her best face.

"You look good," she said softly.

"So do you, but then you always do."

"Thank you. You said you had a date tonight?"

"No, I didn't say that," he snapped. "I'm meeting my team from work for German food and beer. We're meeting just up the road at the Bavarian Grill. I don't want to keep them waiting, so please say whatever it is you need to say."

"How can you be so cold? It's like you don't care anymore!"

He snorted in obvious disgust.

"I care," he said the pain evident in his voice. "I wish the hell that I didn't so this would be easier! When I found out it almost killed me. It's lucky you weren't at home when I saw those videos. I cursed and yelled and cried; it was ugly. You tore out my heart by cheating on me.

"The simple fact is that I'm all cried out. Now I can look at what's left of our marriage and see it more clearly. I honestly don't see it surviving. I'd hoped to grow old with you... but that's not going to happen now."

"No!" Tessa pleaded, "I'm so sorry, Baby! I love you. Please don't give up on us. We can get through this!"

"I don't see how."

"We could do counseling! I know it would help."

"Help?" he sneered. "You've got to be joking. Help what? Help make you feel better? Cause it sure as hell won't make me trust you!

"Tessa, your career takes you away from home frequently. Usually, it's, days or a week or two at a time but sometimes longer, much longer. When you were on the road with that play you were gone, off and on, for months.

"I was able to survive those times because I believed you were faithful, even though I knew you were surrounded by temptations. You knew my greatest fear would be that you'd forget me... forget us. And you did."

"Baby, I know I failed you, but I promise you --"

"Stop," he interrupted. "You've already made those promises and weren't able to keep them. I realize you're sorry and I even believe you may still love me, but it's not enough.

"There's no amount of apologies or counseling that will change the fact that I will have doubts believing you're staying faithful when you're gone. I can't live like that, Tess. I'm sorry but I just can't."

"Please, Lamar," she cried, "please try."

"You can't..." he started, then paused regaining control of his emotions. "Tess, do you really understand what you did? You didn't just fail; you threw me away."

"No! I just got wrapped up in that stupid fantasy world and ended up betraying you. I failed US!"

"No!" he shouted, stunning her. "You threw me away. You didn't just cheat on me, Tess. Unless you suddenly turned into a huge exhibitionist, you disregarded our entire marriage. You not only gave yourself to another, but you did it publicly and multiple times!

"That's like taking disrespect and smothering it with humiliation for me. You didn't just forget about your loyal husband; you allowed another man to publicly humiliate him!"

"Lamar, please!" she pleaded. "I didn't mean to do that to you!"

"Look, Tess, you're beautiful. Hell, you're the most stunning woman I've ever met! I'm sure you'll have guys begging to marry you as soon as they hear you're free. Go find somebody who can deal with your career and the temptations it offers you. Someone who can deal with your inevitable slips because that's just not me."

"I don't want someone else; I want you! You're the one I love. I know you doubt that, but I want the chance to make it up to you."

"How?" he snorted. "How could you even begin making something like this back up to me?"

"I don't know, but I'll do anything! I know I betrayed you. If I could find a way to take it back, you know I would."

"I'm not so sure, Tessa. We both know you've been worried about coming to the end of this chapter of your career. I have no doubt it was a factor in what you did."

"It was! No one can understand how painful it is to be told you're too old, or you're not thin enough, or you're not pretty enough. You can't help but take it personally! There are so few careers out there where you're judged solely on your looks or image. Although everyone faces some of that, whether you can actually do the job or task is the main factor for most careers."

"While I'm sure that's true, you knew that before you ever started working in that meat market. You also weren't alone. Even before we were married, we were a team. I was your biggest cheerleader. You used to even call me your rock.

"But, Tess, the past year or so you've refused to talk to me about it. I know it's scary and even overwhelming, but you've made sure that you're going through this without me. It feels like you've pitted our marriage against your career."

"Please, Lamar," she said with tears streaming down her face, "don't ask me to give up my dreams."

"I'm not," he snorted. "I wouldn't ask you to do that. So, I'm walking away from my dream. My dream of us, because without trust I'll eventually destroy any love we still have for one another.

"Please, Lamar," she whispered as she cried.

A knock at the door interrupted them. Lamar looked over at her as she dried her eyes.

"I'll be right back," he said getting up to go answer the door.

When he opened it, he was taken back.

"Hello," said the tiny redhead. "I'm selling Girl Scout cookies..."

He snorted out a welcoming laugh.

"So where's your uniform?"

"Ooh, that could be interesting!" Kelsey said grinning and waggling her eyebrows.

Lamar slowly shook his head and groaned.

"Get in here before you embarrass both of us," he said opening the door for her.

She took a few steps into the house but then froze. He turned and saw his future ex-wife glaring at his workmate.

"And what the hell is this?" Tessa sneered, still wiping away her tears. "I thought you said it wasn't a date!"

"It's not! Kelsey is part of my team from work. You met her at the last Christmas party."

He saw no recognition in Tessa's eyes. Shaking his head, he re-introduced them.

"Tessa, this is Kelsey. She works with me. Kelsey, this is Tessa and you already know who she is."

"OMG!" Kelsey squealed, "You're Tessa Albright! Can I have your autograph?"

"I... umm...," Tessa replied, obviously taken back.

"Lamar, do you have a black marker?" the redhead said looking over at him.

He nodded cautiously, seeing a definite sparkle in her eyes.

"Great!" she bubbled, "I'll go to the car and get my dildo so she can sign it!"

"What?" Tessa yelped. "Listen here, you tiny bitch..."

"Shove it, Barbie slut!"

"Enough!" Lamar barked stunning both women. "Both of you, just stop. Kelsey, why are you here?"

"I was sent to make sure you didn't back out tonight. I'm here to make sure you get some great German food and drink some great German beer!"

"All right," he sighed, "we're pretty much done here. We shouldn't keep the others waiting."

"I doubt if they minded too much," Kelsey grinned. "Kaama probably has Raj and Marty clogging, trying to impress her!"

The mental image brought a small smile to his face.

Kelsey adjusted her purse to the other side. She glanced at Tessa before holding her hand out to Lamar.

"Come on, honey," she cooed, "let's go!"

Lamar rolled his eyes but still walked over to her. The little redhead wrapped her arm around his bicep.

"Tess, we need to leave," Lamar said flatly.

Seething, but with tear-filled eyes, Tessa gathered her things and preceded the couple out the door. She stopped and turned to face her husband.

"Don't give up on us, Lamar," she said softly. "We're not done yet."

"You're wrong, Tess. We were done the first time you chose him over me. Our marriage is dead. All that's left is to bury it."

Tessa stared at him as the tears now streamed down her cheeks. The sight of her pain almost caused him to falter and take her in his arms, but the small arm that curled around his bicep tightened. He gained strength from that small endearment.

The blonde spun and quickly retreated to her Beemer. A few moments later she was gone.

The couple stood silently for a few moments before a gentle voice broke the spell.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Me too. This wasn't what I wanted, either. I'd hoped to spend the rest of my life with her."

They walked over to her car in silence.

"You know I could've just met y'all there," Lamar said wearily.

"True," Kelsey giggled, "but where's the fun in that? Besides, when you called to let us know you'd be late, we knew one of us needed to come to rescue you!"

"And you lost the bet?"

"Hell no!" she snorted. "There wasn't any bet. I never gave them that chance!"

"Ah... listen," he said as he looked back over at his car. "Maybe we should take both cars, just in case I need to leave early. I'm not sure I'll be the best company tonight."