Celebrity Liaison Ch. 07

I'm Jason Connors, I use to just be the average writer down at the Daily News, but ever since my very public relationship with Natalie Portman, I had been turned into a full time celebrity interviewer. Well, actually, in truth I was briefly fired but when Natalie offered to give me the names of several hot shot celebrity managers, I was back in the game, this time I'm a celebrity interviewer.

Well, summer holidays are here and so are my two girlfriends. Natalie Portman and I are keeping a steady relationship while Reese Witherspoon has just arrived in town with her kids. However the real reason for her visit was to be with me; which is really good for my ego. We weren't actually in a relationship yet seeing as she lives in LA but we have had sex twice so we trying to make something of it, which means I have to choose between her and Natalie. Of course they don't know about each other, Reese thinks Natalie and I are over and Natalie suspicions are no longer a problem as Keira Knightley convinced her otherwise. Currently it was 10 in the morning and I was in my apartment ready to go meet Reese.

'Where are you going?' asked Natalie.

Natalie had just woken up and was still rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She only wore a shirt and panties as she moved to the wardrobe.

'Just heading out for a bit. Work first than I'm meeting up with some people. I probably won't be back until late in the afternoon.' I said.

'That's ok, I'm meeting my parents for lunch today.'

I tied my laces as Natalie trawled through her clothes which were few in number as this was my apartment. She found a tank top and a jacket and threw them on the bed

'Are you going to stay at your place tonight or are you coming back here?'

'I don't know, I'll take it as it goes. Do you have any bras here?'

I laughed I looked at her. 'How the hell should I know, I don't wear them. I keep telling you to fill up that drawer I left for you.'

'Yeah I know, I keep forgetting. Ah, found one.'

I stood up and walked towards her. 'I find it disturbing that I have so much women's lingerie lying around my place.'

I gave her a kiss on the lips and made for the door.

'If you're not coming back here tonight than call me.'

'Ok. Love you, bye.'

The guilt was now as strong as ever. To be perfectly honest when Reese suggested a relationship, I was very intrigued but in all honesty didn't think it'd amount to something so I didn't feel very guilty. Sure I was screwing her but Natalie and I were still on shaky ground back then. Now I know exactly what I'm doing and I'm actually having second thoughts. Maybe I should just call the whole thing off with Reese or maybe I should just tell Natalie what was going on and take my chances with Reese. All these thoughts were going through my head as I drove towards her apartment. But despite all these thoughts I decided to stick to my plan. Date the two of them for a bit and see who I like more...

...

...

...

...fuck that's a lame plan. If I stuff it up with Natalie now there's probably no getting her back. Our first breakup was kinda mutual but if she catches me now or if I dump her, than it's all over. However as I stood in the elevator of her building and it quickly climb to Reese's floor. I started feeling better and when she opened the door; all my worries seemed to disappear.

'Hey you,' she said.

Normally southern accents annoyed the hell out of me but coming from her, I loved it. I swept her into my arms and kissed her on the lips. It wasn't long before we were lost in our passion but she quickly stopped me before it got too serious.

'You might wanna stop,' she laughed.

'Why?' I said as I ran my hand over her ass.

'Because my kids are watching,' she smiled.

I looked down the hallway and saw two kids, a boy and a girl looking right at me.

'Hey, how are you?' I said nervously.

Reese coughed uncomfortably and whispered to me.

'Hand.'

'What?'

'Get your hand off my ass,' she giggled.

'Right.'

She laughed again before turning to her kids and saying.

'Jason I'd like you to meet Deacon and Ava.'

Both kids waved at me nervously. Deacon looked like he was only 3 and still had trouble standing up while Ava was about 6.

'Family fun,' I muttered before asking. 'Is there anyone else here I should know about?'

'Nope. This is my cousin's place but we've swapped houses for the holidays. Kids, why don't you go watch some TV. Mommy will be talking to Jason in the kitchen.'

The two kids scurried off and we made our way to the kitchen.

'So how've you been Reese?' I asked.

'Great. But now I have summer holidays with the kids so that's gonna take a lot out of me. The plane trip here was torture. Do you know what it's like caring for a 4 and 7 year old on plane?'

'I don't even want to think about it. So what's the plan for today?'

'A family friend is coming by to take the kids for a while so it'll be you and me. But she isn't coming for another hour so we have some time to kill. Any ideas?'

'A few,' I said wryly as I slowly slid my hand up her shirt from behind.

Reese just supported herself again the counter as I looked over her shoulder at her. My hand glided up her flat stomach towards her breast.

'That's not very gentleman- like?' She said.

I very gently stroked the bottom of her breast. She was a mother but her breasts were still almost perfect. Her skin was so warm as to be hot. She just looked around to make sure the kids weren't sneaking around. I ever so gently traced my fingers underneath her breast and for a second I felt I tiny bit of sweat. Reese didn't move but still kept an eye on her kids. In case you're wondering, the kitchen and lounge room weren't exactly separated but luckily the kids were facing the other way. I slid my hand out from under her shirt and started to rub my hand over her vagina. Sadly she wore some rather tight fitting pants so I didn't actually get to touch it for real. But despite this I could still feel the slight mound of her pubic hair and the small opening.

'So, where are we going today?' she said.

'It's up to you.'

'Maybe we can just take it easy, maybe a restaurant or a bar.'

'What will we be doing for the rest of that time?' I said as I dug my fingers into her vagina.

Reese quickly reached down and pulled my hand away. I smiled as I saw that some of the material on the front of her pants was still wedged inside.

'Not with the kids around,' she whispered.

Suddenly my phone rang and the kids turned to look at us. Reese and I were quick to make like nothing was going on. I looked at the phone, it was my assistant, Olivia.

'It's work,' I said to Reese as I answered it. 'What is it Olivia?'

Reese went to the lounge room to look over the kids. I turned and looked outside at the New York skyline. On the phone Olivia said.

'Natalie just called.'

I froze. 'What Natalie? Portman?'

'Do you know anyone else named Natalie? She wanted to talk to you but I said you had the day off.'

'Shit, why would you say that?' I hissed.

'Because it's true,' she blurted out.

I paused for a second and then finally said. 'When did she call?'

'Just before I called you.'

'Ok, here's what you do. Call her back and say I'm in a meeting. Then tell her I'll call her when I get out.'

'Got it. Can I ask what's going on?'

'Nope.'

Olivia laughed. 'I have I feeling I already know. Ok bye.'

'Bye. And Olivia...'

'Yeah.'

'Thanks.'

I closed the phone and looked at Reese. She was holding little Deacon in her arms and looked up at me.

'Problem?'

I walked over to her. 'Nope. Just this thing I had to take care of.'

Reese nodded and smiled but obviously didn't buy it. She noticed that I was obviously nervous but in truth; nervous was only one of many feelings inside of me. I thought it would be easy to date these two behind each others backs but then a fucking conscience had to kick in. She started heading towards the kitchen and said.

'I'm going to feed Deacon. You just make yourself at home,' she said before giving me a wry smile. 'Ava will keep you company.'

I raised an eyebrow at her but she just smiled and went to the kitchen. I nervously sat down on the couch next to 7 year old Ava. She didn't even look at me and continued to watch her cartoon. I looked around the apartment; it was strangely neat except for the luggage spread out beside the couch next to me. I looked behind me at Reese in the kitchen with Deacon and said loudly.

'Haven't unpacked yet?'

'I've just unpacked my clothes. All my books, CDs and other junk are still in the bag.'

I reached down and grabbed one of the books; "Birds of Prey" by Wilbur Smith.

'You mind if I take a look,' I shouted over my shoulder.

'Course not. That book you have there is rather good. It's more one for the boys,' she replied in an equally loud voice.

'I know, I've read it.'

'Yeah, you like it?'

'Love it.'

I started flicking through her CDs. A lot of country stuff, not exactly my taste. In the middle of the stack I found a disc labeled simply "Reese". I held it up and shouted to Reese.

'What's on this disc?'

She strained to look at it before saying. 'Oh, that's a small compilation of songs I did for Walk the Line. I listen to it sometimes. There's a Discman in one of those pockets, you can listen to it if you want.'

'Maybe I will,' I said.

Suddenly little Ava whispered to me. 'It's bad.'

'Ava, I heard that!' Shouted Reese before saying to me. 'She hates my singing.'

I just smiled and pulled out the Discman and put in the CD. It took me a moment to figure out how to turn it on but I eventually got it. The music wasn't exactly new to me as I had seen Walk the Line before but most of these songs were Reese solo so I was pleasantly surprised when I listened to them. She sounded exactly like any other country singer which usually isn't what I go for but just because it was Reese, I was willing to listen to it. Eventually Reese climbed on the couch between Ava and me and rested her head on my shoulder. I pulled out an earphone and put it into her ear.

'You like it,' she asked quietly.

I paused before saying. 'It's awfully country.'

She chuckled before pressing the forward button on the Discman.

'Here, these songs are nice and mellow.'

Together we sat on the couch and listened to the songs. Not what I expected out of the visit but it was still nice. I saw Ava looking at us for a split second and then whispered to Reese.

'Um, are you sure your kids don't mind us being so...affectionate.'

'Don't worry, they're a couple of darlings.'

It didn't really answer my question but I didn't pursue the topic. For some strange reason I hadn't expected her kids to get in the way of our relationship. Soon Reese fell asleep despite the fact it wasn't even mid-day yet. When she did, I got up and called Natalie.

'Hey Nat, it's me. Olivia said you called.'

'Yeah, where were you?'

'In a meeting with the editor. So what's going on?'

'Well you said you were going to work but you left your briefcase at home.'

I didn't know what to say; I had to make up a lie real quick but then she said.

'What the hell is that I hear in the background. Is that Playschool?'

I looked behind my shoulder and saw Ava and Deacon were watching Playschool on the TV.

'Shit,' I muttered before leaping over the couch and turning the volume down slightly but this caused protest among the 2 kids.

'Hey!' they both said almost in unison.

'What are you doing? Babysitting,' asked an even more confused Natalie.

'No, well yes but...listen I kinda in a rush so if there's anything you need.'

'Nope, I was just asking if you needed your briefcase, because I could deliver it to you.'

'No, I'm just doing a few things at work before I catch up with friends.'

'Oh, ok. You sure you're ok? You seem nervous.'

'I'm fine. Love you.'

I ended the conversation as soon as possible. I stood there and thought for a moment before sitting back down beside Reese who was still sleeping. I was barely seat for 30 seconds when I received a call on my phone.

'What now?' I muttered. 'Hello?'

It was Olivia, and she was speaking really fast.

'Listen, Natalie just called again and asked you what you were doing.'

'Why?'

'I think she's suspicious. I just said you were in your office.'

'Shit, that's no good. She caught me watching Playschool and babysitting kids.'

Olivia tried not to laugh and asked. 'Ok, now I'm interested. What the hell are you doing?'

'I'll tell you later, listen if she calls again, tell her I've left and gone out with some friends.'

'Ok. Bye.'

'Seeya.'

'And Jason...'

'Yeah.'

'I deserve a raise for this.'

'You get my gratitude and that's it.'

I ended the phone call and was left sitting on the couch sweating. Great, Reese has only been in town for 1 night and already Natalie is getting suspicious seemingly without even trying to. On the table I caught a glimpse on the New York Times. In all honesty, this newspaper was much better than the Daily News but the Times didn't seem too eager to hire me. Anyway, one tiny article particularly caught my eye. I reached forward and grabbed the paper and looked at the article closely. The headline was "Star Sightings", it was a collection of celebrity sightings and among the names was Reese Witherspoon. It read.

"Oscar Winner Reese Witherspoon (Legally Blonde, Walk the Line) was spotted at JFK Airport yesterday afternoon with her two kids. With no premieres or movie filming scheduled, it seems Witherspoon is here for summer holidays."

'Fuck me. So much for it being discreet visit,' I sighed.

It dawned on me that my brilliant plan to keep my two girlfriends unaware of each other could be thwarted by the media. Man I hate the media, I say this despite the fact I work for a leading newspaper. I sat there brooding about my predicament while watching Playschool with Reese's two kids. It was about half an hour when there came a knock at the door. Reese was still asleep on the couch between me and Ava. I gave her a gentle slap on the face. She sat up straight immediately.

'I'm sorry, jetlag,' She explained.

'No problem, there's someone at the door.'

'That'll be Janelle,' she said leaping out of her seat.

Reese went to the door and greeted her friend with a hug. They talked for a moment and Reese introduced us. Before I knew it, she took the kids and was out the door leaving Reese and I alone. Reese looked at me and then said.

'Where to now?'

After she changed into a simple purple summer dress (which I had a sneaking suspicion cost shit loads of money), we left her apartment and headed for a small café. We didn't go anywhere glitzy or glamorous because to be honest, I didn't know any places like that. It was Natalie that knew where all those places were. It was during lunch that I realized I didn't know much about Reese at all and yet she has managed to captivate me in a way which only Natalie has managed to in the past. During the meal we, or more accurately she was greeted by several fans. I had actually gotten used to it but I was glad not to see any photographers in sight. The thing I have come to realize about Natalie and Reese is that both of them had a habit of not talking about their jobs. Currently she was just finishing on telling me about her small town roots in the south. Then finally she asked me.

'So tell me about yourself Jason.'

'I guess it's your turn in interview me now huh? Well not much to tell, I grew up in Australia, studied journalism. Eventually, the newspaper I worked for sent me to the states to work as a US correspondent which is basically them telling me, "you're a good journalist but we can't stand you so go to the states and work."'

'I thought media correspondents are usually citizens from that country.'

'A lot of the time they are but I wanted to move to the states anyway. I never did earlier because it meant I had to save up my money and make a lot of arrangements and stuff. This way, the Newspaper I worked for basically supplied everything and I didn't have to do anything. Anyway after several years I became a citizen and quit my job as a correspondent to go to work for the Daily News and so here I am.'

'Ok, so when did the celebrity interviewing kick in?'

Great I thought, I'm going to have to talk about Natalie and that means an awkward conversation about "do you guys still go out".

'Well, a couple of years ago I met Natalie Portman by sheer coincidence on the street.'

'What? And you made such an impression that you guys became friends?'

'Well she spilt boiling coffee on me. At the time I was so caught up in work, which is no longer the case now, that I didn't realized who she was because I hadn't exactly had time to go to the cinemas. I must've looked like a complete idiot, it took me mid-way through our first date to realize who she was.'

'Then what happened?'

I paused as I remembered the details of what happened next. Eventually I said.

'Well, we dated for a while but eventually our clash in lifestyles became too much. We were very much in love but the old editor at the Daily News was a complete asshole and demanded a lot from me. Long story short, I chose Natalie over the job and was fired but things weren't what they use to be after that and we broke up. I contemplated moving back to Australia but Natalie decided she'd help me back on my feet and started giving me interviews with celebrities. I mainly sold the articles to who ever wanted them and worked freelance until the Daily News got a new editor and so I'm now back on the payroll.'

'And Natalie Portman?'

'Well, we're friends now. Come to think of it, I've had an interesting couple of years.'

'Who have you interviewed so far.'

'Um, well I interviewed you and Jake Gyllenhaal for starters. Kate Bosworth, Keira Knightley, Matt Damon Michelle Monaghan, basically the entire cast of Law & Order SVU and Will Ferrell. There were others but those were probably the most famous.'

'Quite a list, you're becoming part of the Hollywood scene.'

I smiled. 'I wouldn't go that far.'

We continued to talk and all the while we kept drawing the stares of people, all of whom wanted a glimpse of Reese Witherspoon. Eventually, the inevitable happened and the paparazzi arrived. But these guys were subtle and stayed in their cars. It was time to go. Reese and I paid the bill and jumped into my car. The paparazzi followed but weren't too disruptive so I didn't really mind. I realized that Reese had been silent so I asked.

'Something wrong?'

'Explain to me again why you and Natalie didn't work out.'

I looked at her. My look was a cross between confused and anxious. I started off slowly.

'Like I said before, difference in lifestyles.'

'Explain that to me.'

I looked at her again and said. 'Natalie at the time was busy with work, she had just finished up with Revenge of the Sith and was moving on to V for Vendetta. Needless to say she didn't have much free time. I work forced to do a juggling act with work. Being a journalist doesn't give you many free hours so we eventually became distant. Then when I chose to be with her instead of worrying about my job, I was fired. At that point things just weren't the same between Natalie and me.'

'Revenge of the Sith was released in early 2005. I wasn't aware you had been a celebrity interviewer for that long.'

'No, after the whole relationship, I found myself out of work; apparently my exploits with Natalie had become infamous within the journalist world. So I got a bunch of crappy part time jobs, eventually Natalie found out what sort of mess I was in and offered to help me back on my feet. Why are you asking me about this Reese?'

'Well, our situation here is the same isn't it. Worse even, considering I live in LA.'