Chapter 4

The next three weeks of previews flew by without incident. Dev was released on bail and had gone back to New York, at least that's what I was assuming since he hadn't bothered me. Derek was still being sweet and protective. He drove me to the hotel every night and walked me to my room, "just to be sure." Most nights he gave me a small kiss on my cheek or forehead, but if Jessica was there he's just say goodnight and leave, which was okay by me. I wasn't ready for another relationship, and yet I couldn't seem to get my director out of my head.

Being Marilyn was wonderful and the reviews were fantastic. We were on our way to Broadway and I was on my way to being a real star. It was hard to believe that my dreams were coming true, especially with my personal life falling down around me. My physical injuries were healing nicely and I was able to take less pain medication and do more pain free every day. The emotional pain, however, was much harder to deal with. There were no magic pills to make that pain go away. Derek had been right when he told me I had so much of Marilyn at my fingertips. Adding the heart break did wonders for my performance, however it didn't heal the gaping hole in my heart. I guess only time will heal that one, and maybe falling in love…I had to stop thinking of Derek.

When we got back to New York Derek drove me to my apartment. On the way he broke the silence

"You were brilliant during the preview." He said in his director's voice.

"Thanks. It wouldn't have been possible without you." I said, hoping that him talking about the show meant he couldn't tell how nervous I was about being back in New York.

"Are you ready for Broadway, Darling?" He asked, a little softer, but still in his director voice and not the sweet voice that I'd become accustomed to hearing when we were alone.

"Yeah, I think so. It's so exciting" I replied, trying to sound more excited than I was feeling at the current moment. Yes I was excited that we were headed to Broadway, but all I could think about was possibly running into Dev.

"Are you going to be safe in your apartment? I…I need you to stay healthy." Derek said with hesitation in his wonderful sweet voice that made my heart rate quicken.

"I don't know. He has a key and…" I stopped my voice catching and tears trickling down my cheek. I hadn't been able to change the locks and I had no idea what to expect when I got home. Dev had his own place, but he spent most of his time at my apartment.

"Have you had them change the locks?" Derek asked, again with the sweet voice that I was so charming.

"No, not yet…they couldn't" I stopped wiping away the tears and trying to gain my composure, "they couldn't do it until I was back. I have to sign something."

"Do you want to stay at my place tonight? I want to make sure you're safe." Derek said, reaching over and taking my hand in his.

"I…I don't want to put you out like that." I replied, not wanting to tell him that I was afraid of what would happen if we were sleeping in the same apartment. Reading my mind the way only he can, his face changed to one of feigned innocence "Darling, there'd be no…what did you call it? Funny business? Just me, keeping my star safe until you can get the locks changed."

"Are you sure it wouldn't be any trouble?" I asked, still worried a little about what would happen if I accepted the offer. I was fantasizing about Derek and me, but I wasn't ready to have it become a reality, at least not yet. It was way too early for that.

"I'll sleep on the couch, love. Please, I insist." How could I possibly argue with that?

"Okay, but just for tonight. I promise I'll get the locks changed in the morning before rehearsal."

"We don't have rehearsal tomorrow and there's no rush, just when you feel safe to go home."
"Thank you." I said a little shocked that he was being this protective.

We drove the rest of the way to his place in silence, his hand still holding mine, his thumb gently rubbing small circles on the back of my hand. My heart rate accelerating as I felt his strong hands on my small one, and my imagination going wild with what could happen between us if we both would let ourselves relax. No, that'd be a mistake. I had to keep reminding myself that he was my boss and a womanizer; no matter how much he made me think otherwise, I couldn't be sure. I moved my hand slightly and he jerked his hand away. The look on his face told me that he thought I had gotten the wrong idea.
"I'm sorry." He said, not even looking at me, his voice soft and husky.

"It's okay" I said in a quiet whisper, not trusting my vocal cords to function properly if I spoke much louder. That man does things to me that I just couldn't explain.

We finally arrived at his apartment and he got our bags out of the trunk and insisted that he carry both of them. I knew at that point there was no use arguing with iim, so I just followed along behind him. As we reached his place, he handed me the key and asked me to open his door. As I opened it I heard a voice inside.

"Um, are you expecting someone?" I asked, confused by the entire situation and desperately afraid that I was going to walk in and be greeted by his secret lover.
"No, why?" he asked, his voice full of concern telling me that my crazy imagination was once again incorrect.

"There's someone inside," I whispered, pointing at the door for added emphasis.

Derek gently set the bags down, stepped in front of me and slowly walked into his apartment, motioning me to stay where I was. As he creped in, I followed a few steps behind him with my cell phone in my hand, ready to call 911 at the first sign of trouble.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" I heard Derek ask as he rounded the corner towards the stairs.

The voices continued as we both headed deeper into his gigantic apartment.
"Karen? It's okay, all clear." He laughed as I walked into the living room to find the television on. He walked over and put his arm around my shoulder and we both laughed.
"I think I may be a bit on edge." I laughed at myself as we walked back to the door to get the bags.

"I was just as nervous as you. I can't believe I left the television on all this time," his forehead creasing as he said it. Just then we heard the sound of breaking glass and a shriek from upstairs. Derek ran up the stairs with me following right behind him. When we got to his bed room we saw the shattered window and a note on his bed. He picked it up and read it out loud,
"Derek, I know you're sleeping with her and I'm warning you, she's mine. Signed Dev. Karen, call the police. This bloke needs to go back to jail to stay," Derek almost hissed, the anger evident in every part of his speech and his body language.

I obeyed and within fifteen minutes the police were there, once again taking our statements. Derek and I went and got a cheap motel room. We wanted to go to someplace out of the way and unusual for Derek. As we walked to our room I broke the silence.

"I'm sorry about your window." tentatively, unsure of how Derek was feeling or what he was thinking. He had been very quiet on the way here and his face was always so hard for me to read.

"I don't care about my window; I just can't believe he was in my apartment. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, just a bit shaken up." I said, staring at my toes and once again fighting the impulse to run into his arms, but in true Derek style, he read my mind and walked over putting his arm around my shoulder. We walked into the rundown motel room and once again broke into laughter. It was a far cry from our accommodations in Boston. We took turns showering and then crawled into separate beds after checking to make sure the deadbolt and chain were latched. We had already had too much excitement for one night; we certainly didn't want to have to call the police again.

Thanks for reading. I love reviews so if you have anything positive (or constructively negative) please leave me a comment. Also, if you have anything you'd like to see more of/less of or something I haven't touched on at all, let me know that too and I'll try to work it in!