“Do you have any plans for your birthday?” he asks, and takes a sip of his wine.
“No, I’m working in the morning, and then I don’t know. I never celebrate my birthday,” I shrug indifferently.
“Well, you have plans now. You’re going to spend the day with me.”
“Okay,” I say hesitantly.
When we finish eating and I lick my plate clean, we go to the living room and plop down on the sofa. “Where’s Camilla?” I didn’t even notice that I haven’t seen her in a while.
“I sent her home,” Jake says, and opens the can of beer he grabbed from the fridge on the way to the living room.
“How long has she been working for you? She seems like a very nice lady.”
“I don’t know, three years maybe? She’s great, she does all the shopping, and cooks and cleans. I love her to death.”
As we lounge on the sofa, I notice three big boxes in the corner, full of letters and packages. Jake sees me looking at them and answers my silent question. “Fan mail,” he says. Wow, that’s a lot of letters. I had no clue one person could get so much mail.
“And you haven’t opened anything yet?” I ask because everything seems intact.
“Um, no,” he shifts uncomfortably, and scratches his head.
“Can I take a peek?” I want to know what the fans write to him about. I never had a famous idol, so I’m curious to see what his fans wish to tell him. He slowly nods.
“I have to warn you, some letters might be… Um, racy,” he mumbles. I have no idea what he’s trying to say. He has peaked my curiosity even more, and I want to know what could be so racy in the letters. I grab one from the top of the pile. Nothing special. Some woman wants him to know she is his biggest fan and is asking for an autograph. I open the next one, which is similar. This woman is also a big fan of his. She wants to know if Jake is single because she has a daughter who would be his perfect match. A picture of a girl in her twenties with short brown hair is enclosed. I glance at Jake, and I can tell he’s uncomfortable.
“Do you write them back?” I point to the boxes. He shakes his head.
“My people take care of it, I just receive this stuff. In the beginning, I was excited to get so many letters from fans and I responded to each and every one, but now there’s too many of them, I just don’t have the time.” I completely understand him, with his packed schedule and everything. I grab a neatly wrapped package next and tear it open. I gently shake it. Panties and a bra fall out of it. My cheeks heat, Jake’s eyes are still watching me intently, but I continue as I’m too curious what else is hiding in the boxes. I open a thick envelope, which has about ten pictures and a letter inside. I gape in bewilderment when I realize they are nude pictures of a young girl, posing for the camera. My mouth wide open, I put them down and reach for the letter she wrote. Like I imagined, she’s offering herself to Jake, even for one night, just so she can be with him. She even wrote down her address and phone number. I look at Jake, whose eyes still haven’t left my face. Now I know what he meant by racy.
“And you get letters like that every day?” He nods. “That must be nice, huh? Beautiful girls who want you. Every man’s dream,” I say quietly, shaking my head. I find more similar offers and pictures in the pile, and get even more uncomfortable. Women in these pictures are all beautiful like models, with gorgeous bodies and big breasts. I can’t compare to them. Jake notices my mood has changed, so he takes the pictures out of my hands and throws them back into a box. He turns to me, and looks into my eyes.
“You okay?”
I quickly nod, but I’m actually feeling quite nauseous. I start wondering if he ever took one of these girls up on her offer. There are certainly many opportunities, considering the amount of the fan mail. How many girls can brag about sleeping with Jake?
“Ella, look at me,” Jake says and snaps me out of my thoughts. I raise my gaze to his and he moves closer to me so our knees are touching. “What is going on in that head of yours?” he asks softly. I drop my head to my lap, but he tilts it back up again so I cannot avoid his eyes.
“Nothing,” I lie.
“Bullshit. I can see the wheels in your head turning. Tell me.”
“What are your intentions with me, Jake?” I ask him seriously. He raises his eyebrow in surprise. He opens his mouth to reply, but I interrupt him. “Seriously, I don’t understand you. What do you want from me? I’m nothing like the girls in these pictures and I never will be. I mean, look at them. Why are you trying so hard with me? I’m nothing special.” As I want to stand up, his hands on my shoulders stop me.