Charttoppers - 23. Paparazzi

Cliff Sanders put his copy of the New York Times away as his cell phone began to ring. With little interest, he leaned over to glance at it, but as soon as he saw the caller’s name, he grabbed it and answered with no hesitation.

“Teddie, it’s been a while. I didn’t expect you. Didn’t even know you were awake this early.”

“I’m always awake when the job demands it.”

“Now that’s something I can get behind. So, what do you need?”

“Straight to business, just what I like about you,” the other man said in a sleazy voice Sanders found so revolting. “It just so happens that I got some very interesting photos last night, and since you’re… an old customer, I thought I’d give you first dibs on them.”

“Oh yeah? What kind of photos?” Cliff asked, furrowing his brows.

“Sending you a little sneak peek right now. Check your e-mail.”

Not wasting a moment, Sanders opened his inbox and clicked on the new message he had just received. His knuckles turned white as he gripped his phone after opening the attached photo. Even though it was shot at night, it was clear who the two men kissing were. He could practically feel his blood pressure rise as rage boiled inside him.

“What the fuck is this?!” he lashed out, but the other man only let out an amused chuckle.

“What do you mean? Don’t you recognize them?”

“Don’t fuck with me, Teddie, I’m warning you,” Cliff growled menacingly. “Where did you take this? And when?”

“Right here in New York, last night.”

Sanders frowned. Wasn’t Ash supposed to be on tour right now? When did he have time to return to New York?

“These photos cannot get out,” he stated firmly.

“I know they can’t, that’s why I called you first,” the paparazzo replied. “But a man’s gotta eat, Cliffie.”

“How much?” Sanders asked flatly, his eyes still on the bloody photo. How could Ash have been so careless?!

“I think half a million is a reasonable price to keep young Ash from the-”

“Are you fucking kidding me?!” the businessman’s angry shout echoed throughout his gigantic office. Abruptly, he stood up from his chair and started pacing left and right, his jaw clenched tightly.

“What? Don’t act like this is not pocket change to you. You’ve lost more money on gambling in one night.”

“How did you… Whatever,” Cliff grunted. Yes, half a million was nothing to him, but it was not about the money. It was about dignity. He would not allow a pathetic paparazzo to blackmail him even for ten dollars. “Teddie, you do not want to make an enemy out of me.”

“Cliffie, of course not, we could never be enemies. Didn’t we do business so well when I got you those photos of your boy with the Marvel girl?”

“Yes, and that pleasure cost me five thousand. So where do you get off asking me for half a fucking million?!”

“Come on, now, every story has its own price. You should know that,” the paparazzo replied calmly. “Or do you not think Ash’s career is worth that much?”

“You pathetic…”

“Now, before we start saying things we’ll regret, I’ll give you until the end of the day to think about this. If I don’t hear from you by midnight, I’ll have no choice but to sell to the highest bidder. Daily Tabloid? Stars Weekly? Who knows. I’ll be waiting,” Teddie stated before hanging up.

“FUCK!” Sanders shouted, hurling his phone across the room. The device smashed into the wall and crashed to the ground in pieces.

Moments later, his secretary knocked and entered the office, carrying a tray. The rich smell of fresh coffee rose from the hot mug, quickly filling the entire office.

“Here you go, sir. Black, no milk, no sugar. Anything else?”

“Yes. Cancel my meeting with Giorgio. I’ll be seeing our golden boy Khong instead,” Sanders barked the orders.

“Very well. Should I call Mr. Khong and schedule the meeting, then?” the girl asked.

“No, I’ll call him myself,” he said brusquely without even looking at her. “And get me a new iPhone.”

~~

It wasn’t sunlight that woke Ash up that morning, but movement beside him - slight stirring of a warm body next to his. It’s been so long since he had someone in his bed. The several months that passed since he and Marcus broke up felt like years, but now the dancer was once again next to him, his naked body entangled with Ash’s.

The singer opened his eyes and cast a dreamy glance over at his boyfriend. As if he knew he was being watched, Marcus opened his eyes as well.

“Good morning,” Ash smiled contentedly, kissing the dancer on the top of his head, inhaling his scent. It felt so good to be close to him, have him in his arms and be able to kiss him again.

“Mmm, morning,” Marcus moaned, the edges of his lips curling up into a smile. “You’re really here. It wasn’t just a dream.”

“No, it was better than a dream,” the singer said, a finger lazily trailing across Marcus’ naked abdomen, causing him to shiver. When Ash looked up, he saw his boyfriend staring at him, his eyes full of doubt. “Hey, you alright? I wasn’t… out of practice or anything last night?”

“No, no,” the dancer let out a warm chuckle, his chest rising and falling. “You were amazing, as usual.”

“Then what? I know you, there’s something on your mind.”

“It’s just that… Last night, we were carried by emotions. I guess I wasn’t sure how you’d feel in the morning, whether you’ll still want to get back together.”

“Absolutely. I meant everything I said last night,” Ash nodded, squeezing Marcus’ hand in reassurance. “But what about you? Are you still willing to give us another chance, knowing we have to hide?”

“I can’t lie, baby, I don’t think I’ll ever be ok with it. But if it’s the only way to be with you, then I’m all in. It beats the alternative any day,” the dancer said. “And about my jealousy… I promise that’s all in the past. I’m gonna change. I trust you completely and I’m gonna prove that to you. I don’t want you to be embarrassed of me, and I don’t want to do anything to ruin what we have.”

“You have no idea how much that means to me,” Ash grinned, unable to contain his happiness. Suddenly full of energy and enthusiasm, he rolled over and got on top of Marcus, peppering his neck and collarbone with soft, light kisses. He had barely started when he felt the dancer’s hardness poking his own.

“Looks like someone’s ready to play.”

“It’s been months, of course I’m fucking ready,” Marcus said, pulling Ash down so that their bodies were pressed together.

Just as the singer felt his boyfriend’s strong hands squeezing his ass, his phone began to buzz on the nightstand. As much as they tried to ignore it, it just wouldn’t stop.

Exasperated, Ash finally reached over and grabbed it. He was sure his erection instantly went flaccid as soon as he saw Sanders’ name on his screen - a missed call and two new messages.

<I expect you in my office today at noon sharp. With a good explanation.>

“What?” Ash muttered, frowning as he saw a new picture message.

What the hell could Sanders want with him now? He never sends photos, Ash thought as he clicked on it. Suddenly, he froze, almost dropping the phone from his hand. It couldn’t be… He fucked up so badly.

His heart pounding in his chest, Ash felt his stomach drop. He had never felt that nervous since the day he auditioned for 2Good, eight years ago.

“Baby, what’s the matter?” Marcus’ concerned voice brought him back to reality. “Are you ok?”

Without a word, Ash turned to his boyfriend and handed him the phone, watching his stunned expression as he saw the paparazzi photo.

“Fuck… That’s- that’s us. That’s from last night,” Marcus started rambling, trying to make sense of it all. “I’m so sorry, I should’ve led you inside right away. I wasn’t thinking...”

“Hey, it’s not your fault. Not like you forced me to kiss you there,” Ash said, feeling Marcus’ soothing arms wrapping around his shoulders.

“So, what does this mean?”

“Honestly, I have no clue. Sanders wants to see me. If this photo gets out…”

“Let me check,” the dancer grabbed his own phone. Ash scooted next to him, watching with bated breath as he opened the browser and typed ‘Ash Khong’ in the search bar. He had no idea who took the photo. Probably a paparazzo, but it could have been any random passer-by. Anyone with a smartphone. Maybe there is a video as well. Fuck… Would that be enough for Sanders to drop him from the label? And would that be such a bad thing? He would finally be free. He was sure many of his fans would be disappointed to learn that he has been gay this whole time, but that was something he couldn’t help. If they have a problem with it, it means they were never his real fans to begin with.

“There’s nothing, look,” Marcus pointed at the screen as he scrolled through the results. “Not a single thing about it.”

“But then, where did Sanders get the photo?” Ash wondered.

“I have no clue, baby. Whoever took it, why send it to him? Why not sell it to a tabloid? Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad they didn’t. I just don’t understand.”

“I guess I’ll find out soon enough,” the singer said, reluctantly getting up from the bed. “I better get dressed and call Hank and Lauren first, because if I meet Sanders on my own, one of us is gonna kill the other.”

It was a few hours later that Ash and Hank met Cliff Sanders in the CEO’s office for an impromptu meeting. Angry shouts reverberated through the office, and could be heard on the entire floor of the building. Passions were high as none of the men seemed willing or able to calm down, caring little whether anyone would hear them. Whoever was nearby knew that the boss was having one of his fits, but they could not guess the reason behind it.

“What the hell were you thinking?!” Sanders growled, his face all sweaty and red with anger.

“If you’re going to keep being hysterical, I’m out of here,” Ash snapped at the man, ready to walk out. “I didn’t come here for you to scream at me.”

“What did you expect? You’re going around town, kissing guys, not caring if anyone sees you!”

“You know what, screw you! I’m not a fucking whore. I kissed my boyfriend and I’m gonna keep kissing him. And if you have a problem with that-”

“Of course I have a problem with that if you’re doing it in public! Get a room!”

“Ok, Sanders, that’s enough,” Paul raised his voice, managing to sound very threatening. “We’re getting nowhere like this, so both of you calm the fuck down. Where did you even get the photo? Are there more?”

“Of course there’s more,” the CEO replied tersely, seeming just a little calmer. “Some lowlife paparazzo sent it to me, blackmailing me. He wants half a million dollars or he’s going to the tabloids. That’s right, half a million,” he repeated, staring Ash down.

The singer was suddenly without a word, realizing he had screwed up badly. His actions could actually have tangible consequences.

“That’s insane,” Paul shook his head in disbelief. “Can we even trust him? Who’s to say he won’t sell the photos even if we give him the money?”

“We don’t have a choice, do we?” Sanders replied.

“So, what can we do? We have to pay him?” Ash asked, glancing between his manager and Cliff.

“We don’t. You do,” Sanders pointed at the young singer. “The label is not going to be paying a cent for your indiscretions. If we have to settle with that fucking leech, it’s coming out of your budget.”

“Sanders, you can’t possibly be serious with this. It’s not like Ash did it on purpose!” Paul tried to reason with the older man.

“Do I look like I’m kidding?” Sanders was quick to cut him off. “The bottom line is - those photos exist and now I’m being blackmailed for them, and Ash’s career is on the fucking line.”

“Well, if it’s my career that’s on the line, maybe I should get a say,” the singer stood up, glaring at the CEO. “What if I come forward and tell the truth before he has a chance to release the photos?”

“Absolutely out of the question!” the man slammed his fist against his desk, making everything on it shake. “As long as you’re under my contract, you can forget about coming out. I thought I made myself crystal clear on that, but you seem to be forgetting, so let me remind you. If you violate your contract, this half a million will seem like pocket change compared to what you’ll have to pay the label. So you better pray to God that scum doesn’t sell the photos to the tabloids. And next time, keep it in the fucking bedroom!”

~~

During lunch, it was Paul and Lauren who seemed to be doing most of the talking, while Ash was unusually quiet, picking at his food with little interest.

“We better prepare several different statements for the press just in case, since we don’t know what we’ll be dealing with tomorrow,” Lauren suggested, fixing her glasses with her pinky as she scanned the tablet in front of her.

“For all we know, we could be having total chaos,” Hank muttered, causing Ash to look up at him. “Sorry, but that’s how it is. We have to be prepared for anything. If the photos get out…”

“There’ll be no point denying it,” Ash finished his sentence.

“Well…” Lauren hesitated, observing him with a curious look that the singer did not like one bit.

“What?”

“We do have other options that don’t necessarily include you coming out.”

“Like what? You can clearly see Marcus and I kiss. What do you suggest that I say, that it’s photoshop?”

“Hmm, yes, that wouldn’t be very believable, would it? But we can bend the truth a bit, say that Marcus has a crush on you and that he came on to you.”

“No, are you kidding me?!” Ash protested. “I’m not doing that. First of all, no one with half a brain would buy that. And it would be insulting to Marcus and myself.”

“Well, we have to come up with something in case the guy decides to sell the photos anyway. We can’t trust him to keep his word even if he does get paid,” the publicist countered.

“Lauren has a point,” Paul said. “You wouldn’t be the first celebrity to have compromising photos leak, and we can definitely spin the story somehow to suit you.”

“I don’t know, I can’t do this right now,” Ash got up from the desk, avoiding their eyes. “I have to get out of here.”

“Ash, this is your career we’re talking about,” Lauren reminded him in that teacher voice that she did so well. It only served to make the singer even angrier.

“Yeah? Well it seems like everyone but me is calling the shots on it,” he glared at the woman. “And you’re wrong. This is not about my career, it’s about my life.”

After storming out of the restaurant, Ash walked to his car, observing the people passing him by. Was this the last day of his big lie that has been going on for years? Tomorrow, everything could be different. All of these people, they would look at him differently. He wouldn’t be able to do a single interview without being asked about his sexuality. How would his fans react? Would they reject him, be mad at him for lying? Some of them would surely be disappointed, others homophobic. But that was something that couldn’t be helped. This day had to come sooner or later, Ash realized. Even though he was a major celebrity, with all the money and connections he could ever want, this was one thing where he was no different than any other gay guy struggling with coming out. He would be exposed to other people’s prejudice, hatred, but hopefully acceptance and love as well. There was nothing he could do about it.

Feeling a sudden stroke of genius as he entered his apartment, Ash grabbed his phone and dialled. He knew just who to ask for advice.

“Hello,” the melodic voice on the other side answered.

“Samson, hi. I hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time.”

“Not at all, honey, just resting before the show. How are you?”

“I’m good, good… Really great,” Ash rambled, eyes darting around the room.

“Yeah, that sounded very convincing,” Samson teased.

“Sorry, I needed someone to talk to. I, um, actually wanted to ask you something.”

“Ok, now this sounds serious. I’m all ears, honey, what’s up?”

Ash hesitated, wondering how to broach the subject and ask what he wanted to ask. Whatever he was to say, there was no way he would not arouse suspicion in Samson.

“Uh, I was wondering what your experience with coming out was like. I don’t mean to your family, I mean to the public. How did you do it? How did you know it was time?”

“Ohh…” That was all Samson needed to say to confirm Ash’s suspicions.

“You already know, don’t you?”

“Well, yeah I do, honey. I mean, you and Marcus, it’s pretty obvious if you know what to look for.”

“And here I thought we were hiding it well,” the Korean chuckled. “When did you notice?”

“Oh, months ago. But I never told anyone, of course. But to answer your question, when I first auditioned as a backup dancer for Shelley Rowland, some executives noticed me and asked me to sing for them as well. They said the label wanted to have a young, gay popstar in their roster and that I’d be the perfect fit. So I was like ‘Ok, I guess I don’t have to come out then.’ They already knew,” Samson let out a laugh. “So yeah, it was never really a secret in my case. When my first song came out, I had already come to terms that I can’t be anything other than myself, and that was so freeing. I didn’t have to keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, you know? I’m not going to lie, there were times when I thought how much easier some things would be if I was straight, or at least if people thought I was. But that’s not my reality, and honestly, I wouldn’t change a thing. Are you… are you considering coming out?”

“Yeah. Although, I don’t really think I’m gonna have much of a choice.”

“What do you mean?” the younger singer asked. Ash could sense the concern in his voice.

“Some paparazzo has taken photos of Marcus and me kissing. He’s threatening to go to the tabloids unless we pay him.”

“Ohh, Ash, I’m so sorry. That’s horrible.”

“Thanks,” the Korean muttered, unsure of what to say.

“It’s gonna be alright, I promise. Even if you do have to come out, or get outed, it’s not the end of the world. You won’t be the first or the last gay singer, and it certainly doesn’t spell the end of your career. Yeah, you’ll be the next big topic for a hot minute, but you know how short people’s attention span is. This’ll be old news in two weeks,” Samson said in an attempt to comfort him. “And don’t underestimate your fans. They are very protective of you, as all fans are. I should know, I’ve received so many hate messages from them,” he chuckled. “They’re going to be on your side. And so will I. If you ever need anything, even if just to talk, I’m here.”

“That means a lot to me, Samson. Thank you so much,” Ash replied, feeling a small smile tugging on his lips. Calling Samson for support was definitely a good idea. The most difficult part was still ahead of him, but Ash was now sure of what he wanted to do. After saying goodbye to the other singer, he dialled his boyfriend, eager to talk to him.

“Hey, baby, how did the meeting go?” Marcus picked up after just two rings. He must have been so concerned, waiting to hear the news. Ash felt bad for not texting him as soon as he finished with Sanders.

“As good as you can imagine,” he replied. “Can you come over? I’m thinking of doing something, but I need to talk to you first because, well, it concerns you too.”

“Ok? I’m coming over right away.”