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“What the hell you doing, man?” Hugh grabbed Lou, raising a fist. “That’s my lady!”
Security got Lou and escorted him off the stage before Hugh hit him.
The audience jumped up, barking.
“What the hell?” Hugh straightened his shirt, gawking at Gabrielle.
“Jesus.” Gabrielle sat, fanning.
“Oh, my.” Corey ran across the stage. “And we’ll be right back after this commercial break. Don’t go anywhere, America.” He pointed to the camera, and the director cut to the commercials. “Uh, is everything okay?”
“What do you think?” Dash snapped at Corey. “What was all that stuff about Sierra?”
“It’s my job to dish.” Corey held his hip. “Something going on between you and Sierra?”
Dash exhaled, grimacing.
“Hugh, you okay?” Corey touched his shoulder as if he needed an excuse.
“I’d appreciate no more surprises, huh?” He fixed his collar. “What was that Lou crap?”
“Nothing,” Gabrielle said.
“What do you mean nothing?” Hugh snapped. “Since when does a man grab a woman, kiss her and it’s nothing? You got a habit of thinking kisses aren’t big deals.”
“I need some water.” Dash left the stage, and Corey mingled with the audience.
“Hugh, you’re being an asshole,” Gabrielle said. “He was a fan.”
“He was kissing you. What world do you live in that it’s okay for a man to kiss someone else’s chick?”
“The kiss didn’t mean a thing.”
“You didn’t act like it meant nothing.” He sat, huffing. “Looked like you were about to faint.”
“You’re gonna lecture me? At least my fans don’t throw underwear at me.”
“It’s my fault some woman threw her panties? I didn’t encourage that. You encouraged that kiss.”
She gripped the armrests of the chair. “How?”
He breathed in her face, eyes moving. “For being so hot.”
“Oh, please. How come when you interact with fans it’s okay but not when I do?”
Dash rejoined them.
“Because as a woman, it doesn’t look right for you to be flirting with strangers.”
“I wasn’t flirting.”
“My woman is supposed to act a certain way.” He slammed his fist in his palm. “Show respect, Gabrielle.”
“Who do you think you’re talking to?”
Dash gawked at them.
“You keep acting like a sexist moron, and I might not be your woman for long.”
Hugh scoffed. “You’ll always be mine.”
“Who says?”
Hugh stuck his face in hers. “Me.”
“Lord, let this end soon.” Dash sighed, shaking his head.
Corey hurried back onstage, and the director signaled for him to start.
“Welcome back my darlings,” Corey said. “If you just tuned in you missed a fiery segment between Hugh Macintosh and an audience member. Hugh lost his cool. Let’s replay it for the people at home. Run the tape.”
“Ah, hell.” Hugh sighed.
Corey sat in his chair after the replay. “I guess that’s true what they say. You never know what to expect in Hollywood. Which brings me to my next question. What’s the deal between you and Sierra Delfino, Dash?”
“Ooh,” the audience sounded.
“There’s no deal.” He clasped his hands, wiggling his leg.
“Didn’t look that to us, did it, audience?”
“No,” they bellowed.
“What’s going on between you and Sierra, Dash?” Corey glared at him with the look of determination in his eyes. “I won’t let this go.”
“Let it go, Corey.” Dash raised an eyebrow. “Or you’ll be eating that microphone.”
The audience got loud.
“Threatening violence?” Corey laughed. “Oh, there’s definitely some T concerning you and Sierra. Spill the tea, Dash.”
“Spill the tea,” the audience yelled. “Spill the tea! Spill the tea!”
“All you do is spread gossip, Corey,” Dash said. “You can’t get ratings any other way?”
“Deflection, Dash. Answer the question.” Corey walked to him, but kept his distance. “I don’t see what the big deal is. Though I wouldn’t blame you if you were ashamed to tell us you had something going with Sierra.”
Dash jumped out his chair. “You egotistical, fat ass.”
The audience got on their feet, whooping.
“You wanna know the deal between Sierra and I?” Dash stomped to the edge of the stage, looking into the camera. “The deal is I love Sierra Delfino. I’ve always loved her.”
Everyone gasped.
“What?” Hugh asked.
“Yeah.” Dash turned to him. “Sierra and I had a thing, and we never got over each other. Sorry, I didn’t tell you, Hugh.” He faced the audience. “So, that’s the truth right there. I love Sierra Delfino, and I don’t give a damn what any of you think about her.” He kicked his chair over and stomped off the set.
“Dash?” Hugh yelled. “Where the hell are you going?”
“My.” Corey gripped his chest, mouth open.
“Jesus, Hugh.” Gabrielle groaned. “You never should’ve booked us on this mess. Corey’s always starting stuff.”
“I can hear you, Gabrielle,” Corey said.
“Good. Because I said it so you could hear me.”
The audience yelped.
Warner leapt from the last row of the audience and raced through the aisle. “You’re a two-faced maggot, Hugh.”
The audience exploded once again.
“Warner?” Gabrielle shrieked.
He ran onstage and punched Hugh.
“Whoa.” Corey moved back.
“Fight,” the audience chanted. “Fight!”
“You son of a bitch.” Hugh punched Warner, knocking him to the floor.
“Stop it both of you.” Gabrielle got out her chair. “Hugh? Corey, do something.”
Warner and Hugh rolled around, exchanging punches.
The audience went wild as if they were at a live WWE match.
“Security,” Corey beckoned. “Security!”
An audience member threw a chair onstage.
“Hey!” Corey shielded Gabrielle. “What the hell?”
The audience broke into a huge brawl, storming the stage.
“Oh my god.” Gabrielle ran backstage as security zipped past.
Corey followed, sweating. “You okay?”
“No.”
The backstage crew huddled around Gabrielle.
She ripped the mic off her collar. “Is Hugh and Warner still fighting?”
Corey peeked out the curtain. “Yeah.”
“This is horrible.”
“I’m sorry, Gabrielle.”
“Yeah, right. This will just be fabulous for your ratings.”
“I didn’t plan this.”
Five minutes later, Hugh came backstage with a bleeding lip, red jaw and torn shirt.
“Hugh?” Gabrielle ran to him. “Are you okay?”
“What the hell was that, Corey?”
“What?” Corey looked left and right. “I had nothing to do with this.”
“Don’t lie to me.” Hugh grabbed him. “Did you set this shit up?”
“No.” He waved his chubby hands. “I don’t even know who that guy is.”
Hugh let him go and turned to Gabrielle. “Did you know Warner was in town?”
“Hell no. I can’t believe he’d do this.”
Hugh panted. “He’s lost his mind.”
Gabrielle touched his jaw, which tightened underneath her hand. “Are you all right?”
“Better than ever.” He smiled through the swelling. “I’d take a million beatings for you.”
She hugged him.