He bit the end off the fry and let his shoulders go up and down. “Honestly, I don’t know. I guess I’m just trying to make you see that, yes, I’m a hard partier, but I’m also a human being. There are more sides to me than you see on TMZ. The public just doesn’t give a flying fuck about those other sides.”
“And you’re hoping I can make the public see that there’s more to Sean Donovan than just the famous bad boy?”
He looked me in the eye and shook his head. “No. I’m hoping you can see that for yourself.” He pushed the plate back and gave me a smile. “You wanna see who the real Sean Donovan is? Come with me.”
Kate
We left Ernie’s just after three o’clock, and maneuvered our way onto Interstate-95 headed north out of New York City. Sean wouldn’t tell me where we were going. He would only give me a sly smile and say, “You’ll see.”
We chatted like old friends for a couple of hours. I learned everything there was to know about him, from his childhood days in upstate New York to his college days at Clemson to the years he’d spent with the Kings. I grilled him on old girl friends and lost loves, then he turned the tables and started grilling me.
Only he wasn’t grilling Kate Asher
He was grilling Katie Holmes.
I told him my true life story up until coming to New York City, looking to put my journalism degree to work. Everything from that point on was a twisted version of the truth. It made me feel like shit. He was being so honest and transparent with me, but practically every word coming out of my mouth was a lie.
“So, what’s Hef really like?” he asked.
“Hugh Hefner?”
He gave me a sideways grin. “Is there another Hef?”
I giggled like a silly school girl. “No, of course not. Um, yes, he’s awesome. I met Hef at the Playboy Mansion.”
“I’ve always wanted to go there,” he said. “What’s it like?”
“Um… it’s big…”
He chuckled and shook his head. I bit my lip and looked out the window, praying we’d finished the subject. The road sign ahead read “New Haven 5 miles”. Sean slowed and took the exit without bouncing me around the cab.
“Are we in Connecticut?” I asked, alarmed. I turned to look out the window. We were on a two-lane road covered by woods on both side.
“We’ve been in Connecticut for a while,” he said with a smile. “You wanted to meet the real Sean Donovan. This is where you have to go. Relax, we’re almost there.”
I settled back in the seat and wondered what I’d gotten myself into. We drove down the winding road for a few miles, then turned off onto a narrow lane that cut its way through a couple of miles of dense forest. The trees canopied above us, nearly blocking out the sun, making the road ahead look dark and ominous.
“It’s beautiful here,” he said. I glanced over to see him smiling at me. “You’re going to love this.”
After a few minutes, the trees parted above us and the sun shined through and I let go of the breath I’d been holding. The lane ended at a small cabin next to a lake. The place looked ancient and deserted.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“This is where the real Sean Donovan lives,” he said with a sigh. He shut off the truck and stared through the windshield at the rustic cabin and the calm lake beyond.
“I’ve never brought anyone here before,” he said quietly. “You’re my first visitor.”
“Why me?”
Sean turned to look into my eyes and smiled. “I don’t really know. There’s just this little voice in my head telling me that I can trust you with the truth.”
“There is? I mean, you can…”
He grinned and reached for the door handle.
r /> “Come on, Katie Holmes, let me show you around.”
Sean