Something Like Fate || Chapter 1

Chapter 1

All Simon wanted to do at this moment was to get away from these people. His co-workers, friends, family, cameras and paparazzi were celebrating another somewhat successful year of American Idol. But that’s not what took the spotlight; Simon Cowell’s departure from Idol was all everyone was talking about.

Smiles and laughter were being shared with everyone.

And Simon just wanted to get away.

"I'll be back, I need a bit of fresh air," said Simon. Everyone knew that by ‘fresh air’, he meant that he needed to light a cigarette and smoke. He stood up from his table, leaving a full plate of food behind.

"I'll come with you!" said Mezhgan as he was about to walk away, also standing. Simon was afraid this might happen. Mezhgan was after all his fiancée, but right now he just wanted to be away from the cameras and he was sure that if he let Mezhgan come with him, that's a swarm of paparazzi would crowd them.

"No, Mish. I kind of would like to be alone," he said, making it clear to the whole table that he wasn't interested in celebrating right now.

His table was in utter confusion. Just a few hours ago, he was fine, perfectly happily. He had that huge, infamous, charming grin of his planted on his face… and now, a frown replaced it. Something was surely wrong. Something must have happened, but what?

"Oh... um okay," she said dejectedly sitting back in her spot.

Without another word, Simon turned and left through the doors which led to the after party. A few people greeted him along the way and he waved towards them, without a single word spoken.

Once he reached a quiet area, he noticed an entrance leading to the outside. He shrugged and continued to walk until he was soon standing on a balcony in the warm air of California.

He sighed, “Tonight didn’t go as planned.” And with those words leaving his lips, he shoved his hand in his pocket and pulled out a box of cigarettes and a lighter. Just as he was about to light his cigarette, a voice captured his attention.

"Simon?"

He should have figured. His eyes wandered up to meet those of his friend staring down at him with concern. Oh, how he didn't want to be looked at with concern right now...

"I would like to be alone right now, Paula," he told her in a very rude tone.

"I'm sorry," Paula whispered as her head hung in shame. "I just didn't want to be in there either- I, um, I'll go-"

"No wait."

She turned around and stared at him with hopeful eyes and watched as Simon shrugged and muttered, "You might as well stay then."

She smiled softly and came over to stand next him. She leaned against the railing of the balcony, staring off into the dark night. "What a night, huh?" she asked, not expecting to get an answer back.

Simon scoffed and remained silent.

She stared at the side of his head for a few minutes before asking quietly, "Are you mad at me?"

"Why would I be mad at you?" he asked with no emotion in his voice.

"For not taking the offer you gave me… For not doing X-Factor in America with you?" She didn't look at him, afraid of what his reaction might be.

"Why would I be mad about that? You can do whatever you want, you don't belong to me." He again rushed through his sentence continuing to stare out. He wanted so much to smoke, but knew he would be scolded for it by Paula. So he simply brushed the thought away.

"You know... I just, just sort of... I need some time to myself. I’m always working and doing project after project and X-Factor just sounds very time-consuming.” She didn’t look up at him or anything, as she slowly bent her head down and stared down at her own hands.

Simon scoffed again, "It always is," he mumbled.

Paula’s head jerked up at his comment, "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked fiercely.

Simon looked at her for the first time that early morning. He was surprised in what he found in her eyes; irritation, pain, devotion... "I don't know... it just seems like that’s always your excuse for everything, Paula.”

"Simon, we talked this over already. I thought we both came to an understanding as to why I can’t work with you again.”

"And I am okay about it!" he said returning her stern gaze.

"Then act like it," she said pushed herself away from the railing of the balcony and beginning to walk away.

"Wait-" he said also standing and catching her arm. Simon leaned down to whisper in front of Paula’s face, "Paula, I still need you. After tonight I just-"

"Simon, we talked about this and we agreed. We're back in the real world now-"

"So then what do you call the past years?" he asked, starting to get angry with her.

"A nice get away to all this," she said quietly, "And it was nice, Simon. I don't regret it. We're great friends and we both did it to help each other-"

"Then help me now," he said matching her tone and moving his hands up to grip her shoulders.

"Shouldn't you be asking your fiancée for this?" she asked hesitantly, slowly giving in.

"She doesn't understand me like this- not like you do…," he told her taking a step closer.

It was hard for her to push him away, especially when he had that look on his face. But she knew it would be wrong and she had to put a stop to all this, before she would start to regret something. “But, Simon… you’re engaged now," she said wisely.

"Paula? Just one more time? We both need it. And then tomorrow we can forget about it like we always did," he whispered, leaning his head on her forehead. He added the last part just to reassure her. She didn't need to know that he never forgot about their times together. He didn't want to give her false hope of something, something that he didn't know he could give her. “Please, darling?”

Paula was thinking the exact same thing as they looked into each others' eyes. Slowly he leaned forward and captured her lips in a sweet kiss full of need and desire. It was risky, kissing her just outside the party, but he didn’t care.

Once they both pulled away for some air, Simon breathed heavily, “I have a hotel room upstairs.”

"Let’s hurry, before anyone starts to notice that we’re both gone from the crowd,” she whispered.

With a smirk forming on Simon’s face, he grabbed her hand and pulled her next to him as they both ran towards the nearest elevator. They had to fight the temptation of not touching, kissing each other in the small space until they reached the fifth level. Simon allowed her to step outside first and she smiled, taking hold of his hand again. He led her to the room that he possibly was going to stay in tonight, while Mezhgan had to go home due to work.

Once slipping the key card into the door, it flashed a green light and opened. And in less than a second, he pulled her inside the room with the door closing behind them.

She whispered, “Simon-”

"I don't want to talk anymore," he breathed kissing the side of her neck and quickly pulling her towards the king size bed. He spun Paula around and continued to kiss her. She responded immediately, roughly pushing off Simon’s dark suit jacket. When she was backed into the bed, he quickly did away with pulling down the zipper of her pink evening dress. And in one quick tug, the short dress was on the ground, leaving Paula in a black, lacy, two-piece set of lingerie.

She moved in close to him and grabbed him by the front of his shirt, as he kissed up and down her neck and collarbone as his hands roamed her body. She responded in kind and pulled him with her until they fell flat on the bed, him on top of her. She furiously worked to open the buttons of his shirt. He pushed his tongue through her lips and desperately explored her mouth. She was finally able to unbutton his shirt and pushed it back over his shoulders. She traced her fingernails lightly over the skin of his strong arms, leaving a trail of flames as she went and Simon reacted with a hiss.

Simon let his arms relax enough and then threw the shirt across the room, before he claimed her lips with his again. Paula’s breathing became ragged as she fumbled frantically with the fastening of his pants. His hands helped hers as they succeeded in pulling down his pants in one swift movement.

He needed more.

His mouth moved to the nape of her neck and suckled there lightly as his hands made their way down to her breasts. He curled his fingers and ran them over the satiny material from the underside of her breasts toward the nipples. She shuddered under his touch. He cupped both of her breasts in his hands and the tips of his thumbs over her excited and still cloth-covered nipples then again scraped his fingernails across the bottoms of her breasts. Paula was panting and having a difficult time catching her breath. For Simon though, this was still not enough.

Simon’s arms encircled her in an effort to remove the silky cloth barrier between them. Simon and Paula’s mouths met again in a flurry of passionate kisses as he unclasped her bra. The sudden feel of skin-to-skin contact was heavenly to both of them if he judged her response correctly.

He wrapped her up in his arms and wound his hands through her soft hair as she dropped her head to leave trails of small nips along his neck and shoulder. He turned his head to hers and caught the only thing he could, her earlobe, and tenderly scarped his teeth over it. She responded by embracing him tightly.

Whatever cloth still remained between them was quickly removed and thrown across the room. With little preamble or foreplay, their two bodies melded themselves to each other. There was nothing slow, sensual or deliberate about it. It was fast, hard, and intense. These two people were furiously looking to fill void, a need, within them. Their pace quickened as both sensed that they were close to finding that fulfillment, that contentment.

She tightened herself around him as she began to lose herself in the waves of her orgasm. Wave over wave crashed into her as the missing piece that she had so desperately been seeking fell into place. Simon, too, felt the pressure of his own impending orgasm building and pounded himself furiously into her. He held on as long as he could until his body overrode his mind and he spilled himself completely into her. He pumped with reckless abandon, starting to become afraid that he was never going to stop.

The both of them were not completely exhausted. It took every ounce of Simon’s remaining strength to withdraw from her and roll over on the side. Both of them were breathing very rapidly as no words were spoken.

After a few minutes passed, Paula spoke.

"God Simon... you must've had a lot on your mind," Paula breathed out with a tiny giggle. Simon poked her in the side playfully as he shifted to his side and propped up on his elbow to look at her. Paula turned her head and smiled at him, with eyes sparkling. They both laid there in a content and comfortable silence before Paula whispered, "They’re probably going to start to wonder where we are..."

Simon only sighed and Paula got up from the bed as she started reapplying her clothes and fixing her hair. Simon still hadn’t moved a muscle yet, but Paula grabbed her purse and began to walk towards the door.

"Thanks, darling," Simon said quietly, just loud enough for Paula to turn and give him a bewildered look.

Paula shook her head slowly at him, trying to hide her smile. "You don't have to thank me, Si, I wanted it too or I wouldn't have let it happen."

Simon smiled at her, wanting to laugh but unable to find the energy, "You're brilliant and bloody gorgeous, love. Never forget that.”

“You’re not too bad yourself,” she winked back at him. Then there was a short pause, before she spoke again. “Friends forever, right?”

He grinned back, "Forever." And she smiled. "You know when you do decide to get into a real relationship with a guy again... well, he's going to be one lucky bastard," he finished quietly.

Paula smiled as tears came to her eyes. This is why you're my best friend Simon Cowell... you make me feel so confident... you would never do anything to hurt me...

She turned to leave the hotel room but a last second impulse made her turn back. She softly spoke, "Simon... I’m sorry that I couldn’t do X-Factor with you… but you mostly know why now... Just know though that I'm here if you ever need to talk or anything." She gave him one last smile before leaving through the door, closing it behind her to give Simon his much wanted 'alone time'.

Simon sighed as he lay back in his bed thinking about what she had just said. Paula Abdul... she's always been such a good friend to me... Now if only she would do X-Factor. But he understood why she couldn’t now. He was engaged and she wanted to find a decent relationship. Being in close quarters again, like Idol, wouldn’t be such a good plan.

He thought back to the first night they were together physically. It was the night after the season two finale of American Idol. Everyone was talking about the kiss skit, and they both simply had wanted to get away from the cameras. He remembered they escaped from a swarm of paparazzi, hiding around the corner and laughing uncontrollably. Then something inside that very moment, he wanted to kiss her more than ever. Her lips looked so kissable. And when he did, she didn’t pull back… she didn’t resist.

It was an understanding of each other- both were comfortable with it and neither expected a romantic relationship to follow. They still thought of themselves as just Simon and Paula, co-workers, enemies, and friends. If anything, it brought them closer.

And over time those 'times of need' became more frequent to the point that it was happening every week as if it was a routine. But then the routine was thrown off when JT Torregani decided to show up into Paula’s life. Paula didn’t want to risk anything and wanted to be faithful to him, and as much as Simon hated it… he respected her decision with an utmost amount of jealousy.

When she broke up with JT, he came to her side again and their routines were happening once more. They remained friends still, but friends with benefits. But when Paula left Idol and he got to see less of her, they didn’t get together as much and when he got engaged… that was the end of it.

He did love Mezhgan; that was the truth. He was, after all, getting married to her. And he was happy, he thought. Though, one question that he couldn’t seem to answer himself, kept flowing into mind.

“What would it be like if Paula dated someone new? Someone who could one day be called her husband? How would I feel?”

‘No... not jealous... Paula’s my best friend and I just want what's best for her and I just don't think… Paula needs someone mature... Someone who has a better understanding of her... Someone who knows how to respect her… and realizes she has a life of her own and is very independent. Someone like…’

Simon shook his head to clear the rampant thoughts away. He didn't have time to be pondering over silly things like that right now, and quite frankly he didn't even want to think about it. Everything's simpler when you just stop thinking.

After getting dressed and taking the elevator down to the first floor, Simon walked back into the room just in time to squeeze in between a conversation between Paula, Randy Jackson and, his fiancée, Mezhgan.

“Yo, hey Cowell,” Randy greeted him.

"Feeling better, Simon?" asked Mezhgan, with a small comforting smile.

"Yeah, loads better..." Simon replied with a smile of his own, making Paula blush.

A/N: Hey guys! This is just a new story, I wanted to try out. Tell me if you like it or not, because I'm sure if I'll continue it or not. :P Thanks for reading!