The Beginning
Maria Menounos had been drugged. That was one thing she was sure of.
As her mind started to clear and snippets of the evening prior came into focus, she wondered when it had occurred and by whom. And the larger question, why? She'd been to countless afterparties before, and this one, thrown at the home of Lara Spencer, had seemed no different.
She and Lara had gotten to know each other when Maria was just starting her career as an entertainment reporter in the early 2000's and become friends. Friendly, anyway. Lara was already a seasoned pro and one of the hosts of The Insider, a daily television gossip magazine show.
The 45-year-old Greek beauty tried to stretch her aching joints and found herself unable to move. It was then she realized that she was not only tied (wrists and ankles pulled back over her head and bound to posts behind her), but she was also naked. Panic stricken, the former red-carpet host writhed and tugged violently but to no avail. She wanted to look around and check out her surroundings, but her long lashes seemed to be glued shut and her mane of light brown hair a tangled mess hanging in front of her face.
"Good morning, beautiful" chirped a husky, female voice. "I'd ask if you slept well but I already know the answer to that one." A door clacked closed behind advancing footsteps and Maria felt her heart begin racing, flushing her with fear. "You were quite a hit last night, Maria. Very popular indeed."
"Who-who is that? Who are you? What are you going to do to me?" The curvaceous celebrity was trying to scream but found that her throat was raw and sore. It was also difficult to pull enough air into her lungs in the position. Then, she felt smallish hands brush the wayward strands of hair back away from her face and with firm pressure force open her eyelids. "Lara? Is it really you? Oh, thank God. I don't know what's going on but untie me so I can call the police."