“Now I feel bad, Aubrey. I should have made it a point to call. I’m only in town for a couple of days. Can you get free and see me?” I asked.
I’d met Aubrey in Miami when I did a photo shoot with Adrienne. The Ford Models execs had challenged me to pick up a woman in a nightclub before they could. I’d chosen Aubrey and assumed my pickup skills sufficed to get the job done. Turned out she and Adrienne were friends from the modeling world. Aubrey had retired from modeling and was now working for Ford here in Europe.
Something I would always remember about her was that she gave the best head I’d ever had. If I were ten years older, I would have seriously considered marrying her.
“Where are you?” Aubrey asked.
“I’m in Hertfordshire, staying at the Tewin Bury Farm Hotel. Can you make it here soon? I have a dinner party to go to, and I would love for you to join me.”
“As it happens, I’m just finishing up with a photo shoot not that far from you. Send me the address, and I’ll meet you there,” she said.
I gave Aubrey the information and hung up. I sent Saul a text to tell him I’d be bringing a date to dinner. He replied with a rude comment about actors, and I think he called me a slut. I couldn’t wait to see his face when I showed up with someone in their late 20s.
◊◊◊
I’d just gotten out of the shower when there was a knock at my door. When I answered, I was wearing only a towel. I was disappointed to find my dad there. He looked good in what must have been a new suit. At least, I’d never seen it before. I’d brought my Armani suit for tonight. I’d picked it for two reasons; the first was I loved it and never got to wear it. The second was Dakora, while very sharp looking, wasn’t Armani, and they weren’t paying me to wear them tonight.
“You look good,” I said.
“You look a little underdressed.”
“Give me a few more minutes,” I said and returned to the bathroom to shave and brush my teeth.
There was a knock on the door. I grinned when Dad called out that he would get it.
“Hello, Gorgeous … Oh, sorry, I must have the wrong room,” Aubrey said.
I stuck my head out of the bathroom.
“Aubrey, my dad. Dad, my date tonight, Aubrey.”
“Well, I … uh … come in,” Dad said.
“Not that you’re not gorgeous,” Aubrey stammered.
I laughed.
“Bloody hell, David. You might warn a girl she’s meeting the parents.”
“You’re just lucky my mom’s not here,” I called from the bathroom.
“He’s right,” Dad said. “Have a seat. I need to know your intentions towards my son.”
“Completely impure, I’m afraid,” Aubrey shot back.
Dad just laughed. Aubrey was no shrinking violet, and it sounded like they were getting along well. I slipped in, grabbed my boxers, and put them on under my towel, a nifty trick I’d learned in LA, surfing. I got dressed and brought out three ties.
“Which one?” I asked.
“The red one,” Aubrey said without hesitation.
I put it on and then my jacket. I smiled when I saw Aubrey was wearing a little black dress. She looked stunning. She stood and gave me a chaste kiss.
“How did you know I was in town?” I asked.
“One of the rags said you were here to audition for the new Star Wars movie.”
“Frank,” Dad said.
Frank Ingram was my publicist. I would bet Saul called him and had him leak it. I wasn’t sure the Star Wars people would be happy about that. They seemed to take secrets seriously.
“Let’s hope not. Saul also signed the NDA. You read it—I’m sure we would get both sued and kicked off the movie,” I said.
“Joy Holmes was the one they quoted,” Aubrey said.
I was relieved.
◊◊◊
We met Saul and Kelly downstairs. I was shocked when Saul didn’t perv out over Aubrey. Kelly’s presence turned him into a human and not a caricature of a Hollywood agent.
There was a limo waiting for us. I’d assumed we would go to a restaurant for dinner, but I was wrong. We drove through the country until we came to something right out of Downton Abbey. Our driver told us we were dining at an English country house called Ayot Place.
We drove up a quiet country lane. I was impressed with the wrought-iron gates and magnificent brick pillars, which welcomed you to a lengthy, tree-lined carriageway that led you to the front of the house. The roadway passed an ornamental lake and boathouse before it curved into a circular drive in front of the entrance.
The driver told us that Ayot Place was built on the site of an earlier monastery, but the origins of the present house probably dated to the 15th century. He said that much of what we saw was from the 17th century when a large wing was added. He pointed out a gardener’s cottage and impressive courtyard buildings that dated from about 1890. They were arranged on three sides around a graveled yard with a charming small dovecote and clock tower in the middle. Part of the western side of the courtyard had been converted into a large home gym.
When we came to a stop, the driver insisted that we wait until he could let us out. The front door opened, and a butler waited there for us.
“Good evening. Welcome to Ayot Place. Please follow me,” he said.
Unlike Downton Abbey, everything had been modernized. Mark Philpott, the casting director, spotted us and took us around to meet everyone. The film’s director was Art Faulk, who had also co-directed the Duplo Movie. The producer was Joyce Heart.
I’d thought I was the only one auditioning this weekend, but Aden Reich was there with Tilly Abbott. Aden had been acting for the past ten years, and his most recent movie, Puzzle Master, was his first big film. Tilly was an actress with red hair and striking blue eyes. Aden was one of the few actors who kept to himself and didn’t have any social media. It wasn’t clear if Tilly was his girlfriend or just a friend.
Tonight was intended to be strictly a social event. Business would be talked about tomorrow when I auditioned.
Mark and Art had Aden cornered and were plying him with alcohol. Joyce joined our group.
“Saul,” she said with disdain and then turned to me. “You must be David. I’m Joyce Heart.”
I introduced her to everyone, and then Saul explained who I was talking to. Joyce wasn’t just the producer, she was the president of Lucasfilm. In the early ’80s, she’d co-founded a company with none other than Stephen Spielberg. Their first movie had been E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Overall, she’d worked on over 50 films, which together had garnered 85 Academy Award nominations and over $9 billion in sales worldwide. Her résumé included some of the highest-grossing movies in motion picture history.
Joyce had recently become involved in the Star Wars franchise. She was soon my idol when she regaled us with stories of working with Spielberg and George Lucas and films in the Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park franchises.
“I saw your impersonation of Harrison Ford and about peed myself laughing. You were spot on,” Joyce told me.
“I didn’t do it to make fun of him, it was only to show that I could do his mannerisms,” I defended myself.
“I was actually against having you make the final cut. My feeling was you were too tall and didn’t have the breadth of work experience this role deserves,” she said.
Saul tried to jump in, but I could tell he irritated her, so I held up my hand and smiled at Joyce.
“Harrison Ford is six-one. I’m only three inches taller, while Aden is only five-ten. Mr. Ford did three movies over twelve years before he did Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope. I just released my first movie, which grossed over $500 million. By the time I film your picture, I may have five or six movies made, including a possible recurring role in the James Bond franchise.”