The highlight of Wolf and Tim’s spring break was going to the mall and some dude propositioning Wolf. At least he got a pretzel out of it.
From my perspective, there were two aspects to ‘normal.’ The first was doing ordinary things. Frankly, that had become a pipe dream for me. I was lucky to grow up in the town I lived in because I wasn’t constantly hounded by the press or hangers-on like in LA. Even so, I’d still drawn thousands of people to show up for baseball games and, most recently, the fundraiser in the park.
The second part of being normal was being grounded. I’d seen how the seductresses called fame and fortune could turn your head. That was one of the reasons I wanted people like Tim and Wolf in my life. Those guys would call me on my bullshit if I got too full of myself.
Finally, I’d accepted the hard truth that I was unhappy; I hadn’t realized that before. One of the effects of ecstasy was to show you what it was like to be truly happy. I hadn’t realized what I’d been missing until I experienced it.
I’d spent the past four years working toward objectives. It started with the work Uncle John had done with me to help me discover that I was my own worst enemy. From that, I learned about goal-setting. I’d taken it to heart, and it had made a profound difference in my life. It helped me achieve heights I had no idea I was capable of.
I would continue to work to become a better man because that was simply the person I’d become now. Until last night, I hadn’t realized that inside I remained the pudgy little kid who thought the world had conspired to make his life miserable. I’d held onto all that hurt and misery. Yes, my life had changed dramatically. That didn’t mean the underlying reasons for my transformation weren’t still there.
Last night, I’d let go of those feelings. I made the conscious decision to be okay with myself. Uncle John had told me that before you can truly love something else, you had to love yourself. At the time he said it, I didn’t even like myself.
I want to be clear that I wasn’t looking at myself through rose-colored glasses. I still had flaws I wanted to fix; we all do. What I figured out was that it was okay.
They say that the first step to fixing yourself, or a problem, was admitting that something was wrong. Deciding that I was okay lifted a weight off my shoulders, and I felt more content.
The funny thing was that everyone talked about how ecstasy helped people connect with each other. While that may be true, in my case, it helped open my eyes and connect with myself.
I was awakened most pleasantly in the morning by Scarlet’s attempt to suck my soul out through my dick. Her efforts, when combined with the aftereffects of the ecstasy, made for a great orgasm. I felt ready to take on the world.
I realized I would probably sleep the whole flight to New York, but right at that moment, I was content. My senses were still heightened, and ordinary daytime things just seemed a lot more interesting—almost certainly aftereffects of the drug.
As I prepared to get up and get going, I realized I was ready for the next leg of my trip. I looked forward to spending time in New York.
◊◊◊
We flew out of Athens around noon and arrived in New York at four in the afternoon. Not bad, right? No, wrong. The actual flight time was nearly eleven hours; it just appeared shorter because we crossed so many time zones.
What made it bearable was that we’d all stayed up all night, so once we got settled on the flight, we slept most of the way there.
When we landed, I sent a text to Tyler to tell her I’d arrived. She called me as soon as she got it.
“Where are you?” she asked.
“At the airport. We haven’t collected our luggage yet.”
“We have a shoot that just went south with the male talent. Adrienne says to get your butt over here and help us out.”
“You do realize I’m now a big award-winning actor. I’ll send you a list of everything I need for my dressing room. I’m thinking I want M&Ms, and I don’t want any of the red ones. Have someone pick them all out. Oh, and I want the peanut kind,” I teased.
I heard her repeat what I said to Adrienne. Adrienne took the phone from her business partner and lover.
“Listen closely, Big Shot. I’m in a bind, and I’m calling in a favor,” Adrienne said, sounding frazzled.
“Sorry, but I’m confused. I’m not sure I owe you any favors,” I said, giving her a hard time.
“Who found you prom dresses?” Adrienne shot back.
I sighed.
“Go get in a cab and be here as quick as you can,” she ordered and hung up on me.
I told my travel-mates that I had to go to work. Paul wanted to come and do his job, but I told him that if he could get me into a cab out front, I would be fine. There were always paparazzi lurking at airports. Depending on their numbers and if they needed a story, I wanted Paul to act as a human shield.
I checked my messages as we made our way towards the exit. Jill and her mom had already arrived and checked in at their hotel, which was on the way to where I needed to be. I sent Jill a text to meet me outside in a bit, and I would take them to see an actual photo shoot. It would also give her a chance to see Tyler and Adrienne in action.
◊◊◊
On the way to the cab, the barrage of questions reminded me that there remained some residual fallout from the Princess Erika drama. I countered it by informing the stalkerazzi that Adrienne had begged me to come see her, so I’d gotten over the princess. I might have to clue Frank in to my off-the-cuff remarks.
Paul got me safely into a cab. It had been touch-and-go because I’d stirred the pot. On the cab ride to pick up Jill and her mom, I concocted a plan for what I would tell Adrienne. Frank, the spinmeister, must have been rubbing off on me because I felt pleased with myself for what I’d come up with. The question was, would Adrienne agree with me?
When we pulled up at the hotel, Jill and her mom were waiting outside. I waved to get their attention, and they hurried to get in.
“Welcome to New York,” I said once they were settled.
“What are you doing?” Jill asked.
“When I landed, I contacted Tyler to let her know I’d arrived. I thought we were all getting together tonight, so I wanted to confirm the plans. She told me they had an issue at a shoot and asked me to fill in. I figured this would give you a chance to see what it’s like, so I invited you,” I explained.
“What’s it for?” Mrs. Lacier asked.
Well, there I’d done it again. I had no idea. If my mother were here, I’d be getting an earful.
“I’m embarrassed to say that I don’t know. I mean, how bad could it be for their model to walk off the set?” I asked unconcernedly.
“Ignore him, Mom. David thinks he’s a comedian. You should see how he teases poor Phil,” Jill said.
“Hey! I finally got a little brother to torment. I have years of missed harassment to make up for,” I said and then gave Mrs. Lacier my best smile. “It’s all in good fun.”
She rolled her eyes. After all, she had three kids and knew how they would get onto each other. She was experienced enough not to fall for my routine.
I played tour guide the rest of the ride since this was the first time either of them had been to New York.
◊◊◊
I’d sent a text to Tyler to warn her I had Jill and her mother with me. Tyler was waiting in front of a converted warehouse in the garment district.
“You must be Jill and Mrs. Lacier. I’m Tyler, one of the owners of AT Modeling.”
I left them to get acquainted and hurried up the stairs to where Tyler said the shoot was happening.
“If he isn’t here shortly, I’m pulling the plug on this, and you’ll never work for us again,” an angry male voice said.