“So, I should stay away from them?” I asked.
“Hell, no! You only live once, and until you’ve experienced what they have to offer, don’t turn up your nose at it. Why do you think I plan on going?” Kent said, laughing.
“I don’t know, Kent. I’m just a poor farm boy coming to the big city. Where I come from, you put a ring on it before you ever do anything like that. My mama would be a might disappointed if I were to lose my innocence my first night in LA,” I explained in my best farmer drawl.
“I was afraid you heard that. Sorry for the ‘farm boy’ comment. Craig is someone who grows on you. He actually has a good heart, when he isn’t focused solely on Craig. Plus, the poor innocent farm-boy routine is a bunch of crap. I’ve seen who you’ve worked with. If you really were some hayseed, Adrienne wouldn’t give you the time of day.
“Now it might be a good angle to try on the party hos since they like breaking in young men. On second thought, we might not see you the rest of the week,” Kent joked. “Look, I’ve been around some and I’ve seen it all. If you need anything, or have any questions, call me.”
Kent gave me his cell number. I was thinking I got lucky that I didn’t get through to Craig. I wondered what a party ho looked like. I had a pretty good imagination. I wasn’t surprised that Mr. Happy had some ideas also.
I’D BEEN AWFUL FOR the previous couple of weeks I was on vacation, as far as working out went. I went down and used the hotel gym. I lifted and did my sixty minutes of hell routine. Afterward, I took a quick shower and swam laps. The water was nice and warm, but once you got out it was a little chilly.
Lori Winnick found me as I walked through the hotel lobby to get back to my room.
“There’s our newest Wildcat,” she called out to get my attention.
The University of Kentucky’s mascot was a Wildcat. She came up and gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
“Let’s say I have strong leanings in that direction.”
“Keep me in suspense, why don’t you. I think you secretly want to go there.”
“It could be, but it’s way too soon to say for sure.”
“What are you doing right now?” she asked.
“I just finished working out and swimming. I was planning on taking a shower and getting ready to go to dinner with Jessup, Craig, Bree and Elizabeth,” I answered.
“Good, I want to talk to you,” she said, as she took my arm and led me to the elevators.
I let her into my room and she went to the phone and ordered room service. I went into the bedroom and took my shower. I put on nice slacks and a silk t-shirt. When I came out, I found a room-service cart and Lori drinking wine with a young good-looking guy who looked familiar.
In the background, the Oregon and Florida State game was on the TV. I had received a text from the Florida State coaching staff to watch the game. I was sure it was one of their guys who did stuff like that. I was confident it hadn’t come from one of the coaches.
“David, I want you to meet Ben Doman. He’ll be playing Roman. I just finished a film with him and thought you two might hit it off,” Lori said by way of introduction.
I recognized him from the ads for her upcoming film. He stood up and looked to be a couple of inches shorter than I was. I would guess he was four years older than me. I shook his hand, then went to the fridge and got a big water to rehydrate. I also needed to take my after-workout supplements. Ben worked out to keep his looks and wanted to know what all I took and why. Lori soon joined the discussion. She seemed to know more than I did.
We were sitting back down when I heard a key card opening my door. Kendal came strolling in with her bag behind her.
“Honey, I’m home. Oh, hey there. You’re Lori Winnick, and you’re Ben Doman,” she stammered.
“This is Kendal, my agent, who seems to be moving in with me.”
“Oh, uh, they lost my reservation.”
“Don’t worry about it, you can stay with me,” I assured her.
Lori and Ben looked at me like I had lost my mind. I guess I wasn’t supposed to be nice to my agent.
“What?” I asked them.
“Excuse us, David. I should’ve known you’d do the decent thing. You just don’t see that here in LA all that often,” Lori explained.
I caught Kendal up on what was going on tonight. She went to the bedroom to get unpacked and changed.
“You lucky stiff, I’ve been trying to get an invite to that party for a month. Just be yourself around Chubby, because he hates a suck-up. If he likes you, you could be set for the next five years,” Ben coached me. “Be careful with Craig’s friends, especially Chaz. He’s a drug dealer and bad news. His other friend is Trip. Trip’s mom is a big-time actress, and he knows no boundaries. I think Craig thinks of him as sort of a role model. They compete to see who can be the biggest douche. Be careful, because you’re his type, if you know what I mean.”
“I think Kent’s okay,” I offered, trying to ignore the comment that I was a guy’s type.
“Kent’s the brains of the group. Pay attention if he tells you something. He’s saved Craig’s butt so many times it isn’t even funny. I honestly have no idea why he hangs around Craig. He could open shop as a publicist and half of Hollywood would hire him. I know I would,” Ben shared.
Kendal came out in a little black dress. I think she was pleased that Ben checked her out. We needed to go, so Ben and Lori went to their rooms.
I was able to watch Florida State implode. Their poor quarterback would be seeing his fumble for years to come. I hoped I never made a gaffe like that in such an important game. I still don’t know how he fumbled the ball like he did. I would bet big money he was off to the pros. He had a rough year with all the allegations and bonehead moves. I think he was the poster child for what not to do once you were in the limelight.
WHEN WE GOT TO THE lobby, Jessup was waiting for us. Everyone else lived in LA, so they would meet us at the restaurant. I’d ordered a driver for the night, so we all went in the limo. On the ride over, I mentioned I planned to go to Chubby’s party. Jessup insisted he would go with us. That was yet another clue that this was a big deal. Kendal was a sport and said she’d go back to the hotel. To be honest, I wasn’t comfortable having her go with me to a party like Kent described. I would have worried about her all night.
Jessup surprised us when we pulled up to a pizza place. I guess I should have figured it out when he said we were going to Pizzeria Mozza.
“I dressed for something fancy,” Kendal worried.
“You look great. We’re in LA, and this is the best pizza place in Southern California. You’ll fit right in,” Jessup assured her.
We were ushered into a private room. Bree Steno, the girl I met at the Nickelodeon kid’s thirteenth birthday party, was there. May Zane’s dad was a vice president with Range Sports. I think Sandy Range still owed me for going to May’s birthday party. Bree was in the vampire show all the cheerleaders watched, and I’d done my audition for this movie with her. I went up to her and gave her a hug.
“I forgot you were so tall,” Bree commented.
“No, you’re just vertically challenged.”
Bree was probably five-eight, so she took the teasing. She grabbed my arm and guided me to Elizabeth Jenks. I recognized her from the movie’s website.
“David, I want you to meet Elizabeth. She and I have taken acting classes together. Watch her, she’s been asking about you,” Bree said with a twinkle in her eye.
Elizabeth blushed and give Bree a dirty look. She then turned to me and put on a hundred-watt smile.
“Ignore her. Nice to meet you,” she said as we shook hands.