by Naomi Niles
He wiped his mouth with a napkin, then walked to the refrigerator and grabbed a jug of orange juice, drinking straight from the bottle. “You piece of shit. First, you eat my damned pancakes, and now you are drinking my juice straight out of the bottle?”
He gulped it down, then wiped his mouth with his sleeve. “Sorry, bro. I’ll buy you another one.” He closed the door and sat down in the chair with the bottle of orange juice in his hand. I shook my head and took a bite of pancakes as he looked at his watch. “So, how is the acting shit goin’?”
I sighed. “Shit. I mean, it could always be better. I think I need to get a big part somewhere, though. These commercials and small movie roles aren’t cutting it right now.”
“Aren’t cutting it? Really? You live in fuckin’ Hollywood. Rent is at least $1300 a month for a one-bedroom, and you have a two-bedroom. You seem to be doin’ all right if your ass hasn’t gotten evicted yet.”
I shook my head. “Nah, man. I mean…” I thought about Tanner and Nolan. I felt that if I had a bigger role in a movie that Tanya wouldn’t hesitate to let me see them more. I know she felt like I was a fucking loser because of how slow my career was going. I was making money, but not as much as I thought I would by now, and she knew it. It was almost like I had to pay her off just to see my boys more, and if that was the case, then that is what I had to work for. “I think I need some bigger roles, you know? I mean. It might help with letting me see the kids more.”
He moved the jug of orange juice away from his mouth and glared at me. “Help you see the kids more? What the fuck does a bigger movie role have to do with helping you see the kids more?”
“Man, fuck. You know how Tanya is. I think if I was able to throw some money her way, she would loosen up a little bit. This one fucking weekend a month is killing me. I need to see my boys more than that. A lot more.” I sliced another edge of my pancakes and slid it into my mouth.
“Tanya is such a bitch, man. I mean, no disrespect to your children’s mother, but she is a bitch. A grade-A bitch with like… superpowers and shit.”
“I wish her power was the ability to give head better. Shit, that might have kept me around a little longer.”
“Shit, man. Honestly, I don’t think money will change that. I think she enjoys watching you squirm and suffer. That’s just the kind of chick she is, bro. She is evil. Pure evil.”
I finished my breakfast, and we climbed into his car so we could head to the gym. We both worked hard to keep our bodies in shape. It gave him a little more clout with the athletes he was looking to sign, and it helped me stay flexible with the type of movie roles I could play. The one thing that most casting directors look for is your physique, and I wanted to make sure I kept muscles instead of flab.
I laid on the bench and gripped hold of the bar as Jeff stood over me. “All right, Ezra. This is 315 lbs. Hit this shit, man. Rep this shit out! Let’s go!” He clapped his hands together to pump me up. I took three deep breaths and then contracted my hands around the bar.
“Aaaaargh!”
“One! All right, let's go! You got two more in you!” I lowered the bar and bounced it off my chest. “Two! Come on, Ezra! Hit that shit! One more time! Push!” I gritted my teeth together as I struggle to push the bar up for the third time. “Come on, Ezra! Push! I’m gonna let that shit fall right on your fucking neck! I’m not helping! Push!”
My arms shook as I yelled out, pushing the bar up inch by inch. “That’s it, baby! That’s it! Almost there!”
“Aaaaaarg!” I lifted the bar and slammed it onto the rack, then sat upright as Jeff patted me on the back.
“Good shit, Ezra! Good shit!” I took a towel and wiped my head, then grabbed a bottle of my intra-workout drink and took a swig. “Damn, Ezra. I didn’t think you had three reps in you. Shit. You might need to try your luck as an athlete now. You are getting strong as fuck.”
“Nah,” I said, catching my breath. “I know my role. I am here to act, not fucking get smacked around on a football field.”
“I hear ya’,” he said as he added more weight to the bar. “Well, you gotta do what you feel you were put here to do. This is why we left Fire Stone. I’m behind you 100 percent, bro. With this acting thing and with the boys. I hate that you are in that situation, but I know it will work out for you.”
I stood up and took another drink from my bottle. “Yeah, man. That’s what I am hoping. If things go right, I will hear back from Marc, and he will tell me about a potential role that will put my acting career front and center. But, you know how he is.”
“Marc is a fucking snake, man,” he said as he laid on the bench and gripped the bar.
“Goddamn, man. You are lifting 365 now?”
He laughed. “What? This is child’s play, Ezra. You know that.” I stood to the side as he effortlessly pushed the weight up and down, bouncing it off his chest like a basketball until he got to his fifth rep and slammed the bar on the rack. The metal clanged together, creating an echo throughout the gym. I shook my head as my phone rang simultaneously.
“Hello?”
“Ezra? This is Marc, and I’ve got some good news. Big, big movie is in the works, and the casting call is next Monday. And me, being the amazing guy that I am, got you in on the call. Yeah, I know. You can thank me later.”
“No shit?!” I asked as the world around me came to silence.
“No shit. Monday at 11 am, you’ve got a casting call to go to. Make sure you wear something that shows off your body because you are gonna need that extra oomph to woo them.”
“What kind of movie is it?”
“You ever heard of the book Satin Sheets?”
My eyebrows folded together like a handkerchief, “The sex novel?”
“Yeah. That’s it. They are making a movie for it, and I know you can land the role for the lead male actor. So, get your shit together and be sexy. I’ll give you more info when the time comes.”
“All right! Thanks, Marc. I appreciate that.”
“Sure thing.”
I hung up the phone with a smile on my face. I felt like the role I could land in my sleep had finally arrived. “The fuck are you smiling for?” Jeff asked as he removed weights from the bar.
“I think shit is about to get interesting.”
Chapter Four
Hannah
I laid my mat out in front of me and sat on top of it Indian-style. I always looked forward to my yoga class on Tuesday mornings with Carrie. It was just another time to get away from the stress that I was dealing with in my life and ease my mind. The stretching was therapeutic for me, and as Carrie unfolded her mat, she smiled. “Another day, girlie. I soooo look forward to these sessions. It keeps me flexible for the times that I need to um,” she winked at me, “try something new.”
“Oh, my gosh. You are always thinking about sex.”
“Sex is natural, Hannah. And speaking of,” she sat down Indian-style on her mat, “when was the last time you let someone pop that coochie?”
I shook my head as the yoga instructor walked into the room. “I am too busy with trying to get my life in order. I don’t have time to think about that.”
“That?” she said with a smirk. “Girl, THAT is what will help you loosen up. You are kinda uptight right now, you know? Yoga helps a bit, but there ain’t nothing like a nice, big dick to really help you loosen up.”
“All right, ladies,” the instructor said as she stood in the middle of the room. “Thank you all for attending Go Yoga today. If you have a partner, go ahead and begin the initial stretch routines. If this is your first time, or you don’t have a partner, please get my attention, and I will help you find what you need.”
Carrie turned towards me, and we joined hands with our feet facing each other. We took turns slowly pulling each other back and forth as we stretched our legs and lower back. “So,” she continued, “Like I was saying. You need to meet somebody, Hannah. You’ve been single for way too long, and I know you haven’t had any male visi
tors for as long as I can remember.”
“I told you, Carrie. I don’t have time for it. In fact, I have another audition for a commercial later today.”
She rolled her eyes. “A commercial, Hannah? What is that? Like the umpteenth commercial you’ve done in the last year? It is a waste of time.”
I gently pulled her towards me. “It is not a waste of time. Who knows if a big break will come through one of those opportunities. I have to stay ready.”
“Skip it.”
I stopped pulling her. “What?”
“Skip it. Don’t go to that audition. So, what if you get the spot in a commercial? How many careers have taken off because of a damn commercial?” I stuttered through a response until she cut me off. “Exactly. None. Zero. If you get that part, you’ll just continue to go in a cycle of people wanting you to do commercials. Once you make it big, you’ll be able to do all the commercials you want, and people will pay you good money to endorse their bullshit ass products. Skip it.”
“Carrie,” I said, shaking my head. “I can’t just ‘skip it.’ My agent found that audition for me, and–”
“Who cares? Things come up. Tell her your dog died or something. What is she gonna do? I am telling you, just skip it. As a matter of fact, you should come to this photo shoot with me after class. There are usually some people there who are in the loop about everything Hollywood, so it might even serve you better to be there.”
She pulled me towards her, and in a way, I felt that she was doing the same thing with our plans for later today. I exhaled. “Fine. I’ll cancel it, but if my agent gets pissed–”
“Then just send her my way. I’ll make sure she knows her place.”
I laughed as the yoga instructor took her place in front of the room. “All right, ladies. Are we all stretched and ready to go? Great. Everyone get on your knees so we can begin.”
“My knees?” Carrie said with a smirk. “That is a position I can relate to.”
After class, we went home to shower up and then I rode with Carrie to her photo shoot. It was in an art studio that was about 15 minutes away from our two-bedroom loft. She walked inside ahead of me as cameramen and photographers were positioned throughout the lobby. “Hi, Robert,” she said, greeting an older man with gray hair in the middle of the lobby.
He kissed her on each cheek. “Hello, darling. It is good to see you. I am so glad you could make it on short notice.”
“Yes, I mean, how could I turn down the opportunity to shoot with the great Robert Lawson again? No. I’d change my schedule around in a heartbeat for that.” With a smile on his face, he made eye contact with me. Carrie turned around. “Oh, Robert,” she said, placing her hand on her chest, “I can’t believe I forgot to introduce you to this gorgeous woman. Robert, this is my best friend, Hannah. Hannah, this is Mr. Robert Lawson, only one of the most legendary photographers in California.”
“Oh, come now,” he said, extending his hand towards me. “Carrie has a way of flattering me beyond measure. Nice to meet you,” he said as his beady eyes scanned my body beyond what was conscionable. His mouth all but salivated as my hand rested on his.
“Um,” I said, wrinkling my eyebrows together. “Yeah. Nice to meet you, too.” I slipped my hand out of his grasp, a motion that seemed to snap him out of his trance.
“Robert, I was telling Hannah that there may be some Hollywood connections here. You know she is an aspiring actress, and we all know that in that business, it is usually about who you know more than it is about the talent you possess.”
“Yes,” he said, his creepy eyes scanning my body once again. “I agree with that wholeheartedly. You know what, Carrie, remind me to make a call to my good friend Leonard after the shoot. I am sure he can help one way or the other.”
Carrie nudged me with a smile as I stood beside her. “Well, Carrie,” Robert spoke up, “go ahead and stand over there by the golden statue and we will get started. You, Hannah,” he said with a smile, “Just take a seat over there and watch us go to work.”
I took a seat in the corner of the room as Robert snapped pictures of Carrie. A fan positioned to the right blew her hair as if she were standing in the midst of a blustery breeze. Her bikini top pushed her breasts higher on her chest as she leaned forward and blew seductive kisses towards the camera. “That’s it, Carrie. That’s it, babe. Show me that sexiness.” The camera flashed as Robert moved in different positions, shooting Carrie from every angle.
“Excellent. Now, remove your top, Carrie.” My eyebrows lifted to the middle of my forehead, but before I could process his request, Carrie had already untied her top. Her full breasts fell from their cage as Carrie continued posing without missing a beat. Her pink nipples were erect, like the tips of Hershey kisses, as she stood to the side and put her hands on her hips. “Beautiful, babe. Absolutely stunning, you are.”
I watched, in utter amazement that Carrie was so quick to remove her top in a room full of men. The shoot lasted for at least 30 more minutes, and after they had wrapped everything up, Carrie approached me with Robert standing right beside her. “You did a marvelous job, Carrie. I couldn’t have asked for a better model, nor a more beautiful one.”
“I am just doing my job, Robert, and you make it easy.”
He glanced at me with a perverted eye. “Hannah, what do you think about modeling?”
“Um,” I said, clenching my purse as if that would shield me from his glare. “No, it’s not my thing. I am an actress, not so much a model.”
“The two go hand in hand, most times,” he said as he reached into his pocket, “but you have reminded me of the phone call I was going to make on your behalf. Will you be around a bit longer?”
“Yes, she will,” Carrie answered for me. “Take your time, Robert.”
He walked away as he made the phone call, and when he was just over a stone’s throw away, I spoke. “That man is a creep, Carrie. Did you see how he was looking at me?”
“He looks at everyone like that. It’s more a look of endearment than anything else. He thinks you are attractive.”
“Yeah. And then, five days later, I’m on Unsolved Mysteries or something like that.”
She laughed. “Oh, please. Robert wouldn’t hurt a fly, really. He is a good man. A little on the perverted side, but he is a damn good photographer.”
I looked at him as he paced back and forth, speaking on the phone and occasionally glancing in my direction. I turned my back towards him and continued speaking to Carrie. “I didn’t know you took pictures naked, though, Carrie. Is this like… a shoot for some porn magazine?”
“No. Don’t be silly. Sometimes, the shoot requires me to be nude.”
“And you’re OK with that?”
She squinted her eyes. “Why wouldn’t I be? See, that is your issue. You lack the self-confidence. Hannah, you are drop-dead gorgeous. You have a body that most women would kill for. Your hair is long, and you have beautiful skin. You are damn near perfect, sweetie, and you need to act like it.”
“I don’t know, Carrie.”
“Wait a minute,” she asked, folding her hands over her chest. “So, you’re telling me if you got paid over a million dollars for a role that you had to pose naked… or be naked for a few scenes, you wouldn’t do it?”
I looked over my shoulder at Robert as he quickly averted his eyes. I shook my head and focused on Carrie. “I don’t know. I mean… I just don’t know.”
“Shit, you better know because if I got that call, I would do it. Hands down. And I’m sure the next actress would do it, too, which means… you’ll be out of an opportunity because of your own insecurities.”
Just then, Robert interrupted our conversation. “Ladies,” he said as we both turned towards him. He smiled. His thin, pink lips barely made an edge of his mouth. “I’ve got some good news. Leonard is casting for a big movie this Monday. I’ve told him about, um,” his eyes walked over my body once again, “how attractive you were and he immediately gave me the informa
tion about the casting call. So,” he said, removing a piece of paper from his pocket, “this is the address and the time you need to be there. I told him your name, so he will be looking for you in particular.”
Suddenly, his perverted gaze didn’t bother me as much. I reached for the note as Carrie put her arm around me. “You see what I told you? You would’ve have missed out on this opportunity if you went to that commercial audition,” she said.
I smiled as I held the paper in my hand. “Thank you, Robert,” I said as my cheeks pushed up near my eyes.
“The pleasure was mine, my dear. The pleasure was all mine.”
Chapter Five
Ezra
I grabbed a V-neck white T-shirt from my closet. I needed to wear something that would show off my pectorals and the rest of my physique if needed. My jeans were straight leg; not the skinny jean shit that squeezed the fuck out of my nuts. I couldn’t rock with those. I’ve tried them before, but I knew I wanted to have more kids in the future, so they weren’t for me.
Once I finished getting dressed, I gave myself a once-over in the mirror to make sure I was all set. The audition was at 11 am, and I wanted to leave the house early just in case I had to fight through traffic on my way there. Just as I grabbed my wallet, my phone buzzed on top of my desk. I rolled my eyes when I saw her name pop up on the call log.
“Yeah?”
“Um, Ezra, I need you to come get the boys.”
“Get the boys? Now?”
She huffed. “Yes, now. I need to make it to a last-minute appointment, and I can’t take them with me.”
I looked at my watch. “I can’t come right now, Tanya. I have to get to an audition.”
She exhaled into the phone. “Really, Ezra? I mean, you were just bitching about wanting to spend more time with them, and now that you have that opportunity, you are blowing them off for an audition?”
