by Naomi Niles
She tapped me on my arm. “Look at you, stepping out of your comfort zone! I am proud of you, girlie! Just think that if you didn’t come to that photo shoot with me, not only would you have missed this opportunity, but you would’ve never had the chance to break free from your own shackles.” She hopped off the dresser. “So, get yourself ready. We are going to go to Bar Louie’s tonight and let loose. Live it up! My girl is going to be a movie star!”
She left my room, seemingly happier than I was about my role. True, I was nervous about it all, but I didn’t want to jump the gun because I didn’t know exactly what was going to be asked of me in the movie. That was something to worry about in the future, though. Right now, I was going to head out with Carrie and enjoy myself. I was a movie star. I smiled at myself in the mirror, then started getting ready so we could leave.
Carrie stood in the front room wearing tight red pants and red pumps with a silky white T-shirt. Her lipstick matched her shirt, and she exposed the middle portion of her breasts. “Are you ready?” she asked, holding her purse in the fold of her arm.
I wore jeans with a black lace top and two-inch heels. “Yeah, I am ready. Um, Carrie, just promise me that you won’t get so drunk that I have to carry you out. I don’t know if I am up for it tonight.”
She rolled her eyes, “Girl, please. I will be fine, so don’t worry about that. We are going to enjoy ourselves and celebrate your accomplishment. That’s it! Now, let’s go! I think ladies drink free before 10, so we have about 45 minutes to get there before we have to pay.”
Carrie drove downtown to Bar Louie’s. Cars flooded the parking lot as the line stretched out of the building. It was a popular spot in downtown Hollywood. The stars didn’t attend, but there were a few B-list celebrities who normally made appearances throughout the night. We focused on the line as Carrie spoke up, “No. Nuh uhh. No way are we standing in this long-ass line tonight.” She looked at me, “Hannah, I’ma need you to pull your shirt down a little.”
She pulled at my blouse, and my boob nearly popped out of my shirt before I slapped her hand. “Stop it, Carrie!”
“Oh, please. Don’t you get all bougie on me. I need you to use what you got, so we can get into this bar and skip the line. One thing men can’t resist,” she said as she looked in the mirror to check her makeup, “is white girls with big-ass tits. Especially these bouncers.” She tapped my leg, “Now, come on. Let’s get inside this bar.”
I followed her to the front of the line. I heard women suck their teeth as we walked by with our heels clicking against the cement. Carrie spoke once we got to the front. “Hey, um,” she said to the bouncer as she dropped her ID from her purse. She leaned forward to pick it up so he could get a good view of her breasts. “I’m sorry, clumsy me. But um, how long is the wait for two gals like us to get inside?”
He looked at his watch, “At least 30 minutes.”
“How about I send you a few pictures of me and her,” she tilted her head towards me, “together… being real friendly with each other? I mean, on top of that, you’ll have my number, and I sure do get lonely at night sometimes.”
He looked at me as I forced a smile on my face. He seemed to be gullible. “All right,” he said as he pulled his phone from his pocket. “Send me the pictures.”
Carrie pulled her phone out and sent a few pictures to his phone. I didn’t know if she photoshopped my face onto someone else’s body or what, because I had never done anything sexual with her since the time we became friends. As the bouncer looked at the pictures, a smile stretched across his face from ear to ear. Afterward, he moved to the side and let us in.
Carrie winked at me as we walked into the bar. Once the door closed, I grabbed her by the arm, “What pictures did you send him?!”
“Don’t worry about it, sweetie,” she said with a smile. “We are in, and that is all that matters.”
She grabbed my arm and led me to the bar. The music bounced off the walls as strobe lights lit up the dance floor in the middle of the room. The bar was crowded with men and women, standing around, waiting to be served their drinks. Carrie excused her way through until she got to the front. “Two Long Islands, please,” she said as she winked at the bartender.
“Two Long Islands,” he said above the music, “I got you.”
As we waited for our drinks, I heard a familiar voice behind me. It was hard to hear over the music, but once I felt the nudge on my arm, I spun around. “Hey, Brian!” I said as he mirrored a warm smile.
“Hey! I guess we just keep bumping into each other! It must be fate!”
“It must be!”
He extended his arms for a hug, and I obliged. A part of me felt like I owed him thanks for helping me see that I just had to be myself during the auditions. “So,” he said after we released each other. “The audition? How did it go?”
“What?”
He leaned in closer, “The audition. How did it go?”
“I got the part! The lead role! That is why I am here now!”
“No shit?! Congrats!” He leaned in for another hug, but this time, he held on a little longer. I tapped him on his back, signaling that we had held each other long enough.
“Yeah. Yeah, thank you. And thanks for the um, the encouragement.”
“Oh, no problem. No problem at all. You know, you are beautiful, and I just had to help you see that you could have any part you wanted. Once I saw your personality, I knew you had it all!”
Just then, Carrie interrupted us with my drink in her hand. “Oh, shit, the apoplexy guy,” she yelled above the music.
“What?” Brian asked with furrowed eyebrows.
I laughed. “Never mind her.”
He smiled. “Well, I’ll let you get back to your celebration. Congratulations again, all right?”
“Thank you.”
He hugged me again as I felt his hand slip just below my waist and brush across my ass. It was awkward, and I didn’t know how to take it, but he walked away before I could say anything to him. I watched as he maneuvered his way through the crowd, not once looking back at me. “Hannah?” Carrie asked as she stood by me. “Are you all right? It looks like you just saw a ghost.”
“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. I’ll be fine.”
“Good!” She took a sip of her drink, then pulled me by the arm. “Now, let’s get our asses on the dance floor and celebrate your, woop-woop, starring role! Starring role, bitches!” She danced through the crowd as I looked in the direction that Brian headed. There was something about him that was unsettling. Something that made me believe that he wasn’t the nice guy I initially made him out to be, and I had an eerie feeling that he would turn up again sooner or later.
Chapter Nine
Ezra
Marc told me at the last minute to meet him at the movie studio so I could receive my script. “Wear something nice, too,” he said just before I hung up the phone. For as long as I had been doing movies, I’d never received the script at the movie studio. Come to think of it; I’ve never had the luxury of going to a movie studio before since most of my films were low-budget.
I put on a casual suit and headed to the studio. As I pulled into the parking lot, I made a phone call to Marc. “Hey, I’m here. Where do I go?”
“Hold on a second; I’ll be right out to get you.”
Minutes later, Marc came out of the building dressed in a black suit with a white button-up shirt and a black tie. He stood on the porch, patiently waiting for me to join him. After I had exited my car, I met him on the top stair. He firmly shook my hand with a smile. “Well, here we are. This is how the big boys do it.”
“The studio?” I asked, releasing his hand. “It seems like an event going on here.”
I heard the music playing just inside the building. “Yeah, there is. Come on, let me show you what’s inside.” He put his arm around me as we walked through the doors. There were appetizers resting on top of tables around the edges of the room. In the middle, there was a small fountain that spur
ted water five feet into the air before it splashed down into the water basin. The floor was polished to a crisp shine, reflecting everything that stood above it like a mirror.
“Wow,” I said as I looked around the room. “All of this for a movie script?”
“You’re not small-time anymore, babe. This is big-time. You are amongst movers and shakers right now. This is how the major movie companies do things. Everything comes with a party.” Just then, a waiter approached us.
“Hors d'oeuvre?” he asked as he extended the silver platter in front of us.
“Why not?” Marc said with a smile as he scooped one off the platter. “Ezra, you should try one. These are to die for.”
“No, thank you.”
The waiter bowed his head and continued walking through the crowd. “You are missing out,” Marc said as he swallowed his appetizer whole. He grabbed his handkerchief and patted his mouth to clean off the residue. “Anyways, the director will hand you the script later tonight, but for now,” he put his hand on my shoulder and rotated me until she was in my line of vision. “Your co-star is right over there at the punch bowl. How about you go and introduce yourself to her? It wouldn’t hurt to start building a working relationship with her. It will go a long way while you two shoot the movie.”
“Yeah,” I said as she smiled in the middle of her conversation with an older gentleman. “That’s not a bad idea at all.”
I approached her as she held her purse tightly underneath her arm. Her dress sparkled as if she were headed for a beauty pageant, and her hair was tied into a bun. I licked my lips as I stepped closer to her; her breasts sat perfectly beneath her dress. “And we meet again,” I said as I stood beside her.
The whites of her teeth shined bright as we made eye contact. “Ezra,” she said, “I was wondering when you were going to show up.”
“So, that means you were looking for me?”
“Um,” she chuckled. “I wouldn’t say that.”
“Well,” the older gentleman said, “I will leave you to it. Congrats again on the role, Hannah. And you too, Ezra. I’ve heard nothing but good things about you.” He shook my hand, then walked away, leaving me with a perplexed look.
“Um, who was that?”
“He is the director’s brother. I don’t know what he does, if anything, but he has been talking my ear off since I ran into him a few minutes ago. You just saved me from the agony. I didn’t want to be rude because he is Leonard’s brother, but–”
“Hey, come on, you can be nice. I mean, it looks like the guy is on his last leg anyway. He might have croaked right in front of you if I didn’t show up. He just needed a little more time.”
Her mouth hung open for a moment until a laugh sputtered out. “My God, that was mean! He is not that old!”
“He is old enough,” I said as I dipped the spoon into the punch and poured it into my glass. “But if that is your type, then I apologize. You might like them old. Hell, if you get married, that is less time you have to deal with them.” I wrinkled my eyebrows. “Wait a minute; you just might be on to something.”
She laughed, “Wow. You’re either a grade-A jerk, or you just like to get a reaction out of people.”
I took a sip of punch. “Well, maybe a little of both.”
“I see.”
“So. You didn’t bring a significant other with you to this event?”
“No. I don’t have one of those.” She took a drink, then placed her glass on the table. “It’s just me. It’s been that way for a little while now.”
“Oh, really?” That was all I needed to hear. “What is a beautiful woman like you doing single?”
“I wish I knew the answer to that, but I don’t. I’m like the last piece of bread in the bag. Nobody wants me.”
“Shit, I don’t know about you, but I ALWAYS eat the last piece of bread in the bag. Always.”
She blushed and looked away from me just as Leonard stepped to the middle of the room. “Thank you for attending this special script release event. I am thoroughly excited to begin shooting this wonderful movie. I would like to take the time to thank our two stars, whom I see together already.” He smiled. “Building more chemistry between one another. I love it. I absolutely love it! Please, both of you, come up here with me, front and center. Ezra Hamilton and Hannah Black.”
The people in attendance clapped as we walked, hand in hand, to the front of the room next to Leonard. “This is brand new talent, and I believe that we have two future stars in the making. I know they will put their best foot forward during this movie and not only will it launch their careers to new heights, but they will also make us a lot of money before they do!”
The audience laughed as he clapped his hands together. “Now, everyone enjoy yourselves, and in just a few moments, we will hand the script out to all of our actors and actresses, but for now, enjoy yourselves. Mingle. Drink. Eat and laugh, because that is why we are all here.” He shook my hand, then kissed Hannah on the cheek and walked away, leaving us in the front of the room.
“So, Hannah Bread,” I laughed. “I mean, Black. Maybe we should get together and go over the script sometime soon. I know we are not shooting for a little while now, but it’s probably good to stay proactive here.”
“Oh, yeah. Sure thing,” she said, attempting to hide her face. “Yeah, um. Monday is good. Is Monday good for you?”
“Monday is perfect.”
“All right.”
“Ezra, baby, I’ve got some people I want you to meet,” my agent called out to me as I stood next to Hannah.
I shook my head, “I need to–”
“Yeah, sure. I understand. You’ve got people to meet, and I’m sure–” just then, another person beckoned for Hannah’s attention. “–I’ve got people to meet, too.” Our laughter mingled together and led us staring into each other’s eyes for a moment. “Yeah, so… I guess we will exchange numbers before we leave or something?”
“Yeah, absolutely.”
“OK.”
She smiled and hesitantly walked away from me as my eyes glued to her backside. Just then, Marc put his arm around me. “Ezra, baby, come on. Important people! Important people waiting for you, babe. Let’s get this ball rolling!”
Chapter Ten
Hannah
“Hannah! Can you help me with these bags!” I heard Carrie stumbling through the front door as I rushed down the stairs to help her. She collapsed in the middle of the front room with her luggage piled around her as I closed the front door.
“Carrie? Are you all right?”
She took a deep breath as she laid sprawled out on the floor, “Why oh why did you let me take all these bags on a two-day trip!”
I laughed, pulling one of her bags to the side. “I told you, Carrie. You were only going to be out of town for two days at a photo shoot, but you felt you needed 30 outfits, and you know how you are when you get your mind made up. There is no hope for anything else.”
She pulled herself onto the couch. “Um, it was only 20, and I needed every last one of them, thank you very much.” She took a towel and wiped her forehead. “I had fun, but I am glad that is over. But you? How was your little shindig over at the movie studio?”
“Oh, yes. It was good! And speaking of that,” I said, standing up, “I need to meet up with Ezra at Bookers so we can get ahead of the script.”
She smiled. “A date? Really?”
I rolled my eyes, “No, not a date. A business meeting. Yeah, let’s just call it that.”
“Bullshit. First, you tell me that the man is fine and next thing I know, you are going out to dinner with him. Please. That is a date, and you know it.”
I laughed. “Whatever, Carrie. I need to go get ready, though.”
I turned to walk back upstairs as she called out to me, “But wait! Hannah, who is gonna help me unpack?! I didn’t plan on doing this by myself! Hannah!”
“What?!” I yelled as I was halfway up the stairs.
“Does he have like
a cute brother or something? If he does, send him my way!”
I chuckled to myself as I went upstairs and got myself ready to meet Ezra at the restaurant. It was a nice place in North Hollywood that offered everything from seafood to good old-fashioned burgers. Nothing too fancy, but far from a hole-in-the-wall spot.
He texted me just as I pulled into the parking lot. “Hey, I’m here already seated. Just come on in and walk to the right. You can’t miss me.” I walked into the building and followed his directions. He stood up and pulled out my chair as I approached.
“Hello, beautiful,” he said as I took my seat.
I smiled. “Hello, Ezra. Thank you.”
“My pleasure.” He walked to the other side of the table and took his seat. “How was the traffic?”
I placed my purse in a vacant seat beside us. “It is Hollywood, what do you expect? People are driving 10 miles an hour just so they can be seen and slowing up everyone behind them.”
“You remember that game, Mario Kart?’”
“Do I? It was one of my favorite games growing up.”
He leaned closer to me as if he were ready to tell me some deep, dark secret. “You know, I wish that my car had that little turtle so I could spit it out at those kinds of drivers. Like, seriously. Why the hell are you going 50 in a passing lane? I mean, seriously?”
“Right! My God, I hate that more than anything! I wish they could get a ticket for that! I would snitch every damned time!”
Just then, the waiter approached our table with an appetizer. “Fried mushrooms and pickles,” he said as he placed the steaming hot plates of food on our table. “And two Sprites. Are you all ready to order?”
“Um,” he said as he looked at me while my mouth hung halfway open like a garage door. “No, give us a minute, please.” He bowed his head and left us alone at the table. “I hope you don’t mind these appetizers. I always get–”
“I LOVE fried pickles and mushrooms! Love, love, love them! Did we just become best friends?!”
