Chapter Sixteen
Hannah
I sat in my room going over the script when I heard Carrie walk up the stairs. She had been out of town for the past few days, so she didn’t hear the news that I had slept with Ezra. “Oh, my God,” she said, inviting herself into my room. “I am glad that is over. I have never had so many photo shoots in one day. I couldn’t even enjoy Venice Beach like I wanted to.” She plopped down on my bed with her arms and legs sprawled out like a squished bug. “All of those fine men on the beach and I didn’t have time to do anything with any one of them. Fuck my life.”
I quietly paged through my script as she exhaled facing the ceiling. Before long, she took note of my silence and looked towards me. “Hannah? Did you not just hear me venting? You know you are supposed to step right into best friend mode and ask me some more questions so I can keep going.”
“Oh,” I said, lifting my head from the script. I was immersed in another one of the sex scenes, imagining Ezra fucking me while I was pinned against the wall. My panties were moist just at the thought, and if it wasn’t for Carrie bursting into my room, I would have pleased myself to hold me over until the next time I met up with Ezra to rehearse lines. “I’m sorry,” I placed the script onto my lap. “I was just focused on getting these lines down.”
She flipped over onto her stomach and snatched the script from my lap, “Well, damn. It must be good if you can completely ignore what I was saying to you.” She read over the script as I watched her eyes drift back and forth across the page. I hung my head to shield my smile from her. After a few moments had passed, she began to read out loud, “He lifts her against the wall, shifting from their original position on the bed. The moonlight blazes in from the window, illuminating their sweat-soaked bodies as she moans out loud each time he thrusts himself inside of her.”
She slapped me with the thick script. “Ouch, Carrie!”
“Ouch, my ass,” she said, quickly sitting in an upright position. Her eyes widened as if she remembered what I was supposed to do with Ezra this past weekend. “Wait a minute… did you two screw?” she asked, anxiously waiting for my response. I looked away from her, still attempting to hide my bashful smile. I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks as I used my hand to cover my face. “You did, didn’t you? Didn’t you!” She scooted closer to me, giddy, wanting to know more. “How was it?! Was it what you expected?! Was it better?! Girl, tell me something or I will keep assaulting you with this script!” She smacked me again on my leg with the thick packet of paper.
“All right!” I said, holding the reddened portion of my leg. “Yes, I did! We did. We had sex that night at his place.”
“And?” she said, her eyes like fishbowls.
“It was… it was everything I thought it would be. I mean, I didn’t have anything to compare it to because I don’t remember the last time I have even had sex, but… I can tell you this much; it was a hell of a lot better than using my finger or that thing in my drawer.” She buried her face in the script and fell back onto the mattress, laughing out loud. “Carrie, stop it! I knew you were going to make a big deal out of this!”
“I have to,” she said, sitting back into an upright position. “I mean, damn. My best friend finally got some dick, and she didn’t have to fucking use batteries for it to happen.”
“Please,” I said, rolling my eyes, “I don’t need batteries for that thing. All I need to do is plant it somewhere and sit on top of it.”
“Oh, you got one of those? Shit. I might need to switch it up, because,” she stopped herself. “Wait a minute, I am all off topic! So, tell me more details!” She leaned in close to me as if there were people around listening. “Was his dick big?”
I laughed, covering my face with my hand again. “I don’t know. I mean, how do you know if it is big or not?”
“My God, you sound like a virgin! If it was big, you might have felt some pain the next morning, or during the time yall were fucking.”
“Well... then yeah, I guess it was big. I could hardly fucking walk the next day,” I said, laughing out loud. “I was about to take my ass to the doctor.”
She laughed right with me. “Shit, the only thing the doctor would have told you is that you had a case of big dick-itus. Shit.” She smacked me on my arm. “You did it, though! I am proud of you, too! Damn. Was the chemistry there?”
“Yeah. All of it. I mean, I enjoyed um, I enjoyed having sex with him, I can’t lie about it. I know I might sound like a nympho or something but… I want some more of him. Like, I think I am addicted to his dick.” She laughed out loud again as she fell backward onto the bed. Just then, my phone rang on top of my nightstand. “Carrie, be quiet! This is my agent!” I snapped as she tried to stifle her laughter. “Carrie! Will you stop!”
As she settled down, I picked up the phone. “Hello?”
“Hannah? Hi. How are you doing today?”
“I am good, Suzanna. Is everything OK?”
“Yes, everything is fine! I just need you to stop by the office today. Just a few housekeeping things that we need to take care of before you begin shooting your movie. It should take no more than about 15 or 20 minutes.”
“Oh. OK, no problem. I’ll get myself ready and head that way.”
“Perfect. I’ll see you soon.”
Laughter filled the room again as I hung up the phone and got myself ready to go. “Where are you going?” she said, finding a way to speak coherent sentences out of her laughter. “Was that Ezra? Are you going for round two?”
I pulled a shirt out of my closet. “I wish,” I said. “But that was my agent. I need to go to her office and take care of some things really quick.”
“OK,” she said, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes. “All right. Whoo, I’ve had my laugh for today and trust me, I needed every ounce of it. I guess we will talk a little more whenever you get home. Welcome to the fuck club, though,” she said as she burst out in laughter again once she left the room. I chuckled to myself as I slid my shirt over my head. I didn’t mind her teasing, though. Not one bit. I felt like it was worth it and if I knew I had to put up with her hazing again, I still would have had sex with Ezra. That was something I would have gone through hell to get.
I arrived at Suzanna’s office about an hour later. She was a petite white woman with horn-rimmed glasses and crow’s feet at the edges of her eyes. Her lips were thin and wiry, and her nose was long and slim. She normally wore her hair in a tight ponytail and nothing more, barely wearing any makeup in the process. She was plain and simple, but when it came to business, she was a bulldog. That is what I loved about her the most. “Hey, Suzanna,” I said, extending my hand to her as I walked into her office.
“Hello, Ms. Black. It is a pleasure to see you this evening on such short notice. Please, have a seat.”
I sat on the other side of her large, wooden desk. It was polished to a dull shine, and on top of it, there were pictures of her family along the edges. Her son, two daughters, and a golden retriever that she considered one of her children as well. Her husband looked much like her. The same nose and lips, even the same glasses resting on the bridge of his nose. He never smiled in any of the pictures, though, but I didn’t care enough about it to ask her why. “So, Suzanna, what did you need me in for?”
She pulled a manila envelope out of her desk drawer and took a few papers out, then slid them in front of me. “As you know, Ms. Black, this movie is rated R, which means there will be some explicit scenes for you and your co-star.” I scanned over the document as she continued. “The production company just wants you to know what will be required of you.” She pointed with her finger, “Just take a look right there at section four. That is the part of the contract that holds the most importance.”
She folded her hands on her desk and waited patiently for me to read through the section. Client understands that there are scenes that will require her to be fully nude and, at times, perform sexual acts with her co-star. Some of these acts may be physical, while others will require you to be completely nude in front of cameramen, directors, and others who are working on set. This is to inform you of those expectations beforehand. Should you have any concerns, please voice them to your agent and/or casting director before we begin shooting.
I looked up at Suzanna after I read the section to myself. She removed her glasses and placed them on the side of her desk. Her look was solemn, compassionate. She knew what type of person I was, but at the same time, she knew what types of opportunities that something like this could bring. “Ms. Black. I completely understand if you have any apprehension about shooting this movie. We all know that this is a raunchy book, but raunchiness sells these days. Most people don’t want to see an average love story like The Notebook or something like that. They want something that is quick and passionate, and nothing brings that message home quite like this kind of movie. Now, I completely understand if you are having second thoughts about–”
“Where is the pen?”
“I’m sorry?”
I smiled. “I am ready to sign this. I just need the pen. I mean, you’ve looked it over, right? There isn’t anything that is going to take me by surprise?”
“Um,” she said, apparently unprepared for my abrupt response. “No. I looked through the verbiage and wording extensively before I called you to come out here. Everything is simple and straightforward. That section is the only one that worried me a bit.” She slid the pen in front of me.
“Well,” I said as I stroked my name onto the paper. “I am all right with it. I know that I must step out of my comfort zone for this to work and I have prepared myself for that. I’m good.” I smiled at her for reassurance, “Thank you for your concern, but I am good. I am ready to go.”
She looked over the document as I placed the ink pen back onto the desk. “All right,” she said with a smile. “I know you will do great. I don’t have a doubt in my mind.”
As she tucked the papers back into the envelope, the reality of everything began to set in. I was going to be naked in front of strangers, and possibly having sex with Ezra at the same time. A part of me cringed as I thought about how I would feel in the process, but either way, it was too late. I had already signed the paper, and I was committed to going forward with the movie, no matter what was ahead of me.
Chapter Seventeen
Ezra
“Five, six, seven, come on Ezra, push that shit. Eight. Nine. Ten.” I slammed the bar on the rack and tried to catch my breath as Jeff stood over me, clapping his hands. “Shit. 275 pounds? Ten reps? You are killing it now, Ezra. For real.”
I lifted myself off the bench and sat upright. A long mirror was positioned to my right against the wall, and as I glanced at it, I saw the definition of my biceps as the sweat rolled down my flesh. I couldn’t help but crack a smile at the progress I had made since I first began working out with Jeff. I didn’t plan on getting this big, but shit, I was happy that I did. “All right bro, we’re done. Good shit today, man. Good shit.”
I followed him into the steam room deeper inside of the gym. Since we both had a clear schedule for the rest of the day, we decided to relax a little more and release some more of the toxins from our bodies. We walked into the steaming hot room and sat down on one of the warm benches near the wall. It was hard to breathe for the first few minutes, but after that, my body had adjusted. “So,” he said, his voice breaking through the thick heat inside the room, “how are things between you and Hannah?”
“Things are good, I guess.”
“Back to normal?”
“Well,” I laughed, “I don’t know what normal is right now. I mean, I haven’t spoken to her much since we had sex.”
He laughed. “Shit, that sounds like normal to me. Have sex with a chick and then not speak to her for a while after that.”
“Nah,” I said, leaning back on the bench. “Nah, it’s not like that. I mean, we have talked a little bit, you know? Just not long, in-depth conversations or anything like that. I’ve checked on her to see how she was doing, but that’s it. I can’t get a read on her, though. I don’t know what to expect. I’ve never been in a situation like this before.”
A couple of men walked into the steam room and took seats across from us with towels draped over their heads. “Yeah, man, I can understand that a little bit. I mean, if Hannah is anything like you’ve told me, she might just be a little shy right now. She probably hasn’t fucked around in a long time. You say she is speaking to you, so I think that is a good thing for now.”
“Yeah.” I wiped a handful of sweat from my brow and threw it to the floor. I hated that Hannah and I hadn’t spoken much since we had sex, and granted, it was only a few days ago, but for some reason, I felt like karma was creeping into my life. I’d done the same thing to other women countless times, so if it happened to me, I couldn’t even be mad. I would hate it, but I couldn’t be mad. “I just hope you weren’t right. Fuck,” I said, laughing to myself, “I don’t know what I would do if I had to say, ‘Jeff, you were right, bro.’ Shit. I can’t even put the thought in my head without regretting the day it happens.”
“Shit, bro, I’m trying to tell you that I know what I am talking about. Hannah seems like the type of woman that you have to move slow with, you know? But hell, that’s just my opinion. Besides, I haven’t even met the lucky lady yet, so who knows?”
“Yeah, I’ll bring her around you eventually. Shit, Tanya is already acting crazy. She found out that I got the role in the movie and she automatically asked if I was fucking her.”
Jeff bowled over, laughing, as he clapped his hands together. “Fuck yeah, bro! Fuck yeah! Stick it to her! What did you say?”
I grabbed a nearby towel and wiped my brow. “I didn’t tell her anything, really. I let her know that I was in a movie, but that’s it. She didn’t need to know anything else.”
“Man, you gotta let me be there when you tell her. I want to see her fucked up ass face when she finds out that you have moved on and not only gotten a role in a major movie, but you’ve got another woman on your side. She is gonna hate that shit.”
Jeff seemed more excited than me when it came to bursting Tanya’s bubble, but that’s just how he was. He was intense 90 percent of the time, and that was part of the reason why I didn’t want to bring Hannah around him just yet. He was liable to say something that rubbed her the wrong way. Whether it was talking about another woman in my past, or making a comment about the way she looked. It was all harmless coming from him, but if you didn’t know his personality, you would quickly take offense to what he said. I wasn’t ready to expose her to that just yet. “You know what?” he added. “We need to go out tonight and celebrate. We’ve been so fuckin’ busy that we haven’t done anything since you’ve gotten your fuckin’ role. What do you say? Neither of us has shit to do tonight, right?”
“Nah, I’m free. Shit, I guess it would be good to go out tonight, you know? Loosen up a bit before we begin shooting. Why not?”
“I know where we can go. There is a spot over on Sunset that a few of my clients go to whenever they come out to Hollywood for a visit. Big-timers are in there, you know? Hell, it might be one of your favorite spots after you blow up.”
I laughed, “Yeah, we’ll see. We’ll see.”
After we had left the gym, I headed home to get dressed for the evening. When I walked through the door, images of the time I shared with Hannah played in my mind like a movie. The way I had her bent over on the couch. How she wrapped her legs around my waist when I had her laid on her back, and the moans that she made that were barely audible. The scratch marks she made on my back hadn’t formed hard scabs yet, and they burned a little whenever I stepped into the shower. To me, they were war wounds of a battle that I didn’t want to forget.
I ended the reel inside my mind and headed up to the shower to get myself cleaned up. Going out with Jeff always created memories that would last a lifetime. Whether he had gotten too drunk to speak coherently, or he had gotten chesty with some guys at the bar. Either way, he was always a live wire, and tonight, I needed a night like this to help relax before the rigor of filming the movie kicked into full gear.
After I had gotten out the shower, I checked my cell phone. I had a missed call and text message, both from Hannah. My heart fluttered like I was in high school again as I read through the message. “Hey, Ezra. Just checking on you to see how you were doing. I didn’t want anything, but whenever you have some time, drop me a line. Talk to you later.”
I sat down on my bed with my towel wrapped around my waist. “Hey, Hannah. Just got out the shower and I was thinking about you. If you’re not busy, maybe we can get together soon and um, ‘run lines’ again.’ Maybe get something to eat?”
“I’d love that.”
“Good. How’s the day after tomorrow sound?”
“Around here, we call that Tuesday…LOL. But that’s perfect.”
“LOL…right, Tuesday. Well, I will see you then.”
She responded with a smiley face shortly after that. After I got dressed and walked into the front room, Jeff was sitting on the couch eating one of my protein bars as if he’d purchased it. “Really, Jeff?”
He took a bite and held his hands to the side. “What?” he responded, like he wasn’t doing anything wrong.
I smiled, “Nothing, man. Nothing. Are you ready to go?”
“Hell yeah,” he said as he shoved the rest of the bar into his mouth. “I was fucking born ready. Let’s go.”
We arrived at Mason’s, the new upscale bar on Sunset. This was my first time going since it had opened a few months ago. My agent, Marc, raved about how there were so many good-looking women who fraternized inside the bar, but I wasn’t in the mood to find any more women at that time. I was focused on getting my career to another level, and even now, I still didn’t have a desire to fill that void because, as far as I knew, Hannah had already filled it. The line was just outside the door. Men and women were dressed in designer suits, and ladies carried Michael Kors purses like they were the only ones in the store that were left to buy.
I started to ease into the line, but Jeff grabbed my arm. “No, man. We are not waiting in line. I know the fucking owner. We are going straight inside.” We walked past the short line to the front door as the security guard poked his chest out like he was inviting a confrontation. Jeff wasn’t the one to test, though. He seemed as though he was always ready to show off his strength whenever the opportunity presented itself. “Hey, buddy,” he said, smiling. “I was personally invited by Ernesto.”
“Ernesto?” the security guard answered as he glared at the both of us. “Hold tight.” He pulled a cell phone out of his pocket and made a phone call. He nodded in disgust once he heard the answer. Without uttering a word, he stepped to the side and allowed us in. Jeff tapped him on his shoulder and mocked him with a smile as we walked by. Blue and white lights lit up the marble dance floor. The far wall housed a fish tank made from thick glass that would take a shitload of pressure to crack. The bar was made of glass, and the wall behind the counter housed top shelf wine and liquor bottles that were ready to crack open.
“Hey man, everything is on me tonight, all right? This is my gift to you for surviving that fucking shit storm named Tanya and still coming out on top with your movie role,” he said as he put his arm around me and led me to the bar. The music picked up as we headed further inside. Jeff pounded his hand on the bar to get the server’s attention. “Let me have a Long Island iced tea,” he looked at me, “Two of them. My boy is about to make it big in the movies!”
The bartender smiled and went to make our drinks as the women floated into the bar like angelic creatures, full of good times and long nights. I was surrounded by beautiful women, but for some reason, I couldn’t get one out of my mind. Hannah positioned herself in my head with her flawless smile and buxom breasts, sitting on my couch with her legs crossed, waiting for me to get home, and I was just as anxious to get back to her.