“Yes. Felicia was super nice and explained everything to me. She told me that Kendra Bianco and Tony Giovanni, the owners, said I was one of their VIP girls and would get special treatment at Nubile Productions. She said it was because of you.”
“I seriously doubt that. I barely know the owners.”
“Felicia was a little cryptic about how you met them. There has to be a story behind that,” she pressed.
“It seemed we had the same unpleasant thing we needed to deal with. I happened to be in a position to make it go away. I’m sure that’s what they were talking about.”
Brandon Rigby had been a problem for many people. I was glad he was going to jail.
“You’re no fun, but thanks anyway. They flew me out to New York, and I had my audition. They asked if there was anyone I wanted to do it with, so I told them about Ryan.”
Ryan was the model with the impressive equipment who I set Tracy up with for Prom. Maria and Ryan ended up going to the dance when Jim and Tracy got cold feet. Jim was afraid he wouldn’t measure up in some way. It didn’t help that Ryan showed everyone what he was packing. That was when Tracy finally believed me and chickened out. Jim and Tracy ended up going together, and from all reports had a good time.
“Spare me the details, but I’m assuming it went well,” I said.
“They signed us both. Felicia flew me home to pack my stuff. They have an apartment for me close to the studio. The next time you’re in New York, you need to call me, and I’ll take you out to dinner as a thank you.”
My bedroom door opened.
“I don’t feel good,” Cassidy announced.
“Sorry, I gotta go, my friend is about to get sick,” I told Maria and hung up on her.
I grabbed Cassidy and whisked her into the bathroom. I swear Duke had more common sense. No, I take that back; he would have found a carpet to puke on. He could be on a hard surface that was easy to clean and would head straight for a rug if he had a problem. She puked on my chest and all over herself. I tossed her into the tub and then puked into the toilet. She could have asked me to help her with
The whole time I undressed her, I was gagging. I tossed the t-shirt and shorts I’d dressed her in into the trash, and I threw my shirt in with them. Then I turned the shower on her.
“David! Don’t,” she wailed.
“I’m never taking you drinking again,” I swore.
“But you love me,” she moaned.
“And that is why you’re not stark naked in the hall right now. Now hold still so I can wash your hair.”
Cassidy ended up puking two more times before I got her to bed. She didn’t like that I brushed her teeth, but I didn’t want to smell her breath all night. I didn’t bother putting her in another t-shirt because I’d already lost one.
◊◊◊ Wednesday May 25
“Morning, Sunshine,” I said cheerily.
“Shut up,” Cassidy moaned. “Why am I naked? Did you …?”
“You puked all over yourself.”
“Oh … yeah … I remember now. Sorry about that.”
“You should go run with me.”
Cassidy had, let’s say … other ideas for me. None of them sounded fun, so I left her in my bed.
◊◊◊
This morning, Caryn and Fritz ran with me, so we slowed down to accommodate her pace. Caryn was actually a good runner, and she made it out about three times a week. I just wanted to get the blood pumping, so we didn’t do a long run.
It seemed the movie staff must have known my running schedule because when we made it back to the hotel, Anita, the production assistant, was waiting for me.
“Morning,” I said to greet her.
“They want you to join them in the conference room to discuss what we’re doing moving forward, now that Kimberly has left the movie.”
“Do I have time to shower and get something to eat?” I asked.
“They have a buffet, and Gabe asked for everyone as soon as possible. He’s calling in, and I don’t expect he cares what you look like right now.”
Caryn and Fritz accompanied me. Caryn wanted to hear what the plan was firsthand. Somehow, she didn’t seem to trust me to give her a full report. I was glad to see I wasn’t the last one to arrive. While we waited, I checked out the buffet. I wasn’t impressed with runny scrambled eggs, burned potatoes, and rock-hard bacon. I drained some eggs and made toast. If I ended up going straight to the set, Caryn would have to go to my room to get some energy bars for later this morning.
When everyone arrived, Gabe Francis, the studio head, was called so he could talk to us on speakerphone.
“First of all, I want to say we’re pleased with what we’re seeing with the dailies. It was disturbing when Kimberly Fillmore decided to quit in the middle of filming. That really put us in a bind because she was crucial for several scenes that haven’t been filmed, and that was the reason we halted production for a day.
