It all happened with a cool efficiency.
Before I could even react to Chuck terminating me, the glass door behind us slid open and the large Jason Statham lookalike who'd met me at the front door reappeared and stood in front of Chuck like an impregnable brick wall. Now I knew what his purpose was. Chuck stood up and showed no emotion whatsoever as he walked down the stairs to the beach and casually strolled off. I was unceremoniously escorted from Chuck's house and given an envelope on the way out, his severance package as I later learned when I opened it.
I sat in my car and wondered what I should do next. It had been a long time since I'd been fired and given where I'd been employed, I had a feeling this would be more complicated than simply punching a clock for the last time. Out of the corner of my eye I could see the "bodyguard" standing by the front door watching my every move. Judging by his icy stare, leaving was strongly advised.
"He did WHAT?" a stunned Roger yelled "Jim, we'll fight this! He can't just dump you because you talked to another agency! You never accepted any kind of offer! This is a clear violation of your contract! I've got friends who specialize in contracts like this and they owe me a lot of favors! I'll be with you every step of the way! I'll..."
"Wait a sec, Roger. What if Jackie Morrison's offer is still good?"
"What're you talking about?"
"Maybe the Morrison offer is something to pursue. I think she was serious."
"You WANT to leave Artists Unlimited? That's crazy! Morrison has no track record! For all we know this could be some crazy tax dodge her accountants dreamed up! I'm telling you not just as your lawyer but as a friend you should fight this!"
"But what if it's serious?"
Roger was silent, then his voice calmed down, like he was giving this some thought.
"Look, give yourself some time off" he said with a sigh "Maybe Chuck will cool off and bring you back."
"Good idea."
"Just the same...I want to look over your contract. I'm still suspicious about all this. Please, at least let me do this."
"OK, do what you need to do."
When I got home, my apartment felt even more quiet than usual. I sat in my favorite chair with the lights off looking at the lights of L.A., trying to take in all that had happened. I think even Smokie the cat could tell things had changed and he crawled into my lap. It felt nice sitting there with him. In the course of an hour I'd gone from the top of the showbiz talent ladder to being just another mortal looking to make ends meet. OK, my situation was different than everyone else's but there was still that sense of fear within me. My phone buzzed with an incoming text from Natalie;
"I'm so sorry." It said "I'll call you."
In the midst of all this upheaval in my life, an email arrived from the Aria casino in Vegas. How I got on their mailing list, I'll never know. The last time I was there I ran into an old friend who'd since made a name for himself running their restaurant operations. I dismissed the email and deleted it.
I wasn't going to feel sorry for myself and was determined to still be productive. I did a longer than usual workout at the gym and had a more leisurely reading than normal of the morning papers. But as I sat outside at Starbucks I still wondered what was going through the minds at AU.
"Hey, Jim!"
"Huh?"
"Jim? It's me."
I looked up and saw Wilmer Valderrama standing nearby. I'd met him in New York with Demi Lovato when I was the "plus one" for their mutual friend Selena Gomez. I found that he was a cool guy to be around especially when we were all snowbound for the night. And even now, he still had the "cool" vibe around him as he got his Venti latte`.
"Hey, how ya doin? Have a seat." I said as he joined me and removed his sunglasses.
"Just getting my morning jolt, you?"
"The same. How's your girl?"
"She's great, it's a lucky thing I ran into you. Did you know her birthday's coming up soon?"
"No way!"
"Uh-huh, since Demi's performing in Vegas, we're gonna celebrate it there. Wanna join us for the weekend?"
"Do I have to be someone's plus one again?"
"No! Not this time!" he laughed "Selena's busy on tour...it's gonna be a big family gathering. There might be a few surprises too." Wilmer leaned in close to me "I know things got a little, y'know, intimate between all of us that night after the wedding. If you know what I mean?"
"The thought did occur to me." I knew what he meant. I could hear him and Demi in the bedroom across from where Selena and I had an equally memorable night. We gave each other knowing smiles. Wilmer looked relieved that he didn't have to explain any further.
"OK, anyway, I guess you could hear us."
I nodded "You probably heard us too?"
He nodded and took a sip of his drink. It seemed like he wanted to say something but was clearly nervous. "Demi was happy that things worked out between you and Selena, you know all she's been going through lately" he said as he took another sip of his drink, but this one was a bit longer "There's a lot we've done that doesn't make it into the tabloids. You only see the highlights."
Maybe a trip to Vegas wasn't such a bad idea after all
"When does this big event kick off?"
"Great!" he replied with some relief in his voice "I'll text you the info." As soon as he left I went for my phone to see if I still had that email from the Aria. Maybe being on their email list (and a closet cheapskate) wasn't so bad after all either.
The Aria was a huge monument of glass and steel on the Vegas strip. The natural light that shined through its windows was unreal the afternoon I arrived. Wilmer left a message for me at the front desk that I was to check in and meet them down in the pool area where the VIP cabanas were. I quickly changed into my Ron Jon board shorts and Hawaiian shirt and headed for the vast pool area. The Vegas heat was in full effect as I strolled around keeping an eye out for them but trying not to gaze on all the bikini beauties that were everywhere I looked. Luckily my phone buzzed with a text from Wilmer saying they were at the Liquid Pool Lounge. It was hard to miss it from the techno music playing.
"Hey, Jim!" I heard him yell. He and Demi were at one of the many booths that surrounded the pool. Demi's face lit up when she saw me, she immediately scampered over to me and hugged me tightly.
"Oh my god! Wow! You're here!"
"Hey, how could I turn down something like this?"
"I can't believe you came, wow!" she said as she escorted me to their booth. She introduced me to their friends (none of whom I knew) and we were all munching on fruit and different drinks. Demi sat close to me and I could feel her fingers softly brush my cheek, as if to get my attention. I turned and got a look at that big smile she was famous for. Yep, she was happy I came. She looked flawless in an aqua colored strapless bikini. As Demi told everyone about how we'd met and our time together that weekend in New York, I saw an equally stunning woman walking towards our table in an electric red bikini with a matching wrap that emphasized her curvy figure. Her long brown hair looked incredible the way it was softly blown by the hot desert wind
"My god...who is that?" I said slowly as she stood by the pool and delicately dipped her toe in the water.
Demi heard me and called out to the woman.
"Ashley!" she yelled, the woman turned and smile widely as she walked over. She exchanged greetings and hugs with Demi and turned to me "Jim, this is my friend Ashley, she's a model. You probably saw her Sports Illustrated cover."
"Hi, Jim. I'm Ashley Graham. So good to meet you." She said as she gave me a soft kiss on the cheek. She sat down next to me and I was now in between two beauties. Demi on one side, Ashley on the other. I also couldn't keep my eyes off Ashley's body. Her tits were, well, enormous. I tried leaning forward on my elbows just so I wouldn't be leering at either one of them. But man, it was tough. I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to Ashley
"What do you do out in L.A.?" she asked.
"Oh, I'm with...or should I say I WAS with Artists Unlimited."
"You left them?"
"Not exactly...I got, um, retired by them." I said, fumbling for the right words.
