Author's Note: This story is completely fictional and did not happen. All characters and names are fictional and were made up. I do not make money from these stories. Please do not copy and plagiarize my work.
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Los Angeles, California
An audible sigh was heard from a man taking in a deep breath outside among the blazing heat of the afternoon sunlight. Summer time was in full swing, making for a perfect afternoon for a bit of jogging exercise. With a large pair of black headphones over his head and wearing a white T-shirt to go with a pair of black jean shorts, a dark skinned man made his way jogging through the park. His feet moved over the ground in an expensive pair of black sneakers. The trees along the way offered shade from the sunlight while various people were out enjoying their day walking or sitting at the benches. A quick jog through the park was something Trey always enjoyed to do on Monday. The start of the week was usually long and stressful for anyone who had to go back to work after Sunday. There was no better way to get into the vibe of the week than beginning with a bit of exercising.
The son of fame, living it large in the city of stars. Trey had been born as an only child into a situation that many people could've only dream of. His father, Marvin Banks was a famed record producer who had a risen into a status of prominence following multiple hits in the late eighties and earlier nineties. Marvin had worked as a drummer, pianist and guitar player in his youth before advancing into a producer where he worked alongside R&B acts at a local record label in Chicago. As a producer, he specialized in song writing, working heavily with the instrumentation that involved him playing the various instruments he was skilled with. His big moment of fame had come with producing hit songs by Jade, Mary J Blige and Aaron Hall. In 1994, he won a Grammy award for best R&B producer. Through out the later years of the nineties, Marvin slowed down as his services for production had become costly only for top stars of the genre and pop acts wanting to cross genres.
On the other side of Trey's upbringing was his mother, Trina. Trey's parents had married in the year of 1990, just one year after his birth. Trina had met Marvin at a party involving one of the artists he had been working with at the time. She worked for a film studio based out of Hollywood that specialized in commercials and music videos. Trina's job involved editing and cinematography, something that she gained much respect for over the years. With both parents in high places, Trey had lived his childhood like a young prince. Money was never a concern for him, as he had been gifted with fine luxuries going back to his teen years when his first car had been a brand new Lexus. Spoiled was just a word to Trey's mind, but anyone who had viewed his private life knew that he fit the definition accurately. He had lived his adulthood so carefree that after his twenty-ninth birthday, his mother and father had given him something of a reality check. The days of his easy living were coming to an end now that he was approaching his thirties.
'Get up off your fucking ass and get a job! You gotta do something with your life with someday.'
Such a stern wake up call had been told to Trey by not only his father, but his mother as well. It didn't matter to his parents that they were a family of wealth and fame. Trey would be thirty years old next February and he had been subjected to many lectures from both of his parents about how they had been working most of their lives and had carried many responsibilities at his age.
'Before I was thirty, I'd already made over six-figures and had a wife, raising a kid. I didn't have the privilege of sitting on my ass all the time living it up like you do all day.'
His father had a point about his laziness, though it was a matter of different circumstances of living. Trey could never relate to the struggle of tight financial situations that both of his parents had endured, rising up from the poor conditions of their childhoods. He had it made compared to how their lives were. It was the best they could offer him as parents and now it was his turn to get out and make his own living without riding their coat tails forever.
Trey had spent over a month considering ideas for making a name for himself like his parents had done before him. If there was any type of dream job he wanted, it was something of a radio host or a television presenter. He felt that he had the charm and loved to talk. Much to his father's disappointment, Trey didn't take to playing a musical instrument growing up though he had passion for R&B and Hip Hop music. After a conversation with his friend Marcus about the old days of MTV, a curious idea had formed in Trey's mind. He considered some how starting a television program centered around airing old music videos and reliving the memories of the past. After weeks of considering the idea, Trey had thought up something of a show revolving around the set of a hotel lobby where he and another actor could present and talk about music. The title 'Fantasy X Hotel' had come into his mind. The hotel would serve as a fictional set-piece where the host played by him talked about old fantasies with hits of the past.
After revealing the idea to his father, Trey was immediately met with laughter in disbelief. His father did not believe the idea would work at all, mostly because anyone could watch music videos all day on the internet if they desired to. Despite not liking the idea, Marvin still supported his son and promised to put out a small bit of money to fund the show. He encouraged Trey to try doing the show himself and hosting it on the internet. Trey's mother had a different idea, as she went against Marvin's advice and told Trey to try pitching his idea to a network and creating a television show out of it. She had connections from her time in Hollywood and working cinematography. All it would take is a few whispers into certain individual's ears to open doors for her son to have an opportunity with his idea of a TV show. Trina went ahead and assigned her son an agent for negotiating a deal before a network opened interviews. In May, a cable network accepted a request to pick up the idea for an hour long program for the music videos, but Trey was forced to change the name. 'Fantasy X' sounded too inappropriate for a network to market. The name was eventually changed to 'Fantasy Radio Hotel'.
Several ideas were floated for the television program, but Trey had been given complete control as the lead producer. He listened to the suggestions offered, but it was made clear that he would be deciding on what he wanted. Thanks to his father, he had a budget to work with for designing the show. The network involved had set the show for a late hour slot, taking up what was previously re-runs of old films before the graveyard shift began airing infomercials. With the budget in hand, Trey wanted a studio set piece for the hotel. His mother called on the old production company that she had retired from and quickly managed a set for him. It made her proud that her son would be working under the same studio that she had spent over two decades in. The set piece was Trey's first focus, as he spent a couple thousand dollars with an interior decorator who helped design what would come off as a luxurious hotel lobby. If the show was to be a success, he planned to have a second set created that was to be the basic hotel room, but that was optimistically thinking ahead into the future.
Following advice suggested by his agent, Trey considered having a co-host to help him on the show. Since he had no experience whatsoever as an actor, it would serve as an aid to have someone there that he could learn from. He considered having a male co-host but soon figured that a woman would work easier. The studio set out a memo for agents representing actresses and models who were looking for work. The show itself was nothing more than an easy paycheck, as they would just have to host the program alongside him while music videos played. Trey suggested that the woman should be older than him and someone who carried fame from the nineties era. It was his plan to run the program playing old R&B hits of the nineties to rise up nostalgia to his intended audience. The memo was sent out and now after a few weeks, Trey was simply waiting to hear from back his agent who was in negotiations with other agents representing any interested actresses.
While out jogging by himself, Trey listened to a random playlist of music through his headphones. He stood tall at 5"9 with an athletic build. He may have enjoyed a good party, but working out was how he burned off energy and stayed in good shape. A small diamond encrusted piece of gold was fitted into his left ear while his face was clean shaved. His head was shaved except for light hair that was growing at the top. A gold Rolex watch was visible over his left wrist, as Trey was the kind of man who always liked to show off style. He usually wore pinstriped suits when he was out and about, a sign of his status and wealth. A black Bentley or a white Mercedes Benz where his cars of choice, refusing to be seen in public out in a cheaper car. By the time he was finished jogging, Trey made the trip back to his car with sweat drenched over his dark forehead. Upon opening the front driver side door, he slipped into the seat and immediately turned the air conditioner on after igniting the car's engine. His cellphone began to ring, forcing his right side shorts pocket to vibrate. He retrieved his phone from the pocket, looking on the screen as it was his agent Tim calling.
"Hey Tim."
"Trey, I need to talk to you about some things."
"Are they important?"
"Yes. I've just heard back from an agent representing someone who appears to be very interested in your show. I thought I should call and inform you. She's going to be on her way soon for negotiations and you should be present so you can meet her."
Sitting down in the driver's seat, Trey raised his eyebrow while still holding the phone up to his ear. Going by the sound of Tim's words, whoever this mystery actress was, she must have been confident about the role and truly desired it for herself.
"Oh yeah? Who's this actress I'm gonna be meeting with?"
"Jennifer Love Hewitt. She'll be at the studio within the next hour, so get ready and come over to meet her."
"Wow, really? Alright, I'll be on my way!"
Trey gasped upon hanging the phone up.
