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.
Special thanks to my friend Runningrock for helping me with the title for this new series.
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Los Angeles, California
April 2013
Across a clear blue sky, clouds hung high and across the view stretching out beyond traffic on a hot spring day. Seasonal change in California was meaningless once the later hours of morning had shifted long enough for the heat to wash away any coolness that came from the previous night. Green hills were visible just before the mountains in the distance while the streets stretched and turned into paths beyond the gated estates and other-worldly homes far out from the rest of the city. Hidden Hills was a gated community sitting outside Los Angeles with roads requiring proper navigation into the bigger city for work during the week days. Within five months of living there, Winston Moss was beginning to find himself accustomed to the routes and scenery while gripping the steer wheel of his black BMW.
The roads were smooth, a far cry from the rocky dirt paths he was used to navigating back home in Virginia. 2012 was the year in which the world was supposed to end, playing into the old Y2K scare from the previous decade he remembered from his youth. While the world was still in tact, something had changed for Winston. A new beginning as he had found himself among the inner circles of high society just outside of Hollywood. How a thirty-two year old man from the other side of the country had wound up here wasn't so much a mystery when considering where he had found himself in the past five months. The question came from anyone inside certain social circles involving one special A list actress in Hollywood: just who was Winston Moss and what business did he have around her?
Where he came from was of no concern, as Winston was confident in his current place in life after spending the last five years living in L.A. and trying to get somewhere in the entertainment industry. His one skill was in photography as well as camera work, but without much of a background, no studio seen a reason to take a risk on someone who appeared to be a mere amateur. Perhaps a better question to wonder would've been in the realms of existence to a higher power in the universe. If anyone had dared to ask Winston if he was willing to or previously had sold his soul in exchange of a better life, the answer was an easy yes. It didn't come with a ceremony of sorts or taking an oath. Lucking into the right situation was always about being in the right place at the right time, knowing certain people and having special friends. His devil if one wanted to refer to her as that, was none other than actress Salma Hayek.
Their meeting had come months ago before the year passed as Winston had caught Salma's eye after getting thrown out of a party he was not invited to. Willing to do anything to try and get his name out there in hopes of joining a studio for modelling or even working in the cheapest of B movie studios. It was a chance coincidence for him to bump into a woman of her wealth and fame, but such was the rewards of taking chances in life and going for risky adventures. It was only the third party he had sneaked his way into with the previous two only leading him to brush shoulders with socialites and a few models. At first, she had mistaken him as an identity thief, since he had forged an ID to sneak into the party to begin with. For some reason or another, Salma had seen Winston as a useful man, offering him a hand and a new life if he were willing to accept. How could he say no to a better world of living?
As the new year had proven that the apocalypse was not coming, his body didn't cease to exist as his name had been changed into one that had no paper trails leading back home. With a bank account in the six-figure range and given the keys to one of her upper class homes tucked away in a gated community outside of L.A., Winston had a new purpose in life. Salma had made reason to keep Winston around as an 'assistant' but only he and she knew the true reason that she had shoved him somewhere safe to keep. That fateful night was the beginning of an affair, one that had led him to where he currently resided. Given a new identity of last name, Winston signed on as a 'PR manager' as Salma had dubbed him. As she had told him from the night they had met, a man that would go out of his way to sneak into parties and try to get somewhere in the business was one with determination. A useful piece for her to maneuver over the chessboard of her personal life.
Upon agreement to this new life, Winston had to prove himself to the forty-seven year old married actress. It was made apparent to him that Salma had other useful men around handling various things for her, mostly involving paparazzi. None of them were engaged in an affair like Winston had found himself having a more significant part of her life. He wasn't allowed to ask about her business involving her husband outside of the country or any other personal matters. Winston enjoyed joking with himself that he had soul his soul to a devil, thinking of Salma in her 'Dusk Till Dawn' role as a succubus who had taken his soul after performing a dance routine. It was something he had dreamed of back in his younger days when he first saw her in that movie. She may not have been the first crush he had in life, but she was one willing to sacrifice his previous life for in a wild journey that awaited both of them. Even if it meant for him to be used as her foot stool, he seen no problem with such a demand.
As part of his new identity, a makeover of his appearance had been ordered. His dark brown hair had been cut shorter and his face clean shaved from where he previously had a thick black mustache. Salma insisted he begin working out to build up his muscles, but Winston preferred to have that equipment back at her home rather than going out to gyms and socializing. He preferred to keep to himself as a man who didn't always have many friends, something that Salma took a liking towards. It was nice for her to have a good man tucked away behind a gated community in an area outside of L.A. where she could have some personal time to herself when needed. With the money he had now; Winston had no problem occupying himself if she wasn't around. The BMW was the first of his purchases along with an exercise bike for upstairs and a couple hundred dollars spent on various vinyls of classic rock albums.
In the months passing, Salma was impressed to see how he wasn't spending much of the money she had given him. It was another sign to her that Winston had more to offer in terms of usefulness. The time had come for him to begin making his own income as one of her managers with jobs that involved him having a hand in her business. Most of this consisted around interviews, the typical 'boring PR stuff' as Salma liked to call it but on this special day Winston had been given a much better job. Salma had an interview with a major publication who would no doubt be putting her name on the front cover while another actress filled the slate with a full photoshoot. After a conversation days ago, Winston agreed with Salma that they would negotiate for a better payout. Despite not being on the magazine's front cover, Salma wanted her name to appear in larger print advertising her interview through the pages.
1 PM was the time he needed to be at the office and unless he made several stops along the way to waste time, Winston would be arriving less than thirty minutes early. Salma would already be there, escorted with her bodyguards and a metallic blue Cadillac Escalade serving like stagecoach for a royal family member. The woman always knew how to carry herself with grandiose class and luxury to give the appearance of a queen. Downtown traffic was always hectic as something Winston had learned from living in Los Angeles within a few years. Not worrying about the time, he found the Esquire magazine office and the car park sitting next to it. Both buildings were grey with the car park being slightly taller, mostly due to other buildings surrounding it that served it's purpose in placement. It took a few minutes to park on the third floor and then make an exit. Thankfully the office was in walking distance, not requiring too much time as the clock was only seven minutes from a new hour.
With a tall build, Winston stood in a black suit without the tie as the white collar to his undershirt gave away the color. His short brown hair was slicked back, as he easily blended in with the dress up of a business man. His suits had been paid for under the six-figure budget Salma allowed for him beginning months ago before the pages of a new year had been flipped. He had the complete appearance of a new man, taking life of his new identity. When it came time to choosing his surname, Moss was the first one that popped into his mind. Salma approved of it while Winston demanded to keep his first name and not go by anything else. He dreamed of the day that the name Moss would potentially carry some weight to it within the industry, even if his sole purpose was working with Salma. Those thoughts weren't at the center of his mind today as he entered the building and looked around the lobby.
"Looking for someone?"
A familiar voice had nearly caught him off guard. Winston turned around to his left side to see Salma herself standing before him. A smile curved over her small red lips, her long dark hair was split down the middle offering a subtle view of diamond ear rings. She wore a black dress, offering a view of her impressive heavy cleavage with a black leather skirt down below with black high heels to finish off her outfit. Always a woman of style, putting on the appearance of a royal queen. Winston nodded, offering her a smile.
"Yeah, you should know I'm only looking for you."
Around them the lobby for the office was decorated with plain white walls and a few framed photographs hanging on each wall. A row of black chairs were off to the east and west side while the elevators were to the north. Winston didn't bother studying the round shaped reception desk in the middle while people came and went. Salma nodded at him, returning the smile as she soon began to walk. Two of her bodyguards were sitting in the waiting chairs, each of them in suits like Winston. As they approached the elevator, Salma spoke to Winston to spark a conversation before their meeting.
"You're right on time, I'm glad I didn't have to call you."
He chuckled at her remark.
"You say that like it's a bad thing."
