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.
To all the people who sent me feedback for the past 3 years about this series, thank you. It's been a long time and I'm happy to give a new chapter after such a long wait, enjoy!
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Los Angeles, California
The plane had touched down, docking into LAX airport a few minutes after 8 PM on the clock. Between time differences traveling from one end of the U.S. to the other, jet lag was something completely out of Luke's system by this point. He had left Keeley Hazell back in Miami after his meeting with John Varga, ready to to go out on another journey that would hopefully bring him closer to the overall goal of finding himself face to face with Lucy Pinder once again. Everything had hinged on this job for Varga, as Luke had to hope the old man truly kept his word. This was the only chance he truly felt that he had with getting close to her after all the pain he had been through following Nigel Taylor around. To come so close back in Miami, only to be denied and have more missteps was almost discouraging.
All along, Luke had to quietly consider the possibility in the back of his mind that all of this had been a waste for nothing. What if Lucy didn't want to see him again? What if she had truly had fallen in love with Nigel? There were other similar questions that went through his mind when sitting strapped in the seat aboard that airplane. All of this could've been for nothing, leaving Keeley behind with a broken heart and avoiding the lust of Michelle Marsh, if the worst had happened. Better still, Luke believed that there had to be a chance. If Lucy truly loved him, then she would forgive him for the mistake he had made a while back. These thoughts remained at the center of his mind, passing the hours aboard the three hour long flight.
Before leaving, Varga had given Luke some information regarding Kelly Brook, whom he had to meet with. The old man was hoping Luke could become her agent and work out a deal for another photography book under his name. It was a lucky break that Luke actually was familiar with Kelly's current agent. Varga had passed along contact information not only for her, but the agent who had turned down previous offers in the year. Gene Bird was represent Kelly's modelling career now outside of Hollywood. Luke had caught a lucky break, as he had previous interactions with Gene over the years. Another American man like him, Gene had managed models out of Zoo magazine back when publications were something to rely on within the glamour industry. Luke had not thought about Gene in years, but now he was wondering how the man was able to land a job managing work for Kelly Brook.
Years ago, Kelly had been something of a sacred object that was untouchable for most agents working for models or employed by the lads mags themselves. Though Luke had met her, he had not really shared much time with her like he did with other models. She wasn't just a glamour model, but one who had risen beyond her Page 3 days and was a national sensation across Britain. Back in the day, many thought Lucy Pinder would've reached that same level of fame. All of it felt like a lifetime ago by this point. That was years ago, before the magazines were bought out and merged under one new corporate chain - Perfect Kiss. The glamour industry had been falling for the past five years, but one could argue that Nigel Taylor's business practices were keeping it afloat. At least for now.
After getting off the plane, Luke took a taxi to go book a cheap hotel room close by in Downtown L.A. With only a spare bit of clothes and some money he brought with him, this would be a good time to call the bank and check one of his personal accounts. Los Angeles was a home far away from him. Any time he stepped foot back there to feel the hot L.A. sun, there was a sense of loneliness that crept through his mind. Back at the hotel he couldn't shake that feeling while shaving his face and jumping in the shower. Maybe it would've been smarter to play things along and bring Keeley with him, but that bridge was gone. Reuniting with Lucy was the main goal for Luke at this point. The one driving point that kept him going in life throughout what was starting to feel like a wild goose chase of a journey.
Feeling fresh with a shower and shaking, Luke combed his short dark hair back in the bathroom before stepping out. He would need to order something to eat soon, as he had not had a meal since the morning back in Miami. While stepping around the empty hotel room, he began to think of how he would approach Gene. The two had not spoken in many years. The last Luke had heard of Gene, he had been managing Stacey Poole, but that was a long time ago. How he went from Stacey all the way to Kelly Brook was a mystery. Rumors had always swirled around back in London of how wild Kelly was with her sex life, so perhaps that had something do with her and Gene. The man had a reputation as a player, but then again Luke could brag for himself too. Standing with his phone in hand, he thought up some excuses to make a call. There had to be a reason for this call, something believable. Pressing the screen of his smartphone, he raised it to his ear and listened to the ringing.
"Hello? Who's calling?"
The voice had a level of familiarity to Luke's ears. No one besides Gene himself seemed to answering these random calls.
"Hey, Gene! Is that you? It's Luke Evans."
"Oh, hey Luke! It's been a long time since I last talked to you. Why are you calling me today?"
"I heard you were working with Kelly Brook in LA, is that true?"
"Yeah... who told you?"
Quietly thinking to himself, Luke knew he could easily lie by mentioning his old best friend Peter Morris. Even though the man had betrayed him, his name would still carry weight to an agent like Gene.
"You remember my old partner Peter? He was one of Kelly's mates a long time back. I guess he heard it from her."
"Oh yeah, I remember him."
Luke changed the subject, steering course of the conversation with his next reply.
"Look, I'm in LA and looking for work. I was trying to manage something for Keeley Hazell but things didn't go too well. You wanna hook up and have a few drinks?"
"Wow, you were working with Keeley? Now that's someone I haven't heard from in a long time."
"Yeah, but not anymore. I guess you could say I'm a freelancer now just like back in the day. Any chance I can meet up with you and Kelly?"
"Sure, I know you were never the type of guy to miss a party. Is that still true for you, Luke?"
