Author's Note: This story is completely fictional and did not happen. All characters and names are fictional and were made up.
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Los Angeles, California
The ringing of a van's open door could be heard echoing throughout the empty garage. Not a soul was there in the early hours of the morning, as a man sat in the driver's seat of the opening car cleaning off the dashboard. It was early in the morning, the perfect time to clean up the vehicle before work hours crept in. The van itself was a Nissan; four door vehicle with enough room in the back to contain two people among a row padded black leather luxury seats with plenty of space on the floor. The van itself was painted gold, a clear sign of high class behind the bullet proof windows. This van along with the other ones, belonged to a special company that had begun to thrive in Hollywood.
'Silver Screen Express' was a private company that came to life in early 2012. Headed by CEO Gordon Harrison; a billionaire in Hollywood who had spent over thirty years in the industry with production. Harrison's idea was to create a service, similar to that of Uber's private taxi alternative, but only to clients in the industry that were of high class. The vans itself were modeled for luxury and safe travel, as he had advertised the idea in social circles for a whole year before spending millions of dollars to have his vans built. The Silver Screen Express would be an expensive, yet low profile attraction for those of high class in and around Hollywood. The business was advertised as being low key, to avoid paparazzi and any preying eyes.
The drivers for the business were all professionals. To become a driver for Silver Screen Express, one was required to have at least ten years experience as a chauffeur around Los Angeles with high society clients. A few drivers had been former employees to film companies, as well as for stars themselves. Harrison preferred it like this, buying drivers who had experience within the inner life of the rich and famous. It made things easier for selling rides to high profile clients. Only in social circles were the phone numbers distributed and the company advertised to those that could afford it. There was a smartphone app, giving the company a true similarity to Uber. The money was beginning to slowly rake in over the past few years as word and rumors circled around the Silver Screen Express name.
Among the drivers, the tale of their lives was never particularly special. The afternoon began to pass when David found himself driving in his Silver Screen Express van. His nickname was 'David the taxi man', a nickname he stuck with going back to his young. He had a previous career as a cab driver in L.A. during the 1990's, with over 23 years of experience driving. As an average man, he was somewhat tall with short brown hair that was beginning to grey. His weight was skinny with pale skin, always dressing casually in jeans and a T-shirt. He made a break from driving cabs to eventually doing limo service with the bodyguard for a music producer in Hollywood. Word of mouth had passed and he was offered a job once the Silver Screen Express company had picked up a bit. This was his third year driving what he called a 'gold taxi van'.
David was the kind of taxi driver who enjoyed to socialize and talk with someone in the back of his car. He loved his job back in the 90's, never knowing who was going to open the back door of his car. While he did have some stories of famous clients, he kept the secrets to himself in a diary. He also had grown a reputation as a womanizer behind the wheel. Rumors had swirled around him before he quit driving a regular cab. Rumors involving him with women who he let pay their fares in exchange of sexual service. Other times, he would tempt women in the back of his cab to 'flash me your tits' as he would tell them. These rumors followed him as he began to drive for Silver Screen Express, but he was never bothered by it.
Today he found himself driving along Downtown L.A., ready to pick up a client who had called in requesting service. Every Silver Screen van was equipped with a radio dispatch, identical to modern taxi cars. Clients could call the number and request a pick up by location. It was up to the driver if they wanted to use the GPS tracking system for an accurate destination from a computer screen. The cost estimations were summed up through the computer, mostly in the fees of a couple hundred dollars, sometimes over a thousand if the trip required hours. David rarely used his GPS system, as he had the knowledge of the L.A. streets from over two decades of driving the streets to earn a living. Every now and then, he was forced to use the GPS tracking system to get through upper class neighborhoods he was not familiar with.
Clear skies and hot weather proceeded over the daily forecast of L.A. today. Just an hour ago, David had received a radio dispatch for a female client requesting a pickup from a studio downtown. It was a short drive, but he took his time. Rarely ever were names used over the dispatch, only their gender was verified. It wasn't until he spoke with the person sitting in the back seat did he learn a little about them. Taking the time to drive out to his destination, David pulled the van near a curb on the sidewalk. He glanced out the passenger side window to notice a few pedestrians walking back. There was a woman approaching the van with short blonde hair, wearing a black jacket over what appeared to be a red matching shirt and mini dress. Her heels were red, giving him the impression he would probably be driving her to a date. She approached the van and gripped the back door handle to slide it open. David looked back and greeted her.
"Hello, ma'am! I take it that you're my client, yeah?"
"Yes, I'm the one who called."
"Well, hop on in!"
Something about her voice seemed familiar, but David didn't pay it much attention. Picking up clients for over twenty years, he was used to feeling that way about their voices. She sat down in the middle of the back seats before sliding the door to shut. She crossed her legs while the vehicle began to drive again, moving from the side of the street. David glanced at her from his rear-view mirror hanging above. He always kept the rear view mirror situated so he could look at a passenger. This woman was beautiful, beyond her short blonde hair split down the middle, it appeared she was packing quite the cleavage in a low cuit shirt under her black jacket. David spoke again.
"So, where are we headed, ma'am? You look like you're ready for a date night."
She laughed, shaking her head. He had a sense of charm to his tone of voice, forcing her to giggle at him. The air in the cab was cool, much better than the hot atmosphere outside. Scarlett moved to the right seat, just before replying to him.
"Actually, I'm just coming back from an afternoon date. I needed a ride home, but my place is a bit far out of town from here. I need to get to Long Beach, is that OK?"
"Oh, I see. Yeah, I'll have to charge you a few extra hundred dollars though, that's going to be a few hours of driving."
"That's not a problem, I can easily afford that."
The car continued driving along, back onto the roads. David glanced back into the mirror, curious now to strike a conversation with this beautiful lady. He usually was quick to talk about the weather, as that was a subject any passenger could easily get into a conversation about. David however, wasn't thinking about the hot boring day with this lady.
"What's your name, love?"
"Scarlett..."
She bit her lower lip, looking up at him. David continued driving before he thought to himself. Could this be Scarlett Johansson? Definitely, there was a march with her face and that famous cleavage he already had glanced into from his rear view mirror. The look on her face was mischievous, almost to the point of begging him to realize she had devious thoughts within.
"Wait, oh shit...You're Scarlett Johansson in the back of my car. Wow!"
Her lips curved into a smile before busting out laughing. David continued to move the car, turning his steering wheel as they moved out of a traffic lane. Scarlett replied to him.
"Yes, it's really me."
"I bet you get that a lot, from people out in public who recognize you."
"Yeah, but not from my cab drivers with this business."
"Oh, so you've called a Silver Screen taxi before?"
She nodded. David continued to move the van on the roads, but he was always a man looking for conversation with the passengers in his car.
"I have to say, it's quite an honor to be driving you around. Shame the other drivers never talk to you. I like watching your movies, always have. Wish you would've won an Oscar by now, you've been snubbed darling."
Scarlett bust out laughing, shaking her head at him.
"You can't be serious!"
"Oh no, yes I am! You deserved it for 'Girl With the Pearl Ear Ring', that's not a joke!"
