July 2009
It took six months after meeting and being with Jenna Fischer to earn another temping job on "30 Rock." As it turned out, it took two months longer than that for my experiences with Tina Fey to pay off for my next gig. But I didn't blame Tina -- especially considering what show asked for me.
Instead of an award winning NBC cult comedy, an award winning cult drama wanted my services for a few weeks in mid-July 2009. I would take a trip back to the '60s and into the world of "Mad Men" -- although technically they filmed in Los Angeles in the present day. But I would play a small part in making sure that it still looked and sounded like the '60s, as if Matthew Weiner and company weren't thorough enough.
The temp agency didn't tell me that I got a recommendation from celebrities this time. However, it did not escape me that Tina had gotten "Mad Men" star Jon Hamm onto "30 Rock" a few months after I left. It may have sounded crazy to think that Tina had recommended me to Jon in case "Mad Men" needed a temp, and that he helped get the ball rolling as a favor to her. But having sex with Jenna and Tina last year was just as crazy; even to me and I actually did it.
Yet just because I got that lucky twice, I wasn't going to assume that the third time would be another charm. But considering that "Mad Men" was filled with lovely ladies like January Jones and Elisabeth Moss, stunning guest stars like Alison Brie and goddesses like Christina Hendricks, the thought didn't completely escape my mind.
Still, even after my past TV work, it remained outlandish to think I had this power over sexy TV stars. If I had to have a superpower, I would have preferred it to be one where I got a permanent job and/or a book published.
However, with my freelance work now starting to take off and provide a steady income, money and regular job searches weren't as big of a concern at the moment. I would now lose good money by taking days off at the site, but "Mad Men" would give me enough to balance it out.
Connecting with another actress would be something, especially one on this show. Yet if I made that as the goal, I knew I would be disappointed and it would ruin the experience of actually being on the "Mad Men" set. Besides, not expecting it yielded great results with Jenna and Tina, so I wasn't going to mess with a winning formula.
If it happened, it would probably be a sign that I'd have to die soon for having that kind of luck. If not, at least I'd still settle for working on the show and being near the likes of Hamm, Hendricks and the others.
I didn't confirm my suspicions that Jon made a recommendation for me thanks to Tina, and I wasn't going to ask him and risk total disaster. As usual, I just did my jobs, enjoyed seeing everyone do theirs, and was courteous and got courtesy in return.
One awkward moment did come on July 13, when I was tasked with alerting Christina Hendricks that she was needed on the set. I went over to the door of her dressing room and noticed that it had been left open ajar.
I was about to shrug it off and knock anyway, until I heard a very low moan. The kind of low moan that I had heard up close from Jenna and Tina; but if possible, this one was even deeper and huskier.
Since the door was slightly open, I could take one peek without getting caught. One was all I needed to see that Christina was in her chair, in her trademark Joan Holloway red dress -- only she had to hike it up above her knees so that she could reach below it and touch herself while sitting down.
That one split second look painted quite a picture -- and I presumably could have looked for a split second more. She didn't seem to notice me as her eyes looked closed, and given my recent circumstances, it could have had quite an end result. But I was still of my own sound mind to know that just because things worked like that with Jenna and Tina, it didn't mean Christina was the same.
Christina was the first actress I saw masturbating before I got naked with her, so that could have said something about her sexual appetite. However, she was engaged and I had already rationalized adultery once. And while I was able to hold off my decision to go all the way with Tina until the end, I knew that would be impossible with Christina.
Somehow, I had all these thoughts running through my brain in the split second after I peeked at her. And in that next split second, I went back behind the door and knocked like I was hired to do in the first place.
"Mrs. Hendricks? They need you on the set now, ma'am," I called; before remembering to actually close the door. I did quietly close it right before I heard her say "Oh....oh yes, of course. Tell them I'll be right there, thank you."
Since that was all she had to say, I presumed she either hadn't noticed me peeking after all or didn't want to bring it up. In any case, I technically only looked for one second, which shouldn't have been fast enough for her to catch me.
Maybe she heard me closing the door; that could have made her draw conclusions. But in any case, I went away before she emerged from her dressing room, and nothing came out of it for the rest of the day. I made extra sure not to look at her awkwardly when she was on the set; and since I was already training myself not to ogle her, it wasn't that hard.
That kept me from wondering what I would have saw if I looked a little longer, at least until I got home. Her dress was still on and she was sitting down, so her famous, unbelievable chest and behind wouldn't have been exposed for me to see anyway. Her long bare legs were the next best thing, yet I only knew that from a second of evidence.
Somehow, I had enough will power even then to remember not to get in trouble, and to remember that she would most likely throw me off the set if she had noticed me. But it wasn't like I was a saint, since I searched for the best red carpet pictures of Christina's cleavage online to help "relieve me" when I got home.
For the next two days, things went on as normal and I didn't catch Christina or anyone else masturbating again. In any case, something else happened to distract me on set on July 16, since that was when the Emmy nominations were announced. At the time, "Mad Men" Season 3 was being filmed, but today it had topped the Emmy nominations for Season 2.
It would be favored to get its second straight Best Drama award, while Jon, Elisabeth and John Slattery were up for individual awards. But Christina was snubbed for the second straight year, so I had an extra reason to avoid more awkward encounters with her. I was delighted to hear that "The Office" "30 Rock" and Tina had their share of nominations too, although Jenna was snubbed as well.
Yet thanks to the "Mad Men" nominations, there would be a party in the studio to celebrate after work was over. I stayed behind to do some cleaning up and double checking on the set, but since the cast and crew left early, I got enough of a head start that I could leave on time. Some other workers who had to stay behind left earlier, although I was in no real hurry to go.
This left me all alone right when I was about ready to finish up. Once I completed a final run through of the Sterling Cooper set, I headed for the exits before I saw someone come in. After I recognized who it was, I figured I should be in more of a rush to go.
"I was just finished running through the set, Mrs. Hendricks. I'll be right out of your way," I reassured Christina as I made my way to pass her.
"You can just call me Christina, you know," she answered in a lighter voice than her usual silky tone on the show. "There's no need to really be that formal."
"Oh....better safe than sorry, I suppose." I reasoned, with the exit in my sights.
"Well, after you saw what you saw, you should be on a first name basis with me."
So she was waiting to get me alone before she threw me out and got me fired. Pretty logical, actually. But I figured I should at least defend myself once before she called security. "I swear, I barely saw anything.....I looked away right away and I didn't tell anyone!"
"I know....at least I knew the first two parts," she said to my deep confusion. "I saw something in the corner of my eye for just one second, and then a second later you knocked. When I heard the door close, I remembered I was in too big a rush to shut the door all the way. And that helped me figure out what was in my eye....for only one second."
I didn't know to feel encouraged or weary that she at least knew how long I was out there. "You could have had quite a story to tell or sell to every man in America. So why did you actually do your job anyway?"
"I, um....better safe than sorry again, I guess. I shouldn't have seen it, you caught me anyway, and I didn't want to lose a temp job on this show just for a story to tell."
"Especially since you could fill in the blanks when you got home?" Christina pressed on.
"Uh....whatever the least offensive answer is, that's my answer," I said with nothing better on my mind.
"Well, at least you did stick to your imagination. I was wound up and I wanted to get....that out of the way before work. I tried to do it quick and quiet, but I guess it wasn't quiet enough. Since you were quiet, I should probably thank you."
"You're welcome, probably," I echoed. "Did, uh, did you leave the party just to tell me that?"
"No, I just wanted to get away for a while." That was probably as good a cue to leave as any.
"All right, I'll give you your privacy then." I wanted to do that right then before this got any more awkward. Yet it popped into my mind that I owed her more than a brush off for not being furious at me. "Thank you for understanding....that I was just trying to do my job and nothing else."
"I don't think many people would be that committed to their job. Especially if it was just temporary," Christina theorized.
"I suppose since I just have temporary jobs, I know the value of keeping them. Not that I turned away just to keep my job! I knew it was wrong regardless. I mean, I knew I was wrong, not you. I mean, you have every right -- not that it's my business-"