Author's Note: Thanks for all the great feedback. It makes a huge impact on the story, so keep it coming! There's some plot at the top of this chapter, and then a royal fuckfest after. It's the best way to celebrate the Fourth of July. Please enjoy.
* * *
We started by immediately laying groundwork for Rita's plan. That mostly fell on Jess's shoulders, but I was able to help out a bit. We knew that Manny and Kayla were trying to wrest control of Daydream from Jess. Our plan had four phases. First, Jess needed to shore up the other talent. Patrick and Tommy were easy. They were newbies and basically had no other outlet to establish themselves. Kim and Ginger, on the other hand, were known commodities and highly desirable. Jess couldn't lose them, at least not without seriously risking the future of the company before it had really gotten started.
So Jess planned to offer contract renegotiations -- bumping the men up ten-percent and the girls up twenty-five percent, with built-in kickers to raise their guarantees each year if the movies and web streaming hit easily attainable, predetermined targets. Barely two months into Daydream's active existence, we felt confident it would be a welcome gesture that would engender a lot of loyalty among the talent.
Second, Jess would use the early success as an excuse to ramp up production even more. The idea was to strike while the iron was hot, making a play for increased subscribers to the web site, and pushing the talent a little harder. It might risk some burnout, but it also would keep Manny busier. And, hopefully, distracted.
Third, we put together a special incentive package for Kayla. Katie's idea had been to come up with a wedge to place between Manny and Kayla. I had been initially deeply skeptical of the idea. They had been together for almost fifteen years. But the girls had done some digging on porn gossip websites as well as made quiet inquiries around the industry, and there had been some significantly rocky moments in their relationship during the past couple years. I remained pessimistic, presuming most of the tension stemmed from the problems their now-defunct production company had. But if it were true, it might just help blow the doors open..
Part four I still objected to. The girls were resolute, no matter how much I pushed back. They said it was the only way to ensure success. We couldn't leave anything to chance -- or, at least, get as close to sure-fire success as possible. I thought it was too risky. Rita told me we would talk about it later, after the first three parts were in place. I didn't press the issue. I trusted her. I trusted my girls. So I put my focus elsewhere, at least for the time being.
That's because Juliet's new movie premiered in four days. A potential rival -- an apocalyptic action blockbuster -- had faced turmoil in post-production and been pushed to Thanksgiving. That resulted in Juliet's romantic comedy as the lone high-profile opening. It was a nostalgic, surprisingly ambitious film called Rodeo Drive. While the early reviews showed it wouldn't be a critical darling -- it played into too many of the saccharine traps romcoms trended toward -- Julielt's performance drew raves. She was sweet, funny, serious, and emotional. She was a complete actress reaching new heights of power and skill.
We were all excited to see the movie, but we decided not to attend the official, red carpet premiere. Instead, Juliet arranged a private screening for us in her new home theater, which had built out complete with a bar. It had an 8K projector, 22.2 surround sound, and a 180-inch screen. There were movie-style lounge seats, as well as couches. It seated up to twenty people in sublime comfort.
The setup was nice, but the screening of Rodeo Drive wasn't a big deal because of that. It was a big deal because Juliet was shy about watching her movies with anyone else. She dutifully attended premieres and other special screenings, but she preferred to take in her own work alone. And that made it a huge step for her to share the movie with Melanie and the five of us.
"I never do this," Juliet said nervously, as she stood in front of the room introducing the movie. "I hate seeing myself on screen when other people are around. I get so critical of everything, especially myself. But, I have to confess, it feels good to have a group of people who I trust enough to show this to. Ugh. I am just going to stop talking now."
Juliet covered her face with her hands, her cheeks flushed with nervous embarrassment -- and maybe a little excitement, too. We clapped and hooted as Juliet sat down next to Melanie. They were one row behind us, immediately cuddling under a blanket. I could hear Juliet's nerves in her breathing before the credits rolled.
Kat, Jess, Rita, Katie, and I sat entwined on a long, sectional style couch in the row in front of Juliet and Melanie. Kat leaned her head on my shoulder, while Jess, sitting sideways, had her feet in my lap and her head in Rita's lap. Katie formed the bookend, with her head on Rita's shoulder.
There was palpable excitement as Rodeo Drive started. The advertising blitz had been nonstop for months. Since it was a fairly low-budget film, by comparison to the CGI and action blockbusters out there, the box office projections were looking like it would be a cash cow for Petey's company. And for me. I got a five-percent cut of the profits. Petey projected $100 million the opening weekend and probably $250 million overall. I was dumbstruck at the potential windfall.
But there were some signs of trouble. The early critical reviews universally panned the movie. It was too long. It was too predictable. There was awkward chemistry among some of the supporting cast. Many questioned the director's decisions. But one thing coalesced the critics even more strongly: Juliet's performance. She was the bright spot, hailed as taking over the screen in a dominant, sublime performance. One particularly notable critic dubbed her a "scene stealer," some of the highest praise available.
Thirty minutes into the two-hour, seven minute film, it was clear the critics were right. The director had overshot the movie. There were too many cuts. Too much of ... everything. It's like he wanted to make an action movie out of a romcom. It felt disjointed in places, but the story was sweet, if cliche. Juliet's character, the daughter of a California scion, met -- by chance, of course -- a charming-if-awkward valet at a Beverly Hills hotel. It was a cliche rags-and-riches romance. Maybe because the movie was so predictable and obvious, as well as replete with solid but largely stock characters, that Juliet's stunning, rich, genuine, and emotional performance stood out even more. She was the lone three-dimensional object bursting forth from a flat sea.
That critical assessment of Rodeo Drive wasn't totally fair. It was realistic, in a certain artistic sense, but that ignored some simple truths. It was an easy movie to watch, appealing and entertaining. It was funny and, in many parts, undeniably sweet. So when the credits rolled, it wasn't surprising to see more than one of us wiping our eyes. Maybe it wasn't going to be a critical darling, but Juliet's work was a tour de force, and it had the potential to be a box office juggernaut because it was easy to ingest.
"That was amazing," Rita gushed immediately when Juliet clicked off the projector. "If you don't win an Oscar for that, I'm never watching a movie again."
"Oh, hush," Juliet said sheepishly.
"Rita's not wrong," Kat said. "You were brilliant. It's stunning."
"You're one of the best actresses in the world," Jess added.
I smiled and locked eyes with Juliet. I could see moisture forming at the corners of hers. Then Katie spoke up and surprised me.
"If anyone says something negative about you in this movie," she said, "they're just being mean. You jump off the screen in a way that's so relatable, I couldn't stop crying."
"Stop," Juliet said in the most humble voice. "You're just flattering me."
"No we're not," I said, finally speaking up. Melanie had wrapped her arms around Juliet from behind. "We're the only people who are comfortable enough to tell you honestly what we think."
Juliet shrugged it off, laughing lightly. "You're full of it," she said. "But I still appreciate it more than I can say. I know it's not a great movie."
"Let the box office determine that," I said.
"And no one can take away how captivating you are, my beloved," Melanie said, batting her eyes.
Juliet laughed again, throwing her head back into her girlfriend's chest. Melanie bent down, and they embraced in a soft, intimate kiss.
"I love you," Juliet said.
"Forever," Melanie said.
"You two are the absolute cutest," Rita said.
There was an emotional tension in the room, in a positive way. We had achieved a new level of friendship and intimacy. Juliet and Melanie weren't just our neighbors. It felt like we were one continuous household.
"Juliet, it was really special that you shared the movie with us," Kat said. "I really loved it. Seriously. Thank you."
"Well, you all are way too sweet," Juliet said. "So I think we should go drink some Champagne to celebrate and smoke some weed to calm me down. Nothing makes me more tense than watching myself."
We started to file out of the theater room. Kat hung back, waiting for Juliet to exit. She looked at me and, with her eyes, motioned me to lead the way, so I did. Melanie followed me.
"The girls and I got you a little something," Kat told Juliet quietly.
She produced a small jewelry box from behind her back. I did a double take, turning around to glance at them, but Kat shooed me away with one look. It turned out to be a gold bracelet, modeled after a necklace that Walt Disney had made for his wife. Attached to the bracelet were six mini replicas of the Oscar statuette. Rita explained why later.
"One Oscar for each of us plus Mel," she said. "So you know who your biggest fans are."
We stayed for a while, drank a few bottles of Champagne, and blew through some weed. We called it an early night, succumbing to the fatigue that had set in. Watching Rodeo Drive had been unexpectedly emotional. Now we just had to wait to see if it would be a hit or a flop.
* * *
It took less than twenty-four hours from nationwide release to learn that Rodeo Drive was a hit. The critical reviews followed the early returns: mixed for the film and glowing for Juliet. Audiences loved her and the movie. Vanity Fair reached out, wanting to do a piece with the angle that Juliet Lawson was now America's sweetheart. And the box office? Skyrocketed to $175 million in just three days.
Our little compound in the Hollywood Hills buzzed with excitement. We hosted a Fourth of July cookout, which had the potential to be a powder keg before the fireworks even went off. We invited Juliet and Melanie, of course, and Jason and Crystal were coming back from Houston. They planned to bring Bianka, rather than leave her behind in an empty Houston Hooker House. It had all the makings of a deeply patriotic holiday.
The morning of the Fourth, however, Jess went to the Daydream house. She left our place early, matter-of-factly, and I didn't press her on it. That's because part of me wondered if she was just meeting Manny. I reprimanded my mind for thinking that, but I couldn't help it. Jess was gone for about three hours. She came back about noon, shortly before Juliet and Melanie were coming over. Jason, Crystal, and Bianka had flown in the night before. And when Jess walked back into the house, I saw the look of relief on her face.
"Hey, are you okay?" I said, wrapping my arms around her waist and kissing her.
"You know what?" she said. "I'm good. Really good."
Her smile was easy and bright. There was a weight off her shoulders. I saw it.
