Author's Note: Here's the fun chapter. As if they aren't all fun and full of shenanigans. This one is just pure, no-holds-barred fun, though. I hope you enjoy it. I think that Katie will end after the next installment, Chapter 20. But it is going to roll seamlessly along into the next book. There's so much more ahead for this group. I think it's a nice, clean break with some of the plot things coming up!
* * *
Our limo ride from the Chinese Theatre to the Hollywood & Vine houses felt interminable. My heart was beating out of my chest. From excitement. Okay, and also cocaine. We passed around a coke bullet as the car wound its way into the hills, pushing our energy level and excitement even higher while we waited for the molly to kick in. We rode in silence, except for the sound of snorting. Before we had departed the screening of Tapestry of Scars, Juliet had dropped a bombshell on us. She finally shared the guest list for the after-party.
There were going to be forty absolutely peak A-list celebrities in attendance. This was like a who's-who of the Oscars red carpet. It had taken our breath away. I finally broke the silence when we were about five minutes away from our destination.
"So, uh," I said and cleared my throat. "How about rules for tonight?"
"I don't see how we can have any rules tonight," Rita said immediately.
"None?" I said, raising my eyebrows.
"None," Jess chimed in.
"This is once-in-a-lifetime," Katie said. "I mean, how many people that you had, like, posters up in your bedroom of are going to be there? Partying with us. With us!"
"No rules," I said, nodding my head.
"I wish I felt in a more festive mood," Kat lamented.
"Just go with the flow, girl," Jess said.
"Yeah," Jess said. "That's the whole point. If there are no rules, then you aren't locked into anything. It's about doing what you want. Be impulsive. See something, take it. Do what you want."
"And none of us can be mad," I said.
"There's no use in being mad," Katie said.
"This whole scenario is one big hall pass," Kat said, seeming to perk up. "Everything is exempt."
"That's the perfect description," Rita said. "Everyone who will be here? Is on that list of celebs you'd bang."
The limo pulled past the gate at Hollywood & Vine. We had left the theater just quickly enough to be a few minutes ahead of the other guests. The security guards at the door knew us, of course, so we breezed through. But it was at that security check -- where everyone else would have to leave behind cell phones and purses -- that the attendees would receive their masks. For men, it was a standard black masquerade mask, with a thick cloth tie to keep it in place. For the girls, it was a lace butterfly mask in a variety of colors, with an equally thick tie. That way they wouldn't come off even when the wearer underwent vigorous activity.
"Jess, oh my god!" Kat exclaimed when we walked inside a transformed Hollywood & Vine.
The interior had been covered in a red-and-black motif. The lighting was soft and dark -- and mostly provided by scores of candles. There was simultaneously a warmth to the space, along with a shared secrecy and intimacy about the atmosphere. Just inside the entry, we were greeted by a half dozen of the staff for the evening. They were actually well-known models and actors themselves, just not quite up to the level of the power brokers who would be in attendance that night. They were completely nude, except for a costume that made a playful nod to Venice. They wore the hat and scarf of a gondolier, also in either red or black. They held trays of coupes filled with Champagne. At the base of each glass, Jess had come up with an additional party favor. In lieu of a charm clasped around the stem for people to identify a glass as theirs, she used the clasp to attach a small velvet bag, inside which guests would find a gram of cocaine and a small snuff spoon to indulge.
We walked into the main part of the first floor, where six additional servers were. The women were gorgeous, and it was a thrill to recognize them. The men were in shape and, to the last, hung impressively. It could make a guy self-conscious to realize that some of these models and TV stars were talented and packing the heat. And then I saw them. Anja and Violet. Standing side-by-side, smiling generously, without a hint of regret in their eyes. I made a mental note to circle back later.
"I have to say," Jess explained loudly enough for anyone to hear, "the best part of our service team tonight? They are free-use. They've all agreed. So if you want a taste?" She walked over to a very popular sitcom star and cupped his heavy balls to illustrate her point. He simply smiled. "Take a taste."
"Okay, maybe I'm feeling a little more like indulging," Kat said as she scanned the room.
We clinked our glasses together, and the Champagne blew me away.
"This is awesome," I said, lifting the glass to my nose and inhaling deeply.
"Krug Collection," Jess said. "1990."
"Nice choice," I said approvingly.
Katie had drained her glass already, and Anja immediately stepped forward to replace it. She didn't make eye contact.
"Hang on," Katie said, taking the velvet bag from her empty stem. "I'm going to hang on to these." Then she accepted a fresh one, with another bag of cocaine attached to it.
"This is incredible," Rita marveled.
"Just wait," Jess said.
She led us through the first Hollywood & Vine house and outside. There was a tent and temporary, covered walkway erected to add privacy.
"Security even has an alert system for drones," Jess said proudly.
The second house was decorated as sumptuously as the first. But the servers weren't TV actors. They were pornstars. The Daydream pornstars, to be precise. Carly, Jess confided, had specially requested them, and, to me, that was an indication of just the level of debauchery we could expect that night. The pornstars were less reserved in their serving duties. They greeted us happily. I couldn't help but notice how Patrick's eyes lingered on Kat, but I also couldn't help but notice Kayla's eyes dance playfully at me.
"Free-use pornstars?" I said, arching my eyebrows.
"Yes!" came a voice from the back of the room. It was Crystal.
"Crystal!" Katie said. "I thought you were coming with Jason!"
"I expect to be coming with a lot of guys tonight," she said, her eyes sparkling. "I'm a Daydream girl now. I wanted to fully embrace it."
"Jesus," I said under my breath.
She looked gorgeous. Her skin was radiant. Her nipples achingly erect. And her dimples showed up as she smacked on her trademark gum.
Jess didn't slow our tour, though. She had a purpose, it became clear. We walked out the back of the second house. Our jaws dropped when we saw Juliet, Carly, and Jeff Stone there, sharing a joint and passing one of the small baggies of cocaine back and forth. They had been dropped off at the rear of the property so they could make a surprise entrance. We rushed to them to pour congratulations on them for Tapestry of Scars.
"Let's get this party started," Jeff said.
It had only been fifteen minutes since we arrived, but we had heard a constant stream of car doors, so the party had to be ramping up inside. While Jeff and Carly barreled toward the house, Juliet held us back briefly.
"I just want to warn you guys," she said. "You're just not really going to understand what kind of party this will be until you see it. Just prepare yourself. Don't be shocked. This is only the fourth time I've been invited to something like this. And, well, you just have to understand that literally any crazy shit can happen. Live in the moment and enjoy it because it's like a cartoon. Nothing that happens is reality. Leave any feelings at the door."
"Ominous," I said, smiling at her.
"I'm serious," Juliet said. "Something happens at these things. It's like a switch flips in people. So just enjoy the ride, okay?"
"I'm all about enjoying the ride," Jess said.
* * *
Juliet wasn't kidding. To this day, memories of that night have a surreal quality to them. Part of the reason may have been that both Hollywood & Vine houses quickly filled up with smoke -- from cigarettes, weed, and vape pens. It gave an old-fashioned, hazy quality to the visuals. But also a cinematic one, which was appropriate. There was an air of Kubrick around the night. And it was a voyeur's dream. More than a dream -- because you could never have dreamed up the things we saw. Then, after a while, you couldn't have dreamed up what we did.
The lines of fantasy and reality seemed to have completely blurred. The haze didn't help with that, either. Bodies and body parts blended together, commingling and separating. The soundtrack of the night -- Vivaldi, mostly -- was interspersed with an opera of hedonistic sound effects. Moans. Cries. Screams. Begs. Snorts. Growls. Commands. Assents. I had a feeling that the masks might have been totally unnecessary for people to feel free, but it certainly added an air of heightened eroticism. Consent didn't come into play here. Mere presence was consent. That became perfectly clear. Even the people we knew extremely well -- Juliet, Carly, Jeff, Stephen, Ryan, Chris, Cecily -- were virtually unrecognizable. They had become creatures driven by carnal need. There were no boundaries. No relationships. It was an absolute free-for-all of flesh and indulgence.
