Chapter 8: No Putting the Genie Back Into the Bottle

Friday February 12

After school I went home to load my car for the trip to New York. I then picked up Kendal and Pam. I think they both thought we planned a month’s visit to the Big Apple, if the amount of luggage was any indication. I, on the other hand, only brought a garment bag and one of those suitcases on little wheels with a telescoping handle.

I missed the Charger, because we ended up having to load some luggage in the back seat of the Jeep with Pam.

Once we were on the road, my phone rang.

“Answer,” I said, and the Bluetooth from the phone connected to the Jeep. “This is David.”

“We’re about to start the conference call,” Ms. Dixon said. “Do you have the number to call and the site to log in?”

They’d set up a GoToMeeting conference call. Kendal opened her email and found the link and password to the meeting so she could log in. When she got connected, she could see Mr. Morris’s computer screen.

“We’re logged in. I’ll hang up and call the conference number,” I said.

As I called in, I heard a tone and then my dad’s voice.

“Who just joined us?”

“Hey, Dad, it’s David, Kendal and Pam.”

Several people were already on. As more joined, Dad, as the lead moderator, greeted each one. I think almost everyone I worked with was on the call. It included everyone from Mr. Hill, who’d given me my start by doing newspaper insert ads; to Deb Thomas from Ford Models; to Devin and Sandy Range; to most recently, Frank, Ari, and Paul Andon, the studio exec for my Star Academy and The Secret Circle movies.

There was also all my family including Grandma Dawson, Uncle John, and Greg and Angie. Also people from high school like Alan, Lily, Tracy and Wolf who either worked for me or helped in some way. Also, Coach Hope, Moose and Mr. Palm, our vice-principal, were on the call.

When it began, Ms. Dixon introduced Mr. Morris, and he took over from there.

“Thank you for taking the time to join us. I’m Duane Morris with Woodford and Morris. Our specialty is sports law. I personally have a background with the NCAA, and worked for ten years supervising the case managers who do the initial evaluation of the amateur status for young men and women who register with the NCAA. For an athlete to participate in football or baseball, as in David’s case, the NCAA must certify that a student-athlete is eligible under NCAA guidelines.

“So why the need for the conference call? Because David isn’t the normal type of person that passes through the process. They will flag him for further review. I know this because I talked to one of my old friends and he told me he had already been assigned as David’s case manager. I plan to send David’s application in today, and I expect they’ll start the review process on Tuesday,” Mr. Morris said.

Monday was President’s Day and the NCAA was closed.

“The application will have information that will cause the NCAA to question David’s amateur status. Over the next two weeks, I’ll be in contact with many of you to confirm he hasn’t violated any of the bylaws that would jeopardize his ability to play college ball. The NCAA will more than likely also contact you. They like to get their information firsthand.

“The purpose of this call is to make you aware of what they’ll be looking at, and then I’ll let you all know about some things we need to be doing moving forward,” he said. “Now, ordinarily at the end of a call like this, people can jump in with questions and the call will continue until they’re answered. Unfortunately, we don’t have the time for that today. Accordingly, please save your questions for later in the coming couple of weeks, when I’ll be talking to a number of you individually.”

Then he paused. I glanced over and saw that on his screen he’d brought up a presentation so everyone could follow along.

“I’ll start by noting that the basic amateurism rule 12.1.2 focuses on pay for athletics skill and participation. Basically, David cannot get paid for his athletic abilities. Let me clarify that. He cannot be paid for football or baseball if he plans to play those intercollegiate sports in college. He also can’t be paid for or promised any money based on those skills. As of now, I don’t think David has any serious issues. There were a couple of things of concern, like the car that was gifted to him by Range Sports, but we’ve taken steps to clear that up by returning it and paying for its use.

“As I’ll explain later, the rules for David now, as opposed to when he’s in college, will be different. Let’s focus on where David could run into trouble in the future. The first thing is him being paid to model and do movies. This is different from his ownership in the farms, in that it uses his image and name. Rule 12.1.2.1 defines pay in terms of athletics. I expect all his modeling and movie work to date will be called into question and investigated. I am confident they’ll find what I did: David did not garner his modeling or acting jobs based on his skill on a football or baseball field.

“The presumption should be in favor of allowing David to continue whatever non-athletically related activities he chooses. When I use the term ‘athletic,’ it refers to the intercollegiate sports David plans to play. He’s done a wide range of other sports activities from skydiving to SCUBA diving that would not conform to the NCAA’s definition of athletics,” he said.

I cringed when he mentioned the SCUBA diving. I hoped like heck that Dad had told Mom, or we were in for a world of hurt.

“Bylaw 12.4.1 specifically allows for employment, which modeling and acting are. Where we start to get into the area where David can get himself in trouble is section 12.5, which deals with promotional activities. I want you to pay particular attention to 12.5.1.3. It deals with modeling and other non-athletically related promotional activities after he enrolls in college. Conditions a, b, and e clearly seem to be met, but all five conditions are required, so c and d have the potential to create a hurdle.”

On the screen he had the five conditions from the NCAA Bylaws.

a) The individual’s involvement in this type of activity was initiated prior to his or her enrollment in a member institution;
b) The individual became involved in such activities for reasons independent of athletics ability;
c) No reference is made in these activities to the individual’s name or involvement in intercollegiate athletics;
d) The individual does not endorse the commercial product; and
e) The individual’s remuneration under such circumstances is at a rate commensurate with the individual’s skills and experience as a model or performer and is not based in any way upon the individual’s athletics ability or reputation.

“I would suggest that we be careful even now of section d. An example where we could run into trouble is something like the ‘David Approved’ gear at Range Sports. While we can show that Range Sports is no longer using that promotion, we cannot risk his amateur status moving forward. While the rule specifically applies to when he’s in college, they’ll take a dim view of it even now.

“The other thing we need to make sure of is that his athletic activities are separated from everything else. This means that if he does an interview about a movie, he cannot talk about football or baseball. I would go so far as to suggest that he not wear anything that is school- or sports-related for those types of interviews. I’d like to see him start doing that now whenever possible. Once he reaches college is when these rules kick in and he could put himself at risk.

“As an example, when David did his promotional interview for The Talk, they showed clips of him acting and playing football. I know none of you knew in advance they were going to do that, but it could still raise the issue of his supposedly using his football fame to help sell the movie. I’ll be getting an affidavit from the show’s producers to the effect that no one of David’s people knew about it and it certainly wasn’t planned. The key point is that, in the future, David’s movie and modeling agents should check in advance to ensure that nothing like that is planned.

“This also means that anything web- or internet-related should also be separated. We’ve been fortunate to this point because David’s high school houses his athletics websites and restricts its discussions and information, as regards David, to his football and baseball activities. From what I’ve seen, his Facebook, Twitter and web pages focus on everything else. I’m hoping it’s always been that way, and I also trust that it will continue in that manner, at least in part as a result of this conversation.

“His name appearing in the credits and whatnot related to the movies he does in high school would have no effect on his eligibility. Again, though, to be on the safe side, he, or more appropriately his college, should simply ask the NCAA’s membership services group for an interpretation of how the rules might apply to him. The NCAA would gladly provide an answer; they have no interest in trapping him after the fact.

“Another tricky thing we still need to work out once he reaches college is the use of his name and image as it applies to promotional and media activities. In my opinion, he should be able do any and all of the promotional activities, even after enrollment, if he were not paid specifically for the promotion. His contracts with the studios need to clearly state that he’s paid for acting, not for separate promotional activities related to the movie, and he could not be reimbursed for any expenses he incurs by reason of such activities. Bylaw 12.5.2, non-permissible activities, specifically limits eligibility to pay for the use of one’s name or picture directly to promote any commercial product.

“Bylaw 12.5.3 restricts David’s ability to attend media events as well, and we will be seeking clarification and, where appropriate, a waiver, related to media activities involving David’s acting career.

“Between now and when he enters college, we’ll be working on getting David appropriate waivers for these things. There have been instances where a student-athlete has acted in and promoted a movie in the past. I would think we could get a similar waiver for David.

“Like I said at the beginning, I’ll be in contact with many of you over the next two weeks. I don’t want us to have any surprises from the NCAA. If we do find things that need to be done differently, we can get them resolved now. We appreciate you all taking the time to meet with us today,” Mr. Morris said, wrapping things up.

He gave out his contact information in case anyone had questions, and the call ended. After I hung up, my phone rang again. It was Dad telling me to jump back onto the conference call now that everyone else was off.

“Hey, David. I think the call went well,” Mr. Morris said.

“I understand it better now,” I admitted.

“Good. I just wanted to tell you that I’m working on a few items for the NCAA. I know the types of things they’ll have questions about, and I’ll be in contact this weekend and next week with several of the people on the call to make sure we don’t have any serious issues. My goal is to provide you with a letter outlining potential issues and how I see them being resolved. My best guess is that I’ll have it to you by either the end of next week or the first of the following week.

“In the meantime, I’ll submit your application today and I’ll be in contact with your case manager on Tuesday,” Mr. Morris said.

“I signed documents to allow Mr. Morris to act on your behalf with the NCAA,” Dad said.

“Good, just let me know if there are any problems,” I reiterated.

We said our goodbyes.

“Maybe we should have submitted your information freshman year like we were supposed to,” Kendal said.

“Actually, it’s lucky we didn’t. Back then I would have messed up and not had Mr. Morris to help me. I’d be looking for an academic scholarship and going to the local JC.”

Sunglasses money allowed me to upgrade Kendal to first class with Pam and me. I’d have to talk to Caryn about that in the future.

Pam was looking forward to her trip to New York since she’d never been there. While she wasn’t a novice to a big city, since she lived in LA growing up, New York was a completely different thing. LA was spread out over a wide area. New York seemed to go straight up, and the concentration of people was greater. What I loved about New York was that you could walk out your front door and get almost anything you wanted in a couple-of-block radius.

“David?”

“Hmm?”

“Is it really okay that I’m coming on this trip? I mean, you’re supposed to work, and I don’t want Adrienne mad that you brought me along,” Pam said.

“Why would Adrienne be mad?” I asked.

She looked out the window, clearly worried. I took her hand and had her look at me.

“Would I ever put you in a situation where you’d feel uncomfortable?” I asked.

She bit her bottom lip.

“No.”

“Remember, Adrienne’s the one who got you all the nice clothes.”

“Yes, but she’s ... she’s ... Adrienne.”

“I think she knows that,” I said with a smile.

She got quiet for a moment and then gave me a weird look.

“Is it wrong that I think she looks sexy?” she almost whispered.

I had to bite the inside of my mouth to keep from smiling, because I could see Pam was worried about this.

“Can I tell you a secret, and you promise not to tell even Tracy?”

She nodded.

“You need to be careful around Adrienne,” I said solemnly.

“Why?”

“She’s into girls. I think she’s a lesbian. I know she’s tried to turn Kara into one also. I’m worried she might try and convert you this weekend.”

“Really?”

I waggled my eyebrows.

“You just have to promise me something: if she does try and convert you, you have to let me watch.”

Pam thought about it for a moment and then punched me.

“Dick!”

Kendal was sitting across from us and obviously heard me, because I heard her chuckle. Actually, several people were eavesdropping.

“You’re supposed to be nice to me,” she pouted.

“I know. I’m sorry,” I said as I leaned over and kissed her forehead.

She grabbed my hand and we got comfortable for the long flight. I put in my earbuds and was listening to music when Pam squeezed my hand. She leaned close, so I took out my earbuds, and she whispered in my ear.

“I think I’d like it if Adrienne turned me into a lesbian.”

Mr. Happy must have ‘mom ears’ because he stood up. Pam stuck her tongue out at me and went back to reading her book. The problem was all I could do was think about Pam and Adrienne in bed together. Then Kara and Tyler would join in. What if Kate Upton showed up? Fuuuudge ... I was hard the rest of the flight.

After we made it out of the secure area and headed towards luggage, I noticed paparazzi began to show up. I wondered at first who they were looking for, and then one of them spotted me.

My first reaction was to put my arm around Pam and pull her towards me to protect her. She stopped walking when the first one began to take our picture.

“Keep walking,” I told her.

They went from one to three to eight in mere moments.

“Kendal!” I called.

“I got her. I’ll get the luggage and meet you at Adrienne’s,” Kendal said.

“Hey, guys. What’s going on?” I said as I stepped to the far side of the concourse to allow Pam and Kendal the opportunity to get away.

“You’ve been named one of the twelve finalists for the Star Wars Han Solo project.”

“Really? That’s great,” I said, as I watched Pam and Kendal disappear in the crowd.

“What do you think your chances are?” another one asked.

“I would say one in twelve.”

“Who was with you?”

“Part of my management team.”

I gave them ten minutes and then told them I had to get going. Of course, the paparazzi had drawn a crowd, and I spent the next fifteen minutes taking pictures with fans and signing things. Then TMZ showed up and I gave them a couple of minutes as I walked through the airport.

I made it to the cabstand and I saw several people try to figure out who I was. I flashed some cash and suddenly jumped the line and was gone.

Being at home had left me with a false sense of security. Yes, we had people show up at the house and random girls hit on me, but I’d forgotten there was a whole industry built around celebrities. My uncle’s warning seemed to be coming true. Now that it had started, there was no putting the genie back into the bottle.

I also wasn’t stupid. Someone had tipped the paparazzi off that I would be on that flight. My immediate thought was Frank, but that didn’t feel right. This seemed more like something Ari would do. If he were worried I might not make the cut, I could see him leaking that I was on the list to force them to add me. Being around Ari and Frank, I’d heard some of their war stories about getting their talent jobs.

“Caryn,” I said, after I speed-dialed her number.

“Yes?”

“Why was I ambushed at the airport?” I asked.

“Hang on ... what did you just say?”

“We got to New York and there were paparazzi waiting for me,” I said.

“David, they hang out at the airport.”

I took a deep breath.

“No. They were there specifically looking for me. I made the top twelve for the Han Solo movie.”

“I didn’t know that,” she said, and I waited. “Oh.”

“Do you think it was Ari?” I asked.

“Yes. He called and wanted to know when you were getting into New York. He wanted to call you once you landed,” she said.

“Funny. He hasn’t called.”

“I’m going to tear his dick off ... I mean, have a talk with him.”

“Oh, and Princess ... I need security.”

The ‘princess’ shot was to remind her what a dick Ari could be. I wanted her in battle mode when she called him.

“I’ll call Tyler and see if they can help with that,” Caryn said.

“Okay. I’d forgotten what it could be like, and with Pam along I don’t want to take any chances,” I explained.

“I hear you. We should have thought of that,” she said.

“I didn’t either, so don’t sweat it. Being at home has spoiled us.”

After I hung up, I received a text from Kendal saying they were at Adrienne’s. I sent her one back that I was hungry. I looked at my watch and it had set itself to east coast time. It was nearly eight o’clock. I hoped Adrienne could get us in somewhere last minute. Everyone met me at the front door of her building.

“I hear you got ambushed,” Adrienne said as she stepped forward and hugged me.

Kara and Tyler both hugged me. Adrienne had anticipated that a teenage boy would be hungry and made reservations. We went to a steak house and I ordered a bottle of red wine. Adrienne gave me a look, because that was how I’d gotten her into bed the last time. Sue me. It was the best sex of my life.

Saturday February 13

I woke up to find both Kara and Pam in my bed. When we’d gotten home, I’d gone to my room and made some calls. Actually, the women had kicked me out of the living room. I was amazed at how quickly Pam bonded with Adrienne. They wanted to talk about the baby. I got the distinct impression that Tyler and Adrienne were thinking about either having one or adopting. If Adrienne ever wanted to have a baby, I would move to New York and stay until the deed was done.

I threw on a pair of boxers and went out to the kitchen to see what they had in the way of breakfast choices.

“Damn,” Tyler said, as I found her making coffee.

“Sorry. I have my own apartment. I’ll go throw some clothes on.”

“Don’t bother,” Adrienne said as she walked into the kitchen.

I rolled my eyes at her and went and threw on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. When I came back, I saw Tyler had everything for lox and bagels. She was also making scrambled eggs. I found a coffee cup, poured myself a cup, sat down next to Adrienne, and watched her make me a bagel. I think she was afraid I wouldn’t know the right way to do it.

“Pam’s a sweetheart. If she lived here I’d talk to her about being a model,” Adrienne said.

“I think she likes you,” I teased.

“She told us about your fantasy.”

“And?” I asked hopefully.

“I don’t think I could turn her. For some reason she likes a certain boy too much to get her thinking bent. Plus, I don’t need you watching from the sideline. You’d be too much of a distraction.”

“Who’d be too much of a distraction?” Kara asked as she and Pam joined us.

“Adrienne is planning on turning Pam into a lesbian and won’t let me watch. Reminds me of when we stayed at the Range Ranch,” I complained.

I’d tried to join Tyler and Adrienne in bed when Kara was there. They let her stay, but I’d been kicked out.

“He’s such a ‘stupid boy’ sometimes,” Tyler said. “If he’d let us turn her, there might be side benefits down the road.”

Pam acted like she was at the US Open as we each talked about her. Her head snapped back and forth as if watching the ball bounce back and forth. I could tell she was feeling a little unsure of herself, so I put my arms out, and she moved to sit in my lap.

“See. Told you,” Adrienne announced.

“We’re just having fun. I’d never let Adrienne take advantage of you.”

It was Adrienne’s turn to roll her eyes at me. I decided that Pam had been abused enough, especially when she took the other half of my bagel.

“So, who’s on the agenda today?” I asked.

“Abercrombie & Fitch and Hollister. Abercrombie owns Hollister,” Tyler explained.

The Hollister concept was to attract consumers aged 14–18, at a lower price-point than Abercrombie. Hollister had a Southern California vibe and was geared for casual wear. I think everyone recognized Abercrombie & Fitch. They were known for their male models who rarely wore shirts. I wasn’t even sure if they sold any.

The main attraction for their stores was many of the models for their ads worked in the stores as what they called ‘brand representatives.’ Abercrombie sold sex the same way Victoria’s Secret did.

“Can I come and watch?” Pam asked.

“No,” said Adrienne. “You’re coming with me today. I think a day of beauty is in order.”

I’d arranged for Adrienne to spend the day with Pam as a Valentine’s present from me.

“I’ll go with David today,” Tyler offered.

“Could Kara and Kendal accompany you?” I asked Adrienne.

“I think that sounds like fun. I’ve wanted to get ahold of Kendal for a while,” Adrienne said, and then realized how that sounded. “I mean...”

I just waved a hand.

“Tyler, when do we need to leave?” I asked.

She looked at the clock.

“The car will be downstairs in thirty minutes. Go take your shower. One of our new accounts sent over a present for you. Check out the top drawer in your room.”

I went, showered, and shaved. I looked in the top drawer and there were Calvin Klein underwear. The first pair I tried on were called ‘iron strength micro hip briefs.’ I felt like I had on a Speedo. I next tried on a ‘liquid stretch’ pair. Not as bad, but still not my style. I found the next one was what they called ‘boxer briefs.’ It had three buttons on the front and the legs went down a couple of inches, but were snug against your legs.

I had been wearing boxers for a couple of years now. I liked the freedom they provided compared to the traditional tighty-whities. The only complaint I had was that my balls sometimes stuck to my leg when I perspired. When you see a guy adjust himself, it’s often because of that. It can be uncomfortable. What I liked about these was there was a pouch for the jewels that held them away from my thighs. The bonus was it didn’t push my package out and make my bulge more noticeable. I think some guys wanted that for the same reason women wore the Wonder Bra.

I figured I’d give them a shot and see how they worked out.

Tyler and I went to a studio on 26th Street, just a block from the Hudson River. It was a great space on the top floor of an old industrial building. The top floor housed five studios and all of them were being used for this job. I was sent to Studio Five. The space was amazing. All along one wall were eight-foot-high windows that let in a lot of natural light. The studio itself had thirteen-foot ceilings and was 3,000 square feet. The floor was concrete and the ceiling was all exposed wood, ducts, and pipes, which reinforced the industrial feel. The walls and ceiling were painted white to best reflect light. Spaced throughout the room were large circular concrete support pillars.

The place was a madhouse as models, photographers, and all the support staff were busy in the other studios. Along the wall of windows was a makeup location with two stations set up, and to the side there were racks of clothes. Through a door that led to a lounge came a young Asian woman. She and Tyler seemed to know each other.

“David, I would like you to meet Jackie Chan. She’s one of the best photographers in New York. Adrienne insisted that she shoot you today.”

“Pleasure to meet you,” I said as I shook her hand.

“I want to get some test shots before we get you done up,” she said as she grabbed one of five cameras she had on a large table.

She took three test shots and then hooked her camera up to a large TV screen. She looked at it for a minute and then left us alone. While she was gone, two guys came in and added some different filters to the lighting and placed additional lights from above. I assumed she’d seen some shadows.

“Do you know what we’re doing today?” I asked Tyler as we waited.

“This morning you’re working with another male model named Ryan Barlow. The two of you will be doing both web and catalog work for both Abercrombie and Hollister.”

“Why two of us?” I asked.

“Jackie likes to work fast. If you noticed, there are two setups. She’ll switch back and forth between the two as you change clothes.”

“What about the rest of the day?” I asked.

“The afternoon will be geared for group work. They have store employees who do a lot of the modeling. You’ll work with them. Later you’ll work with Miranda Kesh,” Tyler said, which made me smile.

Miranda Kesh did her first modeling job for Victoria’s Secret when she was sixteen. She was now nineteen and one of the most sought-after models in the industry. She wasn’t like Adrienne or Kate Upton in that she wasn’t full-figured. Miranda had thick brown hair that flowed down her back and her eyebrows reminded you of Selena Gomez. She had clear blue eyes that set off her flawless face. She had a smile that made every guy that saw it feel like it was just for them.

Miranda looked good in anything you put on her. She had one of those bodies that could pull off tight jeans or high fashion. Clothes just seemed to hang better on her than on most everyone else. I was excited to get to work with her. If nothing else, she would make me look better.

Ryan came in with Jackie and she took some test shots of him. When she was done, the makeup artists were given their marching orders, and Ryan and I were soon in just our underwear.

“I need to have you take them off,” my guy said, pointing to my boxers.

“Why?” I asked, and took a half step back.

“Some of the shots might expose a lot of skin, and we need to shave you,” he said.

I wasn’t used to a dude doing that, but he was professional about it. I noticed Ryan was getting the same treatment. I did a double take. I usually don’t check out other guys, but damn! Ryan was six-two, brown hair and green eyes. He was fit, but on the skinny side, and had very little muscle definition compared to me. What made me do the double take was he was hung like a horse.

I’d never understood that phrase before, but that was all I could think of. The head of his dick was the size of a lemon, and the shaft had to be at least two-and-a-half to three inches across. I’d never seen anyone that big in person.

I noticed Tyler standing off to the side with her mouth hanging open. She noticed that I caught her looking, and she turned bright red and fled the room. Believe me, I wanted to do the same thing. I’d never felt inferior to anyone in that department before. I might not have the biggest dick, but Ryan was in a class all his own. He saw me looking. Then we began a conversation that reminded me of my very own version of The Twilight Zone.

“It’s not all it’s cracked up to be,” he said.

“What?” I asked startled.

“This dick,” he said, motioning towards it.

“Why’s that?” I asked.

“Have you ever been deep-throated?” he asked.

“Sure,” I admitted.

“I’ve never had anyone that can get the head of my dick in their throat. A girl’s throat doesn’t stretch. Some have a hard time even blowing me, and you can just forget about anal.”

I just blinked at him. What do you say to another guy when he admits that to you?

“I loved your movie,” he said, to change the subject.