Chapter 4: Alyssa Milano

Since I took over my father's talent agency out here in L.A., I haven't really had to go chasing talent to bring onboard for the company. Thankfully, he left me a large stable of great actresses and musicians who are not only talented, but also hot as hell and sexy. And as great as the sex had been with the clients I had gotten personally involved with, I was still looking for something more. A more meaningful relationship. Sure, there was always the fall back to my personal assistant Julie (who I was almost certain had a thing for me) but dealing with an interoffice relationship like that wouldn't be the best idea.

So when I heard that Alyssa Milano, the child star who had grown up into a very beautiful woman, was looking for some one new to represent her, I jumped at the chance. We were close to the same age, and ever since watching her on "Who's The Boss" back in my younger days, I had had a boyhood crush on her. I had Julie get me her home phone number and one evening at home, I actually felt nervous as I called her house.

"Hi, you've reached Alyssa. Leave me a message and I'll call you back." said the recording on her answering machine.

"Damn," I thought to myself "She's probably out with her boyfriend. I'll just leave a message,"

****BEEP****

"Hi Alyssa, my name is Dean Simonds and I am from the Shooting Star Talent Agency. I heard you were shopping around for an agent and I was wondering if we could get together for lunch or dinner sometime to discuss you coming aboard. Give me a call when you get a chance. My number is..."

CLICK "Hello? Dean? You still there?" rang out her sweet voice. My heart jumped into my throat, but I regained my composure.

"Yes, hi. I thought you were out or something," I said, trying not to sound nervous.

"Nope, I just screen my calls. Ever since Charmed got so big, I have had to change my number 3 times! People keep posting my number on the Internet. It's really scary. Any ways, you are correct, I am looking for a new representative, so we do need to sit down and talk," she said.

"Ok. Well, how about we have lunch two weeks from this coming Thurs-" I said, but was cut off.

"Look, first off, I don't schedule more than two days in advance. Why don't we have dinner now? I'm free and you appear to be available as well, if you're making calls to my house at 6 on a Friday night," she said, laughing.

I was caught a little off by this, but without even thinking I jumped at the chance.

"Yes. I'm free. I can meet you virtually anywhere in about 45 minutes. Where do you want to go?"

"How about that Italian restaurant two blocks off of Rodeo?" she said.

I knew the one she was talking about. Great food, quiet atmosphere, and not a huge drive for me.

"Sounds good. I'll meet you there at 7. Sound good?" I asked, secretly praying and hoping a thousand times over in my head.

"Sure thing. I'm going to dress down to keep the fans away. I'll be the one in jeans, a green sweatshirt and white tennis shoes. I'll meet you around the side of the building," she said.

"Great. Cya there," I said. Shaking, I hung up the phone. The office was quiet now, so I shut the door to my office and then did a small jump in the air. "Yes!" I said.

Changing into a nice coat and putting on a fresh tie, I got myself ready hurridely. "Ok, calm down now Dean. This isn't junior high." I told myself. God, I felt as nervous as my first date back when I was 15.

I arrived at the restaurant 10 minutes early and went ahead and got us a table. For a Friday night, I was surprised how quiet they were. Taking a seat facing the door, I drank two glasses of water just waiting on her. Finally she arrived, 5 minutes late. She was dressed like she said she would be, although the baggy clothes did little to hide her curves. She was wearing a dark pair of sunglasses to help shade her eyes from being recognized. I motioned her to the table and she walked over towards me. Wanting to impress her and be a gentleman, I pulled her chair out for her and pushed her in to the table. The perfume she was wearing was intoxicating and try as she might with the outfit she was wearing, she had an heir of sexuality that I hadn't encountered in many women. Taking off her sunglasses, she sat down and I returned to my seat.

"Hi. I'm so glad we could get together. Since Charmed got so big, I've wanted to try moving on to movies. Do you think you can help?" she asked, smiling.

"Well, my firm carries a whole lot of weight with the studios. If you are really serious, I'm sure that we can work out something," I replied.

"That's great. I'm thinking maybe a role in a comedy or something. After doing Who's The Boss for so long, I'd like to think I've developed a knack for comedy," she said, pausing. "You know, I must say, you are as attractive as you sounded on the phone," she said.

Laughing, I asked "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

She laughed softly in return. "No no, it's a good thing. I can always tell how a person looks generally by listening to them on the phone. I guess it's some sort of sixth sense or something," she said.

"Well, thank you. I probably don't even have to tell you how beautiful you are," I said, smiling.

Amazingly, she blushed a little bit. "Thank you. Something I've noticed since I've been in Hollywood, which is a long time, is that with all the beauty and glamour out here, when you actually talk to a person, you can tell how genuine they are. You couldn't have grown up here, because you seem so honest. Maybe my radar is off, I don't know" she said, shrugging half-heartedly.

"No, I'm from back east. I just got out of college about six months ago. I was going to be a lawyer until my father passed away and I inherited the agency," I said, sipping from my water.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear about your father. That must have been horrible," she said sympathetically.

"Not really. He left us when I was young so I never got to know him. I wasn't even going to come out here but was talked into it by his lifelong assistant. I think I like it out here though, so I will probably stay for a little while longer at least," I said.

"You've got to stay," Alyssa said, smiling. "You have to be here to take care of me,"

The waiter finally arrived and took our order. Dinner arrived 20 minutes later. Throughout the meal, we continued to have a great conversation, that was hardly about business at all. Alyssa and I clicked on a personal level, sharing childhood memories and experiences of growing up. Despite growing up in totally separate ways, I felt a real connection with her, and that she understood and felt what I had gone through without a father, and I think I understood her struggles growing up in a world like Hollywood.

Towards the end of the meal, Alyssa returned the conversation back to business. As the check came, I reached to pick it up but Alyssa's hand covered mine. Her skin was exquisitely smooth and her hand was so warm and alive.

"You know, I'm a big girl. I can pay for my own dinner," she said, making a ritualistic effort to be free from the male stereotype of paying for the meal.

"I know you can. But hey, this is a business dinner, so the agency will pay for it. We both win out," I said. Reaching into my wallet with my other hand, I noticed Alyssa's hand was still on mine. Looking up into her deep brown eyes, she rubbed her fingers slowly over my hand. God, her touch felt so right.

"Would you like to come back to my place for drinks and maybe some coffee? We can talk about possible movie roles and you can look at some scripts I've been given," I said.

"I'd love to. We can take my car, if you can give me directions," she said, her gaze never leaving my eyes.

I agreed, and we got into her car. The ride back to my house was quick, as Alyssa tore down the freeway in her bright red Z3. With the top down and the cool sea breeze blowing onto her face, and the moonlight from the half moon that was out and shining so brightly over the Pacific, her beauty radiated.

When we reached my house, a small (by California standards) mansion, I took Alyssa's hand and led her to the entertaining room. She took a seat on the couch as I went to the bar to fix us some drinks.

Handing her her drink, I sat down on the couch next to her and handed her two or three scripts I had been reviewing from off of the coffee table. We spent the next few hours drinking and discussing the scripts. It was decided that I would try and get Alyssa a role in a situation comedy about a man who wakes up in a Vegas hotel and is suddenly married to three sisters. She would of course play one of the sisters. After finishing my drink, I rose to fix Alyssa and myself another round. Glancing at the clock, I realized it was 2 AM. I had no idea time had went by so quickly. Alyssa must have realized it too, for she rose from the couch.

"Wow, it's late. I probably she head home. I have an hour and a half drive ahead of me," she said, sipping from the drink I had just given her.

My heart sank a little bit, but she was probably right, she should head home. Walking her to the door, she stopped in the hall way to admire one of the paintings on the wall.

"Wow, is that a real Warhol? It's beautiful," she said quietly. I was impressed by her recognition of the art.

"Yes, it is. My father was an amateur art collector. The paintings in the house were here when he died and I moved in," I said.

"It's beautiful. The colors are so radiant," she repeated to herself.

Turning around to face me, our faces were less than 6 inches apart. For a moment, I sensed that she was debating about what to do, but the moment was quick and she leaned in and kissed me softly on the lips. I stood there savoring the feeling of her mouth on mine, and then leaned in to kiss her just as gently as she had kissed me. She returned the kiss, and I forced her against the hallway doorframe lightly, putting my arms over her shoulders, kissing her sweet mouth. Her lips and tongue were so warm and soft, I felt like I would die from the sheer bliss. We stood in the hallway for another ten minutes kissing, before she finally broke the kiss and put her hand on my chest.