Chapter 78

It was after nine-thirty when we pulled up to the gate. I would have been there earlier, but Sylvia said not to rush because nobody was ever on time for one of these things. The address Meg had given me turned out to be in one of those magnificent gated communities in Beverly Hills. The kiosk at the entrance looked like a guard post at a medieval castle. A guy who didn’t look much older than me stepped out, and he carefully checked my ID against a list, then he asked for the name of my guest. He asked her to spell it when Sylvia said, “Theda Bara,” then he wrote my name and hers on a piece of yellow paper and slid it under my wiper blade. He handed me a map showing where the house was, and I saw Sylvia smiling as we drove away. She just shook her head and laughed when I asked who Theda Bara was.

The house was visible from half a block away. It’s a huge three-story thing with massive columns and lights everywhere. It sat far back from the street, and was surrounded by trees and a tall wrought iron fence with a huge gate. An older, uniformed man met us at the gate. He took the yellow paper and carefully looked at it, then he looked at Sylvia, smiled, and motioned us inside. We drove up a long driveway edged with lighted gargoyles, past a huge metal dragon with wings at least twenty feet wide. I was impressed, but Sylvia shook her head and said, “This guy has no taste at all.”

I stepped out when we pulled up to the entrance, and a valet opened the car door for Sylvia. He said, “Go straight through the house, the party is in the back.” He handed me a ticket for the car, and we went inside.

The place was huge. The living room ceiling was at least thirty feet high. Paintings and tapestries hung everywhere, and a beautiful oak staircase wound its way up to a balcony that ran across the back of the room. We could hear music in the rear, so we headed down a hallway that headed that direction, but Sylvia looked in as we passed an open door, and said, “Ahh, a bathroom. Go on ahead, I’ll meet you in a minute.”

The hallway opened onto a large, covered patio. There was a small musical group set up on one end, and two long tables loaded with food were on the other end. A smaller table, loaded with bottles of booze, soft drinks, and one of those big fountain things, was next to the tables. A bartender was pouring bottles of champagne into it.

There looked to be about fifteen or twenty couples there. Some were standing, and others were sitting on a bunch of lounges that looked like they’d been brought in for the party. Most people had plates of food, so I went to one of the tables, and I was picking through things when Meg came up and said, “Hey, I see you found the trough.”

I was shocked when I turned to look at her. She was barefoot, dressed in a filmy, organdy thing that you could practically see through, and she had a thong bikini on under it. She looked fantastic.

I stammered, “Uhh, yeah, I –I came here to protect you,” when I was able to catch my breath.

She answered, “Protect me! From what?”

“I heard there was gonna be food, and I wanted to keep my eye on your boyfriend. I don’t want him to eat so much that he passes out. He might fall on top of you and crush you.”

Sylvia walked up behind her just as Meg hit me on the arm and said, “Knock it off, Junior, He’s not my boyfriend, he’s not that fat, and he’s not even here yet. What about you? Did you bring along one of your friends from school?”

Loud enough for Sylvia to hear me, I said, “Well, you told me to bring a date, so I brought along a girl I’d seen around the freshman class. Here she is now.”

Sylvia came up and slid her arm through mine, kissed me on the cheek, and said, “Hi, Sweetie, sorry I took so long. I had to evict a couple from the bathroom.”

Sylvia is a good six inches taller than Meg, plus she was wearing high-heeled sandals, so she towered over her when she looked down and said, “Are you going to introduce me to your little friend?”

Trying to keep a straight face, I said, “Sylvia Brand, this is Meg. She’s the one who arranged for us to be here.”

Meg was frowning when Sylvia nodded and said, “Oh, are you a friend of Saul Epstein’s?”

The frown turned to curiosity, as she replied, “Uhh no, a friend of mine is. Why, do you know him?”

“Not really. We were involved in a business deal recently, and we talked on the phone a few times.”

Meg asked, “Are you in the entertainment industry?”

She said it with such intensity that it was surprising, but Meg’s mood changed like someone turned a switch when Sylvia answered that she wasn’t.

I asked her, “Where’s your friend, Carl?”

Here eyes were already back surveying the room when she answered, “He said that he had to pick something up. He’ll be here later.”

Some people came in just then, and I guess that she spotted someone she knew, so she nodded a ‘nice ta meet you’ at Sylvia, and she excused herself. Sylvia shook her head and smiled as she walked away, so I asked why.

“I’ve seen her type. She spends her whole life waiting for her ‘big break’. She lost interest as soon as she found out that I wasn’t in the business. Have you slept with her yet?”

“Uhh, no.”

“Don’t worry, you will.”

We stood there for a while, nibbling on some food, and I began to realize that I recognized some of the people here as actors I’d seen on TV. Sylvia smiled when I mentioned it to her, and explained, “The people here are ‘B-list’ actors. They’re here for the free food and to network. There’s no media here, so this isn’t the kind of party the A-list people usually come to, and they wouldn’t show up till around eleven even if they did.”

“Why does this Epstein guy have these parties?”

“Look around, do you see all the pretty girls?”

I had been looking around, and there were some absolute knockouts here. One spectacular blonde I had seen in a dozen TV shows was just passing by us. She was wearing white slacks and a frilly shirt that was almost completely unbuttoned. She had huge tits, and the shirt was open so far that I could see part of her areola on both sides. The only thing covered was her nipples, and I could even see one of them when she leaned forward to take a bite of food. She was arm in arm with a tall, black-haired girl wearing a black leather outfit and sunglasses even though it was dark outside. The two of them made an amazing couple.

I said to Sylvia, “Yes, there are lots of pretty girls here, but I haven’t seen our host. Is he here?”

“Oh, he’s here all right. He’s in a room somewhere ‘interviewing’ a few of those pretty girls right now. They’ll do anything to help their careers. I’m sure that he’ll be here later.”

“How do you know so much about this?”

She raised an eyebrow, and replied, “Didn’t you know that I used to be an actress, Pete?”

It suddenly hit me that maybe she’d been through this. A picture of her in some rich guy’s arms trying to further her career jumped into my head, and I began to get upset. It must have been obvious, because she started laughing. She hugged me and said, “Relax, my love. I’m just teasing you. Herb has financed a few movies, and he used to have parties like this when I first met him. I was always with my husband, but I knew what went on.”

Feeling better, I asked, “How is your husband?”

She had a resigned look on her face when she answered, “Not good, he barely recognizes me anymore.”

I waited a second, then I asked, “How’s Herb?”

He’s fine. He’s still in Europe, but I talked with him about my coming here with you earlier tonight, and he said that it was a good idea. We tried to get Epstein involved in the Global deal. His money would have come in handy, but he wasn’t interested. I’ve talked to him on the phone a few times, but I never met him in person. I’m going to try and talk to him later. His backing would still be an asset. Oh, and Herb said ‘hello’.”

We sat around watching, as more people showed up, and the group started playing a swing tune a little later. There was a clear area in front of the band, so I grabbed Sylvia and we started dancing. Sylvia isn’t as good a dancer as Mom or Kate, but she isn’t bad, and the little cover that she was wearing rose up and showed her bikini-clad bottom as I twirled her. She might be close to forty, but she sure doesn’t look it. Her waist is tiny, and her butt is as sexy as any girl here. I even noticed a few of the younger girls frowning as they watched her. The group started another song when the tune ended. It was a slower one, and we spent more time in each other’s arms. It seemed like the other couples were more used to the frantic, faster tunes, and some left the dance floor, so I made our swings wider, and more dramatic. I noticed a small group watching us at one point. A guy in the middle of things was wearing what looked like a bathrobe, and a number of people, mostly girls and one big husky guy surrounded him. The husky guy was looking at us and talking to him. I bent Sylvia back in a dramatic manner as the tune came to an end, and I kissed her.

The band took a break, and the man in the robe came over to us. He looked like a guy about fifty trying to look like he was thirty. His hair was too black; his tan was too perfect, and he was wearing too many gold chains around his neck.

He was looking at Sylvia, not me, when he said, “Well done, young man, but my people tell me you’re an actor, not a dancer.”

“Well, actually, I’m neither. At least, not yet.”

He looked back at me and said, “So I’ve heard. But don’t worry, you will be if Myrna Devon is involved.”

He stuck out his hand and said, “I’m Saul Epstein,”

I shook it, and he turned to Sylvia and said, “And who is this lovely lady?”

Sylvia held her hand out before I had a chance to say anything, and said, “Hello, Mr. Epstein, we’ve talked before. It’s nice to finally meet you, I’m Sylvia Brand.”

His eyes narrowed for a minute, then they widened, and he said, “Sylvia Brand! Indeed we have spoken. You’re head of operations for Herb Johnson, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

He looked her up and down and said, “I’m going to have to talk with Herb. That rascal didn’t tell me you were so beautiful,” then he cocked his head and asked, “You’re not here to try and talk me into something, are you?”

She answered, “Well, it depends on how receptive you are.”

He looked at her for a long moment, then he glanced over his shoulder to the big guy he’d been standing with, and barked, “Time!”

The guy answered, “Ten-fifteen, Boss.”

He looked back at Sylvia, his eyes narrowed, and he said, “Okay, you have fifteen minutes.”

Sylvia looked at me and raised an eyebrow.

I said, “It’s okay, go ahead, I’ll find something to do.”

Without looking around, Epstein called out, “Come here, Candy,” and one of the girls he’d been standing with, a cute little blonde in a mini bikini, came running over. He said to her, “I’ll be busy for a while, show Pete around the place.”

She got an odd expression on her face, and answered, “Uhh, sure. Do you, umm, know how long you’ll be gone?”

With a sharp glance, he answered, “I told you that it won’t be long. Now do as I asked.”

I asked Candy, “What’s the matter, are you in a hurry?” as he and Sylvia walked toward the house.

“No, it’s just that, uhh, oh nothing. Come on, I’ll show you around.”

She turned away, and I followed her cute butt toward the back of the property. Her bikini was so small that you could see the beginning of her butt crack, and she had a tattoo of a bunch of swirls and dashes just above it. I’d seen stuff like that at school when the girls wore low-rise jeans, but I’d never had a full view like now, and it was pretty sexy.

She took me to an area at the rear of the property that was surrounded by high bushes. I could see a mesh enclosure of some kind sticking above it, and I could hear chirps and whistles when we got close. We went through a gate, and we were suddenly in front of a large aviary. She went to a box and hit a switch, and lights came on all around. It was partitioned off into two areas, and next to it was an enclosed tent. One part was full of colorful birds. Most of them were sleeping, but the other room next to it held five peacocks, and they were very much awake. I was standing there admiring things, when Candy asked, “Are you an actor?”

I looked over at her, and at that moment, I wanted to be whatever that cute girl wanted me to be. So I acted bored, and said, “Uhh, yeah, I act a little.”

“Are you famous? I don’t recognize you.”

“I’m, uhh, not from around here.”

“Oh, you must be from New York. What are you, movies, stage, or what?”

“Umm, mostly movies.”

“Wow, that’s great. I’ve been in some movies, and Saul says that he’ll make sure I get a part in his next film.”

“Good for you. What movies were you in?”

“Well, they are, uhh, art films. I was in one last year that starred Vivian James.”

It took me a second to recognize the name. I hadn’t thought about Denise’s mother in a long time, and then I realized what she meant by art films. I asked, “Have you seen her lately?”

“Who, Ms. James? Why? Do you know her?”

“Yes, I know her. Have you talked to her?”

She seemed impressed now, and she answered, “I haven’t seen her since we worked together last summer. I hear she got into some kind of trouble right after that, and she moved to Italy. I think her last two films were made there.”

I was thinking that Denise, maybe even the Torres family might want to talk to her, so I asked, “Do you know how to get in touch with her?”

“No, but Saul might. So, you’re in the industry too?”

I knew she meant the porn industry, and it was kind of fun pretending, so I said, “I made a few, but I’m into directing now.”

“Really, are you working on something now?”

“Maybe. Why? Are you interested?”

She came over and looked up at me. This cute girl couldn’t be much older than I am, and she was as fresh-faced as any girl in my school, so what she said next floored me.

She was really enthusiastic when she explained, “Sure, I do it all, boy-girl, girl-girl, gangbangs, DP; I do everything.”

It took me a few seconds to gather my thoughts. One part of me was a little turned on, but another part was repulsed. I’d seen porn on computers, but those girls were images on a screen. This was the real thing, and I somehow just couldn’t imagine her wanting to do something like that. Strangely enough, I wanted to hold her in my arms and tell her not to do it anymore.

She smiled, and I could see that she had her tongue pierced. The stories the guys at school told about how great a blowjob was when the girl had her tongue pierced came to mind, and my mood was broken.

I said, “Well, I’ll keep you in mind in case there’s an opening.

She came close, put her hand on my crotch, and said, “What if I do something so you won’t forget me,” and she started to kneel down. Tempting as it was, I’m here with Sylvia, and it didn’t seem right. So I caught her arm, pulled her to her feet, and said, “Don’t worry, I won’t forget you.”

Candy had seemed to get increasingly nervous during our conversation, and she kept looking at her watch. I heard the band start up, and I looked at mine as well. Nearly a half hour had gone by, so we started back to the party. We were almost there when I saw a small group of people standing by themselves, and they seemed to be arguing about something. Candy cried, “Oh, fuck,” and went running to them. I took a few steps closer, and I recognized Epstein and the husky guy, and they were arguing with Meg’s friend, Carl. Candy got to them, and she started screaming at Carl after a minute.

I didn’t see Carl swing at her, but she was suddenly lying on her back. Then the husky guy pushed Carl hard, and he started rapidly backing up. They followed him, still talking to him, but they didn’t pay any attention to Candy, so I went to her. She was holding her face, and I could see a little blood, so I pulled her hand away. She had a bloody nose, and that seemed to be all, but she had a haunted look on her face and she asked, “Are you, uhh, holding, Pete?”

I had seen enough TV to know what ‘holding’ meant. She was asking if I had any drugs on me, and why she was nervous occurred to me. She needed a fix.

I said, “Sorry, Candy, I don’t use.”

She went, “Oh, Fuck,” again, and put her face back in her hands.”

I helped her up, and as we headed toward the house I asked, “Why are they pissed off at Carl?”

“That asshole was supposed to show up with ‘product’, and all he brought was grass and some bullshit story about how he got stiffed for the rest.”

“So, Carl is his supplier?”

“Yeah, Saul gave him money, and Carl said he paid for everything, but the cops showed up during the transfer and everyone split before he got the dope.”

“Where’d he get the grass?”

“He says that he got it somewhere else, and paid for it with his own money.”

“So Epstein supplies dope to everybody at these parties for free?”

“Yeah, he gets a kick out of playing the ‘big man’, but it isn’t free for everyone. Some of us pay in other ways.”

I guessed what she meant by that. She was probably one of the reasons Epstein was late getting to the party. I asked, “Are you going to be okay?”

“Yeah, as soon as I can get to a bathroom and get cleaned up.”

“What are you going to do for, uhh, product?”

“Oh, I’ll ask around. Someone here will be sitting on something. I’ll just have to pay for it again, is all.”

I dropped her off when we got to the house, and I began looking around for Sylvia. I found her sitting in a chair by the pool surrounded by three guys. They looked like they were in their late twenties or early thirties. They were laughing and joking with her, and she looked perfectly at home with them. I stood back and watched for a while. She was obviously enjoying herself, and it was great to see her having such a good time. The room had started to fill up, and so had the dance floor. The music was loud, the songs were fast, and people were jammed together. The band started a slower one when that tune ended, and I noticed that one of the guys was trying to coax Sylvia onto the dance floor. Meg came by just then, so I asked her if she’d like to dance. She answered, “Sure,” so I took her by the hand and walked her by Sylvia on the way to the dance floor. I winked at Sylvia when we got close. She grinned, and nodded to the guy, and Sylvia and the guy were right behind us when Meg and I got to the dance floor. Each tune was long, and I noticed that several guys had cut in and were dancing with Sylvia. She looked like she was having a great time. Meg turned out to be a good dancer, and I was having fun as well. It was a warm night. She stuck with me through the whole song when the next tune turned out to be a fast one, and we were both covered with perspiration when it ended. Meg led us to the bar and ordered us a couple of Long Island Iced teas when I mentioned that I was thirsty. I downed mine in one long gulp and Meg wasn’t far behind, so she ordered us two more. I looked over at Sylvia, and two guys I hadn’t seen before were talking with her, so I walked Meg over to some chairs and we sat for a minute. We complimented each other on our dancing, then I asked, “Is Carl okay?”