Chapter 16: California

♂♂

Friday. May 31st.

Los Angeles. California.

Kirby Steve personally paid for my plane ticket. It wouldn’t be the first time he flew an actor from another state, he considers the trip to be a gift from him. My flight was scheduled at seven in the
morning, and he was due to Los Angeles by eleven. I prepared for the flight, making a long playlist, packing books, and taking my laptop. There were no plans to masturbate, I don’t want to join the Mile High Club at this time. I’ve only taken flight once when I was seven, my family and I went to Disney Land for a summer trip.

During the long five hours, I made a song. Finally, I had a reason to try out the new music studio Kendryck bought me. For the first two hours, I spent time practicing and learning the software. When we were over Colorado, I was halfway through a new project.

The song was electronic with lots of bass and synth. The beat has been stuck in my head for quite some time. I used fake violins to create ambiance and record scratches for excitement. It was purely experimental, but I enjoyed the final recording. If I could, I would add lyrics, but I’d figured I’ll leave it as an instrumental for now. Once we were over Nevada, I completed the song and listened to it over and over.

I didn’t realize how close I was to Los Angeles until the pilot announces we’re ten minutes away. Once I took my headphones off, my ears started ringing from blasting various sounds on high volume. Out the window is a bird’s view of the booming city, I could tell everything was different than Detroit. LAX is massive, it takes me a while to find my luggage on the conveyor belt. I have to squeezes my way through the crowd to find the exit. Today is a bit cloudy, but it’s still warm. The smell of the ocean is overwhelming, I’m surprised by the scent, it’s something I never smelled before. A limo is waiting for me, the driver stands outside with my name ‘Mars Aphoenix’.

“I’m Mars.” I lift my chin. I’m starting to get use to my new name.

“Come on in, sir.” The limo driver goes to the end and opens the door for me. I climb inside, amazed by the space. There’s champagne ready to pop open, I don’t hesitate to grab a glass. I text Andrea about my arrival, then stares out of the window. A smile grows on my face, I couldn’t believe he was in the city of angels. Any dream can happen here, but high success and deep failure lives on the same block.

South of Los Angeles, I’m taken to the Maverick Hotel in front of the freeway by Exposition Park. The building sits high on a congested block. I gather my luggage and say bye to the driver before going inside. My room is on the fourth floor, it’s decent sized with a kitchen, living room, and separate bedroom. A mini apartment, I wouldn’t mind living here. There’s orange and red colors, seventies furniture and it smells clean in here. I unpack my bags, I’ll be there for only two days, but I wanted to feel comfortable during my stay.

My phone rings as I sort through my clothes. I answer the unknown number, “Hello?”

“Mars Aphoenix! It’s Kirby Steve. How was your flight?”

I grin. “It actually wasn’t bad.”

“That’s good to hear! I’m so glad you came, you are incredible. I’m sure you’ll be bored just sitting in your room. So, how about spending a day with a good friend of mine? His name is Moses Legend, have you heard of him?”

“Moses? I’ve seen him before. He mainly does softcore stuff, but I like his group play.”

“Good, you know him. He’s a good guy and doing me a favor by showing you around. I’ll tell him to pick you up.”

“Thanks. And thank you for this. I mean...” I huff a chuckle. “I’m so excited.”

“You should be. It’ll be fun, and the scene will have an impact on your career. I make stars, after all.”

“Right. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I’m giving him your number so he can call you. See you soon, Mars.”

“Goodbye.” I hang up and fist bump the air. I change from my sweatpants to jeans and tight green tank, putting on jewelry and a little bit of makeup. After exploring the hotel, I hang by the pool to wait for Moses. I lay down before the water, the sun finally decided to come out. Kids swim in the pool, splashing their siblings and annoying their parents. The pool was by the street, which allowed me to observe the fancy cars coming by. After twenty minutes, I got a text from Moses. I tell him where I am and continues basking under the sun. A minute passes, a dark skinned mega male with long, light brown dreadlocks exits the side door.

He’s wearing sunglass, red shorts, and a matching, long-sleeved tee with black Nikes. Tattoos cover his toned body, they’re mostly portraits of people, long sentences, and random doodles up his arms and legs. He looks around the pool, scanning the families for me. I watch him from the distance, waiting for him to see me. His eyes land on his target at the end by the shrubs and goes forward. He’s nearly splashed as he passes the pool. “Mars?” He calls to me.

I smile. “Moses.” I stand up, reaching for a handshake.

“Please...” Moses tilts his head and gives me a hug. “I’m a hugger.”

“My bad.” I hug back lightly. “It’s nice to meet you. I like your work.”

“Thanks.” He pulls away, slowly dragging his hands off my arms. “I’ve seen one of your movies before. You don’t have much on your roster.”

“Well, this will be my third shoot, so I’m making my way.”

He starts to walk towards the gate. “You’re from Michigan, right?”

“Yep.” I follow him.

Moses holds the gate open for me. “Allow me to show you the city. My boyfriend is having some friends over later, we can meet up with him.” He leads the way to his white Porsche parked by the front.

“No problem. I love meeting new people.” Moses opens the passenger door. I slide inside as he shuts. Once my seatbelt was on, Moses climbed in the car. “Where are we going?”

“The beach.” He starts the quite engine. “I’m sure you’ve never seen the ocean.”

“I have, but in Florida. Once.” I chuckle. “I’m ready to see the West Coast now.”

“Well, let’s go than, bud.” Moses wraps his arm around my shoulder.

♂

We went to the beach and walked among the shoreline with our shoes and socks off. It was crowded with so many hot people. I felt a little uneasy about myself walking through them. After, he took me to a little diner by the shore. I ate my usually cheeseburger deluxe while Moses had two hot dogs. Back on the road, he told me stories of his past. He’ll point out places he’s been and what happened there. Moses grew up in Los Angeles with his younger brother and cousins. His family wasn’t big, nor were they talking to Moses. He’s been
estranged since he joined porn three years ago, mostly from his single mom. They’re relationship is toxic and he’s glad she’s out of his life.

His boyfriend lived near West Hollywood in a small house not too far from the famous sign. I couldn’t help but stare at the sign when I got out of the car. The palm trees were foreign to me, even the atmosphere seemed different.

“You coming?” Moses said as he goes up the steps. I follow him into the house. One person sits on the couch, a male omega with numerous piercings on his face. He had blue hair, was skinny as a rail, and his eyes were bulbous and blue. He’s on his phone, looking up once the pair comes through the door. “Hey, Indica.”

Indica smiles and leans in. “Yo. Whose this?”

Moses drops his hand on my shoulder. “This is Mars Aphoenix. He’s a new actor Kirby wanted me to show around.”

“Oh cool.” Indica stands up. “I’m Indica Raye.” We shake hands.

“Are you an actor too?” I ask.

He blushes softly. “I am, but I don’t do professional.”

“Why not?”

“I like being my own boss.” Indica shrugs.

“Whose here?” A voice calls from the kitchen. Another omega comes through the archway, this one has cropped, pink hair and dark skin. His face was caked up with heavy makeup, there was a drag theme going on. He was fit and wore a faux, leather, laced up vest with white ripped jeans. Tattoos cover him from his head to toe of snakes, witch symbols, and detailed portraits. My jaw drops, I recognize his sharp jawline and enigmatic nature anywhere.

“Holy shit.” I gasp.

“Hey, baby.” Moses goes to Ambrose Star and kisses him on the cheek.

Ambrose stares at me with a hard look. “Who are you?”

“I’m Mars.” I answer right away. My head shakes. “I’ve been a big fan of you since I was like thirteen.”