Chapter 127

Hailey knew she smelled like dry sweat when she walked into the apartment but it was only 1 a.m. and she figured her boyfriend was still awake – and perhaps even at work. She decided that she would try to have a video conference with him before she went to bed.

“Have you finally made it back to your apartment?” Hailey asked when Phil answered. It was only 10 o’clock there.

“Yep,” he replied. “I was just waiting for my neighbor to head out so I can go to sleep. How’s your night going?”

“It’s gone,” Hailey said. The party had been fun – particularly since all the sports were officially “in season” except for the baseball team (and that team was playing its last fall ball tournament). It kept almost everyone away from Hailey – and the few guys that ventured over to ask her to dance were soon given a close-up look at the diamond on her finger. The girls had danced together all evening but found being the only sober people in a room full of drunken college kids to be more drama than they wanted.

“Did something happen?” Phil asked. He knew the parties on campus would sometimes go on until three or four in the morning.

“I just got a look at how I acted as a freshman and it made me a little sick to my stomach,” Hailey replied. “We decided to head out when a couple of girls were starting to let guys do Jell-O shots off their nipples.”

“I hope your nipples are gelatin free,” Phil joked.

“You know they are,” Hailey said seriously.

“I do know that,” Phil said. “I was just goofing around. Sorry if I sounded ... I don’t know ... untrusting or something. I’m not worried about you.”

“Did you find something fun to do tonight?” Hailey asked.

“Well, sort of,” Phil replied with a laugh. “I was checking airline schedules for a couple of weeks from now.”

“And that’s fun?” Hailey wondered.

“It is when I found out I could leave here at 6 a.m. Friday and be within two hours of you by noon,” Phil replied.

“Seriously?” Hailey asked. “Hey, do you want to go to video?”

“Sure,” Phil answered. “I always like looking at you. It keeps me from staring at your photo on my phone.”

“Did you like the one I sent you this morning?” Hailey asked as she pulled out her laptop and logged in.

“It was really nice,” Phil said. Hailey had sent him a photo with her sitting up in bed, the sheets below her breasts. Her hair wasn’t done; she hadn’t put on makeup. She had just awakened, pulled off her T-shirt and taken the picture.

“I’ve pretty much run out of ideas for how to send you selfies,” Hailey laughed. She connected and saw Phil sitting in his dingy apartment. She shook her head at the thought of him living in a place that most junkies would find depressing.

“Looks like you had fun tonight,” Phil said, noting how Hailey’s hair was askew from her gyrations on the dance floor.

Hailey quickly ran her hands through her hair, sticky with sweat.

“I guess I’ll just have to give you something else to look at,” she said, smiling. She pulled her brown T-shirt over her head. She wore a plain white bra. She glanced down and then unhooked it and freed her breasts. “Your turn.”

Phil lifted his shirt over his head and put it behind him. The first purchase he’d made was a desk chair that wasn’t stained with God knew what.

“So, weekend after next?” Phil asked. “I can get to within two hours but ... well, I still can’t rent a car. I doubt I can get a taxi to take me the rest of the way.”

“I can meet you there,” Hailey said before Phil could ask.

“What’s your schedule like?” he wondered.

“Who cares?” Hailey asked with a laugh.

“I care,” Phil answered. “I know your Fridays are usually light. I’ll get in a little before noon but I can get a taxi and you can just pick me up somewhere.”

“I haven’t seen you in seven weeks,” Hailey said. “I will be there when your plane arrives. We’ll just plan to stay there the whole time.”

“I know you’ve got stuff to do during the weekend,” Phil said. “I can fly out at six Monday morning and be back here by nine my time. But if that puts you in a bind time-wise, I can always leave Sunday afternoon.”

“No!” Hailey said quickly. “If you’re coming in, I want you here as long as I can keep you here. Monday morning is just fine. I can get back here by eight and I don’t have class until 10. That will be perfect.”

“What about Beta Club?” Phil asked.

“What about it?” Hailey rejoined.

“Uh, that’s Sunday night,” Phil pointed out.

“I can miss a meeting if I want to,” Hailey informed him.

“You’re sort of the president,” Phil noted.

“Actually, I am the president,” Hailey answered with a wink. “I am not sort of anything.”

“Yeah, that’s the point,” Phil replied.

“Tiff can run the meeting,” Hailey told him. “It’ll be good practice for her for next year.”

“Next year?” Phil wondered.

“I’m not going to run again,” Hailey answered. “I decided that this summer.”

“Really?” Phil asked. “I ... I thought you had designs on being the first two-term president.”

“I did, sort of,” Hailey replied. “But, well, I decided that I am going to be a wife next year. I will have to make sure my husband is well attended to. I figure we will be about three months into our 37-year honeymoon.”

“Only 37 years?” Phil asked with a laugh.

“I figure in 37 years, you’ll be pushing 60 and, well, the thought of screwing an old guy is just gross,” she giggled. “I figure I’ll cut you off about then and we’ll start to fight because I’ll still be hot and you’ll still want to stick it in me.”

Phil found himself laughing. Just the thought of spending a weekend with his friends had lifted his spirits.

“Hey, before I forget,” Phil said, “what do you think of Skyler McKay?”

“Skyler McKay?” she asked. “Oh, the actress. I don’t know. Why?”

“I ran into her this evening,” Phil said. “She was pushing for a part in the next ‘Kismet’ installment. I told her I’d run it past you and let her know.”

“Why me?” Hailey asked.

“Because I had no fucking clue who she even was until she introduced herself and told me what show she was on,” Phil answered. “I know you watch the show and I figured you’d have a better idea if she was right for the part of Mallory.”

“Mallory?” Hailey asked, her eyes wide. “Uh, I hate to deprive you of visual stimulation, but it’s cold so I’m going to put my robe on since we’re going to talk business and not ... you know.”

She wiggled her eyebrows at him. Phil had been the recipient of at least one live show from Hailey each week since their separation.

“We can talk business tomorrow,” Phil replied with a laugh.

“No more of that until I get you in the flesh, Mister Warner,” Hailey told him as she pulled a sweatshirt over her head. The dents that rippled the fabric told Phil it was very cold in the apartment.

“It was almost 80 here today,” he pointed out nonchalantly.

“Dick,” Hailey answered.

“So unkind to your future husband,” Phil lamented.

“No, I was saying if it was so warm there, you should show me your dick,” Hailey said.

“You’re awful,” Phil replied.

“But you love me!” Hailey told him.

“Yep,” he said. “So, Skyler?”

“She’s ... a kid,” Hailey said.

“She’s 19,” Phil mentioned. “Seriously, without the makeup, you can tell she’s close to our age. I thought 17 or so when I saw her. I just ... look, I don’t know shit about the book or her show. I didn’t even know the name of the next installment. I’ve just been calling it ‘Kismet II.’ So, what do you think? Should I put her name in for a reading?”

“Casting her for the part would be a ... bold move,” Hailey said. Phil was about to reply when she stood up, unzipped her blue jeans, peeled them over her hips and pushed her white cotton panties down her thighs.

“No, that is a bold move,” Phil said.

“That is my jeans rubbing against my kitty,” Hailey said. “We were dancing and I’ve got major cooch sweat going on. Give me a second while I pull on some sweats.”

“At least turn the camera so I can watch,” Phil replied. Hailey laugh and shook her head – but turned the laptop so Phil could watch her bend over and pull her white yoga pants on.

“Still my little pervert,” Hailey laughed when she sat back down. “Have I mentioned that I plan to use that to my advantage on our weekend?”

“I’m listening,” Phil told her. Hailey laughed again. “So, why would Skyler be a bold choice for Mallory?”

“It’s...” Hailey said with a sigh. “Look, let’s assume ‘Kismet’ is going to be a blockbuster.”

“Your lips to God’s ears,” Phil said.

“You’re going to get a ton of A-list actresses lining up for parts in the second installment,” Hailey pointed out. “Mallory isn’t a huge character but she’s pivotal. It’s sort of like Randi’s role in ‘Iconoclast.’ It’s clearly a supporting role but it’s integral to the story. I think you’re going to be getting calls from people at the top of the industry for that role.”

“And that means I’m going to have top-of-the-industry salaries for those people,” Phil replied.

“That is also true,” Hailey agreed. “I suppose I can liken this to purchasing a pair of running shoes. You buy a $10 pair that will last you for two months or a $50 pair that will last you a year. The initial outlay is higher but there is value in the long-term.”

“No,” Phil said, shaking his head. “Not on something this. I can’t see it that way. Look, if ‘Kismet’ hits big – and, well, the buzz is really good right now so it looks promising – ‘Kismet II’ is going to be bigger. It’s just the way it works out here. So long as I keep Courtney Hollings, the feature is going to pop. I could cast a group of talking dogs in the other roles and still make $100 million if ‘Kismet’ rolls out like I’m hoping it will.”

“Pop?” Hailey asked with a grimace. “Please do not tell me that you’re starting to talk like a mogul.”

“Sorry,” Phil said with chagrin. “But, I guess a lot of the time out here I have to talk to people like that. I’m annoyed by it and I’m sure you were, too.”

“Like, totally,” Hailey said, smiling at him. “But I guess I see your point. By the time ‘Destiny’ starts production, Skyler could be in major demand. Either way, I can’t see where it would hurt to give her a reading for the part. I mean, she’s still a star on one of your shows so it’ll be good P.R. for the other young actresses to know they’ll be considered.”