Chapter 19: Premiere

Don pointed out the lone paparazzi sitting in a parked car near the end of Scarlett’s driveway. They drove on past and then came back a few minutes later to the call box. This time, apparently, only Don was driving. He entered the gate code and went into the private driveway as the gate swung open. He waited to be sure the gate closed uneventfully behind him before proceeding. Dave and Cricket snuck into the house as Don carried their duffle bags and a hanging clothes carrier.

Scarlett leapt into Dave’s arms. She was wearing short shorts and a t-shirt. “Isn’t this a crazy way to live? Welcome to Fortress Johansson. Now you get a taste of why I like to sneak away to the Circle and not put up with someone staked out at the end of my driveway around the clock. They follow me to the studio, shopping, hair salon, spa, gym, grocery store, and everywhere I go. At least they leave Rose alone, but even with that I’m happy that she’s with Athena in Sarasota and in the Circle atmosphere where she’s loved. She has more of a real life there and is loved.”

“What time tomorrow do things start?” Cricket asked.

“We have to be at the Arclight Dome Cinema in L.A. at precisely five p.m. It’s a crazy routine and eight hundred of my closest friends will be there. We’ll be picked up by my usual limousine service about four-fifteen. The driver coordinates the arrival at the theater with someone that acts like an air traffic controller and we get in a line of limos a few blocks away. Since I’m the lead female star we’re one of the last to arrive. Chris comes last, I’m sure, since he’s the big star of the movie.

“We bring all your luggage in the limo and leave it there. After our splashy dinner we’re heading to the airport and the studio’s private jet to New York where the movie premieres the next night. Basically, we’ll be taking our private Red Eye across the country.

“Cricket, you and Don will leave here about four o’clock in a separate limo because you need to go in about that much time in front of us. If I understand the seating arrangements, you’ll be almost behind us.

“Anyway, at the premiere, we get out of the limo, smile at everyone, ignore the questions, and let a hundred or two hundred photographers take pictures of you, me, us, and so on. I get asked who made the dress I’m wearing; and I answer. I get asked who you are, and I smile enigmatically and say nothing. We go in and sit in reserved seats and watch the movie – all two hours and ten minutes of it. At that point, there’s a reception in the theater lobby with many fewer photographers, but some. Again, we can ignore the questions and just smile. After the reception – maybe an hour, we’ll limo with a few others a few blocks to a restaurant for a late dinner. Don and Cricket will join us along with a lot of studio folk. We shouldn’t be disturbed there. If you dare, you could make some patronizing comments to the magazine guys about how wonderful the film was, how proud you are of Cricket and me, how you look forward to the sequel, and so on. If they ask your name, I recommend you smile or say something inane that they’ll never use.”

“So, we’re going to stonewall the paparazzi?” Dave asked as Don and Cricket looked on and listened.

Cricket said, “I’ve been told it’s OK for me to reveal my identity but not where I live, but if they ask about you, I’ll just say that you’re Scarlett’s very good friend – and lover.” She laughed. “Maybe I’ll say something about all your other wives.”

“Fundamentally, yes, no names. We can tease them if you like. They’ve already spotted the diamond engagement ring, but they don’t know what to make of it since I’ve obviously not been on any dates with anybody they know and track. The only time I’ve gone out on weekends, I went to dinner with Megan Fox. We had a nice meal while her hubby babysat, and then I went home. The men stalking me were sorely disappointed.”

Dave shook his head, “You keep great company, you name dropper you.”

Scarlett beamed. “I told her very little about you in case she blabs, only that I was in love and had met the greatest guy. I waved my ‘serious friendship’ ring under her nose. She was polite enough not to ask too many questions when it became clear I didn’t intend to go any deeper into the who, what, why, where, when, and how of my relationship. She’ll be there tonight. You can decide if you want to give her your name; if you do, tell her it’s not for public dissemination. Other than that you might just want to use a nickname.”

Scarlett said, “I’m really grateful for you coming out here on the holiday weekend to do this. It’s important to the movie and the studio, but I REALLY needed you – movie premiere or not.” She hugged and kissed him again.

Don laughed, “Get a room.”

“Hey, I’ve got all sorts of rooms here. I even gave Ella the afternoon and evening off so we didn’t embarrass her when we make love all over this place.” She hugged Dave’s arm to her and he realized she wore nothing under the t-shirt.

Dave commented, “Your home is gorgeous. I’d love a guided tour. I love the art.”

Don and Cricket made to leave, but Scarlett stopped them. “Oh, don’t leave. I have TWO tall, dark, and handsome men in my web of intrigue plus my favorite Cricket. Why don’t you let me give you a tour, and we can end up in the bedroom? I have a big bed, and I bet we four can have a lot of fun on top of it, especially if we remove all our clothing.”

Dave and Don looked at each other and grinned acceptance of the other. Dave recalled that Don had an intimate relationship with Scarlett far longer than he did, so for them it was just a reconnection. Even though he knew there was a connection there, he wouldn’t frustrate it by declaring any kind of ‘property rights’ over Scarlett. They were all Circle members, in any case. This was just Circle L.A. When Dave turned back, Cricket and Scarlett were in the midst of beautiful sapphic kiss.

As the white stretch limousine pulled up to the curb a uniformed doorman opened the door of the luxury car. Dave got out and immediately buttoned his tuxedo jacket. He then reached into the car and took Scarlett Johansson’s hand and helped her from the luxurious passenger compartment of the car.

For her part, Scarlett was dressed in a watermelon-colored strapless Vera Wang ankle length dress. A collective gasp of appreciation went out from the gallery of movie fans along side the red carpet and then a loud cheer and lots of yells and applause. Scarlett and Dave both paused as the evening turned to day as a thousand camera flashes went off over the next few minutes.

There were so many strobe flashes from the cameras that the couple became temporarily blinded as they stood and smiled at well over two hundred photographers, held back by a fence, and further away the fans with cameras and cellphones. As they stood there, many of them hurled questions at the couple, usually starting with the words, ‘Hey, Scarlett... ‘

Dave walked her forward about thirty feet along the red carpet towards the entry to the theater, but then stopped and left her there alone as he moved twenty feet away and watched her with a loving gaze. He ignored the comments and questions directed at him. “Hey, Mister, who are you?” was the most common of them. Dave just smiled benignly in return.

Scarlett posed and mugged for the cameras, made some banal comments about how great the film was and how she hoped everyone would see it, and then she joined Dave and they went into the theater. Just as they went inside Dave looked back to see Chris Hemsworth arriving with his wife in his limousine.

An usher escorted the couple directly to their seats, and shorty Chris and his wife Elsa Pataky joined them. They sat together with Dave on the aisle. Dave had gotten introduced to a dozen other people sitting around them, most with names he recognized from seeing them in movies or on television.

The director of Road Trip stood and made a short speech about the movie, calling out Scarlett and Chris and having them stand and wave at the crowd, and then Cricket as the author of the original book. Cricket and Don were seated in the row behind them and several seats away. She stood in her beautiful formal dress, but was so short it was hard to tell. After his opening remarks and the mention of the after reception in the lobby, the movie started. Most of the A-listers in the audience would also be at the dinner according to Scarlett.

The movie was great and did indeed follow much of the book. The racier scenes in the book had been condensed and alluded to rather than shown in the lurid detail that Cricket had used when she wrote. A few love scenes had been expanded and became more the focus of the movie. Road Trip was a great movie in Dave’s opinion. Of course, he loved the author and the leading lady, and would soon add Scarlett as his sixth wife. Cricket had been number five.

As they stood after the movie and the lights came up, they moved as a group to the large reception area in the theater where champagne, wine, and canapés were served by roaming waiters and waitresses. The place was a mob house, but Dave did get to meet Ellen Paige who had played Scarlett’s sister in the play as well as Chris and Elsa.

Dave did get confronted by several members of the press. “Sir, I noticed you are Scarlett’s escort tonight. Have you known her a long time?”

Dave thought about how clever the question was. “Yes.”

“And your name?”

Dave teased, “Ah, that does seem to be the question of the evening. Well, my name is ... oh, let’s just have some fun with it ... Bond, James Bond.” He waved his hand dismissively. “Talk to ‘M’ if you want any details.”

“Errr, are you from the area?” As in, if I can tie down the geography of where you’re from, it’ll be easier to figure you out.

“Well, the United States is a big area, so guess you could say yes.”

“Are you connected with the large diamond ring on Miss Johansson’s ring finger?”

Dave teased, “Most of the rings I’m connected with appear on bathtubs or an occasional Jacuzzi.”

“How do you know Miss Johansson?”

“Very well. We’ve become lifelong friends.”

The Q&A dance continued on and off with different members of the press for the hour they were at the reception. At one-point Cricket joined him and they chatted, but tried to avoid showing any familiarity with one another. Don joined Dave and Cricket as well, and they chatted about the movie. Dave praised Cricket for writing a very memorable story and turning it into a movie. He piled on the praise until she finally hugged him to get him to stop. He whispered to her, “I love you.”

Scarlett joined them and they signaled for the limousine to pick them up. The four of them rode to Providence, the popular seafood restaurant. The studio had locked up the entire place for the rest of the night.

Dinner was nice with a greatly reduced attendance compared to the theater. Scarlett escorted Dave around to meet about a dozen other movie stars, most of whom had not been in the movie but who had come to the premiere. There were gales of laughter and toasts to Scarlett and the movie’s success. Dave noted that his last name was never used in the introductions. Should word leak out, only the mysterious ‘Dave’ would have appeared and then vanished. The thought made him laugh.

At one point, Scarlett introduced Dave to Megan Fox. “Megan, this is Dave, the friend I told you about. He’s the man that gave me my ring.” She waved her left ring finger under Megan’s nose.

Megan smiled, “You must be very special to capture Scarlett’s heart the way I know you did. Take good care of her.”

Dave winked, “I wouldn’t have it be any other way.”

After the meal and more conversation, some of it about the sequel, the limousine carried Scarlett, Dave, Cricket, and Don to Van Nuys Airport, slightly north of where the movie premiere and restaurant had been. Scarlett talked about how everyone would be sitting on tenterhooks awaiting the movie reviews by the critics. Those would start appearing around noon the next day. Black Friday.

The small jet that the studio had hired turned out to be a Cessna Citation. Their luggage was hustled aboard after each person had retrieved some sport clothes more suitable for traveling and arriving in Manhattan. Both Dave and Scarlett carried track suits on board along with clothing bags for their formal wear.

The plane left the runway in California about eleven o’clock and would arrive at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey around ten a.m. local time after the flight across the country.

Dave commented about how boarding a private jet in his tuxedo with a movie star on his arm wearing a Vera Wang seemed to be the height of luxury and decadence. Scarlett laughed and told him to stick with her for more fun and games.

After they reached altitude the cabin lights were dimmed. Scarlett stood between the posh seats and did a little shimmy in her sparkling dress. She unzipped the dress and then continued her little striptease for her three cabin mates. Her dress fell to her feet, revealing that she’d been wearing no bra or panties at the premiere. She pulled Cricket up and got her involved as well, pulling her snug cocktail dress from her body until the smaller woman was also naked. Both women continued to wear the tall spike heels that had gone with their dresses, thus, they looked particularly sexy and appealing.

Dave and Don sat in separate seats mesmerized as the two women slowly removed their clothes until they both stood naked in the aisle of the opulent jet and started to make out with each other.

Scarlett went to Dave and helped him removed his jacket and then his shirt, activities made difficult because Dave kept wanting to feel Scarlett’s naked breasts and suck on them to get the nipples erect. Don was doing the same to Cricket.