Chapter 26: House of Yes

Friday March 31
In the stark light of morning, I reflected on how last night had been eye-opening. Ecstasy had given us the energy to stay up most of the night. Luckily, the Viagra wore off after a while. At one point, I’d been concerned Mr. Happy might stay hard forever. I might do ecstasy again, but Viagra was another story. I wouldn’t use it again until I needed it when I was much older. Young guys could perform without having their dicks feeling weird. It was like wearing a condom because there wasn’t the usual level of sensitivity, which made it more difficult to climax. Last night, however, that had turned into an advantage—at least for the girls.

Our evening had turned into an orgy, with people swapping partners the rest of the night. I admit to having a twinge of jealousy when I witnessed Scarlet and Ashley spend time with both Paul and Kevin. Once again, the drugs came to the rescue, and I found myself okay with it.

I’d come to the realization that even though Scarlet and Ashley were the mothers of my children, that was all they were ever going to be. I saw no future where either one would be Mrs. David Dawson. That was unless I decided to go old-school Mormon and took multiple wives. I was able to come to grips with the idea that they would eventually find someone and get married in the traditional way.

That made me chuckle because it might be a sign I was maturing. I no longer had the Alpha Male reaction of them being ‘mine.’ While I would always claim them and do everything possible to protect the girls and my children, I wanted them to be happy.

Partly that was because I’d never really fallen in love with Ashley or Scarlet. While I loved them because of the kids, we’d originally only had a single night of passion together. Over a year later, they’d sprung on me that they’d gotten pregnant, and I was the daddy. When they came back into my life, it had started as being solely about what was best for the little ones. It was only over the last few months that I’d begun to see what interesting and unique women Ashley and Scarlet were.

In a lot of ways, this trip had highlighted that the age difference between us still mattered. I instinctively knew that when I reached about thirty, it no longer would. But their life experience, which included attending college, had created a gulf between us that was probably too wide to overcome for now. Yes, we had a lot that could help us bridge that gap, but with the imminent prospect of my leaving for eight months of filming, followed by my own college plans, I couldn’t see us as more.

Last night, I’d also come to accept some hard truths. They were all truths that I already knew, but I finally came to grips with. Taking ecstasy helped me to identify, clarify, and accept what I’d been resisting or ignoring.

I suspected that anyone looking in from the outside could have told me the first one: no way was I ready to settle down into a committed relationship. I’d had this fairy-tale notion that I needed a soul mate. That was probably true when I got older, but it wasn’t something I wanted right now.

I thought I’d found it with Brook. I could even imagine that if she hadn’t moved away, we would still be blissfully together. What our relationship had done was give me a glimpse into what could happen later in life. Actually, it showed me what I’d been subconsciously hoping would happen for me. I would soon be off to college, and I wanted to experience everything that had to offer. Part of that was discovering who I really was. College would be an opportunity to spread my wings, try different things, be exposed to other viewpoints, and all that entailed. Especially in how I interacted with the fairer sex.

Another hard truth that I kept coming back to involved my wanting to experience a ‘normal’ life through the rest of high school, at the very least. This trip made it clear that I wasn’t ‘normal’ anymore. What ‘normal’ high school kid took spring break in Monte Carlo, Mykonos, and New York City? I’d gone to a gala fundraiser; had enjoyed the opera; had been a part of an international scandal with a real princess; and had hung out with a wealthy Colombian family. The highlight of Wolf and Tim’s spring break was going to the mall and some dude propositioning Wolf. At least he got a pretzel out of it.

I think there are two aspects to ‘normal.’ The first was doing ordinary things. Frankly, that was a pipe dream for me. I was lucky to grow up in the town I lived in because I wasn’t constantly hounded by the press or by hangers-on like l was in LA. Even so, I’d still drawn thousands of people to show up for baseball games and, most recently, the fundraiser in the park.

The second part of being normal was being grounded. I’d seen how fame and fortune were seductresses that could turn your head. That was one of the reasons I wanted people like Tim and Wolf in my life. I knew they would call me on my bullshit if I got too full of myself.

Finally, I’d accepted the hard truth that I was unhappy; I hadn’t realized that before. One of the effects of ecstasy was to show you what it felt like to be truly happy. I hadn’t realized what I was missing until I experienced it.

Over the past four years, I’d been working toward objectives. It started with the work Uncle John had done with me to help me discover that I was my own worst enemy. From that, I learned about goal-setting. I’d taken it to heart, and it had made a profound difference in my life. It helped me achieve heights I had no idea I was capable of.

I was sure I would continue to work to become a better man because that was simply who I was now. Until last night, I hadn’t realized that inside, I still felt like that pudgy little kid who thought the world had conspired to make his life miserable. I’d held onto all that hurt and misery. Yes, my life had changed dramatically. That didn’t mean the underlying reasons for my transformation weren’t still there.

Last night, I’d let go of those feelings. I made the conscious decision to be okay with myself. Uncle John had told me that before you can truly love something else, you had to love yourself. At the time he said it, I didn’t even like who I was. I want to be clear that I wasn’t looking at myself through rose-colored glasses. I still had flaws that I wanted to fix; we all do. What I figured out was that it was okay.

They say that the first step to fixing yourself, or a problem, was admitting that something was wrong. Deciding that I was okay lifted a weight off my shoulders, and I felt more content.

The funny thing was that everyone talked about how ecstasy helped people connect with each other. While that was true, in my case, it helped open my eyes and connect with myself.

In the morning, I was awakened most pleasantly: Scarlet tried to suck my soul out through my dick. Her efforts, when combined with the aftereffects of the ecstasy, made for a great orgasm. I felt like I was ready to take on the world. I realized that I would probably sleep the whole flight to New York, but right now, I was content. My senses were still heightened, and ordinary daytime things just seemed a lot more interesting. I was sure those were all aftereffects of the drug.

As I prepared to get up and get going, I realized I was ready for the next leg of my trip. I looked forward to spending time in New York.

We flew out of Athens around noon and arrived in New York at four in the afternoon. Not bad, right? No, wrong. The actual flight time was nearly eleven hours; it just appeared shorter because we crossed so many time zones. What made it bearable was that we’d all stayed up all night, so once we got settled on the flight, we slept most of the way there.
When we landed, I sent a text to Tyler to let her know I’d arrived. She called me as soon as she got it.

“Where are you?” she asked.

“At the airport. We haven’t collected our luggage yet.”

“We have a shoot that just went south with the male talent. Adrienne says to get your butt over here and help us out.”

“You do know that I’m now a big award-winning actor. I’ll send you a list of everything I need for my dressing room. I’m thinking I want M&Ms, and I don’t want any of the red ones. Have someone pick them all out. Oh, and I want the peanut kind,” I teased.

I heard her repeat what I said to Adrienne. Adrienne took the phone from her business partner and lover.

“Listen closely, Big Shot. I’m in a bind, and I’m calling in a favor,” Adrienne said, sounding frazzled.

“Sorry, but I’m confused. I’m not sure I owe you any favors,” I said, giving her a hard time.

“Who found you prom dresses?” Adrienne shot back.

I sighed.

“Go get in a cab and be here as quick as you can,” she ordered and hung up on me.

I told my travel-mates that I had to go to work. Paul wanted to come and do his job, but I told him that if he could get me into a cab out front, I would be fine. There were always paparazzi lurking at airports. Depending on their numbers and if they needed a story, I wanted Paul to act as a human shield.

I checked my messages as we made our way towards the exit. Jill and her mom were already here and at a hotel on the way to where I needed to be. I sent Jill a text to meet me outside in a bit, and I would take them to see an actual photo shoot. It would also give her a chance to see Tyler and Adrienne in action.

On the way to the cab, a barrage of questions reminded me that there was some residual fallout from the Princess Erika drama. I countered it by informing the stalkerazzi that Adrienne had begged me to come see her, so I was over the princess. I might have to clue Frank in to my off-the-cuff remarks.

Paul got me safely into a cab. It had been touch-and-go because I’d stirred the pot. On the cab ride to pick up Jill and her mom, I concocted a plan for what I would tell Adrienne. Frank, the spinmeister, must have been rubbing off on me because I felt pleased with myself for what I’d come up with. The question was, would Adrienne agree with me?

When we pulled up at the hotel, Jill and her mom were waiting outside. I waved to get their attention, and they hurried to get in.

“Welcome to New York,” I said once they were settled.

“What are you doing?” Jill asked.

“When I landed, I contacted Tyler to let her know I was here. I thought we were all getting together tonight, so I wanted to confirm the plans. She told me they had an issue at a shoot and asked me to fill in. I figured this would give you a chance to see what it’s like, so I invited you,” I explained.

“What’s it for?” Mrs. Lacier asked.

Well, there I’d done it again. I had no idea.

“I’m embarrassed to say that I don’t know. I mean, how bad could it be for their model to walk off the set?” I asked unconcernedly.

“Ignore him, Mom. David thinks he’s a comedian. You should see how he teases poor Phil,” Jill said.

“Hey! I finally got a little brother to torment. I have years of missed harassment to make up for,” I said and then gave Mrs. Lacier my best smile. “It’s all in good fun.”

She rolled her eyes. After all, she had three kids and knew how they could get onto each other. She was experienced enough not to fall for my routine.

I played tour guide the rest of the ride since this was the first time either of them had been to New York.

I’d sent a text to Tyler to warn her I was bringing Jill and her mother. Tyler was waiting in front of a converted warehouse in the garment district.

“You must be Jill and Mrs. Lacier. I’m Tyler, one of the owners of AT Modeling.”

I left them to get acquainted and hurried up the stairs to where Tyler had said the shoot was happening.

“If he isn’t here shortly, I’m pulling the plug on this, and you’ll never work for us again,” an angry male voice said.

“I’ve had just about...” Adrienne said and then stopped her rebuttal when she saw me. “The talent has arrived.”

The guy who looked unhappy turned around and glared at me. It took him a second to recognize me, and then his whole demeanor changed in an instant.

“You didn’t tell me you’d gotten David A. Dawson.”

He looked like a young professional, maybe in his early thirties. In New York, many men looked similar. To be honest, he would never stand out in the crowd.

“You never gave me a chance,” Adrienne fired back, obviously still mad. “We provide the talent you can’t get anywhere else.”

She’d added the last part just to drive the knife deeper, making me wonder what I was walking into. Then she turned to me.

“Go back and get changed. We need to wrap this up.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She gave me a hooded-eye look that had me a little worried. I decided that I probably shouldn’t give her a hard time right now. I immediately scratched my idea of telling her what I’d done with the stalkerazzi to provide her with some press.

Instead, I scurried off as Adrienne turned on the client. Apparently, she wasn’t done explaining the facts of life to him, and she hadn’t appreciated his threats. I almost wanted to be a fly on the wall and listen to her rip into him.

They had some screens set up for privacy. Otherwise, it was just a wide-open space with a large blue screen set up with lights pointing at it. That meant they would add the background later. When I got behind the privacy screen, I spotted Jackie Chan, the photographer who’d taken the pictures at my Hollister and Abercrombie & Fitch gig. She’d also taken the photos when we introduced Coby to the world.

“Hey,” I said by way of greeting and then lowered my voice conspiratorially. “What’s going on?”

“The client’s a jackass. He made unflattering comments about the models Adrienne brought in, any one of whom would have been perfect.”

“Models, as in plural?” I asked.

“Yep. We’ve been at this since yesterday morning. He’s rejected eight guys so far. You’re lucky number nine.”

“What’s this for?” I asked.

Jackie barked out a laugh and walked away. It was her way of saying I was a ‘stupid boy’ for not asking up front.

Wardrobe was a disaster. They didn’t have any pants that would fit me, so I had to wear the jeans I had on. The rest didn’t matter because they wanted me shirtless. The client turned out to be a new magazine called Fit. It was similar to Men’s Health, in that its focus was on gaining a ripped body. The only difference was that it didn’t cater only to men.

When I came out, the client looked smug, which irritated me.

“Did you explain my fee schedule?” I asked Adrienne. “I haven’t gotten my contract for this shoot yet.”

His look of panic made her day.

“Why don’t you get started, and I’ll work that out?” she suggested with a straight face.

Tyler, Jill, and Mrs. Lacier stood off to the side as I followed Jackie’s direction. While the shoot was going on, Tyler leaned in and explained to the Laciers what we were doing. I trusted her to help them understand what was happening.

Magazines like this followed a formula for their covers. It basically was someone well-muscled, shot from somewhere between the knees and waist and then up. With that being said, we were done in under thirty minutes. Adrienne and Tyler looked haggard, but the client was happy.

After washing off my makeup and putting my shirt back on, I called Scarlet.

“I’m done,” I announced.

“There’s no furniture in this condo,” she informed me.

She was hinting that I should fix it, but I didn’t even know if I wanted to keep the condo yet. If I did, I would want to buy furnishings right, not just as an emergency measure.

“Okay.”

I would just ask Adrienne if I could stay with her.

“Kevin wants to know if you can get together with some of your model friends, and we can all go out tonight.”

My first thought was to come back with something along the lines of being amazed at their finally wanting to hang out with me because I had connections. In spite of our conversation in Mykonos, I was still bitter about how most of the vacation had gone so far. It hadn’t been lost on me that there were a ton of photos that had appeared on their social media, showing them partying in both Monaco and Greece.

“I’m not sure what all is going on. If we go out, I’ll let you know.”

“Are you coming here?” Scarlet asked.

“I planned on it. I want to see the condo for myself.”

“Okay, good,” Scarlet said, sounding relieved.

It would probably be easier to spring for hotel rooms for tonight and tomorrow. As much as I hated the thought that they only looked at me as a kid with money, I didn’t want them to have a bad time, either. So far, we’d been lucky, and the places had all been furnished. I should have realized this one would be a problem because I’d seen the photos Chuck took when he put in the security system. For that matter, both Cindy and Scarlet should have known.

“Do me a favor and find hotel rooms for everyone. I’ll make my own arrangements.”

“Thanks, David.”

We rang off, and I went to find my group.

I explained what I needed to do before the dinner Adrienne and Tyler had invited everyone to. Jackie perked up.

“Where did you say your loft was?”

“In Tribeca on Harrison Street. I got it as part of a settlement in a lawsuit and haven’t actually been in it yet. From what I understand, it’s a clean slate. One of the people traveling with me is my interior designer and is coming up with a plan to make it into a livable space,” I answered.

“What do you plan to do with it?” Jackie asked.

“For now, I was considering renting it out. After college, who knows?”

“Could I come look at it? I’ve been looking for studio space. If I could live there too, it would be ideal,” Jackie said.

Everyone decided they wanted to go.

Upon our arrival, we found Harrison Street to be lined with older buildings. Several had ground-floor businesses in them with lofts/condos on the upper floors. The building housing my condo had once been used for something manufacturing-related, so it had an old freight elevator in the back. We decided to use the stairs since none of us wanted to find out the hard way whether or not the elevator worked. My unit was on the third floor of a four-story building.

I sent Scarlet a text that I had guests with me. Who knew what I might walk into? Better safe than sorry.

Scarlet greeted us at the front door. I was a little surprised when she recognized Jill, but then remembered they probably met at Brook’s New Year’s Eve party.

Introductions were made, and Cindy gave everyone the grand tour.

“It’s bigger than I originally thought, a little over twenty-two hundred square feet with twenty-foot ceilings. I’ve drawn up several ideas as to how to configure the space,” she said, getting out her sketch pad.

“I’m looking for a place to house my photography business,” Jackie shared.

“And we’re looking for another place to house models. We were thinking about setting something up for younger models with a house mom,” Tyler said to make her interest known.

“It would take less work to make this into a photography studio,” I said to open negotiations.

“All Tyler has to do is get Adrienne to bat her eyes at you, and you’ll just give it to them,” Jackie complained.

“It would work on me,” Kevin offered.

“Bat your eyes at him,” Tyler said.

“Do you really want this?” Adrienne asked.

“Yeah. Jill’s a perfect example. If we bring in models who are under eighteen, I want them to have a safe place to stay with some good supervision,” Tyler reasoned.

“I want to live here,” Jill chimed in.

“We haven’t decided anything,” Mrs. Lacier tried.

I just chuckled when Jill batted her eyes at her mom. That might work on her dad; her mom, not at all. Jill gave her a little pout and then gave up trying to manipulate her mother.

“Are we going dancing?” Jill asked.

“Yeah, David. Are we going dancing?” Adrienne asked me.

I turned to Mrs. Lacier.

“Do you trust me to take your daughter to a place where they serve alcohol?” I asked.

“I let you take her sister to the Thunderbird,” she reminded me.

“I’ll keep an eye on both her and David,” Paul offered.

“Good luck with that,” Kevin mumbled and then realized Jill’s mom heard him. “Not that David would ... uh...”

“I can’t think of anything David wouldn’t do, either,” Mrs. Lacier said, shocking everyone.

“Well, then. I guess I’ll corrupt your daughter tonight,” I said.

“That’s what my dad said about you,” Jill explained. “Then he went and let you date my sister.”

“I think you two had your dad outnumbered,” I suggested.

“Do I at least get to go to dinner?” Mrs. Lacier asked.

“If I have anything to say about it, you will. I think you would enjoy a night on the town,” Tyler said.

Kevin was suddenly at my side. I leaned over, and he whispered in my ear.

“Invite some models to join us.”

He forgot he was in a room full of women. They didn’t have to be moms to have bat-like hearing.

“Don’t worry, the word is out that young David’s in town. There will be plenty of models out tonight,” Adrienne predicted.

“Guys, too?” Megan asked and then blushed.

“Guys, too,” Adrienne promised.

I rolled my eyes because when a bunch of female models show up at a club, it was bound to attract guys.

“Let’s quit talking about it and go out,” I suggested.

Kevin, Paul, Jackie, and I got into one of the cabs taking us to dinner. We’d just pulled away from the curb when Kevin became ... well ... Kevin.

“So, what’s the trick to picking up women in New York?”

I was thinking about my answer when Jackie surprised us with hers.

“There are three rules you should follow. The first is logistics. Getting laid here is like getting takeout—it’s all about quickness and opportunity. New York girls are basically lazy. Using the takeout analogy, they would pass up a slice from Lucali five blocks away to grab a street dog at the corner.”

Lucali was my favorite New York pizza place so far. I would walk five blocks for a slice any day.

“Sure, some girls are super desperate and might invite you home, but don’t count on it. Just know that if it’s a cab ride away, you’re more likely to see David marry Kate Upton than you are to get lucky,” Jackie explained.

“Hey,” I complained, only to become the recipient of a Jackie smirk.

“The second is to never ask for their number. New York girls are all about anonymous hookups because there are so many guys here you don’t need a steady boyfriend to get laid,” Jackie added.

“Perfect,” Kevin said.

“Finally, know when to go in for the kill and do it quickly. From what I’ve seen, the most successful men don’t mount a full-court press right away. As a side thought, don’t be the dork who thinks buying them drinks will work. They’ll just bleed you for free drinks and then go home with someone else. Wait for the girl to show interest. When she does, move fast to seal the deal. If that means dragging her to the alley and doing it there, so be it.”

I think we were a little stunned that she would so graphically describe her counterparts here in New York. But still, I figured it was useful information.

“I think there’s an alley up ahead. Should I get the driver to drop us off?” I suggested.

Kevin and Paul’s eyes got big as Jackie gave me the once-over.

“Honey, for you, I would break all the rules. If you’re serious...” Jackie said and left the rest unsaid.

“We probably shouldn’t be late for dinner,” I deflected.

“Or you could just be David. I swear women just throw themselves at him,” Kevin complained.

“Better yet, hang out with him and pick up his castoffs,” Paul suggested.

I’d heard this once too many times. The funny part was, I’d never actually seen that strategy work. Then the reality set in. Both Kevin and Paul were dating women I’d dated before. Maybe it was a delayed-reaction sort of thing.

After a nice dinner where Mrs. Lacier and Jill got to know Adrienne and Tyler better, we jumped into taxis and went to a place called ‘House of Yes.’ When we got out of the cabs, Adrienne had us gather around.

“Friday nights, they require everyone to wear costumes,” she said and pointed to a truck parked next to the entrance. “They have clothes ready to rock the dance floor. My treat.”

When I came out, I chuckled when I saw the sequined hot pants the girls were wearing. I had on a ‘70s-inspired disco look, complete with tight-legged bell-bottom pants and a silk shirt with balloons on it.

When we walked in, I took one look and turned to Tyler.

“Are you sure it’s appropriate for them to be here?” I asked, referring to the Laciers.

The guy at the door had to know I was underage because he recognized me. With Adrienne in our group, he didn’t look twice at Jill. Frankly, if Jill had just shown up on her own, I still couldn’t see him stopping her because she looked to be in her twenties.

I was concerned because this wasn’t a typical club. It was more of what I would imagine Studio 54 was like back in the day, from what I’d read. They had cage dancers and scantily clad men and women on stage, which screamed that we’d walked into the NC-17 version of a New York club.

“Adrienne likes to see how new models handle this place. If they’re going to be a problem, we figure it out quickly. Plus, Mrs. Lacier needs to realize that some photo shoots Jill might go on will have adult themes,” Tyler explained.

I had to chuckle because my mom had given Ashley and Scarlet instructions for me not to go to clubs or casinos. I had a feeling this would be her worst-nightmare scenario, so I snapped a few pics and posted them on my social media. Yep, I was a ‘stupid boy’ just looking for trouble.

It wasn’t just the performers who were wearing next to nothing. I swear one girl was wearing nothing but Christmas lights. Others had on everything from drag queen costumes to leather BDSM gear, to what I would expect to see at a circus. By ‘circus,’ I mean they had actual stilt walkers dancing with the crowd. As much as I might try to explain it, I’m not sure I could do the place justice. I would suggest if anyone was looking to get their mind blown and asked where they could do that, this was the place. You couldn’t adequately describe it, though; they needed to experience it.

We were greeted by a bunch of models who’d responded to Adrienne’s call, and they embraced the location. All I’d say was that they must’ve believed that nothing was too crazy.

Jill bounced up to me before we’d even found a table to call home base.

“Let’s dance.”

I picked my jaw off the floor from gawking at my surroundings and decided to just enjoy whatever was to come.

“Let’s.”

I loved the soundtrack that the DJ was pumping out; it encouraged rowdy behavior. There were a lot of sexy shimmies, hip-wiggling, twerking, and grinding going on. This wasn’t anything close to what I’d experienced back home. The only problem was that I was dancing with my brother’s girlfriend. That stopped me from thoroughly enjoying what was offered. When her hand grazed my junk, I stopped and walked her off the dance floor.

“Young lady,” I chastised.

“If you’re worried about me dating your brother, don’t. He and I aren’t getting back together. If Adrienne likes what she sees tomorrow, I’m planning on doing this full-time. Even if this doesn’t work out, Phil and I are done.”

“I thought you two were working things out,” I said.

“Phil is too much of a good boy. I’m looking for guys with more experience.”

“Jill,” I said, shaking my head. “If I could give you one piece of advice and have you listen to it, it would be to slow your roll. If I had it all to do over again, I would have waited.”

“First of all, I call bullshit. You’re a guy. Second, I have waited,” she said, surprising me.

“It’s my turn to call bullshit,” I shot back.

“Like I said, Phil’s a good boy. We do stuff, but we’ve never...”

I think my eyebrows disappeared into my bangs. That blew my mind. I’d assumed that with Jill’s rockin’ body, it would have been impossible for Phil to turn her down. I doubted she was the one who’d put the brakes on their sex life.

Something else it did was cause Mr. Happy to stretch down my leg. The problem with ‘70s pants was there was nowhere to hide a boner.

“I need something to drink,” I said to change the conversation.

I also wanted others around so I didn’t do something I would regret. Like drag Jill to the bathroom and relieve her of her V-Card.

When we got close to our tables, I had to smile. Talking to Adrienne were none other than Nancy and Tony, aka ‘Little Tony,’ Giovanni, along with his business partner, Kendra Bianco. Tony had helped me with security on my trip to Mexico after my attempted kidnapping. I’d helped him out before that by getting Brandon arrested for rape when Little Tony’s family wouldn’t let him go after the bastard. With them was Ryan Barlow, the model turned porn star I’d met doing my Abercrombie shoot.