Chapter 15

Perhaps the smoothness of the processes of reworking songs which made our session at Sarah's studio joyful and nearly effortless, or ending early enough to actually have a sit down dinner instead of take out between takes and a delicious home cooked dinner provided by Josh at his and Fanny's apartment, but despite the relentless working schedule both Molly and I had created, both of us felt a second wind preparing for the first meeting involving the adult movie.

The dinner didn't start out promising. When Molly and I arrived at Fanny's we encountered a new face, a male face. Fanny had found another protégé. Boyishly handsome, the slim, six feet tall, well groomed short dark blond haired young man with a narrow face, intelligent blue/gray eyes and a lengthy and narrow nose couldn't have been much older than eighteen. Hadn't Fanny and I just proclaimed our love?

Being facial/emotional, the jealous shock when I shook Tom's hand couldn't be concealed. Immediately after the introduction Fanny pulled me and a nervous Molly to her room. Her laughter when we arrived didn't make me feel any better.

"Joseph!" Fanny proclaimed. "It's not what it looks like! I never saw you jealous!"

"It looks like you found another young stud. Well endowed I'm sure, and quite handsome," I pointed out.

"Yes, yes, and très charmante."

"So?"

Fanny kissed me. It startled me at first, but she didn't let me part. And after nearly a minute, I felt her love. "I'm not looking for love from anyone else Joseph," Fanny explained. "Fait accompli, oui?"

"But ... you tried him out."

"It's long and narrow, perfect for butt fucking. He can act too. And you should see where he's living with his second cousin and her boyfriend and his girlfriend."

"He's got a girlfriend?"

"She's a sweetie and very pretty. His second cousin was his great uncle's favorite and the man died and left her the house. They're spending the summer restoring it. It's an old mansion not far from here."

"So you stayed there?"

"It's like those four worship sex. A bit of tantric Buddhism with some mystical Aleister Crowley thrown in. The couples mix and match with every combination."

"He's bi then?"

"Yes. And I think he may lean towards the gay side. He sure loves fucking ass." Fanny looked dreamy.

"Well, it's your ass we're talking about," said Molly, calming down. "What about his girlfriend for the movie? Is she as young as him?"

"He says she can't act. She gets nervous and stiff. Besides she's a bit ... conventional I guess. A blonde haired blue eyed California girl. But you have to see this house. It's perfect! It's huge and old and kind of creepy."

"Let's see it," I suggested. "We can meet there if Tom doesn't mind. You said it's nearby."

"Maybe a half a mile."

"And it's just the four of them?"

Fanny nodded. "Jamie, the second cousin, wants to turn it into a kind of shrine to the theosophists and Aleister Crowley. It seems her grandfather hosted parties and orgies in his youth. The rest of the family kind of felt ashamed about their patriarch and his wife and turned their back on them as soon as they could move out. But Jamie loved her grandfather and would visit often and he willed her a large chunk of his estate, though it's being fought of course. The house didn't interest her family, so she got that without debate. He stashed quite a bit of cash inside, probably figuring his sons and daughters would fight the will, and sent her a letter telling of its location, so she ended up pretty rich. They're still debating whether to turn rooms into apartments for students. They all attend UCLA and understand the need. Jamie wants to be an interior designer and her boyfriend plans on becoming an architect. But right now, it's just the four of them.

"Dinner's ready," Josh shouted from the kitchen.

Before heading there, Fanny gave both Molly and I a lingering kiss. "Je t'aime," she said after each kiss.

"I love you too," said Molly and so did I. Molly grasped my hand, steeling herself to meet Tom, the stranger.

With several glasses of wine and a delicious Beof Bourganian and easy and light conversation, helped considerably by the hilarious wit of Harvey Bell, Molly calmed and added her own clever brilliance. Tom seemed to feel at home with these new friends. You could tell he was a bit awed at being in the great comedian's presence, but eventually he eased off his staring and added wry statements from time to time.

I decided I liked the kid. He had a bit of an ego and knew his attractiveness as well as his intelligence and talent, but showed little self-possession. Perhaps being in the company of a famously brilliant wit tempered his arrogance, but I sensed no one-upmanship. His treatment of Molly illustrated this. Instead of using her intense shyness against her as a pompous character might, he brought her into conversations, helping immeasurably in her relaxing and accepting his company.