Take Three

by Mia Masters

  “His career’s not failing,” said Monk. “He’s just— well, he’s past his prime. It happens. He hasn’t found his new niche.”

  “Please, those vultures in the press love to see a big guy fall,” said Christian. “If they could tie him into us, they will, and it’ll make us all look bad in the process.”

  “Oh, my God,” I whined. “Is it possible to get sick talking about yourself? Because that’s what I feel like is happening. Can we change the subject? Or better yet, let’s go get something to eat.”

  “That would be an incredibly bad idea,” said Zack. “If the reporters catch us out together…”

  “Yeah, yeah, I realized when I said it,” I said, back-peddling. “You guys want to eat here? I’ve still got plenty of salads.”

  The guys agreed to stay and eat.

  “Shit,” said Christian. “Did anyone see us come into the trailer?”

  “Now you are being paranoid,” said Zack.

  “I’m telling you, there’s probably more than one leak. It’s probably not just Hex. When we leave, let’s all leave separately, okay?” asked Christian.

  Monk and Zack agreed. I got out salads and drinks. We all started to have dinner, but it was a little awkward. The day’s events had brought a dark undertone with them.

  “I had a thought,” I said. “What if we pretended one of you was my boyfriend and then got our picture taken?”

  “Then the other two of us would look gay in the story,” said Zack.

  “Yeah, that’s not good,” I said, immediately retracting the statement. “I mean, not that there’s anything wrong with being gay…”

  “No, no, of course not,” said Zack. “But I think it would just muddy the waters more than we want.”

  “Guys,” said Monk, annoyed. “Will you just relax? Trust me, this whole thing will blow over in a few days. You just have to give it a rest. I’m sure the president will tweet something and then the newspapers will be totally focused on that.”

  A few minutes went by. The only sounds were of us eating. Then another thought occurred to me. I checked myself and didn’t ask, but then rechecked myself and asked anyway.

  “So, you guys don’t want to have sex, then?” I asked.

  “No, what, are you crazy?” said Christian. “We don’t know— Have we even checked your trailer for hidden cameras?”

  “Now that’s totally paranoid,” said Monk. “None of the pictures were taken in here.”

  “Hex has access to our trailers, remember?” said Christian. “He stocked these salads in your fridge! He could have a live streaming camera in here right now.”

  “Jesus, man, get a grip,” said Zack. “There’s no way he did that. And even if he did, it’s too late to remove it now. We already did stuff in the bedroom.”

  “Yeah, and that stuff would definitely be out if there was a hidden camera,” said Monk. “Believe me, looking at the pictures— you can see where he must’ve took them. Just chill the fuck out, Christian. Your brother’s going to be fine.”

  “Guys, I partly blame myself,” I said.

  “Now, don’t beat yourself up,” said Monk.

  “No, seriously, if I hadn’t pushed you all into this relationship—”

  “You didn’t push us; we want to be in this,” said Zack.

  “Big Bear was our idea, anyway,” said Christian. “Hex is solely to blame. That and the general temptations of Hollywood, money, fame— Now you’re the one who’s talking crazy.”

  We finished our salads and drinks in silence. After a few minutes, the talk turned toward work. The various scenes we were shooting now were pretty crazy.

  Fortunately, by this time, getting into character was second nature. And thanks to our relationship, we were actually a lot more relaxed in our scenes. Monk said that it was probably good we didn’t have sex earlier on, since the sex scenes were probably full of our unconscious sexual tension.

  Eventually, we spread out in the trailer to be more comfortable and I made the mistake of turning on the TV. I had left it on the Entertainment Channel. All anyone was talking about were the photos. I tried to flip away, but the guys insisted on listening.

  TMZ was speculating that we had some kind of “shared” arrangement. They had confirmed the locations of several of our one-off dates.

  Thankfully, no one spotted us in the alleyway after the play, although they did mention that date. God forbid if they had gotten those photos!

  Again, the guys came off looking good— selfless men willing to share a woman for her triple pleasure, or perhaps even in an open-minded and exciting romantic relationship with each other, as well— while I came out looking like some kind of sex-crazed slut that couldn’t get enough of them and was using them. Although, apparently some of the women on the staff admired my zeal.

  Even the regular nightly news carried the story. They also implied that there may be problems on the set, which seemed like a leap. Then again, that was the media these days— they were perfectly willing to make up a narrative as long as they didn’t get caught doing it.

  “This is not what I imagined when I got into acting,” I said, mildly depressed. “I mean, I wanted to be an artist and create. But all people do all day is obsess about your sex life.”

  “Well, there are a lot of ugly people out there,” said Christian.

  “Do you mean ugly as in ugly on the inside?” asked Zack.

  “Well, yeah, but also actually ugly, jealous people,” said Christian.

  “What does that have to do with anything?” said Monk.

  “Think about it,” said Christian. “Ugly people love it when good looking people fail.”

  “Oh, my God,” I laughed. “Christian. That sounds so bad.”

  “But it’s true,” he insisted. “If you’re a little angry and bitter about your looks, wouldn’t it make sense that you’d be a little happy if some really good-looking people had problems?”

  “That’s a bit of a stretch,” said Monk. “Not everyone is that insecure.”

  “I’m not saying every person in the world,” said Christian. “Just ugly, insecure people. That’s why it’s a hot news story. Face it, guys, most people do not look as good as us. That’s why we’re in Hollywood. That’s why we star in movies. People like to look at us.”

  “People masturbate to us,” said Zack.

  We all looked at him.

  “It’s true!” he insisted. “They don’t masturbate to ugly people. Well, unless they have major personality or chemistry or something.”

  “This conversation is really shattering my illusion of Hollywood,” I said. “Are you saying that most people go to see a movie with me just so they can go home to spank off?”

  “Or think about you while they’re lonely and bored?” suggested Monk. “Kind of a dark thought, but a bit true, I’d wager.”

  “I think there’s more to life than just sex,” I said. “There’s story and talent and mystery and visuals— movies change people, they help them— they lift them up or give them something to talk about.”

  “Look, no one is saying people don’t enjoy movies,” Monk said. “Or that sex is the sole reason they go see a movie. But it’s just natural that that’s one of the effects sometimes. Humans are sexual creatures.”

  “That’s true,” I said, wishing I could let out my inner sexual creature with them right now.

  It really sucked that we couldn’t be together at the moment. But I had high hopes that we could get back on it soon, once the storm had blown over. I just hoped I wouldn’t go too crazy in the meantime.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Blythe

  Over the next week, we inched closer to finishing the movie. After the news came out, the studio locked down the set to keep out reporters, and the entire crew got a shake down to make sure no one else could be taking pictures.

  Cellphones were confiscated and threats were made to the staff. It was made very clear that if anyone else was caught doing what Hex had done, there w
ould be severe consequences.

  I had held up in my trailer and the boys would visit me, but they had all gotten as paranoid as Christian had been about it. They’d sneak in one at a time. They’d leave one at a time. They wouldn’t go out in public, so we couldn’t do anything.

  I felt like I was under house arrest! Then I got an idea.

  “Guys,” I said, one night at the trailer. “This is ridiculous. We can’t hide forever, and we can’t hide what this is. Let’s just go out and have a big night on the town. I don’t want to hide that we’re together.”

  “Are you crazy?!” said Christian.

  “I don’t know, Blythe,” said Zack. “The press seemed to die down a lot.”

  “Yeah, give it a few more days,” said Monk. “It’ll all completely blow over.”

  “And what if it doesn’t?” I said. “And even if it does, what about the next photo or video? Look, guys, we need to own this. Let’s go out on the town! We’ll go to a restaurant and a club. We’ll have nothing to hide. Then they can’t make a bad thing out of this.”

  The guys looked at each other, unsure.

  “Do you guys want out of this relationship?” I finally asked, fearing the worst. “It’s okay if you do. I understand.”

  “No,” said Christian.

  “No,” said Zack.

  “Uh-uh,” said Monk.

  “Then we can’t hide it or deny it forever. I’m ready to embrace my slut image,” I told them. “If that’s what they’re going to call me anyway, I’ll own it. Then they can’t use it against me anymore.”

  “Okay,” said Monk. “Where do you want me to send the limo?”

  “Let’s make everyone think we’re going home to be boring as normal,” I said. “Send the limo around ten. Will you guys be ready then?”

  They nodded and we all agreed. I gave them all a hug and a kiss.

  “Trust me, guys,” I said. “This is going to be great.”

  I got changed and headed back to my apartment. Layla and Harlow were watching TV and eating dinner.

  “Hey, guys,” I greeted them. “I brought some more burritos from my trailer. I’m stocking up since the movie is going to be finished soon. You can eat as many as you want. Actually, I’m going to have one myself. They’re actually really good.”

  “How goes ducking the paparazzi?” asked Harlow.

  “I’m done ducking them,” I assured her. “Tonight, the guys and I are going out. We’re going to big, public places and putting it all out there. Let them photograph us all they want.”

  “Wait, you’re going public with the relationship?” asked Harlow. “I don’t know if that’s such a good idea. What if they fire you from the movie?”

  “It’s almost finished; they’re not going to fire me now,” I assured her. “Besides, if anything, it’s free advertising for it.”

  “Are you sure?” asked Layla. “People get weird when public figures do something… unusual. Not that I’m not supportive. But people may not understand.”

  “I’m going to make them understand,” I said, biting my burrito. “You’ll see. This is all going to work out.”

  I was putting on a brave front, but inside, I was really worried. What would the general public’s reaction be? It could be very negative. And who would feel sorry for a movie star? Even if I was just trying to live my life with the people I love?

  Monk’s limo arrived and the guys were already inside it. Everyone looked nice, including me. I was wearing a sparkling red mini-dress from a local designer. Since I had gotten paid more for the movie, I had splurged on this dress.

  “Are you guys ready?” I asked, as we headed to the restaurant.

  “I’m a little nervous,” said Christian. “Just promise me, whatever happens— I need to insulate my brother from this if it goes tits up.”

  “Just tell him not to answer the phone,” said Monk. “They can’t connect him to us as long as he doesn’t comment, or we don’t comment about him.”

  “I think you’re overly worried,” said Zack. “There’s a chance we’ll go out and no one will even care that we did. Let’s just relax and try to have a good time. The happier we look in pictures, the better, I think.”

  We arrived at a restaurant that Zack picked out, called Bean. It was pretty high end, with low lighting and very limited seating. Looking around the room, I spotted other celebrities and industry people.

  “Why did you pick this place?” whispered Christian, a little worried. “There’s nothing but industry people here!”

  “Relax,” assured Zack. “These people all have secrets. Some way worse than anything we might be doing. And like us, the press hounds the shit out of them.”

  “Zack has a point,” added Monk. “Ultimately, these guys want to see us succeed. Just keep your cool and don’t punch any photographers, Sean Penn.”

  “Me? What about you, Hothead?” said Christian.

  “I’m a Zen master,” assured Monk. “I don’t do that shit anymore.”

  “Since when?” asked Christian. “You had just been about to do it to Hex.”

  Monk ignored the question and moved on.

  “What is this place all about?” he asked, changing the subject. “I couldn’t find anything on the Internet.”

  “Oh, it’s this high-end chef that provides you with an experience that goes along with your food,” explained Zack.

  “Oh, no,” said Christian, disappointed.

  “Oh, come now,” I said. “Give it a chance at least. This could be fun.”

  “I don’t know, babe,” said Monk. “These kinds of places serve you tiny amounts of food and then charge you quadruple. Not that I’m sweating the bill, but I don’t like the idea of anyone being ripped off.”

  “I’m keeping an open mind,” I assured Zack. “Guys, we need positive vibes on this night, okay?”

  “Positive vibes!” Christian said, through a forced smile.

  “Positive vibes,” sighed Monk.

  I looked at the menu. There weren’t any choices. It just had pictures of piles of beans and said, Welcome to Bean; we hope you enjoy the experience on it.

  The waiter walked over.

  “Hello, everyone, and welcome to Bean. I’m your waiter, Thomas,” he explained. “Does anyone have any allergies the chef should be aware of?”

  “No, but where are the menu choices?” asked Monk.

  “The concept is that the chef makes the same meal for everyone. You’ll be served a little bit of everything and we hope it will tantalize your taste buds. The first course is in front of you,” he explained, walking away.

  The guys and I looked around but couldn’t find anything under the menu or on our plates. Then, curious, Zack bit into the menu. It was bread-like cake with a buttery inside.

  “Edible menus! That’s lit,” said Zack.

  “Whatever, I’m starving,” said Monk, biting his menu.

  Two other waiters came to our table and served us soup and sparkling water. They set an ice cube holder in the center of the table with a set of tongs.

  “What do we get to eat next?” asked Monk. “The chair?”

  “Was I supposed to eat my napkin?” joked Christian.

  One of the waiters actually looked up, worried, when he said that. We all laughed. The restaurant was a bit nuts. Each entrée was like a little challenge.

  There was even a puzzle box made out of squid. Who does that? But we were all laughing and having a good time. It was a very fancy and very quiet place. We were easily the noisiest people in there.

  When the check arrived, Monk pretended to have a heart attack and fall to the ground. One of the waiters helped him back to his feet and he waved them off.

  By this time, I had the giggles. I didn’t know if it was the drinks I’d imbibed or if I was just giddy from having a good time. The other guests were eyeing us, partly with worry and partly with bemusement.

  Walking to the limo, I was feeling pretty free. I didn’t hold back when it came to touching and
leaning on them. They were my guys and I was going to treat them as such. There were paparazzi outside, and the cameras flashed.

  I smiled in their direction. If I was going to be known to the world to be in this untraditional relationship, this was how I was going to do it.

  The limo arrived and we piled in.

  “Where’s the next place?” asked Monk. “A dance club where there’s no music and we walk on the ceiling?”

  “Actually, I picked this place,” said Christian. “It’s called the Crystal Diver and it’s in Venice Beach.”

  “Driver? You know where this dance club is? The Crystal Diver?” Monk called to the front of the car.

  “Yes, sir,” he replied. “It’s on my GPS. Heading there now.”

  “Thanks,” said Monk.

  “Is that your regular guy?” I asked.

  “No, I use a service,” said Monk. “They send different guys. Kind of like Uber, but for limos.”

  Zack put his seatbelt on.

  “What are you doing?” asked Monk.

  “Did you hear about that limo accident?” he asked. “Twenty people died. The limo veered out of control, hit a building, a parking lot and flipped over in a ditch. Everyone died. No seatbelts.”

  “Huh,” said Monk, somberly. “I didn’t even know limos had seatbelts. I never wore one inside.”

  “Yeah, that’s a good idea,” I agreed, looking for the belt.

  “That’s how Tracy Morgan almost died,” said Christian. “One of his actually guys did. But they were in like a party bus, I think.”

  “Huh,” said Monk, a little worried.

  He found his seatbelt and put it on.

  The limo pulled up in front of the Crystal Diver. It was a sleek entrance made entirely of glass or a glass-like substance, I couldn’t be shore.

  We walked down a ramp, through a pair of double doors and into the club. After paying to get in, we walked further downstairs and into the main room.

  The main room was massive and one entire wall was designed to look like a window. It was actually a double-sided fish tank with divers and fish, but on the other side was the actual, real ocean. There were crystal statues of scuba guys everywhere and the lighting was a blue shadow hue that made everything look like it was underwater.