Fame, Love, and other Lessons

by Frances, Jo

  "Just one thing."

  "Shoot."

  "Can I be one of your clients? I need help with my portfolio."

  It was good to hear her father laugh. "That's my girl."

  "Dad always liked you best." This was Luke's response when Jamie told him about her conversation. "Good thing I'm still Mom's favorite. So, Jamie," he looked sideways at her. "What's your living situation going to be?"

  "Well, that's what I wanted to talk to you about," she said as innocently as possible.

  Luke glanced at his GPS. "Uh-oh."

  "I mean, it's worked out OK this summer hasn't it? My staying with you?"

  Her brother knew that this was merely a formality, but decided to give his little sister a hard time anyway. "Well, first of all, you were travelling a lot, and when you weren't, you spent entirely way too many nights over at Chase's. It's a good thing he was travelling too, otherwise you two would have been living together." Seeing Jamie about to protest, he pressed on. "Which would not have been cool. So, I'm not going to be some kind of cover for you, that's the first thing." He waited until she nodded in agreement. "But it doesn't matter anyway. We can't live in a place that only has one bathroom."

  Jamie hung her head. "I understand. Dad said it would be your decision."

  Old habits die hard, and Luke almost felt guilty at seeing her so dejected. Almost. "But we can always move, can't we?" he said, watching her perk up instantly..

  "YES!" She bounced a little in her seat. "Oh, Luke, can we? I mean, I like your apartment and everything, but it's so...so..."

  "Clinical and corporate?" he finished for her.

  "Exactly! Let's find something with a little more character...like a house with a pool!"

  Luke elbowed her. Jamie really showed her age sometimes, but after everything she had been through, he thought that was probably a good thing. "Uh, which one of us has an NBA contract?"

  She smiled like a Cheshire cat. "I have a modeling contract. So if we take what you were spending in that apartment, and double it with my share, I think we can find something fairly nice. With at least two bathrooms."

  Luke quickly did the math. That apartment in Century City wasn't cheap, but it came furnished and available on short notice. And he was already paying for a two bedroom...he said, "sounds doable" as casually as he could.

  Chapter 12

  Tami Hodgegood's party was held in a sleek modern house high above West Hollywood. Within minutes of arriving, Tami came running up to give Jamie a big hug. "Oh, you made it! I'm so glad!" She looked over at Luke standing next to Jamie. "Well, this isn't Chase Reston, although he is extra large, too" she said flirtatiously. "Who are you, darling?"

  Introductions were made. "Ooh, extra points for bringing hot guys to my party...who are available. Jamie, you rock, baby." With that, she hooked arms with Luke and led him away.

  Jamie grabbed a mineral water from a passing waiter and walked outside. The house had a fantastic view and had an infinity pool, to boot, where she could see most of the people where gathered. Before she had a chance to walk down there, Jamie was approached by a record producer who, after five minutes of polite chitchat, asked her if she wanted to "do some blow" in the bathroom with him.

  Extracting herself from him, she fell into a conversation with a model, Ali, she had met at a fashion show in New York. It was fun learning some of the gossip about models and designers---who was strung out, who was pregnant, who was gaining too much weight---but their conversation kept getting interrupted. The sight of two models talking to one another instead of the dozens of guys circling them was apparently an aberration that had to be remedied. The approach was inevitably one of offering to represent them, or offering to bring them in for a "reading". Jamie was in no mood to talk to any guys, and Ali had simply been through enough of these guys to know that they couldn't help her career in any way.

  Ali sighed as the latest one slunk away. "You have to watch out for these guys. After two years of working in the mail room, or reading a bunch of scripts, or being the assistant to an abusive asshole, they've finally got their own desk and boy, are they going to cash in." She glared at two who were about to make their approach and drove them away. "It's sad really. But then, if I went to Yale Law School and had to spend two years getting Starbucks for a sociopath, I guess I'd be aggressive too."

  Jamie looked around at the crowd. "It's kind of easy to see who's who, isn't it?" She pointed to a group of guys wearing suits. "Those are the agents." Then to women of varying ages, usually on the short side, working the room like politicians. "Those are the actresses."

  Ali picked up the game. "OK, now show me the actors."

  "Too easy." Jamie pointed to the guys wearing baggy jeans and tees, lurking hopefully around the pack of agents. "Your turn: music producers."

  Ali scanned the room and found a forty-something guy wearing an expensive watch and leering at the younger actresses. "There," she said pointing. "OK, here's a tough one," she said tossing her hair back as if on a shoot. "Find the musicians."

  Jamie scanned the area by the pool, and saw a new crowd: a trio of scruffy looking guys, wearing all black and retro sneakers surrounded by a large throng of adoring women. "Over there," she pointed at the center of the group. It was at that point that one of the guys looked up and saw her on the balcony. "Oops," Jamie withdrew her finger, and turned her back quickly. She and Ali began huddled together and began to giggle at getting caught.

  "YOU!" The guy who caught her yelled. "I know you!"

  They stopped laughing. Ali raised her head to see what was going on. "Oh shit!," she said grasping Jamie's arm. "He's coming up here." They began giggling even more.

  The musician was joined by his one of his friends, and he strode up to Jamie wild eyed. "I can't believe you're here!" He spoke with a heavy Irish brogue. Turning to his friend, he said, "Tell her! Tell her what I just told you today!"

  "Aye, it is her, but you're scaring the lass," his friend replied, before extending his head to her. "How're you. I'm Neal, and this here's Sean."

  Jamie shook hands. "I'm Jamie, and this is Ali."

  "Oh, hey. You guys are in that band, 'Isle', right?" This was the nicest Ali had been to any guy so far, but then again, they hadn't met anyone who was in a band that had just won several Grammy's until then.

  Neal bowed and tipped an imaginary hat. "You'll have to excuse my friend Sean here, he's a bit drunk." Both guys had dark hair, blue eyes and fair skin; the Black Irish, her father would have described them. But it was easy to see that Sean was the lead singer: he had a romantic look and a charisma about him that drew your attention.

  Sean cupped his hand around Jamie's chin, and stared intently at her. "Will you be in our video?"

  Jamie rolled her eyes. "How many times have you said that tonight?"

  Neal stepped in between them. "We've been trying to cast a girl for our video, and several months ago, he saw a picture of you in one of the tabloid magazines and he said that you would be perfect. Well, of course, that was just one picture, but then today, he saw your picture in some magazine and he was talking about you again."

  "But what's unbelievable is that you're here tonight." Sean seemed able to speak for himself again.

  "You really have to tell me this story from the beginning," Jamie said, still doubting.

  Sean told her about seeing her picture, the one of her emerging from the club with Chase months ago. "You were wearing this short, sexy dress that was kind of loose on top, but came down kinda tight around your legs. You were holding your boyfriends hand, your fingers were interlaced like this," Sean picked up her hand and intertwined it with his, "and you just looked really really happy but kind of scared at the same time, like a young girl in love." He didn't let go of her hand. "I've never forgotten that look, and I want you to look at me like that."

  Jamie looked at his hand holding hers, but didn't remove it. "I'm impressed," she said softly. "So you want me to look at you like that...in your video."


  Sean leaned into her. "For starters."

  The memory of that night felt like a knife to her heart, and she backed away from him. "I'm not an actress, and it would be hard for me because it, it didn't end well." she said, more abruptly than she meant to. Jamie looked around for Ali and saw that she and Neal were inside, laughing and talking.

  "So you're not still with him, then?" Sean asked. Jamie shook her head no.

  Relief flooded his face. "I don't know why that makes me happy, but it does."

  Having spent a year hearing drunken declarations of love from her brother's friends, Jamie should have remained unfazed, but instead the ache she had been feeling lifted just a little.

  "Do you always come on this strong?" she asked.

  "But I've been looking for you for months!" he said, as if explaining something very elementary. "Why shouldn't I be excited now that you're here?"

  "Because you're drunk..."

  "Ach, that's just what Neal told you. I'm fine. And besides," he came closer to her. "I wasn't drunk when I saw that picture of you. At least," he said with a grin, "I probably wasn't."

  God, he is cute, Jamie thought, unable to resist smiling back at him.

  Driving back from the party, both siblings had plenty to tease each other about.

  "So, uh, where did you go?" Jamie began.

  "Oh, just hung out with Tami and her friends." Luke kept his voice casual. "How about you?"

  "Well, I was out on the balcony, for everyone to see, which is more than I can say for you!" she finally had to laugh. "My god, Luke, don't tell me you hooked up with America's PopSensation!"

  Luke laughed back. "OK, I won't."

  "Oh my god."

  "What about you?" he returned at her. "You looked pretty cozy with that Isle guy."

  "It was business," she said, pretending to be insulted. "He wants me to be in their video. Well," she added quickly, "that's what he said. But he was totally drunk. So I told him if he really means it, he can call me tomorrow or whenever." Jamie didn't tell her brother about why Sean wanted her in their video---it would have been too painful to bring up Chase.

  "He looked like he was totally into you," Luke told her. "But I don't know. This whole, I-want-to-put-you-in-my-video thing sounds kind of cheesy."

  "I know. He probably says that at every party."

  Jamie knew her brother was probably right. People, especially people in L.A., and especially people in the entertainment industry in L.A., tended to say so many things they didn't mean just to get something from you. So she had to tone down her excitement. But still...she got a few hours of relief from the dull ache in the pit of her stomach, the same ache that was now beginning to return. So if talking to Sean eased that ache, then what could be the harm in that?

  Chapter 13

  Jamie received two calls before noon the next day. The first was from her booker, confirming a go-see she had at eleven, and the next was from Sean Foley himself as she was driving to the go see.

  "You sound like you're up and at em already," he said, hearing the freeway noise through her Bluetooth.

  "Yeah, I'm in my car." Jamie was pleasantly surprised to hear his voice. "How about you?" she asked.

  "I am going to live the life of a spoiled rock star today. I'm going to stay in bed a little bit longer, then hang out with my mates all day by the lovely Chateau Marmont pool. After that, I'm going to have dinner with a beautiful model, and try to talk her into flying to Ireland to shoot a video with me. It's not a bad life at all"

  "Is this model anyone I know?"

  "Say you'll do it, darlin'." Sean's voice was intoxicating over the phone. There was the off-putting sense of knowing his voice so intimately because of having heard it through her headphones hundreds of times before, and then there was the musical lilt to his voice that was at once charming and sexy.

  "I say I'll have dinner you." Jamie heard him whoop in the background, and she laughed. "You certainly wear your heart on your sleeve, don't you?"

  Most men would have denied this, but Sean sounded pleased. "Hey, I'm an artist. If I don't feel my emotions full on, then I'll have nothing to sing or write about, now will I?" He began singing in a depressed, off key voice. "I'm too cool to say that I'm happy to see my Jamie again...so I'm going to pretend I don't care..."

  She let out a little yelp in protest. "Stop! Please! I don't want a song about me to sound like that!"

  "Ya see?" She could feel him smiling "Alright then, someone will call you for all the details later."

  "OK, Sean."

  Jamie clicked off, warmed at the thought of being called 'my Jamie'.

  "You're going out to dinner with Sean Foley?" Her brother's friends were over for poker night and if four men could speak in unison, Luke and his friends just did so. "Like a date?" Luke added.

  "But...what about Chase?" Zimmer added urgently, as if she had forgotten about a pot left on the stove. Judging from her brother's expression, he seemed to be thinking the same thing.

  "We broke up, and he hasn't called." Jamie was surprised at how so few words could hide so much hurt.

  Dead silence. Zimmer looked as if he wanted to crawl under the table as Luke shook his head at him in irritation.

  "Awwkkkwwarrrd." Ben Fong, one of her brother's new work friends, piped in.

  Jamie smiled, feeling sorry for him. "Don't worry, Zim, you would have heard it from one of his friends soon enough anyway." This was true. If you counted her, Chase, Luke and Zim, there were at least ten people from their university who had wound up in L.A. This group had kept in touch casually and had even had a barbeque at Chase's house. Their buzzer sounded. "Now if you'll excuse me," she said, "I've got a date."

  The restaurant that Isle's publicist chose was a popular one with celebrities. Several paparazzi, stalking various celebrities, snapped her picture as she walked in. "Hey Jamie, how's Chase?" one of them called out. Jamie reddened and walked inside. She could never get used to being recognized, no matter how frequently it happened.

  The look on Sean's face as she walked towards him told her that she had chosen her outfit well. It was similar to what she wore with Chase; a short dress, high heels, lots of leg and her hair long and loose. He grabbed his heart and stood up. "You are gorgeous! Oh my god, I am the luckiest man here." Sean nodded and waved as if acknowledging applause from the other tables as Jamie slid into the banquet next to him.

  Jamie had been complimented on her looks all her life, but there was something so sincere about the way Sean did it that she couldn't help but be charmed.

  "Thank you. I dressed for you."

  "Yes, you did. And I appreciate that. Very much." He leaned back in his chair smiling at her. "So tell me Jamie Cameron. Where did a creature like you come from?"

  Jamie raised an eyebrow at him. "Come on! You're Sean Foley. Shouldn't I be gushing over you?"

  "Oh, am I gushing? Maybe drooling, too?" he dabbed the side of his mouth with a napkin.

  "No!" she said quickly. "You're not gushing---"

  "I am, actually."

  "--but I should be! Because, well, because I've seen how girls scream and yell for you. And, I mean, why me?" She tilted her head at him and remembered what her brother said. "Unless this is just something you do."

  Sean pretended to look disappointed. "Ahh, yes, the hardened L.A. cynic comes out. Nothing is as it seems, right?"

  "I'm just trying to figure you out. And I'm not conceited enough to think that this," she circled her face with her index finger "is enough to warrant all this flattery."

  "Ahh." His eyes met hers directly. "So perhaps you can tell me. Why do you think I'm coming on so strong?"

  Jamie leaned forward. "I don't know."

  "Of course you do," he challenged her. "Say it."

  "I don't know what---"

  "Do you think I'm behaving this way because I want to fuck you?"

  Jamie read his face. "No, I don't think so."

  "I mean, I do," he raised his voice and hands up prayerfully
. "I mean, oh god, I do!" The people around them looked over and Sean quieted down. "I want to fuck you and make a video with you. But you just said you don't think that's why I'm acting this way." He turned to face her directly.

  "So you tell me."

  She didn't turn away. "Actually you already told me what you wanted. What you really wanted."

  Sean looked surprised. "I did? And what's that?"

  "You want me to look at you...with love, the way I looked at my boyfriend in that picture. And you'll take the video version of it, but I think you'd like the real thing as well."

  Sean broke their gaze first. He looked down and drained the contents of his cocktail glass before answering. "Well," he said with a certain degree of respect. "I think you're right." He laughed and shook his head in amazement. "I feel like we just fucked. And now I'm hoping you still like me."

  Jamie laughed. "I do like you." she countered. "Still."

  He looked at her, his expression hard to read. "Come here. Please." Jamie slid closer to him and he put his arm around her. "OK, now I feel better."

  The waiter came then and discreetly asked for their order.

  In a way, Sean was right. After that moment, there was now an ease between the two of them, almost as if they were lovers. Before they had started on their main course, they had agreed to do the video together and Sean was telling Jamie all the places he wanted to take her in Ireland.

  At the end of their dinner, Sean asked, without much conviction, if Jamie wanted to go back to his hotel with him.

  She shook her head. "I'm afraid I can't accommodate that part of your rock star lifestyle."

  "Too soon?"

  "Too soon for us, and too soon after my breakup."

  He called to have their car brought around. "Well, then, can we go somewhere else? I don't want to say goodbye to you yet. How about playing some pool?"

  Jamie knew the place well; another celeb hangout. "Sure." She looked at him thoughtfully.