The limo drove beyond the steel fence of her mansion, with J.W. engraved on each gate; the steel gave out a bright shimmer, due to the car’s front lights. The gates were gray, with little gargoyles on either side of it, holding swords, and striking the air as if they were frozen in time, waiting to kill one another for some apparent reason. The gates slowly opened, Jose hearing them squeak as they scratched deeply into the earth, and finally locking onto a metal frame, that was shaped to look like fire, made out of iron, on the ground on each side of the fences. The car slowly drove in, and grass, the greenest kind of nature, flocked on the ground and lay on all ends of her front yard, as if someone sewed each blade into place: it was perfect.
They drove about a half a block into the front of her mansion, and while they drove, flowers on both sides of the driveway got bigger, and changed colors as the car came closer to her castle. At first, by the iron gates, the flowers were red, perfectly formed, as if Mother Nature came there herself and fed them, and every time the car drove farther, the flowers became different colors. Red, blue, pink, green, and even black lined up on each end of the driveway, like lights on an airport runway, showing the airplane its path to take on. The limo finally stopped, where the flowers were tall, sleek, and highly black, like someone spray-painted them to be perfect to a human’s eye.
The chauffeur got out and opened Julienne’s door of the limo, brushing against the heads of these black beauties that grew from the ground, and reached out his old, fragile pale hand to help her out of the mansion on wheels. She popped out with Jose holding her by the waist and a champagne bottle in her hand, dangling with her wrist, looking like it was about to fall. They walked up the twenty stairs that led to her front entrance. Each stair was a little taller than the next, and by the time Jose reached the top, he discovered that the stair came below his knee.
At first glance, Jose saw a monstrous home that had windows on top of windows, shaped in circular forms, as if the house had fifty thousand mouths that breathed in the smog of the Hills. White awnings, white frames matched the color of the mansion, but the only thing that was a different shade, was the front door: it was black as coal.
Julienne turned on her outside lights in order to find the key to open the seven-foot dark door. While she looked, Jose turned around and looked down at the limo, seeing it driving away and going into a structure that was the size of his house back in Ridge Crest; it was Julienne’s garage. As soon as he turned back around, this world of beauty changed to a world of intriguing glamour; Julienne opened up her front door and revealed her world, which she’d designed, and paid a high price to have. They walked inside of the mansion, Jose’s mouth dropping with amazement; it was like he was afraid of this beauty of a foyer, only because he was so used to seeing lower-class things, that he was afraid he would somehow break something, or even break this tranquil scenery that he slowly stepped in to. He stared at the chandelier that was hanging over his head. Okay what are you doing here? You don’t belong here. Asking these questions over and over again in his drunken mind caused a headache to occur. Just look, but don’t touch, please don’t break anything, Jose, you could do this. Sit down, that’s it, but where’s a chair? Oh, wow.
He was stopped in his thoughts by the sight of the chandelier. The chandelier had five layers to it that consisted of pure crystal with gold trim at the edges. It hung from the top of the ceiling that stretched fourteen feet high. The lights from the chandelier reflected off the marble floor, which caused a bright glare on Jose’s face; shock took the place of his panicking thoughts.
She told him to wait in the den, which consisted of two fireplaces and pure leather furniture, while she changed into something more comfortable, but Jose still wanted to stare at her foyer; the beauty of it went beyond Jose’s imagination of a mansion. Plus, he didn’t know if he could take anymore of this rich world, this beauty that people only dream about. But, knowing that this wasn’t his home, he obeyed her orders, like a slave boy obeying his master.
Jose waited for ten minutes. He got up from the leather coach, which he was lying so comfortably on, and went into the foyer again. “What are you doing? This isn’t your house,” he whispered with a drunken voice. But, this sight was too attractive that he wanted to see if it got better, wanted to know if this titanic sight can give him even larger shivers up his spine. He looked beyond her luxurious chandelier and pointed his eyes up at her ceiling. He nearly fell back, his eyes reaching past the fifth floor, discovering a fresco painting engraved on her ceiling. It was of God creating Adam. “Wow, I bet that cost more than my town,” he slowly laughed out. Mr. Rodrigo was so captivated by this world of hers that he became like a little boy, trotting around in a museum: he just wanted to touch something.
Jose walked up the marble stairs in search of a bathroom, knowing that he’d been holding his champagne in ever since the club, the search then became a mission. Fixing his tired eyes on the stairs, he noticed that the marble had little blue flowers engraved in it, or on it, and also stared at the banister, noticing that it was formed into little brown, wooden leaves; he was highly—in an ironic fashion— shocked at this unique sight.
Every stair Jose walked up caused his bladder to push more, and allowed his feet to get heavier but move faster at the same time. His alcohol-filled body walked up to the second floor, still staring at the fresco painting as it got closer to his eyes, he managed to point his gaze on five hallways that were right next to each other. It seemed like a maze, a funhouse that was pretty, and perfectly formed to look like a mansion. The way the hallways stood right next to each other, Jose was convinced that this house, kingdom, this mansion of hers, had to have cost in the high millions.
He chose one hallway, and finally found a bathroom in his pursuit, at the same time seeing that this monstrous corridor had track lighting all the way down its length, with oil paintings that hung as if they were floating in space. Jose walked into the bathroom, turned on the light and found a miniature water fountain within it. “Man, this place gets better and better.” After he was finished, he walked around the house in search of more amazing things, lingering across a velvet rug, imagining this was his home. That’s when Julienne caught him in his nosy search.
She asked, “What are you doing?” Rubbing her hands together, with some sort of oily substance in the grains, and rivers of her skin, she awaited an answer. He paused exactly one second, allowing Julienne to rub the oil faster, acting like she was trying to create a fire through the friction.
“Oh, you scared me. Um ... I’m just looking around, enjoying the atmosphere,” Jose replied. She paused from rubbing. He grabbed onto her waist and gave her kiss on her forehead, at the same time, tasting some sweet substance that lay on her skin. Jose ignored the taste and gave her a quick, flirtatious spin, feeling the thick, red velvet rug create friction underneath his shoes; he felt like he was dancing on a cloud.
“Well, if you put it that way, I guess it’s alright then.” Julienne grabbed his hand and pulled it toward her with aggressiveness. The cream from her hand slid across his, somehow making Jose even more heated from the feeling; to each his own.
Jose whispered, “So, what do you want to do now?” His tone sounded like a mating call, laying it on pretty thick, he made sure to show his tongue before he spoke, and after he ended the question.
“What do you want to do?” she asked in an even more silent manner. Julienne only showed her tongue once, after she asked the same question, and showing Jose at the same time, that maybe she’s thinking the same thing Jose’d been thinking ever since he lay eyes on her.
Okay, Jose, she did show her tongue, so that means she wants to do more than talk. But what happens if she doesn’t? Screw it, take a chance.
After his thoughts disbursed, he opened his mouth quickly, but with a little flirtatious drift to it, and replied, “Um, how about we get naked?” Jose then grabbed her waist harder. Giving her another spin with his body next to hers, and grabbing her tighter in the pr
ocess, he knew that he made the right decision by saying that.
She lifted up her hand slowly to his face, seeing one of the lights over an oil painting shining in his eyes, making them twinkle, and kept it there for two seconds. Within those two seconds, Jose’s mind spoke, yes, she wants me, she definitely wants me. Seeing her hand come closer to him, he wondered, in a very erotic way, the things she could do to him with it, and that’s when she slapped it hard, leaving a hand print engraved on his cheek.
Maybe she likes it rough, Jose?
She looked him straight in the eyes, allowing him to understand that she was angry, not horny, and the slap was real to her anger, not some form of fetish that all guys would take it for. “What kind of a person do you take me for? I’m not a hooker.”
He turned his face toward her more, shocked and disoriented about the situation, feeling the small whiplash from her fast hand crash, and asked two questions that should be asked when this sort of experience happens: common sense. “What do you mean? What did you think we were going to do?”
She slapped him again, more pain came from this second round of her anger, and said, “Get out, get out before I throw your ass out.” Her voice trembled and echoed through the passageways, and hallways of her kingdom, and even caused the chandelier to vibrate a bit. Her voice was so loud and great that Jose thought each person in every oil painting would move about and stare at him with shock to their painted images.
“Listen, I’m sorry ... okay? I didn’t know you didn’t want to have, you know... sex,” Jose said. He started to walk away from this confusing but devastatingly attractive woman, and headed toward the stairs. Feeling as if each oil painting was alive, he became embarrassed, like a crowd of kids, circling around a schoolyard, waiting for you to fight someone bigger than you. A normal guy, in this situation, would get the hell away, and make sure to never see that type of girl again. But when you have a woman like Julienne Wells, the game of cat and dog gets a little confusing, and interesting at the same time.
She paused for a moment and then walked up behind him, saying, “Wait.” Jose’s drunken body didn’t respond to her; his ears were blocked up with champagne. “Hold on,” Julienne yelled out. Her hand gripped onto his shoulder before his foot touched the first stair. God and Adam were in the view of this game, staring at them from the ceiling; they had the best seats. “I’m sorry. You don’t have to leave,” she stated before she walked away from him and entered the bathroom. The game began.
Jose walked over to the door of the bathroom and saw her putting white powder onto a mirror. She looked into her vanity and saw her reflection, staring at it for only a moment. She made two lines and then sniffed one. “There, I feel a lot better. You want some?” She stared at Jose standing by the door, watching a beautiful woman, with a long silk blouse on and her hair back in a ponytail, sniffing cocaine.
“Why are you doing that?” Jose asked in a sincere voice.
“Do you want some?”
“No, I’m cool.” He walked into the bathroom and looked at his reflection in the mirror also, feeling kind of awkward toward this beauty of Hollywood; confused by the games she was begging to play, and the way of life that she lived so far.
“The reason why I’m doing this is simple, I have a screen test to do tomorrow. It’s for a very important part in a movie—it’s the star role. I’m under a lot of stress, this helps my stress go away.” She then sniffed the second line.
“So, mainly you’re following the normal stereotype of Hollywood and drugs?” Julienne looked at him straight in the eyes after that question came out of his mouth so rudely. He knew he shouldn’t have said that. “Sorry. So, uh, when does the movie start filming?” Jose questioned, trying to switch the topic.
“My agent said that they’re going to start filming next month. He even said they may start filming next week. I remembered most of the script and studied my character that I will hopefully get. I’m so damn nervous.” Julienne passed Jose and walked down her stairs, without even acknowledging to him that he should follow her.
Should I follow her, or wait here?
“That’s cool,” Jose said, trying to follow her path down the stairs to the outside swimming pool. Questions still ran through his mind as the bubbly slowly went away from his brain and entered into his bladder.
Okay, Jose, she does drugs, but she’s beautiful.
She’s rude and kind of immature, but she’s beautiful, and a movie star.
Just play it cool.
The questions stopped traveling through his mind by the thing she did next.
“Yeah, I feel much better now.” After those words, she plummeted into her swimming pool with her clothes on.
At this point, Jose started to feel alone, as if his innocence was being ripped from his soul, seeing a woman, stoned out of her mind, being royalty of Hollywood, in the water with her expensive ensemble still on; it wasn’t right. It was like some spirit or angel was there, telling him to leave, to get away from this woman; his hesitation was showing a mile away. But, where there’s an angel, there’s also a demon, telling him the exact opposite.
“Are you nuts? You still have your clothes on. Did you forget you were wearing clothes?” He watched her unbutton her shirt, and that’s where his hesitation of leaving was slowly starting to go away; the demon was winning this game.
“Come in, the water’s warm.” She splashed a huge wave at Jose, revealing that her flirting was out in the open, waiting to work.
“This is too weird, I must be dreaming,” laughed Jose. He walked slowly down the stairs of the swimming pool, following his animal urges toward this woman of intriguing designs.
The pool was circular. Lights shined on every end of it that allowed the blue marble of its body to glow a little with the water that it held. Jose stood in its body, with his clothes on, thinking this was all a dream, and went up against the side of the pool, just staring at the small waves that Julienne made from her entry.
“Why is it weird?” she questioned. Julienne released the rubber band from her hair and whipped her hair around in a circle, splashing Jose with chlorine water, mixed with some sweet-smelling fragrance; it was like perfume came from her flying strands.
“Listen, this is only my first day in Hollywood and I’m already in a pool with a Hollywood star,” Jose answered. He dunked his head under the surface of the water and received a bit of chlorine in his pupils.
“I guess you’re lucky then.” She put her arms around him. “Very lucky.” Julienne wrapped her arms tighter.
“Yeah, I guess.”
Four hours later, Jose and Julienne sat and talked outside in her pool house. This building stretched almost all the way around her pool, and was decorated with hanging green vines that made up the roof. Jose and Julienne sat inside, talking like they’d known each other for years. They talked about everything, from their dreams to their fantasies, to their deepest erotic pleasures that a priest would slap you with his fist if he ever heard you confess it to him. Jose explained the real reason he came out to Hollywood.
Their naked bodies touching the whole time, Jose opened up to this star, like she was his wife, or fate that he’d found finally. “Okay, I admit, I didn’t really want Damen and Darell to come with. At first I did, you know, because I was afraid, but now I wish they would just go back home and come here in a few years when I do become famous.”
“Why?” Julienne questioned as the moonlight shone on her naked, perfectly formed body.
“I don’t know. Maybe because ... If I make it, I don’t want them to make it. I mean, what I’m trying to say is that if they make it, it will be me against each of them in some sort of a race for ... for fame,” Jose replied as he played with her hair. “I know that sounds stupid.”
“It’s normal, Jose. But the thing is, if you guys make it as stars, you’ll already be famous. What’s the real reason?” she asked with a serious tone.
The building had windows at every end, with white, silk, se
e-through drapes that flew inward, due to the California wind. He thought about her question for a brief twenty seconds, gawking out of one of the windows, at the moon that shone its body onto Julienne’s. “Alright, fine, it’s because I’ve always wanted to help them ... become famous. It’s like I’ve always wanted to be their savior, I want to be the reason for their fame, their success ... Is that wrong?” Jose’s voice sounded childish, making Julienne smile a bit.
“No, don’t be silly. That’s the way I was in the beginning, but then it all changed after I gained fame.” She gave a smile with her words, still staring at his eyes, watching every movement they made.
“How did it change?”
She turned her head, and stared up at the ceiling of green nature that hung down into the building; she wondered if she should go as far as answering that question. Turning back to him, she replied, “Well, me and four other girls came to Hollywood about six years ago. That’s when I was eighteen... We started out working odd jobs, waitressing, cooking, things like that. One day I got a call for a movie role, from an agent that I just got a week before; this was my first movie role I ever tried out for. Well, they told me that I got the part. After that, I was too busy to help my other friends get famous, as you put it... You could say, I forgot about them. I don’t know, I guess deep inside of me, I mean deep, deep, deep in my soul...” Julienne gave a little pause. Thinking about her past, realizing what life she had before her success, allowed a dark cloud to settle over her consciousness. She finished her sentence with, “I’ve never really wanted to help them. You’ll see, when you make it, you won’t help them either... ” Julienne got up from the bed, next to a bunch of swimming equipment, and began walking away from him.
“I will help them,” Jose stated in an upset voice.
“I can usually read people right away. When I met you and your friends tonight, I read your vibes.”
“What did my vibes tell you?” Jose lit a cigarette, and blew the smoke toward Julienne’s naked silhouette as she stood there with the moonlight reflecting off her breasts.
Sugar Valley (Hollywood's Darkest Secret) Page 11