The guard explained to them where the soundstage was, and said that if Wilson had a job available, he would be over there. As they got farther away from the gatekeeper, Jack whispered to Nick.
“That was real impressive the way you spoke to him. You sounded very professional, Nick.”
Nick resisted the urge to put his arm around Jack. Just being around Jack made him feel stronger, more powerful.
They reached a door on the side of a big tan building shaped like an enormous warehouse, with a number twelve painted on top. The last time they had been there, they’d been directed to an office way in the back, in front of where large pieces of scenery were stored. Nick was unsure what to do in this situation. Should he knock, or just go right in? Just then, someone came up behind them.
“You fellas looking for the foreman?”
Nick whipped around.
“Yeah, we’re lookin’ for Wilson. He in here?” Nick indicated to the door with his thumb.
“Nah. He’s over at the office right now. You know where that is?”
Nick’s heart sank. There must not be a green light yet—or whatever it was that needed to happen so they could finally have work.
“Yeah. Sure. I take it the new picture ain’t happenin’.”
“It’s happening. He’s just over there making his lists and getting everything ready. He only needs a couple more guys, so you should head on over there quick before someone else gets the spots. There were some here a couple days ago asking about jobs.”
“Shit. Hey, thanks a lot. I’m much obliged. How’d you know we was lookin’ for set-buildin’ jobs though?”
The guy smiled and looked them up and down. He held his arms wide open.
“Your costumes, of course! We’ve all got the same duds. Everybody trying to be like everyone else. But—that’s Hollywood, no matter what side of it you’re on.”
Nick felt uncomfortable, and he couldn’t place it exactly. This guy seemed friendly enough, but it had been one long saga of disillusionment ever since they’d arrived.
“My name’s Bernie, by the way. What do you guys call yourselves?”
“I’m Nick, and this here is Jack. We’re from New York.”
Bernie gave a long whistle.
“New York, huh? Now that’s a long ways away. What brought you two out here? Lookin’ to break into the acting business?”
Nick snorted. “No. We’re set builders. We used to work on shows for Broadway. We just thought it would be nice to…” Nick thought carefully on what to say next. He wanted to exude that attitude Ricky had talked about the other night where you pretended like you already had something, so that people would give it you. “…have a change of scenery. See if this was as good as the jobs we had back there.”
Nick felt smug. He was pretty sure that it sounded like they were doing the studios a favour by considering them. He would have to be the same way with Wilson, not come off like a beggar.
Bernie frowned a little.
“Oh yeah? Well, like I said, we’d better get over there while there’s even a chance to get a job here at all. I’ll walk on over with you. I’m headed that way anyways.”
Through all of this, Jack hadn’t said a word, just as Nick had instructed him.
“Let me do the talking, Jacky boy, and just go along with whatever I say no matter what.”
Nick’s stomach fluttered with nerves. They were so close. If only they could prove that they were the best candidates, and they got there before those other guys did. Jack walked a few paces behind Bernie, clearly distracted by the hustle and bustle of the studio. The week before when they’d been there the first time, Nick had thought Jack was going to bust a gut. He’d been so beside himself with excitement.
They’d passed demure young ladies in delicate Victorian outfits, displaying soft golden curls held up with bows. There were real lookers in flapper outfits and garish makeup—long strings of pearls hanging down, with feathers and sequins in bands around their heads. A few winked at him. The men were even more intriguing. They were dressed as everything from Arabian sheiks to pirates to kings. They also wore thick makeup, which surprised Nick. He understood why they did it on stage—a person’s features got lost when they were washed out by the lights, and the audience was so far away. Maybe it had to do with the lights here as well. He still had so much to learn about how pictures actually worked.
It was a bit of a walk to the office—the lot was enormous. They got into an area past the stages where it was obvious the outdoor stuff was filmed. It wasn’t so different from the theatre, except everything was on a grander scale. The town store fronts, houses and even castles were almost all just facades.
Nick checked to make sure Jack was still behind them, and hadn’t been so mesmerised by his surroundings he’d become lost. The whistling that Bernie had been doing came to a halt, and he nudged Nick with his elbow.
In a low, conspiratorial voice he said, “He belong to you?”
Nick’s blood went frigid.
“Whaddya mean by that?” It was impossible to keep all of the anger out of his voice.
“Relax. I’m not after him. Just wondering.”
Nick struggled with what to say—if anything. Was this guy getting ready to call him a queer too? Would this shit ever end?
“Cuz,” Bernie continued, still keeping his voice low, “if he does, and you ever loan him out, I can guarantee you guys a spot on the crew.”
“What makes you think we’re like that anyway?”
Bernie chuckled. “Are you kidding? The way he looks at you with those cow eyes?”
Nick felt a little queasy. “He’s not for sale,” Nick said through a clenched jaw.
“Too bad. The foreman would give you just about anything you wanted for that sweet thing.”
“Why are you telling me this? What’s in it for you?” Nick was learning fast.
“Okay, I’ll fill you in. I procure what the foreman wants, and what he wants is young guys. He has all the hiring power here for the construction work, so he figures he might as well get something extra out of the deal. For me, I get first pick of the jobs, and I’m always on the bank roll no matter what.”
Nick’s gut churned and he tried to think how he should handle this new piece of information. They were almost at the office, and Nick could see Wilson about twenty feet ahead, standing under a tree and talking to three guys in coveralls.
“Well looky there—I guess we weren’t fast enough. Those are the ones gunning for the jobs like I told you about.”
Nick panicked. “Jack! Wait there!”
Jack halted in his steps, a look of surprise on his face. Nick grabbed Bernie’s arm and pulled him to the side.
“Okay. I’m ready to deal.”
He saw Bernie nod his chin to Wilson, and Wilson nodded back before continuing to talk to the men surrounding him.
“So blondie is for sale after all.”
“No. Not him. Me.”
Bernie frowned at Nick.
“Hmm, I don’t know. You’re not bad-looking and all, but Wilson usually likes the softer ones. Plus, you look like you ran into a fist or something recently.”
“I’ll do anythin’ he wants. I just need him to put us on the crew.”
Nausea threatened to claim Nick. The heat, the stress, selling himself—it all combined together into one wretched stew.
Bernie considered Nick, looking him up and down.
“You a fag like your little friend there?”
Jesus. Am I telegraphing it? “What’s that got to do with anythin’?”
“Just that Wilson gets off on making straight guys do sex stuff with him. You don’t seem like a nelly, so I can probably sell you to him that way. If I tell Wilson that you’re willing to sacrifice your manhood to him, you guys will be in for sure.”
Nick looked over his shoulder at the other men who were trying to steal his and Jack’s jobs away. Wilson was laughing with them about something.
Nick turned b
ack to Bernie. “I’ll do it.”
Bernie had a superior smile on his face, but Nick couldn’t dwell on it.
“Good move. You and your little friend are about to become gainfully employed. Remember though—you’re not a homo. Put on a good act. He finds out you’re already a fairy, we’re both in trouble.”
Nick checked over his other shoulder to see how Jack was doing, and saw how concerned he seemed. Bernie winked at Nick, and sauntered over to Wilson, motioning him away from the other men. Nick went to stand next to Jack, watching every move the two made.
“What’s goin’ on? Are we gonna get to see Wilson today?”
Nick kept his temper in check as best he could. “What did I say about all the questions, Jack?”
Jack bowed his head, saying “Sorry” barely above a whisper.
It was a nightmare. The whole fucking week was one big nightmare—except for Jack. The way he and Jack had shared one another’s bodies had been a wonder. Jack was his, and no one would touch or take care of him except for Nick.
Nick leaned towards Jack and whispered out of the corner of his mouth.
“Bernie’s just goin’ over there right now puttin’ in a good word for us. I told him we were the best guys for this job.”
Jack raised his head. “You think he believes that?”
“Sure he does, Jacky boy. Why, look at ’em now.”
Wilson, a tall and imposing man who appeared to be in his fifties, was staring in their direction whilst Bernie kept jabbering away about something. It was funny how Nick hadn’t paid much attention to anything about the man the week before. Now, all he could think of was what he might have to do with him. Wilson nodded his head, but Nick stood stock still. He couldn’t be sure if the gesture was meant for him, or if he was responding to something Bernie had said.
Bernie stepped away from Wilson, who never took his eyes off him and Jack. Bernie went to the other men who had been waiting, and said something to them. One of them got a little angry, and the rest just hung their heads and walked away. Bernie jabbed his finger in the angry man’s chest, who threw his hands in the air and turned to follow his companions. All three walked dejectedly past Nick and Jack, the angry one glaring at them as they did.
Wilson waved them over.
“This is it, Jack, we’ve got jobs.”
“Wow, Nick. Aren’t we the luckiest guys on earth? We’re in a genuine moving picture studio! We get to come here every day and see films being made, and movie stars. Oh, Nick, thank you so much!”
Jack moved towards him as though he were going to hug him, but caught himself.
“Sorry.”
“What did I say about that sorry stuff? Knock it off. Hey, we’re gen-u-wine studio workers now, right?”
Jack grinned. “We sure are, Nick.”
“Well, let’s meet our new boss.”
Nick’s feet seemed like lead—each step being heavier than the last. A part of him felt like he was going to his doom. Only the excitement that was palpable from Jack kept him moving forward. They approached both Wilson and Bernie—who was back at his side—and stopped. Nick extended his hand to Wilson. He had no idea what was appropriate in this situation. It all seemed so respectable, despite how seamy it really was.
Wilson took the hand Nick offered, gave it one firm shake, then let go. There was no mistaking who was in charge.
“Hello again. It’s a good thing you came back when you did. I was just about ready to give those jobs away to two of the men that were just here. But then Bernie here tells me that you have some unique qualifications, so I thought I’d give you boys a chance.”
In his peripheral vision, he could tell that Jack was staring at him, probably trying to figure out what Wilson meant by ‘unique qualifications’. Nick didn’t even flinch.
“We appreciate you giving us a chance, sir. We won’t disappoint you.”
Wilson leered at Nick. “I’m sure you won’t. Bernie, show this one, er…what’s your name, son?”
“Jack. My name’s Jack, sir.”
“I see. Bernie, take Jack over to where we organise all the scenery and where all the tools are kept, you know, show him around.”
“Sure, Mr Wilson. Come on, kid, follow me.”
Nick bristled at the use of his prior pet name for Jack, but this was no time to start trouble. Jack looked nervously at Nick. What had appeared to be taking forever before was now happening so fast.
“It’s okay Jack, Mr Wilson and I have to talk about other stuff.”
“That’s right. Nick and I need to go over the payment arrangements.”
Jack smiled weakly, and took off after Bernie.
He’s so vulnerable. Why did I ever bring him out here in the first place? Now we’re in this huge mess, and it’s my fault.
They didn’t even have enough money to get back, and even if they did, could they risk it after what happened with Pearson?
“After you, Nick.”
Mr Wilson gestured with his hand and a little bow towards the office, as if he were being a proper gentleman. Despair threatened to overcome Nick, but he swallowed it down. He had to hold it together for Jack’s sake. They had jobs, right? Things were getting better—at least in some ways. He just had to put up with a little nonsense from this guy now and then, and everything would be just fine.
Nick stepped into the relatively cool office—essentially a shack—but it was ensconced under a cluster of Eucalyptus trees, a taller pine stood behind them. This way, the little structure was kept safe from the brunt of the sun’s rays. Wilson entered after Nick, and shut the door behind them, locking it. Nick’s heart rate sped up. He was nervous as hell. Should he ask what the terms were? Just keep quiet and let Wilson do the talking? He had no idea what the protocol was in this sort of situation.
Wilson walked around Nick slowly, surveying him. He leaned in and sniffed at his neck. Nick was petrified. He tried not to shudder, or let this pervert know that he was intimidated by him.
“You smell nice. Not like some of the grimy lugs I get though here. There’ve been more than one I’ve had to hose off before I’d go near them.” He snickered. “And I see you got your Sunday best on here with your shiny new dungarees.” He came right up to Nick’s ear and whispered. “Don’t worry, you’ll be getting dirty soon enough.”
With that, he sat down on a small rickety chair behind an equally small wooden desk that had a messy pile of papers stacked on it.
“Before we go any further, I need to inspect the goods. I can hardly tell what’s going on underneath those coveralls.”
A sweat broke out on Nick’s upper lip.
“Sir?”
“You know what I mean. Now go shut the blinds. I want complete privacy.”
Nick did as he was told, his feet still heavy, as though they were trying to stop him from taking things any further. He completed his task, and turned to face Mr Wilson. His new boss had the front of his own coveralls unbuttoned, and his tiny, limp dick pulled out. He tugged at it, stretching and shaking it, as if he were trying to wake it up from a deep slumber. He licked his lips and stared at Nick.
“All of it. I want it all off.”
Nick’s face flushed. This was worse in so many ways from the other night. Humiliating. He would be completely vulnerable to this man, and it seemed as though Wilson was planning on taking his time with him.
Nick bent to remove his shoes, and winced from the pain in his side.
“May I sit down, sir?”
“Go right ahead.”
Wilson said it as if he were in a trance from yanking at his sorry-looking penis, along with the anticipation of seeing Nick’s unclothed body. Sitting on the only other little wooden chair in the room, Nick continued to take off his shoes, and began the degrading job of completely disrobing. When the last item was removed, he looked up to see Wilson staring, a crazed look in his eyes.
“Stand up.”
Even completely non-erect, Nick knew he didn’t look bad. His balls w
ere heavy and full, and his dick dangled thick and proud just below his nut sacs.
“Jesus. You got the goods all right. And I can tell you’re a real strong worker from those nice arms and thighs, so that’s just a bonus.” He chuckled to himself.
Nick wriggled his toes uncomfortably, and kept clenching and unclenching his fists. He felt completely ridiculous.
“Turn around. I want to see the other side.”
Nick did as he was told.
“Oh yeah. Yeah. That is a mighty fine ass, yes it is. Nice and shapely. Tight. We’re gonna have lots of fun together.”
Nick’s thoughts screamed in his head.
How can I get out of this?
The only way out would be to grab Jack and run. But there would never be any chance to work at Global ever again, unless Wilson was to suddenly disappear. Maybe he even had friends at other studios, and Nick and Jack would never get jobs at any of them. And they needed money. Fast.
But just what exactly does this guy expect from me? Am I just supposed to service him here in the office, or will I be working on the sets too? Do the other guys know what’s going on? Do they do the same thing?
So many questions swirled through his brain. Now he knew how Jack felt.
“Can I turn back around now?”
With all that was going through his head, he couldn’t believe that was what he finally asked. But it was just so unnerving to have his back to Wilson and not know what he was doing.
“Something wrong? Seems as though something’s bothering you.”
Oh you mean that I’m naked in your office and you’re playing with your dick in front of me?
“No, sir, I’m fine.”
“Humph. Well, have a seat. Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it. Just think of me as your teacher, and you’ll be my student coming to—or should I say in—my office every day.”
Nick choked a little from where he sat.
“Every day?”
“Perhaps Bernie wasn’t clear as to what your obligations would be, hmmm?”
“I…well…he…”
“Shush now.” Mr Wilson held a hand up to quiet Nick. “How about we do our negotiating now. Sound good?”
Nick exhaled. In spite of the fact that he was sitting nude on a chair in his new boss’ office, things were taking a better turn. They would negotiate. Maybe Nick would only have to suck this guy’s dick a couple of times, then he could just go about his business working on the sets with Jack. It would all be okay, and he could put this whole bad episode out of his mind. They’d have jobs and Nick would never have to debase himself like this ever again.
Hollywood Bound Page 10