Chapter 39
VICTOR
“Here, have a beer with me.”
I look at Andrew with that dark glimmer flashing in his eyes. It’s a glimmer I am only too well acquainted with.
And one which I will no longer allow to dictate my life.
“I’ll only have one, thanks,” I say.
The director pauses. I know he’s very confused by my answer. I take the moment to scan my eyes around the bar. The music is pumping – loud generic house stuff. The lights are flashing, revealing many women wearing basically nothing and men ogling after them. The drinks are pouring. There are many suited staff members here, and there are many wannabe celebrities.
And I can feel eyes on me.
This is a trendy spot – a place to be to be noticed. You don’t come here for the music, and you don’t come here for the conversation.
It’s the end of the first week of shooting. This is meant to be a night to let our hair down and celebrate. Unlike Andrew and me, many people involved with the production have decided to rest, like Hayley, but I have somehow ended up here at this D-list bar-slash-nightclub along with Andrew.
And I don’t know why.
Well, actually, I do. Old habits are hard to shake. It wouldn’t be long ago when I would’ve relished being here. I would’ve loved the fact that I could swan in here and pick up any attractive model – or two – and take them back to my hotel suite for a night of fun. I would’ve loved to have been noticed. Throw my fame around. Get an ego boost.
But I am not that man now.
I already have a girl back in my hotel suite - Josie has taken the night to relax and sleep.
I wish I were there and not here, even if she is my fake girlfriend. An hour’s light conversation with her is far more rewarding than a night spent in this celebrity-trap shithole.
I came tonight because Andrew insisted, and he is a friend from the past. He knows the old me – the old me who would not need a second’s persuading to go here. And, right now, he is staring at me like he can’t recognize his old friend.
“One drink?” he asks.
“Just one drink, Andrew.”
“You’re not buying into all that new age bullshit, are you?” he questions. “Not Victor Penmayne?”
I wave away his concerns.
“I’m simply focusing on getting that best actor award now,” I explain. “It’s time I got serious about what I want. I’m not wasting my night getting trashed.”
Andrew shakes his head in disbelief.
“Is this all about that new chick you’re seeing?” he interrogates. “That little wide-eyed girl? Has she gotten into your head? Are you whipped by this girl?”
“Her name’s Josie.”
We’re interrupted by some stranger. She’s somehow gotten past Andrew’s security and has ended up at the rope barring our table from the rest of the bar. Well, I can see why she’s gotten past security when she has the... assets she has. She’s practically hanging over the rope, her enhanced tits straining to burst out of her top. She’s smiling.
“Oh my god, are you Victor Penmayne?” she asks me with a whole load of fake enthusiasm.
Andrew immediately answers, his eyes flashing up with a lot of nasty thoughts as he spots her assets.
“Oh yes, he is. You want to come and sit down with us?”
He beckons her into our private booth.
And I sigh.
Here we fucking go...
“Andrew, I thought we were just going to have a drink together...”
The director laughs. “We’ve always got room for a beautiful woman, right?”
The girl giggles at that and ducks under the rope. She dives straight for the space next to me, deliberately keeping her body practically stuck on mine. Her breasts rub against my arm. I don’t move. I’m not going to give up space, but I’m also not going to shy away.
I don’t want her here. Isn’t that obvious enough?
“What’s your name?” Andrew asks her.
“I’m Francesca.”
“Nice to meet you,” Andrew says. “And are you a big fan of Victor?”
“Big, big fan. I love him. He’s so very handsome.”
Her fake tits brush against my arm with every word she speaks.
I growl quietly. I really don’t want to be having this right now. I know what Andrew is trying to do – slowly break down my defenses until I’m drinking with him and partying until the sun comes up.
The old me would’ve carried through with all that in a heartbeat. But not me today.
I just want to go home.
“How about you get Victor to drink a proper drink, Francesca?” Andrew asks the girl. “He’s refused my advances, and it makes me so sad. Tell him he should drink and have a good time. I’m sure he can have a good time with you.”
“Yes,” the girl shrieks joyfully. “Have a drink with me, Victor. I will show you a really good time.”
She bats her eyes at me.
“I’ve got a girl waiting for me back home, but thank you for the offer,” I reply calmly. I have nothing against Francesca – she’s seen a famous celebrity and so is taking advantage.
“The mousey girl?” Andrew asks. “Really? Where’s the old Victor I used to know? He wouldn’t say no to all this.”
Yes, I am after the award, but there is something else here. I don’t want to spend my whole evening here at some bar, and it’s because of Josie. It’s because I am thinking about her. It’s because I want to be with her.
These are all very new sensations.
“I’m going home,” I announce to my director and the girl.
Andrew is very shocked right now. He’s not hiding the expression spread across his face.
“What are you doing, Victor?”
I stand up to go and smile at Francesca, who looks confused, and then I smile at my director.
“Have your fun,” I say. “I’ll see you tomorrow night, Andrew. On set.”