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Okay, so Los Angeles sure knows how to put on a party.
It’s truly a red carpet in all its Hollywood glory. There are journalists with microphones that dash after the stars like vultures. There are crowds and crowds and crowds of eager and screaming fans held back by fencing around the carpet. I spot wannabe B-list celebrities trying to get their moment in the spotlight even though they have absolutely nothing to do with the actual movie.
Wow, wow, wow.
It’s a hell of a lot more than a hundred people, that’s for sure.
It’s all very overwhelming for this lowly, small town barista, even after all the media training from Victor and the weeks spent with him in his life. This is a totally different world here in the heart of Hollywood. At least Italy felt like a million miles away from the manufactured glitz of Los Angeles. At least in Europe I was kept hidden from all of this... craziness.
And it’s all for Victor’s movie – the one he completed filming just before he met me in Crystal River. It’s coming out this weekend, and he really wants it to do well at the box office both here and around the world. Seriously, it could win him that award, especially with me in tow here at the premiere. This is the job I was hired for him to do – look pretty and be his girlfriend.
I’m here to give him that small town legitimacy.
I won’t let this moment get wasted on me. I know what I need to do.
And I play my part well. I want Victor to succeed. I want him to win that award and for this movie to go stratospheric.
I want to be a good fake girlfriend.
I’m introduced to so many people as we amble down the red carpet. Producers. Crew members. Directors. Financiers. Everyone urgently wants to speak to Victor and take a photo with him and tell him how much they enjoy his movies. Everyone wants to bask in his star power.
And I can see why.
This man fucked me in a private villa in Italy. He professes how much he likes me. He makes it out to be way more than a fake relationship.
He holds my hand throughout the entire stroll down the red carpet. It’s more than just a token gesture - he practically squeezes my hand the whole time. He makes sure I am introduced to everyone who tries to speak to him. He makes sure I am front and center in every conversation he has with important producers and interviewers and hangers-on and that I am not ignored like some trophy wife on his arm.
I like that. I really value that. He’s treating me like an equal.
I can’t believe I get to spend my days – and, especially, my nights – with this man.
There is, however, one person I don’t need to be introduced to as we near the end of the red carpet. And her name is Ashley Williams. The actress is a co-star with Victor in the new movie, and she is one of the most famous celebrities in Hollywood. Even I have heard of her – and how can anyone not? She’s won her best actress award a few years ago. She’s graced the covers of magazines. She’s a critic’s darling. She’s literally the female version of Victor in her wealth and fame and pure star power. She stands with her own team around her, looking as graceful as anything with a flowing red dress and bright red lipstick to match. Her blonde hair cascades around her shoulders like a golden angelic aura. She’s truly like Victor – too much of a star for this world full of normal people. She’s laughing as she gets interviewed by a whole gaggle of cameras and journalists. It’s like there’s a giant invisible spotlight on her, and no one can take their eyes off her.
And now Victor wants to introduce her to me.
And I am intimidated out of my mind.
“You want to meet her?” Victor asks me, his hand gripping mine for support.
“Who? Ashley Williams?”
“Yes.”
“She’s so famous, Victor,” I object. “She doesn’t want to meet me. She doesn’t even know me. She won’t know what to say to me.”
“She’s a human being, like me. Come on, Josie.”
“She’s practically a living goddess, Victor,” I protest. “She’s a star.”
“Really, it’s not too bad,” he says confidently. “She’ll love to meet my girlfriend. You are my girl, so let me show you off. Let me introduce you to her.”
“Okay...”
“Ashley,” Victor says to her when the two blockbuster stars finally meet on the red carpet.
She spins around from the interview she’s giving and gives the Penmayne a big kiss on the cheek. She’s so fancy. A red lipstick stain stays on his cheek.
“Oh, Victor,” she says dreamily. “It’s been months.”
