of CKB, every other member of the Shots Fired in the Melting Pot cast was present in the kitchen for the director’s announcement. While they had delayed fifteen minutes to give him a call, the cast and crew decided to proceed without the career criminal. Litz was wearing her formfitting white dress, and Richard stood at her left in his black microfiber shirt and jeans of the same color. Fassim had changed into an American flag hijab that stood out from her navy blue pantsuit, and Jazzy was clad in a red cocktail dress with matching high heels. Stoney had gotten the director’s approval by exhibiting a sleek black suit with a dark blue tie. And Jennifer Priest wore an elegant light blue, floor-length gown.
“I wanted everyone to be here today as I announce that we’ll be filming on location in Houston, Texas with the fine people of NASA,” Mike continued in a robust voice. “Our popular cast members will be hosting a fundraiser for NASA to help them get the Mars mission off the ground. We’ll be given exclusive tours and VIP access to the space shuttles and other equipment, in preparation for the upcoming mission to the moon. This mission, of course, is in advance of a more exhilarating second mission to Mars. On behalf of the Shots Fired crew, we look forward to being your honored guests – at least for the first day. After that, I’m sure we’ll have the same naughty antics that make our show one of the highest rated in the country. So without further delay, I’d like to kick off this party and welcome you all to get full…of booze.” He finished with a debonair wink and grinned at the sound of obligatory applause.
Litz noticed a handsome astronaut that stood out from the others in the NASA group. The forty-two-year-old man had a distinct swagger, and something about him screamed for her attention. She wandered over to the mysterious stranger in her best impression of Scarlett from the film Gone With The Wind. Richard held his breath as he observed the gratuitous pursuits of his co-star. The conservative knew that Litz was flocking to the astronaut based on the cut of his jib, but elected to ignore this event, surmising that the man was hardly a stuffed frog.
CKB entered the room with a moody expression, and upon seeing the catered event, wished that he could limp to the solitude of his bedroom. Stoney noticed his adversary and nearly knocked Jennifer Priest over when his feet trudged forward to the entryway of the loft. Mike Farr saw the police officer approaching CKB and excused himself from a boring conversation with a NASA physicist, signaling the producer to take his place. He pushed air through his nose like a bull snorting at a bullfighter, hoping that the men could play nice until he got to them.
“Where’s that video?” Stoney questioned his co-star with a desperate expression. “I’ve been looking all over for you, and need to get that video for the Templars, or we’re both done.”
“Look, man, I’m not in the mood to do this right now,” CKB growled at his interrogator, giving off the social signals of a desperate man. “Shouldn’t you be like – face down in a donut somewhere? Or maybe shooting your gun at cartoon crooks that never move?”
“Okay, that’s enough,” Mike interrupted as the men stared at one another with malignant disdain, “let’s go to my office. Come on, CKB, you asked me to handle this thing, and now I’m getting it done.”
Stoney grimaced at the director for taking the side of his natural enemy, and something changed in the way he carried himself. The police officer seemed volatile and filled with distrust. Mike placed his hand on CKB’s shoulder, but the man shrugged him off and limped toward the office like a rebellious teenager. The Japanese authority figure felt wounded as he followed behind Mike and CKB. There were explosions of doubt in his mind that resembled the cavitations of heated steam in a nuclear power plant – melting down without any coolant.
“I’m glad you guys are doing this,” Mike began as he watched the two men enter his office and closed the door, “it’s important to get things-” The director went silent when he noticed that Stoney had drawn his pistol and was pointing it between CKB’s eyes.
“The video; now!” Stoney exclaimed with his head tilted forward in a macho display of control.
“What are you gonna’ do, cop?” CKB challenged with his arms extended to take up space on both sides. “Have you lost yo’ mind, Cracker Jack? It looks like you let Hector get into your head.”
“Is that right?” The policeman asserted by sticking out his chest at the criminal. “Hector is going to do us both if I don’t get that video back to him. Besides, I don’t know why this is on me; it’s your fault for uploading all of those videos. You can’t be making an ass of every thug in the city. Eventually, it’s going to be…”
“Well, we all gotta’ die of somethin’.” The criminal boasted in a childish manner, dipping his right wrist down a bit to emphasize his point. “Maybe we should die right here.”
“Okay, that’s enough!” Mike intervened with authority, raising his hands and shaking them in annoyance. “You guys need to start saying something concrete, and stop posturing, or I’m gonna’ push us all out the window.”
CKB smirked at the director for his attempt at mimicking a street gangster and began to chuckle. Stoney had a similar reaction, and both men shared a glance of streetwise solidarity. They smirked at Mike as though he were a domesticated dog that was trying to threaten the hounds of hell. Stoney lowered his pistol and began to laugh heartily, and CKB soon joined in as their nervous energy dissipated.
“I’ll tell you what, brother,” CKB touted with a gaze of genuine affection, “you helped me get out of a tough spot the other day, so I’ll help you out. If you get your boys in blue to watch the kids at Canarsie Park for the next couple of days, then that video won’t make it anywhere.”
“Why do you want us to watch the kids at the park?” Stoney inquired with a puzzled expression.
“Because the kids are very entertaining; they’re like an improv group on Broadway. Does it matter?” The criminal reasoned with a hint of sarcasm and disbelief.
Stoney and Mike exchanged bewildered glances, having been unaware that their colleague possessed such depth.
“Okay, I’ll go with that for now, but we need to talk again when we get to Houston.” The Japanese officer agreed with a sigh of relief.
“Wait, why are we going to Houston?” CKB asked with a look of surprise.
“Mike can explain all of that, but let’s talk again soon,” Stoney conveyed with a smooth voice, reaching out with his left hand toward CKB.
The director watched CKB hesitate and felt that the fragile peace in his office was in danger of fading away. But the criminal reached up and took Stoney’s outstretched hand, and their eyes met with the masculine version of a smile. Mike exhaled with renewed confidence in this delicate balance between the men and retreated to the party with a grin.
Litz devoured the astronaut using a pair of wild eyes and strutted forward with her right hand wrapped around her stomach. She hit him with a smile first but pulled away after a two-second count to keep it playful.
“Everything looks delicious, doesn’t it?” The audacious brunette flirted with blatant desire. “My name is Litz Rack.” She continued and stood tall in her white high heels to appear statuesque, lowering her right hand in a dainty way to invite their first contact.
“Oh my hell, you’re Litz Rack!” The middle-aged man responded almost a second too late. “I’ve seen you on the show - you’re hilarious. My name is Jason Harrington.” He said and gave a weak tug to her hand.
‘Game, set, match.’ The disenchanted woman thought to herself as the astronaut exposed his soft white underbelly. She gazed at his gray suit and crimson tie, assuming that the body underneath may have been worth exploring. Litz decided to radio his manhood again to check for signs of intelligent life. Although the terrain looked inviting, it would be a short stay if there were no one with whom to discuss her travels.
“You know what I’ve been craving all week?” She offered with a wicked grin, feeling her body heat up in the most wonderful plac
es.
“I don’t know…probably chocolate.” The astronaut answered with a blank stare, proving that he was no rocket scientist in the bedroom.
“Look, I’ve gotta’ go, there’s this thing I have to do for some starving children,” Litz fibbed with an incredulous stare. “It was nice meeting you. Please tell your mother hi for me.”
Jason seemed amused and clueless as the dashing beauty abandoned him to talk with the other NASA visitors. She began counting the number of seconds that it would take for him to realize the opportunity he had just lost. The man scratched his head for almost a minute, pretending to listen to a female colleague as he considered what Litz had to say. When his mind finished piecing together the hidden meanings of her flirtations, Jason’s eyes locked onto the shaggy, gray carpet beneath him. He then slowly moved his gaze up her luscious body and closed his eyes for several seconds in anguish.
‘And we have lift off,’ Litz chuckled to herself as she maneuvered to the far side of the kitchen where Richard was hiding next to the catered food.
“Nobody’s touching it,” Richard reported to his co-star as she joined him in a quiet corner of the room.
“I know what you mean,” the diva replied in a devilish fashion, wishing that she wasn't