Poser!
December 15th, 2017:
Laurel Quinn looked at her cellphone again and read the time. It was “6:15pm” and she had officially spent exactly three hours waiting inside of her parked Black Mercedes Benz. She had always wanted to take a tour of the Pixney Studios San New lot. It was where the biggest movies and television shows were filmed.
With more than one hundred studio lots, each large studio contained sets that ranged from schools, oceans, space, hospital rooms etc. That was the magic of filming! Everything was done on a lot that didn’t even require the actors or film crew to travel too far.
Although the visit was on Laurel’s bucket list she unfortunately wasn’t there to take in the sight-as usual. She had work to do and the reason she was parked in front of the Studio Lot 36 was because of her client. Action star Cody Posey contacted her a few days ago. He was supposed to visit her the other day at the Publicity! office, but he had a meeting. She had known Cody only through his many tv appearances and whatever was posted in the tabloids.
He was a twenty six year old actor famously known for his many action films like, “Ask Hard, Kick Harder”, “Iron Fingers”, “The Insocialables” and most recently he signed on to play the role of the famous comic book hero ‘Captain Canary’. The gig was the biggest of his career and Laurel knew why. He would be racking in $4.5 Million dollars from this movie as well as 70% of profits from the action figures sold. It was a fantastic deal, so she knew once he called her on the phone the situation was dire and it had to be exterminated quickly. While he didn’t tell her much over the phone except where they could meet and the time he was available, that didn’t stop her from digging deeper and finding out more information on who this actor was and what he didn’t want the public to find out.
Apparently there was a twenty two year old from Texas, who emailed him about her plans of telling the media he groped her at a hotel room in Downtown L.A unless he could pay her $5.6 million for her silence. It was a sad attempt but not so uncommon especially amongst male stars who had bigger egos than trophy cases.
Laurel noticed a man walking out of the lot with a few women surrounding him and she quickly got out of the car closing the door. The cold wind was very rude as it blew along her leg causing her to shiver. Her outfit of choice consisted of a Violet designer dress hidden by a black designer trench coat which clearly wasn’t keeping her as warm as she had hoped it would. Of course Laurel wouldn’t be ‘Laurel Quinn aka Publicity!’ without her stiletto shoes.
She waited until the muscular man was finished signing autographs and taking selfies for the small group of fans. Cody was dressed in a red, black and blue Spandex super hero suit that was completed with a cape.
Cody saw Laurel and he signed the last picture and he waved goodbye to the tourists who were all eagerly excited to tour the rest of the lot in hopes of catching glimpse of the next big movie star.
“You must be my Crisis Manager. Laura Quint?”
Laurel gave him a smile and shook her head, “Very close but it’s Laurel Quinn.”
“Ah yes. I see. My apologies. It’s nice to meet you Laurel Quinn.” The 5’9 man outstretched his right hand and Laurel shook it slowly. Cody had short black hair that was brushed toward the back of his head and held together by what she could only assume was gel. His muscular body was defined thoroughly by the tight spandex costume he had on. However, once again her focus was on the job.
Laurel took back her hand and her smile turned into a serious expression as if she was just about to tell him news he didn’t want to hear. “Is there somewhere we can talk privately?”
Cody’s eyebrows lowered at her words and he chuckled nervously. “It’s that bad huh?”
She didn’t answer nor react to his question. With the tourists frequenting the facility she didn’t want to take any chances just in case amongst the crowd was a Paparazzi trying to get the information he needed to expose Cody.
He realized the seriousness in her silence and he nodded at her. “My trailer is down the lot. We can talk there.”
“That would be perfect.”
“Alright. Right this way.” Cody smiled at her and he started to walk down the brightly lit lot. The group of tourists were nowhere to be seen, just fake palm trees, alien props, Spartan swords, golf carts, and racks of beautifully altered sequin dresses.
“I promise you, my trailer is heated.” Cody said softly as he continued walking.
If this was part of his charm Laurel wasn’t interested. Then again his array of women were always Supermodels and blondes with bigger breasts and smaller hips. She highly doubted that Cody found her to be attractive. Even if he did, she wasn’t interested.
The pair approached a large trailer that looked more like a six bedroom house.
“Perks of being a super hero.” Laurel stated causing Cody to chuckle. He pulled the knob of the door and opened it for her. She walked up the six stairs and gasped at the beautiful sight. A large black leather sofa, a kitchen set that would fit at least half the cast of any film, three doors that probably led to other bedrooms and what she hoped was a bathroom and a set of stairs toward her right.
“Yeah it’s not really my ideal living quarters, but it’s eco-friendly.”
Cody closed the door and followed Laurel up the stairs. He didn’t want to wait any longer for whatever news Laurel had. “Okay, so break it to me. How bad is this?”
Laurel sat on the sofa and crossed her right leg over her left, “Very bad. She’s threatening to go to BMZ with this story tonight at Eight unless you can wire her the money.”
“Did you at least find out anything about her? Like maybe she’s some con artist looking to make a quick buck on the expense of ending my career?”
Laurel gave him a nod. “Well for starters, her name is Elsa Adler. She’s from Texas, is a student majoring in Journalism-a huge red flag. Other than that, I had my assistant hack into her social media accounts, phone and lap top- basically anything where she shares her personal life and all I got were just the emails she sent you regarding your altercation in the hotel.”
Cody shook his head and he leaned against the sink of the kitchen angry, bitter and ashamed. “Dammit!”
“Look, I have a few ideas on how I can fix this and make it go away-along with her- but I need you to be one hundred percent honest with me. Can you do that?”
Cody didn’t respond to her as quickly as she had hoped. It was clear he was filled with regret but she couldn’t do much unless he was honest with her. Unless he told her everything she needed to know. If he was going to lie about the situation, he was going to make things a whole lot worst for everyone involved including himself.
He let out a frustrated sigh and he nodded finally giving in. “Alright. I can do that.”
“Good. Okay let’s start with how you two met.”
Cody pulled out a chair from underneath the dining table and he placed it a few feet across from Laurel. He sat on it and started to recall the moment he met the young man.
“It was three months ago. I had just wrapped a long day of shooting and I checked into the hotel. Normally I would sleep in the trailer, but I was off the next day and wanted to tour L.A. She was there at the hotel bar and she was very friendly. She didn’t seem to be threatening or even look as if she was capable of something like this.”
“Neither was Jeffrey Dahmer and look how that worked out.” Laurel stated not missing a beat.
Cody continued, “Anyway, she and I spent at least an hour talking about the movie industry. I was completely taken aback about how grounded she was.”
Laurel leaned forward listening to every word Cody was saying. Her position was calm and poised and she actually looked like a talk show host. It was very amusing to anyone looking from the outside in at this scene.
“Didn’t you find it a bit suspicious a civilian took interest in how your day went? Especially in
a hotel bar?” It was a question that Laurel had the right to ask and it was one that made sense to Cody.
“I had my suspicions but then I remembered-I..-“. Cody became choked up and he started to stammer with his words. He wasn’t being totally honest with Laurel and she needed him to be in order to fix the situation at hand.
As Laurel opened her mouth to speak Cody finally blurted out what he needed to say. “My manager sends these girls, wannabe actresses looking for their next big break, models who barely speak English and even former Adult film stars. He pays them to be seen holding my hand, cuddling me, kissing me and even just seen leaving somewhere together. It was the only way to have this ‘Bad Boy’ persona.”
“Did you ever sleep with these women?”
Cody shook his head quickly, “Not at all! Whenever we were in the hotel room, always in the Presidential Suite, they would get Spa treatments and room service. I would sleep on the couch while they slept on the bed. The next morning I would pay them $25k and give them a Confidentiality Agreement for them to sign. Then they’ll go their way and I go mine.”
Laurel had to admit the plan was genius. She didn’t know much about this actor other than by reputation which in itself was interesting because he was perceived as a womanizer. Now she knew why. She wasn’t really surprised because all of Hollywood was an illusion.
“She seems rather vengeful for a woman who could’ve potentially received a huge pay out.”
“That’s the thing Ms.Quinn. She wasn’t hired at all by Alfonso my manager. I took her up to my room to pay her and that’s when….she started to grab me and grope me.” He stopped speaking as if he had a disgusting taste in his mouth.
Laurel lowered her voice to a softer state as if she was scared of being overheard although it was only them two in the trailer. “Cody…did she rape you?”
Cody met her gaze and he slowly shook his head. “N-no not at all. I was able to push her away softly...I just…I told her...I wasn’t interested and she started to cry blaming herself for being unattractive and ‘ugly’ and that wasn’t the case. It’s just…-..I-I can’t do this!” He rose up from the chair and leaned against the golden and black marble countertop.
Laurel rolled her eyes clearly irritated at the theatrics this actor was displaying rather than just getting to the point. He was oblivious to the fact that time was running out on his career and he needed to get his act together if he truly wanted her to fix this mess.
“On a normal day I would let you have your moment in the spotlight by huffing and puffing and leaving me hanging on your every word, but today is not the day! You need to save that dramatic bullcrap for the big screen.”
Cody turned to her slowly and he took another breath trying to find the proper words to say. He nodded his head and slowly started to speak. “I told her…I told her the truth. I didn’t want to sleep with her because…I’m Gay.”
Laurel’s eyes widened at his confession. The reasoning behind his manager’s publicity stunt made sense to her now. She was wondering why a handsome man would have trouble finding a girl to settle down with, it wasn’t because he was secretly married-as she initially thought- but because he was Gay!
She finally managed to break the silence between them, “Does anyone else know besides your manager and myself?”
“Yes. My family and close friends do.”
“Okay, that’s good. Congratulations on being who you are. That is more important here especially s-“
BING!
Laurel took out her cellphone from the right pocket of her trench coat and she looked at the screen and in a few seconds she let out a small gasp. “Crap!”
Cody felt a lump in his throat as she reacted that way. When his friend Lil Holler referred her to him, he was expecting a heartless and cold woman who would do anything to get the job done. But her reaction to her phone made her seem human like and it really scared him. “Is everything okay?”
“Elsa...she’s live on BMZ right now. She’s telling them you raped her.”
Cody let out a disgusted gasp. “Are you serious!?”
“It’s fine.” Laurel stated dismissing his worries. “We can beat her at her own game. She’s clearly a woman scorned because you didn’t make any sexual advances towards her. You can’t go live and tell everyone you weren’t interested because your reputation proves otherwise...So you can come out of the closet. Tell your fans the truth.”
“Absolutely not!”
Laurel once again rolled her eyes at his response and she quickly jumped to her feet. “Look, I get it that you’re nervous about this new step in your life and it seems so sudden but we don’t have much of a choice. Hollywood forgives drunks, crack heads and cheaters. What they don’t forgive are Rapists. That is one label you cannot get back from! Sure, coming out of the closet is a cliché, but it’s who you really are and being Gay is certainly not the end of your career. Especially in this industry.”
“It isn’t that easy!” He snapped back. “I’m an action star. Me coming out means, persecution, being labeled a ‘sissy’. No one will see me as a true hero.”
Laurel glared at him as if he had just insulted her. “You’re not even an action star. While we’re here chit chatting your stunt double is on set being thrown into a wall. All you do is star in the film and read lines off of a script.”
Cody shook his head in disgust at her words. “You’re basically forcing me out of the closet! How the hell can you sleep at night?”
“I am not forcing you out of any closet! She is!” Laurel played the live feed on her phone and she showed it to him.
On the screen was a beautiful blonde woman with black mascara running down her porcelain like cheeks. She was crying and wiping her tears with a white tissue. “All I did was tell him how I loved his movies. My brother is his number one fan...and…and he promised to give me a signed headshot for my brother. So we went to his hotel room and…and he forced himself on me. He had his hands under my skirt and started kissing my neck. I told him I wasn’t interested and he…he threw me on the bed!” Elsa stopped speaking and she began crying.
Laurel exited from the screen in disgust. “You have to admit, all those reruns of Special Victims Unit do come in handy don’t they?”
Cody felt his blood boil and he slammed his hands on the counter angrily. Laurel flinched and she brushed a strand of her auburn colored hair back. “You need to retaliate as soon as possible. We don’t have enough time before this sad story goes viral.”
She was right-no matter how much Cody didn’t want to admit it. With every second he spent wallowing in his truth is another share Elsa’s false account gets. Tears formed in his eyes and his palms became sweaty. “Alright...I’ll do it.”
“Great!” Laurel stated trying not to sound too excited. “You’ll need to change out of that costume and wear a neutral color shirt. Nothing with designs, it’ll take the focal point away from what you’re saying. Also, try to take a few beats in between your words, that way it looks as if you are truly getting emotional. I can film this with my cam-“
“No” He interjected causing Laurel to stop speaking. “No offense, I appreciate everything you’ve done...I just need to do this myself. Please.”
“Oh okay.” She gave him a sincere smile. “I’ll be outside in my car. Good luck and no matter what you think, you’re actually doing something amazing.” She walked down the stairs of the trailer and opened the door leaving Cody by himself. He knew after he makes this video his life was going to change for the better...or worst. Either way he was prepared for it. It was time he stopped living in denial. It was time to face everything.
Five Minutes Later:
Laurel took a bite out of a cherry licorice she was able to steal from the Craft Service table of Lot 32 as she was seated warmly in her car watching Cody live on her cellphone. He was able to make a LiveBook video session that garnered more than nine hundred and sixty three viewers also watching live.
He thankfully listened t
o her and was able to put on a red shirt that covered his costume and his black hair was still in its super hero phase but she didn’t expect nothing less. If he found a way to plug in that he was filming the new superhero film he would definitely win this mess.
“-That’s how life works. Every day we wake up and get ready for our same routine. Unless you’re an actor like myself, then you wake up wondering ‘who am I today?’. But I am sitting here in my trailer of my new movie to tell you all that...I…um...I-“
“Come on Cody. Deep breaths. Breathe in and breathe out.” Laurel said as if he could hear her from the other side of the phone.
Cody was visibly nervous and he looked away from the camera trying to calm his nerves down. Until twelve seconds later he looked back at the camera no longer nervous and he let out a deep breath, finally able to tell the world the truth.
“-That I, Cody Posey…am…regretfully sorry that I raped Elsa Adler.”
“Son of a bitch!” Laurel opened the car door still with the phone in her hand and she ran down the lot as her stilettos echoed throughout the empty lot. As she did her best to run as fast as she could, LiveBook was still playing on her phone.
“It was not my intention to hurt her or to make her feel inferior and for that I hate myself. That night in question, I was sad, disgruntled and drunk. Because of this I am entering myself into rehab for a month to fix my problem. I am sorry for letting my fans down, sorry to those I have hurt. And to Elsa and her family, I am forever sorry. Thank you and God Bless.”
Laurel finally reached Cody’s trailer and she yanked open the door and ran up the small stairs where she found him logging off of the webcam. “What the hell did you just do?” Her words were filled with anger and confusion.
Cody got up from the dining table and he turned his laptop off, “I did what I thought was right.”
Laurel gasped, “Right? You just confessed to being a rapist. There is no right in any of this! You will forever be known as a Rapist.”
He nodded his head agreeing with her and he took off his red shirt revealing his costume underneath. “That is true Ms. Quinn. But I’d rather be known all throughout Hollywood as Rapist rather than a Faggot.”
The word visibly affected Cody when he heard it come of his mouth but his mind was made up. He cleared his throat and pointed to the door. “Now if you don’t mind, I need to take a shower and get ready for bed. Have a good night and drive safely.”
No words could form in Laurel’s mind or even in her mouth. She had never witnessed anyone destroy their own careers willingly because they feared of being discriminated in Hollywood. An industry that is more inclusive than anything else in the world.
She turned on her heels and walked down the stairs of the trailer and closed the door behind her leaving Cody alone with his regret.
As Laurel made her way back towards her car her cellphone began to ring in her hand. She saw the caller ID had Tony’s name on it and she answered it, “What?”
“Quinn, I need you to come back to the office. Meryl’s here looking for you.”
“Are you serious? Can’t you tell her I’m busy with another client, because I am really not in the mood for her crap.”
Tony’s voice was cracked and he seemed nervous. “I-I did and she said she isn’t leaving. Quinn, just back here asap!”
“Fine! I’ll be there in five minutes.” She hung up the cellphone and stormed over to the driver’s seat of her car opening the door. “I fear this night is going to get worst.”
The Office of Publicity! (Six Minutes Later):
The elevator stopped on the third floor of the private building on 3260 Amethyst Road. A building where Publicity! has called home for the past three years.
Laurel quickly walked out of the elevator to find Tony standing by the doorway leading into the spacious office.
“Where is she?”
Tony looked at her. “Inside your office, but wait-“
Laurel ignored his words and she stormed into the office passing by the beautifully decorated waiting area which was painted pink and black, consisted of a few pink and black leather recliners, a large plasma television screen, a table which always had the best food catered from the Italian shop down the street and a pink and black decorated Christmas tree.
She pushed open her office door to find the Fifty-eight year old actress standing by her desk watching herself on the television screen.
“Oh Dahling! Can you believe I was about your age when I did this film?” She asked not taking her eyes off the black and white style movie currently playing.
Laurel placed her hands on her own hips and cocked her head to the side. “You cannot barge into my office without an appointment. I don’t care who you are in this industry!”
Meryl Hopkins paid the Crisis Manager no mind and she kept her eyes glued to the screen. Laurel only saw the back of Meryl’s long white and silver hair and for some odd reason the woman had on a pink silk robe.
“Meryl are you listening to me?” The actress still didn’t flinch and Laurel clenched her jaws together. After what unfolded in the past thirty minutes the last thing she needed was an incoherent Hollywood actress thinking she was better than any and every one she comes in contact with because she has a few Oscars under her belt.
“Meryl!” Laurel finally shouted causing the woman to break out of her hypnotic stare. She slowly turned around to face Laurel and the Crisis Manager couldn’t believe what she was looking at.
On the front of Meryl’s robe was a large blood stain and on the right side of her cheek were splatters of blood. Her eyes were bloodshot as if she was crying.
“Oh my God. Are you okay?” Laurel asked walking over towards Meryl.
“Oh yes Dahling I’m fine. This isn’t my blood. It’s my husband’s.”
The statement made Laurel worry even more. “Your husband? Where is he?”
“Home. On the bedroom floor dead. I hit him over the head with my Oscar.” She paused and met Laurel’s eyes. “Oh by the way! Did you hear Dahling? I was just nominated for another Oscar award.” The woman’s tone changed from traumatic to calm and proud within a matter of seconds. All Laurel could do at this point was run her fingers through her own hair in frustration.
Moments ago Laurel feared her night was going to get worst, but she soon discovered...spoken fears do come true.
[End]