Adventures of Hollywood Jim Ch. 91

It seemed like a lifetime ago that I was snapping photos of this aspiring R&B trio called Tigress at a tiny Las Vegas lounge while a bigger act was selling out the arena next door. You could say it was my life from long ago. I was partnered with my school friend Chris Foster and the big break for his business came from their manager. Much of the time we were laughing at these wannabe-Spice Girls but they had the last laugh. Almost overnight, they became the biggest act in the country and were handpicked by Beyonce' and Rhianna to be part of what was termed "The Triple Threat Tour" that crisscrossed the country's biggest arenas. And Chris and I were the photographers chosen to document the tour. It was the biggest payday we'd ever seen and not a day went by when I wished he could see where his protégé' was now. Since then, Tigress had quietly split up, one member went to work for "Entertainment Tonight", another went for motherhood and a third was giving acting a try. Her name was Candy Jordan and a call from her manager Amy Adamson brought back a flood of memories.

"Mister Hollywood, how ya doing darlin'?"

"Amy, I'll be damned...been a long time."

"You said it! I wasn't sure if you were still in the photo business."

"I wasn't sure of you were still in the music business."

"Ah, touché'." She said with a chuckle "How'd you like to prove you still got it?"

"I'm up for the challenge, whatcha got?"

"Candy is doing a guest shot on "Supergirl", annnnd...we could use some cool photos. Interested?"

"When do we start?"

Amy was someone with whom I had a long history, professionally, that is. She'd worked her way up the music biz ladder and got the promotion of a lifetime when their previous manager, Chuck Tyler, decided to turn over control of the group to her when he got the top job at Artists Unlimited. She'd actually turned down several offers from record companies to remain the groups' manager. And things were getting even better now that Candy had eased into a solo career and acting roles. It looked like Amy was also having the last laugh. So was I, knowing that Chuck was out of the picture. And my bosses at the Morrison Group were more than happy for the business they were likely to get out it. Production of the show was scheduled to move to Vancouver, but they planned to film Candy's episode in California. Her role on "Supergirl" would have her as an evil desert spirit named Diablo who takes over her body and escapes from a mountain prison deep beneath the earth and takes on Supergirl. Amy and I got caught up while waiting for Candy to arrive on the set. Once she arrived, she eagerly posed for pictures with the crew as she made her way with us to makeup.

"She still has her fans, huh?" I said to Amy.

"Hell, yeah!" she laughed "Once a star, always a star."

Just then, a production assistant called Amy aside, Amy nodded then pulled me over.

"They'd like to get a photo of Candy with Melissa before she gets into costume."

"Melissa?"

"Uh-huh. Supergirl herself. Let's go meet her."

"Oh, right! Yes, uh, let's go."

I might've sounded casual in my tone, but she was the one I really wanted to meet, and now I had my chance! I was suddenly thinking back to when I'd go to car shows as a kid, excited to meet some Playmate or TV starlet. And not to brag, but I'd met my share of those. As we were led over to another trailer, I was trying not to be too excited, you know, saying "Discipline, 007, discipline" to myself even as we passed by the "CATCO set" and I could see Calista Flockhart reading lines with another assistant and laughing.

"Hey, that's um..." I stammered to Amy.

"Oh, yes, she's very funny to be around. Never takes herself seriously." The assistant said casually "Sometimes her husband comes by to take her home."

"Awww, What a sweetheart." Amy replied. I had to wonder if she realized that it was Indiana Jones picking his wife up at work, like anybody else.

The assistant knocked on the door of a large trailer where I could hear music playing loudly inside. She went inside for a minute and the door opened a minute later and out stepped Supergirl herself, Melissa Benoist, in full costume. She had a broad smile and her blonde hair looked great even under the stage lights. I tried not to be star struck but it was hard to deny that she bore a striking resemblance to another old friend, Blake Lively. Blake was someone else I'd lost touch with, but in her case there were a large number of reasons why. If she suddenly turned up again, I doubt I'd have much to say to her. She'd become someone I didn't know anymore, the reason why was a story for another time.

"Hi! I'm Melissa!" she said to Candy in a perky voice "It's so cool to meet you."

"Hi, Melissa, this is my manager Amy and this is our ace photographer Jim."

"Ace photographer, huh? Hiya, Jim!" she said with a big smile.

"Yes, h-hello, it's a thrill to meet you." I said in a shaky voice "It's not often I meet someone who flies."

"Hey neither have I!" she said with that giggly laugh of hers.

"Um, let's get the photo done over here." The assistant said diplomatically.

I snapped off several candid shots of Candy and Melissa, they both looked as star-struck as I was. We made plans to get a few more once Candy was in her own costume as Diablo. Melissa and Candy looked so great together, pity that they'd be locked in "mortal combat".

An hour later, Candy arrived in her costume as Diablo. It was an electric shade of red with tiny dots around it that I learned were used by the CGI crew to insert digital effects in post-production and would only heighten the look of the costume in her battle with Supergirl.

"Uh, let's get a shot where you're facing off against each other." I suggested. Melissa giggled a little before taking up a fighting stance, Candy did the same and I luckily got off a few shots before they both cracked up laughing. I didn't mind, I had to smile myself. It was still something I had to get used to, being around different stars and taking photos. It was still a strange feeling, but at the same time I was reassured that I hadn't become jaded by what I did. I clicked off a few shots and both girls were led off to block out their scenes and meet with the people who'd handle their wire work for any flying sequences.

"So how do you like the new company?" Amy asked as we watched from afar.

"It's really different. Morrison apparently has her own style."

"I've heard the same thing."

Curiosity now got the better of me; "Um, what have you been hearing about Artists Unlimited? I saw that news flash about their restructuring." I couldn't help but ask about that since Amy still had some peripheral connections to my old employer. And getting a breaking news text about it only fueled my curiosity

"Not much" she answered casually "I would guess they're divesting themselves of what they don't need."

"What would that be, people?"

"They've got a lot of debt in other areas. They'll start there for sure before dumping people. They'd have to settle a lot of contracts and who knows how long that'll take or how much. I doubt they'll still have the same client list. I know Candy's contract is coming up for renewal. I'll know what condition they're really in by what they offer, if they even do make an offer."

"So maybe my getting canned was for the better?"

Amy looked around and took me aside.

"If you ask me, you got out of there at just the right time" she began "There's gonna be another power struggle there, for sure. And this time the New York boys will probably win."

"OK, dumb question from me, what does that mean?"

"Nothing for you, but if they get their way the company would pull up stakes and work exclusively out of New York."

"Jesus! They could do that?"

"Walter Murphy wanted to do that from what I've heard but Chuck talked him out of it."

"And then Walter died...gee, his timing was impeccable." I said with resignation.

"You sound like you want to go back that nuthouse." She said with surprise "If you ask me, you did the right thing, or should I say they did the right thing."

"Yeah, I know...maybe I'm just sentimental. Especially considering how I joined the company, I guess I feel a sense of loyalty."

"What, to a sinking ship? You've been spending too much time in the sun with those starlets, Hollywood."

I smiled a little "Yeah maybe you're right, I've entered a new world and I should be embracing it."

"Exactly, and I know just the right thing along those lines."

"Oh, what's that?

"Well...what would you think about my asking you to talk to your boss?"

"What about?"

"She must know great talent when she sees it. Maybe she'd like to add to her stable of stars" she said with a nod of her head toward Candy before returning to meet with her as she was about to film a complicated scene "Think about it, Mister Hollywood." She added without even looking back at me. She was showing how she was the master of flirtatious deal-making. I'd heard about her prowess in this field and now I knew it to be true. Melissa was getting her makeup touched up and she gave me a big smile as I cautiously walked over.

"Hey! There's the guy!" she said in that perky tone of voice "Did you make me look good?"

"Oh, I doubt the girl of steel could ever look bad." I replied with some cocky charm, which Melissa's cute laugh said volumes about whatever charm I might have "You'd be surprised how many bad photos they've taken of me."

"Oh, come on! I find hard to believe."

"It's true! I always think my hair looks all wrong or something like that." she said.

"I guess super hair isn't one of your super powers?"

"Probably not!" she laughed.

"That's why we're around..." her hairdresser said casually as she finished the touch-up.

Over the next 2 days, Candy did her scenes as Diablo and it was clear the CGI crew would be in all their glory with the special effects her character. Then it was out to the desert where more scenes were done. Once her initial scenes were done, the crew would meet her in a separate studio where the bulk of the CGI work would be done. It was all fascinating stuff to watch, even if it was mostly waiting around for the right light or technicians to get things right. Two weeks later, I got a call from Amy telling me of a "watch party" Melissa had organized at her house.

"Cool, what's the address?"

"Ah, got it here...um, 1214 Bravo Drive. Think you can find it?"

"I think so. I can always use my GPS if I get stuck."

"Great! See you then."

I hung up the phone and thought about the address, it sounded so familiar, but from where? I looked through the addresses on my cellphone but none matched up. As I pulled up to the house in the early evening, I had a sense of déjà' vu. In the garage I saw a red Mini Cooper with a mountain bike on its roof amidst the other guests' cars and white accent lights were dangling from the trees around the driveway.

"Hey! Mister Hollywood's here!" I heard Melissa say with a giggle from the doorway "C'mon in!" she said as she gave me a welcoming hug. She wore a simple orange t-shirt with the Denver Broncos logo on it and black denim jeans.

"How'd you know about 'Mister Hollywood'?"

"I told her" Amy said from inside. She and Candy were already there and everyone was taking advantage of the generous spread of food while waiting for the episode to come on. Most of the "Supergirl" cast was there and Amy introduced me to everyone. Someone yelled "Showtime!" and we all took our seats around a huge 75" TV mounted on the wall.

"Jim, you sit here by me." Melissa said as she handed me a beer and we settled in to the cushy black leather screening room-type chairs. I was still struck by a sense of déjà' vu as I looked around the room and tried to remember why this house seemed so familiar. But for all I knew it had probably been owned or rented by many other tenants. Maybe I was getting very jaded and all the houses were starting to look the same. On the walls she had a poster for the Glee concert film, with her prominently featured next to Lea Michelle. Next to it was a poster for Supergirl that had her crashing through glass. On a nearby shelf was a small photo of her with her husband, apparently at the Roman Coliseum. As we watched the episode, Melissa and everyone else joked about certain scenes, how many takes it took for someone to get one line right. When Candy came onscreen in full villainous attitude and outfit, she put her hand over eyes in embarrassment, everyone chuckled a little as did Melissa.

"Hey, I had the same reaction the first time I saw myself as Supergirl." She said.

"Really, you didn't like it?" I asked

"Oh my god, it felt like the goofiest Halloween costume!" she laughed.

"Maybe, but I saw a helluva lot of little girls wearing it last Halloween."

"OK, so I'm empowering little girls everywhere. It's still a little weird at times."

The episode ended, everyone applauded and grabbed one more plateful of food. I looked around the house a little, nothing jogged my memory. In the backyard was a kidney-shaped pool complete with a small cabana house.

"Thinking of buying the place, Jim?" Melissa asked me.

"Me? No, I'm very happy with my apartment. I doubt my cat could handle someplace like this." I said as I petted her dog, who'd trotted in and hovered around my leg looking for attention "This is more of a dog's house anyway."

"Yeah, I never thought of that. I asked because it'll be going on the market soon."

"Oh, why?"

"Well, since the CW picked up the show we'll be moving to Canada and filming up there. I'm gonna miss this place. You know who the previous owner was?"

"Who?"

"This used to be Paris Hilton's old place."

BOING!!

That's it!! Now I remembered! Faster than a speeding bullet, it was flashing back to me. When I first arrived in Hollywood and was working with Chris Foster, his firm got a major bit of publicity when he photographed an ad campaign for Paris Hilton and I drove her home to avoid the paparazzi who'd surrounded our offices, 1214 Bravo Drive was her old address. The evening I'd spent here with Paris was my "Welcome to Hollywood" moment that had stayed with me ever since, now I was back here. But I had to play it cool.

"Oh, uh, really?" I said with a slight cracked voice "She lived here, wow, what a coincidence. It went from one beauty to another."

Melissa's eye widened a little.

"Well, aren't you the charmer!" she giggled. "I think I know why they call you Hollywood Jim."

"Vicious rumors, all of them."

"I don't know..." she said with a bit of cautiousness in her voice "Um, wanna help me clean up?"

"Gladly, I'm an ace at dishwasher loading, you know."

Melissa smiled broadly. As we worked in the kitchen, her guests started saying their good nights and we were soon alone in the house. Melissa was very organized with everything in her kitchen.

"How 'bout one more glass of wine?" she offered as we finished.

"Sure, seems only right."

She opened a new bottle of red wine, poured two glasses and led me out to the patio area. It had a cool, high tech look with the blue lights in the pool and white accent lights strung around a gazebo. She had 3 large clamshell-style chairs with thick cushions and pillows we sat in.

"So, like it?"

"It's really something. Did you design it yourself?"

"Not really, a lot of this was leftover from the last tenant."

"Would that be Miss Paris?"

She nodded. "She actually had a flair for design, I'll say that. I loved these chairs, I've gotta find a way to take them with me." She said as she took a sip from her glass "Now, can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

"How'd you get a name like Hollywood Jim? I mean, you're a good looking guy and all. But, um, I can't help but wonder."

"Well, it's a weird story."

"I like weird stories." She said with that beaming smile we all saw on TV.

"OK, um, when I was in high school a guy I was friends with gave it to me because I seemed to know a lot about music, movies and he thought it was funny. So he started calling me..."

"Hollywood Jim...OK, I like that!" she interjected.

"Yeah, well, it gets a little embarrassing at times. But I guess it could be worse."

"You're right." She nodded as she began to slide closer to me "But I like it."

She had a shy smile on her face that spoke volumes.

"You're a little closer than you were before."

"Uh-huh...I think you like it, too."

"S-should you be doing this, I mean y-you're married and all?"

"He's off doing a movie in Europe" her voice growing softer before adding "Besides, he doesn't mind." She said before kissing me on the lips. I was a little, no a lot, surprised. But the only thing I thought to do was lean in with a kiss of my own. Melissa got even closer to me and we kissed much more dramatically. Being in this huge chair only made it more romantic, all around us we could only hear crickets and maybe the evening breeze through the trees.

"That feels really nice!" she said with a big smile "Wow, I never imagined that with you."

"Uh, well, I guess it's a t-talent of mine."

"Kiss me again."

I kissed her again and our tongues touched, sending an electric charge through my body. I drew her in closer to me and we were eagerly kissing one another. I felt down her back 'til Melissa moaned softly as my hands felt her denim clad ass. Our lips parted and she beamed at me.

"Wow! You're really something!"

"I am?"

"You bet, um, I think we should be more comfortable."

"In what way?" I suddenly felt so stupid asking that.

"Just relax...I'll do the work." She said with a sly smile. Her fingers lightly made their way down my chest "I'll make you feel good, Jim." She whispered in my ear as she began to softly kiss my cheek and I felt her hand on my crotch. I could feel my dick start to grow as she did this. She now went for the zipper and once it was down, her soft hand slipped inside.

"Whoa...I feel something." She said with a giggle "Wonder what it could be?"

I was too overwhelmed to reply. She quickly had my dick in her hands and it slid out effortlessly.

"Oh wow, nice!" she said excitedly "Is this why they call you 'Hollywood Jim'?"

"Well, uh, could be..."

She began to slowly stroke my dick and as it grew said with a beaming smile "I think it is." She lowered her head into my lap and I felt her lips on the head as it went into her mouth. I closed my eyes as a feeling of pleasure came over me. Supergirl was blowing me, what were the chances of that? Her head began to bob up and down on my dick and her tongue worked its magic as well. It was unreal to be outside in the L.A. night and have this TV starlet sucking me, simply unreal. She slowly came off me and smiled.

"How's that?" she asked with a giggle.

"G-great." I replied as I leaned down to kiss her.

Melissa sat up and slowly pulled her t-shirt up and over her head, revealing a lacy black bra she quickly unhooked. Her breasts were small, and I felt a little illicit feeling them. It was like being a kid and copping a feel from a female classmate, but she didn't seem to mind.

"Yeah, I know I'm not too busty." She said

"That doesn't bother me, y-you're beautiful in other ways."

She smiled and gave me that same "Oh, come on" look I'd seen before "Do you always say things like that around women?"

"Uh...only ones like you."

Melissa and I kissed again. I began to caress her breasts, making the nipples erect, and the more I did this, the more she moaned in pleasure. Her hands were all over my chest and she soon worked my shirt off. She moved down and lay on top of me, eagerly kissing me the whole time.

"Ohhhh, I like this!" she said softly "I really like you, Mister Hollywood."

"Well, uh, I really like you...Supergirl."

Her beaming smile showed how much she loved being called "Supergirl".