The Road to EGOT Season 02 Pt. 07

"That doesn't come easy. We both know how hard that is to find once. Let alone twice."

"Yeah but i'm not ready to give up hope on that just yet." She told me smiling brightly.

"You're right. Love is too important to give up on. I'm sure someone will light your heart ablaze once again. I just hope you're looking in the right place."

"I hope so too. I hope you haven't given up too."

"Not yet. "

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We arrived at Stamp's mansion and I couldn't help but be impressed at the grandeur of it all. The asshole had made quite a living for himself. Ariana and I left our car with the valet service and made our way to the main entrance. I knew there would be many celebrities here tonight but was surprised to see Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David at the door cracking jokes. We shared a quick greeting with them and walked by. I noticed Larry checking out Ariana's ass. He saw me and we shared a quiet laugh.

Stamp was standing in front of the main hall with his beautiful wife Ayelet Zurer. They were making sure to greet all of their guests. I hadn't seen him for quite some time. Being close to him. knowing all that he had done, made my skin crawl. He was tall but much more muscular than I remembered. I couldn't help but notice the contrast between Connor and himself. Connor spent his evenings in a piece of shit bar, drinking his life away. Derek was Hollywood royalty. Spending time with all of the pretty people. He looked up and saw me, and a shark like grin covered his face.

"My, my, my, if it isn't Duncan Bryant. Emmy nominated writer standing right here in my foyer! What have I done to deserve such favor?" he said sarcastically.

"Well you represent a very beautiful and talented woman." I answered pointing at Ariana. "What else would compel me to grace you with my presence?" He laughed.

"Clever. Ariana you do look beautiful. Thank you for coming. Have either of you met my wife Ayelet."

"Hello nice to meet you both." the beautiful actress said. She seemed kind. I wondered what she had done in a past life to deserve dealing with pond scum like her husband. "I hope you enjoy the evening and have a good time." She finished.

"Thank you very much for having us." Ariana said.

"Duncan, I would like to speak with you. That is of course if you can find a minute later after i've greeted everyone."Derek said. I hesitated, worrying about what he could possibly want from me.

"Sure. No problem."

They moved out of the way and we were allowed to enter the main room. It was brimming with life. The party was in full swing.

"Well that wasn't awkward." Joked Ariana.

"Was it? I couldn't tell."

"What do you think he wants?"

"To hold the baby seal while he hits it with a golf club." I answered. Ariana laughed.

"He's really not that bad. You should give him a chance."

"We'll see how the meeting goes."

The room was filled with celebrities. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon were in a corner drinking and laughing with Jennifer Garner and Ben's brother Casey. Jennifer Lopez looked gorgeous talking with the head of a studio. Jessica Alba was chatting away with Justin Timberlake and his wife Jessica Biel. Mariah Carey was there with her cleavage on full display. And to my surprise Olivia Munn looking incredibly bored, listening to a story Aaron Rodgers was telling. I had no idea she was being represented by Stamp. She looked amazing. She wore a short red dress that pushed her tits up. Her legs and ass looked gorgeous. I couldn't help but remember our tryst in Miami. She saw me and her face brightened considerably. I smiled back and hoped we would have a quiet moment to talk at some point.

Ariana and I walked around saying hi to people she knew. Jennifer Aniston and her boyfriend Justin Theroux were at the bar. I had met Justin a few times. He was headlining the HBO show The Leftovers. He was a great guy and we chatted for a bit after he had introduced me to Jennifer. She was beautiful and funny. Ariana saw Iggy Azalea and her now fiance Nick Young of the Lakers. We walked over and talked with them. I had never been a big fan of Iggy's music, but seeing her up close was quickly changing that. She had a full figured body that caused quite a few stirrings in my loins. Out of respect for Nick, who turned out to be a really great and funny guy, I tried not to stare too much. Nick and I hit it off and he even offered me tickets to the next Lakers game. Iggy and Ariana went off to talk about something. Nick went to meet Rita Ora who was also in attendance.

"I thought we said we had to stop running into each other like this?" Olivia said as she popped up next to me.

"Nothing's changed. I still like running into you." We both laughed and smiled at each other. "I didn't know Derek represented you."

"Yeah for a few years now. What about you?"

"Nope. Just here with Ariana."

"Yeah i saw. She's pretty. Is she your girlfriend?"

"Oh no. Just a friend who needed an arm."

"So she wouldn't mind if you disappeared for a few minutes?" She asked cocking an eyebrow.

"Oh no she wouldn't. But i think your boyfriend would." I responded pointing towards Rodgers who was currently boring the hell out ot of Bradley Cooper.

"He's going to be way too busy boring everyone at this party."

"What is he talking about anyway?" I asked. "It seems like he's telling the same story he was telling you earlier."

"Yeah! His Super Bowl victory. If i have to hear that story one more time, i'm going to put a bullet through my head."

"It was a pretty great game."

"Well would you rather hear him tell you the story, or have my lips do other things to you?" She asked me seductively.

"You! Definitely you!"

"I'll find you later!" She said as she smiled and walked away. I turned around looking for Ariana and was nearly knocked to my feet. Victoria had just joined the party, with Eric Strong in tow. I couldn't take my eyes off of her. She looked beyond beautiful. She wore her hair straight and wore a clingy blue dress. it not only showed off plenty of leg, but her cleavage was awe inducing. She looked different. Older. More grown up. The past year had been kind to her. I couldn't say the same about Eric. He seemed small, almost stringy. Almost as though his suit was wearing him. At that moment, Victoria looked my way. She smiled and took me in, just as I had taken her in moments ago. Ariana went over to her and grabbed her in a big hug. I used the distraction to move away.

I had no idea she would be here. I thought she was doing a show in San Francisco. I wasn't ready for this. I thought about leaving but I couldn't leave Ariana behind. After all i couldn't forget what had brought me here. A few feet away from me was a very lovely young blonde. She had a great figure and was sitting quietly by herself. I met her gaze and realized it was AnnaSophia Robb.

"Hello. How are you?" I asked her.

"I'm fine thank you." She answered with a very shy smile.

"I'm Duncan. I'm a friend of Marty Fagan." Her eyes grew with recognition.

"Oh yeah? I'm Anna."

"I know. How are you?"

"I'm fine. Just feeling a little out of my comfort zone." She said as she nodded towards Mark Wahlberg who had just arrived.

"I know what you mean. The collected Net Worth of the people in this room could probably buy a small european country." I tried joking to make her more at ease. It worked she laughed.

"How do you know Marty?"

"We're good friends from college."

"Oh. I'm guessing he told you what happened at his agency." She asked seeming embarrassed.

"He told me your meeting didn't go well and you choose not to sign with them." She seemed relieved in thinking i didn't know about the entire ordeal with the blowjob. "Did you choose Stamp?"

"Oh no ,not yet. He invited me to show me who else he was representing, and how well off they were."

"They really are well off."

"Does Stamp represent you?"

"Nah. Just here with a friend." I looked over and saw Ariana walking towards us. "This is her. Ariana meet AnnaSophia."

"Oh hi. I'm a big fan of yours Ariana." Anna said to the pop singer blushing as she pretended not to be checking her out. I was surprised and more than a little intrigued.

"Oh really! I'm a fan of yours as well. I loved the Carrie Diaries. It's a shame they canceled it." Ariana said sounding genuine.

"Thanks, I was too. But something else will come up."

"I'm sure" said Ariana.

"Are you guys together?" Anna asked us, clearly hopeful the answer would be no. The way she looked at Ariana I was pretty sure which one of us she wanted.

"Oh, no, not at all. Duncan is just a really good friend. I recently broke up with someone and he graciously accepted to be my date." Ariana answered for the both of us. Also clearly interested in the curves of the young blonde.

"Well Duncan seems like a very special guy." AnnaSophia responded. Finally giving me some attention. Which really did wonders for my ego. I was starting to feel like the third wheel.

"He sure is!" Ariana said smiling at me. The three of us spent a little time getting to know each other. I was glad to see Ariana and Anna hitting it off. The flirting continued between the three of us before I went over to the bar to order us some drinks. I was watching Stamp as he walked around, enjoying his party when my attention was pulled away.

"Hey Duncan." I knew that voice. I would never forget that voice. I turned to face Victoria. My heart fluttered for a second before I was able to get it under control.

"Hey Victoria. How are you?" I finally said.

"I'm good thanks. It's been awhile." We both stood, not knowing if we should hug or just continue standing awkwardly far from each other.

"Yeah. Way too long."

"I've been watching the show. It's really great."

"Thanks! I'm glad you've been watching. I'm sorry about Eye Candy!"

"It's fine. I was kind of relieved when it was over."

"Why is that?" She took a beat and looked at me. A bright smile in her eyes as well as on her face.

"It just wasn't the same without you." I blushed, not really knowing what to respond. I looked down at my shoes.

"How's the tour going?"

"It's amazing. Ariana and I are having a ton of fun."

"She said the same thing."

"Yeah I saw her. She told me you guys came together. Thanks for doing that. I know you're not a big fan of Derek. It means a lot to her that you're here." She said this as she got closer to me and rubbed my arm. "You've always been a kind person Duncan. Don't ever change." I blushed once more as my drinks were finally ready.

"I should get this to them." I told her. She placed a soft kiss on my cheek.

"Thank you."

"For what?" I asked perplexed.

"For the song you wrote. It's beautiful."

"How did you know i wrote it?"

"Duncan!" She said my name, shaking her head while smiling." I have probably read every word you have ever published. I can always tell when it's you. You write with your heart. You always have. That's how you reached me with your book all those years ago. And how you continue to touch others." I was speechless. I put the glasses down and i held her close to me. I promised myself i wouldn't. I could no longer hold back. Her words had touched me. I had never missed her more than I did in that moment.

"I think it's pretty amazing you could tell." I said as i pulled away from her.

"Well the last line helped quite a bit."

"The last line?"

"You're as close to the angel as i'll ever be" She said. "Those were the same words you said to me on our last night together."

"You remember that?"

"Duncan I remember everything about us. My heart won't let me forget."

"Victoria!" Someone shouted coming from the crowd. He came over and gave her a big hug.

"Hey Matt how are you?" The man was tall with dark hair. There was something familiar about him but i couldn't place him. He and Victoria caught up before Victoria finally introduced us. "Matt this is a really good friend of mine. Duncan Bryant, this is Matt Daddario. We just finished a movie together."

"Daddario? You're not related to Alex are you?" I asked as i shook his hand.

"Yeah she's my sister." He hesitated for a second before answering. I was paying attention, or else i wouldn't have picked up on it.

"I met her a few months ago. She's pretty great."

"Yeah she really is. Huh Tori, i gotta go. Nice to meet you Duncan." He quickly left.

"Wow. That was strange!" I said to Victoria as we saw him quickly run across the room.

"Yeah. Him and his sister had a pretty bad dust up. I'm not sure about why. Whenever he hears about her, he gets a little weird."

"Oh. I'm sorry. I had no idea."

"Not your fault. Well I should probably go find Eric. It was good seeing you Duncan." She said as she hugged me.

"It was great seeing you. You look beautiful!" She beamed her incredible smile at me before walking away.I grabbed the drinks and went to find the girls. I must have been gone longer than i had thought because the girls were no longer there. I looked around and had no clue where they could be. I left the glasses on a table and went outside near the pool. Seeing and talking to Victoria had shaken me. My god she was beautiful. I had forgotten the strong effect she had on me. I closed my eyes and tried to stay calm when I heard a moan coming from the side of the house. I walked over and peaked around the corner and was only partly shocked to find Ariana and AnnaSophia making out against the house. Ariana was all over the hot blonde, practically pawing at the young actress's shapely rear.

AnnaSophia wasn't just a passenger. She had removed a strap from Ariana's gown and was playing with her hard nipple. I felt myself growing hard at the scene taking place before me. I walked away, not wanting to interrupt their fun for any reason. I turned back towards the house, only to be accosted by an angry Eric Strong.

"You can't have her! You hear me? She's mine." He said to me. He seemed unstable. He was shaking, and continued to pass his hand against his nose. The idiot must have been high.

"Of course she is Eric. You have nothing to worry about." I tried calming him.

"You want her back! But you can't have her back. She's mine. I love her. Stay the hell away from her." He almost shouted at me. Thank god we were outside and the music inside was quite loud.

"I don't want her back. I don't. I hadn't even seen her for more than a year. Calm down." He broke. Tears filled his eyes. I saw it there again. The part of himself that he locked away. I pulled him towards a chair nearby, and sat him down. "She doesn't love me Duncan. Not like she loved you! I don't know why... " I hated to admit it, but i felt for the guy. I put my hand on his shoulder, not really sure what to say.

"I'll go find her for you. She loves you. She's been with you for a year. Why else?" That seemed to calm him down some. "You just have to get yourself together. Stop the drinking and the drugs. Be present for her. That will make a huge difference."

"You think?" He asked me, sounding more like a little boy than a grown man.

"I'm sure. I'll go find Victoria." I turned away walking towards the house and Ariana and AnnaSophia were standing there watching.

"Is he going to be alright?" Ariana asked.

"He has Victoria. He'll be fine. Could you guys go find her and tell her where he is."

"Of course." Ariana said as she kissed my cheek.

"Are you okay?" AnnaSophia asked me.

"I'm fine. Thanks for asking." I let them go inside, and i kept an eye on Eric from a distance. He was a mess. I really hoped for his and Victoria's sake, that he would put himself back together. A few minutes later Victoria came outside and held him against her.

"I'm so sorry baby." He said to her. "I'll be better I promise you. I'll do better. Just don't leave me."

"I'm not going anywhere. Just calm down." Victoria said, holding him close to her chest.

I walked back inside, no longer able to watch. I was on my way to find a bathroom when I heard Stamp shouting in one of the deserted hallways.

"Where the hell is she?" He was berating a very attractive black woman. Attractive didn't begin to describe her. She was very beautiful and wore a black cocktail dress that showcased her lovely figure. At the moment her lovely features were masked by worry as Stamp laid into her.

"I called, but she says that her daughter is sick." The young beauty pleaded.

"I don't give a shit. You call her and tell her to get that fat ass of hers over here soon, or the only thing she'll be casted in are low budget pornos." He screamed as he stormed away, bumping into her and sending her purse crashing to the floor along with all it contained. "Get your act together Kara. Or maybe a similar fate awaits you." She dropped down and and began picking up the items. I waited for Stamp to return to the party before helping her.

"Nice guy!" I said to her. She looked over and laughed.

"Not really! But he signs my checks."

"Shouldn't give him the right to treat you like that." I told her has i picked up her lipstick.

"Thanks. I'm Kara Banks." She said to me as she held her hand out to me.

"I'm Duncan Bryant."

"I know who you are."

"Huh! How?" I asked. Still very perplexed when this happened.

"I know practically everyone who works in the business."

"Well Stamp is clearly wasting your talents." I told her as we finished picking up the last of her things.

"I practically run his entire agency. He's just too much of a prick to acknowledge me. He wants me to call Scarlett Johansson and get her here. I keep telling him, her daughter isn't feeling well. He won't listen."

"Why do you continue to work for him?"

"He's a dick. But I get to work in movies, which has been my dream since I was a little girl."

"I'm sure. But i'm also sure you didn't dream of calling mothers and threatening their careers if they didn't leave their sick baby's side." She bit her lip when I said that.

"No job is perfect, Duncan. I'm sure you've had to deal with this sort of thing at some point."

"Oh I have. And since you're practically running the agency. I'm sure you know all about it. Is this how you envisioned working in Hollywood?"

"No not at all. I thought i'd be helping artists create. Not studios make more money." She said clearly frustrated. I couldn't help but smile.

"You remind me of a friend of mine. Just know, it's not too late. As long as you don't let Derek stomp out your passion." She smiled at me.

"Wow, the stories about you are true."

"There are stories about me?"

"Everyone claims you're one of the last few decent people in this town. Everyone has an agenda. You don't seem to." I laughed.

"Don't believe everything you hear."

"I don't. But i do think that if you do have an agenda, it could only be a good one."

"I'm flattered by the quick assessment of my virtue."

"It's my job. And i'm hardly ever wrong. I have to get ScarJo over here. It was nice meeting you Duncan." With that she turned and walked away. I couldn't help but stare at the wonderful curve of her ass. As i came out of the bathroom, I noticed there were even more celebrities in the room. Blake Griffin, Chris Hemsworth and Chris Pine had joined the party. I looked up at the second floor balcony and saw Iggy Azalea by herself. I went up to meet her.

"Hey you okay?" I asked.

"I'm alright," She said unconvincingly.

"You know it's always easy to tell, when a beautiful woman isn't feeling very well."

"You think i'm beautiful?" She asked sounding surprised.

"Of course. Why is that such a shock to you?"

"I don't hear that very often. People tell me i'm hot, or sexy. Or that they want to do me."