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“She’s referring me to a rep since I don’t have an agent yet.”
“Charlene did that for you? Fuck, you must be good.”
“I am.”
“Ooh, cocky and broody. I’m intrigued,” Reed chuckled as he elbowed me.
I shook my head. Broody? Jesus Christ.
“You got a place to stay?” he asked.
“Not yet.” I shook my head. “I just got here two weeks ago. I have a room at a hostel.”
“I’ve got a two-bedroom that I share with one roommate, but he’s moving out. If you can put in $500 a month, the second bedroom is yours.”
“I’ll think about it. Let’s trade numbers.”
His offer wasn’t the cheapest, but he looked nicely dressed and I assumed his place was the same. And even if I thought Reed was over the top—kinda like an eager blond Labrador—I did need some friends in this town. And a safe place to sleep.
He looked harmless but I never made assumptions.
Mistakes like that could be deadly.
“You got another audition after this?” I asked.
He leaned in again, his shoulder rubbing against mine. I did my best to slowly step away.
“Nope. Just lick me.”
“Excuse me?” I snapped.
I was louder than I realized, and the other guys turned and glared at me.
Reed threw his head back and laughed. That honeyed rasp of his was something else.
“I’m going to Lick Me, it’s a club. A gay club in West Hollywood.”
“A… gay club?”
I squeaked like a ten-year-old, no joke. Gone was the voice my drama teacher once described as a ‘velvet baritone’.
“Yeah, gay clubs are the best. And I’m not just saying that because I’m gay. The parties are freaking incredible.”
Reed was so open about it, like there it was. Here he was. Out and proud. No big deal. Was everyone in LA so relaxed about revealing their sexuality to strangers?
“I’m not gay,” I blurted out.
I’d been telling that lie since I was thirteen years old. No sense in changing now. Not when I was so close to my dream of making it as an actor.
I was going to have money, and fame, and everything I could get out of this life. And that hellhole where I grew up, the nightmare that was my childhood, it was all in my rear-view mirror.
Where it would stay.
The Hollywood movie machine was still operating in a hetero world. A world I was used to acting in. It was perfect fit.
“Okay, that’s cool. You still wanna come with?” Reed asked. “There’s dancing and strong, cheap drinks. Wait, how old are you? I forgot to ask.”
“Twenty.”
