Show Business

By Matt Handford

British actress Kate Robertson is living the dream: she’s got a successful acting career, a mansion in Beverly
Hills, great friends, and a hunky boyfriend. Once she gets her dream role in the remake of the science
fiction classic Memories, Kate gets very excited. However, since she and director Ken Lyons are both connected
to a Los Angeles criminal gang known as los Diablos, her self-centered co-star John Farrell becomes
a full-fledged member of a rival gang known as the Sharks. Once they discover that the two remaining gangs
in the city - the Volgograd Bratva and the Hong Kong Triad - merge with each other with the goal of ruling the
Los Angeles criminal underworld for themselves, the cast and crew of Memories must put their differences
aside in order to avoid being exterminated in the Battle for Los Angeles.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Mar 12, 2020
• ISBN: 9781796092202

Book preview

1

K ate Robertson had just stepped outside LAX airport in Los Angeles when she realized how much warmer it was compared to London. Since she absolutely loved the Southern California warmness, it was an excellent departure from the rainy English weather that she was raised in. After getting inside her car, Kate played her Kylie Minogue CD and drove away from the airport.

When her iPhone rang soon after leaving, Kate turned off the music when she noticed that Adriana Milani’s name appeared on the caller ID. After she answered it, her girlfriend said hey girl, how was your flight?

Tiring, Kate said in a exhausted tone. Fourteen hours is a long time to spend on a plane.

Why didn’t you stop off at New York…or somewhere else in the Northeast?

I wanted to just get it out of the way.

Suit yourself. Me, Clair, and Roxy are getting together at Pierre’s on Santa Monica Boulevard at two o’clock. Wanna join?

Absolutely.

After she hung up, she thought of her hunky boyfriend Jason Mills and how he was doing. A pot dealer from Australia, Jason came to Los Angeles County five years ago seeking to strike it rich in the marijuana trade. Pot was becoming so popular in California that anyone who resided in the state could buy it legally from small stores in Los Angeles.

When Kate arrived at her mansion in Beverly Hills, Jason was standing at the bottom of her stairway naked after she went inside it. After she closed the front door, Jason ran towards her and slammed her against it. After the two of them kissed each other several times, Jason stripped off her clothes and revealed her beautiful slender nakedness.

Tall and white with spiky blonde hair, Jason loved it when Kate rubbed his large biceps and ribcage. After stroking his entire body, Kate opened her legs and permitted her boyfriend to enter her pussy.

After entering her several times, Kate interrupted him and said stop, stop. I’m meeting Adriana, Clair, and Roxy at Pierre’s in an hour. I have to get ready!

After moving away from him, she put her bra and panties back on, ran upstairs, went into her bedroom, and found the perfect dress for the occasion. Long, white, and maxi, it went well with her curly brunette hair and she also placed a gold necklace around her neck for the finishing touch.

When she went back downstairs, Jason said crikey. You look absolutely stunning, babe.

Cheers, Kate said.

Just be careful, Jason said in a cautious tone. I would hate to see you get hurt, especially with a dress like that on you.

I will.

When Kate arrived at the restaurant forty minutes later, she saw her girlfriends Adriana Milani, Clair Fields, and Roxy Little sitting at a table together sipping wine. While the other women were drinking, Roxy, a tall, thin, light-skinned black woman in her early thirties, was telling them about her fun times the previous night. So, I was at this ladies club called Victoria’s when I approached this extremely hot black guy and paid him $40 for a private lap dance. When we entered the room, he took off his short shorts, lathered his entire body with water, and shook his sexy black ass right in my face.

Did you suck his dick when he turned around and shook his man parts in your face, Adriana said.

Yeah, girl. And drank his semen to go along with it. The other girls laughed so loud that literally half the restaurant could hear them.

When a French waiter came over and took their order, Kate ordered escargot with caviar, Clair ordered Orange a’ La Duck, Adriana ordered Frog Legs, and Roxy ordered a salad. When the waiter left, Clair told Kate that’s an unusual choice for you.

Yeah, well since I am a highly-paid actress, I have to try the fanciest foods in the world if I want to keep distancing myself from the herd.

Does that include smoking weed and snorting crack?

Of course. We’re all in show business, after all. All four of them had another fit of laughter afterwards.

When Roxy noticed that the male stripper who gave her the lap dance was in the restaurant sitting with his white girlfriend, she got up, approached the guy, and said hey, your name’s Ron, right?

He looked at her awkwardly and said ah, yeah.

I just wanted to tell you that I had fun last night, she smiled.

Awkwardly smiling, he said thanks. Just doing my job. You look good. He was hinting at her little black dress.

Continuing to smile, she said thanks. Enjoy your meal.

When Roxy returned to the table, Clair Fields smiled and replied good job with that one. I don’t think he was even paying attention to that tarty girlfriend of his. I didn’t think anyone would be caught dead in a pear dress. Fruitiest thing I’ve ever seen. The other girls laughed so hard that Ron turned to stare at them. Roxy smiled and waved at him in response, but Ron wasn’t the least bit interested. Both Ron and his girlfriend just left without eating or paying anything.

Kate then told her girlfriends about getting the role of John Farrell’s wife in the remake of Memories. After they all cheered for her, she told them since reporters always ask me about whether or not I have ever slept with John Farrell, this is my chance to prove to them that I have.

What if he turns out to be a real jerk, Adriana asked.

Well, then I guess I’ll have to deal with him since we have both signed contracts to star in that movie.

2

J ohn Farrell was lying on his living room couch listening to Phil Collins’ I Don’t Care Anymore via his iTunes account when his agent called him on his Samsung Galaxy and told him there was a problem about the girl you wanted to have sex with tonight.

He turned off the music and said like what?

Well, my contact Mr. Correro claims that she’s got a bad case of West Nile Virus.

Angrily, John replied what! How the fuck could this happen? She’s the hottest girl he’s got on his payroll.

It’s those damn mosquitoes. They’re infecting everything in their path.

Well, then, who’s the second hottest?

Adriana Milani. She’s a tall girl in her late twenties with long curly blonde hair who loves to wear tight scarlet leather dresses.

Is she from Italy? Or is she an American of Italian descent?

The latter. She’s from the Bronx.

All right, sounds good.

She’ll be at your apartment no later than ten o’clock tonight. Don’t be late.

I won’t be.

John, a tan-skinned Irishman with spiky black hair, has no morals at all. He chased off his family when he began his acting career at age twenty. He also refused to date, get married, or father children. When he came to California three years later, he received his first breakthrough role in the movie Vietnam Struggles and went on to star in the masterpiece Betrayal with Colm McGuinness.

After driving down to Palm Tree Studios, the flagship studio of Palm Tree Films, in his Maserati, he encountered director Ken Lyons in the studio and asked so, you’re the director of this film?

Yep.

He held out his hand for John to shake, but John simply said look. I’m just here to make a movie and go home. I’m not looking for friendships or any of that bullshit.

Taken aback, Ken said "oh, so you’re one of those jerk types. It’s been a while since I last dealt with someone like you, but you people are a pain in my ass nonetheless. So get to your dressing room now before I drop you from this project." John walked straight to his dressing room without saying another word.

Born and raised in Hollywood, Ken Lyons developed a love for movies when he was very young. Since his father was a director before him, he wanted to make movies that would either meet or exceed the expectations that his father created. After he graduated from the University of California Berkeley, he directed over a hundred commercials and won a Commercial of the Year award in 2001. After making the first Overlord film in 2008, Ken was able to garner an Academy Award for Best Director and a permanent position as a world-class director.

When Leon Brockton entered the studio, he wanted to say hi to John after he saw him heading towards his dressing room, but Ken told him don’t bother. He’s extremely self-centered.

I should get ready for the scene, Leon said.

All right. I’ll see you in about twenty minutes.

Sure thing.

When John and Leon arrived on set in their Serian Security Forces uniforms, Ken told them to go the two neighboring lockers in the locker room nearest the window. When the camera starts rolling, John, I want you to close your locker door, look out the window, and notice the Memory Corporation headquarters in the distance. After he stares at it for two seconds, you Leon will also look at it and tell him that ‘once you go in there, you’ll never be the same again.’ And we are rolling in three, two, one. And action.

After Derek Ross closed his locker room door, he looked out a nearby window and noticed the Memory Corporation headquarters in the distance. Two seconds later, Dion also looked over there and said once you go in there, you’ll never be the same again.

And CUT, Ken shouted. Great job, guys. Leon, you are now officially on vacation until about halfway through the movie, which is about a month away. So enjoy your time off.

Thanks, man, Leon said. And I will.

John, you and I will do the last scene of the day, which consists of you noticing a prostitute with implanted boobs.

Sounds good to me, man. Maybe I’ll even bed her if I offer her enough money.

Don’t get your hopes up. She prefers women over men.

Maybe I can change her mind with enough money.

Good luck with that one. Since you’re a complete asshole, you’ll never have anyone in bed with you unless you’ve got the right amount of cash. Plus, money’s not the answer to everything, you know.

"Fine by me, Kenneth," John said before giving him a sly smile.

After John and Ken both walked to the next shoot, they noticed model Heidi Blanc walking down the fictional street towards them. A tall woman in her mid-thirties with tied-up blonde hair, Heidi was wearing nothing except a scarlet overcoat and high-heeled shoes. After Ken greeted her, he said to Heidi once the camera starts rolling, you are going to open up your overcoat and say your beautiful speech. On the count of three, two, one. And action!

As Derek walked towards the Memory Corporation headquarters, a good-looking blonde lady in a scarlet overcoat approached him and said you’re gonna need both hands if you wanna grab these babies ’cause they ain’t free, sweetheart, while she was opening her overcoat to reveal her large nude breasts.

And cut! Great job, Heidi. Love those jigglies, by the way.

Thanks, hon.

After Ken left the set, John approached Heidi and said now that you’ve shown me both of your sexy boobs on camera, I was wondering if you would be interested in sleeping with me for a million dollars?

"A million bucks to sleep with a mick. Thanks but no thanks. I prefer to have sex with women anyways."

Fuck you, dyke.

Wanting to forget about that last conversation, John went back to his Maserati and drove home. Since he was in the mood for something fancy that night, he put on a Calvin Klein black suit, went to Pierre’s, and ordered the veal. While he was eating, he briefly thought about his family and his hometown of Galway, Ireland but then put it all aside so that he could finish his dinner. Shortly after he had finished, however, he noticed an armed couple rising from their seats, pulling out handguns and garbage bags, and robbing the restaurant.

One of the robbers, a tall, mullet-headed blonde man with a London Cockney accent yelled everyone freeze! Place your valuables in the rubbish bags and you’ll be unharmed!

Give us your fucking goods now! You fucking millionaires, yelled the woman, who possessed the same accent.

When the woman reached John’s table, she pointed her gun at him but then said hey, I know you. You’re that bloke who played Julius Caesar in that crap film about him. Hand over your wallet, gorgeous.

Fuck off. I’d rather die than hand it over to a couple of criminals like you.

Calling her beau, the woman said oi, Archie, get over here! This self-absorbed sod refuses to hand over his wallet!

Rushing over to his table, the man also pointed his gun at him and said hand it over, mate, and this will all be over.

Since one of the tables nearby him consisted of a black guy and a white guy, the black guy put his right index finger on his lips indicating John to keep quiet while he and his white comrade brandished their own handguns and popped bullets into the couple’s brains.

Once the couple was dead, the black man yelled everybody grab your things and get the fuck outta here! Since John was thankful that he never handed over his personal belongings to the robbers, he darted straight out of the restaurant and went straight home.

When John made it back to his penthouse on Sunset Boulevard, he was in no mood for sex that night. So he called his agent, told him to cancel his appointment with Adriana, and went straight to bed.

When he got up the following morning, he got inside his Maserati and drove back down to Palm Tree Studios. After John arrived there, he saw Ken and hoped that he would not talk about the events the previous night. The first thing that John said to Ken was so, when do we start shooting?

Having no interest in John’s mocked enthusiasm, Ken said what? No time to talk? I suppose you don’t want to talk about what happened last night?

It’s no big deal. A couple tried to rob me last night and they failed.

Shocked by what John had said, Ken replied what the fuck is wrong with you? You got two guns pointed at your head and that’s all you can say?

Look, it’s over now. I just want to get into wardrobe and makeup so that we can continue filming this movie.

Fine. Since Ken had never felt so annoyed in his life, he simply said go ahead.

When Ken saw Anthony Chu walk towards him a minute later, he shook hands with Anthony and was eager to work him. "I loved the first two Rise of Empires movies, Anthony said. Too bad Rise of the Byzantine Empire wasn’t as good as either of them."

Oh, well I didn’t direct that movie. I only co-wrote the story and produced it. I knew it wasn’t going to be as good.

Ah well. I better get into my dressing room and get ready for my first big scene in the movie.

Yeah. I’ll see you in about twenty minutes.

After emerging from his dressing room, Anthony was really excited to play the part of Teal, a representative at Memory Corporation who implants false memories into Derek Ross’ mind and makes the government of Seria think that he is a spy for the Resistance forces in New Territory.

When John Farrell arrived on set, Anthony wanted to start a friendly conversation with him, but John only said you and I have a scene to do. So shut up and let’s start filming.

Looking to avoid another argument, Ken said three, two, one. Annnnd action.

After arriving at the Memory Corporation headquarters, Derek walks over to Teal and receives a smiling welcome from him. Once Derek takes his seat on the patient’s chair, he got several probes attached to his head. Although he could feel new thoughts enter his brain, Derek could not work them out. Once the process was complete, Teal said thank you for stopping by. Come back anytime.

And cut, Ken said. Great job, guys. That will do for today.

3

D rexel Jamison was in A really good mood when he found out about Archie MacLean and his girlfriend being dead. As a result, he permitted Kevin Jersey and Tyrone Whitfield to dine with him and his wife, Mila, at their mansion in Malibu. While they were eating a delicious dinner of spaghetti and meatballs, Drexel smiled and said man, am I glad that prick MacLean is dead. Him and that floozy girlfriend of his have been nothing but trouble ever since they set foot in this country. Now all we have to deal with is Carlos Santiago. This guy has both the Mexican cartels and the Colombian drug lords at his back.

Is he from either of those countries, Kevin asked.

No, he’s from Venezuela. Chavez tried to kill him last year, but Santiago was able to get a plane out of Caracas thanks to his loan shark buddies in LA. He’s been the leader of the Diablos gang here in LA ever since.

So let’s bury this nigga and take his money, drugs, and honies for ourselves, Tyrone said.

"Not just yet. We need a big-ass crew if we’re going to take this guy down. Santiago’s locked and loaded with men and guns.