Rising Star (7 page)

“
Hi Selena, I’m Jeffrie,”
the small man said. “I’ll be taking you to Angelique’s office, and
anywhere else you need to go while you’re here. Can I get your
suitcase for you?” Jeffrie pointed toward the baggage
carousels.

“
Um, no…this is all I
have.” She could feel her face turning red as he looked at her gym
bag.

“
Oh, sure. Let me get that
for you.” Jeffrie took her gym bag and put the strap over his
shoulder as she followed him outside.

The bright southern California sun hit her
full in the face as she stepped through the doors. She looked up at
the tall palm trees, their fronds moving softly in the breeze. The
sun warmed her face as the ocean breeze lifted her thick hair off
her shoulder. Selena’s heart lifted as she began to look forward to
a new adventure. She only wished the adventure was of her own
choosing, instead of sitting on a horse while someone took her
picture. She had always been a little camera shy and—her fantasies
aside—she really didn’t enjoy being the center of attention. Don’t
get ahead of yourself, little girl, she could hear her dad’s voice
in her head. Who says they’re even going to want you for a model? I
guess it’s a free trip to L.A., either way, she sighed. She decided
to just relax and enjoy herself. Who cares if they want me or not?
She told herself.

Chapter 12

Selena sat in a waiting room outside
Angelique’s office in West Hollywood. The building was several
floors and Angelique’s office was on the third floor. Jeffrie had
pulled into a parking garage underneath the building, then led
Selena to a group of elevators, instructing her where to find
Angelique’s office. “I’ll be right out here waiting for you when
you’re finished, Miss Selena,” he said with a smile.

“
Thank you, Jeffrie.”
Selena couldn’t help but like Jeffrie, with his reddish complexion
and round face, he reminded her of Santa Claus. And he’d put her at
ease on the drive, chatting about each area he drove through. Of
course, she didn’t remember the names of any area he’d pointed
out—the movie studios, the fancy shops—it had been interesting, but
she was left with the idea of a huge city. She had seen from the
plane that the city seemed to stretch on and on forever. She had
seen a bit of ocean and coastline, then what seemed like city all
the way to the eastern horizon. It made her feel tiny and alone.
She already missed her wide-open desert and green valley, filled
with a peace and quietness that, she felt sure she wouldn’t have
again until she left L.A. This city was a hustling, bustling
metropolis, filled with more traffic than she’d ever seen in her
life. Tourists wandered the sidewalks of Hollywood, walking across
the street in front of Jeffrie absentmindedly as he braked to avoid
hitting them with the limo.

Now, her nervousness was returning as she
sat in Angelique’s lobby, a secretary giving her furtive glances
occasionally. She felt so out of place in her jeans and new cowboy
boots, in a rich office building in this huge city. Whatever had
she been thinking to come here? She should be at home right now,
typing away on her old computer, or riding horses with Beth. It
felt almost surreal, as if she
had
been transported to a
different galaxy.

Just then, Angelique’s door opened and a
tall, slim and very attractive platinum blond ushered Selena
inside. “I’m Angelique Deveroux.” She took Selena’s hand in a firm
grasp.

“
Selena
Summers.”

“
Such a pretty name. Is it
your own or a stage name?”

“
It’s mine,” Selena
said.

“
Well, let me look at you.”
Angelique took her hand and led her into the light from the huge
glass windows. Turning, she faced Selena and looked her up and
down.

“
Hmm…nice long legs, perky
breasts, beautiful hair.” She touched Selena’s thick, long auburn
hair as she said it. “Not too skinny.” She put her hands around
Selena’s waist, running them over her hips. “Firm,” she said.
“You’re in good shape.”

“
Yes ma’am, from riding
horses my whole life.”

“
Hmm, yes, I think you’ll
do. You have a fresh-faced, all American girl look. And your big,
dark eyes and all that thick hair should photograph well.”
Angelique crossed her arms as she studied Selena. “Your eyes have a
mysterious quality about them, as if you’re hiding secrets. We’ll
have to capture that look on camera.”

Selena didn’t really know what she was
talking about. She wasn’t hiding anything. Except maybe the fact
that she didn’t really want to be here. She felt like a horse at an
auction, with a prospective buyer checking her over for soundness,
as Angelique studied her and ran her hands down her body. She felt
slightly humiliated, but she stood tall and proud in front of the
lady, determined not to let her small-town naivety show.

“
We can do the shoot
tomorrow,” Angelique said. It shouldn’t take more than six or eight
hours. Unless there are any reshoots, in which case you’ll need to
come back on Wednesday. Do you have any questions for
me?”

“
How much does it
pay?”

Angelique laughed heartily, a deep sultry
laugh, causing Selena to blush with embarrassment. “My secretary
should have told you that on the phone, dear. It pays four hundred
per hour.”

Selena’s mouth fell open as she stared at
Angelique. This couldn’t possibly be for real. If the shoot took
all day, she would make over three thousand dollars! Her father
didn’t earn that much in a month as a mechanic. Hollywood seemed to
throw money around like meaningless scraps of paper. Between her
bit part in the movie, and now this modeling gig, she felt rich.
Just wish my mom would let me spend some of it, she thought.

Angelique ushered her out and she found her
way back to Jeffrie and the car. It wasn’t a limo exactly, but a
shiny black stretched-out Cadillac Escalade with a beautiful, soft
leather interior. Selena thought it may have been nicer than the
limo she had rode in with Matt. Matt! Her mind was suddenly filled
with him again as she studied the tourists from her tinted window.
What if he were here in Hollywood? What if she saw him on the
street? Although obviously he was not interested in her anyway. She
still hadn’t heard a word from him.

Jeffrie drove her to a hotel, pulling the
car into a small, covered garage beside it, where several other
black cars were parked in a line, their drivers either sitting in
their cars or leaning against the hood. The men smiled at her and
nodded their heads as Jeffrie took her bag and she followed him
toward the hotel entrance.

Selena thought the front of the building
looked like a huge stone castle from Europe. Like one she’d seen in
a picture in her history book. She stared up in awe as she walked.
It was five floors of stone and she had to tilt her head back to
take in the beautiful castle façade. She followed Jeffrie past a
huge stone fountain in the middle of the drive, the water making a
musical sound as she went past. A black limo had pulled under the
portico in front of the hotel and, as they neared the door, the
driver leaped out and held the door for an elegant lady. Selena
recognized the actress from movies, but the lady’s name escaped
her. Beth would know, Selena thought with a small smile. Beth knew
all the actors and actresses and she always knew the current movies
and who starred in them.

“
Rodeo drive is only two
blocks over if you wish to do any shopping, Miss Selena,” Jeffrie
was saying as they entered through the tall glass doors. He handed
her a business card. “This has the number to the car phone and my
cell phone. You can reach me anytime, day or night,” he said
kindly.

“
Thank you,
Jeffrie.”

He left her at the front desk as the
concierge took her information. “Ah yes, Miss Summers, we have a
suite all prepared for you.” He snapped his fingers and a bellboy
hurried over to the desk.

“
Ronnie, please show Miss
Summers to her room.”

“
Can I get that for you?”
Ronnie asked politely.

Selena handed over her gym bag and followed
the young man to the elevator. Once again, she had to wonder what
she was doing here. This rich hotel filled with actors and
businessmen was a far cry from her small town and rodeos. She felt
so out of place in her jeans and boots. Even the workers are
dressed better than me, she thought with embarrassment.

She followed the bellhop to her suite and
sucked in her breath as they entered. The windows were floor to
ceiling and looked out over Beverly Hills. She could see huge
mansions belonging to the rich and famous across the hills. The
suite had a small living room with a fully stocked bar and
refrigerator and a huge flat-screen television. The bedroom had a
king-size bed with massive ornate wooden posts. The bedroom was
light and airy with more floor to ceiling windows. Ronnie showed
her how to close the blinds with a remote control. Selena pushed
the button and watched as huge blinds began moving from each side,
blocking out the brilliant California sun.

Next she looked in the bathroom and it took
her breath away. She was looking at an enormous glass and marble
shower that could easily fit three people. A huge bathtub was
separated by a short partition and centered in front of more huge
windows. It was surrounded by more white marble with brand new
candles placed around the marble edge. Selena was amazed at how
pampered she felt. I’m being treated like one of these movie stars,
she thought, as she stared around in amazement.

She gave the bellhop a tip; she had no idea
how much these movie stars tipped. She gave Ronnie a five dollar
bill, hoping she wasn’t making a fool of herself.

“
Thank you, Miss Selena,”
he said, tucking the money away quickly.

She couldn’t decide what to do first after
she heard the door close behind Ronnie. She went from room to room
again, investigating each piece of rich, handsome furniture. She
played with the remote control, watching the blinds open and close
at the touch of a button. She pushed a button by accident and her
heart almost stopped as she heard a whirring noise and a
big-screen, flat-panel TV slowly lowered from its hidden niche in
the ceiling. Selena cautiously pushed more buttons until she
figured out how to work the TV. She settled back onto the luxurious
pillows, on a bed the size of her parent’s living room, as she
flipped through channel after channel, watching commercials for
Rolls Royce and Porsche and other cars she’d never even heard
of.

Chapter 13

Jeffrie picked her up at exactly eight a.m.
the following morning and drove her to Malibu for the photo shoot.
“They rented a house for the next two days on the beach,” Jeffrie
explained as he drove. “It’s a private beach, so you won’t be
disturbed by tourists.”

“
I see.” Selena watched
through the tinted windows as Jeffrie drove toward Malibu. She had
a beautiful view of the ocean as he traveled the Pacific Coast
Highway. She had never seen an ocean before and it took her breath
away. She leaned her head against the glass as she watched the
waves rolling in, each one looming larger than the previous. The
greenish hue of the surf was in stark contrast to the deep blue of
the ocean and the white caps of the waves added a mesmerizing
touch. She couldn’t tear her eyes away as she stared at each wave
rolling in and crashing onto the shore.

Jeffrie pulled into the drive of a large
brown house with several cars already parked in front. Selena felt
her stomach tighten again as she realized she would be back in
front of a camera with people staring at her. At least I’ll be on a
horse, she kept reminding herself. She had never been fond of being
the center of attention, unless she was running the barrels on
Rusty. At every rodeo, she immediately forgot the crowds as soon as
she aimed Rusty toward the first barrel. She hoped this would be
the same and she could concentrate on the horse and forget the
people. It wasn’t that she was shy, exactly. She just wasn’t used
to being the center of attention. She had always been more of a
blend into the crowd kind of girl.

She followed Jeffrie alongside the house and
out onto the beach. She stopped behind the house and stared, and
Jeffrie stopped too, waiting for her patiently. There was a large
black rock near the shore and she watched as each wave hit it,
sending plumes of spray into the air. It looked wild and beautiful
as Selena gazed past the small crowd milling around, to the waves
crashing in and then, off to the horizon, where the ocean seemed to
fall right off the edge of the world. Then her gaze traveled along
the beach, where houses bunched closely together around a gentle
curve of land, each with its own ocean view. Then another movement
on the beach caught her eye. Dancing in front of the waves was a
solid white Arabian mare with a charcoal grey nose and muzzle. She
had big dark eyes with a small delicate head and small, dainty feet
that never stopped dancing as each wave crashed onshore near her.
She acted like a cat, or at least Selena thought so, as each wave
came near, she danced away as if afraid to get her feet wet. Her
tail was solid white and shone in the California sun from constant
brushings and her matching mane was so long, it hung off her neck
and down across her shoulder. Her shiny mane glistened in the sun
as she tossed her small head, lifting the long white strands into
the breeze. A tall, handsome man with a thick mustache was holding
the reins of her shiny black bridle and he moved constantly too, as
the mare danced closer and closer to his feet. Selena thought she
had to be the most beautiful horse she’d ever seen in her life. So
small and dainty, yet filled with a fire that Selena could see and
feel, even from this distance. No wonder they needed someone who
can ride, she thought with a smile.