Page 47 of Scoring Chance
Nineteen
Present time….
It was the big day.
The day of the shoot.
It was already fall so there was a crisp, biting chill in the air. It was early in the morning and the city was beginning to wake up – neighbors leaving their homes, a line of cars in both directions, followed by distant honking of horns and screeching brakes.
Sydney sat in a director’s chair as hair and makeup attended to her. A small pumpkin spiced latte tickled her senses, keeping her distracted by the main event. Small butterflies filled up the space in her tiny stomach as she tried to memorize her lines.
How do you art?
It was a simple line in which Sydney would speak repeatedly as the camera showed her in different settings. The focus would primarily be on her painting styles and how she works with different mediums.
She also knew therealfocus was going to be on her performance art scene with Dean. It wasn’t her first time doing an intimate act in front of a camera but it would be the first time the whole world would see it. She second thought having that extra bagel for lunch the other day.
Jokes aside, she knew how important it was and so did everyone else.The set was their loft in Downtown L.A. With the open windows, busy streets, and rich scenery, it was the perfect backdrop for the performance art. It offered plenty of space and privacy from nosey neighbors.
The stylists chose soft makeup to match the lighting and make Sydney look more natural and approachable. The look was Girl Next Door, not Every Man’s Porn Star Fantasy.
It didn’t matter to Sydney. She was going to be intimate with herhusbandin front of the world. As she carefully admired the Tiffany rose gold band, Sydney felt blessed Dean chose her. They hadn’t been together for a full year and yet, they had gone through more drama than most couples in entire lifetimes.
That was their push and pull. Dean lived fast and so did Sydney. They had their demons but they also had their virtues. He had a relentless drive that silently encouraged her to work harder and smarter. He encouraged her art and she was more than happy to cheer for him on the sidelines even though she couldn’t quite understand hockey.
Now the world was going to see the couple in their most intimate moment.
Married couples don’t normally release sex tapes and many were horrified when such moments were hacked and seen by the world. Sydney and Dean were an anomaly. Half the audience wanted to see Dean while the other was curious about Sydney.
As Dean and Sydney got ready in their respective areas, Ian handled the business portion while Scott oversaw the artistic piece. Famed Hollywood director Bobby Whalen handled the camerawork from start to finish.
One of Scott’s close friends, Nick D’Amato, advised Dean on performing in front of an audience while Nick’s wife, Zerrin, and Mariana, were Sydney’s liaisons for the shoot.
“Only concentrate on him and not everyone else,” Zerrin advised, “you want it to be natural and not contrived like a porn.”
“No winking at the camera, or moaning as you looked into it. That’s super creepy!” Mariana chimed in. “In fact, we can have it a closed set and just have it be you, Dean, and Bobby.”
“No, I’m fine,” Sydney replied, “I think it’s best we keep everything as is. I wouldn’t want to change the vibe here.”
“Are you nervous?” Zerrin asked.
“Very,” Sydney was honest, “but I’m with my husband and once we get started, I’ll probably forget all of you are here.”
~~~~~
Dean sat in hair and makeup as he awaited his cue from Bobby. Sydney already shot her scenes and Dean killed time playing one of his phone games. He was still jet-lagged from a spontaneous Mexico trip the couple took the morning after the wedding.
As a mini-honeymoon and footage for the video, the couple went to Mexico. They made love every night, went shopping, swimming, and snorkeling, and tried their hand at karaoke, which they both were horrible at.
Now it was back to reality.
Dean wasn’t still entirely sold on the performance art aspect and wondered how many endorsements were going to drop him as a result. But he was forced to trust Ian, despite his sheer disgust for the man. As much as he didn’t like Dean, Ian loved Sydney and her art more. He only had her best interest.
The idea needed to work.
Dean had a lot to lose – his reputation, his endorsements, and his livelihood. He didn’t want a sex tape with his wife to be the number one search for the rest of his life. The focus needed to be on Sydney and only her, especially with preseason starting.
Dean felt Ian’s presence before he saw him and glanced up at the mirror in front of him. The men didn’t smile or wave at each other, simply holding each other’s intense stares in the quiet room.
