California Dreaming

Chapter 20

Willy and I snuggled together after our session of love making. He was such a sweet man, we agreed that we needed to keep our meeting private. If we told anyone, we would both be out of work. I told him that he was a talented costume designer, and he should be more confident when he was working with the actors.

I said, “it’s guys like you that make us actors look good, we couldn’t do our job without you.”

He gave me a slight smile, “thank you, but you guys are so much more important than little old me.”

I shook my head, “stop right there, we are just regular people, just like everyone else. Every job in a movie is important.”

We cuddled for a while, then he went home. The next day when I pulled my tights on, I smiled thinking of our night together. As we were gathering on the set to begin shooting our scene, I saw Willy making some last-minute adjustments on one of the other actor’s costume. I gave him a wink as he walked away, he gave me a smile and seemed to be walking a little taller and with more confidence. Over the next year, we would get together whenever we could, he had really come out of his shell, at least when he was with me. There were even times that we just spent time together without having sex, admittedly it was only a couple times.

The next year when I signed my new contract, I was moved up to doing only A movies. I was yet to be cast in the starring role, but I was getting positive feedback on each project. Gloria and I were working together on about half of our movies, she was also getting more varied roles. I was having much more fun, I had been in a war picture, a gangster movie and a couple of westerns, and I just finished shooting my first comedy.

I continued to write Henry after I filmed each movie to let him know the name and when it would be released. He wrote back as soon as he saw them, telling me how good I was in each one. I am sure he was just being overly kind, but his support meant a lot to me.

Not only was my career becoming successful, but the country’s economy was improving as well. President Roosevelt’s WPA and other programs seemed to be helping with the unemployment problem and though we didn’t realize it yet, the country’s manufacturing plants were ramping up production. The growing tensions in Europe had secretly caused the government to slowly order more ships and weapons. We were all told it was to be prepared to help our allies with supplies, the United States was going to maintain a strict neutrality policy. Regardless of the reason, more people had money to attend movies and the studio began to ramp up production as well.

On New Year’s Eve 1938, the studio hosted a large party. Gloria and I were invited, and we showed up, arm in arm, just as we had done for the past three or four years, to all of the studio events. Mr. O’Neill gave a recap of the successful projects that we finished in the last year and talked about next year’s movies. He told us that several of the other studios were producing more of their pictures in color and we would be following suit. He also informed us that in 1939 MGM was releasing two major productions, “The Wizard of Oz” and “Gone with the Wind”, Columbia was doing “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” and RKO was filming “Gunga Din” He vowed that Pacific Coast Studios was not going to sit by and watch. We will begin production on two big pictures of our own, by the way, they will be filmed in color, the first picture was “A Murder in New York”. It was a star-studded murder mystery, of course, it was set in New York. He pointed down to the front table, where Gloria, I and about 15 of the other big-name stars employed by the studio were seated. He smiled as he told the crowd, these are the folks that we have asked to be in this movie, they have already begun rehearsal and we will start filming by the end of the month. We had all been cast several months ago and had been sworn to secrecy about the project.

After a round of applause, he continued. As for the second project, it will start filming as soon as “Murder in New York” is finished. We need to wait until then, because two of our newest stars will be in both pictures. I am pleased to announce that Mr. Van Roman and Miss Gloria Jewell will be getting their first starring roles in “Roman and Jewell”. He had told Gloria and I about this movie at the same time he cast us in the first movie and again made us promise not to tell anyone. After another round of applause, he said, “we have taken the story of Romeo and Juliet and given it a modern twist and not to spoil the ending, but it will be much happier than the Shakespeare play.” After a round of laughter, he thanked us all for our hard work and told us to enjoy the party.

Gloria and I spent the rest of night together, smiling and being congratulated by the rest of actors. I was very excited about the first movie, it would be the first color movie that I was involved in. I was also looking forward to working with so many of our big-name stars. Even though Gloria and I have done the Romeo and Juliet story many times before, I was looking forward to this updated version, we had a much bigger budget, and the studio was getting behind the project. This meant more advertising so we would be seen by a large audience. I couldn’t wait to see my name up on the marquee for the first time.

By the end of the month, we were busy filming on the sound stage. Over the next few months, we had all the indoor scenes filmed. We needed to film all the exterior scenes, this was going to have to be done on location in New York. It had been almost ten years since I had been in New York, I had mixed emotions about going back. I knew what this meant to my career so, of course, I didn’t think twice and boarded the train with the rest of the cast and crew. A few days later I was back home, the director told Gloria and I that we would film all our scenes first so that we could get back to Hollywood to start our next movie. I was only in New York for three days and had no time to do anything except work. I had hoped that I could call Henry and find time to see him. I was disappointed that the director never let me out of sight, Gloria and I were soon back on the train headed west.

As soon as I was back in Hollywood, I wrote to Henry and told him that I was sorry I wasn’t in town long enough to see him. I didn’t want him to see the movie and then be upset that I didn’t tell him I was there. He said he understood and that he couldn’t wait to see the movie. Being back home also made me think of my family, did any of them miss me? Had any of them seen me in any of the movies that I had already done? I had to push those thoughts away as we started to work on the next picture.

Gloria and I spent the next several months working on our first big-time movie, we both had worked very hard and so far, it was looking like we were making our best movie yet. The director was also pleased and told us he would love to work with us again, any time.

We had finished filming, the producer and director were reviewing it and told us we could have a couple days off. They would call us back for a few retakes once they had a chance to see the entire movie after the edits. We went out for dinner the following night to celebrate our hard work.

We talked about the movie and ordered our food, as the waiter walked away, she took a drink and said, “I have a question for you, Ivan.”

I had an uneasy feeling, not knowing what she was leading up to, I nodded, “what is it?”

She asked, “how far are you willing to take our relationship?”

My gut turned, “what do you mean?”

She said, “well, we have been “dating” for almost five years now, I think people are starting to wonder if we might be heading to the alter soon.”

I panicked, “is that something you are thinking about?”

She chuckled, “you should see the look of fear in your eyes right now.”

I said, “I’m not sure I find this as funny as you do.”

She shook her head, “relax Ivan, I know why you want things to stay the way they are.”

My mind was racing, “oh, why is that?”

She took my hand, “do you remember that night that Woody suggested that we become a couple?”

I answered, “yes, of course.”

She continued, “and that Mary and I had that talk?”

I nodded, “yes.”

Gloria took a deep breath, “well, she told me about Woody and why they were “together” but why their relationship wouldn’t go any further.”

I felt the color drain from my face, “ok.”

She said, “it all started making sense to me, why you didn’t try to date me when we worked together in those plays, the looks you and Woody give each other when we are all together.”

I stammered, “well I… it’s just that…”

She smiled as squeezed my hand tighter, “Ivan, it’s ok, I won’t rat you out.”

I was finally able to breathe again, “why?”

Gloria shrugged, “it’s nobody’s business what people do in their private lives. Look, you are a talented man, I enjoy working with you and even I have to admit, we look good together. I have always wanted to be an actress, just as you have always wanted to act. It has been worth living this little lie to realize my dream.”

I sighed, “I am so sorry to have put you through all of this, I hope you know that I would never do anything to hurt you. I told Woody that I would never lie to you about this, it’s just that, everything happened so fast. It never seemed like a good time to tell you everything.”

She smiled, “I know, it’s not all your fault, I could have told you that I knew a lot sooner.”

I chuckled, “so what do we do now?”

She said, “for now, I think we can continue on like we have been, but we may need to come up with a better plan if our movie is a hit. I think the studio might start to push the issue.”

I said, “yeah, you are probably right, how about we cross that bridge when we come to it.”

Gloria laughed, “you don’t have any good ideas either, do you?”

I admitted, “nope.” I gave her a kiss on the cheek.

We ate our meal, and I dropped Gloria off at her place. I got into bed and lay there thinking about our conversation. I really should have had that talk with Gloria sooner, I wasn’t fair of me to lead her on. She should have been able to pursue other men if she wanted to. On the other hand, she did say she was getting what she wanted out of this relationship too, so maybe she was right, it wasn’t all my fault. For all I knew, she may be seeing someone else already. The next time we had a minute alone, I was going to tell her she should date if she wants to.

The next week, I did get the chance to talk to Gloria when we were called back for a couple of retakes to put the final touches on our movie. The director called a wrap, and we got the next few weeks off, it had been a busy past eight months, filming both movies. Gloria and I were happy to relax for a while.

A month later we were all loaded back on the train for a return trip to New York, we were going to attend the premier of “A Murder in New York”. We would arrive on Friday, check into our hotel, then go out as a group to a nice dinner and a Broadway Show. We would spend the day Saturday making a few appearances at several theaters to promote the movie. Then we would all attend the premier that evening followed by an after party. I had not written to Henry to tell him that I was coming to town, I wanted to surprise him. As soon as we got checked into the hotel, I quickly unpacked, I knew I would have a couple of hours before we were to meet for dinner. I snuck out of the hotel and made my way down the street, I wasn’t famous enough yet to be recognized. I remembered where the barber shop that Henry’s father worked at was, I caught sight of the red, white, and blue barber pole and smiled. I saw the window with Jenkin’s & Son Barber Shop, I could tell that the “& Son” had been recently added. As I walked by the window, I saw a man in the chair getting his hair cut by Henry, they were the only two people in the shop. A bell rang as I pushed the door, Henry’s back was to me as I stepped in. He glanced at the mirror and said, “I’ll be right with you, I’m just about finished with Mr. Baker, please have a seat.”

I sat in the first open chair and said, “don’t hurry on my account, I have plenty of time.”

Henry cut the lock of hair that he was holding in his fingers and look back up at the mirror, he quickly turned toward me and gasped, “Ivan?!”

I smiled, “hello Henry, it’s nice to see you.” I was acting calm and collected, but inside I was jumping up and down with excitement.

He stammered, “yes, it’s nice to see you too.” By the look on his face, he was trying to remain calm too, but I could tell he wanted to forget about Mr. Baker and join me in the chair. He quickly turned back to his customer and snipped and combed his hair, while looking at my reflection in the mirror. He pulled out a brush and pushed the hair off the shoulders of Mr. Baker and removed the cape and shook it.

He smiled, “there you are Mr. Baker, that will be 75 cents.”

Mr. Baker smiled back, “thank you Henry, I’ll see you in two weeks.” He handed the money to Henry and nodded at me as he walked out the door. Henry put the money in the cash register and turned to me as I stood up. We walked toward each other and embraced.

We both had a tear forming in the corner of our eye, I said, “I have missed you.”

We broke our hug and Henry said, “I’ve missed you too, what are you doing here?”

I said, “I’m here for the movie premier tomorrow night.” I gave him a quick rundown of my schedule, I told him I only had a few minutes before I needed to get back to the hotel.

He asked, “will you have some time for us to get together?"

I nodded, “would you like to come to my room tonight after the play? I should be home by midnight.”

He smiled, “yes, father is giving me tomorrow off, since he has this afternoon off. Will I be able to spend the night?”

I grinned, “of course.” I gave him the hotel name and my room number, then a quick kiss as I turned toward the door.

He smiled, “I’ll see you later.”

I smiled back as the door opened and another man walked in, I said, “I’m looking forward to it.”

Henry said, “hi Walter, you can have seat in chair one.” He winked at me as I walked out the door.

I got back to the hotel and ready for my evening out, our meal was very good and the play we attended was awesome. When we got back to the hotel, the rest of my party wanted to go to the hotel bar for a nightcap.

Gloria looked at me, she could tell that I didn’t want to go, she said, “I have a bit of a headache, you guys go ahead and have a good time, I’ll see you all in the morning. Van, will you walk me to my room?”

I smiled, “yes, of course.” I held my arm out for her to take and we walked to our rooms.

Once we were out of earshot of our group, I said, “thank you.”

She smiled, “I could tell that you would rather go to your room. Do you have someone stopping by?”

I chuckled, “I can’t get anything past you, can I?”

She opened her door, “have a good night, Ivan.”

I closed my door behind me and had just loosened my tie when I heard a knock at my door. Henry was smiling as I opened the door, I quickly pulled him inside and we started kissing. We each sat down and for the next hour, filled each other in on everything that we done since the last time we were together. It felt as though we had only been apart ten months, not ten years.

I pulled Henry to his feet and started to undress him, he grinned as he did the same to me. We left a trail of clothes as we made our way to the bed. I fell on top of Henry, our lips still locked together, our now developed bodies rubbing together. His cock was just as perfect as I remembered it, the right length and girth to fill my hand. It suddenly dawned on me, we had never seen each other completely naked, I ran my hand over his well-defined chest and stomach. He had slightly less hair on his chest than I did, I tweaked his erect quarter sized nipples. We continued kissing as we explored each other’s bodies, both of our hard leaking cocks leaving a trail of clear liquid across the other’s stomachs. I kissed my way down and ran my tongue across the head of Henry’s cock, pushing his foreskin back to get a good taste of his manhood. Henry reached down and pulled my legs up so he could suck me as I sucked him. I fondled his nuts as I continued to suck his cock, then worked further down and ran my finger across his hole. Henry moaned, the vibration giving my cock a new sensation. He took the hint and worked his finger into my hole, causing me to release a moan of my own. He pushed a second finger in, and I couldn’t take in it any longer, I released his cock and panted, “oh God Henry, please fuck me.”

I turned around, held his cock straight up and slowly lowered myself down on his glorious pole. My eyes rolled back in my head as I bottomed out, Henry’s cock hitting my sweet spot. I leaned down to give him a kiss, then leaned back and started to bounce up and down. Henry held my hips as he thrust up to meet each of my bounces, my cock still leaking as it flopped up and down. After a few minutes of riding Henry, my nuts began to tighten, and the pressure built up. I reached down and gave my cock one stroke and exploded all over Henry’s stomach and chest, one squirt landing on his chin. Henry let out a loud grunt, then I felt his semen fill my well-fuck hole fuller than it had ever been before. I felt his cream run out of my hole as his deflating cock slipped from my ass. We shared a deep kiss as I rolled to Henry’s side and wrapped my arms around him.

He laid his head on my chest and said, “I have missed you so much.”

I kissed his forehead, “I have missed you too.”

He asked, “when do you leave for California?”

I answered, “we are leaving early Sunday morning. Would you like to come to the premier tomorrow night?”

He smiled up at me, “I would love to, but I don’t have a ticket.”

I chuckled, “don’t worry about that, you know someone with a little pull. I will leave a ticket for you at will call, I’m sorry we won’t be able to sit together, but you will get to see the me in color for the first time.”

Henry snuggled in closer, “Thank you, I wish you could stay in New York a little longer.”

I said, “yeah, me too.” We lay in silence for a moment, then I said, “hey, why don’t you come back to California with me?”

 

To be continued…