Obsession

Chapter 1

James stepped out of the limo and faced the crowd and flashing lights. He sighed as he tugged his tuxedo jacket and readjusted his belt. He looked up and put on his charming smile, waving to the screaming fans.

It's just a couple hours, he thought. Shake some hands, kiss some ass and I'm outta here.

"James, James, over here!" Photographers shouted at him to pose for pictures and face their direction. James tucked his hand in his pocket and posed to the left and right. His manager walked up to him to let him know that the movie was about to start.

"Oh, right." He said as he quickly ran to the fans and signed a couple posters. "Thank you, all." He lightly jogged into the theatre and the lobby was bustling with excitement. The crowd of celebrities and media roared above the violinists in the corner and men in penguin suits walked around with champagne flutes and hor d'oeuvres.

James grabbed a glass of champagne and scanned the room. He could see his fellow castmates laughing and reminscing on the memories of the set and the antics that had gone on throughout shooting. He looked up to the balcony and saw his director clearly intoxicated and shouting at all the yes men surrounding him. James had done this movie as a favor to the director but was disappointed in the quality of the film. The director was a friend of his ex-wife's and he had felt strong armed into this. Keeping things civil with Anne was a priority.

He lifted the champagne to his lips and quickly gulped it down, finishing every drop. He spotted another tray of flutes coming by. He placed his empty glass on the tray and grabbed two more filled to the brim.

He was eyeing his buddy, Nick, who was currently preoccupied with his beautiful supermodel girlfriend. Her blonde hair shined and bounced as she tossed it about while she flamoyantly told an amusing story, signaled by the group of men lapping up her every word.

"Hey, Nick.  Good to see you made it tonight. I see you've brought Amber with you." James handed one of the glasses to Nick. He patted Nick on his shoulder and squeezed. He leaned over and whispered, "Man, I cannot say enough how lucky you are. That woman is a bombshell."

"I guess. She's a bit of a coldfish in bed though, really. She just lays there and makes these awkward sounds. I've had to stop myself from laughing a few times." Nick said as a smirk crawled across his face. "But yes, that body is a blessing."

James was only half-listening to his friend as he continued to scan the room. "Have you seen Tom?" He asked taking a sip of champagne.

"Yeh, he's over by the bar, no surprise. He really shouldn't be here. Jill left him only a week ago."

"Right, I'll go check on him. Take care man, try sticking your finger in her ass. That's bound to wake her up." James winked at his friend and turned towards the bar. Tom had been his childhood friend that had made his own way to L.A. as a script writer. He was one of those happy go lucky chaps, that looked at the world in rose colored glasses. Partly to blame for his wife cheating on him. He was completely oblivious to the repeated late nights at work and her sudden change in appearance and obsession with working out.

James sees his friend sitting at the edge of the bar, ignoring the laughter and buzz surrounding him. "Mate, whatcha drinkin?" James noticed his friend's glass was empty.

"My usual," Tom said, not even bothering to look at James. James caught the eye of the bartender and signaled two more and pointed at his friends drink. The bartender nodded and began pouring the whiskey into two glasses. "Two Johnnie Walkers, neat." The bartender set the drinks in front of James. "Cheers," James said as he slipped a 50 to the bartender.

"Now look here Tom, you've got to look at this as an opportunity. You work in a city that has the most beautiful people in the world. All these chicks are trying to get into the movies and are just about willing to do anything. Time to have some fun, man." James felt like such a hypocrite. He knew all the women in this city were fake Barbie dolls obsessed with only fame and money. Ever since his divorce, everyone had been saying the same things to him.

Tom looked over at James. "You prick, don't spit that shite at me. You're the last person I expect to feed me that manure."

James smirked. "Yeh, I'm an ass. But seriously, Tom, ya gotta pick yourself up. You're better off without Jill. She was treating you like shite. Cheer up, mate. Things can only go up from here." James shot the rest of the whiskey down his throat. "Come on, let's go get our seats." He patted his friend on the back. Tom finished his drink and stumbled off his stool. He leaned against James as he got his footing. James led them to their seats, avoiding the press and calls for interviews. He winked and waved at his costars and sat down. The lights dimmed and the music began.