JOA: Damon's Chronicles Ch. 06

This story series is a spin off of the successful and wildly popular "Journal of an Agent" by Carnage Jackson. At the end of Carnage's story, the main character, Dean Simonds, faces a major dilemma, where he has to choose between staying in Hollywood with Alyssa Milano, or heading back east with Natalie Portman. Please note that this might not necessarily have been the ending Carnage had in mind, but is my own interpretation.

Y’all probably don’t know who the hell KD Aubert is, but I assure you that she is one of the most gorgeous women you’ll ever see. Her credits to date include “The Scorpion King”, “Friday After Next” and “Hollywood Homicide”, as well as guest appearances on two episodes of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” as Nikki Wood, the principal’s mother or something like that. She also hosted the MTV game show “Kidnapped”. She can currently be seen in Fabolous’ new video “So Into You,” which is currently in rotation on both MTV and BET. She seems to be a favorite of Fabolous, as she also appears in his video for “Trade it All,” featuring P. Diddy and Jagged Edge. To see for yourself how sexy she is, check out her self-titled Website.
If you are under 18, please refrain from reading this. To the rest of you, note that this story is completely fictional, and all similarities to real life people and occurrences are strictly coincidental. All feedback is welcome at the link below.

JOA: DAMON’S CHRONICLES 6: K.D. Aubert

“Oh my God, Ashley, you’re all right”. I could have died of relief at that very moment, looking at her as she lay smiling on the hospital bed. She had lost quite a bit of weight and looked almost gaunt in her hospital gown.

“Hi Damon”, she said brightly, “I understand from the doctor here that I was gone for a long time”

“Oh yeah, you were in a coma for weeks”, I said, “I was so worried, its good to see you awake and not connected to some machine”

“Shoot”, she said all of a sudden as it hit her, “I missed New Years’, didn’t I? Are we in 2003 already?”

“Indeed we are,” I replied.

“Dr McAllister,” I beckoned to Ashley’s physician, who was right there in the room with us, “is it possible for Ashley and I to get a moment alone? I need to talk to her”

“No problem, Mr. Brill”, the elderly doctor said as he began to exit the room, “but please not for too long, Miss Richards still needs her rest”.

Ashley was my assistant, and had been in a coma for almost a month, for which I felt responsible. Unbeknownst to me, she had been harboring a crush on me, and when, shortly before New Years’ Day, she stopped by my apartment, apparently to tell me the way she felt, only to run into another woman whom I was sleeping with, she had stormed out in a jealous rage, and on her way, run into a motor accident. It was only when she had slipped into her coma that I remembered to open the Christmas gift she had given me, which had proclaimed her feelings.

I definitely knew that it was imperative of me to sort things out with Ashley. I knew that it would be irresponsible of me to exploit her feelings for me into a relationship, and after a lot of thought, I decided that the earlier I let her down easy, the better it would be for all concerned. She was an extremely good-looking girl, and could have had anyone she wanted, but not only was she my employee, which would compromise our situation, she was also a bit too young for me. I cared about her too much to let her get hurt again, and that was the only thing in store for her if she got into a relationship with me.

“Don’t you ever do that to me again, OK?”, I said to her as I took a seat next to her bed, “I was so scared I was going to lose you”

“Well, I’m alright now”, she assured me, “and I am not going anywhere anytime soon”

“It’s good to hear that”, I responded, “Now Ashley, there are some things we need to talk about, not as boss to employee, but as two friends, as Damon and Ashley”

“What’s up?”, she asked nonchalantly

“I saw the Christmas present you gave me”, pausing when I saw her face fall, “I had no idea that you had feelings for me”

“I’m sorry”, she answered, “I didn’t know how to tell you that I was in love with you. I…”

“You’re in love with me?” I cut in

“Well, I don’t know, Damon, but I’ve liked you for months, but I didn’t know how to tell you, and I knew you were with Halle, then you broke up, and I wasn’t sure you would want anyone so soon”

“You knew about me and Halle?” I asked, not surprised at all, knowing how inquisitive she was

“I’m not a fool, you know”, she smiled, “of course I knew. Everybody in the agency knew. Everybody in Hollywood knew”

“Well”, I continued, trying to brush aside that piece of information, “Why did you start liking me?”

“I don’t know, Damon”, she replied, “You can’t explain such things, they just happen. I had a crush on Dean actually, it was nothing serious, it was more of a physical thing, and I thought he was cute. Not that I don’t think you’re cute”, she added that last bit when she saw the crestfallen look on my face, which, of course, was in jest

“After he left and you became my boss”, she continued, “ we started spending a lot of time together, and I found myself falling for you. You have such a good heart, and you really care about people. Plus…” she paused for a minute, “I was cleaning your desk one day and found a tape of you and Halle. I couldn’t resist looking at it, and…”

“You naughty girl”, I said, pretending to be annoyed

“Well, when we almost kissed the day your dad came around, it was so surreal, and I dropped by your apartment since I felt that perhaps you might feel the same way. Seeing you with Tyra was just heart crushing. I really felt like I wanted to die”

“I’m so flattered, Ashley”, I said honestly, “believe me, you don’t know how flattered I am, but…”

“There’s a but?” she asked, looking at me with eyes so innocent that I had to restrain myself from kissing her

“I’m afraid so”, I said, “It just won’t work. I’m your boss and it could totally compromise the situation at work. Believe me, I’ve seen situations like that”

“I’ll quit”, she said, “I’ll find a job somewhere else”

“That’s not the point”, I answered, “I care about you a lot, but you’re much too young, much too innocent, and I feel that if we get together, I’ll tarnish that innocence. I’ve been through so much in my life, and I feel you are just beginning yours. You are so intelligent, I can see so much brightness in your future. I don’t want to jeopardize that”

“I’m not as innocent as you think, you know?” she answered, “I’ve also been through so much”

“I know you have”, I answered, “but please don’t take this the wrong way, I just don’t think we are right for each other. You’re like family to me, and dating my family would feel just too weird”

“It’s not like it’s that new to me”, she muttered, almost to herself

“What are you talking about?” I asked, wondering what on earth that comment meant

“It’s a long story, alright?” she said, her mood dampening by the second

“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, alright?” I said softly

“Thanks”, she said, after which there were a few moments of silence. I decided to ask something that had been n my mind ever since I received the phone call telling me she had been injured

“I didn’t know you had me as your emergency contact”, I commented, “what about your family?”

“I don’t have one”, came her blunt response

“I’m sorry”, I answered, feeling a bit uncomfortable that I had brought up the issue. \

“You don’t have to be”, she said, “Believe me, I’m better off without them”

“You mean they’re still alive?” I asked

“Well, my mom died when I was born, and I grew up with my dad and my brother in San Diego. My brother was much older than me, and he joined the army when I was six. He was sent to the Middle East for the Gulf War, and he was killed in action”, she explained

“I’m so sorry”, I commiserated, “what about your dad?”

“Well, it was just me and the bastard while I was growing up and…” she paused, “I’ve never really told anyone this before, but he used to get drunk and bully and beat me all the time, and when I was around 11, he started coming into my bed at night and doing stuff to me”

“Oh my God”, I said, taken aback, “He didn’t… did he?”

“Almost every night for about two years, until I couldn’t take it anymore. I ran away when I was around 13. I was out on the streets for about two weeks, but I was found, of course. My dad promised never to touch me again, and he kept his word for a while, then when I was 15, he got drunk and raped me again. This time I left for good, and told him that if he ever tried to find me, I’d report him to the police. I haven’t seen him since”

“Oh my God, that must have been terrible”, I said, “So what did you do”

“I moved to Los Angeles and found a job. My boss liked me so she took me in to live with her family and take care of her kids until I finished high school. I then left to rent my own place, and got the job with the car towing people until Dean hired me at Shooting Star”

“Wow”, I replied, sincerely shocked at everything I had just learnt, “so you are 19 now, I believe”

“Yeah”, she answered, “I know I look much younger than that”

“Have you ever thought about going to college?” I asked her

“I got 1500 on my SATs”, she answered, “I wanted to go into UCLA”, she smiled at the look of horror on my face, “but of course I couldn’t afford it. I’ve been saving up, maybe in about two years, I might be able to enroll”

“I’m going to pay for you to attend”, I decided

“Oh my God, Damon”, she shrieked, “you don’t have to do that”

“I’ll put it as a company expense”, I said with a wink, “I’ll consider it an investment. The firm is investing in you so you can come back and work here after you graduate. In the meantime, you’ll continue working here part time. You’ll start in the fall”

“I don’t know what to say, Damon”, she said with a look of appreciation in her eyes, “You’re a really great guy, thanks for everything”

“Don’t mention it, and a nurse is coming, I bet they’re coming to tell me to leave you alone since you need your rest”

Just like I suspected, the nurse came in and politely asked me to leave, and after giving Ashley a brief peck on the lips, I left. As I walked out of the hospital room, I felt like a huge boulder had been lifted off my chest. Ashley was all right, and the issue of her being infatuated with me seemed to be resolved. It seemed I was going to have to hire a new assistant, and as I stepped into the elevator, I made a note to myself not to hire any good-looking female for the job under any circumstances

With Ashley well and recuperating, I spent the next few days hard at work at the agency. My guilt had made me a little distracted, and as such, I had fallen back on my work, but with that out of the way, I tore into my work like a savage. I put out a notice for a position as my assistant, and I had to spend a lot of time interviewing prospective employees. Like anyone who has ever tried to hire, I was getting exasperated at the bunch of moron who were trying out for the job. Come on, we were the biggest agency in Hollywood, why was it so hard to get qualified people over.

I eventually settled on a lady in her late 50s named Darlene. She seemed a bit cranky and bitchy, but that was exactly what I needed – someone who would take no nonsense and whip me into shape whenever I was getting out of line. And most importantly, unless I developed some weird fetish or actually decided to dabble in necromancy, there was no chance in hell of a romantic entanglement between us.

The week passed by without any important occurrences, and with the exception of having dinner with Andre and Maria, two of my best friends, I did not do any socializing. I was feeling a bit apprehensive about how I would react because of the gangbang we had had the other day. Luckily, it did not seem to be such a big deal, and we did not even mention it all through dinner. They both seemed to have loosened up, and even Maria, who is one of the shyest people I know, was very lively all night. Their marriage had been going under a lot of strain since they found out it was impossible for them to have kids, but it looked like everything would be all right. Perhaps a good swinging session is what every endangered marriage needs after all

I looked to Saturday night with a lot of excitement and nervousness. I had been attended to a party being thrown by rapper Jay-Z to celebrate the launch of his new line of Reebok sneakers, the S. Carter Collection. While this was hardly any big deal, and a party I probably would have skipped, it was a chance to be in the presence of the beautiful Beyoncé, whom I was insanely attracted to. Although she was dating Jay-Z, I could not help liking her, and hoping that perhaps if she and I spent some time together, I could win her away. Sure, I would procure the wrath of every hip-hop fan in the world, but I would get the girl.

Saturday night came soon enough, and by 9.30 p.m., I was on my way to the Jiggaman’s Bel-Air mansion, where the party was being held. I couldn’t believe how nervous I was. I was, according to Variety magazine, the 2nd most powerful man in Hollywood. Why was I shaking like a leaf during winter just because of some 21-year-old girl? I had actually changed my outfit four times while getting ready. Considering the fact that I’ve never been one to care about clothes and that I usually throw on the first thing I see in my wardrobe, I realized that I was really sprung off this girl.

Arriving at my destination and handing my keys to one of the valets hanging around, I strode rather resplendently towards the house, showing my invitation card to a bouncer at the door. It was a sight to behold as I walked in, and I smiled at the lavishness and extravagance that was all over the place. Obviously, no expense had been spared in throwing the party of the year.

There were blinding lights all over, and almost a hundred strippers dancing on poles all around the house. Scantily clad females were holding trays and walking around serving drinks, which appeared to be very expensive champagne. There was also a massive dance floor, and looking at it, I recognized so many familiar faces. Artists from every genre, movie stars, athletes and CEOs of companies were in no small number, and I got so many waves and calls as I walked around looking for the sole reason I had attended this party. As I scoped the entire room looking for Miss Knowles, I marveled at how big and important hip-hop had become, such that rappers had the influence to throw this kind of ostentatious display. When I was growing up in Brooklyn in the ‘80s, which were the formative years of hip-hop, what we knew a hip-hop party to be was a block party where people sipped Kool-Aid, and people like Slick Rick and Kool G. Rap held freestyle battles.

“Hey big man, what’s up?” I heard a voice behind me say, and I turned around to see a blonde haired guy in a white T-shirt and jeans, flanked by two Latina strippers

“Hey, Marshall, long time no see. How’ve you been?”, I greeted the most notorious rapper in America

“Not too bad, you know, working hard as usual, 50’s album is about to drop and then after that we have to start promoting the 8 Mile DVD.” Eminem said as we shook each other and then hugged, hip-hop style

“Looks like a lot of work”, I commented

“Yeah, you know me”, he answered, “I just want to stay in the studio and record, but you executives want us to keep selling out”

Marshall and I became acquaintances around the time he took Hollywood by storm in the critical and commercial hit “8 Mile”. Despite the fact that I knew he was not likely to become a full time actor anytime soon, I realized that in case he decided to foray into acting again, he would be an excellent client on our roster, so I managed to have him singed to the agency. We hung out quite a bit whenever we crossed paths, and despite his angry lyrics and seemingly hostile demeanor, he was actually as gentle as a lamb.

“Well, I’m about to go find me some pussy”, I joked, “so I’ll see you around, and don’t forget to send me an advance copy of the 50 Cent CD”

“You got it”, he replied, “as long as you promise to let me know what you think”

Just as I was giving Marshall a goodbye handshake, I felt a tap on my shoulder, and looking back, I could have sworn I had instantly died a painless death and was looking into the eyes of an angel. There stood Beyoncé, looking as sexy as ever with her long, shimmering blonde hair, which had earned her millions of dollars in L’Oreal endorsements, streaming against her face in the flashing lights and making her look excruciatingly alluring. She was dressed in a tight, figure-hugging Houston Rockets girl jersey, and had on a pair of knee high Manolo Blahnik boots. She stepped to me and gave me a hug, and I happily wrapped her around my arms around her, gently sniffing in. She had some French perfume on, and smelt heavenly

“Wow Beyoncé”, I said as I let her go, not bothering to hide my admiration, “you look amazing”

“Thanks Damon”, she said, flashing a set of pearly white teeth, “so do you”

“Thanks”, I replied, “I see you’re representing your hometown with the Rockets jersey and all”

“You know I have to represent for Texas”, she replied, after which we both laughed

“Honestly, Damon”, she said, “I’m so glad that you came. I was hoping you would make it”

“Well, I’m glad I made it too. It’s always good to see you.” I replied, feeling so happy I was almost floating.

“You wanna grab a drink?”, she asked

“I’d love to”, I replied, as I beckoned towards a stripper/waitress who was carrying some glasses of wine.

Fifteen minutes later, Beyoncé and I were sipping on some Courvoisier and at sitting on a sofa alone in an indoor living room. She had wanted to get away from all the noise and had brought me here, and it had a very intimate feel to it. I couldn’t believe how lucky I was to be alone with the woman I considered the most beautiful woman on earth, perhaps with the exception of Natalie. Damn, Natalie, I actually hadn’t thought of her in a while.

“So” Beyoncé was saying, “why did you and Halle break up?

“How do you know about me and Halle?” I quickly asked, in shock. God, were there no secrets in this town?

“I didn’t even know it was supposed to be a secret. I can’t remember who I heard it from, but I assumed it was public knowledge”, she replied

“It was just a brief affair”, I said, ‘it wasn’t that big a deal”

“You don’t know how many people in Hollywood are jealous of you because of that.”, she said, “even Shawn is always going on about how he wishes he were you”

“He’s the lucky one”, I replied, “He has you”

“That’s so sweet”, she gushed, “you’d better not say that near Shawn though, he gets very jealous whenever he sees me with you or when I talk about you. He might think you’re trying to steal me away”

“And why would he think that?” I asked with a smile on my face

“Well, he’s been jealous ever since I told him I had a crush on you when I first met you”, she answered, also smiling

I felt as though someone had just announced I had won the lottery, “You had a crush on me?”

“Well, yeah”, she replied shyly, “I just didn’t know how to let you know since I assumed you were with Halle”

I was about to respond to her comment when the door to the room opened, and in came her boyfriend, rapper Jay-Z, a.k.a. Shawn Carter. He looked livid to see us together, although he managed to mask his anger out of respect towards me.

“Hey B”, he asked her, “what’s going on here?”

“Nothing much”, I answered, “Beyoncé and I were just talking, you know as her agent and stuff, and the noise at the party was too much. Great party by the way, and congratulations on the sneakers”