Passion: Hollywood Nights

Codes- MF, romance.

Intro- This story contains graphic language and discussion of adult situations. Please do not read it if you are in an unsafe environment or lack a mature open mind. This story uses a real life celebrity couple as central characters, with other celebrities mentioned in reference. All such characters are not meant to represent the real people they mirror, only fictional parallel universe depictions at best. The differences between these characters and their real life models are the product of my fanfic author's imagination and should be recognized as such. The same goes for any real life situation that is used fictitiously herein.

The real life people in this story are people for whom I have great respect, but I only know them through my fandom and limited Internet research. The way I depict fictional characters based on them should be judged accordingly. This story was written for entertainment, not financial profit. It is connected to my other celebrity stories, the 'Passion of Erika Christensen' series in particular, but it should not be necessary to read those stories to enjoy this one. Readers of my 'Passion' series may consider this the true ending to that series, more so than 'Loose Ends' was. This story is also more about the characters than any adult situation they get into, though I do depict a few of those.

Constructive feedback for this and all my stories is appreciated.

***

Los Feliz, California. Autumn 2023.

Cole Maness stared down at the lights of L.A., wondering if he could ever go home.

Then he laughed as he often did, remembering he was home. He had lived in the Los Angeles area over a decade. And now, as happened more frequently than he could believe sometimes, he was thinking about his circumstances and comparing them to an old Bob Seger song called 'Hollywood Nights'.

A long time ago, Cole mused, I was like the young man in that song. From the Midwest, on my own. I moved west to see old friends and enjoy a change in life. I ended up meeting an insanely beautiful woman and building a great life with her. It's gone mostly right, so much so that sometimes it gives me chills.

His wife, the actress Erika Christensen, greatly resembled the woman in the Bob Seger song. She was born with a face that would let her get her way in Hollywood, with a mind and body to match. She had blue eyes that could look soft and innocent at times, when the role she was playing didn't demand other emotions. And she looked great in diamonds and frills.

She's definitely the best thing that could ever happen to a bum like me, Cole reminded himself as he stood on the balcony of their home, looking down at the city below the hill on which the mansion stood. She makes way more money as a professional actress than I ever have as a professional cyclist. And why a voluptuous blonde icon like her picked a bald everyday guy like me to marry... that I still have trouble understanding. Even though we've been together more than ten years. Even though we have two beautiful daughters, who are asleep now while I stand out here on this balcony and she's off night-shooting an independent film.

The majority of Hollywood's thespians are on strike with the big name studios right now, he remembered. Erika's no exception to that. But she's always done a lot of work in independent films too, and those productions more often cut better deals with their artists. Their productions are exempt from the strike procedures, for the most part. Same for the local theater groups of which Erika's a member. Nevertheless, not every artist in the industry has the same career she does. We both hope the strike ends soon and the studios cut the proper deals with all the artists, my wife included. Then she can get back to her recurring role on the police procedural "Will Trent" or maybe make another appearance in a big film if Steve Soderbergh or some other director wants to cast her again. Same for every other artist who wants to write or act such a role for a big name studio. Like all the fans, I hope a better deal between the big studios and the artists is soon reached.

Until then, Cole added to his interior monologue, I just hope our savings and other sources of income cover our expenses. Yeah, we're both active in the Friendship society, and they give us great social networking and investment advice, but that doesn't cover everything. We've had to put a lot of our charity work on hold because of the labor dispute. I'm worried about some other bills too- the upkeep of our lives isn't cheap. Still, the rewards of this life... they're worth it, he reminded himself. They're worth the price.

Cole and Erika had a challenging relationship sometimes. They came from different backgrounds, and their mutual love of fitness activities like cycling and swimming could only do so much to bridge the gap. Their mutual admiration of each other somewhat helped. Yet it could only do so much to handle other issues. Our clashing religions, for example, Cole grimaced- I'm Christian and she's Scientologist. Yeah, we're both pretty liberated and there are a lot of similar things in the teachings. Still, though... we're in love, he told himself again. And what we have is worth every challenge. Love brings us together, conquers all.

He took out his phone and glanced at the collection of pictures of Erika he had on it. Some were public photos of her from various movie premieres and other big ticket events. Others were photos of a more private nature, showcasing certain costumes and attitudes Erika didn't display to everyone. Her love scenes on film could get pretty racy, and her similar activities with her offscreen lovers were no exception. And not just me, Cole chuckled, looking at a few photos of Erika and other women. My wife is a swinging bisexual, after all. Yeah, she keeps that side of herself hidden from the public- unlike some people, she doesn't want to go nuts hyping herself- but she is what she is. And I'm happy to let her indulge that side of herself, when our other life challenges allow it, Heck, I've enjoyed a few threesomes and other activities with her and certain other people at times.

Those sorts of activities weren't as big a part of Erika's life now as they had been in the past, of course. In her twenties, Erika had been a highly selective unicorn for certain couples. Sometimes she had enjoyed time with both husband and wife. With a few couples where the wife was into certain things more than the husband, or when Erika was not attracted to the husband, she had indulged only with the wife. Never only the husband, as far as Cole knew- unless you count me. He laughed. The swinging was less now, but the potential for more remained. It always would. And he had no problem with that. He would be Erika's rock, her firm place to land, and her adept fellow climber when needed.

Cole thought back on how they had got together. She was working on the family drama 'Parenthood'. Erika and the other cast members of that show were too busy filming the first two seasons to get into sexual side activities with each other at first- never mind that Erika had done such things with her film and TV co-stars in the past. She'd also just broken up with her steady boyfriend at the time, the entertainment mogul Doug Ramsay. They had been trying to maintain a long distance relationship, and it hadn't worked. 'Parenthood' and other issues in their lives played a role in that. They couldn't be together, he met someone else, she was adrift.

Things changed once the second season of 'Parenthood' debuted. Erika met a stagehand she dated for a while named Joe Avery, they were together for four months until conflicting work schedules and a lack of shared hobbies other than sex got in the way. Then she got into swinging with two of her co-stars- Dax Shephard and Joy Bryant- along with their spouses, plus the single Mae Whitman, the dating but unmarried Peter Krause and Lauren Graham, and a few other lucky people, and things were fine for her again. Her on-set husband Sam Jaegar wasn't her partner offscreen, he was too committed to his own wife, but he and Erika still had enough chemistry between them to portray their characters' relationship's ups and downs well. The same was true regarding the other men Erika's character had become intimate with in the show's last two seasons. She had left both of them for Sam's character and their family over time. 'Parenthood' had wrapped with Sam and Erika's characters together. Then, of course, outside the show, Cole thought with a smile, Erika met and fell for me.

Erika and Cole had first met while competing in a charity cycling race in 2011. He had recognized her from her acting work, and she had known him from her following of professional athletes- she had enjoyed brief flings with a few of them, like a lot of starlets. However, neither had anticipated the instant spark between them. They found in each other a mutual creative fuel for the inspiration they each sought in their careers and the side hustles they had, which included life counseling for her and sketch artistry for him. They hadn't dated for a while after meeting- the idea of a relationship challenged them both. Then Erika had discussed the possibility on her Twitter account, Cole saw her postings, and he asked her out in reply. A few weeks later, they were officially a couple.

And we were hot and heavy pretty quick too, Cole recalled, beaming at the memories. She let me know on the first date that she was an easy lay. I hardly believed it. "Don't you always tell the media you don't have time for steady boyfriends?" I asked her back then.

"Correct," she'd replied. "I do tell the press that. The truth is, though, I do have a few regular friends with benefits. James DeBello and I were off and on for six years. Doug Ramsay and I did a long distance relationship for about the same number of years. I've dated other guys too for various lengths of time. I've been with girls also. Hope you don't have a problem with that."

"I..." He had blinked, then recovered. "Of course not. You haven't said that you're bi on your social media... but I guess I already know why. And you're telling me this quickly because..."

"My therapist recommended it," Erika answered his prompting. "She says when you think you're falling for someone, you need to share your most challenging issues with them, just to make sure what you feel is real. I think we might have something special, Cole."

Cole still hardly believed Erika was so open, then decided he had to accept it. The reputation she had for being comfortable with her body and sexual self, which she had expressed in a few scattered interviews over the years, was clearly no lie.

And I fell for her as hard as she did for me, Cole remembered. Still, though, I did tell her I didn't want things to move too far too fast between us. "I would like to wait a bit rather than just jump into a full thing like you're offering," he told Erika when she was done hitting him with shock attacks. "Don't get me wrong, it is tempting, but... I want to go slow."

"No problem," she answered with a smirk. "I can wait a bit for you. Just don't make it too long, okay?"

Cole had only let things continue for a couple more dates before accepting her fully. During these dates he'd pressed her further and learned about her other lovers and a few with whom she had broken up. "Doug and I couldn't do the long distance thing. He decided to leave me for another woman. Maybe... he always knew we weren't right for each other long term. I kinda knew that too. I drifted away from other people when we grew apart. Then there are some couples I used to support that I've seen break up over poor communication and lack of openness. Tom and Katie, Ryan and Scarlett, a few others... Some of these friends of mine have found other people over time. Others... I'm still holding out hope. As for me, I hope if I ever do commit to anyone long term again, we can avoid misunderstanding and bad endings. I'll work at it if you help me."

He had agreed to do so, if she stayed committed to him. And they had continued their relationship through all the hardships and confusion. It was strong now, as it had ever been.

Cole remembered proposing to Erika in 2014 after they traveled the Pacific Crest Trail together. They had decided to take the trip as a test of their status- they had dated off and on around their mutual schedules for years and wanted to see if they could be more than confidants and intimate friends. That part of their lives reminded him of the Seger song too. They had cycled together for long miles on twisty turning roads, climbing higher and higher, watching waves on the beach at night. Making love in the sand and the surf, passionate nights in tents in the snowy mountains... the time together had stoked in him the courage to pop the question of marriage on the trip home and he had been so pleased when she said yes. Then they'd realized too late they had neglected birth control following the subsequent celebrations and the inevitable had occurred, so they decided to fast track their wedding.

Fortunately Erika had enough connections in her church to arrange something quickly. Cole had called in a liberal Christian minister to handle his side of it. The Friendship had also helped out with some funding. The society's high-ranking leader Doug Ramsay- with whom Erika was still amicable- had given the engagement his blessing when he heard. His own marriage was on the rocks by then, and soon dissolved, yet he was still happy for Erika. The same was true regarding most of her other friends. She had been separated from many of these by the challenges of life, yet the majority remained. Cole was happy to call those friends his own friends too, now. Not regular partners- Erika's swinging had declined a bit with her new marriage and motherhood and the same was true of some of her friends with benefits- but the swinging was still added spice now and then. When their schedules allowed such things to happen.

And sometimes there were challenges no one expected. Erika had taken starring roles in two television dramas in 2015 & 2017. Both had failed to get full seasons. That was good in retrospect- it had allowed her a break to focus on her family with Cole. They had agreed to try for a second child in 2018, and that daughter had come more quickly than their preparations had forecast. Cole had ended up delivering their second daughter from Erika's womb at home while their first daughter watched 'The Lion King' in another room. Only after the delivery did a doctor arrive to check on mother and baby, make sure all was okay. By then Cole had brought the child into the world. This had given further cement to his relationship with Erika. Their isolation together during the Covid-19 pandemic that followed had increased the family's closeness as well. Now the pandemic was over, Erika had a new TV show and a few more films on her resume, and as soon as the current strike got resolved... Cole hoped their good life would get back on track.

He feared sometimes that they would end like the Seger song did. The incredible Hollywood girl would leave the naïve Midwestern boy to pick up the pieces of their crazy life together. No, he told himself, that won't happen here. Sure, we're apart right now and it's a bit rough, but...

His cell phone chirped with a text message.

"Hey honey." It was Erika. "Done filming for tonight. Be home soon. You waiting for me?"

"Yeah," he texted back. "Said goodnight to the girls a while ago. I've been thinking about you, wishing you were here."

"I'll be there soon," came the reply after a pause. "What should I wear when I see you?"

Cole recognized the game. "Frustrating night?" he asked her, before going back to his photo folder and picking a few appropriate shots of Erika modeling lingerie. A white bodystocking, a green camisole, a red bikini, a blue one piece that matched her eyes... He couldn't decide which was best.

"Kinda, yeah," she texted while he was deciding. "Found out a big streaming service is interested in purchasing the rights to the film. We may have to put production on hold because of the strike now. Damn it!"

"Yeah, shit," he agreed, tapping back to his text app. "You can finish it, right? Just delay distribution?"

"Maybe," Erika answered. "The director is seeing if he can manage that. But Cole... I don't want to talk about business right now."

He smiled and texted- "Neither do I." Then he sent her the photographs he'd highlighted. "How about you meet me soon wearing something like one of these? I'll wait for you on the balcony."

"Hmm," came her response after a delay. "LOL. Problem, honey. I'm not wearing anything like any of those outfits right now. And I think I want to be with you before I'd have time to change into other clothing."

"No problem," he typed quickly. "One commonality in all those photos. The woman inside the outfits. You. That's who I want you to be."

The emoji she sent back was epic in its satisfaction. "I can be myself, honey. How about you?"

He texted back a smiley face and several hearts.

The hearts were soon returned with more hearts from his wife.

My life will not end like the Seger song, Cole thought with a smile. He hoped Erika would be home soon and prove him correct. I don't want or need much else but her, he thought. And I'm glad for our happiness.

A message came into his email just then, an invitation to a wedding. Doug Ramsay, Cole recognized the sender. He flipped open the message and read it. Erika's former boyfriend was marrying her therapist, who was his college muse. Wow, Cole thought. I didn't know they were together in the past. And now they are together again. Good for them. May they be happy in all worlds somehow, just like Erika and me. He sent Doug a congratulatory reply and added that he would speak to Erika about attending the celebration. Surely she too had an invitation in her email. Yeah, nothing else made sense. Not in their current reality anyway.

In another reality, a faraway reality, things might be different. But in this dimension, happiness was possible. Soon as she gets home, Cole knew, Erika and I will enjoy our happiness. And, between us, such things can be quite an experience. We're both heavy into fitness, and that leads to a lot of stamina on her part and mine. Our bedroom escapades... to the outsider, they can not be easily imagined.

A look will start things off, he speculated. Just as it always does. Eye contact, then we come closer to each other and kiss. Next, an embrace and a fall back together onto our bed. We're wearing clothes at the start, but what clothes exactly... no, that won't matter very long. The clothes will stay on for but a few moments. Then there will only be torrid skin, traveling hands and lips, licking tongues. Two beasts, rutting comfortably, nurturing each other's emotion and inspiration. Heaving muscles and chests, panting breath. A climax approaching, and we will reach it together.

Other plateaus and peaks would follow over time. Maybe they'd create another child at some point. They would welcome that, make it work even with all the hardship it would bring. If it didn't happen... well, the pleasure they found together would be enough.

We didn't end up winning that race where we met, Cole recalled, either of us. But we finished it and we did learn we were interested in being together. That was prize enough. May we keep going the distance... together... forever.

He was no longer thinking about the same song he was before. And that was a good thing.

Cole picked up his glass of water from a table and sipped it. He was anticipating the night of happiness that would soon come to him. Here's to the nights, he thought, the nights we feel alive. And here's to... everything. Which Erika is to me, and vice versa.