[Hyde POV]
Even in my previous life, I never attended a Hollywood party.
Millionaires weren't really uncommon in the future, so without connections with the Hollywood elite circle gatekeepers, I never really had a chance.
But it was too easy to get into Hollywood parties back in the 70s.
It was a time where Hollywood was semi-solid, full of up-and-comers, and investors trying to buy influence.
I saw Shannon drinking heavily and becoming increasingly drunk. Some men kept offering her drinks and enjoyed watching her dancing provocatively.
She wore a satin dress that hugged her body and showed a lot of her smooth skin.
When she passed out, I realized someone was preying on her.
A sleazy looking man in his thirties with a Beatle haircut, hairy chest and arm, and a thick mustache. He pulled up her skirt as she laid down sideways, unconscious.
Then, he began rubbing his hand on her thigh, creeping it upward slowly and pulling down her panties slightly.
I grabbed his hand from the side, stopping her. With a beer on the other hand, I said casually, "What are you doing pal?"
"This is none of your business, kid." He tried to brush my hand away, but I kept holding it tight. "Do you want me to beat you up?" He asked threateningly.
I sighed and said, "Sure. Let's go outside then."
We went outside and no one even paid any attention to us. I asked a server there to check on Shannon, while I faced off the guy in front of the house.
He swung his fist at me. His arm was burly, and he was two inches taller than me. However, I grew up fighting. I wasn't some Californian pretend gym muscle bitch.
I leaned back, letting his fist pass, which in turn, made him step forwards to stabilize himself. I grabbed his torso and kneed him underneath his ribcage.
He wheezed and fell to the ground, struggling to breath. He looked at me with veins popping out of his forehead.
"Come on, don't look at me like that. You wanted to fight." I clenched my fist and hit the side of his face.
He dropped to the floor, unconscious. Behind me, a man in a cashmere robe clapped his hand in admiration.
"That was really clean. It's amazing." he complimented me.
"Thanks." I replied. "You're the owner right?"
"I am. I'm Hugh. Hugh Heffner. I could use someone like you at my house."
"Isn't this your house?"
"No. My other house. One with all the bunnies."
"Sorry?"
He laughed as he thought my reaction was cute. Patty approached him quickly and said, "Heff. He's a director. He even got his own tv show back in Wisconsin."
"Oh Wisconsin boy huh. That's why you fight well." Heff complimented me.
I thought the name was familiar, but I didn't care much and waved him off.
"He's quite eccentric. But he's…good." Patty complimented me to Heff.
Heff smoked his pipe and said, "I realize that."
I picked up Shannon from the couch and told Bruce, "I'm bringing her back to her house."
"Sure. You're the only one who knows where."
Twenty minutes later, I threw her onto her sofa and left after locking the door behind me. I left her a note that I had thrown the key back through the gap of her door.
I didn't linger and went to a bar instead of going back to the noisy house. There were a few live music events on my google alert, and I managed to hit three of them tonight.
They weren't someone I remembered, but it was still fun regardless. I went to a high class club at midnight to catch a famous rock band singing there.
It was AC/DC and the entire performance was awesome. They didn't come out with Highway to Hell yet, but I still heard TNT and She Got Balls.
…
"So, what happened last night?" Shannon asked, wearing sunglasses and a scarf over her head, covering her face slightly.
She wore a floral one piece suit today, and still has the pearl necklace.
"You got drunk and almost became hyena's food." I said casually. "I told you in the note."
"That's why I came here to see you." She said angrily. "How can you just leave me behind like that? Shouldn't you stay until I woke up, maybe bring me a bucket to puke up on?"
"Did you ruin your couch?" I asked teasingly.
She blushed and said, "All thanks to you."
I wore a tank top, shorts and sandals today. I stood up from the chair and said mockingly, "Shannon… Please, don't bend over yourself thanking me."
She was taken aback and said begrudgingly, "I'll admit. You really did help me last night. But– Hey! Don't walk away from me again! How many times are you going to do that?!"
"Until you stop blabbering." I flashed a casual smirk and went to the beach. \
There were a lot of girls in bikinis, and I wanted to see if I could find a beautiful girl to hang out with to pass the time.
I found one quite easily at a surf bar.
"Hey, weren't you at the concert last night?" The girl asked me. She has a tramp tattoo on her lower back, brunette, has bangs, and wore a tank top as she drank vodka at 10 in the morning.
"Yeah, you're the girl who beat up the guy." I said casually.
She laughed and said, "He deserved it for touching my butt."
"No, I never said it wasn't deserved." I teased.
She giggled and said, "Thank you for stepping in when the guy's friend rushed in."
"Ganging up three men against one girl? That's not very gentlemanly of them."
"So, what do you do?" She asked.
"What do you think I'm doing?"
"Hopefully me later." She flirted.
"I have to make some time, but I can fit you right into my schedule."
While we were talking, suddenly, the blonde princess approached my table. She wore a huge sunhat, and wore a golden bikini with her lower half slightly covered by a bikini skirt.
"Here you are. I've been looking all over for you." She said angrily as she found me.
I looked at her in disbelief, saying, "Why are you even looking for me?"
"Steven. Who's this?" The tattoo'd girl asked.
"She's a nobody. Just a stalker that has been following me around." I replied.
Shannon gasped, and suddenly changed her tune. Her voice shook, her chin quivered, her eyes got red.
"You're treatin' me like this? Even though I'm carryin' your bastard child?" She spoke with a Southern accent.
"What?" I was shocked.
"What?!" The other girl was flabbergasted.
"I told you to use protection," she sobbed. "But nooo, you said it 'ruined the moment.' And now look at me. All alone. Abandoned. With nothin' but my dignity and a growin' human life inside me."
"That is not—" I stammered nervously.
"My mama always warned me about men like you," she went on, turning to the tattoo'd girl, shaking her head sadly. "The kind who smiles real nice, buys you a drink, and disappears the second there's consequences. They take what they want, and they don't look back."
"I'm leaving." The tattoo'd girl threw her hands up and stormed off.
"Oh come on—she's lying!" I called after her, but she was already gone.
Shannon watched her disappear, then slowly turned to me.
A smug little smile crept onto her face.
"See?" she said brightly. "I told you. I'm a great actor."
I shot her a dirty look.
I sighed, tossed some bills on the table, and headed toward the beach.
She followed, heels sinking into the sand with every annoyed step.
"Where are you going?" she called out. "I wanna talk to you!"
I spun around. "Listen, Princess. I don't like you. So for the love of God, stop following me."
She froze.
"What?" she said, genuinely stunned. "If you don't like me, then why did you step in when that creep was having his way with me?"
"Because it was the right thing to do," I snapped. "You don't have to like someone to keep them."
She frowned, lips pursed slightly.
"Well… that's confusing," she said. "You could just admit you like me and save us both some trouble."
"I don't," I said, already turning away.
"Oh, stop lying to yourself," she said, catching up. "This is just you being scared. You don't know how to handle your feelings, so you pretend you don't have any. You're in love with me and it terrifies you."
I stopped walking and pinched the bridge of my nose.
"Not everything in the world is about romance," I said flatly.
She brightened anyway. "Then stay. In California. I'll be your muse. We'll make art together. Great art."
I stared at her, and her bright, oblivious face turned uglier to me by the second.
She tilted her head, smiling. "If you really don't like me, then tell me why. Go on. I bet you can't."
I smiled back emotionlessly. "Oh, I can."
She straightened up, smiling cheekily. "Go on. Do it!"
"When I'm done," I said calmly, "you leave me alone. Deal?"
"Deal," she said, grinning.
"You're spoiled," I said flatly. "You think attention is the same thing as worth. You've never had to earn anything, so you assume it'll just fall into your lap."
Her smile faltered. "What?..."
"You think you're deep because men want you, and interesting because people say yes to you. And the idea that someone could help you without wanting you?"
I shrugged. "That offends you."
Her eyes glossed over. Her jaw tightened.
"And you hate me," I finished, "because I didn't want anything from you. And that makes you feel worthless. Without your money or your body, you realized that you don't really have anything to offer."
"So stop bothering me," I said lightly. "Princess."
She finally understood I wasn't flirting when I called her that. It was more of a mock.
Her head dipped. For a second, I thought she might cry.
Instead, she raised her head back up.
"Well you're not special either!" she snapped. "You think everyone around you is stupid, and one day you're gonna wake up all alone because you pushed everyone away!"
She jabbed a finger at my chest. "You're emotionally stunted and impossible!"
She turned and stormed off. I watched her go, then went back to the beachhouse.
I flipped open my magazine and leaned back in the sun, trying to get some tan.
While I was relaxing, she came towards me again. "I AM NOT ENTITLED!"
"Good god! I thought this was over." I cursed, rubbing my face in frustration.
"Sure! My daddy paid for my house! And my credit cards– but I am not entitled or spoiled! I gave him a present on his birthday… two years ago!"
"Why god? Why are you testing me this way?" I cursed my fate, completely ignoring her.
"So! You take that back! And apologize to me! And we'll be friends!" She said adamantly, slightly nervous about her demands.
"Hell no." I snapped.
"AAH!" She gasped, fully offended.
…
In the California afternoon, the sun was right on top of my head. My skin was already a bit tanned.
"You're leaving now?" Bruce asked, confused. "Patty told me to bring you with me to the meeting."
I waved slightly, gesturing 'I'm fine, thanks', and said, "You'll be fine. Bring your lawyer or something. I want to see someone before I go, so."
"Alright. Hey, I'll come see you when I'm in Wisconsin and see the Chevelle you're building. If it's good, I might order one for myself."
"For you, I'll give you a 10– no 5… no 2% discount." I said playfully, "Cause you know, the profit margin is tight already."
He laughed and said, "Fine. But if the car is really good like you said, I might tell my friends all about it."
"Deal. And about the other deal…"
He nodded in understanding and said, "The car carrier right? If anyone asks, I will say that I helped you get them."
"Thanks. If Red knows I went to California on the trip, he'll kill me."
I bought junk cars from the car lot. Something people gave up on. Their body was in good condition since there was no rust here. I paid for a carrier service to bring the car to me.
It was a 10 car hauler truck, and the trip cost 3000 dollars for one truck, including the loading and unloading cost.
I paid 15,000 for the 20 cars, and 6 more on the delivery. When I fixed it all up, I could have a profit of 40,000 dollars.
That was a good enough haul for this trip. Not to mention, I still have 20 cars in my system storage.
The workshop would be busy for the next three months fixing up these desert cars that could be sold as a premium used car in the salt belt area.
Bruce and I shook hands and I left in a taxi to go to Burbank. It was a more than one hour drive to get there from Malibu.
It cost 35 bucks, and I tipped the taxi driver 10 bucks. It was a generous amount of tip in 1977.
"I'll need a ride to the airport later, if you're around." I hinted at him.
The young man grinned and said, "I can swing by, around 7.30-ish.."
"Great. I'll see you then."
I didn't realize that someone had followed me from behind from Malibu in another cab. I went to the hot tub store and the salesmen immediately came and greeted me.
"What can I help you with sir?" He asked.
"Is Victoria around?" I asked.
"Victoria? Wait here. I'll check. And who should I tell her is asking?" He asked, a little cautious.
"I'm Steven Hyde."
He nodded and went to the back office. Less than a minute later, a blonde girl wearing a one piece dress and has tan lines on her sleeveless shoulder rushed to the front of the store.
"HYDE!" She hugged me instantly.
I hugged her back, smiling slightly.
"How– What are you doing here?" She pulled back and asked excitedly.
"I'm here on a business trip. I figured I should stop by and see how you're settling here."
"I'm– I'm good. Life has been very good to me in California… Should we go to a cafe and talk?" She brushed her hair behind her ear, her smile kept growing even though she tried to calm herself down.
"Sure."
…
We went to a cafe she loves and she recommended a lot of food to me. The waitress, the cafe owner, everyone seemed to know her here.
"So," I said, crossing my legs slightly, "Are they treating you alright around here?"
She rested her chin in her hands. "Yeah. I've been… lucky."
"Good."
"My ex-husband and his partner really looked out for me."
I nodded. "Seems like you landed on your feet."
She smiled, a little too quick. "I did. But, I do miss you… I mean, everyone at Wisconsin… not just you."
"So, you're telling me I'm not special?" I teased.
Caught off guard, Victoria stammered, "No–No! I didn't mean that! I really miss you! Like a lot! A real lot!"
There was a moment of silence after she said that. I chuckled and said, "I miss you a lot. A real lot… too."
She blushed slightly. We met each other's eyes and burst out laughing.
"Do you want to see my house?" She asked. "And to be clear, I'm not asking you back to do something else. Just… to see the house."
"I'm good with that."
We went back to her place, which was just a short walk away from the store.
"You bought this house?" I asked, quite surprised.
She smiled and giggled, "Yeah. Isn't it amazing?"
It was a spanish style, two storey house with a picket fence and three bedrooms. However as we entered, I saw the living room was filled with boxes.
"I'm- I am still filling up the house."
"Really? You didn't turn into a shopaholic?"
"This is from Sears." She said defensively.
I laughed and said, "It's fine. I'm not judging you fully."
"But you are judging me a little bit." She pouted. I patted her head and said, "Just a little bit."
She inhaled deeply, her eyes staring at me. I continued to look around. Her house was pretty big, which meant her ex-husband gave her a pretty good amount of money in the divorce.
He has over 20 hot tub stores all over California. To buy a house like this wasn't a big deal for him. It was a single family dwelling, not a mansion.
Maybe around 2000 square feet. Same size as the Forman's house, and she also has a basement here.
She showed me around excitedly. "I'm renting out the extra bedroom. Not for men. Girls only. People with ambition. People trying to make it out here–"
"And also, for the extra money." I interjected, bursting her emotional speech.
She shot me a weird look and said, "Your brain is filled with only that."
I smirked and said, "Well, I don't really have a dream, so money is my dream."
"Really? You don't have any dreams?" She was surprised. "Not even a little one?"
"To topple the world government–"
"Alright. No dream it is." She interjected and laughed teasingly.
We talked about a lot of stuff. About the interesting people she met, her daily life, and her new experiences.
She suddenly asked me, "Hyde. I've been wanting to talk to you about this for a while now."
"Shoot." I said casually, realizing her tone wasn't about relationships.
"You know the divorce settlement?" She was a bit worried.
"Yeah, you got a lot of money, right?"
"Well. A lot is quite an understatement." She panicked slightly.
"Oh, now I'm curious. How much?"
"Around… Three…"
"Three what?"
"Three hundred… grand." She spat out worriedly, thinking I would be shocked.
"Oh, like what I almost made last month." I said casually.
"Yeah it is a huge amount of money– YOU ALMOST MADE THAT?!" She was shocked.
"Why are you surprised? I think your ex husband made something like that too. He has like 20 stores, right?"
"Yeah! He has 20 STORES!" Victoria was flabbergasted.
I laughed and said, "Yeah, but I have a tv special."
"You have a TV special?" She was confused. "Didn't you air your videos on the public access network?"
"Yeah. It got picked up by WPPV Channel 5, and also, I have like a 45 minutes special that airs all around Wisconsin and nearby states."
"Oh." She felt relieved. "You didn't deal drugs or anything, right?"
"Nope." I replied flatly and smiled. "I'm parched."
"I'll bring you something to drink. By the way, should I invite my ex husband here? He's been meaning to meet you." She asked as she brought me a glass coke bottle.
"Oh, I don't care for that. I have like four hours before I go back. I'm in no mood to meet new people."
She pursed her lips and said, "It's California. Not Wisconsin. Open up a little. Maybe you'll like it."
Suddenly, the door bell rang. We were both confused. I asked her, "Did you already call your ex?"
"No…" She said cautiously. "Maybe it's my roommate forgetting to bring a key."
She went to open it, and Shannon was there, staring at her from top to bottom.
"Who are you?" Victoria asked in confusion.
"Hi, I'm Hyde's stalker. May I come in?"
"What–"
Shannon walked inside casually. I cursed as I saw her, "God damn it. Why are you here? How did you find me?"
"I've been following you for the past two hours." Shannon replied obnoxiously. "I wanted to see why you rejected me. Now, I know."
"You know what?" Victoria was confused. "Hyde, who is this?"
"A very delusional stalker." I replied. "I should call the cops."
"No! Stop! I'm not stalking you anymore. I just wanted to know something, and then, I'll be gone!" Shannon raised her hands up nervously, stopping me from reaching the phone.
"Be quick." I said with a frown.
"Well, the question is mostly to her." Shannon turned to Victoria.
"Me? Wait… Aren't you the actor who played Cecille in Black Cobra?"
Shannon gasped in excitement and nodded her head vigorously, "That's me!"
"What… Do you want to ask me?" Victoria's eyes were spinning as Shannon shook her hands.
"I watched him all day yesterday," Shannon said bluntly. "He never smiled once."
Victoria frowned slightly. "You were together?"
"With you?" Shannon continued. "He's gentle. He listens. He doesn't mock you. So what are you doing that I'm not?"
"Huh?" Victoria shot her a weird look.
"See, now, that's the same look he used to look at me!" Shannon pointed out excitedly.
Shannon told Victoria about our meeting from the very beginning. She kept babbling on and on for about an hour.
Victoria finally looked at me and said, "Wow. She's so Jackie."
"I know right?" I agreed with her.
"Who's Jackie? Is she also a breathtaking lady like me?" Shannon asked.
"Should we put her out on the curb?" I asked Victoria.
"Hold on, let me call my ex first. He loves her in the movie." Victoria quickly reached for her phone. "Then, we can throw her out."
(read up to chapter 92 on my patreon.
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