Any Way the Wind Blows - E. Lynn Harris [82]
“Yeah, there was a little concern since you were in my first video. Don’t want the public to think you’re my boy toy.” Yancey laughed. “But it’s a location shot, and I hope you won’t be offended, but we won’t see your face. Just your backside.”
“Where are you shooting it?”
“In South Beach, and we leave tomorrow afternoon. We would need you for two days.”
“South Beach. I haven’t been there in a while, and I could just leave from there and go to Santo Domingo.”
“So will you do it? We’re traveling first class,” Yancey chimed.
“Of course. For you I will do anything,” I said.
“You’re a sweetheart, Bart. Start packing! Someone will give you a call later with your travel plans.”
“Cool, I’ll look forward to seeing you. Thanks for thinking of me.”
“No, Bart, thank you for saving the shoot.”
When the Worm Turns
It felt good to be in a city like South Beach, with warm weather and even warmer bodies. I was enjoying a faded blue sky, the sun gushing through dancing clouds, while eating lunch with Bart. We had been up since 6 A.M. so Desmond could get the exact lighting for my video. I had hoped to share lunch or something better with Desmond, but he was busy editing, so Bart volunteered to join me when he heard me say I was going to order room service and I didn’t want to eat alone.
We found a cute sidewalk café in the carnival-like Lincoln Road area, a few blocks from our hotel. Bart quickly turned the conversation to my skyrocketing career. Of course, I didn’t have a problem with that.
“How does it feel to be you, Yancey?” he asked after we had ordered and the waiter and Bart had exchanged flirtatious smiles.
“Wonderful. Now that my music career is off and running, I’m getting ready to do my Janet Jackson move and turn my attention to my movie career,” I said as I took a sip of water.
“You got anything lined up? I hear it’s tough out in Hollywood.”
“I got my eyes on a couple of things. There’s going to be a remake of Sparkle, and even though I swore I wouldn’t do television, HBO is doing a film version of Jelly’s Last Jam. I heard Vanessa Williams turned them down for the female lead, so it’s time for me to swoop in, even though I hate taking someone’s leftovers,” I said.
“I saw Jelly’s, and you’d be the one-one in that! You’d play the hell out of the role of Sister as well,” Bart said with a sweet and sincere smile.
“Think I’d make them forget Lonette McKee?”
“Lonette and Miss Irene ‘I’m gonna live forever’ Cara.” Bart laughed.
“I can’t thank you enough for filling in at the last minute,” I said.
“Are you kidding? I get to be with the number-one pop diva and spend a couple of nights in a fabu hotel. I should be on my knees thanking you. Plus, I can learn a thing or two being around someone like you. I hope just a little bit of your success rubs off on me,” Bart said.
The waiter brought out our drinks, and I began to notice the good-looking men walking up and down the open-air mall area holding hands with each other. It was like being in the Village in New York on a Saturday night. I decided this was a fine time to ask some questions about gay men, since it looked like I would never be able to keep them out of my life completely.
“Have you hung out since we’ve been here?”
“I went out last night, and the men are just okay,” Bart said as he sipped his iced tea through a straw.
“Just okay? These men are gorgeous. Look at him,” I said as I pointed to an attractive golden-brown man wearing white shorts and nothing else. He looked like he was Puerto Rican or maybe Brazilian.
“You see men like that all the time