Hollywood Harlot

“Celeste, you need to get up now.” I turned over hiding from the bright light that was flooding in through the window.
“Maxine, can we do this another day? I was out last night and I have a hell of a hangover.”
“Nope,” my soft, warm blankets were abruptly pulled off of me, “Hurry and get dressed, I want to discuss your schedule for tomorrow.”
I got out of bed slowly hoping to lessen the overwhelming feeling that the room was spinning. No such luck. Damn those tequila shots. On wobbly legs, I walked to my bathroom where I took three aspirins straight. I avoided the mirror, since I imagined I looked like hell, as I stripped and climbed into the shower.

A mere thirty minutes later and I was ready.
“Really Celeste? I have other things to do than wait on you to put your face on.” Maxine complained as we rode the elevator down.
“This,” I gestured to my face, “is my money maker. Besides, you can’t except me to leave my house looking a mess when there are paparazzi waiting at every corner to snag a picture of me.”
Maxine rolled her eyes in reply. She knew I was right of course, and if she didn’t the paparazzi waiting out front would have proven my point.
“Celeste, are you still dating Benjamin Bradley?”
“Is it true you’re having an affair with Brad Pitt?”
“Are you really in a fight with Megan Fox?”
I ignored the questions and flashed them a pearly white smile as I stepped into Maxine’s waiting car. We dined at a small bistro with indoor & outdoor seating. It was a nice summer day so we opted to sit outside & bask in the sunshine.
“Ok,” Maxine started to open her planning book as soon as we placed our orders, “You have a photo shoot with GQ tomorrow at 6:30 a.m. I expect you not to be hung over so do not, I repeat do not, go out tonight.”
“Mm hm,” I stared at my cuticles that really need a good manicure.
“Celeste, please pay attention.”
“I am,” I protested peeking at my I-phone noticing I had a text from Malu, one of my friends.
“You’ll be working with a new photographer, some English guy that’s supposed to be the next big thing.”
The waiter came back with our food, “If there’s anything I can get you ladies let me know,” he smiled looking directly at me.
“Not right now, but if anything comes up I’ll let you know.” I smiled, placing my hand on top of his and pushing forward a bit so he could get a good look at my cleavage.
Maxine looked at me with disapproval as he walked away,” Celeste he had a wedding ring on.”
I looked innocent, “I was just being friendly.”

Opening the door to my apartment, my Shih Tzu, Chance ran at me barking his head off, “Hey boy, did Inez already come & walk you?” I walked into the kitchen dropping my bags on the counter seeing the note from Inez saying she dropped by. I grabbed the mail & starting going through mostly boring things from boring people. I snuggled into my plush couch and opened People magazine where I was on the cover again: Celeste Dalton, party princess, stumbling out of yet another night club. Well, at least I looked good. You know what they say, there’s no such thing as bad publicity. A loud knock from my door interrupting my reading.
“Who is it?” I asked swinging opened the door. My jaw dropped at the sign of a little glimpse of my past, my baby sister, Callie.
“Well are you going to let me in?”
“What the hell are you doing here?”
‘Don’t you remember telling mom & dad I could stay here for the summer?”
“No I don’t recall that conversation at all.”
“Well maybe if your head wasn’t always in a liquor bottle.”
“Listen, nerdy by nature, your not going to come into my house and talk shit to me, understand?”
She crossed her arms over her small chest, “Well, are you going to let me in or not?” she repeated. I moved out of the doorway so she could pull her bags in.
“Where’s my room?”
“Back in Kentucky, where you belong, I muttered under my breath heading for the kitchen. I needed a drink. Bad.
“Look at you it’s barely past 12 and your drinking straight from the bottle,” Callie tsked from the doorway.
I glared at her, “There’s a guest room down the hall. You’ll be sleeping there.”
She turned and walked out of the kitchen to unpack her bags I took another swig from the vodka bottle before I took out my phone and called Laraine, one of my closer friendemnies, “Tell Malu to wipe the coke off her nose were going out tonight.”