Rich or Famous...Rich Because You Can Buy Fame (4 page)

My girl Brittani who attended all the industry events had already told me that in a few days Sway’s manager was having a birthday party. So I went there looking like a fucking billion dollars. Every dude’s tongue in there was wagging. And when I strutted my ass pass Sway’s table like I didn’t even notice him he grabbed my arm and never let it go. He grilled me on why I hadn’t returned his phone call. I acted like I had been so busy that it slipped my mind. He was dumbstruck and kept me in his back and front pocket from that night on, which was cool with me.

From the second I decided to go after Sway I knew I would never lock him down and it wasn’t my intention. It was no secret he was a whore and he loved living the life of being rich and famous. That was the main reason I made him a target. Some superstars hid from the spotlight but Sway welcomed it and that was the type of man I needed if I was going to get my shine. It seemed like overnight
I was in all the magazines and popular blogs. At first they referenced me as his ‘gal pal’ but once it became apparent I wasn’t a onetime on the scene chick it didn’t take long for the media to address me by one name, ‘Dior’.

** *

“What’s up, Sway! I feel honored that you came through to bless my video,” the hottest new rapper on the rise, Phenomenon said to Sway when we arrived.

“I got you! Your lyrics are crazy and this joint is bananas. You gon’ kill the charts wit’ this. You goin’ straight to the top, watch!”

“That’s my goal and with the budget the label is giving me for this video, that’s what they hoping too.” Both of them laughed and did some more small talk before Phenomenon went back on set. I knew we would be here for awhile because that’s how it went on a video shoot. I had been on several especially since I started dating Sway. The shit was redundant but I just considered it as part of the job.

As Sway and I got comfortable in the private area they had set up for him I could hear the video director screaming and he wouldn’t stop.

“What the fuck is going on over there?” Sway
asked out loud walking towards the open area by the set. They had a bedroom scene laid out and the director had now lowered his voice but you could see the anger on his face. He was talking to a young looking guy who I figured was an assistant or intern. As we walked up closer we could hear what the director was saying.

“Tell that girl to get her ass out here right now. We don’t have all fuckin’ day to wait on her!” The guy immediately ran to the dressing room and knocked on the door. I saw the door slightly open and he was talking to who I assumed was the girl although I couldn’t see her face. Then the door closed and the guy came walking back towards the director with a look of gloom plastered across his face.

“She won’t come out,” the guy said in a defeated tone.

“You didn’t say what I think you just said?”

“She doesn’t feel…”

“I don’t give a fuck what she feels!” The director barked, cutting the guy off. “She isn’t getting paid to feel shit but what I tell her to.” In the midst of their dialogue I saw the dressing room door open and the girl came out with a bathrobe on. As she got nearer her eyes seemed slightly red as if she had been crying.

“I apologize for making you wait.” She sounded sincere and had a sweet, innocent look. Not typical of chicks I had seen on previous video sets.

“Whatever, just take off your robe so we can shoot this scene. We’ve already wasted enough time,” the director said coldly.

“I don’t want to take off my robe.”

“If you want to wait until you get in the bed, that’s fine, just get over there.”

“I mean, I don’t want to take my robe off at all. When my agent told me about this job she didn’t mention that I had to be in some skimpy bra and panties.”

“What the fuck did you think you were gonna wear? This is a fuckin’ hip hop video not a damn PTA meeting!”

“I understand that, but this is my first video shoot and…”

“And it will be your last if you don’t take off that fuckin’ robe and get in the bed.” The director could see the resistance on the girl’s face so he wouldn’t let up. “Do you know how many women wanted the lead role for this video? We had supermodels, top notch actresses and every video model you can think of trying to get this part. But Phenomenon and his label wanted an unknown so I made the stupid mistake of picking you.”

“I’m sorry. I do want this part and I can do everything else but I don’t want to be on television in front of millions of people practically naked.”

I listened and stared at the girl and for some reason I actually felt sorry for her, which was a rarity
for me. Sympathy wasn’t an emotion that was easy for me to come by. Honestly I thought she was a fool for not snatching this opportunity and holding it tight. The way the music industry was now, very few artists had videos that were highly anticipated but this was definitely one of them. When the director told the girl about all the women that were vying for the lead, he wasn’t exaggerating. The exposure alone would make them hot for a second and if they played their cards right it would buy them a few more minutes. If parading around in your bra and panties would get you that I didn’t understand what the big fuckin’ deal was. It wasn’t like she was getting butt ass naked and making a sex video with a pseudo singer.

“I’ma ask you one last time to take off your robe and go get in the bed,” the director said calmly. “If you’re not gonna do it, then get the fuck off my set,” he bolted, leaving a deafening sound in all our ears. The girl burst out in tears and ran off the set. I was tempted to go after her but what would I say.
You’re making a fuckin’ mistake, choke it up, take off the robe and get the shit over with
. But I didn’t because it was clear she wasn’t cut out for this.

“I can’t believe this shit! This is what the fuck I get for using an amateur,” the director yelled out to anybody that would listen. “I’ll never be able to wrap this shoot up today if I don’t find somebody asap! Who the fuck am I gonna find to do this shit at
the last minute?”

“I’ll do it,” I said raising my hand and stepping forward like a student would volunteer and do in junior high when trying to score brownie points with the teacher. The director turned and looked in my direction, noticing me for the first time. Luckily when I’m by Sway’s side he always has me in fighting form so my appearance was on point. I had on a one piece gray short jumper with a black leather belt that clinched tightly on my waist. It highlighted all my best assets without making me look desperate and cheap.

“The job is yours,” he said with a look of surprise that he had a female right under his nose that fit the bill.

“No the fuck it’s not!” Sway stepped forward and said just as quickly.

“Sway, what’s the dilemma? She’s perfect.” The director clearly didn’t want to cause a problem with Sway but at the same time wanted to convince him it should be a go.

“Yeah, she’s perfect for me, not for your video.”

“Man, I’m pressed for time. If I’m not able to use her then I’ll have to wait and finish this video tomorrow which will put me way over budget. I just want to borrow her for a little while, I promise to give her right back,” he said in a joking way, trying to break the wall Sway had put up but Sway wasn’t budging.

“Then I guess you shit out of luck if you gambling on me letting you use her, ‘cause it ain’t happenin’.”

“Baby, it’s just a video. You should let me do it.”

“Yo, shut the fuck up and go sit yo’ ass down! I can’t believe you volunteered for this shit in the first place!”

“Whatever you say, baby.”

“You fucking right! And don’t forget that shit!” I walked off the set and sat down pissed like a mutherfucka. That was the one major obstacle I had dealing with Sway—the only gig I was supposed to have was pleasing him. Once I became his permanent arm candy, people were constantly coming at him for me to do magazine spreads, interviews just anything to know who was this chick that had been able to hold Sway’s attention, but he would always shut it down. The chance I had today was too fuckin’ good to pass up. I figured since I volunteered in front of everybody Sway would go ahead and let me do it so he didn’t appear petty but he still shut the shit down. He was once again blocking my chance of getting closer to having my own fame outside of him.

“Don’t you ever do no shit like that again or I’ll fuck you up,” he threatened, interrupting my own cursing out I was giving him in my head.

“Baby, I was just trying to help. The director
was in a bind. I didn’t think you would mind.”

“I don’t keep you around for you to think. I do all the thinking for you. So unless I tell you to do something, don’t volunteer to do shit.”

“It won’t happen again.”

“It better not, now let’s go.”

“But you didn’t shoot your guest spot yet.”

“Fuck this video! I ain’t doin’ no fuckin’ guestspot.” I didn’t say a word. When Sway got in one of his funks it was best to remain quiet and follow his lead. His bodyguards rushed us out to the awaiting car and I knew for the rest of the night I would have to deal with him snorting coke and poppin’ shit.

Lorenzo

I Can Make You A Star

I watched as Dior made her exit with Sway and by no means was she happy but she was playing her position true to form. I watched from a distance as everything played out and I had to admit I found it amusing, especially after the conversation I had with her last night. Dior was positive that being with Sway would garner her all the fame she craved but instead that nigga was blocking harder than an NFL offensive guard.

“Yo, did you see that nigga Sway bounce! I can’t believe he broke out like that.” Phenomenon was shaking his head in disappointment. I knew he admired that cat but I was too busy laughing at Dior in my mind that I wasn’t really paying him attention like I should have.

“Son, you good,” was all I could muster
.

“Whatever. I guess that egotistical bullshit people be saying he on is really true. And on the real, his girl would’ve been perfect for the video. Now we gotta scramble to find somebody else on some last minute shit. This would’ve been a good look for everybody. So not only is he causing me to go over budget on my first major video but he ain’t gon’ do his appearance. That nigga foul!”

“Don’t worry ‘bout it. We’ll find you another hot chick. We in Miami. This the right city to find a last minute bad bitch.”

“I hear you but that shit fucked up. We had a usable bad bitch right here and that cocky ass nigga fucked it up. Plus I like the fact that homegirl’s face is familiar from being photographed everywhere with Sway but at the same time don’t nobody really know who she is. I’m tempted to go to his crib and let him know how foul he is.”

“You know where he stays?”

“Of course. He got a condo at the Setai right there on South Beach.”

“I tell you what. Since I’m invested in your success, I want you to win. I’ll go over there and have a conversation with him myself.”

“And say what?”

“You the talent, there’s no need for you to worry about things like that. I’ll take care of it.”

“Cool, make it happen.”

** *

When I pulled up to the condo section of the Setai on 101 20 St. I had only one mission and there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that I would pull it off. I stood outside the entrance for a long time talking on my cell phone, strictly observing the incoming and outgoing traffic. I figured at some point Sway and Dior would make an appearance. After thirty minutes of bullshit talking on the phone I finagled my way into the lobby which wasn’t too difficult given my clean cut appearance and the Lambo I pulled up in. Around the ten minute mark, I saw Dior, Sway, some other female and his bodyguards walking towards The Grill restaurant. I played it cool as I gained headway. When I got somewhat close, I coughed loudly hoping to get Dior’s attention. But the only one that turned in my direction to see where the noise was coming from was the unrecognizable female. Everybody else kept all attention in the forward direction.

It wasn’t until we all got into the restaurant and the hostess was about to seat them did Dior so happen to turn around and meet my gaze. I felt the reason she turned in my direction was because she could feel my eyes burning a hole through her back. She glanced at me, then turned back around and suddenly glanced back as if trying to peg my familiar
face. When she did it a second time, I smiled then discreetly gestured my finger for her to come here. Her demeanor didn’t change in one way or another so when she walked off following behind Sway and the rest of his people to the table I didn’t know if she was coming back to hear what I had to say or not.