Les Tales (4 page)

Finally, the last girl left the room, and they closed the door. Ursula spoke with her assistant for a moment before her assistant motioned for me to come over. My feet felt like lead as I attempted to move closer to her. Ursula came from behind the table she was sitting at and met me in the middle. She held her hand out.

“Well, hello there.” Her British accent was so cute.

“Hello, Ursula.” I could hear my voice trembling.

“So I was sitting in here, signing all these autographs for women, but I didn't see my Athena.”

My Athena.
She had just called me her Athena. I knew this had to be a dream now. No way was this happening. I had to be losing my mind.

“I'm sorry. I was headed over here, but my friends got caught up with the guys from the show over in the other room. I didn't realize how late it was getting. Not to mention I wasn't ready to make another ass of myself just yet.”

Ursula and her assistant both laughed. Ursula's laugh was just like the laugh I'd heard a million times on the
Olympus
show. She touched me on my shoulder, sending a wave of energy through my body.

“You didn't make an ass of yourself. I was quite moved, actually,” Ursula told me. “I've seen people cry before, but there was something about you. I didn't get the sense that the crying was just because you were meeting me.” Her eyes met mine. It was like she was trying to read my mind through my eyes. I thought about Ciara.

“It wasn't. I, um . . . caught my girlfriend cheating on me the day before I headed here. . . . In my bed.” Ursula's mouth dropped, and so did her assistant's. “She didn't understand why I wanted to come here and do any of this, so she did . . . well, what she did.”

“What a slag. To cheat on someone so beautiful.... She should have her ass kicked.” Ursula's expression reminded me of the serious face she had when she was an Amazon.

She had called me beautiful. I blushed. I had no idea what a slag was, but I just smiled while she continued to bash my ex with her assistant. I couldn't believe it. I still couldn't fully comprehend that I was having a conversation with Ursula Moore.

“Well, this has been one hell of a long day. I'm starving.” Ursula turned her attention back to me. “Temple, would you be interested in joining me for dinner?” Her lips curled up, an expression I was very familiar with. That smile was usually present when she was up to something on the show or before she seduced someone.

Hell yes! Goddamn right I would!
My wide-eyed expression had to let her know my answer.

“Are you serious? Um, sure, I'd love to,” I told her.

“Um . . .” Her assistant chimed in. “Ursula, you are supposed to be meeting Jessica for dinner in thirty minutes.”

Ursula's lips became very tight. “Oh, I totally forgot about that. I am so sorry, Temple, but I can't cancel this.”

I felt my heart break all over again. I smiled and nodded my head. “Oh, it's no worries at all. My friends are probably wondering where I am. We are attending a few parties tonight.”

Ursula's bright expression appeared again. “Fantastic. I tell you, this con is really unlike any I've ever attended. I even heard that there are no-clothes parties and furry parties.”

“Well, yeah. It's Dragon Con.”

“Brilliant.”

I walked with Ursula and her assistant toward the door. Two bodyguards walked into the room. The assistant conversed with them, planning the route out of the building.

“Well, will you be at the panel tomorrow, Temple?” Ursula asked.

“Of course.” I wanted to shoot myself as soon as the words came out of my mouth. I sounded crazy.

“Excellent. Make your way back here tomorrow night. Tell those guys they can't hog all of your time.” Ursula winked at me before leaving the room with her bodyguards.

I stood there, watching her walk off, still completely in awe and in love even more than before.

I texted my friends and found out they were still chilling in the Walk of Fame room, which had closed ten minutes before. I had to fight with the volunteer working the door before he let me in to meet them. I walked in to see the table merchandise being covered up by the various celebrities' handlers and to hear laughing coming from the area where the guys were. I walked up and found Les and Kirk sitting down with Cree and Nia.

“Ah, look who's back.” Kirk's voice echoed through the now empty room.

“Hey, girl!” Nia waved to me while mouthing “Oh my God” at me.

I took a seat next to Cree as Kirk finished his story about one of the fight scenes he had with Les in the show. I could tell the men were genuinely friends by the way they interacted with each other. Since I had read rumors of cast fighting on various blog sites about the show, it was good to see that they actually liked each other.

“I'm sorry to be the party pooper, guys, but the car is here and we have to go,” the guys' handler said as he stood there with their two bodyguards.

“Ah, how time flies.” Les's Australian accent was the cutest thing ever. “Ladies, it has been an absolute pleasure. We must continue this again soon.”

Kirk chimed in like a little boy asking for some ice cream. “I am sure you will be at the panel tomorrow, right?”

“We will be there,” Nia assured him and stood up.

“Wouldn't miss it,” Cree added as she and the two men stood up. I rose to my feet too.

“You won't be wearing that leather suit again, will you?” Les's dark eyes were fixed on Cree.

Cree shook her head. “I was planning on wearing something else, unless—”

“No good. I need to be able to concentrate on everyone, and not just on you,” Les told her. His eyes never left Cree's face. I could see that Cree was trying not to squirm.

“Till tomorrow, ladies,” Kirk said, then kissed my and Nia's hand while Les took care of giving Cree a lingering hug.

We followed the guys out of the room. They quickly disappeared into the crowd. As soon as we knew they were gone, we began to scream and squeal like teenage girls.

“I can't believe that happened.” Nia hit her jaw with her hands.

“That was fucking amazing. Did you hear what he said to me? I'm about to do extra crunches tonight.” Cree couldn't stop jumping up and down.

“Wait.” Nia turned to me. “What happened with Ursula?”

The images of Ursula flooded back into my mind. I was smiling harder than the Cheshire cat.

“She was amazing. She called my ex a bunch of names and even invited me to dinner, until her damn assistant reminded her she already had plans.”

“Ladies, this night can't be topped.” Nia shook her head in amazement. “I mean, what the hell are we supposed to do after that?”

“We are supposed to party!” I exclaimed. “And I'm sorry, but I have a feeling things are going to get a lot better. I can feel it.” I gave both girls high fives.

“Damn right things are going to get better. Please, if he thought that catsuit was something, wait until he sees me in my Wonder Woman tomorrow.” Cree boasted.

 

 

The night didn't end. We decided to party hop. We watched a burlesque show, only to walk out of the room and find a wrestling match going on, which we watched. As we were heading to the first party, we got a text from Jason, telling us to meet him at the Hyatt for a room party that was going on. We headed over to find the suite filled with black people. A DJ was playing hip-hop while people were dancing in their costumes. Some were dressed up as Nick Fury and Jackie Brown, and others were dressed in typical white character costumes. That was another thing I loved about Dragon Con: you could be whoever you wanted to be. We found Jason and Carlos standing against a wall, talking to two girls dressed like Halle Berry's Catwoman. Carlos introduced us, but the two girls were obviously threatened by us and decided to walk away.

“How did you find this party?” Nia asked, just as surprised by it as I was. We had seen other black people at the convention, but never in a big group.

“That guy over there dressed like Flavor Flav gave us a flyer for it. Where the hell have y'all been?” Carlos took sip of his drink. We couldn't help but giggle.

“It's a long story.” Nia smiled.

“Um, excuse me,” Cree said, then turned around to talk to a guy dressed as Afro Samurai who was standing behind her. “Would you like to dance?”

“Would I? Hell yeah, let's get it,” the guy said. We watched Cree disappear onto the dance floor.

“So how about it, Los? Wanna dance with me?” I held my hand out to Carlos.

“See, you lesbians don't know that I am supposed to hold
my
hand out. Come on, girl. Let me show you how to twirk it out.”

Nia and Jason followed us, and we all ended up dancing together. Before we knew it, the DJ was playing the Wobble, and we were in a giant costumed Wobble dance line. I felt amazing. I never danced when I went to clubs with my friends at home. I honestly hated going to clubs, period. Even though the music was the same as what I heard at clubs at home, this was different. I was with people just like me. I was surrounded by all types of people who, like me, were professionals in their everyday lives. But for one weekend we could let our geek flag fly without judgment. It was liberating.

Tired after the second line dance, I took a seat on a couch in a corner. I watched my friends, who were now dancing to a song I wasn't familiar with. Ursula's voice entered my head, completely drowning out the music. I could hear her calling me beautiful over and over again. My mind started to get the best of me. She couldn't have been flirting with me. She was obviously just being nice. I tried to shake the feeling I had. There was no need for me to let my imagination run away with me. Ursula was a huge star and an icon, and I was just a girl dressed in a costume.

“Hey, girlie. You ready to head to the next party?” Cree said as she wiped the sweat from her brow.

I couldn't shake the feeling, but I knew I was just being a crazy fangirl. I headed with my friends to the next party, where we partied until five in the morning.

I couldn't remember how I got into my bed. I sat up, but the massive headache quickly knocked me back down on my pillow. I could hear someone in the bathroom. I squinted my eyes when I saw Nia dragging her body out of the bathroom.

“What the hell did I drink?” she whined as she climbed back in bed.

“If you figure it out, tell me. I need aspirin,” I mumbled.

The hotel door swung open, and Cree walked in, wearing yoga clothes and holding a yoga mat. She had a coffee holder in the other hand.

“Rise and shine, ladies. It's a big day!”

Nia and I both growled at her.

“How are you up right now? You drank just as much as I did,” Nia declared and threw the covers over her face.

“Because I'm not a lightweight.” Cree handed a coffee cup to Nia. “I brought coffee and aspirin.”

“Oh my God, you are a lifesaver.” I sat up and took my coffee and the pills from her.

The rest of the night was a blur to me. I remembered taking shots, listening to music, and seeing flashing lights, but I had absolutely no idea where we were after we left the blackout party. I couldn't believe it was already Sunday. The weekend was passing by in a flash. This was the last day of panels and parties. I suddenly felt sad. I didn't want it to end, and I didn't want to go back to the reality that was facing me when I got home.

“Well, the panel is at six, which leaves two hours for them in the Walk of Fame tonight,” Nia observed. She was coming back to life, already back in planner mode. “I want to do one of the photo shoots. Maybe the cartoon character one, since I'm going as Lana Kane today.”

“Oh no!” I jumped out of bed and ran to the closet. “No, no, no!”

“What?” Nia got out of bed and joined me and Cree at the closet.

“I was in such a rush to get out of Memphis, I left my Jem and Jessica Rabbit costumes at home,” I said.

“Oh, don't worry. We can figure something out for you,” Nia said and started rummaging through her clothes. “I can go back to my house and get something if you need it. I know I have some stuff there.”

“Or . . .” We both turned around to face Cree, who was holding a bag in her hand. “You can wear this.”

I walked over and took the bag from her. I looked in it, and my eyes popped. “You are kidding me. I can't pull this off.”

“Sure you can. With those legs, you can totally pull it off.” I pulled the rawhide and fur out of the bag. The skimpy Tarzan and Jane costume left little to the imagination. I held the top piece up to my chest.

“I can't fit my girls in this.”

“Yes, you can. It stretches,” Cree said, pulling the halter top around my back.

“Ohhh, and, girl, if you rock my black wig with it and throw on some deep black eyes, you are going to be badass,” Nia assured me and started brushing out her black wig.

I shrugged. “Yeah, but who am I supposed to be?”

Both girls looked at each other, then looked back at me.

“An Amazon,” Cree and Nia said in unison.

We decided to spend the early part of the day chilling. There were no panels we wanted to see, so catching up on some rest was the best idea. It was the first time I actually got to talk to the girls about things besides the con.

“I'm so glad I met you guys. Seriously, I wouldn't have made it through any of this without you guys.” I suddenly felt very sentimental.

“Hell, yeah,” Cree said, chiming in. “Nia, if you hadn't bought that outfit from me, I wouldn't know anything about this convention.”

“I'm just happy to have two new sisters.” Nia smiled. “So do you think the guys are going to treat us the same way today as they did yesterday?”

“I don't see why not. I am still in disbelief.” Cree fell back on the bed. “Les was totally flirting with me.”

“And Kirk with me.” Nia giggled. “But I think we handled ourselves well. After all, we aren't groupies. We are fangirls.”

“Damn right,” Cree agreed and gave a high five to Nia.

“I think we should just play it cool and not go to the Walk of Fame today. We don't want to come off as groupies. Ohh, look!” Nia pointed at the TV. The announcements on the con television station showed that Ursula was going to be signing with the guys in the regular Walk of Fame room for the day. My heart skipped a beat.

“Well, I guess we will be going to the Walk of Fame,” Cree winked at me.

I started thinking about Ursula again. I knew for a fact that the guys had been flirting with Nia and Cree. It was obvious. I still couldn't shake the feeling that Ursula had flirted with me too. I decided to keep my mouth shut. I figured I was just hoping a little harder than I should. My friends were an object of affection for the guys they admired, and deep down I wanted to feel the same way.

 

 

As we stood at the elevators later that day, I pulled on my top. I couldn't believe I was actually able to fit into this outfit. My breasts were sitting up, showing off an insane amount of cleavage. The short skirt was cut at an angle to create a tattered look. Bits of fur hung from the skirt and the leg pieces. I couldn't believe I was looking at myself. Even though I felt uncomfortable, I looked hot.

We made it to the lobby, which was already filled with people. There weren't as many costumes as there had been on Saturday. People sat in lines near various ballrooms, some dozing off, trying to get a few extra minutes of sleep before their panels began. Carlos and Jason were sitting in two chairs in the lobby and were not in costumes. Both of them perked up when they saw us.

“Damn. How the fuck did you guys pull off these looks after last night? I'm barely standing,” Carlos confessed. He was nursing a cup of Starbucks.

“Willpower,” Nia patted Carlos on his head.

We headed over to the hotel where the final panel was being held. The line had already started forming by the time we made it there. Those in line were mostly Ursula fans. A few minutes later a much bigger group showed up, dressed in costumes from the show. We chatted with them about a panel they had missed.

“Since we are standing this far back in the line, there's no way we are getting seats any closer than the tenth or fifteenth row,” Nia announced, surveying the scene. “I'm going to go look around for a minute.” We watched Nia walk off with determination.

“Oh no.” Jason turned his body toward the wall. We saw the white girl from the previous night, the one with the nurse outfit, heading straight toward him.

“Hey, babe.” She walked right up to Jason and gave him a kiss on his lips. “Hi, everyone.”

We couldn't believe she was that bold. Carlos quickly turned around and walked off.

“Um, hi.” Jason looked around, hoping no one else had seen the interaction.

“So we forgot to exchange numbers.” Smiling, she pulled out her phone.

“I actually don't have my phone with me.” Jason shrugged his shoulders. The girl's smile dropped.

“Oh, here. You can use mine.” Carlos walked back over and handed his iPhone to Jason. Jason shot Carlos an evil glare. The girl put her phone number in Carlos's phone. She hugged Jason again.

“Last night was amazing. I'm hoping for an encore tonight,” she told him.

“Yeah, um, see . . .” Jason faked a smile.

“Oh, there's my people. See you later.” She kissed his lips again before joining a group of other overweight Sailor Moon characters.

We stared at Jason while Carlos's deep laugh filled the air. Jason punched Carlos in his arm.

“What happened last night?” I asked.

Jason shook his head. “You don't want to know.”

We continued to laugh at Jason's expense until Nia walked back over to us and motioned for us to gather in a huddle.

“Um, we have seats saved for us.” Nia grinned. “Follow me.”

We left the line and headed to the ballroom doors. We saw the men's handler standing at one of the doors. We greeted him with hugs, then followed him into the empty ballroom. We took seats on the left side, in the front row.

Jason looked at us. “Maybe we should be asking what
y'all
did last night.”

We just grinned at each other.

We watched as the massive group of people started walking in and taking their seats. A few moments later the room was completely filled. The lights went out, and something began to play on a large movie screen. The crowd cheered as clips highlighting the careers of the men played. The crowd went crazy when Ursula's name appeared. They showed various clips from all the movies and TV shows she had been in. The crowd roared when they showed her in her famous battle stance as the Amazon queen. I felt my eyes tearing up as I watched a scene from the show, which was a major part of my childhood. At the end pictures of all four stars appeared on the screen. There was a standing ovation as the group was introduced. Kirk came out with his usual energy. He pointed over at us as he did his signature growl.

I sat up as the moderator announced Ursula's name. She walked out and looked directly at me. I noticed a subtle change in her facial expression when she saw me. She quickly reverted right back to her smile. I didn't know what that was about.

The panel was hilarious. It was obvious they were more at ease with being at the convention. It was the final panel, and everyone was relaxed and silly. Les demonstrated how Ursula would look at him whenever he was caught sleeping with a human. All the men sang her praises, saying how she was the most amazing woman to work with.

Nia got in line to ask a question. Cree and I sat with the guys and listened to the dumb questions people were asking. We rolled our eyes at the obvious lack of true fans in the room. They asked questions that had been fielded at the earlier panel and questions anyone who truly watched the show would know the answers to. One girl asked Les for a date, causing Cree to roll her eyes. Soon it was Nia's turn.

“Since you are all Dragon Con virgins, I was wondering what you thought of our con community. And will we be seeing you guys again in future years?”

Les leaned into his mic. “This has been the craziest experience of my life. I have been to San Diego Comic-Con and some other conventions, but I have never seen anything like this. You people are devoted, and it's awesome. I mean, the costumes are unlike anything I've ever seen before.”

“And the parties . . . When do you people sleep?” Mason said, jumping in.

“We sleep when we get back home,” Nia joked.

“I swear, I want to put on a mask and party with you guys tonight,” Kirk said, making the whole crowd cheer.

“I want to say that I have truly enjoyed myself. I might have carpal tunnel from signing so many autographs, but it was worth it, and I can't wait to come back again. You people are truly one of a kind.” Ursula looked directly at me for a second before looking back at the crowd.

Cree squeezed my hand, obviously catching the glance from Ursula.

The celebrities said their good-byes and stood together for group photos for a few minutes after the panel. We noticed the handler heading back in our direction.

“The fellas would like for you to come backstage,” he told us. We all followed the handler as the room cleared out.

Before we went backstage, Carlos hugged each of us. “Okay, ladies, y'all be safe. Don't be letting those men get your goodies.
If
you need us, call. We will be at the heroes and villains ball for a while.”

“Okay, and for the record, we are fans, not groupies. No goodies will be got,” Nia said and rolled her neck at the guys.

“Yeah, right,” Jason said, throwing his two cents in before they left.

“Who am I kidding? If Les tries, he will most definitely succeed.” Cree affirmed as she high-fived Nia.

We walked backstage, where a few reporters were waiting for the group of celebrities to come off the stage. We stood off to the side as the group came down the stairs. The convention staff thanked and hugged Mason, who walked off with his wife and manager. I watched Ursula talking to a reporter while the guys walked over to us.

“Ladies, thanks for coming today.” Les hugged each of us.

“Of course,” Cree said. Les hadn't taken his arm from around her.

“So we were thinking that it's the last night and we want to truly experience this convention,” Kirk said with his usual sexy, energetic voice. “Would you like to be our tour guides?” We looked at each other. It took no time for us to agree.

“How are you guys going to make it around without a mob?” I questioned as I snuck peeks at Ursula. The jeans she was wearing were giving me a fever.

“Please! We aren't that famous.” Les motioned like it was no big deal.

“Well, if you want to, cool. But should we change so we don't look insane with you guys?” Nia said. She had somehow moved from by me to right next to Kirk without me noticing.

“Sure. We have a few interviews to finish up. Here is my number and Levi's number. Call him, and he can tell you where we are.” Levi, the handler, nodded his head. “This will be fun, ladies.” Les hugged Cree one more time before they walked off with their people.

“Oh my God, I am going to be so damn sexy tonight, that man is going to want to take me back to Vancouver with him.” Cree was already planning her outfit in her head.

“Well, hello, ladies.” We all turned when the familiar voice spoke to us. We saw Ursula walking toward us. “I haven't had the pleasure of meeting the other two lovely goddesses from yesterday.” Ursula was mesmerizing. I couldn't take my eyes off of her. Nia nudged me, bringing me out of my spell.

“Oh, these are my friends Nia and Cree.”

“Ah, yes, I heard the men are planning on partying it up with you guys. Watch them. They are live ones.” Ursula winked at the girls. She then turned her focus to me. “Temple, can I speak to you for a moment?”