Devil's House

Cartoons or Porn?

Chester sipped his hot chocolate with his good hand, as he and Ryan sat side-by-side at the round table in their hotel room. Ryan's cell phone was propped up in front of them as they looked and listened to Talinda update them about all the current happenings and gossip at Score.

"I'm glad to hear the creative team actually misses me," Chester said with a smile. "I kinda thought they'd throw a party while I was away."

"Whatever, Chazzy. Everyone misses you when you're gone." Ryan nudged Chester's arm in knowing support.

"Ryan's right. They miss you. I've had more than one of them linger into my office and ask when you'll be back." Talinda pushed her long hair behind her ear. She was already in a cotton nightgown, her hair down and her makeup off. She didn't mind in front of Ryan and Chester.

Chester's insides were warm from the hot chocolate he and Ryan had found in their room, buried under all the coffee and tea supplies, and now his heart was too. Joining the creative team had been no small task, and oftentimes he still felt out of place or less than. He was the youngest. He was the only one without a full degree. He had limited experience, not only in design and marketing, but at Score. And if all of that wasn't enough, the creative team was his first and only office job. It often felt like being thrown into the deep end to Chester, so it was reassuring to know he wasn't totally screwing it up and was actually leaving a positive impression on his co-workers.

"Good," he said between sips. "That means they'll be happy when I get back and not roll their eyes."

"Everyone will be happy when you're back. And I'll be happy when Forrest is back," Talinda insisted, pressing her hand to her chest. "Filling in for him is exhausting."

"Being you is exhausting, too," Chester countered. "Talking with all the reps and keeping track of the time so we all stay on schedule and always having to have the answers and the information the other side is asking for. It's a lot! And I love Forrest, but he disappears on me! He's across the room shaking hands and making friends and I'm left behind with the jackals of the fashion world."

Talinda laughed. "That's my job exactly. And Forrest is networking," she assured him. "I know that it can absolutely feel like he's abandoned you and is doing nothing but socializing and having a good time, but he's working. He's making the connections we'll all benefit from down the road."

"I know," Chester admitted with a huff. "But some days it doesn't feel fair. Ry's the one getting to have all the fun - getting his picture taken and modeling all this fine ass jewelry." He grabbed Ryan's hand and held it up in front of the camera, showing off the gold and black watch laced around his wrist. "Do you see this? He gets to keep it! Ezra Gold just gave it to him. And this!" He moved Ryan's hand around to show off a gold ring with silver accents. "He's sitting here next to me wearing thousands of dollars of shiny stuff."

"Perks of the job," Ryan said with a shrug and a chuckle. "The watch is actually really nice," he said in a serious tone as he pulled his hand away from Chester so he could lean closer to the camera and show the watch in detail to Talinda. "I'm not sure about this ring or how Jay will like it, but this is the nicest watch I've ever owned."

"It's fun having friends in high places," Talinda acknowledged. "And you're right, that watch is something. It suits you perfectly, which is why you're there. It's like you were made to model for Ezra Gold."

A round of agreement went around before Chester asked how things were going at the house. He didn't miss that Talinda wasn't at the L house. He could tell she was sitting on her couch in her apartment. "Jay and Mike didn't run you off, did they?" he asked, already knowing that wasn't the case.

"Don't be silly," she dismissed. "They've been great." She shook her head with a shrug. "But it's Friday night. I know they're getting up early tomorrow to pick you two up from the airport and I don't want to be in the way."