Samuel pulled back, his thirsty gaze still firmly on me. He grabbed my hand and led me to the farthest door on the right. It opened onto a bedroom, made up with navy-blue linen. How Samuel knew his way around here, I didn’t care. He made a move to go lie on the bed, but I pushed him against the wall instead, my hands traveling underneath his shirt, playing with his belt. As long as we were here, I didn’t have to go back upstairs to face all these people and their questions.
There was a small knock on the door. In came Émilie.
“Oh, um, sorry,” I said stupidly.
I wasn’t sure if something was going on between these two, but Samuel had kissed me first after all.
She smiled, then bit her bottom lip. “Don’t be.”
She and Samuel exchanged a knowing look. Suddenly I felt like theodd one out. The third wheel.
“Mind if she joins us?” Samuel said to me.
It took me a minute to get it. Not like, a full-blown minute, but I’m pretty sure I spent an uncomfortable amount of time looking from one to the other. Eventually, Émilie came in closer and wrapped her arms around my waist as Samuel licked his lips.
And no, I didn’t have a threesome with them. But I did stay a few more minutes, agonizing over how to extricate myself from this…situation. Anyone but me would have known better. Done better. No one else would have lied about being in the movie. They wouldn’t have to fake their success, their beautiful lives.
But I was stuck with me, failing forward yet again.
At what point would I come crashing down?
Because I think I already knew then that there was lower I could go.
I wasn’t done lying. I wasn’t done faking it.
There were still plenty of opportunities to turn my life into an even bigger mess.
Cannes Film FestivalDay Thirteen
(The Day After)
Interview of Lou Ocean Utley
Actor
Conducted by Officer Truchaud of the Criminal Brigade
Also present: Amina Dembele, translator
Officer Truchaud:How did you get invited to such a prestigious event?
Lou Ocean Utley:You mean Cannes?
Officer Truchaud:I mean the party in question. The billionaire’s yacht. The exclusive guest list. All these famous and successful people. And you in the middle.
Lou Ocean Utley:What you’re implying is a bit hurtful, honestly. I understand that you’re very powerful and smart yourself, so I’m sure you can see that I’m a friendly person.
Officer Truchaud:Friendly?
Lou Ocean Utley:Yes, friendly, someone who makes friends easily. People like me come to Cannes for the connections. And that’s exactly what I did. I made friends from around the world. I met with casting directors. I strategized aboutmy career with my renowned agent. She’s one of the best in the business. And so supportive of me. And then I made even more friends.
Officer Truchaud:So you don’t know who put you on that list?
Lou Ocean Utley:I imagine Odetta insisted on it. I was always part of the team.
Officer Truchaud:Odetta? So you are particularly friendly with Ms. Olson?
Lou Ocean Utley:I’ve always been a fan of her work. Such a brilliant mind.
