Library of Alexandria
Chapter 11
Michael and John were not disappointed in the zeal with which Shane took their dicks bareback. In the rare instance where neither of them was fucking him to death, one of them was eating out Shane's ass while the other was sucking Shane off. After four hours of sperm-loaded fun, they went to bed. John and Michael still had enough libidos to fuck each other before they slept. They didn't know what Shane did. He probably applied salve to his abraded asshole. As often as the film expert was pounded and bred, he had to have a sore pucker.
In the morning, they returned to the estate and finished reviewing the treatment that the leading studio had suggested. Factually, they had hit all the important points correctly. The stars that they had proposed for the film were some of the best in Hollywood and were major draws to nearly any movie they were in. Mr. Asquith joined them an hour later with news that his attorneys would like to meet with his people at 1 p.m.
With an early lunch out of the way, they adjourned to the conference room on the estate at a few minutes to 1 p.m. The lawyers were eager to keep their relationship with the billionaire, so they had agreed to meet at the estate. They arrived on time.
The managing partner lead the discussion, such as it was. They had recommended only three changes to the contract. As they were clarifying issues, not substantive ones, Mr. Asquith readily agreed. The meeting was over in 15 minutes. Mr. Asquith asked his executive assistant to fax the revised contract back to the studio. Shane had suggested a cover letter that outlined the changes that they wanted as well as assurance that Mr. Asquith was more than willing to shop the whole Atlantis idea to other studios which had already expressed a keen interest in the project. However, he did like their approach the best and looked forward to working with them.
A few minutes later, the studio sent a message back to Mr. Asquith promising a quick review of his proposed changes and would certainly have an answer no later than noon on Monday.
"They'll have all kinds of drama about what you want to change and how they can't make any money with your demand for a better monetary deal," Shane warned. "But, what you have asked for is very reasonable. And they'll make a boatload of money. They won't be hurt. They also know that other studios, including television, are hungry to take on this project, too."
"Are you staying over the weekend and will you be available to help us through the final stages of the negotiations?" Mr. Asquith asked of Shane.
"I'm staying as long as you need me, Sir," Shane replied. He glanced quickly at John and Michael to be sure that they were still willing to accommodate him at their condo. He got affirmative nods and smiles from both of them. Mr. Asquith nodded and left the room.
"Let's check in with Drs. Steele and Abernethy to see if there have been any new developments," Michael suggested. "If not, there's no reason to hang around here. We might as well go home."
"Or we can take you on a quick tour of the city and some spectacular views of the city and surrounding mountains," John volunteered.
No new discoveries had occurred in the last few hours, so they took several hours to run around the city and show Shane the sights. While travelling, they asked Shane if he thought there would truly be anything they could add to the production of the new Atlantis film.
"The treatment I've seen in their proposal for the first film has a lot of time spent on the aliens and their culture," Shane acknowledged. "Perhaps half of the film will be focused on the Atlanteans and their advancement under the tutelage of the aliens for the first thousand years after contact. From that outline, I assume you won't have a lot of input. The nature of the alien's culture and history isn't recorded in the documents you've uncovered. And the details of the first thousand years of Atlantean history are sketchy, too."
"That's typically how histories are written" Michael signed. "Think of the history of western civilization for the last thousand years. The early years lack a great deal of detail. There are a few names and dates, but the real substance of what the people were like and how they lived are generally lacking. As later writers worked on their history, they abbreviated and ignored certain points of history that didn't coincide with current thinking. And the biases of the writer are always a problem."
"You make a good point," Shane allowed. "Your input is part of the proposed contract. They will pay for you to be there as well as accommodations, food, etc. regardless of the direction the film takes. So, take it as a fully paid vacation. Just be available when they need you. If you are helpful and not dogmatic, they'll invite you to future iterations of the epic saga."
John and Michael shrugged. "We'll miss our work here," Michael said. "How long do you think this will take us away from here?"
"For a major film like this, the pre-production and actual scenes could take a couple of years. Post-production could take another year," Shane revealed. "Post-production is where the special effects will be added. Even that can be problematic, if you aren't there. However, that may be a case of being available, but not necessarily in the vicinity of the studio." The two men nodded at the revelations. "And you understand that they don't film anything in sequence. They could do the ending first or take scenes out of the middle and film them first. It depends on the availability of the actors, the locations, and the complexity of the scene and the backdrops that need to be built. Generally, you won't be on site at the distant locations. The details of the scenes will already be ironed out before they dash off to some faraway place. Having said that, they may invite you anyway, just so you can advise them on what the buildings, clothing, topography, and plants should look like."
"I'll want to talk to Drs. Steele and Abernethy about what their vision of Atlantis would be during the first thousand years. I know that the climate changed gradually, so I'll want to see where they think it changed the most," Michael said. "That should be something that is part of the narrative that shows the progress and problems encountered by the Atlanteans."
"You know, something just occurred to me," Shane remarked with a large grin. "I'll bet the studio would love to include both of you in the film. You have the handsome look that people associate with Atlantis. As it was in a semi-tropic zone except for the more temperate times, you'd be perfect for crowd scenes. And if they have any sense at all, you might even get some minor speaking roles."
"We'll cross that bridge if we come to it," John smiled. "I don't think they want to see my black face in a film about Atlantis."
"Just because previous film and television versions showed this group as a bunch of blonde, Scandinavian types doesn't mean they got it right. I remember one specific film where Atlantis sank and people of different colors went to different, specific parts of the globe to recover and attempt to establish Atlantis again. It was pretty racist in how they did it, but it would make sense for this film maker to get it right this time," Shane observed. "And that's what you can add to the production."
"I'm not sure they'd listen to us about something that minor," Michael said.
"Talk to them as soon as you can and explain the logic of it all. I'm sure they haven't even thought of what the cast should look like, in general anyway," Shane observed. "If you hit them soon enough, they'll surely consider it. Being inclusive is the Hollywood `in-thing' now."
"It doesn't hurt to ask," John shrugged.
On Monday morning at noon, the promised contract from the studio was delivered by messenger. They had substituted more of their original language than they had agreed to new language. Mr. Asquith was livid! After he railed about their stupidity, greed, and gross incompetence, he glanced over at Shane who was smiling. "You have something to say, Mr. Jacobi?"
"This is a negotiating ploy," Shane replied. "Just hold firm. They'll cave."
"So, you suggest we reject their contract and tell them we'll go elsewhere unless they agree to our terms?" Mr. Asquith asked. "That's pretty drastic and final."
"That would depend on how you tell them you're prepared to award the contract to someone else," Shane cautioned. "Is there anything in their proposal that you could agree with?"
Mr. Asquith took a few moments to review the contract again. "I could agree to shorten the list of contributors to the discovery," he allowed. "But, there are key players who should not be ignored by the studio."
"We don't need to be on there," Michael volunteered.
"Oh, yes, you do!" Mr. Asquith asserted. "Without your brilliance, none of this would have happened. However, I still want the principals acknowledged and then some generic verbiage like `and the rest of the entire research staff of the Asquith Foundation Trust', or some such wording. But, I'm not moving a penny on what they pay the Foundation for the movie rights and percentage of the gross receipts."
"In your shoes, I wouldn't either," Shane agreed. "You're very reasonable with your request."
"Send it back with those changes, Michael," Mr. Asquith said.
"Don't you want your lawyers to review it first?" Michael asked.
"No. They'd just charge me for nothing," he replied.
"Very well, Sir," Michael smiled. "I'll get right on it. What kind of language would you like to add about signing a contract with someone else, if they don't like your terms?"
"I'll leave that to your discretion," Mr. Asquith said. "Have Mr. Jacobi help you," he tossed over his shoulder as he left the room.
With Shane's final word-smithing in place, Michael returned the contract to the studio via e-mail attachment. A fax followed up.
With cries of "you'll bankrupt us", the studio agreed to Mr. Asquith's final terms. The studio could posture all they wanted, but they were destined to make more money on this film series than they'd ever made on any film before. They cried all the way to the bank.
Michael and John left the following month for Los Angeles. The studio had provided a roomy apartment with weekly maid service, a generous stipend for food, and other essentials. Their first meeting with the studio to go over the first draft of the script was scheduled for a week after they arrived. They had time to get acquainted with the area before they were supposed to work long days reviewing the script. Parts of the script were in outline form. That would be filled in later as the studio got closer to filming that particular part of the project. However, there was enough detail to allow the boys to be comfortable with the direction the film was headed.
During that first meeting, they raised the subject of the general look of the population of Atlantis. They offered their reasons, using the translated text to make their points. The screen writers smiled and nodded. "Thanks for offering those ideas. We hadn't thought through how they would be portrayed beyond the stars that we already have signed on. I think it's time to suggest your ideas to the producer and director. This could add some additional star power to the film, too," the head writer said.
Michael and John were surprised that they adopted their suggestion. On the set for the first day of filming, the actors in that scene were in front of a blue screen that would add detail later with CGI. The director kept everyone on task, rehearsing the scene twice before he got what he wanted. On the third time through, they went for a take. It worked seamlessly. Michael and John stood in the background with the script for this scene in their hands. Scene details narrated what the background would look like. They smiled at how they imagined it would look when completed.
The director looked over at them occasionally, getting thumbs up from the two "interlopers" as the scene unfolded. At the end of the take, the crew set up for the next scene to be filmed. While they worked on that, the director called Michael and John over to him for a conference.
"Your opinion?" he asked directly.
"Nothing in this scene contradicts anything in the manuscripts," John replied.
"Where does this scene appear in the movie?" Michael asked.
"A little more than half way through the first film," the director said. "The Atlanteans have been contacted some hundred years or so ago. This is the first real scene to show the progress they've made from their first attempts at an agrarian society. The aliens have already shown them how to live longer with correct hygiene and how rotating crops and organic fertilizers will increase their yields. They have also given them options for self-government."
"So this scene was about the transition from one king to the next, with the consent of the people," John recalled. "Is there any kind of narrative to tell the viewer just how large the Atlantean community is at this point? Anything at all about outside competition or aggression?"
"That comes later toward the end of the first film. In a few months, we'll have some completed scenes with CGI and other special effects done. That will give the studio brass more comfort about spending all that delightful money on us," the director laughed. "If I get my way, this film will need addition funds to truly awe the viewers."
"How much more are you talking about?" John asked.
"Maybe 10%," the director replied. "It isn't very much for a movie of this scope, nor is it uncommon."
"Will they agree?" Michael asked.
"After they see the completed scene, they'll be falling all over themselves to increase my budget," the directed assured them. The director paused for a moment in thought. "The script for the first movie should be completed in another month or so. Will you be staying beyond that?"
"I'm not sure there is a reason for us to linger," Michael replied. "And we do have our work back at the Foundation that we're neglecting."
"Is there no one else available to do your work there?" the director pressed.
"No, there are others, probably more qualified," John allowed. "Still, there are always new projects for us to work on. Mr. Asquith always has several archeological sites he's working on. You never know when something new will be discovered that he'll want us there to work on."
"Would you be able to break away for a couple of weeks here and there?" the director pressed.
"I suppose we could," John answered. "Why do you ask?"
"Both of you have a certain look and presence that would add some authenticity to the film," he mused. "I have several scenes in mind where you'd be perfect. You have a muscular bearing that would work nicely for our military or battle scenes. You're both officer material. Perhaps, there would be speaking lines, but that depends on where the script is going that hasn't been written yet. I'm making no promises, but keep me in mind."
"Our first allegiance is to Mr. Asquith," Michael reminded him. "We are generally very flexible with our schedule, but his needs come first."
"I'd know at least a month before your services would be required," the director countered. "Would that be adequate?"
Michael and John glanced at each other and smiled. "Probably," Michael responded.
"Good," the director smiled back. "As we get closer to a final script, I'll give you more details."
Michael and John were excited about the prospects of being in a blockbuster film like this. They chatted and chattered about it for days. Their daily schedule included more sitting around, waiting for scenes to be changed than watching acting and vetting the accuracy of the scenes. Honestly, it was becoming a crashing bore!
But, they were rescued by Shane Jacobi after their second week on the set. He assumed they were tasked as the experts to assist in the film making. So, he called the studio and found out when they would be there. He showed up one Friday afternoon and greeted them warmly while more scene changes were made.
"I've been thinking about the two of you for several weeks now and was hoping that you'd be in Los Angeles. Are you free this evening?" he wondered. They nodded that they were free. "Excellent! I'd like to take you to dinner and show you around town this evening. And then a nightcap at my place. Perhaps, you'd be interested in repeating some action in a warm bed," he smirked.
Michael and John smiled back. "We're all yours for the evening," John promised.
Over dinner, they discussed the scenes and script as it currently existed. And they admitted that vetting the accuracy of the film was pretty boring duty. "That's the nature of film making," Shane said. "It takes months, even years, to complete a well-made movie. And with all the special effects of this movie, plus the spectacle nature of the rest of it, this could easily take three years."
Michael and John sighed. "I hope we aren't here that long," Michael admitted.
"That would be so bad?" Shane wondered.
"We have our archeological work and we love it," John said. "By nature and training, we're not actor material."
"I think the director is correct. You are movie material. You have the look and presence that he spotted and I've seen it, too," Shane pointed out. "You are definitely movie handsome and very clever. Nearly every wannabe star would give his left nut to be in your position."
"Nothing is certain," John reminded him. "He only said it was a possibility. We aren't going to lose any sleep over it," he lied. "And everything we've discussed is strictly off the record. We don't want to be the source of any leaks." Shane agreed easily. He'd been there before.
After dinner, Shane took them on a tour of the most popular gay bars in West Hollywood and the vicinity. Shane knew a lot of men in each of them and introduced Michael and John to all of them. He had to mention several times that Michael and John were his guests for the evening and weren't available for any of their depravities. That didn't stop several of them from slipping notes and business cards into either Michael's or John's pockets. They were especially keen on slipping the notes into the back pockets, so they could get a good feel of their butts. Others were more brazen and worked hands along the crotches of both men. They weren't disappointed in what they found.
They had met so many men that the notes and cards slipped into their pockets weren't going to mean much. Putting a name with a face and personality was nearly impossible. That's not to say that a few of them weren't memorable, just that most were not. Multiple suggestions were made as to where John and Michael should work out. The equipment in the general purpose room of the apartment building they were staying in was inadequate by any real measure.
The three men left the last gay bar a little after midnight. Shane drove them to his house and invited them inside. Before the front door was closed, Michael and John were ripping Shane's clothes off. They remembered how much fun Shane was in bed and what a talented bottom he was at their condo.
For three hours, the three of them enjoyed every sexual position they could think of. Shane was bred multiple times, rimmed and felched mercilessly, and sucked off three times. Needless to say, they slept very well into the middle of the morning. After a farewell fuck in the shower, Shane made breakfast for them. As they ate, Michael and John extracted the many business cards and notes from their pockets. Shane sorted them into groups: men he'd played with and men he hadn't. Those were further segregated into tops, bottoms, and versatiles. However, the ones he hadn't fucked with had reputations, so he sorted them according to what he'd heard. That left only three that he knew nothing about. But, he did know that all three of them had discriminating reputations. They only fucked around with the hottest men in Hollywood. And all three were wannabe actors, so they'd be wanting to use Michael and John to get them parts in the Atlantis movie.
"I think we'll discard those," John pronounced. "We don't like being used. Not in that sense, anyway," he smiled.
"Any of these," Michael motioned to the remaining stacks, "jump out at you as amazingly hot and a lot of fun?"
Shane sorted through the groups again. "What are you looking for? Tops, bottoms, versatiles?"
"I'd prefer negative men who are versatile," John said. "If you know that they enjoy three ways or might enjoy them, that's a plus, too." Shane sorted them again. That left four that Shane would recommend.
"I've excluded those that I don't know their status. And I've excluded the ones I know are exclusively tops or exclusively bottoms. That leaves these men," he indicated. "And these two are hung like mules, but this one has the stamina of a rabbit. He's always up for another round."
"We'll start at the top and work down," John suggested to Michael. "You don't mind sharing these guys with us, Shane?"
"No, I've moved on or they have. You won't be cutting in on any designs I have on any of them."
"Thanks, Shane. You've been a great help," John complimented. "It's good to have a friend in town who knows what's going on and can guide us."
Shane drove them back to their apartment. As it was the weekend, the boys decided that they wanted to see more of the Los Angeles area. There was a tour company that specialized in small, exclusive excursions that didn't hit the usual tourist spots like Grauman's Chinese Theatre, the Hollywood sign, Disneyland, the homes of the stars, etc. This company specialized in the history of the area. That was right up their alley as historians and archeologists. They made reservations for the afternoon tour. The tour company spokesman said that only one other person had signed up. Because there were now three people signed up, the tour was assured. Usually, they didn't go if only one person showed up, unless that one person was willing to pay the full escort rate.
They met the limousine at the corner of Hollywood and Vine, a very busy street corner. A young man was racing to meet them as the car pulled up. He looked familiar to John and he mentioned that to Michael. "We met him last night. I have no idea what his name is, though," Michael said. "Nor do I remember if he slipped a note into my pocket or yours, or even if he did."
The driver hopped out of the car and opened the rear passenger door for his riders. The man who had been running up to the car introduced himself and slid into the seat next to John. "Hi," he smiled. "I'm Wayne from last night, in case you don't recall."
"Yes, we do remember you, but we were introduced to so many people that your name had escaped us," Michael allowed. "Welcome aboard."
"And you haven't done this kind of tour before?" John wondered.
"No, I've only been here a few months. Shane was one of the first people I met here. Meanwhile, I've been so busy that I've not had time to really see the city like I wanted to. And I didn't want to see it with the rest of the tourists. That's so not my style," Wayne smiled.
Wayne was a handsome man who stood about 6' tall and weighed about 175. His classic good looks emphasized his blonde hair, blue eyes, and sparkling smile. His swimmer's body showed that he worked out occasionally, but wasn't vain about it.
"What kind of work do you do?" John asked.
"I'm working in television production right now, but I'd love to be an actor. However, I'm afraid I'm not very good at it, so I'll stay behind the scenes and produce or direct, instead," he sighed. "And what do you do?"
"We're here as technical advisers on a film that's just getting started. The script isn't fully written, so our task is to make sure they don't deviate from the original very far," Michael revealed. "Anyway, that's what the studio agreed to. So far, they've been very faithful to the text."
"And in the real world when you aren't technical advisers on films?" Wayne asked.
"Historians and archeologists for a foundation," John replied.
Realization flooded Wayne's face. "You're with the Atlantis movie!" Michael and John nodded. "That's so fuckin' cool! I've been following every word published, every interview given. I thought I recognized you guys from television, but I couldn't put it together until now. Fuckin' amazing!"
"It sounds better than it is," Michael smiled and sighed. "There's a lot of standing around and waiting."
"Yeah, that's my understanding of the movie business. Television is much faster, but the quality suffers," Wayne allowed. "Something as huge as Atlantis could never be told in a television series or mini-series."
"That's what our boss decided as well. And the proposal made by the studio that won the contract seemed to show that they know what they're doing," John said. "And what we've seen so far as filming has begun shows us that they have been true to their proposal. There hasn't been a lot for us to do."
The driver interrupted their conversation to tell them about what they'd be seeing and how long they'd be at each stop. The three men turned their attention to what he was saying and the history of the area from ancient times to when white people finally began settling the Los Angeles basin. The first stop was the La Brea tar pits. The first missions in the Los Angeles area were next. As the afternoon progressed, they worked their way through the first neighborhoods, citrus groves, and finally to the first studios. It was an informative and enjoyable afternoon.
And they invited Wayne back to their apartment for a glass of wine which turned into several glasses and a night in bed with him. They were delighted to know that he was versatile and loved to take dick bareback. Their recent test results were shared with him. However, he didn't have a recent test result to share with them. So, he always bagged his 8" dick when he fucked them. Despite Wayne's hunger for dick and ass, he only had three loads to deliver. However, he took every load that Michael and John offered him. Between them, he got eight loads and was begging for more. But, they decided they all needed sleep first. In the morning, they renewed their sexual experimentations. Wayne took another four loads up his ass, but only delivered one more. Wayne's last load was shared by Michael and John as they blew him and swallowed Wayne's sperm. Their need to breed and then eat out Wayne's ass had the boys on a sexual high most of the morning.
Wayne took them to a late brunch in West Hollywood that he loved. Michael and John raved about how good the food was, too. Their waiter slipped Michael and John his phone number. He was certainly cute enough and had a really sweet ass. They would have to think about him for some fun later that evening.
As it turned out, the waiter was a lot of fun in bed. And he wasn't a waiter waiting for his big break in show business. He loved being a waiter and made good tips, especially in the evenings when the checks were bigger. He also loved getting his ass pounded and flooded with sperm from well-hung Italians and black men. The waiter was about 5'9" tall and weighed about 150. His dick was average, but was nearly always hard. He loved getting sucked off, but he wasn't into fucking. It just wasn't his thing. That didn't put off Michael or John. They thought the waiter had a sweet, hot ass that they loved eating and fucking until the guy went home in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Monday dawned clear, bright, and warm. With breakfast out of the way, John and Michael were about to leave the apartment when John's cell phone rang. The studio wanted them to meet with the director and producer before filming started later in the morning. The actors would be in make-up and wardrobe until filming began. They specified a particular, small studio on the company lot.
When they arrived, the producer and director took them into a smaller room and sat them on stools. "Read these lines like you're an Atlantean," the director said. "The scene is one that occurs before a climactic battle near the end of the first film. John, you are General One; Michael, you are General Two. We'll put in real names that come from the text when we agree on them. I'm the king and I'll read those lines."
John and Michael read through the script with particular attention to their individual lines. The scene they were supposed to read took two pages. "Let's rehearse your lines," the director said. "Just read through them first. After that, give it your best interpretation of what you think this character would say, including gestures. I'll correct and change tone and inflection as we go through each rehearsal. Any questions? Okay, take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the lines. Go ahead and practice with each other."
The boys shrugged as they turned to each other and started to read their lines. As the lines rolled out, they got more comfortable with that they were saying. Michael and John worked with each other for another ten minutes before the director asked them to rehearse with him.
"Good. Good!" the director beamed. "Your intonations are perfect. You didn't step on each other's lines, yet the dialogue seemed flawless, like a real conversation would have happened. Timing is everything in this business. Now, for the next rehearsal, I want you to put more emotion into your back and forth. Both of you are advising the king. But, your suggestions are not in agreement. You are convinced that you are right and the other general is not. Be careful that you aren't whining before the king. Keep it adult."
Once again, they recited their lines. As their comfort increased, they spent more time looking at each other and the king than they did looking at the script. The director smiled as they worked through the scene. Then, he remembered himself and reverted to the role of the king and his frustration with his disagreeing generals.
As the scene drew to a close again, the director looked over at a smiling producer. "We have our Generals," the producer asserted. "Perfect screen test. The camera loves these guys."
"We were filmed?" Michael blurted out.
"Yeah," the director admitted. "We didn't want you to be nervous, so we didn't say anything. Get yourself over to wardrobe and get fitted. The scene won't be shot until next week, so we you have lots of time to work on your lines. But, DON'T overthink this. What you did today is just right. I don't want any more or any less than you just delivered."
This story is fantasy. Your life isn't. Please play safe.
This story appears on www.nifty.org. It costs serious money to buy the servers and electricity to run them. Please be generous in your contributions.