Quote:“I tried a Budweiser once.”

“Like it?”

“Nope, not much. It had a sting in its tail. This is nicer.”

“And a hell of a lot stronger, so let’s go easy, hey?”

Zeke was suspicious of Harry’s bubbly mood. The Ames Brothers’ song communicated both happiness and, for his sudden pining to be back in Jimmy’s company, sadness.

You, you, you

There’s no one like you, you, you

You could make my dreams come true

If you say you love me too.

The agent’s next words made for an instant transformation.

“I had a call from Karl Flemyng.”

The name rang no bells, but Zeke was touched at the boyish enthusiasm radiating from Harry. He looked like he was bursting to tell, and had held back to make the news all the tastier.

“Producer on Guns in the Badlands? He, Lew Collins, and Buck reviewed the dailies and were so impressed with your scene and subsequent shots, they decided to make some script changes to expand your role.”

His heart stilled and for a moment he thought the floor had tilted. “Wow…” When his heartbeat restarted he put the cocktail down and steadied himself against the bar top, speechless.

“Yeah, wow. You’re to report to the studio first thing Monday morning!”

Millson closed in, picked up Zeke’s Gibson and put it back into his hand before fondling his crotch in congratulations. In his astonishment, Zeke only grinned idiotically and made no attempt to move away from Millson’s touch.

Do, do, do

What you oughta do, do, do

Take me in you arms, please do

Let me cling to you, you, you

You could make my dreams come true

If you say you love me too.

Things might have taken a steamier turn if at that moment a whirlwind had not burst through the door above and a hunky crewcut, blond guy splatted bare-footed down the steps, apparently showerfresh and wearing nothing but a towel about his waist.

“Gee that was—“ He skidded to a stop on rounding the base of the steps. “Oh, I didn’t…”

Zeke pulled hastily away from Millson’s grasp. The blocky newcomer blushed becomingly and instinctively tightened his grip on the towel, which went a long way to tightening up the definition of his muscular body and emphasized the outline of his cock and balls.

“Joey, meet Zeke Candy. Zeke, this near-naked bucko is Joey.”

“Er, hi,” Joey said uncertainly. Awkwardly, he switched hand grips on the towel to shake Zeke’s hand in a damp grip.

“Hiya.” Zeke turned back to Millson with a questioning look.

“Joey’s fresh in town.” He gave Zeke a sly, conspiratorial wink. “He wants to be in pictures, don’t you, Joey, and he does show promise.” Millson smiled encouragingly; the one Zeke had seen before while riding in the Riviera, the one that matched the Buick’s grill, only wider and more shark-like.

More blushes bloomed on the object of the agent’s attention.

“Joey, why don’t you go and put some clothes on. I think a slap-up meal is in order for the two of you.

“I ran into him at Union Station. You’d be amazed how many Hollywood hopefuls roll into town on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. He’d just gotten off the Super Chief service from Chicago, though from what I gathered on the drive over Joey Kowalski comes from Milwaukee.”

“Kowalski?” The face Zeke pulled wasn’t entirely down to the sour taste of his Gibson.

Millson gave vent to another of his short, barking laughs. “Oh sure! That’s gotta change. But I don’t expect Joey to be difficult about that. I get the impression that he’s very willing to be led in all things.” He seemed to switch subjects abruptly. “I get the idea that you got real talent, Zekey-baby, so I suppose we’ll just have to work with that.”

Sounds like a disadvantage…

“While Joey… well, he’s the build of a small version of Buck Hanson, or a Tab Hunter when he started out. Very buff. The ladies will adore him when he gets half his clothes off in a scene. That’s if he can hold a line to begin with. But I’ll bet my last dollar there are many producers and tail-shakers out there will go a bundle on that bod of his, so if he’s not so good at the lines I’m sure he’ll be able to sleep his way to the top… well, some way up, anyway.”