Page 18 of The Book of Luke

“I get to FaceTime my kids every day.”

“The rest of us get one call home perweek.”

“What’s your perk?”

“They had to cast Chrissy to get your boy back. I mean, why hunt pussy when you can import,” he said slyly. “But don’t worry, stud. There’s plenty of gay boy ass to pound too.”

While sex with someone other than Barnes was tempting, it felt as unlikely as it was ill-advised. Still, I didn’t want to look like a prude. “There are other gay guys? Besides Bal?”

“For sure, yo. Sex positivity all the way.”

I figured I might as well go fishing. “Who else are you expecting on the cast?”

“Definitely some Beverly Blondies.”

“Meaning Greta?”

“Grandma’s still kicking. She and Chrissy became besties last season though, so I gotta watch my mouth. Plus, you’ll get the usual soldiers and Olympians.”

My ears perked up. “So there are still folks fromMedals of Honor?”

“Yeah, and they basically have crucifixes shoved up their asses.”

Time to ask the big question. “Any clue if Imogen’s coming?”

“The Ice Queen?” he scoffed. “I heard she demanded some insane appearance fee for Season 20, but the network told her to fuck off.”

I sighed, unsure if I felt relieved or disappointed by the prospect ofEndeavorwithout Imogen. I couldn’t even imagine it.

“Jiamin!” Solana squeaked. A slim, towering Asian woman with an inscrutable expression glided toward us, onyx hair cropped at her shoulders and a Louis Vuitton garment bag across her arm. Solana smothered her in a hug she barely indulged. “Luke, meet Jiamin Yingzhi. We were final two onModel Citizens!”

“This is where Solana says she won,” Jiamin said, voice surprisingly deep.

“Isn’t sheso funny?!” Solana emitted a jarring cackle that went unacknowledged.

Jiamin grimly offered me her hand. “I can’t believe they convinced you to do this.”

“I guess I’m a glutton for punishment?”

She conceded a mirthless smile as Solana interrogated her. By the sound of their conversation, I wasn’t the only one who’d taken an extended hiatus fromEndeavor.

Over the next fifteen minutes, fans intermittently approached, but I kept hidden next to Hartt, trying to commit people’s names to memory. And this was only half the cast. By the time I met the rest in Italy, I’d be totally overwhelmed—which I couldn’t afford to be. I needed allies, but I doubted any were currently in this airport. Hartt alone was objectively a nightmare.

Suddenly a commotion erupted at our gate. A raucous brunette in sunglasses and a black trench coat tottered up on stilettos, clearly drunk. Even Hartt was dumbfounded by the new arrival. “Christ, it’s Vanessa. Craziest bitch alive. She’s fromOff the Wall.”

This program I did know. The Wall Street stockbroker show was famously the spin-off of Barnes’ old series,Lobby Boys. “She got kicked offEndeavorlast season for hitting three people,” Hartt continued. “She’s supposed to be in rehab.”

“For what?”

“Troy, get your hands off me, you walking melanoma!”

“For everything,” Hartt answered.

As Troy bribed the flight attendants, Vanessa stumbled toward us, peering cartoonishly through her shades. “So, who’s in the rogues’ gallery this time?”

She pointed wildly, christening each cast member. “Whore (Chrissy), whore (Solana), man-whore (Chase), moron (Winston), hypocrite (Balthazar), roid rage misogynist (Hartt)…”

She then bitterly froze upon reaching Jiamin. “Well, hello, stranger. PB’s gonna cream his jeans when he sees you.” Jiamin coolly stared back, no reaction to whoever PB was.