I knew that would be a complete dead end.
SIO was banned from the stadium. Word was that they had photos of every SIO journalist, including me, tacked to a wall like criminals in a police investigation. I was going to use a pretty good disguise, but I knew they would have sniffed me out sooner or later.
The other tactic was to contact the player’s personal PR rep directly and request an interview. Sean’s PR rep was a hardnosed woman named Madge Sinclair, who guarded her clients with the tenacity of a pit bull.
Madge might consider your request if you were lucky, or most likely, just dismiss it outright. If she thought an interview with you was beneficial to her client, and you represented a prestigious media outlet like Sports Illustrated or ESPN, you might be granted an interview under Madge’s watchful eye.
That’s why no one had done an eyewitness exposé of Sean Donovan before. Madge controlled the media’s access to her bad boy client and personally monitored every interview.
If you were granted an interview, which was like getting Willy Wonka’s Golden Ticket, you were required to submit your questions in writing first for Madge’s approval.
If she didn’t like a question, it was stricken from the list. Step over a line or go in a direction that made her client look bad, and Madge would end the interview immediately and blacklist you from ever talking to another of her clients.
I knew I’d never get access to Sean Donovan if Madge Sinclair had anything to do with it.
So, I would have to approach him directly without going through the proper channels.
And the only way to do that was to somehow find him away from Kings Stadium and approach him there. It would be a little like tracking a lion in its natural habitat, knowing there was the risk of getting mauled.
I knew Sean Donovan frequented a dance club on 10th Avenue called Maxie’s New York. The place was always teaming with celebrities and groupies, and was almost as hard to get into as Fort Knox.
But, with the right look and the right credentials, maybe Katie Holmes, former Playboy Playmate turned serious journalist, just might be able to get inside.
Kate
It was nearly midnight when Dru and I stepped out of the cab in front of Maxie’s New York. The rumor was that the stars didn’t come out to play until after midnight; like late night vampires crawling from their coffins and crypts. Being famous must be exhausting. I was already trying not to yawn. It was a work night; and hours past my bedtime.
I stood on the sidewalk and watched as hordes of young, scantily-dress party goers lined up at Maxie’s front door.
There were two large bouncers at the door, serving as the guardians of the gate.
They scanned the crowd like Terminators, selectively choosing who got in and who didn’t. Apparently, the shorter the dress and bigger the tits, the higher the chances of getting inside.
The lucky few who got inside would party the night away. The rest would end up waiting on the sidewalk until they gave up and went home.
“I’m not sure this was such a good idea,” I said, nodding at the line that was g
rowing longer by the minute.
Dru snorted a laugh. She said, “Don’t worry. I have a plan. Give me one of your Playboy cards.” I gave her a card from my clutch, along with a confused look.
“Okay, wait here,” she said. She was wearing a pair of mirrored Rayban Aviators, even though it was pitch dark outside. She smiled at me from over the top of the glasses and held up a finger. “And give me a sexy little wave when I point at you.”
“What?”
“Just follow my lead,” she said. I watched her stroll up to one of the bouncers. Dru was wearing skin tight black leather pants and motorcycle boots. Up top, she had on a black t-shirt and black leather jacket. She had spiked her hair and had the Raybans covering her eyes. She reminded me of Joan Jett was she was young. She oozed attitude and shoved through the crowd like Moses parting the Red Sea.
I stood on the curb with my feet wedged into the stilettos, and my tits and ass squeezed into the tight red dress. I had obviously put on a couple of pounds since I had worn the dress, but Dru said I filled it out perfectly.
I had teased out my red hair and let it fall naturally on my shoulders, and let Dru do my makeup using a YouTube video as her guide. I had cleavage that Dru said made her drool, and an ass like a Kardashian. I was the perfect package. Again, Dru’s words, not mine.
I watched her hand the bouncer the forged business card. He squinted at the card for a moment, then leaned down so Dru could speak into her ear. She turned toward me and pointed a finger at me.
The bouncer’s eyes followed her finger. I licked my lips and gave them a little wave. The bouncer handed Dru the card and gave her a nod. She waved me over.
“Are we in?” I asked, taking Dru’s hand.
“We are in,” Dru said with a smile.