Page 37 of Naughty Nelle

CHAPTER 15

Brandon

Goddamn LA traffic. What I thought would only take twenty minutes takes me almost an hour. The bumper-to-bumper rush hour traffic on La Cienega is a nightmare, and there’s a fender bender that slows things down even more. I seriously want to shoot the two bickering idiots who collided. There’s a reason for road rage.

When I get to the Conquest lot, I pull my Lambo into my VIP reserved parking spot and jog over to the building where the focus groups are being held. I forgot how big the lot is—practically the size of a college campus—and it takes me more time than I thought to get there. I’m late for the focus groups. Glancing down at my watch, I come to the conclusion I’ve already missed the first one with men. Dammit!

I fly into the observation room and apologize for my tardiness. Despite my lateness, all the attendees are thrilled to see me and are totally understanding. Thanks to a file Zoey left me, I recognize all their faces and know their names.

Seated on an oversized leather couch with his long legs outstretched on the coffee table and a sandwich on his lap, Blake smiles.

“No problem, man. Grab a sandwich and take a seat. Libby’s about to start the women’s group.” He chomps into his sandwich.

Before I can join him, the others in the room all jump up and successively give me man hugs.

“So good to see you, Brand-O,” says Doug DeMille, the show’s slick Executive Producer.

“You wouldn’t believe how many emails and letters we’ve gotten wanting to know when you’d be coming back,” chimes in Trevor Reeves, the suited-up Blake wannabe VP of Drama.

“It sucked dick having to write you out of the script,” quips Mitch Steiner, the show’s scruffy head writer.

I laugh at his light-hearted gripe and head over to the platter of sandwiches on the credenza. I help myself to a tuna on rye and grab a Coke. Setting the paper plate and soda can down on the coffee table, I take a seat next to Blake.

“How’s it been going?” I ask him after taking a bite of the tasty sandwich.

“Great. The men’s group was really receptive to your story idea.”

I still don’t know what the hell that is, but I don’t ask him. I look through the wall-to-wall one-way mirror and focus my attention on the women’s group in progress. There’s a total of nine respondents, various ages and ethnicities. I’d say the youngest is in her twenties, the oldest in her fifties. From what I’ve learned, Kurt Kussler has widespread appeal, the core viewers being 18-49. At the head of the table sits a bright-eyed woman with a mop of copper curls, likely in her twenties. Addressing the group of women, she must be Libby, the group moderator.

“Remember, there are no right or wrong answers. What matters are your true and honest opinions.”

Her voice is warm but authoritative. While she continues to explain focus group rules and regulations, Blake tells me the group is composed of “heavy” Kurt Kussler viewers.

“What does that mean?” I ask after swallowing a glug of Coke.

“They watch the show three or more times a week.”

My eyes widen with shock. “But it airs only once a week.”

Blake fills me in. “These women record and watch it over and over. They also download old episodes. They can’t get enough of Kurt Kussler.”

Holy shit! I guess they can’t, I muse as Libby segues into the first discussion question.

“Okay, ladies, what do you think of the show Kurt Kussler?”

Despite being told to talk one at a time, the women break out into pandemonium. I hear a cacophonous chorus of “Oh my God! The best show ever! I love it!”

Reminding the women not to shout out all at once, Libby launches into a series of questions about what they like and dislike about the show.

The long and short of it:

Likes: Everything. Especially the lead character Kurt. They love the action-packed stories and all the flashbacks of him and his late wife Alisha. They also adore the secondary characters, especially Kurt’s faithful assistant Mel.

Dislikes: Kurt’s nemesis, The Locust, whom they love to hate. And the fact they have to wait a week for the next episode. A couple of women complain about my recent absence on account of my accident. They’re all relieved to hear that I’m okay and will be in all the new upcoming episodes.

After a quick sip of her bottled water, Libby tells the group they’re doing a great job and focuses her questions on the character I play.

“Okay, ladies. Let’s talk a little bit about the character, Kurt Kussler.”

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