Tonight, on The Raw-N-Reel, Aliyah Gavins is back in the studio, bringing the heat.
Gunshots fired in the background. The air shuddered, echoed by the sound of burning rubber.
Whatever side of the law she’s on, you know it’s gonna be hot.
A car horn blared in one speaker. The other answered with a swarm of police sirens.
Time to stop, drop, and roll out the red carpet.
The radio crackled, reporting a code-3.
Ladies and Gentlemen, put your hands together for the lovely, the talented—
Her voice cut in, “L.A.P.D. Open up!”
The audience cheered. The camera panned over the crowd while they applauded and waved. Some danced in their seats. Highlights from the show faded in and out with the music.The host was a smiley brunette with a spray tan and a perfect blowout. She interviewed actors both in the studio and on the red carpet. They laughed, cried. One stormed off, tripping over a sandbag.
Guests had to mind their step on stage. The theme of the show was, “A Look Behind the Camera,” and the set reflected that. Cables ran across the floor. A prop light stood in the corner. Pictures along the back wall included more equipment.
Aliyah and the host chatted during the intro. They each sat in a director’s chair, wearing the newest from the summer catalog. The music eased out to quiet the applause. A guy in the crowd shouted that he loved her.
“Welcome to The Raw-N-Reel.” The host shuffled her cue cards then chucked them behind her. “My guest tonight is no stranger to this studio. Or any studio for that matter. Last time, she was running from the cops. This time, she’s doing the chasing. The newest addition to the hit crime drama, For the Badge, Ms. Aliyah Gavins.”
She waved and blew a kiss.
“And to think, this all started with shampoo.”
She posed, beaming like she used to as a kid.
“It’s great to have you on again.”
“It’s great to be here.”
“What’s it been now? Last time, I believe you were promoting your movie, Triple Flip.”
She huffed. “Has it been that long?”
“If I’m not mistaken, your hair was a lot longer back then.”
“Yes, Ma’am. In fact, I just cut it. It was a tough decision, but I needed to make a change, and I felt I’d outgrown the look.”
“Well, as always, those curls are fabulous. It’s funny, our sound guy was actually worried you might blow out a speaker with all that volume.”
The audience snickered as the drums came in to punctuate the joke.
“Anyway,” she continued, “Tell us about your character. What makes her really stand out? Is it her strengths, her weaknesses, or maybe how she carries herself in that uniform? By the way, I heard this season is extra steamy.”
Somebody in the crowd whistled.
Aliyah straightened her skirt.“A little bit of everything, really. I play a woman named Tasha Roberts, and not to spoil anything, but she likes to live life in the fast lane. Even in the backseat.”
“Now, that’s what we want to hear. Sounds exciting. This role is obviously very physical, so I imagine there’s plenty of action to go around. I’m curious, though. What kind of action does Tasha see when she’s out of uniform?”
She threw on another smile. “Oh, it’s so intense. That’s the thing about Tasha. She does her best work undercover.”
She winked, and about half the audience chuckled. Others howled out.
The host fanned herself. “We can’t wait. You know we love a good sting here on the Raw-N-Reel. Which reminds me. We have a clip to show our viewers here and at home, an exclusive sneak peek that’ll be sure to get your engines revving.”
A TV hung on the wall behind them. The logo for the show resembled a camera reel. It spun on screen while a filmstrip scrolled behind it. The clip started after a five second countdown.
“Belly flop!”
A young boy jumped off a diving board, hitting the water with a resounding smack. His buddies groaned from the splash zone.
Tasha smirked. “How’s that for foreshadowing?”
“Relax,” a deep voice said over her com, “No one’s jinxing anything.”
“Cannonball,” another boy yelled.
The pool area was packed, bustling with screaming kids. The lifeguards blew their whistles often. The adults watched from the lounge area under the hotel awnings. A team of servers hustled to bring everybody their food and drinks.
“I’m picking up a lot of noise,” she said.
“It’ll be fine. Let the mic do its job.”
Tasha found an open chair by the jacuzzi. She set her towel on a table then angled it toward the bar. She peeled back a flap to expose the microphone.
“How’s that?” she asked.
“Coming in loud and clear.”
Across the pool, two men were talking to the bartender. One dressed in a suit and tie. The second wore sandals and swim trunks. Money exchanged hands although nobody ordered anything.
“Remember, your only objective is to listen. Do not engage.”
She untied her robe. “Unless they engage me.”
Overhead, her partner ran the operation from his phone. He was positioned on a third-story balcony, taking pictures of the suspects. Their conversation played in his earpiece. He zoomed in on Tasha as she stripped off her robe.
The garment fell in slow motion. The plush cotton gave way to an abundance of dark skin. Her bikini left little to the imagination. The sunlight sharpened the colors, bathing the reds in gold.
Her partner bit his fist. “Good Lord.”
“You better not be watching me, Officer Miller.”
He quickly turned back to the men. “That’s a negative, Officer Roberts. Just swept the perimeter. All clear.”
“Yeah, I bet.”
Their microphone soon picked up some chatter. “Tonight, at the docks, midnight.”
The audience clapped. Back in the studio, the host dabbed a water bottle under her neck. The sound system hissed like steam, adding to the effect.
“Girl, that body is banging. I see why Officer Miller can’t keep his eyes off you. That man is gorgeous, by the way. I heard you two get pretty hot and heavy in the first episode.”
Aliyah crossed her legs. “We have our moments.”
“You gotta give us more than that.” She slapped her on the knee. “Is he as good as he looks? Kissing, I mean. What I wouldn’t give to be that man’s lip balm.”
A woman in the crowd whooped.
“Yeah, no, Dylan is very professional. He always treats the intimate scenes with the utmost respect and never goes off-script. He’ll tell you himself. He’s terrible at improv.”
The host furled her brow like she expected a different answer. “Well, we love a man who respects boundaries.”
Aliyah nodded, mumbling something in agreement. The conversation fizzled out after that. The cue cards lay scattered on the floor behind them.
“Let’s shift gears here. I have it on good authority that there’s a new man in your life. You’ve been quite private about this one, haven’t you? Care to share?”
Her fingers dug into the armrests. “I’m not sure there’s anything left to share. It’s true that I’ve been seeing one of my fans, and I’ll admit I tried to hide him at first. For like a minute. I didn’t want anyone labeling it before I knew.”
“That’s fair, but if I may ask, I think the question on everyone’s mind is why? I never took you for a sugar mama.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Come on, now. It’s not like that. If anything, he’s the one helping me. I can take my job too seriously sometimes, and he’s made me see the fun in it again. To be honest, every time I see him, I’m reminded of why I love acting so much.”
The host leaned in. “And why is that?”
“Inspiration,” she said, directly into the camera, “For me, it’s about people. Reaching them. Entertaining them. And maybe even inspiring one or two. Like I inspire him. And he inspires me.”
The silence that followed spoke louder than any applause.
“Does this mean there might be more fan-slash-boyfriends in your future?”
The guy from earlier hollered that he was available. Everybody laughed.
“I’m not sure what my future holds, but I like to think anything’s possible. The right person at the right time, who knows?”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
The music eased back in as they wrapped up the interview.
“Thanks so much for coming on tonight.”
They shook hands.
“Absolutely. Any time.”
The host gestured to her guest. “Aliyah Gavins, Ladies and Gentlemen!”
The crowd erupted. Many gave her a standing ovation. The camera panned over them while the credits rolled in the foreground. Lights flashed around the border like the paparazzi loomed just out of view.
EJShaun.com 