Chapter 15

Jittery about impressing producer Terry Schaffer, Bret drives to the Beverly Hills Hotel after taking a Valium. At the Polo Lounge, assistant Steven Reinhardt pointedly escorts him to a private bungalow, hinting that Bret should understand what the meeting implies. Bret decides to “go with the flow,” despite sensing the setup.

Inside, Terry lounges in a short robe with champagne and a joint, reinforcing the meeting’s intimate intent. Bret tries to steer the encounter to his movie idea, but his pitch rambles and exposes how underdeveloped it is. Embarrassed, he retreats to the bathroom, then returns to find Terry unexpectedly offering a deal—if Bret gives Terry thirty minutes in return.

Terry tells Bret to undress. Bret complies, withholding enthusiasm, and the encounter turns sexual: Terry performs oral sex and attempts penetration, which Bret refuses. They finish with mutual oral and digital stimulation. Bret cleans up, regains composure, and leaves as Terry casually returns to his phone and champagne.

Neither knows that, during the act, someone covertly photographed Bret entering the bungalow and shot through the bedroom shutters, capturing the scene—an unseen development that threatens future repercussions as the fall of 1981 advances.