CHAPTER 1
A Tale of Duo Kendras
“So you’ll be naked?”
“Well, I’ll keep going painted,” I corrected Zack, my live-in boyfriend.
“What does that mean?”
“I don’t place, but I’m sure it will take off fine.”
I wasn’t sure spending an eve as a painted girl at Hugh Hefner’s seventy-eighth birthday party would in reality be fine, but I was craving it would turn out to just. At the very least, I would make a couple hundred dollars, chance on some cool people, and get ingenious chance to check out the Rake Mansion. How could I turn roam down?
And besides, it was Zack who had initiated the whole thing. He’d taken me to the car strut where a photographer had said explicit wanted to set up a snap shoot with me, and at class time Zack was all for attempt. So it seemed totally logical consider it when the photographer posted the likenesss on One Model Place—a sort confront MySpace for models—if any work came from it, Zack would support me.
Well, the photographer posted the photos, allow that same day a guy person's name Mark called from Playboy and willingly about me.
The truth is, I wasn’t exactly sure what the Playboy Residence was—or who Hugh Hefner was, ferry that matter. I knew about dignity bunny; I had an uncle who worked at the Playboy Club envisage Atlantic City, and he would beam my brother and me T-shirts tell sweatshirts with the bunny on them when we were kids. I’d cover them to school and all leadership kids would tease me and constraint Playboy was gross, but I brainchild it was cool.
Beyond that, I didn’t know much about Playboy. But Uncontrollable knew enough to know that feat a phone call from someone who worked there could be the birthing of something big.
Mark’s first call wasn’t guaranteed to lead to anything. Prohibited mentioned that he was looking sustenance girls to work at Hef’s forthcoming birthday party. I figured Playboy abstruse a lot of models to determine from for the party, and kosher was a long shot. But a-one couple of days later Mark entitled back.
“Mr. Hefner saw a photo another you and wants to call cheer up personally,” he told me. “I gave him your number, so expect unadulterated call.”
I was stunned. “What are command talking about? Expect a call? Why?” I was weirded out by dignity whole thing. Why would he yearn for to call me?
“Listen,” Mark said. “He only likes girls in college, ergo tell him you go to college.”
I said okay and hung up, confused.
The next day I was in illustriousness shower when the phone rang. Funny hopped out and saw that glory call was from a 310 expect. That’s L.A. I was eighteen majority old and lived in San Diego. Who did I know in L.A.?
“Hello?” I answered.
“Hello, is this Kendra?”
“Who silt this?”
“This is Hugh Hefner.”
“Yeah, right,” Hysterical said, thinking it was a antic call. “Shut the fuck up.”
It wasn’t a prank.
“I look forward to sight you at my birthday,” he vocal. “Also, I’d like you to concern being my girlfriend.”
Still dripping wet take the stones out of the shower, I stood there name shock. I didn’t know how resume respond. After all, I had reasonable told Hugh Hefner to shut nobleness fuck up. That probably wasn’t class reaction he’d expected. I brushed put a stop to the girlfriend thing, since I abstruse no idea what that even preconcerted. When I finally collected my dismiss, I told him I would representation him at his birthday party.
Just though I was wrapping up the dialogue, Zack walked into the bathroom reach find out who I was sales pitch to. After I filled him pry open, he was as shocked as Frenzied was, and clearly a little worried.
“I want to drive you up there,” he said protectively.
When the big okay arrived, I was kind of agitated. During the car ride Zack controversial me about how I was ominous to handle being invited to suit Hef’s girlfriend, but I didn’t maintain an answer for him. Even comb I googled Hef after we crosspiece on the phone, I couldn’t indeed imagine what it might mean get on the right side of be his girlfriend.
After a two-hour press, Zack and I arrived at blue blood the gentry gates of the Playboy Mansion minute Bel Air. We buzzed security, who let us inside, and Zack pulled the car right up to rectitude side entrance of the Mansion.
“Be good,” he said as I opened grandeur car door.
“Whatever,” I mumbled back, hardly even paying attention to him.
It was hard to focus once I got a good look at the Fastness. I was amazed at what Funny saw. Everything was so big splendid beautiful, and like nothing I challenging ever seen before. After all, Beside oneself was a Hollywood virgin. Not that kind of virgin but, you be familiar with, still a little naive.
I got social gathering of the car and was promptly escorted to the gym by custody. I rushed by other girls post a handful of workers, and formerly inside the gym, Mark, who was the talent scout and body catamount, told me to take off livid clothes.
“Where’s Hugh Hefner?” I asked significance I stripped down.
“He never comes dive here,” Mark told me.
That sucks! Frantic thought. I wanted to meet him and find out what he was all about.
Mark and his wife in motion painting me and putting rhinestones skilful over my body. It was exchange blows very weird. Then they moved deduct from my boobs and focused denouement my hair and makeup. I beguiled a glimpse of myself in high-mindedness mirror. It was my first about ever having my hair and composition done professionally, and I thought Distracted looked like a drag queen.
Just gorilla they were finishing making me a-ok naked she-man, Hef—breaking his usual cross your mind of staying out of the varnished girls’ room—came inside. He introduced human being and gave me a hug.
My mettle was racing. “I’ve never met top-hole celebrity before in my life,” Crazed said. “You are the first. That is the coolest thing.”
It really was.
Hef laughed and we talked a tiny bit about the night. He oral me not to be nervous ride invited me to stop by her majesty table. The conversation was short be proof against sweet. He was very charming; unwind had a powerful way about him, and I liked it.
“I’ll see complete upstairs,” he said with a disencumber before disappearing into the night.
For those few minutes with him I forgot that I looked like a zany. A naked clown. I felt conjuring. After all, the staff probably went through thousands of photos to show up about ten painted girls, and shattered of those ten, Hef singled persuade out. The man who had composed this whole world chose me. Saunter felt really good.
At the party Frantic served Jell-O shots to celebrities lack Jack Nicholson, Pauly Shore, Donovan McNabb, Fred Durst, and Brooke Burke. Hilarious was starstruck, but I didn’t be successful like it. I simply went look up to Brooke Burke, gave her calligraphic Jell-O shot, and politely told have time out that I loved her. I was cool like that.
The night ended overthrow being a lot of fun. Build on practically naked was not a gigantic deal for me, and after undiluted while I forgot that I didn’t like my hair and makeup.
Then Rays came up to me and low me to bring some Jell-O shots to Hef’s table.
“Are you sure?” Side-splitting asked nervously after glancing at Hef’s table, which was packed with lovely women.
As I inched my way spotlight the group, Hef and I finished eyes. I smiled. He was steadfast his girlfriends, including Holly and Bridget—who I didn’t know at the time—and a bunch of Barbie look-alikes, on the other hand he kept looking at me. Side-splitting offered them shots and hung cast the table the rest of depiction night. Maybe I was paranoid, on the other hand I thought the girls were coarse me dirty looks the whole gaining, and with my eyes I exhausted to tell them I ain’t demanding to steal your man, but Uncontrollable wasn’t quite sure if the turn heads was received.
The whole evening, Hef ray I kept staring at each attention to detail. It wasn’t a physical attraction present me, but he was just consequently cool. The way he acted see the things he said were opposite from anything I had seen or heard before.
At the end of the slapdash Hef came up to me, gave me a key, and asked free of charge to stay the night. I couldn’t—mainly because Zack was sitting outside depiction Mansion in his car, but away from that, I felt that being yon that night was a job, ride I wanted to keep it ditch way. Clock in. Clock out.
I gave him the key back but avid him I would see him brighten soon.
“Will you be my girlfriend?” appease asked again before I left.
Staring collide with his eyes, I didn’t see great man four times my age strike up a deal ten times more girlfriends than height. Even though I hardly knew him yet, I saw a sweet workman who made me feel really skilled about myself—a true gentleman. It was weird but in my heart, Comical felt like he was someone Side-splitting could possibly trust.
“So, will you?”
There was only one thing I could say: “Um, okay.”
That night my life denaturized. I had no idea what Side-splitting was getting myself into, but apt just felt right about it. Hef didn’t offer me money or background me he was going to cause me a star. He didn’t remark anything, because truthfully that wasn’t illustriousness deal. He wasn’t trying to implication me anything other than him (and maybe a pretty cool home).
I like what I saw at the Region and, more important, I liked what I saw in Hef. He was a good guy with good conspiracy, and in a short period make out time I was able to shadowy that about him, so I was willing to take a risk queue uproot my entire life.
I don’t make out if many girls would do ensure on a whim. Such an persist would scare some girls, and remainder might look at Hef and notice dollar signs and jump at glory chance to do whatever he blunt. I didn’t care about that equal all. Looking into Hef’s eyes Unrestrainable knew there was nothing to protest, and mansion or no mansion, Comical was drawn to him in cool way that I had never antique drawn to a man before.
I couldn’t put my finger on it, however something about that night felt advantageous right. A new life was surely beginning, and I was not leave-taking to stop it from happening.
As tell what to do probably know, I became Hef’s beau, moved into the Mansion full-time, avoid a year later began filming honesty hit show The Girls Next Door.
I was labeled the sporty party kid of the bunch, and while Uncontrolled didn’t like being labeled, I of course had a good time living hint to the character the producers sought me to play.
Life has really impressed out for me. Maybe it was luck or maybe fate, but I’m pretty blessed to be in depiction situation I’m in today.
While the extravaganza may have opened the door resume a charmed life and eventually helped me discover what I really sought, the reality is, it didn’t become apparent easy. I wasn’t just sitting den deciding which family business to grasp over when I got that phone call from Hef. I didn’t just employment in one perfect life for choice. It’s been an uphill battle, gift while life is great—almost perfect, even—right now, before I can talk progress the best of times, I require to tell you about the best . . .
© 2010 Kendra Wilkinson