James almost always fields the calls, and each time a client arrives, Ryan tries to guess it from the time they walk in the building to the time they walk out of the elevator. He's surprisingly good at the game.
"He's pretty much only in raunchy comedies, and playing an idiot of some kind." James hints, to give Ryan a chance.
"Ben Stiller."
"Dumber."
"Pauly Shore."
"Ew. Less annoying, and hotter."
"Ashton Kutcher."
"Close. They've worked together."
"Topher Grace."
"Wrong direction."
"Seann William Scott."
Before James can acknowledge Ryan is right, the star walks through the door. He's accompanied by a female lawyer in a suit. Seann, for his part is wearing a designer t-shirt that drapes over his ample pecs and disguises his six-pack. The sleeves of his shirt are tight to his ripped arms, which nearly parallel Ryan's own. Ryan is a little intimidated by the celebrity, who on top of everything else is several inches taller than him. They all sit down together at a table.
"So, what exactly is this place?" Seann asks.
"We are an easy avenue to prepare for the role you've been selected. Give us three months, and we can bring any body into the appropriate weight and fitness specifications."
"So you're going to fatten me up for the studio?"
"Basically, yes. On the phone, your agent said the studio wasn't happy with your progress to prepare for the upcoming movie."
"I gained five pounds."
"But it's been a month, as I understand it?"
"Yeah, it's taken me a while."
Seann lifts up his shirt and taps his midriff. Ryan is surprised to see padding on the six-pack he knows used to be there. He smiles.
"It sounds like the studio would like to speed up the process, then."
"So, how do you do it?"
"We do it all for you. We will swap your body with another, preferrably closer to your goal size, so that you can get used to having the extra weight and focus on preparing for the role. In the meantime, we prepare the body. Our experts will construct a diet and exercise program that will bring you to the weight you need in the allotted time."
"My agent explained over the phone, but it still seems weird to me."
"Think of it this way; somebody else builds the sets, and props and prepares everything else for the movie, why shouldn't they be able to prepare you as well? Also consider, that as an added bonus, during the period that you're preparing, you'll have an unrecognizable face. You'll be able to go out, do things and go places without being mobbed."
"The idea seemed to appeal to Seann.
"Ok. Let's get this going."
They pulled out the contract, which the lawyer went over. Primarily, it dealt with what each party was not allowed to do while in the borrowed body. This included unprotected sex, illegal drugs, and any tasks likely to endanger or damage the body. The lawyer approved the paperwork, and Seann William Scott signed off. It was then that they exchanged the technical details for what Seann was to actually look like. They gave a sketch idea and statistics. Seann was supposed to weigh...