Rise of Roxy Ch. 08

The official scratched his head and said, "Now that you mentioned it the answer is no. The only ones around here are penned on private land but I guess they could break out and wander."

"Well we haven't seen any and would be scared of them if we did because I know if they get mad and charge they can easily outrun a fit man. Now may we get on with filming? We need to reshoot that scene you just witnessed. As you can see the desperado is calmly sipping coffee."

"Eh yes. May we stay to observe just one more time?"

"Yes of course. Go over and all help yourself to coffee until it runs out. It will take us about forty-five minutes before I call action again."

"Ah then in that case we better go. We are sorry to have disturbed your work Miss...?"

"Mrs Jennifer Hinckley, production director. If you wish to talk to the senior person to make a statement you'll find our producer is in Amarillo along with our set construction manager buying material for construction of a temporary water tower for which we have construction approval. Blanche will hide in the derelict tank in a stakeout to confront another of the brothers when he returns from a robbery. He doesn't drink alcohol but his surviving three brothers stayed on after robbing a bank in another town to have a few whiskies. They wish to figure out what happened to their youngest brother LeRoy who's missing. One theory is perhaps he's gone off to locate a brothel."

A week later Roxy and Clem banged away half the night, knowing they'd be parted for five or six weeks. Clem was returning to base to supervise construction of the last of the studio sets.

When Roxy and Jennifer waved him off in the morning, Jennifer ran a finger down Roxy's back and said huskily, "What will you do for sex now?"

They giggled and Roxy pushed back on to the hand now deep down on her butt.

One of the guys had been sent out to scout for an old barn and he returned and showed Jennifer the photos taken on his cellphone.

"Oh it looks like a 100 year-plus barn and is delightfully sagging at one side. Did you get the authority to film on that land and to use the barn?"

"Yes of course and the elderly couple said there would be no charge, they'd been reading all about the legendary Blanche Monroe. The downside is the barn is a two hours easy drive away."

"No problem Rick and well done. It's worth the effort to get to a great location. I like the look of those rugged hills in the background.

It was perfect. There was snow on the ground.

The elderly couple came out and met Jennifer and asked if they could watch.

"Um there is a problem. Part of the filming will be a sexually graphic scene."

"Oh that's okay," said Milly. "If Tom gets embarrassed I'll send him away."

They tethered a hired horse, a fine looking stallion, to the barn and filmed the approach scene of Blanche, shotgun at the ready, following the horse tracks up to the barn. She walked stealthily.

The day warmed as the sun emerged and the thin cover of snow began to melt but fortunately a good shoot was called after the second reshoot.

The camera crew moved up with one camera outside the barn and the other inside.

Blanche opened the door gingerly and began to inch her way inside when suddenly she had a six-gun barrel pushed to her head and the bearded guy said gruffly, "And who the hell are you?"

"You're on my parent's ranch." she lied. "I came here to find if you have been stealing our chickens."

"Well honey howdy," said Tim Wilson (Shaun Mason). "I'm holing up here for the night and you are now my prisoner and I guess you know what I'm about to do with you."

"The alternative would be to let me go and I'll tell no-one you're here."

"Sorry but I can't take the risk. That skunk of a bounty hunter who's kidnapped three of my brothers could be on my trail. At first I thought you were him but then I smelt your woman's scent before I saw you."

"Woman's scent?"

"Yeah. When did you last have a bath?"

"Cut," giggled Jennifer.

Shaun was sulking because he'd been banging Jennifer most sights since they'd arrived in Texas and now she'd dumped him for Roxy. He couldn't believe those two great fucks were also lesbians. He sulked because he felt rejected and because now those two women would have all the fun.

He finally had a great thought and asked Jennifer if he could join her and Roxy.

"I'll asked her," Jennifer said and when off to find Roxy. She returned and shook her head. "We've decided to think about it and will let you know one way of the other. At present we are keen to present to each other freshly."

"Huh?"

"That's just girl's talk darling. Remember we have quite a number of sluts with us that you could hit on."

Shawn smiled weakly and she remembered there were times Shaun lacked confidence and dealing with women was one of them. She told him she'd stitch him up with someone.

"Um can I make a request?"

"Sure but I'm not promising anything. Who would you like?"

"Michelle."

"Hmmm I can do much better than that. Oh wait, why that Plain-Jane?"

"Because she has the biggest tits."

"Oh god," Jennifer sighed and said she'd see what she could arrange.

Thirty-six days later the filming in Texas was over, or so they thought and next day was set down as a packing up day and they would break camp the following morning. But that night their camp outside White Deer was hit by howling winds just on dark and then in the morning Jennifer awoke to find it was freezing with the wind gone and around four inches of snow covered the ground.

She had a rush of blood to the head and yelled to Roxy to get out of bed and ran around assembling people she wanted to go filming after calling a rancher who'd visited them a week ago to ask for permission to go on to his land and film that morning.

He said that would be okay but he'd better be there.

"Jed tell me where to meet. We'd like to get some shots of a Blanche trudging through snow held captive by a rope held by one of the gang riding a horse. I'm hoping we can get some bison in the background."

"I told you we call them buffalo," Jed said. "You just arrive and me and the boys will bring in the buffalo and drive them on the route you nominate and we'll have to pick out a spot where me and the boys ride no farther so we stay out of camera shot."

"Okay and that's ready great Jed, amazing really. We'll give you a radio because I want the second film unit up on a high hill showing the hunched up leader of the Wilson gang riding slowly with Blanche walking unsteadily, almost exhausted."

"That sounds like Hollywood bullshit to me but fair enough. I know the best place to set that up for you. The buffalo will keep moving forward expecting to find hay put out for them up ahead. It will be pretty difficult turning them back."

"Right I'll brief my people that we get only one shot at this. We can splice in some reshoots of just the horseman and Blanche anyway."

"I can also take you to get some shots of rabbits playing in the snow and if we are lucky a fox on the hunt."

"Omigod Jed, how can we repay you?"

"It's no problems lovely lady. I'll be doing this for Texas and the Panhandle."

The day stayed dreary and it even snowed a bit at times during the filming that continued for most of the day. No one involved minded because they were aware they were gathering some of the best footage they'd shot on location in Texas.

Jennifer departed even more from the script and set up for Jed to approach Tim Wilson (Shaun) and confront him.

"Say stranger, why are you treating a woman like she's dirt? Free the woman or you'll answer to me."

Tim drew his revolver and a shot rang out and Jed fell from his horse that bolted. Jed lay on his back very still, blood seeping through the hole in his thick coat on the left side of his chest.

Blanche called, "You'll fry in Hell Tim Wilson."

"If you don't walk faster you'll get there first," Tim sneered. "Move your skinny backside bitch."

"Cut and that's a wrap," Jennifer. "That was good acting Jed. We might be able to sneak that into the final cut but anyway bring your family over to the Community Hall in White Deer this evening where the businesses we have used for supplies are putting on a farewell dinner for us. Please call their coordinator Iris Moore to confirm the numbers coming. I'll call her now. During the evening we'll play some clips from our hand-held camera of scenes we've shot since we've been here. It's raw footage but I don't think local folk out for a great night of fun will worry about that."

The production crew of forty-two were out-numbered by locals and it was a great night.

Everyone including the crew watched the clips with interest and the crew expressed satisfaction with their work.

"Right folk," Jennifer called. "Just one more clip that shows our two stars proceeding slowly through light snow on Jed and Diane Billing's ranch today. It was a spur of the moment shoot, born from the moment I awoke and saw the overnight snow. Jed had visited us recently so I called and asked him for a favor. He said okay, come across and we secured magnificent footage. As a way of saying thank you we made Jed an honorary support actor at the end of the shoot as you will see shortly."

Members of the crew who weren't required to go to the ranch looked at the screen as the horseman and his prisoner moved across the Christmas Card-like landscape and joined everyone to gasp when a herd of thirty-nine buffalo in a line of three and four abreast came into shot moving parallel and quite a bit faster than the horseman.

Several people clapped and the Grant the AD (assistant director) turned and gave Jennifer, sitting two rows behind him, a huge smile and the thumbs up.

The local folk cheered when Jed rode into view and accosted the horseman and was shot dead for daring to butt in. Many stood and clapped and a woman ran across to Jed and kissed him and said, "My hero."

* * *

Jennifer sat between Shaun and Roxy on the flight home to LA.

"I'm looking forward to my two days off after all the hard-work, some fun and rather a lot of deprivation," he said.

"Well your mother will comfort you and make you all better when she gets you home," Roxy said.

Shaun looked shocked and probably wasn't helped by Jennifer working hard to stifle giggles.

"Why do you say that!" Shaun said heatedly.

Roxy lied and said he'd told her twice he was missing his mother."

"I don't remember that?"

"Um you might have been under pressure rehearsing your lines and moves."

"Oh yeah, I was under pressure at times."

"It won't get any easier at the studio Shaun," Roxy continued. "Working under cover and with better lighting control we'll be pushed harder and work longer hours."

"I know that. Most of my experience has come from studio filming."

Shaun would you like to swap seats with Grant. I wish to discuss work with him."

"Why can't Roxy do the swap?"

"Because Roxy and I do most things together, that's why and she's great at visualizing when we are talking schedules and often picks up conflicts that have been missed."

"If you ask me you two do too much together."

"Run along Shaun," Jennifer said coldly.

"Gosh what a wet," she said. "It's a wonder he didn't bring mommy on location with him."

"Well don't suggest that because we might end up with him and mommy is some future movie."

Jennifer groaned and said she'd move to get him black-listed to avoid that happening.

"Bitch."

"Well yeah Roxy. I've learned how to be like that, but not be too obvious, from you."

Grant arrived.

"Couldn't Shaun perform to take you too into the Mile High Club and not it's my duty to do the loathsome deed?"

"Shut up Grant or I'll mention to your wife that you speak foully to ladies."

He laughed and slandered them: "Ladies?"

Roxy said, "Shut up Grant or I'll tell your wife you prefer young men."

His mouth clamped and then opened to say unsmilingly, "Jesus Roxy."

* * *

No new or confirming evidence relating to Blanche Monroe's manhunt had turned up since filming had commenced. Blanche's wagon had been trucked in from Texas and Jennifer and Roxy stood looking at it.

Roxy said, "It must have been stomach-turning for Tim and Gavin Wilson to have been chained in leg irons in the back section of that cage and their three brothers in their coffins just feet away from them and having Blanche, whom they must have really hated, taking them in to face justice."

"Yes and high risk for her to reach in to remove and empty the toilet pan used by the two survivors even if she was holding one of their revolvers in her shooting hand."

"Well a girl's got-to-do what a girl's got-to-do," Jennifer laughed. "Thanks for bringing that up. I think we need to dwell on more of the day to day detail on their journey back to Boswell. This is where we can enhance credibility and demonstrate what a really resolute woman she must have been to have done this."

"When does Blanche discover she's pregnant?"

"The book seems to suggest just before she arrives in town. Of course by the time the survivors go to trial she is showing. You decide when you come to the realization."

"Did women menstruate in those days?"

"Of course they did. You can't believe..."

Jennifer saw the grin and realized she'd been dropped into it.

"Bitch."

Roxy laughed and said well a day out from Boswell she'd be aware her period was so late that she must be pregnant. Learning that the day before arriving in town would increase tension.

"Agreed. We can shoot the arrival next week and then have the judge and jury inspect the wagon, and then it can be cleaned up and returned to the museum and the horses returned to the stables that hired them out. Then we can go back and film from later than day we worked with the buffalo in the snow. Blanche goes to sleep exhausted and wakes to find him screwing her and she is unable to resist participating and they stay beside the river for two days, screwing again after recovering from the last one. He's hungry and she says she has plenty of food in her wagon left hidden two days back before he jumped her in that barn. Of course he doesn't know his surviving brother hasn't eaten in days and is in leg irons in a cage with the bodies of their three brothers."

"You know the story as well as I do Roxy the you won't know this next bit. We have to produce a flashback centered around Blanche to show her musing of what they will see when they find when they arrive at the wagon and the horses tethered on long ropes to allow them to graze but they will be without water."

"Tim left Blanche tied up securely so he could ride off to steal a saddled horse so she can ride back with him to the wagon on the promise of food and as much sex as he wants. We finish on location by filming the lead up to where she gets the drop on him in a really dramatic scene reeking of tension, with Tim almost gaining the upper hand. Then back at the studio it's basically concentrating on courthouse drama and Tim and Gavin Wilson looking out of the jailhouse barred window and watching the gallows being erected. They watch stunned as Blanche passes the jailhouse and calmly waves to them, smiling."

"Oh yes, and that's one of my favorite parts in the entire movie," Roxy said. "We're making a super movie under your inspired directing darling."

"Oh pet, you are so sweet to me," said Jennifer, turning soft-eyed and pushing the tip of her tongue between her lips at Roxy.

* * *

The movie had moved into post-production and rumors were rife about the international box office receipts being down and filmmakers being under pressure to cut spending. The newspapers and entertainment publications, entertainment industry publications on the web and personal blogs began reporting of actor's contracts not being renewed or even cancelled with on the back of cost-cutting and projects being cancelled.

Top management at the studio gathered to view the raw movie of Blanche's story that was assembled after editing but not color-corrected and with no music added and other enhancements applied. Roxy went into the studio and sat with Jennifer and others in the top team of filming and post-production. They waited nervously.

After the wait had gone long over time, William came out from the meeting beaming.

"Relax guys, they predict it will go really big. Jennifer there was comment you appeared to have almost generated a new historical cinema sub-genre. The big news is the promotional budget for the movie is to be trebled. Yes trebled. The president says money is no object when it comes to spending on a winner."

"Talk about this movie being top-shelf went on and on."

"Blanch I mean Roxy, I'm glad you are here. I'm so very happy for you. Some of us are to meet again at 5:00 for discussions with you. I suggest you bring your personal agent and bring a contract attorney."

"Omigod," Jennifer yelled and smothered Roxy in kisses.

"What, what are you on about?"

"Whoops, nothing darling. William hasn't said and I have no wish to spoil the moment for you."

"What are you talking about, you're not making sense."

"Please darling, think no more about it," Jennifer said. "Just go out and get your hair and make-up done and wear your best green dress and then don't be late, be sexy or should I say just be yourself. Just don't let them roll you, so you hear?"

"Will I receive a big job offer?"

"Something like that," William said. "Off you go and behave like Jennifer said. "I'll give you a clue. You may remember this day for the rest of your life."

"Omigod," gushed Roxy, aware that comment meant this must be an upward move in her acting career.

Jennifer phoned and asked, "Where are you?"

"I'm at home, attempting to keep calm. Everything is okay. My agent and attorney will be there with me. Please tell me."

"And spoil it for you? No way. Although I was only consulted and have no idea of the final outcome. Phone me after you know anything. I'm so bubbling about this?"

"About what?"

"God you are a cunning bitch. I'm saying nothing. Just call me later. Bye."

At 4:00 Roxy received a call from one of the aides of the studio's president seeking confirmation Roxy would be at the meeting on time.

"Yes I am ready now. Um what's on the agenda?"

"The agenda is you Miss Reeves. I must go. Bye."

Roxy stamped her right foot and grouched that the studio was lousy at communication.

She arrived and her agent Robyn Curtin was already waiting with Roxy's attorney

Pauline Anker.

"What is this darling," said Robyn. "You sounded so mysterious on the phone."

"Look I know nothing but suspect it's positive for my career."

Pauline said, "That was my thinking when it was suggested you have your attorney with you as well as your agent. To me that suggests a negotiable contract will be offered."

"You haven't received any enquiries about my availability since I last spoke to you have you Robyn?"

"No dear. Look keep relaxed and don't buckle if you are offered something big."

A door opened and an attractive and very neatly dressed woman of about thirty-five came out and eyed Roxy and said, "Miss Reeves, I spoke to you an hour ago. I'm Kim Walsh. Please would you and your party follow me.

Five people were seated on the far side of the table and the guy in the center stood and said, "Hi and welcome."

Roxy said to the studio president, "Hi Mr Ross, this is my agent Mrs Robyn Curtin and my attorney Miss Pauline Anker. It was suggested they should accompany me."

"Yes and good thinking. Nice to see you again Robyn. Please be seated opposite us and we'll get right down to it. You begin Lisa."

"Hi Roxy. My position is director of casting. We have committed to a yet another major movie because collectively we think people will choose to go to a movie during harder financial times that many countries have at present because it's escapism and they know they get excellent value for the price of a movie ticket. We've completed profiling and I've had the benefit of seeing your stunning performance as Dr Blanche Monroe. So without hesitation I say I want you for the lead in 'The Brunswick Girl.' We have held the movie rights for some time and with Kate recently turned twenty-one and no longer living in this country..."