Can I be your French Maid? Ch. 05

What was it called again? A mark?

As I stood there, balancing a tray of tropical drinks, I stared across the patio at the beer bottle cap the director had set down by the edge of the pool and patiently waited for him to shout 'action.'

The scene was simple enough. I was to walk to the edge of the pool where Josh was skimming leaves... and... oh god, what was I supposed to do again?

I looked over at the director who was sitting in a fold-out chair, shaded by a beach umbrella, flipping through the script. Surrounding him was Valerie, the cameraman and the boom mic operator.

"Fuck it," he growled and threw it down. "Action."

I jerked to life, awkwardly stumbled forward and almost tripped over my own heels. What was my line again? Thirsty? Are you thirsty? Would you like some cold refreshments?... did I even have a line?

"Cut... cut!" the director shouted then turned to scowl at Valerie. "Seriously, Is this the best we could afford?"

Valerie rushed over to me, her tight snow white latex dress restricting her movement.

"Hi honey, got a second?"

I felt like a fool. Less than five minutes into my new career as a stand-in for a porno, and I'd already blown it.

"Nervous?" Valarie asked.

My head sank down, deflated. "Does it show?" I whimpered.

"In glorious HD," she teased. "Sorry, I shouldn't make jokes. Can I give you some advice?"

"Sure," I said, defeated.

"Tune it all out. Tune out the cranky director. Tune out the crew, the lights, the camera, all of it and just focus on the scene. Live in the moment. Have fun. Play!"

"Have fun... play," I repeated. I turned and looked back at Josh who was chasing a stray leaf across the pool with a pool skimmer. He'd dipped into the production's wardrobe and changed into a tight pair of cherry red shorts and a white polo shirt. The aviators were a nice touch.

... play, I thought again.

"Want to give it another shot?" Valerie asked.

"What, oh... right, of course," I replied.

"Great, remember, just have fun!" she said, turned and walked back to the director. "And play!'

I returned to my mark and waited. Why was this so difficult? Literally all I had to do was walk ten steps and stop. Had I been doing it wrong all these years?

I steadied the tray and waited for the director to call action.

"And... action!" he shouted again.

I emptied my mind, focused on Josh and started to walk towards him. He was still poking at the pool with the pool skimmer.

... play, I thought. Play.

I let my eyes wander, taking in his physique. He was poured into his shirt, his body like a well-oiled machine, every muscle tuned, pristine. I could only imagine the discipline required. I'd had my fair share of gym memberships, often really only working up a sweat when I tried to cancel them.

... play, I thought again. Would I like to play?

As I walked, I fell into a stride, my hips swaying gently. The garters tugged on my thigh high stockings, and my heart beat faster. I kept my eye on the beer bottle cap, then up to Josh.

... beer bottle cap, Josh. Beer bottle cap, Josh.

He turned slowly and smiled. The sun bathed his skin as a gentle wind teased his thick hair.

... beer bottle cap, Josh. Beer bottle...

I tripped, lurched forward, sending the tray sailing through the air. I yelped as I collapsed, watching as the plastic glasses bounced off the concrete. Josh dropped the skimmer and rushed over to me. "Are you ok?" he asked.

"I..."

From behind me I heard the director fume as he stood up. "For fucks sake," he growled. "Let's just get the interior shots out of the way. They should be able to handle that."

He turned and stormed off the set.

"Josh, can you give us ten to set up?" Valerie asked, then chased after him, followed by the crew.

Josh nodded, then looked down at me. I'd hit the concrete hard and could still feel a sharp tingle in my knees. Had I torn my nylons?

"Need a hand?" he asked.

"Please," I whimpered, then took his hand as he helped me up. I stood, then stumbled, the strength in my legs failing me.

"Whoa," he said and grabbed me. "Easy there, I got you."

He cradled me in his strong arms. I turned to look up at him, and saw the warmth of his smile radiate like the sun.

"Careful, I don't think you signed on to do any stunt work," he teased.

I laughed as he helped me to my feet. I smoothed out my skirt, looked down and checked my nylons, there weren't any tears. I looked back up at him, shyly.

"Can you tell it's my first day?"

"I've seen worse," he replied.

"Really?"

"Yup. On my first day on the job I showed up prepared, memorized all my lines," he said as he turned and pulled the skimmer out of the pool."

"That doesn't sound too bad."

He set the pool skimmer down on the metal hooks on the fence. "It wasn't, except I'd memorized all the lines for the wrong character."

"Oh," I said, as I tried to find something to do with my hands. "Are there often a lot of lines in a... in a."

He walked back over to me. "A porno? No. This was before that time. I'm baking out here. Want to take a quick five before they call us up?"

"Sure," I said.

"Great, follow me."

I obeyed, and followed him back towards the house.

"Don't worry about ol' Dusty Canyon."

"Dusty?" I asked.

"The director. He's a bit rough around the edges, but that comes with the job. Deep down, he's as docile as a kitten."

I followed him through the backdoor into the kitchen. The air conditioner was a sweet relief from the blistering heat. "And you've known him long?" I asked as I tried to keep up.

"Since I first started. This way," he said and led me to the garage.

The garage I thought. Why the garage? He opened the door and I followed him inside. It was empty. The garage doors were open allowing a light breeze in. There were empty steel shelves lining the walls. The garbage bags I'd collected were still piled by the door. An ivory white freezer was set against the wall surrounded by empty cardboard boxes.

Josh walked over to a stack of empty beer cases and started to rummage through them. "I'm sure I saw one... wait, here we are," he said as he pulled out three green glass beer bottles and offered me one. "And they're still cold."

"Thx," I said. "I'm good."

"You sure?" he asked as he unscrewed the cap. "I promise not to tattle."

"Yea, I'd hate to muck up again."

"After one beer?" he asked, then hopped up on the freezer and lined up the other beer bottles beside him. "In this business you need to have a thick skin and an iron stomach."

I walked to the center of the room, the cool breeze from the open door teasing my nylons. "Well, I don't know if I'm planning to make a career out of this," I said, shyly.

"No?" he asked, narrowing his gaze. "I thought I might have recognized you... but I guess I'm thinking of someone else. For as big as it is, it's a close knit community."

"You've been doing this... for a while?" I asked.

He took a drink then spoke. "No, not really. But you don't really have to be in this industry for too long to be considered a veteran."

As he spoke I had the odd sense that... that I'd seen him before. I couldn't quite place it, but there was something about his chiseled features that resonated with me, dragging up an old memory.

He laughed. "I know that look," he said, then took another drink.

"You do?" I asked, surprised.

"Yup. I often get it in grocery stores or when I'm pumping gas. I've actually turned it into a fun little game."

"A game?" I asked, confused.

"Yup, I'll give you three guesses. But if you get them all wrong, you have to drink this beer," he said and raised an unopened bottle.

"Guess what?" I asked.

"Tik tok, tik tok," he teased. "The clock's ticking."

I examined him closer. I had seen him before, I was sure of it. I'd seen him on... on.

Then the memory popped into my head. It was a VHS cassette for the movie...

"Vampyre P.I.!" I blurted out.

He made a loud obnoxious buzzer sound. "I'm sorry, that is incorrect," he said in an announcer's voice. "Try again."

I was close, I knew it. It had been a few years back, but I could almost see it, wavering as I tried to focus.

"Curse of the Were-Piranha?" I asked.

"Wrong again. One more answer remaining. Chuck, should we tell them all about the wonderful consolation prizes they'll be going home with?"

Focus, I thought. Focus. I cleared my mind and tried to sift through my remaining memories. It was in there somewhere, I just needed to find...

"Terror doesn't knock twice!" I shouted, triumphantly.

"Ding, ding, ding!" Josh said, raising his bottle. "We have a winner."

I looked up at him, confused. "But that was like... a movie, movie."

Josh lowered his arm. "One might say I was once even considered a movie star."

Josh... Pine I thought as I stared at him. He's Josh fucking Pine?" I could vividly remember the movie. It was a campy soft-core horror movie that would go on to launch a beloved franchise before it eventually ran out of steam and puttered out.

Josh was its star, the trajectory of his career almost a given. Why hadn't he gone on to be a successful A-list actor? How had he ended up in pornos?

Should I ask? I thought. It seemed rude to pry.

"I bet you're wondering how it all went wrong?" he asked, smirking.

"No it's just... well actually, if I'm honest. Yes."

Josh polished off the last of his beer, set it down and reached for another one.

"I'm surprised they haven't made it into a documentary yet, especially when people find out it involved..."

"There you two are," Valerie said, interrupting him as she walked into the garage. "Didn't you hear me calling you?"

"Looks like playtime is over, back to the grind," Josh said, hopped down from the freezer, grabbed the two remaining beer bottles and walked back into the house.

I turned to follow him then was blocked by Valerie.

"Can I have a quick word with you?" she asked.

"Sure."

"It's about..." she turned and peered over her shoulder, then turned to look back at me. "How do I say this?"

I looked at her confused.

"I've seen how girls... and quite a few boys behave around Josh, and trust me, you're not alone. Even seasoned professionals often go weak in the knees when he lays on the charm."

Me? I thought, stunned I... I don't have a thing for Josh!

"Look, I don't want to embarrass you. Josh... well, let's just say he's been through quite a lot. So, for the remaining hour, let's just keep it professional. Ok?"

"Sure," I mumbled, still reeling from the accusation that I had a thing for Josh. Absurd! Preposterous!

"Great," she said and started to walk to the door. "The rest is super easy. You're gonna hit it out of the park, slugger."

I smiled meekly and followed her through the lobby to the living room. Josh was reading through the script. The camera and boom mic operator were both on their phones while the director was nervously pacing.

"There you are, finally," the director grumbled. "Have you explained the shots to them yet?" he asked Valerie.

"I was just about too," Valerie said, then turned to face me. "The next few shots are pretty straight forward. We're going to try and get as much coverage as we can in the time we have. Don't worry, Josh is going to do all the heavy lifting. All you have to do is stand there. Just stand there and be fabulous."

"... and don't move," the director growled.

Josh walked over to me and looked up from the script. "Ignore him, he's just cranky," he whispered.

I smiled. I didn't have a thing for Josh. Of course not. It was a stupid idea.

Josh slapped the script and looked over at the director. "Seriously Dusty, seven pages a scene?"

"A cakewalk for a professional like you. I expect you to get them all in one take," the director said as he slumped into his chair.

"Right," Josh said, then turned back to face me. I stood there, close to him, unable to decide what to do with my hands.

"Nervous?" he asked.

"A little bit," I whispered.

"Don't be, you'll be fantastic. Just concentrate on me, Ok?" he asked.

I nodded. The crew set up, and we took our positions. The director called action, and Josh sprang to life. I was captivated, devouring every line as he chewed the scenery.

The director moved the position of the camera, and we did several takes. My job was simple. Literally stand in one place.

We changed locations, tearing through the script as Josh delivered one stunning performance after another. Between takes, I checked my phone. With fifteen minutes left to spare, we wrapped up.

"Was it what you were expecting?" Josh asked me as he rummaged through the fridge in the kitchen.

I was sitting at the kitchen island, thankful to be off my heels. "To be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect."

"Every production is its own unique challenge. Here," he said, turned and offered me a beer. "I stashed it away before we started. Figured I'd give it to you when we wrapped."

I looked down at the beer bottle. Why shouldn't I? I thought. I'd earned it. I reached out for it. He unscrewed the cap, handed it to me then did the same with his.

"Cheers," he said and raised his bottle. I raised mine, and we clinked them together. I took a sip, savoring the cold suds.

"You were incredible," I said as I lowered my beer.

"You're too kind."

"No, really. I couldn't stop staring at your... I," I said, flustered. "I mean, you were very believable... in the role."

"Thanks," he said and took another sip.

"No really..."

"I know what you're gonna say next," he said, smirking.

"You do?" I asked.

He leaned forward on the kitchen island. "You're going to tell me it's wasted in a porno."

"Well no, I..." I said, stunned.

"You were thinking it, though, right?"

I raised my beer bottle and took another sip. I was, I couldn't deny it. "Ok, maybe a little bit," I confessed.

He laughed. "It's all right. You're not the first person, and you won't be the last."

Maybe it was the tiny bit of alcohol coursing through my veins, or just blind curiosity. But I kept pushing. "Why... pornos?" I asked, then realized I was probably overstepping my boundaries and tried to stumble backwards. "I'm sorry, it's none of my..."

"It's alright," he said, calmly. "I don't mind."

He grabbed a barstool and sat down across from me. "I'm actually not the only one here with a rather distinguished film resume."

"No?" I asked.

"If you were to do a quick google search, you'd be shocked to discover that our cheerful director is responsible for some of your most beloved childhood memories."

"Really?" I asked, surprised.

"Yup. There was a time when he could have the pick of any script, cast any star and name his budget. That was after Terror doesn't knock twice, where he discovered me."

He took another sip of his beer, leaned forward and rested his elbows on the kitchen island.

"What... what happened?" I asked.

He smiled. Even as good an actor as he was, I could see the pain of the memory just below the surface of his polished veneer.

"There were some very bad people at very high places who had different plans for me. I hate to admit it. But, I was naive. I was a dumb kid, fresh off the bus, just trying to break into the industry. Would I have gone through with it?... honestly, I don't know. When Dusty found out, he swooped in, told them all to fuck off."

He laughed and took another drink. "The look on their face when he stormed into their office. I swear he had enough rage built up to lift up their mahogany desk and toss it out of the fiftieth floor of their executive office. After that well..."

"Black listed?" I asked, stunned.

"Yea, at least for the short-term. Eventually they were canned, or failed upward or were arrested, I honestly don't know which, nor do I care. It doesn't matter. Even if you scrape away that layer of scum, a new one will form. Sadly, it's part of the industry."

He took another drink. He'd almost finished his beer. I looked down at mine. I'd hardly touched it. I took a quick drink. "Does he regret it?" I asked.

"I don't think so, he's never said so. We eventually both crash landed into this industry and say what you will, they may be pornos but at least we have creative control."

"And you two are...?"

"No... but I think he'd throw a blunt object at me if I ever called him a mother hen."

I laughed.

"Am I interrupting?" Valerie asked as she walked into the kitchen. Josh leaned back. "Not at all, what's up?"

"Well, seeing as we still have our wonderful co-star for ten minutes, I was wondering if we might try to squeeze in one last shot before we run out of time."

"Oh yea?" Josh asked. "What's left to shoot?"

Valerie raised a torn page from the script and handed it to him. He took it and gave it a quick glance. "Well then," he said, then looked up at me. "It's a bit of a doozy. Are you up to it? You'd actually get to move."

"Jerk," I teased, reached out and tried to grab the page from him. He pulled it back, looked over at Valerie and smirked.

"I don't know. Are you sure you don't want to just do it in post with some CG?"

I lunged forward and grabbed the page from him, pulled it back, read it, then looked up at them.

"Seriously?" I asked, stunned.

"It's your call," Josh replied. "But with the time we got remaining, you'll have to do it in one take. You up for it?"