French Awakenings Pt. 02

We lay there, entwined and sweaty on the kitchen table for a few minutes until I felt strong enough to get up. I pulled his pants up for him and stepped back into my thong, grabbing his shirt and holding it across my breasts. Chris gave me a strange look as I sent him off for a shower while I walked unsteadily across to the door and opened it, calling out "You'd better come in then"

The young actress (Deecee? Candy?, can't remember) hopped in and gave a little clap of her hands, rolling her eyes skywards.

"Oh My God, I'm so sorry but you guys were Amazing. So hot"

I was not thinking straight, asking "So erm, what brings you here...Candy is it?"

The redhead nodded, "Candice, you know like Candice Bergen but that's my work name, my real name's Ginny. Jamie asked me to come and pick you up for your blood tests"

Christ, I'd forgotten, Well I hadn't forgotten but I just hadn't remembered, I'd only been awake an hour and half of that I'd just spent being fucked silly.

Stalling for time I answered "Ok, I'll get showered and be with you in ten. Err..can we not mention the um...sex"

She looked at me with wide eyes, "But you were so, so, hot, you were so into each other."

I wanted to cut this short, rolled my eyes and told her "Well, we should be, we are married you know. Look, I don't really want to talk about it, being caught like that, although.." I tailed off, I'd spoken without thinking.

She wouldn't shut up about it though.

"Was that the first time you've done it with someone watching? My God,I remember the first time I did it, it was so intense." She went on enthusiastically, "These days it's not so much but it's still a turn on you know. When everyone is watching, and you just feel so powerful. I kinda love it"

I tried very hard to get back to safe ground because I was a long way outside what could even be described as the same post code as my comfort zone. I told her I was going for a shower, pointing at the teapot with a vague help yourself type wave. "Chris, are you done yet?" I shouted upstairs and ran away, flustered but slightly aroused.

Chris was getting dressed as I walked into the bathroom, I'd been planning on doing something about the stubble he'd avoided complaining about, but time was now against me, so I resigned myself to a mildly itchy day.

I sent Chris down to keep Ginny company and jumped under the streaming water, two minutes later I was out and drying myself badly. I slipped on my bikini and a T shirt with a pair of comfortable short dungarees on top, popping a pair of cork soled Birkenstocks on to complete the ensemble. Elegant? No. Comfortable and on holiday? Yes.

Ginny had a car waiting outside, I jumped in the shotgun seat next to her, there were a few things I wanted to clear up that had started niggling at me in the shower.

"Ginny, this film.. what sort of film is it?"

She repeated almost word for word what Sandy told me the previous day, "It's a murder mystery, we're filming it in a Rashomon style in flashback with lots of different viewpoints on the same story" I was still none the wiser.

"Yes" I persisted," but what sort of film is it, you know, is it errm artistic?"

She shrugged "We have sex in it if that's what you're asking, but it's not an out and out porno. Talk to Sandy, she'll explain it properly."

I twisted round and glared at Chris. "Did you know about this?"

He held his hands up defensively "Whoa, hang on there. I asked you last night if you knew what you were getting into, if I recall correctly, you told me you did and started necking tequila like it's going out of fashion. I thought this morning might have had something to do with it."

Ginny chipped in from the drivers seat "So hot, by the way. Take that as a compliment from someone in the business. Really, Really Hot."

Chris looked confused "What does that mean?"

"She caught the last few minutes of our performance from the kitchen door" I explained, trying not to make it sound weird.

Chris went quiet. I was still across the road from my comfort zone so I shut up as well. Suddenly I realised I was going to have to break the news to Jane that the $500 a day was probably off the table, I certainly wasn't planning on taking my best friend onto a porn set. I had no intention of going there myself. That was non-negotiable. One Hundred Per Cent.

We pulled up outside a private medical centre on the edge of town, Ginny nodded at the building and told us both that Sandy was inside and I should go and talk to her.

I walked in feeling conflicted, Chris was right, I'd been quite clear I knew what I was doing even though it was now equally clear I didn't know what I was doing. I had promised to do something that now allowed them to run their business, but I was feeling very squeamish about that business and my part in it.

There she was, "Sandy, can we talk?" I asked tentatively

Something in my tone or body language must have given her an indication that I was less than a happy camper. She took my arm and lead me into a quiet corner, "sure, what's up?"

I started badly and went downhill from there. "I er I didn't realise what sort of a film you were making, I'm really not comfortable being involved in a Porn production. It could be very embarrassing for me if it got back to my employers."

I rambled on "I really don't think I can be on the set and I really can't ask my friend Jane to be party to the whole thing, but I am also painfully aware that you are able to save your business because of promises I made." Aware that I was no longer making sense I shut up.

Sandy sniffed theatrically "Jane knows what's going on, Jamie called her this morning to get your address and had a long chat with her.
So what are you saying? Do you want to back out? Because that will fuck us over big time. Look, let me explain where we're coming from."

She moved me further into the quiet corner, warming to her theme:
"We want to make movies that have some production values, that don't have standard terrible acting and have a plot that is above I've come to fix the plumbing, oh no my clothes have all fallen off.
We think there's a place between the rubbish softcore stuff where everyone writhes around with their underwear still on and the typical hardcore stuff where any suggestion of emotion or intimacy goes out of the window.
We don't make Porn, we don't make Adult Movies, we make Erotic Dramas.

Everyone here has sunk every penny they can into this, some of us have put our houses on the line, if we can't make it work we lose everything, and I mean everything."

She held my arm and looked pleadingly into my eyes, "Come to the set tomorrow, see what happens and if you can't be there we'll find some workaround. Maybe we could have you on the end of a mobile phone or something. Please?"

It was the last "please" that swung it, I genuinely liked everyone I'd met, and I believed the story she was telling. I said I'd try. I needed to talk to Jane as well.

Sandy seemed genuinely relieved, "That's great, thanks. I really appreciate what you're doing for us, now go and get in line for your blood test. You'll need one if you're going to work on set so let's not make a barrier where we don't need one."

I nodded in agreement, looking round for Chris to tell him what I'd decided. To my surprise he seemed to be in the queue, I rushed over and asked what he was doing.

"I was chatting to Darren here, he used to play second row at college in San Diego, played against the Gentlemen of Aspen once, you know that was where Dan went to play when he transferred to the Dell Colorado office."

Typical Chris, he can sniff out a fellow rugby player wherever he goes, it's like a superpower, but useless.

Darren was the tall dark-haired man Paul had shouted to yesterday at lunch. he looked to be in his early to mid-twenties and was still wearing his very loose and baggy basketball vest top and whilst it's rude to stare I could see he was ripped. I found myself wondering when he was going to be working and which one of the girls would be lucky enough to be working with him.

What was wrong with me, less than a day in the company of "Erotic Drama" actors and I was turning into some lusty crazy woman. I dragged my mind back from the gutter and asked what else Darren did on set, apart from the obvious, which got me five minutes on IP addresses and subnets when all he needed to say was "I do the lights and computers"

Once we'd all been jabbed there was a two hour wait for our results, so we trundled down to the nearest beach. The girls all peeled down to tiny thong bikinis and then took their tops off to get maximum sun, the boys all had tiny budgie smugglers, so my normal sized pants seemed quite out of place by comparison and Chris's board shorts almost looked like he was dressed for winter.

No one seemed to have any body hair or tattoos, which seemed unusual for younger people today. The tattoos, not the body hair. I initially felt a bit self-conscious about going topless, but after Ginny had watched me getting shagged on the kitchen table this morning, I didn't feel I had much to hide. Chris is still in good shape at forty-one, not in a ripped way like the boys were but still in a solid, muscly, spreading slightly at the waist way.

Back up to the clinic, thirteen clear results were handed out and with a cheer we were all taken back to the villa complex, we travelled in a ramshackle minibus with the rest of the actors while Sandy, Carl, and Jamie took the car that Ginny had brought us down in. I guessed Sandy was giving the news about my potential crisis of confidence. A crisis of confidence that wasn't helped by Ginny announcing to everyone "Guess what I saw this morning you guys. Guess what I saw on the kitchen table in their villa?" It didn't take long for them to guess and no one spared our blushes. And I really squirmed.

"What's his cock like?" asked Carol, "Was it hot?"

Ginny screamed "Oh my god it was hot. I'll leave Nicola to answer about the cock"

Suddenly I was the centre of attention, someone shouted out "Well, what's it like girl?"
"Yeah, hun. What's my cock like?" Chris seemed to be playing If you can't beat them, join them.

I closed my eyes and shook my head in despair. "It's alright" I replied, sheepishly. I am English after all.

This led to a round of affected English accents "Orlroight? I should say so Guvnor. Cor blimey"
"Ok, OK. It's" I looked Chris "very nice. It's great." and gave him a kiss.

This led to a big cheer.

One of the boys asked "You guys going to do a scene?"

Suddenly the bus was silent, leaving that one hanging in the air.

A put on southern drawl came from the back of the minibus "Yeah babe, you sure got a purty mouth" more laughter, including Chris. I threw him a look. He knows that look and had the good sense to clam up.

"yeah and you got fantastic titties" from Ginny, which got a round of agreement.

"What? Us?" I was horrified."No we are fucking well not doing a scene. We live in the real world. You bunch of freaks." Which apparently was the right answer because we got an even bigger cheer.

We all piled off the bus and into the complex, it had it's own perimeter wall that enclosed an area of about a football field, along the long back wall was a big main building, with a pool off to the right, n beside the pool was a small gym. The other windows on the building were shuttered so I couldn't tell what was inside.

There was another large villa on the north, shorter wall with what looked like a jacuzzi pool set to the side away from the main building, a large formal garden across the front and two smaller back-to-back buildings by the gate, one seemed to be an admin type office unit with a flat upstairs and the other was a villa, similar to the one Chris and I were staying in.

Jamie was already there, the car parked beside the small villa to our right. He gave a theatrical wave of his arm and led the way to the biggest building, entering via the double front doors. Inside was airconditioned to what felt like a fridge after the hot minibus ride, and I felt goosebumps raise on my arms and legs. I followed the crowd through to a large living room on the opposite side of the building from the gym, everyone spread out and sat down on the many big comfortable chairs and sofas.

Jamie stood in the middle of the room where he was joined by Sandy and Carl. They had a large pitcher of a yellowish liquid each and a tray stacked with tumblers.

Jamie started "OK everyone. We've all taken a risk to get here but I am delighted to say Dreamtime Pictures are about to go live with our first location production. And I say..... Margarita Time"

So that was what's in the pitchers. When everyone was served Jamie raised his glass and called for silence.

"Boys and Girls, let's hear it for Dreamtime Pictures"

Everyone knocked back their drink in a single hit and gave a loud cheer, we were caught up in it and did the same.

Sandy let everyone cheer on for a bit and then called for silence again, as the money controller she had some important things to say.

"OK, first up we only get paid on delivery, but the contract is in Lou Carpenter's office in LA, signed and sealed. We deliver, we get paid."

She went on to detail how the payments would be made and when everyone could expect to get their money back, I wasn't even involved and I was ecstatic, god alone knows what the crew around me felt.

Carl's voice cut through the excited chatter "Like Sandy said, We deliver, they pay and we need to deliver eight episodes with two scenes each plus a season finale with four scenes as well as the non sex story line recording. Episode one is due to air" He held it, milking the moment. It is Showbusiness after all

"Saturday"

The room burst back into life, Saturday was three full days away, there was no way a first episode could be ready, they only had the villa complex for two weeks, there was no way they could get twenty scenes completed in that time, there was all the straight acting to be filmed, that was never going to be completed in ten days.

Sandy stood up, holding both hands outstretched, palms downwards.

"Hey. HEY. We have an opportunity here to make something that will give us all a future, make us financially secure in a very insecure marketplace and make us a fat packet of cash, all we need to do is work our butts off for ten days. Does anyone think that's too much to ask? Anyone? Right. Filming starts tomorrow. Scripts are in your rooms. End of conversation, now let's get set up. Nicola, could you come with me?"

Damn she's good at this sort of thing. I felt empowered and I was only visiting.

Sandy led me outside and across to the admin office unit.

Making notes she fired points at me like a machine gun "Chris has asked if we'd like his help on the computers, which I've accepted with a load of thanks. He's off with Darren and Jamie right now. What time will your friend be here?"

I checked my watch. "by the power of budget airlines, hire car and satnav she should be here in about three hours. Give or take."

Sandy nodded. "Can you get her here this afternoon so we can cover off all the admin?"

I confirmed that we could, I asked if I could get dropped back to our villa to meet Jane and was duly despatched in the rental car with Ginny driving again. On the way she returned to her new favourite subject.

She told me she'd try to make her performance half as good as I'd looked. I really wasn't comfortable with the comparison but tried to take it as a compliment, doing my best to see it through her point of view. But it was still weird.

I had a couple of hours so while I waited for Jane I laid my towel on the tiny patch of grass in the villa's garden and topped up my tan.

Janey's one of my closest friends. We've known each other for nearly ten years, ever since we met on a training course about wound control (Nursing? Sexy. You bet). We hit it off straight away, bonding over complaints about bolshy patients and cocktails on nights out. She'd been the other person I turned to when my mother passed away and Chris didn't know what to say or do, it had been our front door she turned up on when she walked out on her useless husband two years ago, still the best move she'd ever made. To my knowledge apart from via solicitors she hadn't spoken to him since.

She spent the first year trying to rebuild some self-esteem, losing around three stone through diet and exercise. She still hadn't taken the first step to dating but was getting more confident and seemed to be back to the Jane I'd first known.

I was dozing in the sun when a familiar voice called out "look at you. Get into a porn film and wander round half naked all the time"

I sat up in a jump, covering my boobs with an arm looking round at my friend.

"Don't be so bashful, it's only me"

I stood up and hugged her close, feeling a little bit self-conscious doing it topless but thought I would make the effort to loosen up a bit.

She was full of questions, "Well, tell me all about them. I knew it had to be porn when you told me I needed an STD test before I could work on set. But I was surprised you'd get involved in something like that and then when the producer called me this morning, he cleared a few things about our jobs up. Tell me all about it. Are you and Chris both in it? I can't believe you, how long have you both been up to this then?"

OK. Lots of sticks, all of them being grasped at the wrong end. And how did she know about Porn sets and STD tests?

I opened a bottle of white from the fridge, poured us both a generous glass and started to explain that we were most certainly not starring or appearing in the film and that I would probably not be on the actual set, just nearby. She could go on if she wanted but I was really conflicted by the whole thing and it was only the prosecco that got me involved.

She looked exasperated and asked if I knew what she did in community occupational health? She dealt with sex workers on a regular basis and so was quite familiar with the testing regime of porn actors. Or in this case Erotic Artists.

We finished our wine and jumped in Jane's hire car to get back to the set, as soon as we got back I made introductions to Sandy and Carl, they made a bit of a fuss of her and asked us to bring our passports and certificates. We were asked to stand in the small admin office and one at a time to hold open our passports showing our date of birth and photo then our qualifications and finally to stand holding both and state our full names and our working names and that we were working of our own free will, were being paid for our time and had no objections to our work.

The working names bit threw us, I went down the classic Grandmothers name and first pet, grandma was Cynthia and I had a goldfish when I was six named after the mermaid in Splash so I was Madison Cyn. Janey waved a bottle of red hair dye at me and announced she would be Scarlet O' Whoower.

Chris was tied up for ages, to be honest he loves his work and if he could have designed a perfect holiday, playing with computers in the sun with a load of porn stars (sorry Erotic Actors) would have been right up there. I found him discussing the 2015 Rugby World Cup with Darren while they ran some data cables around the site, which probably pushed it to his top three holidays of all time.

Janey and I got away at around 6 and finished the bottle of white in the fridge, we may have started on another before Chris got back at around 9.30, crashing into bed in a wine induced haze around midnight.

Next morning I was up first and spent twenty minutes in the bathroom contorting myself over a mirror removing the stubble and giving myself a smooth all over look. It's sweaty and itchy but means I can wear tiny thongs without spilling out and it makes sex feel so good. I jumped into the shower to remove the last of the soap and bristles.