Chapter 7

A few days later Denise was fully recovered. She had slept for thirty-six straight hours and spent the next three days walking slowly and gingerly, but eventually the soreness, if not the memories, had left her as beautiful and vivacious as before.

She had just returned from the supermarket and was putting away groceries when the phone rang. She answered it and smiled.

"Max! How are you?"

"The question is, how are you? I got word that movie scene went pretty rough."

"I'm okay. Just a bit the worse for wear."

"Honey, as your agent I have to tell you that you've got porno movie offers running out the wazoo. Apparently the word is out about the hottest new porno actress to hit the screen in a long time."

"Max, I..."

"No, please, let me continue. As your friend, I want you to know that I'm sorry I ever got you involved in any of this. I know Kevin thinks it's great and there is money to be made, but on the other hand you should consider what you're doing -- to yourself, your child and your marriage. My advice is get out right now. Okay, you've done a centerfold, a spread and a single scene in a porno movie. Embarrassing, yeah, but if you quit now it will all sink into oblivion. Keep going and you're going to be a top name porno star and no one will ever forget. Let me get you some catalog work. The pay isn't great but you'll be back in legitimate modeling."

"Max, I love you. You've always been more of a Dutch uncle than an agent. I would love to go back to legitimate modeling but that check from the porno movie is already committed to paying for the next few treatments for Mineena."

"What about kevin? Can't he... ?"

"He's working double shifts now at that security job. We're both looking for something that will pay better but so far, no luck."

"I..." There was hesitation on the other end.

"What is it, Max?"

"I hesitate to mention this for two reasons. First, because I don't even know what the offer is and secondly because if this results in something as bad or worse than that porno movie, I'd never forgive myself."

"What are you talking about?"

"Suppose I come over tonight and discuss it with you and Kevin."

"You surely are being mysterious. But, yes, tonight is fine. Why don't you have dinner with us. I'll fix something special."

"Sounds great. What time?"

"Say about eight?"

"Eight it is."

The meal was simple for they were still on a very restricted budget, but Denise had learned the art of cooking from her mother and had prepared a delicious Polynesian dish. Max had just finished off his third helping and was enjoying some after dinner wine when Kevin could wait no longer.

"Well, what's this mysterious offer Denise tells me you've got for us? Do they want her to star in a movie of her own?"

Max looked up, his face a bit pained. "As a matter of fact, there have been several offers, two of them as star."

"Wow, I'm impressed," grinned Kevin. "My wife the movie star!"

"Your wife the porno movie star," corrected Denise with a grimace.

"Yeah, but just think how much money..."

"I have to be honest, a couple of the offers are quite lucrative, but..."

"But what?"

"But do you really want your wife to make a living posing naked and screwing other men while she pretends to experience orgasms while a movie camera records it all in close-up detail?"

"Who said anything about her pretending?" laughed Kevin to Denise's extreme discomfort.

"She's too beautiful and too lovely a person to be exploited like that."

"She'll be getting paid a lot of money. You just said so."

"How much money is my self respect worth, Kevin?" interjected Denise.

"Oh, come on. You've already stripped, shown every part of your body, screwed three guys and a transsexual at once and humped the hell out of a fuck machine. How much self respect do you have left?"

Denise's mouth dropped open. "I can't believe you just said that."

"Baby, I'm sorry, but you've done the worst they could ever ask of you. All you'd be doing is having a good time and getting paid for it."

"You really think that I'd have a good time screwing other men?"

"You sure didn't seem to be voicing any objections when Olivia and her crew had a go at you and then when you started humping that machine..."

"That's enough, Kevin. You obviously think of me now as a slut."

"I didn't say that. I just said you could easily keep doing what you do so well and get paid lots of money for it."

Denise turned to Max. "And you, Max, what do you think? Have I turned into a slut whose only future is to keep screwing more and more men in front of a camera?"

"Absolutely not! As I told you on the phone, I can get you some catalog jobs."

"That pay next to nothing," added Kevin.

"I admit, they aren't as lucrative as some of the porno offers but they are legitimate modeling and perhaps after a time, when all this current hubbub blows over you could..."

"Oh, come on," argued her husband, "her career in legitimate modeling is over and we all know it."

"Then..." started the agent.

"What? What is it?" asked Kevin.

"I don't know whether to mention it or not. It's actually pretty much of a mystery to me as well. All I can do is pass it on."

"What are you talking about, Max?" asked Denise.

"Well, I was contacted by an intermediary, a lawyer actually. He said he represented a very wealthy client who wishes to remain anonymous, at least until you accept his offer."

"What offer?"

"I don't know. He said his client has seen Denise from both her previous modeling layouts and her current magazine features. He wishes to make the two of you a business proposition."

"What kind of proposition?"

"I don't know any of the details and the lawyer said he was not at liberty to disclose anything about the proposition until you agreed to meet with him. At that time he'll explain everything."

"Is this on the up and up?" asked Kevin.

"I checked out the lawyer. He works for one of the most prestigious law firms in the city. Most of their clients are corporate but they also handle some individual accounts, all of them multimillionaires."

Denise and Kevin traded puzzled looks.

"I don't know," mused Kevin, "maybe we should just take one of the porno movie offers."

"Now, he didn't mention any figures, but I got the impression that this client was worth quite a lot of money and was willing to make you a very attractive deal."

"Maybe we should hear him out," said Denise picking up on Max's attempt to steer them aware from the porno movie deals.

"Yeah, it probably wouldn't hurt to listen to what he has to say," said Max. "You can always turn it down."

"I don't know," questioned Kevin. "We've got some firm offers here and..."

"Please, Kevin. Let's just hear what he has to say."

"Well..."

"Please!"

"Okay, but if we're not interested I want to see you starring in your own movie."