Chapter 2

Two days later, Adam was puttering around doing his laundry when his cell phone rang. His roommates were there with him, so he knew it wasn't them. His older sister had not called him since their parents' deaths. So he doubted the unlisted number was hers.

Still, he answered.

"Adam?" a woman asked. "This is Melody Schott. I have a favor to ask of you."

Adam paused for a moment. He wasn't opposed to doing a favor for someone. He simply liked to know who he was doing it for.

"Uh, do I know you?" he wondered.

He was greeted by laughter.

"I guess I didn't tell you my real name," the woman said. "I suppose you know me as Judy."

"Oh, hi," Adam said. He was wary but polite. "No, I'm sorry. But we didn't exchange that information. How are you?"

"Tolerable but barely," the woman he now knew as Melody said. "Now, about that favor..."

Adam waited and was just about to speak when Melody began again.

"Do you remember what we talked about Thursday?" she asked. "I mean about the right situation coming along."

"Yes," Adam said.

"Well, here is what is happening," Melody replied. "I got a call a few minutes ago from a director. They are shooting this evening – a feature production, not some one-off. Anyway, one of the guys called and bailed. He said he had a cold but I've worked with him before. I'm guessing his girlfriend is upset again. Anyway, that's his problem. The director asked me if I knew someone who could fill in on short notice. It's a different type of thing than you saw. It has a decent budget and it's more for a niche market."

"Niche market?" Adam repeated. He wasn't sure he liked the sound of those words. "Could you explain what a niche market is?"

He noticed his friend's girlfriend had ambled over and was listening intently.

"Well, it can mean a lot of things, I suppose," Melody joked. "But I wouldn't put you into a situation that would cause you discomfort. I will let the director explain it better. But it's not gay and it's not like you saw Thursday. That I can promise. What I really wanted to ask was if you were willing to speak to the director about doing the project. Really, Adam, I think you would do well. Can I give out your number? Well, I guess I should ask if you're available today first, huh?"

"I am available," Adam said. "Actually, I'm washing clothes. And I guess I'm willing to talk to the guy. Will he be upfront with me? I don't want to get there and have the same problem as Thursday."

"It's a she, not a he," Melody said with a laugh. "And, yes, she'll be upfront with you. I e-mailed her your picture and she said you were exactly the type she was looking for."

"Why did she call you?" Adam wondered. "You're not trying to rep me, are you? I would prefer to rep myself if it comes to that."

"No, no," Melody assured him. "I would never do that. She called because we're friends and I've found her people in the past. The 'Naughty Newbies' site has given her a place to go for new talent instead of just trying to recycle vets. When she told me she was looking for a fresh-faced guy who wouldn't act like a prick, I thought of you. I sent her your picture and gave her a little bio info. Not much. I mean, she couldn't track you down. I didn't give her real name or your phone number or your address. I just gave her my impression of you and a little bit about your background."

"Oh, that's OK then," Adam said with relief. "I don't imagine I'm going to pick up a stalker or anything like that. It's just, well, as much as possible, I want to separate those things. You know?"

"Only too well, Adam," Melody said with a sigh. "I'll warn you, though. It won't work. People you would never suspect spend hours each day looking at our site. I read yesterday when a dozen top analysts at the Securities and Exchange Commission had been busted for spending their days downloading adult movies. Sure, most of them are guys and they would never look at your face. But there will be people who recognize you – people you go to school with, people at your church, people in your mother's personal care facility. I can tell you that from first-hand experience. If you want, give me a call next week and I'll talk to you about it."

"Thanks, Melody," Adam replied. "I might do that if today works out. If it is something I find I'm uncomfortable with, I'll probably stop here. It does sound as though I can make some money doing this but not if it turns out to be something I can't stomach. I could probably make money as an assassin too, but that is not something I would ever consider."

"Hah!" Melody laughed. "Like if I offered you cash to do in Frank you wouldn't take it."

Adam laughed also.

"Well, I might kick his ass for you for free, but I'm not sure it is in my nature to go much farther," he replied. "I hope that worked out OK for you."

"He just had Strike Two," Melody announced with authority. "Strike One was when he stole from me while he was my rep. Thursday was Strike Two. He knows he will never get another job if he screws this up. Actually, he knows the only reason he is not a convicted felon is because of me. So I think he will toe the line. If not, he'll be homeless in six months. I've had enough and he knows it. I used to let him run auditions because he does it smoother than I do. He knows that side of the business better. I mean, I would have let the girl finish you Wednesday and maybe taken a shot at it myself. I'll have to watch that because my time is valuable. I probably wouldn't have managed to see anyone else after you."

She was chuckling.

"In fact, if I ever decide to go back into the business for a scene or two, I will most definitely be calling you," she said. "Anyway, I'll give Holly your number and you can work things out. One piece of advice if you don't mind."

"Sure," Adam said.

"This video has a budget," Melody said. "And you're doing her a favor. I don't think she'll try to low-ball you – sorry, no pun intended – but don't agree to anything less than $500. And that's for two hours, including makeup, rehearsal and everything."

"Rehearsal?" Adam asked incredulously.

Melody broke out in laughter again.

"Not that type of rehearsal, you degenerate," she said. The guy on the other end of the phone was genuine and she liked that fact. "This vid has a plot and lines and everything. If it is like the ones she's done in the past, she'll want you for two-and-half or three hours. Don't get greedy but don't be cheap either."

"Thanks, Melody," Adam responded genuinely. "I appreciate the advice. I would have never thought about that and I probably would have thought what you offered was the standard."

"It is for a one-off web shoot," Melody said. "I mean, if you stay in and get famous, you can earn more and I think you will. I can see some girls demanding to work with you. The makeup girl said you were really sweet, that you ran out and got her a coffee. I called Karlie, the girl whose scene you watched. She said she is done. She said if she wants to be degraded and humiliated, she'll go home for the summer. Anyway, I explained to her what happened – that Frank wanted to get at you – but it didn't change things."

"Might have made them worse," Adam interjected. "No one likes to be reminded that they are viewed as expendable."

"True," Melody replied. "And I thought of that later. But, really, it's shit like that that gives us such a bad reputation."

"And the fact that others supplement their income by working as prostitutes," Adam pointed out gently. "That doesn't help change the image in the slightest."

"No, it doesn't," Melody agreed. "I went to every escort and brothel web site I could find yesterday. I even hit some of the social networking pages of the girls. I made a list of those who offer escort services. If they do that, they won't work for me."

"Could you e-mail me the list?" Adam wondered. "Because I don't really want to work with those people either. I mean, really, what is the use of getting tested if you are going to do that afterward?"

"I agree and it has to stop," Melody said. "In fact, that is what I plan to spend my free time next week doing. Right now a lot of sites like mine fly by the seat of the pants. You show up on Wednesday and if we like you, you work on Thursday. But if someone flakes, you call in a backup. That is where we get into trouble. Getting someone on short notice is difficult – present company excluded."

She laughed again.

"Well, I have some ideas on how it should work," Adam said. "I'm studying business at USC. I don't see why this industry can't work like any other."

"Because the people in this industry are so damned unreliable," Melody replied sharply. "You get some prom queen from Bumbleweed who comes down here to be an actress. Suddenly she finds she isn't the prettiest girl on the block anymore. But she still has car payments and rent and insurance. Waiting tables isn't paying the bills, so she picks up a job at the strip club. She makes $500 a night there and someone mentions that she could make a thousand for an hour if she went into the Biz. But now that she had some cash, she wants to catch up on all the things Bumbleweed doesn't offer. She starts partying until 5 a.m. and missing a 9 a.m. shoot. She started doing coke and other shit, too, and she needs the money. So her suitcase pimp calls us and says she's sick or she's on her period or she went home to see her sick granny."

"Suitcase pimp?" Adam asked. He was enthralled with the conversation for some perverse reason. He had heard stories and he had his own opinion of the adult industry, but Melody – who he looked up when he got home and saw was in the business for almost a dozen years – seemed normal enough.

"Like the guy who gave you the dirty look Thursday when you were leaving," Melody said. "I don't let them on my set. They're boyfriends or the like. Some of them urge their girls to get into the business – so they can meet their favorite starlet or some bullshit. Most girls have one. He acts as their booking agent – and takes a cut of her profits. They are the ones who convince them that $2,000 for a bondage and domination shoot is better than $500 for a straight scene. They are the ones who convince them to try double anal or triple penetration or gangbangs – because it pays more. They are called suitcase pimps because they travel with the girls to shoots in other locations and when they take dancing gigs."

"You have used a lot of phrases I'm going to have to look up," Adam said. "Most of them appear to be self-explanatory but I think I'll do some internet searches later."

"If you don't do the shoot," Melody said. "I'm not trying to scare you off. In fact, I'm trying to entice you in. You won't find any of that stuff today. Holly doesn't even let the boyfriends stay outside. It's a location shoot and she'll have security shoo them away. There will be no gangbangs or double anal. I doubt there will be any single anal. Some girls enjoy it or at least don't mind it. But most make you pay $150 extra."

"I'll talk to, what did you say her name was?" Adam asked.

"Holly," she said. "Holly Ball. That's not her real name but she is pretty famous. She moved to directing a few months back. She is married now and is trying to get pregnant. He husband was in the business, too. They got out at the same time. Even before that, they only worked together. I think you'll like her. He'll probably be there and he is a nice guy. I'm sure he'll answer any questions you have. Don't be afraid to ask him – or her or me. Adam, this is like nothing else you've ever seen. And I doubt it is anything like you imagined it to be."

Chapter 3 »