Chapter 29: Summer Fun

I WAS THANKFUL my wives were not around to try to convince Anita to join our family. Our relationship up to this time had been an intimate friendship of photographer and model. She was part of Damien’s household, and even though I’d made love to Kathleen on occasion, I wasn’t in the habit of poaching women from other men.

Away from the studio and Stratford, Anita proved to be a funny and absolutely adorable lover. She got along well with Adrienne and they combined to keep my interest high. When I finally slid into her love tunnel, I was swept away by the new degree of intimacy we enjoyed. She was far more than a lonely and horny Hollywood actress. She was a lover and was set to prove it. Frankly, I couldn’t believe Damien had just let her leave. I’d have offered her anything to get her to stay.

Adrienne and I worked together to bring her fulfillment, and we were able to hear her climax twice before I joined her. She held onto me fiercely, trying to keep me in her as long as possible. She and Adrienne played with each other until I was recovered sufficiently to slip into my mistress and come yet again. Anita slept between Adrienne and me and awoke to make love again.

After the night together, I was inspired to get her into the studio for another photo session. I had several actors and actresses on my schedule for the day, including Dan with a day’s growth of beard. I put them all off until I’d managed to get Anita onto an antique inn set, with a bay window and perfect lighting.

I didn’t waste much time getting her naked. She was more than willing, as long as I kept kissing her and petting her. I put a necklace and earrings on her, then placed her on an old-fashioned settee. I touched her and coaxed her until I had the perfect composition. Then I switched to the 4x5 camera and got a spectacular portrait. I hoped the studio wouldn’t miss this one because I planned to take it home and display it in my gallery.

When I had the perfect shot, I picked her up and rushed her to her dressing room where I kissed and petted her thoroughly. Adrienne brought her clothes. I didn’t have time for any more activity with her. I had to get back to the soundstage to take more pictures.

I got the pictures of Dan with his beard I wanted and then started working my way through the supporting cast. Lawrence Robert—pronounced Ro-bear—was the primary antagonist. He was a little older than Dan and showed his wisdom, experience, and savoir faire. The script and the character style did not betray his evil nature. I’d seen too many films where the bad guy was malformed, had a twitch, an eyepatch, or a cat. None of this was needed for him to capture and convince Carmen to betray her boyfriend. Arnold had been seduced by Carmen, but Carmen was ensnared by Drake, the villain played by Lawrence.

We got a nice filmstrip of Lawrence working with Anita and seducing her right in a hotel bar while she was waiting for Dan.

Then there were several other more minor characters. Gertrude Stedman played the primary rival of Carmen, Salome. She was outright owned by Drake and kept Arthur delayed while Drake pursued Carmen.

Of course, I’d been provided with character sketches and relationships by the writers and director, but they just stood back and let me direct the filmstrips any way I wanted. It was great fun. Gary kept right with me, moving lights, and adjusting scenery as I needed it. We got a great shadowy scene of Salome and Arthur as she delayed him in an elevator.

When our workday ended, the production staff insisted on dinner with Adrienne and me. When I told them Anita would be accompanying us, they were a little surprised, but rolled with the news and welcomed her along. She was the only cast member invited. She and Adrienne sat on either side of me at dinner.

“So, what’s a typical day like when you’re on duty?” Brent asked. I laughed.

“Boring,” I said. “We spend our first day out flying. How early we leave depends on how far we’re going. Lately, we’ve been flying close to 3,000 miles to get to the next location, which means we have an intermediate stop to refuel. Sometimes long enough to stretch our legs if we are someplace where we’re welcome. We aren’t always welcome and are told to stay on the plane. We have a pilot and co-pilot. Either one could handle the plane alone, but two in the cockpit is recommended. We have a stewardess who generally makes sure the plane is clean and stocked with anything we might need, like lunch or breakfast, coffee, and an occasional cocktail.”

“Let me get this straight. You have a three-person crew responsible for getting the two of you to another country, and they are yours full-time?” Bert asked.

“Yes. The equipment we are delivering is considered mission critical. On many trips, we also ferry another person who is going our way, but it takes an embassy executive or a military general to divert our flight. On the other hand, since we also act as couriers, we might make two or three stops on our way to the installation, just to hand off a package or envelope to a local courier,” I continued.

“What’s in them?”

“Could be anything,” I said. “We generally don’t look in the envelopes. Could be a birthday card for the ambassador, or a draft of a trade agreement with another nation. Regardless, we try to get to our destination early enough to transport the equipment to be installed to the chancery so it is secure for the night.”

“And that’s a typical day?”

“It’s a typical travel day. The next day is a typical training day. We try to start in the morning. We make sure all the equipment is delivered to the room where it will be used and is secure. Then we train anywhere from two to ten technician operators, depending on the size of the mission. Training usually takes about four or five hours. It includes how to set up a passport or visa blank, loading the camera, making the photo, and binding the passport, as well as the secure handling of the materials. We also teach them how to make ID badges for each employee. Before long, you’ll see badges on anyone who works for the government worldwide. It’s a slow process getting them all up to speed.”

“Lunch?”

“Usually with our trainees. We try to get to know each of them a bit so we can call and touch base with them in the future. In the afternoon, we meet with the chief of mission and senior staff. Chief of mission could be the ambassador, a chargé d’affaires, or a consul general. Depends on the location. We deliver any courier packets we have and photograph the senior staff. We also tour the facility and photograph items specifically related to embassy security. That film goes into our courier bag for delivery back to the State Department analysts along with our report. Sometimes we have dinner with the ambassador or a staff member who has a verbal briefing to give to us that they don’t want committed to writing in-country. Ronda and I have become pretty good at remembering and writing down everything in the plane on the way home. We might leave for home that afternoon or evening if it isn’t too late, or stay the night and either head home or to another location where we’re doing an installation before we head back to base.”

“Do you do any spy stuff?”

“No. The CIA made an attempt to recruit us, but neither Ronda nor I is interested in that group.”

“How’d they try to recruit you?”

“We’d had a meeting early in the day in Washington, DC—it was right after the hijacking. There was a guy from the agency in the meeting. When we were having dinner in a popular DC restaurant, the guy gets seated at the table next to us. He just leaned over to us and said he’d like us to work for him. We said no and he got up and left.”

“That was it?”

“Entire conversation was less than five minutes. He didn’t try to pressure us, but left us with his card and the message to call him when we changed our minds. As if he was sure we would,” I said. “That’s about everything I can tell you about what we do. Except that there is a mound of paperwork to be completed and sent to our boss and we are typically in the office a week out of every four, just to handle the backlog of support calls and paperwork.”

We talked a lot about the script and I was given a fresh copy that we’d go over on Thursday. They zeroed in on Anita for a while, asking her what she thought of the movie experience so far.

“I’ve been onsite three weeks now and I believe I’ve been in about six minutes of film. I think Nate put me through more direction and action in the past two days than I’ve had prior to that time. I’ve been told, though, that the shooting schedule will be picking up next week. Most of what we’ve done so far is tests. Makeup, costumes, scenery. You all seem to enjoy getting me out of my clothes as often as possible. I don’t mind too much, as long as no one gets their hands on me. That happens and I walk,” Anita said.

“It seemed that Nate was pretty free with you,” Steven said.

“I have a long working relationship with Nate and we’re lovers. What he does is unique. No one else is welcome.”

“Just like with Fran,” Frank said. Our producer had been pretty quiet at dinner. It looked like he was evaluating everyone at the table. “Steven, we’ll expect that part of Anita’s contract is never violated. She’s one of Nate’s girls.”

That put her in the company of a few women who were my wives, mistress, and a select Attic Allure staff we’d taken to Las Vegas back in ‘69. It also included the leading actress in Double Exposure, and now the leading actress in Saigon Summit. I needed to talk that over with Adrienne to be sure no one was being overlooked for parts because of that designation.

Adrienne got her share of grilling, too. It seemed she was the only person who actually had direct contact with our sponsor, the money behind the movie. It was understood that she spoke with the voice of the executive producer. He owned Photosensitive Productions and basically paid everyone who worked there. Including me, I reminded myself.

She said he liked the project conceptually and he was holding judgment until he saw how well the team executed on it. She affirmed, though, that he had every confidence in them or he wouldn’t be making money available for the project. She reminded them that their pre-production budget had been spent, however, and everything they did now should be making the picture.

They looked a little uncomfortable, but all nodded their agreement.

A second night with Anita in our bed was well-spent. She was making a believer out of me when she told Adrienne and me that she loved us.

“You know, we might have just ruined your chances of getting laid on this production,” I joked. “Frank was serious when he labeled you as one of Nate’s girls. Please tell me if that gives you trouble.”

“I don’t care. It’s been worth it. I need to know, though, who else I’ll run into who is included in that. This Fran?”

“Yes, though it wasn’t intentional. I think Fran used that designation so she wouldn’t get hassled by her co-star. And you. Adrienne? Has anyone else been claiming that description?”

“Besides me?” she said coyly. “No. Lorraine and Renée have never claimed that association, even though you recommended them both. Having your recommendation is a good entry into the community, but it doesn’t set an actress apart. Frank declaring Anita as one of your girls moved her from recommended to elite.”

“Elite?” Anita asked.

“Honey, when you are one of Nate’s girls, you are considered the crème de la crème.”

“Oh. Make love to me again, Nate. I just fell deeper in love.”

“Don’t go so deep you cut off other opportunities,” I said. “I may not see you again for another year. I have a feeling there is an expiration date for being one of Nate’s girls.”

“Then I definitely need to have you in me again, lover.”

The next morning started a full cast read-through of the script. Geraldine read the camera directions and staging. I had a couple of comments on the work around the chancery, but mostly, I thought it had the makings for an exciting movie.

I took pictures in the rehearsal space where the cast met and showed them actually working to get the material right. It was good to see this. I think it made Anita more comfortable as well, since full-script read-throughs were common in live theatre.

Adrienne and I left Anita on her own that night and I punished my Fifi for bringing the actress into our lives. By the end of the evening, Fifi was a very happy and satisfied pet.

Friday morning, I left LA for Toronto where Anna would pick me up.

Stepping into the apartment in Stratford was like coming home for the first time in months. In the past nine months, Ronda and I had spent the night in hotel rooms more often than in the London apartment. The smell of the antique shop, our big bed, the studio ... Dancing with Toni, holding my little Alex, making love to my wonderful wives ... Everything about being here was good.

“Anita was really that good?” Patricia asked.

“She was pretty incredible,” I agreed after I’d told them about the way Adrienne arranged our nights together. Yes, I’m a coward. I blamed it on Adrienne.

“And you don’t want to invite her to join us?” Anna asked.

“No! It would be like having Beth back with us,” I said vehemently. “She was loving and kind and fully engaged, but she’s in Los Angeles and might be in Tokyo for her next movie. Or Paris. We struggle enough with our time together. Being home for just a few days makes me want to quit working for State and just struggle along with a little photography business and my three wonderful wives and children.”

“And our mistress,” Ronda said. “I don’t think any of us are willing to give up Adrienne.”

“Agreed,” Anna said. “I love being with my husband and wives. I’m willing to participate in any combination we come up with. But Adrienne ... teaches me things. I’ve learned more about my own body and my dominant streak. I would never try to pull domination on my wives or husband, but Adrienne makes exploring that side easy.”

“I think she loves the children as much as any of us,” Patricia said. “You didn’t see the phone bills we ran up in London calling LA. She is exactly whatever each of us needs. That’s a precious trait. And Toni loves her. She wanted to know why we couldn’t all go see Aunt Addie this past week.”

“I’m not making any suggestion that we shouldn’t have Adrienne in our lives,” I said. “I agree she is exactly what any of us needs at the moment. At the same time, I would not invite her to join our family and live with us. I believe she would be gone in a week.”

“Or as soon as we untied her,” Ronda said. “I agree. And I agree with not inviting Anita to join us. Enjoy her when you run into her, but don’t bring her home.”

“I think once she gets used to the Hollywood environment, and with Adrienne’s coaching, she will find someone there who is a good match for her. If they weren’t costars, I think she and Dan would be an item in an instant. If they don’t kill each other during the filming, they very well might start a relationship afterward,” I said. “Now, enough about Anita. I want to know everything about my wives and children. I don’t want to think about anything else.”

“That’s good for this week,” Anna said, “but we have scheduled photo appointments starting next Monday. As soon as you show your face at the cast gathering in the evening, you’ll be even more in demand.”

“Do you think we’ll even be invited to an after-performance outing? We aren’t doing the production photos. Damien, Kathleen, Anita, the Weird Sisters, and even Olivia have moved on,” I said.

“You’ll get to discover a whole new range of actresses who have been pining for your attention the past three years. Don’t worry!”

We discovered the quality of performances hadn’t been lowered by the departure of our friends. The Imaginary Invalid, Pericles, and Love’s Labour’s Lost opened the week I got back. Patricia and I went to opening night of Invalid and laughed ourselves silly. I had no idea Moliere had written such a slapstick comedy. It wasn’t possible to respect either doctors or patients by the end of the play. It also seemed the Festival was doing anything it could to get a woman in that cast, as there were only a couple of female roles. So, women played characters like doctors and apothecaries that I’m sure were written for men. I recognized a couple of the names in the cast, but we decided not to go to the party at the bar.

Wednesday night, we all went to see the opening of Pericles. We left the children with Melinda babysitting. It was a hold-over from the previous season and I didn’t remember until I saw the program that Kathleen had played Thaisa, Pericles’ wife. And was playing the role this season as well. When she walked onstage, my wives and I stared with open mouths. It never occurred to me that she would come to Stratford without Damien.

“Did you know?” I asked my ladies at intermission.

“No! Didn’t Jane say she and Peter were renting the house this summer?” Anna asked.

“Where is Kathleen staying?” Ronda asked.

“Maybe she’s sharing the house with Peter and Jane,” Patricia suggested.

“That would be interesting,” I said. “We should be on the lookout for another nice guy to introduce to Peter.”

“I’m not sure Derek was going to let him go without him this year. Don’t make any promises,” Anna said.

“Time for the next act,” I said when the three chimes sounded in the lobby. “I think we’re going to the bar tonight.”

“You’re here!” Kathleen shouted when she saw us waiting for her after the show. She rushed to us and gave sincere kisses to each of us.

“We thought you’d be in New York with Damien!” Ronda said. “Does this mean you’ve broken up?”

“No. It just means he’s too busy with The Bacchae to notice or care about me and I got a call asking me to return for the season. How could I say no?”

“Where are you living? I mean, when Peter and Jane get here,” I asked.

“Right now, I’m in the house. I told Lady Jane I’d be there when she arrived, but we haven’t discussed whether I’d be allowed to use the guest room. I’ll probably room with one of the other actors. Someone is always looking for a roommate,” she said.

“Are you doing any other shows?” Anna asked.

“Yes! It’s wonderful! I’m going to be at the Avon in La Vie Parisiennè. It opens the twentieth of this month. Unbelievable fun. It’s an Offenbach operetta. And guess who’s coming back to play the leading lady! Monica Kastner! It will be such fun!”

“Oh, wow! Monica. And her husband I hope,” I said.

My wives giggled at that. Monica had come to me for three photo sessions two years ago and wanted to be very intimate. Then, at the closing of Orpheus, she introduced us to her husband. That was a real shock as she’d never mentioned a husband and we only met him that evening.

We got to the bar where the cast of Pericles gathered to celebrate their opening. Much of the cast was the same as the previous year’s production. Of course, Emma, who had played Marina the year before, was one of the Weird Sisters and was currently in New York, traveling the off-Broadway circuit with Damien and the cast of The Bacchae. So, there was a new actress in the role, introduced to me by Kathleen.

“Nate, this is Candace Bradley, the actor who played my daughter, Marina,” Kathleen said, as she pulled the blonde actress to me. “Don’t you think we look like mother and daughter?”

“No,” I said firmly. “Not without your makeup. You do not look old enough to be the mother of a teenager.”

“Thank you!”

“And I look like a teenager whether I’m in makeup or not,” Candace said.

“Well, you look a little more mature without your stage makeup, but yeah. You still look like a teenager.”

“I guess that’s okay. I am a teenager. Kathleen says I should come to you for a whole new portfolio when I turn eighteen this summer,” Candace said.

“Ahh ... After you turn eighteen is a good idea,” I managed.