Chapter 24

“All set?” I said as entered the performer’s lounge.

“Good to go,” said Grant.

Grant and Phil were two of our most reliable cameramen and had stayed on after the day’s shoot for JLP to set up and record the footage of the interview. They’d moved two of the sofas away from the third, so that they were facing each other just underneath the large screen on the wall, with the coffee table between them. As they were only three-seat sofas and there’d be four of us being interviewed, they’d also put one of the dining chairs from the kitchen area next to one sofa.

Then they’d perched our two newest, highest quality cameras on their tripods a couple of meters from the end of each sofa. Each camera was trained on the opposite sofa. They also each had one of our lighter, handheld cameras to capture more angles if it was needed. Both fixed cameras would have the television in the shot when not zoomed in. We had considered having my scene with Emma on the screen in the background but figured it would cause problems for Julezella uploading the final video to her channel. Instead, we’d have our company’s animated logo on the screen.

Still, the logo didn’t need to be on the screen until we started the interview. So...

“Me and Mel?” I said to Emma, looking at the screen.

She gave me a wicked grin. “The resemblance is uncanny, isn’t it?”

“Oh, I don’t know. I suppose she could be mistaken for our guest from certain angles.”

Emma playfully slapped my arm. “Where are they anyway?”

“On the way. I have to say, she’s a talker, this girl. Throughout the tour, it was yap, yap, yap. I this, I that. I swear every sentence started with the word I. She’s obsessed with herself.”

“I know. I’ve watched some of her videos this afternoon. Not to worry though.” She put her hand on my upper arm and rubbed it gently. “We’ll find a way to put her off balance, I’m sure.”

I nodded towards the screen on the wall again. “I’m pretty sure that’ll be a good start.”

“I’m sure.”

“Is the paperwork ready?”

“It’s on the table.”

“Well that’s good, y’all, ‘cause here they come.” Daisy smiled and nodded towards the door where Mel and Julez had just entered.

“Where did you come from?” I asked. “And what’s with the accent?” She’d exaggerated her natural soft Tennessee drawl into something more stereotypical.

“Just getting’ into character. I have a rep to maintain, ya know? I mean, it’s been a good few years since I’ve been in front of a camera rather than behind, but y’all never know, ya know? It might be some of my old fans see this video and I wouldn’t wanna disappoint, now would I?” She leaned in close and whispered, “Ya know, back in the day, when I was the star instead of the boss, I used to dress all nice and make like I was a proper lady, a proper Southern Belle. But scratch the surface, y’all? Pure Trailer Park Slut.” She winked.

I shook my head and left Daisy and Emma to take their seats ready for the interview while I went to greet our guest.

“We’re all good to go here,” I said. “You ready?”

“I’m ready.”

“Okay, well, I just need you to sign that contract I mentioned before we get going. That’s okay with you, right?”

“Where is it?”

“Over here on the dining table. It’s pretty standard stuff.”

“Do you have a pen?”

“On the table with the contract.”

“Let’s get on with it then.”

Julez strode over to the table and picked up the contract. She scanned through it quickly.

“What’s this?”

“What’s what?”

“This clause here. The one about creative control. Are you trying to control this?”

“Not at all—”

“Well, that’s what it seems like. Your premises. Your cameras. Your guys working them. This clause. Do you want to edit it too?”

“It’s not like that—”

“So, what is it like, then?”

“Is there a problem?” Emma said, approaching the table.

“Creative Control?” Julez said.

Emma smiled. “Julez, we’re not trying to control this interview, you have my word on that.”

“So why—”

“But I’m sure you appreciate that, just like yourself, the four of us have a reputation to maintain. An image, if you like. And in the case of Dick and myself, it’s an image and a reputation that is only now being built. We simply cannot allow someone to drive a coach and horses through our efforts.”

“Are you saying you think this might be a hit piece? That I might try and make you look bad? Why would I do that? You saw what I wrote about your movie on my blog? You saw what I said about it on YouTube today? I loved it. Why would I try and trash it straight after?”

“I don’t think you would. But that’s not the point. Julez, we have to be able to defend our position.”

Julezella looked from Emma to me and back to Emma. Then Mel joined us.

“All we’re asking,” Mel said, “is to see the video before you upload it. We won’t interfere with your creative process.”

“But you want to approve it.”

“Well, yes, of course.”

“And if you don’t like it?”

“Then we’ll have to ask you to change it. We’ll tell you what we don’t like and ask you to take it out.”

“So, it’s about censorship, then?”

“It won’t come to that,” Mel replied.

Julez didn’t look convinced.

“Look, Julez,” I said. “It’s very simple. If you don’t sign that contract, then we don’t do the interview. And we’ll have to ask you to delete all the footage you’ve taken so far.”

“And if I don’t delete it?”

“Then I hope you have a good lawyer.”

“Bobby,” Emma said, “There’s no need for threats.” She turned to Julezella. “Julez, it’s just a standard clause. We won’t interfere, I’ve already promised that. And I’d also like to offer you the full use of our post-production facilities to edit and render your video. Make it the most professional thing you’ve ever uploaded.”

Julezella looked at the three of us in turn. Then she put the contract on the table, picked up the pen, and signed it.

“Okay. Let’s do this, shall we?”

Julezella smiled. She was perched on the edge of the sofa, her legs together with her knees pointed towards the camera that she was looking into and her hands in her lap. In a crisp, white blouse and tight, knee-length skirt, she looked very prim and proper—quite a little lady. Her hair was just as coal-black as Mel’s and was long enough to reach the top of her arse cheeks—although today she wore it in a fashionably messy French-plait draped over her left shoulder so that it came down past her breasts. Her lips were bright red and perfectly defined. Her skin smooth with a porcelain quality, while her eyebrows were so neat, they almost looked fake.

Maybe they were, I don’t know.

“Okay, guys, so I’m now sat opposite three porn stars and porn-movie director.” She shook her head. “I can’t believe I just said that. I can’t believe I’m here. But here I am, so let me introduce two people who, if you’ve been able to watch that amazing movie I told you about, you will already know. Mr Dick Rodgers and his lovely wife, Mrs Kitty Rodgers.”

Emma and I smiled into the opposite camera and both said “Hi.”

“And you may recognise the woman on Dick’s other side too if you’ve seen that movie. Or not. I must admit, I’d forgotten she was in it until she reminded me. Melanie Moore is the woman who did the interview right at the start and she’s a porn star—”

“Adult actress,” Mel said. “Or Mattress-Actress.” She winked at the camera.

“Mattress-actress? I like that one. Anyway, Melanie—”

“It’s just Mel.”

Julez smiled a tight smile. “Mel is a mattress-actress and she’s ... er... worked with Dick recently too.”

“Very recently,” Mel said. “Although we didn’t film that one.”

“Yes, I did,” I said. “It’s on my Twitter.” I grinned at Julez. She was getting frustrated. I could tell.