Chapter 100

Adam awoke when Allie rolled off of him to get her day started. He could tell by her smiling face that she was excited about what was going to happen. Sarah even awoke in a decent mood. She kissed Adam's cheek softly before rolling out of bed.

Shelly was up and raring to go, too, even though she wasn't going anywhere but to class later that afternoon. Adam lazed around for a while longer before he decided he should greet the day with the rest of them and make sure the girls got a decent breakfast before they headed off. He found a dozen people crowded into the apartment when he walked down the hallway.

He understood why Karlie was there. She lived there and was going with Sarah and Allie. He could even understand Trinity and Leslie. They had been over every morning. But he didn't understand Erin, Sean, Rachelle, Walt and Mary. He wasn't sure there was enough food in the apartment to fix breakfast for everyone.

"Were we too loud?" Rachelle asked with concern.

"No, I didn't even hear you," Adam said. "I got up to make sure the ladies were fed before we send them off to earn their keep."

"I fixed a fruit salad last night," Karlie announced. "I also picked up a bunch of energy bars and stuck them in my bag. They are bringing in lunch for us but I noticed Sarah gets a little peckish around 3 or 4 in the afternoon."

Sarah shrugged but thanked Karlie for looking out for her.

"We just stopped to wish them luck," Sean said. "So, good luck. We'll get out of your hair and let you do your thing. I hope you have fun today."

The others from up the hill joined in the sentiments and went to class. Erin gave Allie and Sarah a warm hug then borrowed Adam's car to hit the pool. She promised she would be back by 10. She just wanted to loosen up her muscles but she didn't plan to do anything strenuous. Her meet was the following day.

"I'm leaving the phone here," Karlie said, passing it to Trinity. "We've been getting a dozen calls or so a day and I don't want to have to step out to answer them. I'll have my phone if anything urgent pops up. Trinity and Erin will take care of this one."

Adam reached for the phone but Trinity playfully slapped his hand away. She giggled when he raised an eyebrow at him.

"I figured Trinity and Shelly would go with Erin," Adam said. "No one has to stay here. I'll be fine by myself for an hour or two."

"Do you want us to leave you alone?" Shelly asked.

"It's up to you," Adam answered.

"But what do you want?" Shelly tried. "Do you want a couple of hours to yourself?"

Adam shrugged.

"I'm OK either way," he said. "I just know that you guys had a lot of fun going to the pool when you had a chance. I was just saying that if you want to continue your routine, I think I can survive for a while."

Trinity and Shelly exchanged looks. They had enjoyed their morning swims. The Y wasn't crowded with kids – only with old people – and swimming laps had made them feel pretty good. But they both were willing to stay behind to give Adam a little bit of time to rest.

"If you're sure," Trinity said.

"How do you think I was fed, clothed and bathed before you folks came along?" Adam asked.

"Well, we sort of suspected that you weren't," Leslie laughed. "I mean, come on, I've seen the clothes you used to wear and I heard about the noodle diet. Do you mind if we keep our plans to have lunch with Jason Rader and Melody?"

"I have my day cleared from 11 to 1:30 p.m.," Adam said, returning the smile. "I have class at two o'clock, remember, and I think Rebecca plans to get here around supper time."

"Isn't that just typical," Allie said with mock anger. "The guests arrive just as food is being put on the table."

She peered around the room, stopping at each girl who didn't live in the apartment but who was eating a mixture of honeydew melon, watermelon, pineapple, green and red grapes and strawberries.

"Yeah, well, bite me," Trinity said. "I contributed to this fare so I'm getting my share."

For good measure, she stuck her tongue out at Allie.

By 8:30 a.m., the apartment was empty except for Adam. The car to transport Sarah, Allie and Karlie to the interview session arrived promptly at 8:25 – the exact time Peaches execs had promised. The girls passed out hugs and exited with their bags.

The driver seemed surprised that they were ready. In reality, he was surprised. He had done this gig for Peaches Magazine a half dozen times and the average wait for the model to appear was just under an hour. No one had ever stepped outside the moment he pulled in – unless it was to tell him she was running late and would be ready as soon as she could.

Furthermore, this was the first group that didn't expect him to carry their belongings. Each of the three girls had a bag. Some girls had packed for a month-long excursion. A couple had three or four bags each. This group had one bag apiece that they were able to carry. The driver probably didn't even need to open the trunk, although he did anyway. The girls each thanked him and stowed two of the three bags in the area before closing the trunk themselves and climbing into the back of the limo.

The driver stopped for a moment to enjoy the view – he was a male after all and the view was really good – before wondering if anyone before had thanked him. He called the boss at Peaches as he pulled out of the complex to let them know he had his cargo and would be there in 45 minutes. The woman who scheduled the shoots had built in (a lot of) time for tardiness. The makeup artist and photographer were there and ready but they understood it might be noon before anything actually got started.

"Are you serious?" Nancy Drewery asked. "I mean, this isn't some sort of joke, is it?"

The driver chuckled.

"No joke, Boss," he said. "They were ready when I pulled in. It took them 20 seconds to stash their bags and we were off. I don't think it's going to take them long to get started. I mean, I'm no expert on models but all the girls are really pretty. The blonde and the redhead already appear to have done their hair and makeup. The brunette is less made up. I mean, well, I'm not sure what I mean."

Nancy smiled to herself. Even the incentive clause for early completion rarely swayed the girls into appearing on time or looking even halfway decent.

"The third girl is their assistant," Nancy explained. "She won't be in the shoot."

"She could be," the driver blurted. "The whole group who came out to see them off could be."

"Really?" Nancy wondered. She would have to ask Ashley and Sahara about their other roommates and friends.

"I'm pretty sure I saw Cassie Charms there," the driver admitted. "I mean, it looked like her but then again I didn't get a great look. Then there was a tall black-haired girl and this really curvy brunette and this other girl who was just, I guess I'd say she was just adorable looking. Anyway, I just called to let you know you can expect your talent to arrive a lot earlier than you usually get them and in a lot better shape, too."

Nancy set down the phone and got to work making sure the girls didn't have to stand around waiting for everyone else just because they arrived when they were supposed to arrive.

Adam pulled out his history notes and started to study for his final midterm exam. He had barely had a few minutes to go over them in the past week. He should have known he wouldn't get the chance to do it now, either. The business phone started to buzz on the table beside him.

"Hello," he answered before he thought about it.

"This is Brent Akers from Dropping Point," a man said loudly. "I'm calling for Derrick Driller."

"This is he," Adam answered with a sigh. He should have let the call go to voicemail.

"Good, good," the man said. "I got some work for you. I got a scene set to go but I found out my male lead is, uh, let's just say he's unavailable. I need you out here pronto. When can I expect you?"

The man was talking so fast it took Adam a second to catch up.

"Let's hold on a second," he said. "First off, I've never really heard of Dropping Point. So I'll need a lot more information before I even start to consider working for you."

"It pays," the man said, as if that were the only thing Adam needed to understand.

"Which is a good start," Adam replied evenly. "But my time is limited today. I'll need to know the concept, the time expectations and who I'm working with. Even then I can't promise anything."

"The concept?" the man asked incredulously. "It's a fucking porno. The concept is you show up and screw. This isn't a made-for-TV miniseries. It's a 30-minute fuck vid."

"And who is the female?" Adam asked. He had moved to his laptop and tried to find information about Dropping Point. He stopped when he heard the guy's explanation of the scene. That was all the answer he needed.

"I'm using Harmony Wakefield," the guy answered.

"Give me a second to check something," Adam said. He had never heard of Harmony Wakefield but that meant little. He opened up the list of escorts that Melody had started. Ben and Tate had added some names and so had Jerry. Allie and Sarah put a couple of names on the list and Karlie had helped out by trolling the internet for additional information and putting them in alphabetical order by first name.

Adam spoke again in only a few seconds.

"When is Miss Wakefield's most recent AMS testing date?" Adam asked.

"What?" Brent Akers queried. There was no reason it had to be this hard. Guys in the business were always hard-up for cash and they didn't pass up the chance to fuck very often. Adam repeated his question.

"Why in the hell does that matter?" Brent demanded. "She has a valid card."

"Valid means something different for you and for me," Adam explained. "Harmony Wakefield's name appears on a list of actresses who also work as known escorts. If her card is more than 24 hours old, I won't work with her."

"Dude, 70 percent of the business works as escorts!" Brent railed.

"Then I'll restrict myself to the 30 percent who doesn't," Adam replied calmly. "Because you don't know when her test is from, I'll pass."

"Absolutely fucking amazing," Brent said. He wasn't willing to let this go without a battle. "OK, her test is fresh. Does that matter?"

"You realize I'm going to ask to see it if I come out there," Adam said. The guy on the other end of the phone gave off a smarmy feel. "And if you have lied to me, I'll be paid for my time before I leave."

"You'll do the scene if you want cash," Brent said.

"Oh, I said I'd get compensation," Adam clarified. "If you lied to me, it might not necessarily be with money. I might take my pay from the joy I'll get in rearranging your facial features. Believe me; I've got a lot of pent-up anger and a clean police record. I wouldn't think twice about snapping your head off and shitting down your scrawny little neck. The cops would tell me not to do something like that again and I'd put on my innocent little boy act. I'd go home while you go for stitches. I think it's best if I pass on this generous offer. And I think it's best if you lose this number. No one from Five Friends Casting is interested in working with you. Good luck on your project."

He closed the phone before Brent Akers could respond.

Brent Akers was shooting his scene about a quarter mile from the apartment rented by Peaches Magazine. The atmospheres couldn't have varied more if he were in another universe.