Chapter 142

"So, we're thinking about a picnic and a softball game Sunday," Rebecca told Celina as the meeting concluded. "You up for it?"

"I haven't played softball since elementary school," Celina replied. "It's not a really big sport in the city. Most people play basketball."

"I haven't played it in that long either," Adam said. "But it will be fun. I'm sure there will be half a dozen of us vying for right field. The last time I played, that's where they hid me."

"You know, I figured you for an athlete," Celina said, narrowing her eyes. "You just look like you play sports."

Adam shook his head.

"I played a couple of seasons of football in school," he said. "I like NASCAR but I've been informed that racing is not a sport."

"It's not," Celina said as she crinkled her nose. She wasn't certain she had ever met someone who enjoyed watching cars go around in circles.

"It gives me something to talk about with Jason and Timm," Adam said with a smile.

"And Leslie," Rebecca pointed out. "If anyone doubted it is a southern thing, they only need to look at a cross-section of this group."

"Hey, Las Vegas sells out every year!" Adam said. "Hell, every race except one or two sells out. I'm not talking about 15,000 people either. I'm talking about 75,000. Even as bad as things are economically, NASCAR still sells out its races – even in New York, Pennsylvania and Nevada."

"People have no sense," Celina joked. "Besides, you can't really complain about the economy, can you?"

"Well, no," Adam admitted.

"So, do you plan to go to any races now that you're rich?" Rebecca asked. She hated to break it to him but he would be going alone – or most likely with Leslie, Jason and Timm. No, that wouldn't work. Leslie would wind up gangbanging all the guys and she would rub that in everyone's face – or she would rub something in all the guys' faces, at least.

"Nah," Adam said. "I've gone to dirt-track racing. It's more fun to watch on TV. Just like the Dodgers game. It was boring to sit there and watch a game."

"It's just as boring on TV," Celina said. "But sure, I'm willing to make a fool out of myself. You know, maybe we should plan a volleyball tournament or something, too."

"Too many good players for that," Rebecca said. "Meredith and Cameron both were really good in high school. Beth and Elena both played but I don't know how good they are. Plus I think Leslie and Trinity have played volleyball a bunch."

"It would give us a chance to wear bikinis though," Celina pointed out.

"Hell, yeah!" Adam said, drawing a mock glare from Rebecca. The glare ended in a wink though.

"I figured there will be time for laying out on Sunday, too," Rebecca assured him. "So you might want to make sure you have a bikini on underneath your clothes."

"Or just play softball in a bikini," Adam suggested with raised eyebrows. "It will probably be afternoon before we get started with anything. We have a shoot that is going to run all day Saturday."

"I heard," Celina replied. "Sean was telling me about it. It sounds like a nice concept."

"Sarah wrote it," Rebecca said proudly. "She is really coming into her own."

"She is," Celina agreed. "I read some of the dialogue in 'Dragon Lore.' It's good. I was expecting, I don't know, something sitcom-like. But it's natural. Even the sex parts are arrived at naturally. I was really impressed – and she says that some of her newer work is better."

"I'm not sure it's better," Adam said. "It's different. You know, 'Dragon Lore' is action-driven. The next one, 'Sundown in El Dorado, ' is more character-driven. The thing she wrote for 'Cotton Panty Chronicles' is dialogue-driven. It's really humorous. I mean some of the lines are literally laugh-out-loud funny."

"This from the man with no sense of humor," Rebecca said with a smile.

"I put up with you guys, don't I?" Adam asked, elbowing Rebecca gently in the side. "That means my sense of humor must be expanding or something. Lord knows, you're a laugh a minute."

"So what should I bring Sunday?" Celina asked.

"Buns," Rebecca replied.

"Hamburger or hot dog?" Celina wonder.

"Yours," Rebecca answered with a giggle. "Just bring your buns and we'll take care of the rest."

Christina Webb was still waiting for Derrick Driller to call one afternoon and tell her he was done with "Bountiful Assets." None of the guys she'd used for the site had returned more than once or twice at the most. Part of it was the pay. She knew she didn't pay the best in the business but she did what she could. It was more important to make sure her talent was well compensated.

Another part of it was the fact that the girls on her site didn't look or act like the other girls in the business. They were bigger. They were a little brassier – and they were needier. That's why she was so happy to have Derrick Driller, Lex Battle, Parker Grant and Cade Leather to work with. There was something about the way they treated her female talent that made Christina proud to know them. They came prepared, that was for certain.

None of the girls had been forced to spend 20 minutes sucking on a cock to get it half hard. The guys were always ready. "Bountiful Assets" didn't hire fluffers. They were too expensive and that cut into the money she could reasonably pay for performers. So the talent took care of that task. But the Five Friends guys never needed fluffers.

They always complimented the performers. They always treated the women with a respect that had been forgotten in the business – particularly when dealing with older or heavier women.

They didn't treat the talent as though it was almost beneath them to work with them. They didn't make off-color remarks or call the women names. They didn't try to maul their breasts or slap their asses, either.

It couldn't last, Christina decided. The men she had come to rely upon would price themselves out of her range or they would get tired of dealing with her little site and move on to bigger things.

Still, Derrick was there like he was every other Thursday, 30 minutes early and bearing bottled water. She was happy to see him arrive early because she wanted the chance to talk to him a little.

He smiled and greeted Christina warmly. She always appreciated that he would smile and wave to her as soon as he walked in. Then he would bounce over to her with that silly grin on his face.

"Hi ya," he said when he sat down and offered her a cup of coffee from a bag – another thoughtful gesture.

"Hi, Derrick," Christina replied as she opened the lid and took a sip. "Thanks for coming. It's always good to see you."

"I look forward to this," he said earnestly. "I talked to Lex yesterday. He said Margo gave another kicking performance Monday."

"She did," Christina said. "I think all it took was for her to feel comfortable about her body. You helped a lot with that."

"I think she is a very beautiful woman," Derrick replied with a shrug. "So, what's up for today?"

Christina took a deep breath.

"Another project, I think," she said.

"What does that mean?" Derrick asked. He wasn't sure if she meant he wasn't shooting for "Bountiful Assets" or if she had another troubled performer.

"Cassandra Curtains is up," Christina replied. "She does OK with the solo shoots and she does a decent girl-girl scene. But, well, she doesn't like to take her clothes off."

"Seems like a strange line of work for her," Derrick opined.

"Probably but it is what it is," Christina replied. "She had a baby when she was 15. Her body never really recovered. She has some stretch marks and her boobs sag. I don't mean like Margo or Jodi. I mean they sag even when she has a bra on. The thing is, they're not huge. They're big but not big enough for that. I probably should have warned you but, hell, I worried you would cancel."

"I won't cancel," Derrick promised. "I mean, unless it's a dire emergency. I might try to postpone something but if you need to shoot on Thursday nights, someone will be here. How do you suggest I handle, uh, Cassandra?"

"I'm not sure," Christina admitted. "I've tried almost everything. This is her first boy-girl. It's actually only her fourth scene. I haven't managed to get her undressed fully for any of them."

"Then let's leave her dressed," Derrick offered. "I mean, we can figure out a way to make it work. Or we start her out only in a robe. Maybe set it up like a massage scene or something. I know that is tacky as hell."

Christina sighed again.

"Are you going to have trouble, uh, getting hard?" she asked.

"I'll be OK," Derrick assured her. He had enough memories from recent months that a simple thought could spark a raging hard-on. "We'll work through this. Can I meet her?"

"She is getting dressed and doing her makeup," Christina said. "But sure, let's go in."

Cassandra was doing her best to play up her best features. Derrick could see that immediately when he entered. She was a pretty woman. She wasn't beautiful by any stretch but she was attractive. She wore a wraparound skirt and a low-cut white shirt. Derrick estimated she might be 19 or 20 years old. He extended his hand in greeting and she looked up, slightly startled.

It was taking all her self-control to get prepared for the scene. She really didn't want to do what she was doing but her daughter needed to eat and fucking was about the only skill she had demonstrated. Shoving a dildo in her box paid a hell of a lot better than flipping burgers and fucking a guy on video paid twice what a solo scene was worth.

"You look really nice," Derrick said, glancing at her attire while trying not to look like a complete asshole by leering at her. "The colors really set off your eyes."

"Uh, thanks," Cassandra replied listlessly. "Do I need to fluff you before we start?"

There was no excitement at all in her voice.

"Are you kidding?" Derrick asked. "Geez, as pretty as you are I will have no trouble getting ready. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"No," Cassandra answered immediately. "But I'm sure I need to."

"I'm sure you don't," Derrick rejoined. "Look, if you're not comfortable with this, we'll find something else. We're going to be looking for a new receptionist in a couple of weeks. Is that something you'd consider?"

"If my kid didn't like to eat every day," Cassandra said. She managed a weak smile. "But a couple of weeks is a long time when you're living day-to-day."

"It is," Derrick replied with a nod. "Four months ago, I was in the exact same situation. Thankfully I didn't have anyone else relying on me. I couldn't have handled it."

He sat down beside Cassandra. Christina simply slipped into the background.

"So, if we make it through today, will you be set for a while?" he asked.

Cassandra nodded. She had heard stories about how some male performers used sites like "Bountiful Assets" as their personal dating pool. But she didn't think it would happen to her. Still, this guy was obviously talking out of his ass trying to impress her.

"Well, I'm pretty harmless," Derrick said with a disarming smile. "Or so I've been told. Personally, I think I'm fearsome but I've been told that how a person views himself or herself really isn't always accurate."

He paused.

"Like you," he continued. "When I see you, I see a very good-looking young woman who is doing whatever she needs to do to make a life for herself and her daughter. You look in the mirror and see a woman who's made too many mistakes to deserve a second chance or a new start. I see someone that I find attractive.

"You see someone whose body doesn't look like it did three or four years ago. I don't know what you looked like then so I have nothing to compare it to. But I see what's in front of me now and it is not disappointing in the least."

"Because I have my clothes on," Cassandra said. "When I get undressed, you'll probably puke."

"Oh, I doubt that," Derrick countered. "Why do you say that?"

"My ass is huge and my tits hang to my knees," Cassandra spat. "I've got stretch marks on my belly, my ass and my thighs. I got enough cellulite for a million collagen injections."

"Show me," Derrick said simply.

"What?" Cassandra asked in surprise.

"Show me what you dislike about yourself," he repeated. "I might agree with you. Who knows? But if I don't agree with you, I'll tell you what I see when I look at you. I think I'm a pretty objective party."

"Objective?" Cassandra said angrily. "I know how I'll compare to Jenny Cinnamon or Cassie Charms. I know who you've worked with and I don't compare. I used to. I used to be hot."

"You're still hot," Derrick said softly. "And Jenny Cinnamon has a birth mark on her back. Cassie Charms had her appendix out last year. There is a scar. None of them are perfect. Sahara Rain has hair on her nipples. Ashley Malibu has one foot a half size bigger than the other. Rita Looker is never going to be someone's ideal version of beauty. But you know what? I think they're all beautiful. And their flaws had nothing to do with bringing a life into the world.