Chapter 80

The entire group headed into Vegas – with Shelly joining Rebecca in her Navigator – for dinner and a brief tour of the sights. Everyone was impressed with the city. Adam knew Las Vegas was a large city but the sheer size of the area – as well as the glitz and neon – threw him. He had expected a city about the size of St. Louis – which he had visited a couple of times. Instead he found a sprawling city about four times the size. It wasn't as large as the Los Angeles metropolitan area but it was bigger than any other city Adam had seen.

Once again, he uttered his famous phrase: "Damn."

The girls laughed at him even though they were just as impressed with the view as he was. The trip down the strip took a while because there were a lot of cars out cruising even though it wasn't 7 p.m. yet.

Adam could see Shelly's head turning from side to side as she tried to take in everything she saw. Occasionally she would point out something and ask Rebecca a question. Adam had Leslie as tour guide, although there were a lot of questions she couldn't answer. They finally stopped at a parking garage to meet for dinner. Adam gulped when he saw how much it would cost him to park. It was more expensive than parking in downtown L.A.

"So, let's talk about the rest of the week," Rebecca said when the group was seated. No one gawked at seeing one guy with six beautiful women. A couple of guys shook their head at Adam's luck but Adam couldn't decide they were envious of him or if they pitied him.

"Sarah has a really workable concept, I think," Leslie said. "If you haven't thought up anything."

"I have had a couple of ideas but I'm not sure if they are workable," Rebecca replied. Sarah filled her in on what she was thinking. She was slightly relieved when Rebecca smiled.

"That could really work," she said. "When do we want to do this?"

"I was thinking tomorrow afternoon or Friday morning," Adam answered. "Did you have any other shots in mind?"

"I wouldn't mind doing a girl-girl," Rebecca said.

"How about a five or six-girl slumber party?" Allie proposed. Everyone else seemed willing to sit back and allow Rebecca to dictate how things would be. Allie wasn't. If the truth were said, Ashley Malibu was bigger right then than Rita Looker was and was probably as popular as Rita Looker ever had been. "That is what we were thinking. Sort of like a mix and match with your group and our group."

"Who would film it?" Rebecca asked. She really wasn't used to anyone countering her ideas. She was used to being in charge.

"Adam could do the hand-held and we could set up three stationary cameras pretty easily," Shelly said off-handedly. "It won't be hard. We would just have to stay cognizant of where the cameras are located and agree to let Adam to direct us to where we need to be if we get outside of range."

"I can do that," Leslie said at once. "Assuming Adam can control himself with all the nubile flesh on display."

She smirked at Adam.

"Maybe we should do our scene with him first," Leslie added. "You know, just to make sure he is tamed."

"You can't tame him," Sarah said with a hint of feigned resignation. "We've tried. It would take all of us just to keep him limp for an hour or two. It's a hardship, I tell you."

Leslie and Rebecca both laughed – although Adam thought Rebecca's seemed a little forced.

"You seem to forget I know nothing about direction," Adam offered. "That might be a bigger problem than keeping my hands to myself."

"Just check the viewfinder from time to time," Shelly said. "If we're out of view, move us over. You don't have to worry about it much. I think we can mix the pairings so a seasoned girl is with a newcomer pretty easily. Rebecca, Allie and Leslie will call the switches and do most of the on-screen direction. You just have to keep us in range and move from group to group to get angles the stationary cameras won't."

"How long do you think it will take?" Rebecca asked. "I mean it will take a lot of editing to put together something decent this way."

"Maybe," Sarah said. "But I don't think so. We can chip in with the editing costs."

"That's another thing," Rebecca said. "How are we splitting the costs of this? How are we going to upload it? What about the profits?"

The Los Angeles group didn't speak. They simply shrugged. To them, these were incidental concerns that could be worked out in only a few minutes. They weren't something that would make or break the deal.

"Becs, what did you have in mind?" Leslie ventured. "You don't sound enthused about this. I thought this was what we were looking for. I mean, it will open us up to a whole new market. It will move us to the mainstream. Working with Adam will start the process but adding in a girl-girl orgy with established performers and up-and-comers like Jenny and Michelle will help immensely."

"I thought we would just do a straight girl-girl," Rebecca answered. "I would do one scene and you would do another. I thought it would be pretty straightforward. I'm just not sure what we do this way will be up to the quality I expect from my site."

"Then pay to bring in professional cameramen," Allie said. "I have no doubt that Shelly can set up a scene as well as anyone in the business. She's proven that by what she did for Daystar. She set the camera angles for the scenes I did with Derrick. She knows what she is doing."

"If it's not this it will be something else," Karlie said in a calm voice. She was talking to the group but she was looking directly at Rebecca. "She's mad it is not her idea. It has nothing to do with who she is shooting with or who is setting up the cameras. She's upset that she didn't come up with the plan and that the plan we've come up is better than what she had in mind. It's the same thing as the web site co-op. I can see that if no one else can and I have no stake in this. I don't care if I do a scene while I am here and I am not a part of Subarctic. I am, however, your personal assistant. I hope you know I take this job seriously."

"That's not the reason!" Rebecca said.

"Sure it is," Leslie said. "I can see it now that it has been pointed out. Look, if you want to just do the scene with Adam, I'm cool with it. I think the girls will be cool with that, too. They aren't worried about who gets how much money. They haven't even discussed it among themselves, I'll bet. Their goal is to show that good performers lead to good scenes. They want to prove that, when professionals get together to do a project, the project is going to go well. Sure, they have to cover their expenses, just like I do. But they have something bigger in mind than when they can buy their next expensive handbag."

Rebecca rubbed her fingers through her hair and pursed her lips.

"We don't have to do this," Sarah said. "And if we do it, we don't have to do it my way. I am not opposed to doing a straight girl-girl. I don't think Ashley or Michelle or Jenny is either. I also don't think any of us are really that worried about how much money we bring in from this. I'll admit that I won't do it for free. This is not a charity organization. But none of us are willing to hold up a project over money – particularly not a project that offers as much long-term benefit for everyone involved."

Leslie turned to face her friend.

"I think this is a good plan," she said. "When we sat down last month to discuss the goals each of us had, I didn't think we could accomplish them in anything less than a year. This is our chance. We can rehabilitate our reputations by working with this group. The rising studios love them. You know all this. Adam is perfect for what we have in mind. You know that, too. Ashley and Sahara are bigger than we ever were. Check with Peaches Magazine if you don't believe me. Michelle and Jenny might only do a scene or two or they might be the next big stars out there. They are both great people. I can tell you that. So, I guess what I'm saying is that I'm going with this. I am committed to a project that includes everyone at this table. You need to decide if you're in or if you're going to be happy sitting on the sideline and watching everyone else get to where you think you should be."

"If it doesn't work, you're out nothing," Adam supplied. "I think I can safely say we'll give you the sole veto on posting it. If it doesn't meet the standards you've set, we'll trash it. I've never seen your site so I don't know what you expect. But I trust Shelly. If she says we can do it, I believe we can do it. I trust Allie and Sarah. If they say it should be done, then I believe it will be good for everyone. And I trust Karlie. If she says the reason you're hesitating has nothing to do with tangible concerns, then I believe that is the case. Now what can we do to assuage your fears?"

"I guess she's right," Rebecca admitted. "It wasn't what I thought of and I was peeved that I wasn't going to be the star so much as a costar. I'm used to having the final say on almost everything. I need to let go of that."

"Only if you want to move on to other things," Shelly pointed out. "Your site is successful. I would guess it is the most successful of its type in existence, at least in the top two or three. You don't need to branch out if you're uncomfortable with the prospect."

"I'm excited by the prospect!" Rebecca said. "Honestly, I've been looking forward to this since we talked on Monday. I like this life. I really do. I am not ashamed of what I do or who I am. Las Vegas is 'Sin City.' L.A. is 'Sin City II.' No one looks down on what we do anymore. At least normal people don't. And I want to go to the top. I want to do actual movies. I do like all of you. I really do. But it is that last step – letting go of the control I've just claimed – that is giving me problems. I'll work through it in the next couple of days. I think it will get better as we get to know each other. This is really a good idea, you know, getting to know each other beforehand. I don't think I could have done the scene tonight. I'll be better tomorrow, I hope."

"Even if we don't work together, I think you'll find you have a few more friends by the time we leave," Karlie said. "But you're right. You're one of the few people in this business who calls the shots for herself. That is what we're moving toward, you know. Adam's plan is to remake this industry. He might not admit it to anyone or even to himself. But I can see it. He wants the whole business to act and think like the people at this table. He plans to move pornography from the realm of zitty 16-year-old boys into the domain of couples. He plans to make it so you don't have to close your browser when your husband or wife or boyfriend or girlfriend comes in the room. Instead you'll want to share it with them.

"He'll do it, too. He has surrounded himself with people who are committed to this. He has Tate and Ben Benedict on board. Jerry Goldsmith will get on board. Holly Ball and Randy Readywood will be there. Judy Jackem is there. He has secured funding, talent and contacts in just a few weeks. I hate to say this because you do seem like a nice person. But it's going to happen - with or without you.

"Six months or 12 months or 18 months, this will happen. Adam has this ability to present his ideas in a way that you can't refute them. We all know the industry has to change. We know it because it is a fact. The ego sites and the degradation sites need to be pushed where they belong – the back. When we succeed in changing the perception of this industry, you'll be left with three choices: maintain the niche you've created; work with us; or get left behind. And I'm sorry, but that is also a fact."

"Uh," Adam said with a glance toward Karlie. He had no idea she felt so strongly about things – nor that he had any of the goals she had asserted for him. "In truth, none of what happened is my doing."

Shelly, Allie and Sarah exchanged glances and smiled. They had discussed the situation generally with Karlie but it was obvious that she had made the jump to full understanding.

Of course, she had lived both ends of the spectrum firsthand.

"Oh, bullshit," Leslie said. "Will you stop with the modesty? Sure, you might not have pointed someone in a particular direction. But it is your doing. And I agree with Karlie completely, Rebecca. There's going to come a time when you're going to have to decide if you're with us or against us. I said 'us' because I'm in. They have a plan, Rebecca. That is what we lacked. They want to go the exact same place that we talked about. But they have what we don't – a way to get there. A year from now if you pass on this you'll kick yourself in the ass when you see where Subarctic Enterprises has gone."

"This isn't about Subarctic Enterprises, per se," Sarah pointed out. "That is wholly separate. This will be a subsidiary of the group but only a small part. I don't want you to be under the impression that you'll be buying into the group or the group will be buying you out. You will still have complete control of where you work and who you work with. It's not like we're trying to grab your site and use it for ourselves or for our own goals."

"Aren't we?" Allie wondered. "Things would move a lot quicker if we had Rita Looker's site with us."

"With us," Sarah repeated, "not controlled by us. It will be like our deal with Daystar. We cooperate together and share resources but we don't call the shots for her anymore than Daystar calls the shots for us. If that is what she's worried about, I want to make sure she understands that I, for one, won't stand for it. I'm only one vote out of eight but I do not see a situation arising when we will coerce someone into doing what we want. I can tell you, for damned certain, that I will never do it under any circumstances. I don't think any of the rest of you will either."