Follow Focus
20
Summer
“Anita” by Egor Mayer, ID2161483331 licensed from Shutterstock.com.
FRIDAY’S EXCURSION required two vehicles, and out of consideration for our driver, we decided to spend our last night in London at Jane’s apartment instead of traveling all the way back to Plympford. Her apartment was spectacular. It had five bedrooms, one of which was occupied by her cook/housekeeper, Penelope. She was a very kind grandmotherly type and instantly took to Toni and Alex. Jane led us on a tour of all the rooms and we were bowled over. The windows even had a view out toward a beautiful park, though there was no balcony.
“Jane, we have to have our bosses approve the location and cost of rental, but this is a wonderful apartment. I can’t believe you’d give it up,” I said.
“Peter’s apartment is far more to our liking. It has only three bedrooms. He has a day staff that comes in to clean and cook when we are there, but none live in, like Penelope does here.”
“About that,” Ronda said, “I don’t know that we can pay a staff.”
“Oh, Penelope comes with the apartment. You have no obligations to her at all, but she will clean and will want to cook at least part of the time. She’ll even take care of the kids when you need to go out.”
“Really? All that? It seems so far above our station,” Patricia said. “We actually invited Adrienne out to help as a nanny for a couple of weeks while Nate and Ronda were gone to Japan. I’d been thinking of asking her to come with us.”
“She’s welcome,” Jane said. “If you have the room, why not fill it?”
All the rooms were furnished and Jane said the furniture came with the flat, so we didn’t need to move anything with us.
After we’d gone out to dinner, Peter went on to his flat as Jane stayed with us. She definitely came with us, right to bed. Friday morning, our driver picked us up to go to Heathrow for our return flight to the US. We’d had an exhausting trip, but it appeared we would be back in just a few months.
Ronda and I couldn’t take the next week off from work when we’d spent most of the previous two weeks with our friends and not technically working. We reported to Mr. Martin Monday morning and explained that we’d found a place to live in London. He was pleased that the flat was furnished.
“We’ve located a plane that has been surplused and expect to have it in London before you get there. This week, you need to coordinate the shipment of our next year’s supply of equipment to the warehouse there. Order enough for all of Europe and the Middle East, though we will be monitoring the safety of our representatives in several countries behind the iron curtain and in the Middle East. You are aware of the Palestinian terrorist attack at the Olympics last fall. America is not universally loved through Eastern Europe and the Middle East.”
“How many countries are we talking about?” I asked.
“Twenty-nine more in Europe and a dozen in the Middle East,” Ronda responded.
“Wow! I should have studied geography more.”
“Those are going to take most of your time while you’re in London. You might be able to squeeze in some of North Africa, as well. Ronda, you’ll need to track how many of the countries have consulates and embassies. I’ve created a list of criteria for you to use in determining which offices will need the equipment and services. We’ve done pretty well the past year without that, but we’re getting a better feeling for where the services are actually needed and for what, based on your installations so far,” Martin said.
“We can do that,” Ronda responded.
“Nate, while you’re off this summer, see if you have time to think about how to better secure the equipment and materials used to create passports and visas. We are increasingly aware that our embassies and consulates are vulnerable to attacks. There was once a time when the embassy was simply immune to such things, but more and more, people in volatile areas see the embassy or the consulate as the representative of American imperialism. They can’t reach out to attack America directly, but they can create havoc for the embassy. So far, that has been pretty disorganized and we’ve kept you out of such areas. But the threat of an embassy takeover has been identified. How secure are our documents and equipment? How much time would it take to dismantle and/or destroy all sensitive materials and processes? How can we improve our security?”
“That’s a lot to think about.”
“I don’t want you to spend your summer working, but if you happen to have ideas, jot them down and bring them with you when you return in September.”
“Yes, sir.”
At home, we spent every evening packing our house. The government had a housing agent it worked with, frequently needing to find places for people coming in or renting for people who were leaving. We had a meeting with the agent and agreed to rent the house furnished, but we were moving everything we didn’t want touched to the boathouse. That portion of the building would be locked and the tenants would not be given a key.
Of course, all our clothes were going with us, first to Canada and then to England. Toni’s toys would make at least the first leg of the trip with us and we’d select what we’d be taking on to England. I was packing the contents of the small darkroom in the boathouse and would ship it to England with us. There was an office in Jane’s apartment she had used for a darkroom, and I planned to do so, too. We’d be back in Stratford the next summer and considered it likely that Mr. Martin would suggest another location where we should move the family for the following year.
We might not get back to the house in Antioch until the following fall, making it two and a half years before we were back. That was sobering, but we all believed that when that term expired, we’d be just as happy to live in Stratford while we considered where we should go for a studio and new home.
By the weekend, we were all exhausted, but we really needed to spend the weekend with our families back in Tenbrook and Sage. Ronda and I took the microbus to work on Friday and left for Tenbrook right after. Anna and Patricia took the children to Tenbrook earlier in the day.
“How was your little trip to London?” Mom asked when we’d all settled in for one of Dad’s Saturday night dinners.
“It was great,” Patricia said.
“In fact, we liked it so much we decided to move there,” I added.
“What?” Dad exclaimed.
“Well, our boss suggested it would be good for the next season we’re working to not have to fly back and forth across the Atlantic every week. So, he suggested we spend nine months in London and do our travel from there. When we were there last week, we found a place to live and we’re packing up the house so we can leave,” I said.
“Dear, it looks like we’ll have to make another trip to Europe this winter,” Mom said. “I’m not going to wait a year before I see my granddaughters again.”
“Gamma and Gampa come to Engand to see Toni and Alex,” Toni said.
“Absolutely, sweetheart. Gramma and Grampa are definitely coming to England,” Mom said. “We’ll need to know where to stay and book our flights so we can afford the trip.”
“Why don’t you let us take care of that?” Patricia asked. “We could even put you up in the flat we’re renting. We’re only going to use two of the five bedrooms most of the time. Well, and the housekeeper lives in one.”
“A housekeeper?” Dad asked. “Getting up in the world, aren’t you?”
“She comes with the apartment. She’s employed as the caretaker by our landlady. And she is a sweetheart. She just loves Alex and Toni,” Anna said.
“And has made us promise to let her prepare dinner at least three nights a week. That will make it a lot easier when Nate and Ronda are on the road,” Patricia said.
“How can you possibly afford such a place?” Mom asked.
“Well, Ronda and I both get a housing allowance to take our family with us. We’re renting out our place in Antioch. And our landlady is a dear friend. She’s the one whose wedding we went to.”
“Well, we won’t complain about saving some money on the trip. We still need to pay for Kat, and that’s been a stretch,” Dad said. “My job isn’t strenuous, but it doesn’t pay much, either.”
“And who knows what you’ll find when we move to DeKalb.”
“DeKalb? Is that where you’ll be moving?”
“That’s the plan. I’m to become the associate pastor at the church there, responsible for outreach to the University community,” Mom said.
“That’s wonderful! You’ll be clo…” Patricia broke off what she was about to say. “Oh, no!”
“The conference cabinet thought it would be a nice move for us to be closer to our grandchildren,” Mom sighed. “I guess that won’t be an issue, though.”
“Oh, Mom, I’m sorry. I wish we’d known.”
“Nonsense. How could you have made a different choice if you’d known? You should still take this opportunity to go to England. This probably won’t be a long term assignment anyway,” she said. “It’s an experimental position and the conference wants to prepare me for different responsibilities.”
“Different responsibilities? Like a bigger church, you mean?” I asked.
“That’s a possibility. Or they might ask me to work in campus ministry or Christian Education or even an inner city congregation. There are many opportunities.”
“Wow! I never considered that you’d be in anything but a church with a regular congregation. And children. Toni is already talking about story time with Gramma tomorrow,” Patricia said. “You know that’s always meant a lot to us.”
“Well, it is a fun part of the job,” Mom laughed.
The next week was even more chaotic. The housing agent had already located a renter and we needed to be out by Friday the first. That was the day we planned to head to Stratford for the summer anyway, so it wasn’t so bad. It just put the pressure on us to make sure everything was ready for the tenants.
We rented a trailer to tow behind Patricia’s Rambler. It wouldn’t pull anything too big, but we could load everything we were taking to Canada. With luck, we wouldn’t find we’d left anything important behind. It proved to equalize the speed of the two vehicles a little more, slowing down Patricia’s car to what the microbus could keep up with.
We loaded the cars and drove away from the house just as the agent was pulling in with another car. We waved and headed for Canada.
Of course, we weren’t there to take photos of the first two productions to launch, but they were reviving King Lear and She Stoops to Conquer from the previous season, which were the first shows to open. However, it was only a week until The Taming of the Shrew and A Month in the Country would open, so we were in business on the stage as soon as we got to town.
“I’m so glad to see you,” Anita said when she came off the stage during Shrew. “Which of us is next to get a job in the movies?”
“Um… I don’t think I can get anyone a job,” I said as I hugged the actress. “I hardly did anything on the new movie and it opens in three weeks.”
“Oh, well. I’ll have to look for something new. Which means, I’ll need a whole bunch of new photos. Okay?”
“How are things with you and Damien and Kathleen?” I asked.
“Oh, great. I know Damien wants to talk to you. And Kathleen is on stage with She Stoops this weekend. She’s already upset that I get to see you before she does. She’s in rehearsals for Pericles.”
“Well, I’m looking forward to seeing them both.”
“I’m sure Damien will be out soon. He’s been arguing with John about the set all weekend. I think it will work fine, but there was some problem with noise on the show cart.”
It wasn’t long, in fact, before Damien appeared and rushed to hug both Anna and me.
“Can you believe this chaos?” he asked. “I should never have agreed to direct this, but it was the price I pay for getting to do my show in July.”
“Your show?” Anna asked.
“Yes! They approved my adaptation of The Bacchae. And The P Pirates will be here the entire week before we open. They’re doing all the music.”
“The P Pirates? Seriously? Are they decent people as well as good musicians?”
“And beautiful women,” added Anna. Might know Damien would choose an all-female band to score his rock musical.
“Yes. And they’re clean. Before the Festival agreed to have them here for the show, they had to show they were drug free. I mean, nobody cares if they get a little high on weed, as long as they don’t get caught. It’s hard drugs the theatre is uptight about. Four weeks ago, one of our principals was arrested for possession of cocaine. Big scramble to get a replacement in Lear.”
“Sorry to hear about that. I think I’m supposed to do some photo updates later this week.”
“Well, let’s get started on this one,” Damien said.
He started running the show and I could tell it was going to be very funny. He was making use of a character who is often cut from productions of Shrew. The show opens with a drunk wandering around and nearly being killed by a traveling troupe of actors. When he wakes up, they pretend he is a prince and has ordered the players here for a performance. He’s constantly in and out of the action.
It took two days to get all the action photographed and I spent the evenings pulling proofs. Anna took the proofs over to the Festival office while Patricia joined me at the Avon Theatre to work on photos of A Month in the Country by Ivan Turgenev. It’s a Russian play and reminded me of Chekhov, though I gathered it had been written long before. The program was listed as a comedy, but… Well, it was Russian. It was funnier than War and Peace.
“Nate, we got some mail forwarded from Antioch,” Anna said when I came out of the darkroom Friday afternoon. “It all came with a healthy amount of postage due. At least the post office bundled it up and sent it as a single package.”
“Anything interesting?”
“The usual stuff. I requested they not forward catalogs and the like. This is only first class mail. There’s a letter from your alma mater. They want to know if they can depend on your support in the annual fundraising campaign.”
“Oh, sure. Can we afford to send them something?”
“Hmm. That’s a more considered response than when you volunteered to pay for Kat’s expenses in Minneapolis,” Anna laughed.
“That directly affected my family’s well-being,” I said. “When I found out Mom and Dad were struggling to support her, what could I do?”
“Exactly. We’re all proud of you for jumping in. You need to call Rachel’s parents, the Hannitys, and simply tell them you’re taking over Kat’s housing expenses.”
“I never considered how expensive it would be to send Kat to Minneapolis, since she had a scholarship. I should have realized housing wasn’t included, based on how much it cost me to go to school in Chicago.”
“Which brings us back to your alma mater. Contribute? A little? A lot?”
“I’d like to make some kind of contribution. What are you doing for your college?”
“Mostly ignoring them. I sent them twenty bucks. But there are two factors there. I got a decent education, but I have no emotional attachment to Rockford. As soon as I could arrange my schedule, I spent four nights a week in Chicago. I did not make friends there, despite the one guy who wanted to date me because I was just average. So was the school. Secondly, I don’t earn massive amounts in my job. You do.”
“Massive amounts?”
“You and Ronda each earn about $1,900 per month you are working at the State Department. Your boss has indicated that will go up when we move to London. Even if you didn’t have the business here during the summer, you’d be making more than most people in our parents’ generation.”
“Wow! I’m floored. I guess I never really paid attention to money, thanks to you,” I said. “Um… Did Ronda make any kind of donation to her University?”
“Yes. She sent $500 to a scholarship fund. You don’t need to base your contribution on hers,” Anna said.
“No, but it’s good to know how the family thinks. Since I’m making a contribution to Minneapolis, how about if I start with $200 to Columbia. That will be good for now. Um… Am I taking care of my family? Here? Anna, if something happened to me, are you and Patricia and Toni and Alex taken care of?” I almost panicked, thinking of my family being penniless if my plane suddenly crashed.
“Yes, love. Dad set up a kind of trust for Alex and Toni that we all contribute to each month.”
“How does everyone contribute?”
“It comes out of the business before any distributions are made.”
“Oh, good, I guess.”
“Patricia is the beneficiary of your insurance policy through the State Department, just like I’m Ronda’s beneficiary. If anything happened to one of you the rest of us would have enough to get us started,” Anna said. “Why so morbid all of a sudden?”
“I don’t know. I guess it’s part of growing up that I never considered. I’d rather not think about it. I just want to make sure our family is secure.”
“I love you, Nate, and I know you love me. That makes me feel secure.”
Monday morning, we went to That Scottish Café for breakfast and met up with several friends—all of whom wanted to coo over baby Alex.
“How do you like having a baby brother?” Kathleen asked Toni. Toni looked miffed.
“No baby brother! Alex is baby sister. I read to baby Alex. I teach her to dance. I teach her to sing. Alex is not a brother!”
“Oh, my! I’m sorry. I just assumed… You know you didn’t exactly send out birth announcements,” Kathleen accused Patricia. We all started laughing.
“We almost named her Nigel to be hard on you Brits,” I laughed. “You’re forgiven, Kathleen. For all the rest of you, this is Alexandra Serenity Hart.”
“I suppose that means you’re off the market now,” Anita whispered to me.
“I think I’ve always been off the market,” I said. “Ronda, Patricia, and Anna are my wives.”
“And those of us who come to the studio?” she persisted.
“My clients?” I said. “We still take pictures.”
“Well, you know I want a full set this summer.”
“Anna sets the schedule. We aren’t always in the theatre taking pictures.”
“Speaking of pictures, here come the Weird Sisters. You’ll have all you can handle with them.”
I looked over and saw the three women who played the witches in Macbeth. Greta, Tessa, and Emma walked into the café like they owned it, striking a pose as soon as they entered. Then they broke up laughing and started circulating around the room, kissing fellow actors and friends. Eventually, they made their way to our table, where chairs had been pushed up to accommodate them.
“Oh! Our photo friends are here!” Greta exclaimed. I couldn’t remember if she’d turned twenty yet or was still in her teens. All three women wore gauzy tops that clearly showed there was nothing beneath them but their glorious boobs.
“Hello, Greta,” I said. “Come meet the newest member of our family. This is Toni’s little sister, Alex.”
“Oh, wow! She’s a cutie,” Greta said, scarcely glancing at the baby as she pressed herself against me for a kiss.
“Don’t bother with Greta,” Tessa said, leaning over Patricia’s shoulder to see the baby and give the mother a hug. “She’s allergic to children. On the other hand, hang on tight when Emma’s around. She might walk out with her.”
“I’m not that bad,” Emma said. “I’ve just been having… thoughts… you know?”
“I was having them a lot before Nate was finally ready to plant our little treasure,” Patricia said.
“And even Ronda and I have had thoughts since she arrived,” Anna said.
“So what shows are you in this summer?” I asked.
“Emma is playing Marina in Pericles,” Greta said. “Tessa is playing Bianca in Shrew. You didn’t even recognize her when you took pictures last week. I’m enjoying playing Vera in A Month in the Country.”
“I did know you were there, but we didn’t get a chance to speak,” I said.
“Not to worry. We live for The Bacchae! Just wait until you hear the music!”
“You’re all three in it?” Anna asked.
“Oh, Anna, I wrote it for them,” Damien said. “The big name leads playing Pentheus, Cadmus, and Tiresias are almost incidental. It is really these three women and… ah! Here he is. Eugene! Come meet our photographer. He is going to make you look so beautiful!”
The guy who entered the café was not what I’d have initially thought of as ‘beautiful.’ He was only about five-five and probably weighed 200 pounds. But when he spoke, his voice was an absolutely mesmerizing baritone. So rich and mellifluous that everyone just sat back in their seat.
“Ah, my lovelies. Where are my beautiful girls?” Greta, Tessa, and Emma rushed to him and showered him with kisses.
“Those four,” Damien said. “When they are together with The P Pirates, there is magic. And don’t mistake the girls’ fawning over him as an affectation. Those three absolutely adore him. And he them.”
“What a voice,” Ronda breathed.
“And on stage, it is to die for,” Kathleen said.
The rest of breakfast was a jovial give and take with Ronda and I required to recite the countries we’d visited since last summer and tell Kathleen about Jane’s wedding.
“We’re moving to London in the fall,” I said.
“What? You’ll be there?” Damien said. “That’s wonderful. I want you to do photos of the show when we open in the West End.”
“Um… I have a job, Damien. I can probably squeeze out time for some photos on a weekend. You’re going to open in the West End?” I’d heard that was the London equivalent of Broadway.
“Yes. It’s what makes the one weekend here truly worthwhile. We’ll have just enough time to get the kinks worked out with an audience, then we’ll be heading for London. The P Pirates and these four have already signed for the run in London. We’ll be casting the others once we get there.”
We attended the opening of A Month in the Country on Wednesday and The Taming of the Shrew on Thursday. That is to say that I went with Patricia on Wednesday and Anna and Ronda went together on Thursday. We didn’t think either show was really appropriate for Toni and Alex, so two of us stayed home and two went to the show and out to the party afterward.
I started the next week with a day of photos for the first studio performance of the season, The Collected Works of Billy the Kid. That was interesting. It was actually a collection of poems about the life of William Bonney (Billy the Kid) performed in character and dialog by three women and five men. The set was an all-purpose western rustic interior that shifted from barroom to bedroom with just a few pieces of furniture.
It didn’t take long to photograph and I headed back home to get the film processed and proofs printed for Anna to take to the office in the morning. Most of the rest of the week was spent photographing Pericles, Prince of Tyre and The Marriage Brokers. Kathleen was playing Thaisa, the wife of Pericles.
I took a break Wednesday night.
“I love my family,” I said, as I set the huge bouquet on our table. “Happy anniversary to all of us!”
We toasted our family, teaching Toni a couple of new toasts so she wasn’t always saying “I’ll drink to that.” It was still pretty funny.
“Here’s to another year of love, health, and prosperity,” I said. “Last year, we were a family of five. Now we are a family of six. I love my two beautiful daughters as much as I love my three beautiful wives. I simply love you, my family.”
“And here’s to the auxiliary family to come,” Ronda said. “To our loving pet, Adrienne, and to Jane and Peter and the future.”
“Are you guys sure I should do that? You know we really won’t be a part of her child’s future. That kind of makes me unhappy,” I said.
“Jane and Peter are wonderful people,” Anna said. “They deserve a wonderful family.”
“And we’ll be near all this fall and winter,” Patricia said. “If you get her pregnant while they are here this summer, we’ll be near them when the baby is born. You just have to be careful not to ever say, ‘my son,’ or ‘my child.’ I think we’ll see him frequently.”
“Oh, you’ve decided this will be a boy?” I laughed.
“Yes. He’ll be an earl one day. Besides, the father determines the sex, and I’m on the father’s side of the family.”
“Are you twisting Nate’s words around?” Anna laughed. “I think we should vote, being all on the father’s side. I’m in favor of a boy.”
“So am I,” Ronda said.
“Boy or girl?” I asked Toni. She considered the question as if she knew what we were talking about.
“Baby Brother,” she finally said. We’d have to work on that one.
Before Jane and Peter arrived in Stratford, though, I had another premiere to attend. Sunday, the family drove Anna and me to the airport in Toronto and we flew on a direct route to LA. Adrienne met us at the airport and was loving as always.
“I’m sad you will only be here two nights!” she said. “I would so like to show Miss Anna to more people.”
“You want to show me?” Anna asked. “Am I the pet now?”
“Oh, Mistress! No! Did I offend you? This pet is too proud of her owners.”
“No, dear heart. You did not offend. I was teasing you. You are the most wonderful of all possible pets. And you will be with us in Stratford in just a month. While you are there, we need to work out your schedule for visiting us in London this fall.”
“London, Mistress?”
“Nate and Ronda will be stationed there and the family will be there from September through May. Please say you will come to visit us there?”
“Oh, yes! How exciting. I will come whenever you desire.”
“Hmm. I desire to see you come,” I said as we left the airport. With two people to pick up, Adrienne had hired a limo (on behalf of the production company) instead of bringing her little Mercedes convertible.
“Master, I am yours. Do you wish me to be naked?”
“Yes, but not here in the limo. Let us get settled and go out to dinner. I know it’s only a bit after lunch time here, but we’ve been on that plane for six hours and it’s already almost five back home.”
“Master, any time you want dinner is dinner time. Would you like to drop your bags at the apartment and freshen up first or go directly to dinner?”
“Don’t be so hasty, Nate. We did have food on the airplane. Let’s go to Fifi’s apartment and get settled before we go to dinner.” I thought I saw an uncommon fiery glint in Anna’s eye.
“That works, too,” I said. Then I drowsed in the seat next to them as Adrienne and Anna made out for a while.
I couldn’t remember Anna and me making love to Adrienne at the same time. It was unusual to see Anna as the aggressor in any family relationship, though she’d negotiated our contract with the Festival, and was in charge of the family’s finances. She was still a little shy about initiating anything with one of the other girls. Until they kissed. Even Ronda and Patricia could turn Anna into a sex machine if they kissed her passionately. Adrienne had been the recipient, though. Anna had a hand inside Fifi’s blouse, caressing a naked breast before we reached her apartment.
I chose to sit back and watch them when we finally got to the apartment. It was just too fun to see them playing with each other. I’d take a more active part after dinner.
Of course, the reason we were in LA was for the premiere of Double Exposure. We spent Monday doing the spa thing and then joining the crowd at the theatre, dressed to the nines, as they say.
We’d made a much bigger splash when Over Exposure premiered. This time, a man with two beautiful women on the red carpet scarcely drew an extra glance—even when one of the women was on a leash. Having the female star of the movie rush out and hug us, however, was worth a few flashes from the cameras.
The movie was good. It had a far more satisfying conclusion as you finally realized who was in the car that crashes and bursts into flames. The audience cheered, and then held their breath to make sure the bastard was dead. The question, however, still hung over people’s heads during the closing credits, when Jenny (Fran) holds a sale of all Joe’s studio belongings and we see the various props he’s used in seducing his models—including a rolling pin. It was almost like Rosebud in Citizen Kane.
Okay, the movie wasn’t as good as Citizen Kane, but it was definitely a winner. The cast and crew adjourned to Frank’s mansion after the show and partied way into the night. Or morning, as it were.
“Nate, tell me about this new job you have,” Frank said. He was pretty pleased as producer of the two shows and I could tell he was looking for a new storyline.
“Well, Ronda and I travel around the world to various embassies installing some new equipment for making passports. We also carry documents from the State Department to the ambassadors and consuls general. I think that’s really all I can say,” I laughed. “It’s pretty routine now. We’ll be spending next fall and winter in London as our base, though.”
“Bert! Brent!” Frank called to the two writers. They came over to find out what was so important and greeted Adrienne, Anna, and me. “Listen to this. Young CIA worker travels around the world making top secret installations of spy tech in the embassies. He collects information and photographs to deliver back to his bosses. But someone gets wind of the news that this young guy traveling with a devastating beauty as cover, is actually transporting top secret spy stuff. They arrange a kidnapping, only managing to snatch the beautiful companion who knows nothing about the real mission. Young spy guy has to outwit the bad guys to save the girl, but can’t compromise his mission. Go!”
“I like it,” Brent said. “It’s not fair for the Brits to have the only cool spy on the screen. Having him be young is even better. He’s some kind of spy guy genius they’ve sent out on his own because no one would suspect him. Bert?”
“Turns out the beautiful girl he’s trying so hard to save is really a double agent. She’s cooperated with the kidnappers in order to lure spy guy into a trap and take his secret photos and equipment.”
The three guys looked at each other and raised a fist.
“Oscar!” they shouted together.
“Find us the beautiful woman, Nate. Of course, the guy, too, if you can,” Frank said. “These two guys are finally cooking as a team and I’m sure I can get funding for a new super spy movie. Don’t worry. You’ll get credit and we’ll use you for all the photos. Dynamite.”
“Hmm,” I said. “How about a girl with an accent?”
“Better yet!” he said.
“Might have someone. British. She’s looking for something new after the season in Stratford. Beautiful. Versatile. Mostly stage work, so she isn’t overly stacked, you know?” I warned.
“And why are you letting her go?” Frank asked.
“She’s not part of my family. I’m full up.”
“Adrienne, will you check her out when you go to Stratford?”
“I’ll be happy to. If she’s serious, we’ll get you photos and resume. I think our sponsor will be interested.”
It was beginning to look like my career consulting with the movies wasn’t over yet.
Anna and I didn’t really sleep that night. After we left the party, we kept Adrienne very busy for the rest of the night. She managed to get us into the limo to go to the airport Tuesday and we finally arrived back in Toronto that evening.
Of course, we were not going to get a few days of rest. Pericles and The Marriage Brokers opened Wednesday and Thursday. And on Saturday, Jane and Peter were arriving.
Anna and I stayed home with the children Wednesday night while Patricia and Ronda went to see The Marriage Brokers. I had the most peaceful and serene evening I could remember, just reading to the children before bed. I danced with Toni until she was ready to fall asleep and then switched to Alex, who woke up about then to be changed and danced back to sleep. Once both girls were sound asleep in bed, I danced with Anna as she lay her head on my shoulder.
I kissed her softly and she opened to me passionately. We slipped into bed and made love as we had not done in several days. Just the two of us reminding each other how much we were cherished by the other. We heard Ronda and Patricia come in late at night. They peeked in to see us wrapped in each other’s arms and went on to peek in on the girls and then to the guest room. Anna and I giggled a little and then I started moving in her again. When we woke in the morning, we made love again before Toni padded into the bedroom to wake us up to make breakfast.
We all let Ronda and Patricia sleep a little longer as Anna fixed breakfast and I changed Alex and fed her. It was such a restful and peaceful night and morning that I wanted to live in that moment forever.
Of course, that was not to be. Anna reminded me that Thursday morning at eleven, I had a photo appointment with Anita. Pericles would open in the Festival Theatre Thursday night, so Anita had the day off.
Ronda and I set up the studio, which included finally getting to go through the painted backdrops John had brought me for this season. There were some good ones and I hoped I had a chance to use some of them before the season was over. Anita’s session was the first private sitting I’d had this summer!
When she arrived, we got right into the discussion of what she wanted—besides to get well-sexed.
“So, what’s going on that you need a new portfolio?” I asked.
“I need to move on,” she said. “I’ve stopped growing here. It was a great challenge to come and play Rosalind last year and to be Kate this year. But I’m not moving up in my art. I moved from the Royal Shakespeare company in Stratford Upon Avon to the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Ontario. What’s next? Stratford Connecticut? The Oregon Shakespeare Festival? I need to do something more contemporary. Damien wouldn’t even consider me for The Bacchae. Said it was too modern for me. Besides, he has his Weird Sisters.”
“Were you serious about considering a film role in Hollywood?”
“Oh, hell yes. As long as it wasn’t pornography.”
“We went to the premiere of Double Exposure Monday. I was talking to the producer…”
“You actually know those people? I still can’t reconcile you as twenty-three years old, hobnobbing around with Hollywood bigwigs.”
“They won’t let me go. They’ve come up with an idea for a spy thriller and told me to be on the lookout for a beautiful actress with an accent to play a seductive girlfriend to the spy who is actually a double agent.”
“Yes! I’ll do it. When do I show up?”
“I’m good at taking pictures. I’m not so good at scouting talent. I mean, I know you’re talented, but I don’t know if it will translate to the big screen. I tell you what, though. Let’s get your photos and we’ll stage a couple that look like they could be spy thriller images. Then when Adrienne gets here at the end of the month, she’ll go over your resume with you and interview you. If she thinks it’s a good match, she’ll take it back to LA.”
“Adrienne is like your slave, isn’t she? Just tell her to take it to the producers.”
“Um… No. Adrienne is not my slave. She’s my pet. Please don’t antagonize her by calling her a slave. If she bites you, I’ll have to punish her,” I laughed.
“If she bites me, I’ll put her down.”
“That really didn’t work out well for the last woman who tried it. She woke up in a hotel hallway. Keep it all in good humor. Adrienne is a great judge of talent and represents a voice much more powerful than mine.”
“I was kidding anyway. You know I’m not a fighter. Like if you made a pass at me right now, I wouldn’t fight you off at all. You’ll make a pass at me, won’t you, Nate?” she smirked.
“Oh, I think I’ll wait until I get you completely naked and you’re defenseless,” I said. I got her positioned for her headshots and then we started working on the rest of what I thought would be a very exciting portfolio.
I thought about the idea Frank and Brent had brainstormed at the party, and I really liked it. Frankly, it sounded much more exciting than the films about a photographer. I figured I wouldn’t get nearly as involved with this one as the last. Assuming they even got funding and a go for the movie. I figured I could give them some insights about how the embassies worked and who I’d met there. I didn’t have any idea what kind of secret spy tech they were going to come up with, but I had visions of something worthy of 007.
I figured that if Anita was the love interest, I needed to sell her sexuality. I was certain, knowing those guys, that the girlfriend would spend time naked on camera, even though not a porn. And she needed to look young and seductive. I knew Anita was at least three years older than I was. I’d have Anna check her release for exact age. I hoped they found a really young actor to play the part of the spy so they could launch a few sequels with the same actor.
I finally got Anita into bed—on the set—with her long blonde curls draped around her face. I worked on the lighting so it looked like the sun was coming through a window and falling on her. We started with a black sheer teddy, but eventually I got her out of that, too. And when she was out of the teddy, it was just so easy to caress her boobs and give her little kisses. I had to keep refreshing her lipstick and figured eventually I was wearing as much of it as she was.
When I was sure we had the pose I wanted, I picked her up and carried her to the dressing room, where I indulged both of our fantasies with my face between her thighs.
“I’ve slept with enough theatre directors to know how things work,” she said. “I won’t disappoint you.”
“I’m not sure you could disappoint me,” I chuckled. “Don’t make too many offers too soon. These guys get fixated on an idea and I think as soon as I show them your picture, they’ll want to hire you. There’s no telling how soon they’ll start filming, though. The first movie didn’t start filming until a year after they did the initial research. They might be able to find you something else in the meantime. Trust Adrienne. She’ll help you.”
“You could fuck me now.”
“Mmm. You know my rule. No sex in the studio and no sex with models,” I said.
“I know you only pull that rule out when you’re looking for an excuse not to have sex with a model. Eat me again while I suck you.”
It was a good thing I had no further appointments for the day.
Please feel free to send comments to the author at devon@devonlayne.com.
