Chapter 2

• Todd stepped out of his hiding place and tiptoed up the hall to get back to the parking lot to wait on Stephanie. He bumped into a stack of scaffolding off to one side. A pile of loose pipes rolled loose and clattered across the floor behind him.
• The director spewed out a string of curses that Todd was pretty sure were in at least three other languages besides English. He followed the curses by screaming. “Cut. Whoever that was this time, bring him to me so that I can cut off his balls.”
• Todd ran up the hallway in the dark and rounded the corner. He made it to the exit door and hit the crash bar stumbling out into the bright, Los Angeles sunlight. He made his way around the building back to the parking lot.
• Todd sighed and leaned against the door of his car.
• After about another hour, people started to filter out of the front doors of the studio. Todd moved around to the other side of the car and turned his back.
• He hunched over trying to hide himself from anyone who might recognize him from his two disruptions on the set.
• The door opened again and Stephanie walked out next to the director. He was taller than Todd had realized. In the sunlight, the man’s skin glistened with real sweat. He leaned down and kissed Stephanie on both cheeks very near her mouth. She smiled. She patted his butt as she walked around him and the director returned the favor.
• Todd looked away again as Stephanie approached. Todd opened the door and she sat down in the seat. She was wearing loose sweat pants and sandals.
• Todd licked his lips. Even her toes were sexy to him. Her sweat shirt was zipped down in the front far enough to show plenty of cleavage. She wasn’t wearing a bra. From the smooth curve of her ass on the seat, Todd suspected she wasn’t wearing panties either.
• She looked up at him and smiled. Todd felt himself melt inside from her giving him that smile. She said, “You made quite an entrance and quite an exit, Todd. I’m supposed to be the diva. Remember?”
• Todd grimaced and shrugged. “Sorry, Steph. I really“I know you are,” she said. “Let’s get on the road. Hal gave me the code for his gate. We’re supposed to go get comfortable before we start.”
• Todd closed her door and grimaced again. His legs shook as he walked around the back of the car. He was more than a little nervous about what came next.
• Todd opened his car door and sat down next to his wife. He started the car and gripped the steering wheel.
• After a moment, Steph said, “You okay over there, Todd?”
• He swallowed and said, “I’m a little nervous. I’m not used to being in front of the camera at all much less like this.”
• “Oh, and you are saying I am?” She tilted her head and raised her perfect eyebrows. “You saying I’m some kind of porn star that does this all the time? Is that it?”
• Todd coughed and shook his head as he stared forward at the fence through the windshield. “No. No, not at all. That’s not what I’m saying. I’m just not used to performing at all. Performing sexually on camera. It’s intimidating.”
• “So you are saying I’m comfortable performing as a slut on camera, huh?” Steph reached out and put her hand on Todd’s shoulder. “You want me to give you some of my slut tips to help you out. Is that it?”
• “No.” Todd rubbed his face. “I’m just nervous. You are so hot. You look great no matter what you are doing. You are hot as hell just picking up around the house. I’m just saying I’m nervous that I will let you down. That’s all.”
• After a pause, Steph leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. It was farther from his mouth than the director had kissed Steph, but it still felt good. She leaned back into her seat and took her hand off Todd’s shoulder.
• She said, “We don’t have to, if you don’t want to. This is what I wanted for my birthday for us, but if you are not up to it, we can call it off. I’ll be disappointed, but I’ll get over it. The money is already spent though.”
• “I thought this Hal guy was doing it as a favor,” Todd said.
• Stephanie laughed. “He’s a professional, Todd. Hal Collins is doing it on the cheap and that is the favor. He has to be compensated for his time, the equipment, the editing, and all. We’ll be out the money, but like I said, I’ll get over it. It won’t be the first time I haven’t gotten what I wanted in life. It won’t be the last time either.”
• “No.” Todd sighed. “No, I’m not going to mess up your birthday just because I’m a little nervous. If you want a tape of us, then that is what you are going to get.”
• She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek again. It was farther from his mouth than before.
• She said, “Thank you, baby. You’re the best.”
• He shifted into reverse and pulled out of the space. “No, Steph. You’re the best and you deserve the very best.”
• They pulled out of the nearly empty parking lot.
• Stephanie said, “Take a right here and follow this all the way out into the Hills.”
• “The Hills,” Todd said. “Fancy.”
• “Hal is letting us use his place to film,” Steph said.
• “He’s going to let a couple strangers have sex in his house while he films it?” Todd asked.
• “Not strangers,” she said. “He knows me. I’ve done several commercials with him. He’s actually looking into doing more films. He’s getting ready to direct one that he wrote himself. He’ll be a good contact, if he makes it big one day.”
• “Well, after this, he’ll probably remember you,” Todd said.
• Steph cleared her throat and said, “I’m going to take that as a compliment whether you meant it that way or not.”
• “I did,” Todd said.
• “Good. This will be a lot of fun. Just relax. We’ll have a nice birthday souvenir for when we are old, wrinkled, and gray together.”
• Todd laughed as the light turned green. Traffic was still backed up, but started moving finally. He just made it through the light before it changed again.
• It made him feel good that she was picturing them together still once they turned old. She had given him no reason that he should worry, but he did anyway. Todd figured that came with being married to someone out of his league.