“Yeah, let’s go, Aunt Siobhán,” Michael says, and even though he’s behind me, I can hear the smile in his voice.
Belinda stops dead on the porch. “He’s your nephew?” That sends Michael into a fit of laughter.
“As far as our nosy neighbor goes, he is!” I say, chuckling myself.
“Nosy neighbor?”
I just nod at her. “We’ll fill you in during a break. But this guy here?” I say, pointing at Michael. “He’s one hell of an actor!”
We’ve repainted the walls in the basement so they look a little different and moved some furniture around. What was the bedroom is now outfitted as a living room, complete with a huge, overstuffed white sofa. “Did you get a chance to read the script?”
Michael nods. “Yeah. It’s good. But I … Oh, nothing,” he says, ducking his head.
Kelso looks up. “What?”
“Well, I just … it seemed to me like it would have a more organic feel if I came into the scene from out of camera range instead of through the door,” Michael said. “I mean, like …” he says, then says, “Never mind.”
“No, I want to hear this,” Kelso says. I take a look up at his eyes and I find he’s not angry or put out―he really wants to know what Michael’s thinking.
“I was just thinking, if we did the scene where I come in and the door closes and then we move into the ‘room’ from behind the camera and walk past it, it would seem like the door was on the other side of the room from the sofa. And it would give the film a different feel even though we’re using the same set,” he says. Then he sighs. “You’re the professional, though. I don’t know what I’m talking about.”
I hear Gabhain chuckle and Kelso says, “No, no! I really like that idea. Yeah. We can’t afford a lot of different sets, so we can make it look different that way. Good thinking, Michael. Very good thinking!” Kelso’s smiling and so is Gabhain.
“Thanks. I thought about it last night while I was reading it,” the young man says. The more I’m around him, the more I like him.
“Okay. So let’s do a walk-through,” Kelso says and takes them to their marks. They practice how they’re going to move into and out of the scenes, and we all agree that it works very well.
In the meantime, Rhonda’s shown up to start doing makeup and hair. “Michael’s back?” she asks.
I smile. “Yeah.”
“You like him,” she says, pulling makeup out of her bag and setting it out on the vanity in the dressing area.
I nod. “Yeah. I do. He’s a good kid, and he wants to do a good job. He takes this seriously.”
“And the girl?”
“We’re about to find out,” I tell her, “but so far, it seems like she’s approaching this from a very professional angle.”
“Good.” Pulling towels and makeup remover from her bag, she lays everything out and looks around. “Are they about ready?”
“I think so. I’ll go get one of them.” When I step back into the set, I get a big surprise.
Belinda’s naked. “Um, Rhonda’s ready for somebody,” I say as they all turn and look at me.
Michael’s the first one to move. “I’ll go. It won’t take her long to do me.” He walks past me and disappears into the dressing area.
“What’s going on out here?” I ask, knowing full well what it is.
“We needed to see if there were any problems with her shape that needed to be addressed with camera angle,” Gabhain replies. “And now, Belinda, I need you to lie down on the bed over there and spread your legs.” She hesitates for just a second and then does what she was told. “Looks good. In case you were wondering, there’ll be closeups of your genitals, so we needed to see them. Have you had any problems in the past when you’ve had sex?” She shakes her head to indicate no, her face bright red. “And you’ve got your health department paperwork?” She nods. “Good. Give that to Siobhán and then it’s your turn in the dressing area.”
“Yes, sir,” she says and sits back up, then crosses the room to rummage in her bag. When she comes back, she hands me the papers. They’re all in order, and I nod to Gabhain.
Twenty minutes later, everyone’s dressed and ready to roll. This script calls for Michael to be a cable repairman who comes to put in a line for the TV in Belinda’s living room. Belinda starts the scene sitting on the sofa. “Ready, action!” Kelso calls out.
I watch as Belinda rises gracefully and steps out of camera range. “Cut! Now, to the door,” he says to Belinda, and she follows his direction. She answers the door and finds Michael outside it. He tells her who he is and why he’s there. Kelso cuts the scene again after they walk out of camera range, then starts again when they step back in. Belinda shows Michael the place where the line should be. He starts to work to put the line in, and that’s when Belinda begins to finger herself. She makes a couple of little noises that attract Michael’s attention, and he looks around and rises.
“You know, I could do that for you,” he offers, and Belinda giggles.
“Oh, yeah? That would be nice,” she tells him.
All of the action in this film takes place on the sofa, so Kelso was careful with the scenes. Michael finishes undressing Belinda, and then she undresses him. When she sits back down, he buries his face in her pussy and things start to really take off. I’m not sure what’s going to happen next when I watch him slip two curled fingers into her channel and start to pump, the fingers of his other hand pinching and pulling her nipples.
Her moans turn to gasps and cries of pleasure, and I wonder if he’s going to let her come. She’s close―very, very close―and I’m getting turned on just watching. From the way it’s going right now, they appear to have very good on-camera chemistry.
I’m pretty sure he’s going to let her come but at the very last moment, he stops and she whines. “Up on your elbows and knees on the sofa,” he tells her and when she’s in position, Michael climbs up behind her and spreads her ass cheeks. “Oh, yeah. You’re so wet, baby. I’m gonna make you sing.” With no further ado, he plows right into her.
The boy’s got a hard cock, I’ll say that for him, and we watch as he moves around until he finds an angle that makes her scream. He slaps her ass occasionally and she gasps. After a few minutes, he climbs off the sofa, lifts her leg nearest him up and back, and begins to fuck her standing up. I see Kelso adjust the camera angle, and I’m guessing he’s getting a very, very good view of this. The screaming and moaning she’s doing has got to be loud enough that it could be heard outside, and that starts to make me a little nervous, but this is our work.
Michael ramps up the speed and intensity, and Belinda’s going crazy. When he drops her leg and climbs back up behind her, she’s begging and pleading him for more. In another three minutes, he pulls out, strokes himself frantically, and blows cum all over her backside. It’s a beautiful sight.
Then, unscripted, he steps off the sofa, walks around to her head, and bends down. With a finger under her chin, he tips her face up and places a gentle kiss on her forehead. I swear, the girl looks like she’s going to cry. He just says, “I’ve got other appointments I’ve got to keep. Everybody loves the cable guy.” Gathering his clothes, he heads out of camera range and Belinda turns her head to watch him go.
“Cut!” Spinning to look at Kelso, I see him grinning like a monkey. “Holy hell, that was amazing! You two get dressed. I want to talk to everybody.”
It only takes them a couple of minutes to get their clothes on and we all meet back on the set. “Tell them, Kelso,” Gabhain says. I saw them standing off to the side, speaking in hushed tones, and wondered what was going on.
Kelso folds his arms across his chest and leans back into the stance. “I can’t believe what I just saw. This was your first film?” he says to Belinda, and she nods. “I think this is going to edit out to one of the best shoots I’ve ever done. You two are naturals. If you’ll stick with us, I think we’re going to be able to make some films that will really sell well.”
Michael’s mouth has dropped open as he listens to Kelso, but he seems to come back to himself. “Wow. I mean, wow. Yes! I want to keep working with you. Please!”
“Yeah, me too!” Belinda chimes up. “This was fun. And sexy. Very, very sexy.” She cuts her eyes at Michael and he grins.
“Good! I’m going to get to work on this tonight. As soon as I have the final edited version, I want all of you to come and watch it. I think you’re going to be surprised.”
I can barely wait!
“Siobhán, this lasagna is delicious,” Michael says as he has a second helping.
Belinda puts a hand on mine. “It is. Thank you so much for having me over for dinner. I can’t wait to see what Kelso’s done with the film!”
“I think you’re all going to be pleased,” Kelso tells us with a big grin.
“I saw some of it, and he’s right,” Gabhain says. “It’s pretty damn awesome.”
When we finish with dinner, we all go into the living room and Kelso starts the playback. “Holy hell, this is pretty amazing,” I whisper.
“I can’t believe that’s me,” I hear Michael murmur.
“And I can’t believe that’s me!” Belinda exclaims. “God, we look so hot, Michael!”
“Yeah, we do! That’s incredible. Oh, wow, look at that,” Michael whispers. “I was fucking the hell out of you!”
Belinda giggles. “Yeah, you were, and I was loving it. You’re good.”
I see Michael blush. “Um, thanks! I try.”
“She’s right, you know. You’re a great fuck,” I say without looking at him.
“You guys worked together?” Belinda asks.
“Yeah. My first movie. Siobhán, Gabhain, and me,” Michael explains. “Double penetration.”
“Wow. That’s awesome. Could I maybe do that sometime?” Belinda asks.
Kelso and Gabhain nods before my husband says, “Sure. Don’t know why not.”
We’re happy with the film. I think it’s a winner. So what’s next?
Make more.
5
Gloria
I’m in the living room doing a word search puzzle when Russell gets home from the home improvement store. “Did you get all the stuff I asked for?” I ask him.
“Yeah. I got eight bags of topsoil, four bags of potting soil, two of those weird fiber liners that go inside the metal baskets, and two bags of river rock.”
I smile at him. “Did you get the plant food too?”
“Sure did. A container for flowers and another for vegetables.” He pulls an apple out of the bowl on the counter. “And I saw the minister lady and her friend at the store. You know―the Gholson lady.”
Ever since Reverend Samuel pulled that stunt on me that Sunday morning, I’ve tried to stay away from them. They make me very nervous. There’s no way of knowing what he might accuse me of next time, and I don’t need that, no sir.
Then I remember what happened this morning. “I was out walking and ran into that McAllister woman. Their nephew was coming over to see them. He’s a very good-looking boy, that one.”
“Um-hmmm,” Russell says as he looks at the mail he brought in, and I can tell he’s not paying any attention to what I’m saying.
“Doesn’t look a thing like her, so he must look like her husband,” I say.
Russell half speaks, half grunts, “Yeah, probably.”
“His wife is a dog and their daughter is a cat,” I say, wondering what kind of response I’ll get.
He doesn’t even look up. “Right.”
“Russell Livingston!” I yell, and his head snaps up. “You’re not listening to a word I say!”
“Well, hell, Gloria, you say so damn many!”
“Yeah? Well, what about this? I was over there later yesterday after I’d seen her out and there were weird noises coming from their house.”
“What kind of noises do you mean?” Russell asks.
I shake my head. “I’m not sure. Seemed like squealing, or maybe screaming. It was just weird.”
“Gloria,” he starts, and I already don’t like his tone. “I’ve told you to stay away from the neighbors and leave them alone.”
“But what if they’re, I don’t know, holding slaves in the basement or something like that,” I try, knowing what he’s going to say.
“Oh, yeah, and they’re operating a funeral home there too, huh? Wasn’t that the last crazy thing you came up with?” he says, his voice husky and dark.
“We know that’s not true. But if I could just figure out what’s making those sounds. I mean, it doesn’t sound right.”
He shakes his head. “It’s not right. And the not right part is you snooping. One of these days you’re going to get arrested for trespassing and I’m not coming to get you out,” he says, flipping through a magazine that came in the mail.
“I was just thinking, if I could get to one of the windows and kind of …” I say. With that, he tosses the mail down and heads for the door. “Where are you going?” I call after him.
“Somewhere other than here,” he calls back.
I can’t even have a conversation with the man. It’s just ridiculous. I hear the big garage door roll up, and I know he’s going out there to sit and sulk. Seems the best thing for me to do would be to pour myself a drink and have a seat.
Siobhán
Kelso gets the film all polished, including the titling and credits, and I call the distribution company. My account representative there, Denise, has always been nice to me. She answers with a cheerful, “Siobhán! How are you?”
“I’m good. And you?”
“I’m good. What’s up?”
I tell her all about the films, especially the last one, how I think it’ll do, and what we’re hoping for. When I finish, I ask her, “Well? What do you think?”
“I’ve got something I need to talk to you about,” she says, her tone growing serious.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. You haven’t gotten the earnings statement for this month yet, so I want to give you a heads up. One of your films is doing very well, and I mean very, very well. I think you’ll be pleased.”
“Oh? Which film is that?”
“Um,” she says, and I hear her rustling around before she says, “it’s A Fox in the Henhouse.”
“Really?” That was one that Gabhain and I did together. I wouldn’t exactly call it messing around, but it was done right after we set up the new studio in the basement. Kelso wanted us to do one so he could check lighting, sound, everything. When we got finished, it actually looked pretty good, so he cleaned it up and we sent it out. And it was selling? That was a surprise. “Why do you think it’s doing so well?”
“I wondered that myself, so I called a couple of the outlets. They said all their sales of porn featuring older actors is flying out the doors. Apparently there are a lot of people looking for that, and especially what they call silver foxes.”
That’s like a huge wake-up call for me. “You’re serious.”
“I’m dead serious. They told us to ask anyone who’d made at least one to consider making more. From what they’re telling me, there’s a huge demand and not a lot of production companies making them.”
“That’s because it’s hard to find good-looking older men who take good care of themselves and don’t look like somebody’s great-great uncle,” I point out.
“True. But if you could find one or two, I think we could sell the hell out of them,” Denise says. “Just an idea.”
“Thanks. Yeah, I’ll keep that in mind, and I appreciate you telling me. I mean, if we don’t know―”
“Exactly. I hope you can come up with a few. Anything else?” Denise asks.
“No. Thanks, Denise. I enjoy working with you.”
“I enjoy working with you too, Siobhán. Send those films on and I’ll handle them. Take care.”
The call ends and I sit there for a few minutes, thinking about what she said. Older male actors. Where would I go about finding them?
Ten minutes later, I’ve talked to Gabhain and Kelso and told them what she said. “Do you think you can find some guys?” Gabhain asks.
“I don’t know, but I can try. And you’re still available,” I point out and grin.
“Yep. I am. But I think we need to try for some variety,” he says.
“I’m with him. Variety is key,” Kelso says.
“Well, then, I’ll see what I can do.” Now I’ve got to figure out where to look. There’s got to be a place.
My trips to the local gyms yield nothing. All I see in there are guys thirty-five and under pumping iron. I do see another couple of guys who’d be good in that age range, but that’s another day.
I go to an auto parts store and poke around, but I really don’t see anyone I’d want in a film. Then I go to the hospital and wander around, but most of the guys there are either young employees or dead with old age. I mean, seriously dead with old age, or at least very close to it. I try the mall, too, but no luck. Nobody.
On my way home, I stop at the grocery. We need some almond milk, and a bag of salad mix, and some of those cookies Kelso loves so much. I’ve stopped to look at the different brands of olive oil when someone bumps into me and a voice says, “Oh, gosh, I’m so sorry, honey!”
I turn and there, standing before me, is possibly one of the most gorgeous men I’ve ever seen. He’s tall, muscular, and has beautiful brown eyes.
And he’s also at least in his late fifties, if not more. “That’s quite all right! I backed into you,” I say, a little flustered under his gaze.
“No, my fault entirely. Have a good day,” he says as he walks away. At the end of the aisle he meets up with a woman pushing a cart, a very attractive older lady. Must be his wife.
Then I start to watch as I walk through the grocery and I make a discovery: There are a lot of very good-looking older men there. I actually see a few I’m guessing are single, based on what’s in their carts and the fact that they’re shopping alone. The grocery wasn’t a place I ever would’ve thought to look, but it looks like it might just be a very good resource.
Siobhán and Gabhain at 241 Harper's Cove Page 5