Chapter 10 – The Industry Party, Part 1

The champagne glass in Chloe’s hand was slowly becoming heavy. That was the downside of trying to drink slowly.

Ben Ziegler’s hand rested on her lower back, and she could feel the moist warmth of his fleshy fingers through the thin fabric of her red dress. It was the shortest, most revealing dress she owned, and she had even followed Julian’s advice and left her bra off and yet she still felt overdressed among most of the other women here.

The entire room, permeated by the soft bass of the music, which on other days was a hotel lobby, was a sea of faces, almost all of which she didn’t know, and many of which had that very special glow that came from either cocaine or Botox. In some cases, probably both.

Nearby, a redhead in a see-through mesh top laughed far too loudly at the joke of some porn producer, who himself seemed a little surprised at how well his relatively lame pun was received.

Chloe sipped her champagne. It was probably expensive, but she had no way of knowing, as it was the first time in her life, she had ever drunk champagne. Ben had pressed it into her hand, and when she protested that she wasn’t 21 yet, he raised his eyebrows in disbelief. “Nobody cares,” he had said.

“Over there,” Ben murmured in her ear, his breath smelling of the gin and tonic he’d been drinking since they arrived. His hand pressed harder against her back, guiding her through the crowd. “Time for you to meet some important people, Sunshine.”

Sunshine? What am I, a goddamn Care Bear?

He steered her purposefully toward a group of three men in expensive suits.

“Gentlemen!” Ben spread his arms as if they were old friends. “This is Chloe Heart, my newest talent. She just moved to Valley City. Fresh off the farm, so to speak.”

Fuck you, Ben. I’m from Oak Springs, you asshole, not fucking Kansas.

The tallest of the three was relatively athletic for his age, maybe in his early fifties, wore a fat gold watch, and had very badly dyed dark hair. He looked her up and down, quite benevolently, but his cologne was so pungent that Chloe had to force herself not to recoil from him.

“Victor Ross,” he introduced himself, his hand clasping hers a tad too long. “Anal Adventures.”

They’re all so subtle.

“Hi!” Chloe flashed her brightest smile. “Wow, of course I know your studio!”

Victor grinned, visibly flattered but also like someone who was used to being flattered. “I think I actually remember you, Ben sent me your portfolio a few days ago.” Which meant nothing other than that he had already seen her naked. His eyes still lingered on her cleavage anyway. “Do you shoot anal?”

The question came so casually, but it still threw her off balance for a moment. Chloe felt Ben’s hand tighten on her back.

“I’m open to anything,” she purred, placing a hand on Victor’s arm. “But I want to work my way up slowly, you understand? The best things come to those who can wait.”

She winked. Victor laughed, a barking sound. “Clever. I like that. Ben, call me when she’s ready.”

Ben nodded eagerly. “Absolutely, Victor. You’re first on my list.”

They moved on, Ben’s grip still firm. “Well done,” he murmured. “Victor’s an asshole, but he pays well.”

Next, he pushed her toward a chubby man with thinning hair who looked more like a chemistry teacher who stumbled in her by accident than a porn producer. As he shook Chloe’s hand, a heavy gold wedding ring flashed on his hand, which then immediately wandered to her upper arm and began to caress her as if that were completely normal.

“Kevin Weinberg, Erotica Kings,” he introduced himself. “Ben really didn’t exaggerate. You have exactly the look our viewers love. Young, fresh, but with that certain… hunger in your eyes.”

Maybe it’s because I’ve been eating instant noodles for a week because I don’t have much money, you creep.

“Oh my God, thank you!” She giggled. “It would be absolutely amazing if I could shoot for Erotica Kings!”

Kevin’s hand wandered down her arm. “Have you seen our brand ‘Babysitters with Benefits’? You’d be perfect as the young babysitter who-“

“Kevin!” A pretty blonde woman in her mid-forties, wearing a dress that was more cleavage than fabric and showed off her obviously augmented breasts more than it covered them, appeared next to them. “Stop talking the poor girl’s ear off. And keep your hands to yourself.”

She deftly pushed herself between Kevin and Chloe, a maneuver she was clearly experienced at. “I’m Kimberley, Kevin’s better half. Both professionally and in our private life.” She winked at Chloe. “Don’t let him sweet-talk you. He talks a lot, but in the end, I decide who we book.”

Ben laughed nervously. “Kimberley, honey, this is Chloe. She just started, but-“

“She’s cute,” Kimberley interrupted, eyeing Chloe like a piece of meat at the market. “A little too cute, maybe. Our viewers like girls who are a little more confident and experienced, and I don’t want Babysitters with Benefits to become a training ground for new performers. We’re not CCC.”

“She’s a quick learner,” Ben hastily assured her. “Give her a few months-“

“Maybe.” Kimberley shrugged and pulled Kevin away with her. “Send me her portfolio.”

They disappeared into the crowd. Ben’s face was slightly reddened.

“Ignore that bitch,” he muttered. “She’s just jealous because you’re younger and hotter than she ever was.”

He led her past the DJ booth, where the music was loudest, before he spotted his next target.

“Oh, fuck, there’s Virgil!” Ben’s eyes lit up. He pulled her toward a tall black man wearing a leather jacket, closely cropped gray hair, and had expensive rings on every finger.

“Virgil DeVries,” Ben whispered quickly. “Dark Desires. Interracial stuff. He used to be a performer himself in the eighties and then started his own production company. Nowadays, though, his wife Lucia has been running the show for quite a while now and he’s pretty much retired.”

Chloe had actually heard of Lucia DeVries before and had even seen one of her films. As a director, she had tried to make more artistic porn movies before she met her husband and joined Dark Desires.

“Virgil!” Ben’s voice was deliberately jovial. “Man, how long has it been?”

Virgil turned around, a glass of whiskey in his hand. His eyes were glassy, but his gaze sharpened when he saw Chloe.

“Benny Boy.” He completely ignored Ben’s outstretched hand. “Who’s the chick?”

“Chloe Heart. My newest-“

“Can’t she speak for herself?” Virgil’s gaze remained fixed on Chloe.

She took a small step forward, away from Ben’s hand. “Hi, Mr. DeVries. I’m a huge fan of Dark Desires. The production values are incredible.”

They really were. Chloe thought the Dark Desires films always looked highly polished.

Virgil snorted. “Production values, she says. Makes it sounds like we’re shooting fucking blockbusters or something.” He took a sip of whiskey. “At the end of the day, we’re filming people fucking. Don’t let anyone tell you it’s art.”

“I don’t know,” Chloe cautiously replied. “Sure, most of them aren’t very sophisticated, but every now and then a masterpiece like ‘Symmetry of Lace’ gets made. I think that’s art.”

That was one of his wife’s early works.

“You’ve actually seen Lucia’s old artsy stuff?” Virgil sounded surprised. “Most of Ben’s girls can’t even read properly.”

Ben laughed awkwardly. “Virgil likes to exaggerate-“

“Shut up, Ben.” Virgil’s tone was bored. Turning to Chloe, he said, “Are you interested in shooting interracial scenes?”

“I’m open to anything that’s artistically valuable,” she replied, winking at him.

Virgil stared at her for a moment, then burst out laughing, booming and rich.

“Artistically valuable. You’re a real original, kid.” He downed the rest of his whiskey. “Ben, bring her portfolio by next week. Maybe Lucia can do something with her.”

He turned away and made his way to the bar. The conversation was obviously over for him.

Ben was practically vibrating with excitement as he led Chloe away. “That was brilliant, Sunshine! Virgil hardly ever takes on new girls!”

His hand slid lower down her back, now almost at the top of her butt. Chloe’s skin tingled uncomfortably, but she let it happen.

“There’s one person I definitely have to introduce you to,” Ben’s gaze scanned the crowd. “She must be here somewhere…”

Then Ben’s hand suddenly tensed. She followed his gaze across the room and immediately saw why.

Valeria Cruz.

Valeria Cruz stood by the window, surrounded by three men who listened attentively to her. She wore a sharply tailored white pantsuit and her dark hair was pinned up in a severe bun. Even from a distance, Chloe could see her large gold hoop earrings sparkling.

“Shit, there she is,” Ben muttered, hastily adjusting his tie and brushing his thinning hair back with his hand. “Okay, Sunshine, now it’s getting serious. Valeria is the most important person here. You understand? Don’t fuck it up.”