Chapter 12 – Elena Rodriguez
by Kleo EriliBen was nowhere to be seen.
She stood on tiptoe, searching for his thinning, slicked-back hair among all the styled heads. There he was, in the corner by the window. But he wasn’t alone.
The man Ben was talking to looked like an investment banker. He wore an impeccably tailored charcoal gray suit and had gray hair slicked back with gel, the whole man just overly smooth. He didn’t look like someone from the porn industry, more like a Wall Street shark from the eighties.
Chloe grabbed a fresh glass of champagne from a passing waiter and moved slowly closer, as if she were just wandering aimlessly around the room, when in reality she was watching Ben and the guy.
Ben’s body language was completely different from before. No big gestures, no sleazy grin. He stood stiffly, nodding only occasionally as the other man spoke quietly to him. And he kept looking around. Short, nervous glances over his shoulder, as if he were afraid of being watched.
What the hell are you doing, Ben?
The man in the suit reached into his inside pocket. Chloe held her breath.
A thick envelope. Ben took it and quickly slipped it into his own jacket pocket. His lips moved. He said something, but Chloe was still too far away to hear.
Chloe pushed her way closer, slipping between two guys who were discussing whether VR porn was the future or would go the way of 3D movies in theaters.
“…the catalog is complete?” Ben’s voice, she could hardly hear anything.
The man in the suit nodded. “The delivery is for…” The rest was lost as someone next to Chloe burst out laughing.
She tried to get even closer, but a waiter with a huge tray full of empty glasses pushed between her and the two men. “Excuse me, miss.”
By the time the waiter had passed, Ben and the man in the suit had already separated. The stranger disappeared toward the bar, while Ben turned around and-
“Sunshine! There you are!” His voice was immediately back to normal, loud and jovial.
Who was that man? What catalog? A delivery of what?
“Ben, would it be okay if I stepped outside for a moment? I need some fresh air.” She needed to clear her head and think in peace, and that was impossible in this stuffy air with all these people swarming around her.
“Yes, go ahead, but don’t run away.” He laughed stupidly again.
Shortly afterwards, Chloe stepped out onto the terrace into the night. Despite the Valley City heat, the air outside was a refreshing relief from the stuffiness inside.
At first, she thought she was alone. Then she saw the glowing tip of a cigarette in the darkness.
A woman was leaning against the railing, her back turned to the party. Long black hair fell over her shoulders, her revealing silver dress shimmering in the dim light that fell through the glass doors. When the woman turned around, Chloe recognized her immediately.
Elena Rodriguez.
Shit. It’s her. Samantha’s friend.
Elena looked her up and down, took another drag. “You’re here with Ben, right? New in the industry?”
The questions came out tired, almost bored. Not unfriendly, but not particularly interested either.
“Yes.” Chloe stepped closer, trying to appear casual, even though her heart was suddenly beating faster. “Only been in Valley City for a week.”
Elena snorted. “And Ben’s already dragged you to one of Valeria’s parties. The guy really doesn’t waste any time.” She held out her cigarette pack. “Want one?”
“Thanks, I… I don’t really smoke.”
“Smart.” Elena put the pack back in her tiny clutch. “But in this business, sooner or later everyone finds something to throw their money away on. There are worse things than cigarettes.”
She turned back to the railing and looked out over the lights of Valley City. From here, the city looked almost beautiful.
“Is it always like this?” Chloe stood next to her, resting her hands on the cool metal of the railing. “So, um… so intense?”
Elena laughed. “Honey, this is harmless. Wait until you get invited to one of the private parties.” She took a deep drag. “Although, with your looks… it probably won’t be long.”
Chloe forced a giggle. “Oh my God, I don’t know if I’m ready for that! I mean, I just shot my first scene and…” She let her voice become admiring. “I still can’t believe I’m talking to you here! I’m literally a huge fan!”
Elena raised an eyebrow. “A fan?”
“Yeah, really! The scene you did for Sinful Stepsisters, where you pretended to be stuck in that window, was so good.” Chloe had done her homework. “How you pulled that off for almost forty minutes… that was insane! How do you make it look so easy?”
Elena’s face hardened for a moment. She stubbed out her cigarette on the railing.
“It wasn’t easy.” The words came out harshly, almost angrily. Then she seemed to catch herself, forcing a tired smile onto her lips. “But thanks. You… get used to it.”
“I hope I can be as tough as you someday.” Chloe played with a strand of hair, acting shy.
Should I… is it too soon to ask about Samantha, out of the blue like this? Oh, fuck it.
“To be honest, you’re one of the main reasons I wanted to do porn. Well, you and Samantha Sparkles, but…”
The change was immediately apparent. Elena’s whole body stiffened, her knuckles turned white as she gripped the railing tightly. For a long moment, she said nothing, just stared out into the night.
“I knew her. We… were friends.”
The way she said it, there was pain in it, grief even, but also something else. Guilt? Regret?
“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t know,” Chloe said quietly. “I didn’t mean to…”
“It’s okay.” Elena was already reaching for her next cigarette, her hands trembling slightly. “You couldn’t have known…” She paused, lit the cigarette. “Sam was… she was tough, not me. Always had a funny line ready. Like nothing could hurt her.”
But someone did hurt her.
“One of her videos, I think it was her first, was actually the reason I started getting interested in the industry in the first place, made me realize that I wanted to shoot porn myself someday,” Chloe lied. “Her CCC video. The way she smiled at the end, like she was exactly where she belonged…”
Elena laughed. “Yes, Sam was good at acting. The best. She could easily have gone to Hollywood instead of doing this.”
Again, silence.
Then Elena turned to her, fixing her with a gaze that seemed to pierce right through her Chloe Heart facade. “A little tip, girl. You have to be careful who you trust here.” Her voice was quiet, insistent. “Everyone here wants something from you. Everyone. Most just want to fuck you, but many also want your money. And some…” She paused, took another drag, seemed to consider whether to continue. “Some want things you can’t even imagine yet.”
“I… thank you.” Chloe swallowed. “Honestly. It’s hard to find someone here who tells you the straight truth.”
Elena looked at her for a long time, and for a moment Chloe saw something flash in her eyes.
I need to do something.
“Maybe…” Chloe took out her phone, trying to sound casual. “Could we go for coffee sometime? Or something? I could really use someone with more experience to talk to.”
Elena hesitated. Chloe could basically see her weighing the pros and cons. Then, almost reluctantly, she pulled out her own phone.
“Give me your number.”
They exchanged contacts. Elena saved her as “Chloe/New Girl.”
“Elena!” a man’s voice called from inside. “Come on, Valeria wants to talk to you!”
Elena’s face closed again, the brief vulnerability disappearing behind a mask of professional indifference. “I have to go in. See you around!”
Then she was gone, and the glass door closed behind her.
At least that’s a start.
~
Two hours later, Chloe sat huddled in a cab, staring out the window as the nighttime Valley City passed by in blurry neon streaks. The driver had turned on some Middle Eastern music, much too loud, but she was grateful for it. It drowned out her thoughts. Almost.
Throat Me. Wednesday. In four days.
Her tongue reflexively probed the back of her palate, as if measuring its depth. How the hell was she supposed to practice getting throatfucked without choking? With a banana? A cucumber? The thought alone was so absurd that she almost had to laugh if it weren’t so damn serious.
Then she was home.
She slowly climbed the stairs to her apartment. Her feet hurt like hell from the high heels, and the tight red dress clung uncomfortably to her sweaty skin by now.
As soon as the door closed behind her, she kicked off her heels and tossed them into the corner. She pulled the dress over her head and threw it carelessly on the floor. She stood there for a moment in just her thong and stretched before putting on sweatpants and a hoodie.
The laptop hummed quietly as she opened it. The document with her notes was still open. She sat cross-legged on the bed and started typing:
Saturday, Valley City Hotel (Valeria Cruz Industry Party):
New contacts: Victor Ross from Anal Adventures, pushy, wants to book me when I’m “ready.” Kevin Weinberg from Erotica Kings, married, gropy, his wife Kimberley actually runs the business. Virgil DeVries from Dark Desires, I think he was drunk but a little hot for me, wants Ben to send my portfolio to Dark Desires. Marc Weston from Throat Me BOOKED ME FOR WEDNESDAY (SHIT!!!!)
Valeria Cruz: Really creepy. Ben acted like he was her lapdog. She wants my portfolio. Ben almost fainted with joy. She seemed interested in me, but was her reaction just business, or did she perhaps recognize me? Unlikely, but… I don’t even want to think about it.
Elena Rodriguez: Definitely was friends with Sam. Her reaction to Sam’s name was really telling. She seemed sad, but it was strange, as if there was more to it. Guilt? Anger? “Sam was good at acting.” She gave me her number even though I got the impression she didn’t really want to (why was that? Pity?) Warned me: “Everyone here wants something from you.” Was that really just a general advice or did it refer to someone specific? Also has something to do wuith Valeria Cruz.
Ben’s suspicious behavior: Conversation with an unknown man (gray suit, looked like a banker or something). Gray guy gave him an envelope (money? But for what? Drugs?). They said something about “catalog complete” and “delivery” (again, drugs??), but that’s all I understood. Ben seemed nervous, very different from usual. But then he was back to normal right away, as if nothing had happened.
Other stuff: Women in the bathroom were talking about someone who had disappeared (who? why? does it matter?) There were traces of cocaine in the bathroom. Almost all the men there touched me. Just like that.
So many threads, but no pattern yet. But typing helped her organize her thoughts. Writing down the facts made them less overwhelming and also made it easier to see the connections.
Her cell phone vibrated on the nightstand. It was a message from Ben:
Chloe stared at the screen.
“You’re going places,” he says. Yes, straight to my knees in front of some rando, so he can fuck my throat.
If she was lucky, in front of that misogynistic brute Trevor Knight, so that at least her investigation would benefit from it.
She snorted and put the phone back without replying, then closed her laptop and fell backwards onto the bed.
“I’m getting closer, Sam,” she whispered into the darkness. “I don’t know how far I have to go yet, but I’m getting closer.”
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