no big deal…”
“All right, enough. I’m not a kid anymore. I’m 31 years old and am not going to keep falling victim to your guilt trips. I really have free rein in this part?”
“Absolutely. I want you to do whatever it takes to help this girl discover her inner swan. This is your dream role, son. I already mentioned to her in passing that it will be an experiment in age-play. She’s a total innocent, though… and there will be surveillance cameras filming every minute. Filming will be discreet, I promise, and only the necessary scenes will be used. I’m planning on the bulk of the transformation to take about three or four months.”
“That’s outrageous! How bad off can this woman be to need three straight months of coaching? That is asinine.”
“Pretty bad, my boy. That’s why she is the perfect candidate. She’s comfortable in front of the lens, is well-spoken, and truly believes herself to be the proverbial ugly duckling. If you just allow your instinct to take control, I honestly believe that you can be the one to draw out her softness and confidence. She needs you. And so do I. For all we know, this could be my last production…”
“You do know that you are manipulating me, right?”
“Oh, I am counting on it!” Arthur laughed. “I will be giving you the lake house during the initial filming. It will provide enough privacy and isolation for you to experiment and discover what makes her tick. I’ve stocked it with various items and oddities for you to use to your heart’s content and, of course, if you need anything in particular, just ask. I only request that you remember that she’s an innocent…”
“I’m not a rapist, for God’s sake! You know damn well that the form of AP I practice does not incorporate a little as a sex object. I would never do anything without her permission, okay? Despite what the tabloids say, I can keep my dick in my pants.” Erik did his best to sound disgusted, already regretting his promise to see this film through. “Tell me about my poor victim.”
“She’s nineteen, a child star and has become quite the little looker. Camille LeCroix.”
Erik held his breath. He remembered working with little Camille on the Pippi set. She was quite the firecracker in her role, her sassiness making his task of spanking her very easy. She had annoyed him enough that his ‘pretend’ swats brought real yelping. The fact that she had avoided him for the rest of the day had pleased him to no end. She was a bit of a brat as a child, so Lord only knew what she had become as an adult. One thing for certain—she had grown out of her awkward, ugly stage and was blossoming into an exotic beauty with the most scrumptious little body that was ripe and rounded in all the right places. Erik smiled to himself. His crafty old friend was setting him up for more than being a leading man… he was playing matchmaker.
“I am meeting her agent at seven for dinner. I would like you to join us,” Arthur was saying.
“I am really not interested in your wining and dining…”
“Not even for escargots at Chateau L’Fleure?”
“You know damn well that you can’t throw that card at me and expect me to refuse. Fine. I’ll be there. If my rental is delivered on time.”
Erik grumbled to himself as he slid into the front seat of the sedan that arrived several minutes after he ended his conversation with Arthur. He was annoyed with the man’s assumptions that Camille LeCroix would just cooperate and submit herself to him in such an awkward environment. It had been years since he had seen her face to face, and she had seemed very eager for him to leave her set at that time. Not that he could blame her…
He handed the valet the keys after pulling into the restaurant, ignoring the looks being given him as he paraded up the steps and stood before the maître d'. He readied himself for a fight.
“Pardon, sir, but dress code requires…”
“I am not in the mood to play this