Siobhán and Gabhain at 241 Harper's Cove Page 6

  Now the question is, how to go about it?

  “How does this sound? ‘Small local production company looking for attractive male models in the 55+ age range. Just give us a call if you’re interested.’”

  Gabhain shrugs. “Guess it might work.”

  “Okay. I’m going to try it.” I make up a flyer, complete with the little tear-off things bearing my phone number along the bottom edge.

  I print off six of them and take them to the groceries closest to us. The managers have no idea what I’m up to, so I ask and they tell me sure, put them on their bulletin boards. When I do, I cross my fingers as I walk away, hoping to find someone, anyone, who fits that description.

  Now all I can do is wait.

  Gloria

  “I don’t care for those anymore,” Russell says as I’m going through the pantry. I’ve pulled out three different kinds of chips, none of which he’s eaten.

  “What do you want then? I’ll get whatever you want.”

  “I dunno. I’m just bored with what’s in here,” he says and puts the chips back.

  I shrug. “Well, okay. Do you want to come to the grocery with me? I mean, you can look through everything and see if there’s anything that sounds good to you.” He doesn’t eat a lot of snack food. Russell does everything as healthy as he can. I’ve tried to tell him that a beer or two a day would be good for him, but he blathers on about empty calories.

  If I’m not mistaken, this is the first time Russell’s been to the grocery with me in over thirty years. He hates the place. I’m not sure why. The minute we walk in the door, he asks, “Where are the snack foods?”

  Pointing to my left, I tell him, “Aisle seven. They’ve got all kinds. Candy’s on aisle two. And ice cream,” I say, pointing over to the far right, “is on that wall over there.”

  “What about fruit snacks and things like that?” he asks.

  “I have no idea. You’ll have to ask an employee,” I tell him. I don’t buy that stuff, so I really don’t know.

  List in hand, I go on about my shopping. I’ve got a decent-sized list, but nothing too massive, and they’re all things I’ve put off buying because I was waiting for them to go on sale. I pass through the drink aisle and pick up a hurricane mix, a margarita mix, a daiquiri mix, and a cosmo mix. I love cosmos. Then I remember to get some soda water. All this store sells is beer, so I can’t get any alcohol here. Besides, I don’t want to buy that when Russell’s with me. He’ll worry the daylights out of me about it.

  Throughout the trip he comes back and drops things into the cart. It’s a weird assortment, like dried fruit, and pickles, and a package of chicken salad. “I’d make you chicken salad if you want some. Mine is better,” I tell him as he walks away again.

  “No need when we can just buy it here,” he says, never looking at me.

  When I’m all done, I go to the front of the store, but I don’t see him anywhere. While I’m still looking around for him, I hear a sound and turn to find him dropping something else in my cart. “Is that all you want?” I ask.

  “Yeah. I’m done. I’ll just go over here and wait for you,” he says.

  I have to stand in line for a while and as I do, I notice Russell over at the bulletin board. He’s rifling through the flyers there. God only knows what he’s looking at. When I get finished and leave the checkout lane to go to the car, he’s still standing there, but for a split second I could swear he takes a strip of paper from one of the flyers. Joining me, he’s shoving something in his shirt pocket. “What was that?”

  “What?” he asks. When I point to his shirt pocket, he says, “Oh, that? Used lawn mower. Sounds like a pretty good buy.”

  “Oh! Well, that’s good, I suppose.” We load the groceries into the trunk but just as we’re closing it I remember something. “I was supposed to go to the office in there and get some stamps! I’ll be right back.”

  “I’ll just start the car and wait for you,” he says. He could’ve offered to go in and get them, but no. He’d never even think of that.

  I go to the office and have to wait while the lady in front of me buys a money order. When she’s finished, I get my stamps and I’m headed back to the car when I pass the bulletin board. There are all kinds of flyers on there, and most of them have those little tear off strips. I don’t see one for a lawn mower, but there are a few for cars or trucks. Then I spy one that makes me chuckle.

  It’s asking for male models fifty-five and over for some kind of production company in town. Male models over fifty-five! Everybody knows no one wants to see some guy in his fifties or sixties. They look terrible!

  Except for Russell. I don’t care if he is mine, he’s in good shape and he’s pretty good looking. He looks better than most of the guys on TV. I’ve seen some women checking him out a few times. Makes me mad. I’m right there, for goodness sake! Can’t they even see me there?

  The flyer for the models only has a few of the little notes torn off. What man that age would want to be a model? That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen.

  6

  Siobhán

  I put the flyers out on Wednesday and I’ve about given up. It looks like no one’s going to call.

  Until Sunday morning, which is weird. But whatever. A call’s a call. When I answer I just say, “Hello?”

  A pleasant male voice says, “Yes, um, I found a flyer at the grocery store with this number on it. Have I called the right place?”

  “Yes, sir! You have. The modeling job, right?”

  “Yes, ma’am. That’s the one,” he says.

  This will probably lose me a lead, but I have to do it. “Sir, I think it only fair to tell you, this is actually an acting job for adult films.”

  There’s silence on the other end of the phone until he says, “You’re kidding, right?”

  “No, sir, I’m not. I didn’t know any other way to get actors.”

  He’s quiet again for a few seconds, then asks, “So are we talking about porn movies here?”

  “Actually, sir, we prefer to call them adult entertainment, but most people would call them porn, yes,” I explain, sure the line will go dead instantly.

  “Would I have to be completely naked?”

  I wasn’t expecting that question. “Yes, sir. You’d be performing nude with one of our female actors.”

  “Performing? As in having sex in front of a camera?”

  “Yes, sir.” I’m surprised that we’re still talking. I figured by now he would’ve headed for the hills.

  “What does it pay?”

  Whoa! This guy is seriously considering it! Not at all what I expected. “We pay by the film. And if the sales go above five thousand units, we start giving you royalties.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, sir. Really. Are you still interested?”

  I hear him chuckle. “Yes, ma’am, I most certainly am! I’ve been looking for something to brighten up my life, and this just might be it! What do I need to do and where do I need to be?”

  “You just need to come by and let me interview you. Plus I’ll need to see what you look like. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who believe they’re acting material when they’re really not.”

  “I understand that, especially at my age. When can I come by?” he asks. He’s really going through with this! my brain hums.

  “I live at two forty-one Harper’s Cove over on the east side.”

  There’s silence for a few seconds, and then he says, “I live on Harper’s Cove too.”

  Uh-oh. This could be bad, I tell myself. “Do I know you?”

  “No, I don’t think so. Wait―your name’s McAllister, isn’t it?”

  I swallow hard and answer, “Yes, sir.”

  The next sound I hear is laughter. He laughs and laughs, and I wonder what’s so damn funny. Finally, he says, “You haven’t met me but, god help you, you’ve met my wife!”

  “I have?”

  “Siobhán, right?” he asks.

  “Yes.
That’s right. Who’s your wife?”

  “I’m embarrassed to say. Mrs. McAllister, this is Russell Livingston. Gloria’s husband.”

  OH SHIT! No-no-no-no-no! This was sounding so promising, and then he dumps this in my lap. “Sir, I’m really sorry, but—”

  “Mrs. McAllister, I assure you I’m nothing like my wife,” he tells me, and he almost spits the word wife. Poor guy. I bet she drives him crazy. “I have no intention of telling her that I’m coming to talk to you. Matter of fact, I’ll probably park on the next street over and walk up between the houses so she won’t see me. She sits in that window and watches everybody, so keeping her from seeing me will be a challenge, but I can do it. Are you still interested in meeting with me?”

  I tell myself, Oh, hell, what do I have to lose? “Certainly. Tomorrow afternoon, about three? Come around to the back door and knock. I’ll be listening.”

  “Perfect. That’s when she goes to the beauty shop. I’ll be there, and thank you so much,” he says. I love the sound of his voice. It’s deep and warm.

  “Thank you so much, Mr. Livingston,” I say and take a deep breath.

  “Please, call me Russell. I’ll be there. Goodbye.”

  I sit there and hold the phone for a good two minutes after he hangs up. Oh, god, this could be a mess.

  Or it could be a shit ton of fun.

  Gabhain gets the whole story. When I’m finished, he says, “Well, what the hell. Go ahead and meet with him. Worst thing that can happen is we find out he’s not suitable and he gets mad. But he’s not going to tell her. He’d never tell her he came for an audition for a porn movie!”

  He’s got a point there.

  At about five before three the next day, there’s a knock on the back door. When I open the door, I get a huge surprise.

  Gloria may be short and dumpy, but this guy is just the opposite. A pair of blue-gray eyes look out at me from under neat eyebrows, and his short, white hair is gorgeous. Nice broad shoulders, no paunch around his middle. So far, so good. “Mrs. McAllister?”

  “Mr. Livingston?”

  “Please, as I said yesterday―call me Russell,” he says in that sexy voice.

  “Sure, Russell. I’m Siobhán.” I hear a noise behind me and turn to look. “And this is my husband, Gabhain.”

  “Pleasure to meet you,” Russell says and extends a hand. Gabhain takes it and shakes it heartily. I can tell he already likes Russell.

  “Please, come on in. Would you like something to drink?” I ask.

  “Just water, please. No empty calories for me.”

  I like this guy.

  We sit on the sofa and I offer him the chair next to it. We make small talk for a few minutes and then he gets right to the point. “So tell me, why are you looking for someone fifty-five plus?”

  “I was told by the account representative at our distributor that films featuring older men are selling like hotcakes. I think she called them silver foxes,” I say and giggle.

  “I’ve heard that term before,” Russell says. “Of course, I don’t know if you’re at all interested in me now that you’ve seen me.”

  “Oh, we’re very interested in you,” I tell him.

  “Yes. We are,” Gabhain echoes.

  “Okay. Well, tell me more about this process.”

  Gabhain explains everything to him, from casting to script to rehearsal and then filming. “We’re a very small company. It’s just me, her, and our camera operator, Kelso, who also writes our scripts. We recently hired a couple of actors, a young man and a young woman. The man’s shot two films with us and the woman, one. Both of them did an excellent job.”

  “So would I be filming with you,” he asks me, “or the other woman?”

  “Most likely both. Maybe even at the same time. Just depends on the scripts Kelso comes up with.”

  “Do you do these too?” he asks Gabhain.

  My husband nods. “Oh, yes. Siobhán and I have done a lot of films together. We moved out here because every time we found new talent, another bigger studio would snatch them away from us. Los Angeles. You know how it is,” he tells Russell.

  “I can only imagine. So do you ever do ménage with two men and one woman?” he asks.

  “Matter of fact, the first one we shot with Michael was him, me, and her,” he says and puts a hand on my knee. “It turned out much better than we expected, especially since it was Michael’s first time acting in one of our productions.” Gabhain hesitates a second before he asks, “Would you be interested in anything like that?”

  “That would be fine with me. All of this would be fine with me.” He’s not being flippant, weird, or sarcastic. His behavior is very professional, and I like him more by the minute. “Anything else?”

  I nod. “Yes. We’ll take you down and show you the sets, and then you’ll have to undress so we know for sure if you’ll work out.”

  He gives us a single nod. “Fair enough.” Then a crooked smile crosses his lips. “Now I know what my wife was talking about.”

  “I’m not sure what you mean,” I say.

  “She said she heard some weird sounds coming from the house the day your nephew came to visit?”

  I start to laugh. “He’s not our nephew! That was Michael, the new male actor. We just made that story up to have something to tell her,” I say, still chuckling.

  “Don’t blame you there!” he says with a laugh.

  We go down and give him a tour of the sets, the dressing area, and the lights and other equipment. After we’ve talked about the makeup and costuming we do, he says, “I suppose you’ll be wanting to see what I have to offer.”

  “Yes,” I say with a nod, “I hate to do that to you, but we have to be sure.”

  “That’s fine. I’m not the shy type.” With that, he sits down, pulls off his shoes, and proceeds to get naked.

  One look and I decide if Gabhain tells him he won’t do, I’ll tell my husband he’s a fucking jealous asshole and he needs to get an attitude adjustment. The guy is perfectly proportioned, extremely fit, and hung like a horse. And I mean a big-ass horse. It’s astounding and it’s flaccid. If he were erect, holy shit. Can’t wait to see that! I sneak a look at Gabhain, and he nods at me and grins.

  Russell turns and smiles. “Well? Do I have the job?”

  Gabhain puts a hand on my arm. “Honey? What do you think?”

  I smile up at Russell from the white overstuffed sofa. “I think you’ve got the job.”

  “Great! When do I start?”

  “Kelso is working on some scripts now. When we get one that’s designed for you, we’ll give you a call. Sound good?” I ask.

  “Sounds great. Thanks so much for seeing me. Just let me know when you need me.”

  “Will do.” As he’s leaving, I give him three of our videos to watch. “And if you don’t think the quality’s up to what you expect, you’re under no obligation to go through with this.”

  “I’m sure they’ll be fine. Thanks again,” he says and waves over his shoulder as he makes his way down the back steps.

  I sure as hell hope Gloria didn’t see him.

  Gloria

  I’ve been at the beauty shop all afternoon, and I stopped at the florist and got some fresh flowers. I so love fresh flowers.

  The back door opens and I step through, only to hear some very, very weird noises. They remind me a bit of the noises I heard coming from the McAllisters’ house. Not able to understand what they are, I wander into the living room and step up behind Russell’s chair.

  On the TV screen is the most vile, disgusting display of perversion I’ve ever seen. I can barely look. “What in heaven’s name are you watching, Russell Livingston?”

  He starts to laugh. “I’m watching porn! Haven’t you ever seen any porn?”

  “Gracious, no! I don’t watch that repulsive stuff!” I huff and head back to the kitchen.

  “Maybe you should,” he calls after me. “If you did, maybe we’d have a sex life!”

  I
can still hear all the commotion the people in the porn video are making and it makes me think that maybe I should check out what’s going on over at the McAllisters’ place. What if there was something horrible like that going on over there? We don’t want that in our neighborhood! It would have to go, and them with it!

  7

  Siobhán

  It only takes about a week before I get to call Russell and tell him Kelso’s worked up a script. I offer to send it on over to him, but he says with Gloria around, that wouldn’t be a very good idea. We’re looking at filming on Friday afternoon, and he says he’ll come an hour early if it’s okay and sit down to read the script. That’s fine with us, so we make arrangements for him to be there Friday afternoon.

  We’re shooting another one earlier in the day with Michael and Belinda, and then Gabhain and Belinda, hoping it’ll serve as another in the silver fox category. Michael and Belinda’s takes us about two hours to shoot. Rhonda goes back over Belinda’s makeup and then she and Gabhain shoot one. It takes another couple of hours. By that time, Russell shows up, so I invite him to come down and watch Gabhain and Belinda’s shoot.

  He watches intently while Gabhain bends Belinda over the arm of the sofa and fucks her, then lies down on the sofa and has her ride him in both cowgirl and reverse cowgirl. They finish off with her on her knees sucking his cock, and the grand finale is the facial he gives her. I turn to Russell and ask, “Well? What do you think?”

  “I like the script, and I think I can do this.” He sits there and watches for a few more minutes before he says, “Am I going to be working with her today?”

  “Yes. She’s the one we’ve got scheduled to work with you.”

  “Sounds good. Sure she can take a third go-round this afternoon?”

  I nod. “Yeah. The pussy is a remarkably resilient thing.”

  That makes him laugh aloud. Belinda’s in the makeup area having everything cleaned up and touched up, and then it’s his turn. The script says he’s going to the college to visit his granddaughter. When he gets there, she’s gone, but her roommate is there. One thing leads to another and he does the roommate. “By the way, do you need a cock ring?” Gabhain asks him.