A Short Career in Films

"Oh, that's great! I'm happy to do that, or can it wait until tomorrow?"

"I think I'm going to have to call off our date tomorrow," I said with a heavy heart. "I'll explain when we meet."

"OK, sounds very mysterious. I could come now if you like. How about Mile End? That's about equidistant between our homes. There's a café just beside the tube station called Danjo's. I can be there in about an hour."

And so we left it. I made my way slowly to the café and found a table by the window where I could watch for her.

I sat with a cup of tea and was so deep in thought I didn't notice her arrive until she slipped into the chair opposite with a "Hi!"

"Hi yourself," I said. She picked up instantly on my sombre mood.

"What's it all about? You don't seem too happy to have got the job."

I sat back. "How much did they tell you about the role?"

"Not very much. It's about guiding couples through relationships. I'm not sure what that means in practice."

Goodness, how can I explain this, I thought. I took a deep breath.

"Not to beat about the bush, they are making videos about how to have good sex. They want couples to have sex explicitly on camera."

Sam's eyes widened and she gasped. "Is that legal?"

"Apparently they expect the government to relax the censorship rules and it will become legal."

"Good God... what do you feel about it?"

"I don't know, it seems both exciting and terrifying. Most of all though I'm not sure I want to do it without you. I really like you and this will come between us."

Sam went quiet for a minute. I thought it best to sit and wait for her to think it through.

"OK, what's the money like?"

"Oh, it's good, it would really help."

"OK then, here's what I think. Go ahead and do it. We are only just at the start of our relationship, so I'm disappointed but not possessive. When you've finished, if you still want to go out with me, give me a call. I don't promise to wait for you but if I'm still single we can see if there is still a spark. Hell, whether I'm single or not, I'll want to find out all about it!"

I wasn't sure. "Well, I don't know, I still want to get to know you better, and -"

"No! I don't want to get a month down the line, we find we aren't as compatible as we now hope, and you think 'if only I had done it.' Go do this and then we'll see."

She smiled and put her hand on mine. "Have fun! See how it goes!"

I gave a wan smile back. "OK!" Then something occurred to me. "If you'd been offered this, would you have accepted?"

She sat back and looked thoughtful.

"Ooh, good question! It's a scary prospect but I have to say I find it more than a little exciting too. Not sure, but probably yes."

We talked for a few more minutes, then she said,

"I think I'd better go now. Seriously, give this your best shot, and what happens, happens. Enjoy it! Now stay and finish your drink, and I'll see you again sometime."

And with that she squeezed my hand, stood up, turned and left without a second glance. I looked down at my cup in time to see a tear fall into my tea.

Two days later, I met Dan for a drink. Dan is much more outgoing and confident than me. He's taller, bulkier and generally more... noticeable, I guess. If anyone would be a likely actor it would be him rather than me.

He was intrigued and horrified in equal measure.

"Are you really going to have sex on camera? You mean I'm going to be seeing my brother's willy stuffing some poor girl?"

"Nobody's going to make you watch it!"

"No, but I can't just pretend it didn't happen! Wow, I'm not sure I could do it. Who's the girl?"

"I don't know yet, I haven't even met her! They'll tell me next week."

"So you don't even know her? What if she turns out to be fat and ugly with an attitude problem?"

I laughed. "Nobody I saw at the initial session was fat and ugly. As for attitude, I doubt they'd have got past the psychology tests. I'll take my chances! It's not as if I'm being asked to marry her!" I had a sudden twinge of regret at that. I could imagine marrying Sam if all went well. Still, no way back now.

I'd been told the JG Videos studio opened at nine, so on Friday morning at just after nine o'clock I presented myself, contract in hand. Jean was at the reception desk. "Take a seat, I'm sure Stuart or Stacey will be here shortly." They didn't follow their own rules on punctuality then.

But I didn't have long to wait. A couple of minutes later, Stuart breezed in.

"Hello, hello, Jonathan isn't it? Are you going to join us? Excellent! Come on through. Would you like a coffee?"

So it was I found myself not ten minutes later with a signed contract in my pocket, and a cheque for £250 which was even better, and wondering what would happen next as Stuart bundled around filing his copy. The phone on his desk buzzed and he answered.

"Yes... yes... good... send her in!"

He turned to me. "That's lucky! This is the girl we'd like you to partner with! Her name is -" A knock and the door opened. "Come in, come in, delighted you've accepted. This is Jonathan French, we'd like you to partner him. Jonathan, this is Janice Whitlow."

I got up, smiling, and shook her hand. "Nice to meet you, I look forward to, um, working with you!" She and Stuart both chuckled at my almost faux pas.

"And I with you!" she said, and Stuart ushered her to another chair. As they sorted out Janice's contract, I took a good look at her.

She was tall, almost as tall as me, with short wavy black hair and a dark complexion, what used to be known as 'swarthy' (not sure if that is PC these days?). I wondered if it was suntan, though it seemed a bit early in the summer, or if she might have some Caribbean blood in her. Quite powerfully built, buxom, but not fat - indeed she looked very fit and strong. I could imagine her pumping weights. She seemed quite bubbly and outgoing, with a clear South London accent.

Stuart finished with the formalities, and turned to include me in the conversation.

"So, I'm glad to have the two of you here together. I hope you are both OK with each other as partners for our videos?" We both nodded and smiled shyly at each other.

"Fine, then let me explain the next steps. As I mentioned before, the next action is a screen test. This will tell us if you are able to act naturally with cameras rolling, and not be intimidated by us watching. We are setting up a studio with a bed next door, and some fixed camera positions. We'll just get you in there and ask you to make love. No directions, just do what you want to do as it comes naturally. If you can do that, and we think you look good on video, that's it. Otherwise, we'll say thanks but no thanks and get in one of the reserves to replace one or both of you. Is that clear?"

Goodness, it was starting to feel real. Janice and I looked at each other. We were going to be naked together, in bed, fucking. I felt my heart pounding. Excitement or terror?

"Yes," we replied in unison.

"Good. So, I'd like to kick this off on Wednesday, please. Can you be here around eleven, and we'll go through the setup, explain what we'll be doing whilst you are performing, and then have a short break for lunch, and start filming around one thirty. Any questions? No? Then I suggest you head off and take the opportunity to get to know each other a little. We want the video to show you as affectionate, not impersonally copulating like prostitutes, if you get me. So go and make friends!"

We all smiled and turned to go out.

"Thanks, and see you Wednesday! Ah, here's Stacey. Hi Stacey, Jonathan and Janice are on board!"

Stacey strode over beaming and shook our hands in turn. "Great to have you in the cast! I look forward to working with you!"

And suddenly there we were on our own in reception.

"Well," I said, "I guess we'd better get to know each other! Fancy a coffee?"

We went across the road to the café I'd been to with Sam. I got a couple of cappuccinos and steered Janice to a different table from the one I'd sat at with Sam, and then wondered why I'd done that.

"Thanks!" she said, and took a sip. "This is a bit weird... I mean, we already know we are going to bed together but we need to get to know each other first!"

Janice had a naturally loud voice and ebullient attitude, and at that, all conversation at the other three occupied tables stopped. I sensed they were waiting to see what that might mean and what my response would be. Janice realised and put her hand to her mouth with a "Whoops!" and a giggle. "I guess that's my reputation shot to pieces!" I couldn't help but smile back, her sense of fun was somewhat infectious.

She went on, "There's something I need to get off my chest first. I'm a coloured girl. Do you have a problem with that? You ever been with a black girl before?"

I was somewhat taken aback.

"I've never had the opportunity. Does that matter?"

"No, it's just that I've had a couple of unfortunate experiences with white guys who thought I was some kind of, um, facility to be used."

"That's a shame. No, I haven't been with a coloured girl, nor indeed have I been with a redhead, and I don't rule either out in future. Personally, I care what a girl is like as a person, not what she looks like. Do you have a problem with that?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it to come across like that. I just want us to do the job and have fun. Can I start again?" She put her hand on mine on the tabletop. I took a deep breath.

"Look, I've no problem with the way you look. In fact you look great, any bloke, white or not, would admire your body. Let's see if we can become friends, which will make this job a lot easier."

She looked down at her hand, and squeezed mine. "I'd like that."

"OK," I said, "tell me about yourself. I know you're coloured, I'd guessed, although you aren't so dark it couldn't be suntan, and you don't have obvious facial characteristics or hair. What is your background?" That came out a bit more stark than I meant, but I'd been a bit riled by her attitude.

She glanced at me uncertainly.

"My mother is Jamaican, my Dad is white British. I was born here in Brixton, been a Londoner all my life, as you can probably tell from my accent. My Dad is a plumber, he's self employed and has build up a small local business with two or three guys working part time with him. My Mum used to be a cleaner but gave it up and now acts as Dad's receptionist, books his jobs, deals with his invoices. I'm an office worker - secretary, typing, filing and so on - and I do temping. I just had a six month contract come to an end, it was cover for someone's maternity leave, so I fancied something a bit different and saw the ad for this job. Who'd have thought! What about you?"

So I found myself more or less repeating what I'd told Sam, though somehow it felt more like a job interview than new friends learning about each other. Then I asked her,

"What do you do for fun? You look very fit!"

She laughed. She had an infectious laugh, deep, throaty, a bit sexy. "Guess!"

I looked at her quizzically. "Hmm... Something active, clearly... Martial arts?" She shook her head.

"Cycling?" Shake.

"Rambling?"

"In Brixton? Yeah, right!"

"Um... Scuba diving? Mud wrestling? Stamp collecting?"

She was properly laughing now.

"OK, I give up."

"I'm a runner, a sprinter. I'm pretty good, I won some regional 100m titles, but not quite good enough to get near international standard. Still, I enjoy the races and the training. Even getting up at 5am to train before work!"

"Hey, I'm impressed. Still, I bet I could beat you."

"Yeah? Want to have a race?"

"I'd be game, I just have to make sure my bike is working." She burst out laughing again.

"Well, I'm sorry we got off on the wrong footing, but I think I'm going to enjoy going to bed with you!" she said.

The nearby tables were looking at us again. I didn't care, I thought so too. It was my turn to take her hand. "Me too."

We chatted a bit longer, then she said, "I'm sorry but I need to go, I'm meeting someone." We both stood up. "Don't feel you need to leave the rest of your coffee. I'll see you. I'm going to look forward to Wednesday!" Then she put her arms around me and kissed me.

Whereas Sam's kisses had been soft, loving and sensual, Janice's was hard, urgent and passionate. Wednesday was going to be interesting!

The next few days passed too slowly. I found myself thinking about, and comparing, Janice and Sam. I could well imagine having a great time having sex with Janice, but I doubted we'd stay together when the contract was done. For a long term relationship, I still hankered after Sam. So in an attempt to take my mind off it, I decided to tempt fate by looking around some of the post industrial back streets of East London for premises for a studio, and noting some estate agent boards to follow up.

Eventually Wednesday arrived, and I presented myself at the studio just before the appointed hour with quite a few butterflies in my stomach. I'd thought a lot about what to wear, and decided that a business suit was too formal, jeans and tee shirt too informal, so I opted for a fairly smart short sleeved shirt in light blue and grey stipes, blue patterned tie, dark grey cotton chinos and a navy blue sports jacket. It was the kind of thing I'd wear to a first date, and it seemed to me this was pretty much what this was.

I found Stuart and Stacey in reception having a lively discussion, with Jean looking on interestedly. I heard Stacey say, "So then, Mr Clever Dick, what are we going to do?" whereupon they saw me and hastily assumed more welcoming expressions. Stuart took the lead,

"Ah, Jonathan, good to see you. Come and sit down for a moment. We've got a small problem, we were just discussing what best to do. Essentially, your partner, Janice, had been in touch to say she was injured at her track earlier this morning! As I understand it, two other athletes were horsing around and one stumbled onto the track just as Janice was running past. He knocked her over and trod on her ankle and she suffered a torn ligament, she's in hospital having it put in plaster. Obviously she's had to withdraw. Stacey has been trying to reach our reserve girls but one has decided she can't go ahead because it will put her career at risk - I think it's actually family pressure - another seems not to be at home, and the third is like you, not on the phone. So it begins to look as though we'll have to rethink the screen test at least, which is a real nuisance."

"I see," I said thoughtfully. It seemed to me my participation was at risk, and the money that I'd already got plans for. My heart leapt as I had an idea. "Can I make a suggestion?"

"Please do!"

"Samantha Godfrey, why did you turn her down?"

Stuart turned around. Stacey was just putting the phone down and shaking her head. Stuart sighed. "Stace, do you recall Samantha Godfrey? Why did we not shortlist her?"

"She was the one who told you off for going in without knocking when she was undressed. You decided she might be difficult."

"Oh, that was her! Yes, well, perhaps! Why do you ask, Jonathan?"

"I had a drink with her afterwards. We seemed to get on really well. I'm sure she would be ok with partnering me." Actually I wasn't sure, but didn't want to say that. "I can phone her and get her here if you like."

Stuart turned to Stacey. "What do you think?"

"Well, she was a possible on all the other criteria. Worth a try, I'd say."

"Ok," Stuart said, "give her a call. She needs to be here by one, we want to start filming by two and I need to get her through the contacts side first."

"Great!" I exclaimed. "It's there a phone I can use?"

"Yes, Jean, take Jonathan to the interview room and let him make his call."

I got taken through and left in the room I had my first interview in. I got out my wallet and found the scrap of paper I'd scribbled Sam's number on. Nervously I dialled it. Please be in, please be in.

A female voice answered.

"Hello?"

"Sam?"

"No, this is Fiona. Who's that?"

"It's Jon, and it's pretty urgent."

"Jon! I've heard all about you. Hang on, she's just left, I'll see if I can catch her..."

It went quiet for ages whilst I held my breath. Then...

"Hi, Jon? Yes, just caught her, she was about to turn the corner about a hundred yards down the road, I screamed and hollered and waved my arms, and fortunately a lady coming the other way stopped her and pointed at me. She saw me, waved back and turned around. Give her a minute or two to get here, ok? In the meantime, just let me say she's smitten with you, cried her eyes out when you got that job, so don't mess with her, ok?"

"Ok, the feeling's mutual. I won't!" I heard the receiver being put down, and after a minute or two more, voices in the background. Then...

"Jon?"

"Sam, I'm so pleased to catch you! I've been missing you, and I wanted to know if you were still interested in me..." I paused, I hadn't rehearsed how to approach this.

"Jon, I've missed you too, but what's happened about the videos?"

"They are still going ahead, but my partner dropped out and the reserves aren't available and I now need a partner to take part. Would you consider it? I'm sorry to pressure you but I need an answer today. Look, I know I'm not making much sense, could you come to the JG Videos office, and I'll explain."

This was not going well.

I generally don't like phone calls much. I find it hard to have any meaningful discussions when you can't see the other person's expression or body language. I find I either get tongue-tied or start rambling.

There was a pause. I held my breath.

"I take it you mean right away? Are they starting today?"

"Well... yes... Look, come and meet me in the pub at the end of that road, you remember it? The George and Dragon? I'll explain and you can decide. Please?"

"Um... ok, let's talk, no promises, ok?"

"Great! Er, how soon can you be here?"

"Give me an hour."

"Perfect! See you soon!"

I rang off before she could change her mind.

In the event it took her about 50 minutes, but I'd already been pacing up and down outside the pub for a quarter of an hour. She waved as she approached and I hurried to meet her, nervous as to how she would react.

She looked stunning: a mini-skirt in white cotton to mid thigh, showing moderately tanned and very shapely legs, and a wrap around blue blouse that tied in front, and showed just enough cleavage and a glimpse of tummy to be interesting.

I got a smile and a brief hug, but no kiss. I realised she was as nervous as I was.

"It's just after twelve," I said, "do you want to go in for a drink or would you prefer to go for a walk?"

"Oh, I think I'll need a drink!" she said, and we went in. The was a reasonably secluded table, and I got a couple of gin and tonics, and some peanuts. Then I explained about Janice and the lack of the reserve girls.

"So I asked if I could try you and they gave me the green light."

I paused and took her hand.

"Sam, it doesn't matter what you say. I've missed you and I want to be with you. If you want to do this, great, we do it together; if you don't, then equally fine by me, it means I won't be doing the video either, and so I hope we can be together either way."

"I've missed you too, and - oh, come here..." she leaned across, put a hand behind my neck and pulled me to her for a heartfelt kiss. And then another.

Eventually we pulled apart, and she said, "so, what's the deal today?" I realised I hadn't really explained what we were here for.

"Today's the screen test. They'll ask us to make love in front of a camera, and probably in front of them. It's to prove we can perform on camera. If we can, then we get to do the rest of the videos, whatever that involves. So what do you think? Do you want to? I realise it's putting you on the spot, I've had longer to get used to the idea, though it still excites and scares in equal measure."