Playing the Part

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A movie role brings two young lovers together.
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komrad1156
komrad1156
3,777 Followers

*Standing disclaimer: This story is about the smoking fetish. If that's not your thing, you won't enjoy it. Please don't bother leaving a comment about how bad or awful or disgusting smoking is as it won't change a thing. We all die, right? If people choose to smoke, that's their business.

*********

"Are you serious?"

"As a heart attack. But here's the deal. This offer won't be on the table long. If you don't say 'yes' someone else will. And I have it on good authority Scarlett Johansson is considering the role."

"Well, she'd be perfect for it, that's for sure. She's got exactly what they're looking for and she's gorgeous."

"Abby, listen. You're a lot better looking than she is. She's just better known and landing a lead like this could turn that around very quickly."

"But if she wants the part, she's got it. We both know that, Howie."

"Look, that's why I'm telling you this. The director wants you, Abby. You're the fresh face he's looking for and if you move now, you've got a really good chance of getting the lead. Up 'til now, I've managed to get you two roles. The first had three lines and was what we call 'a good start' in this business. Last time, you played a small but important supporting role to Scarlett and that got you noticed. If you don't take this, there may not be another offer—ever. But if you do, it could change your life."

"Yeah, in more ways than one," she lamented.

"Tell me if this helps. Dylan Michaels looks like he's going to get the lead."

"Dylan? No way! He's only got one role on his list of credits."

"Fresh faces, kiddo. Remember? You guys had great chemistry and now you could both be playing leading roles in this flick. What's holding you back? I know you like the guy. Hell, you damn near threw yourself at him the entire time you were on set together."

Abby sighed and said, "Why is it when a woman let's a guy know she likes him it's 'throwing herself at him'—or worse, but if a guy does it he's just being persistent?"

Abby knew the answer. It was the same kind of double standard that had always existed where men and women were concerned. Men had conquests. Women were sluts. It wasn't fair, but it was the way too many people still saw the world and probably always would.

Then again, she had thrown herself at him. And why wouldn't she? He was to-die for gorgeous and still had a kind of boyish charm about him one didn't find in more experienced Hollywood actors. Fame had a way of turning them into other people; jaded people Abby Denton didn't much care for. But Dylan Michaels was raised in a small town in rural Alabama and he was not only gorgeous but a true gentleman.

While her mind wandered, Abby knew that many men had said the kinds of things her agent just told her. She really was beautiful. She'd been a modestly successful model in San Diego for two years before someone from her agent noticed her and talked her into reading for a part in a movie. She was as smart and sophisticated as she was beautiful and she'd knocked it out of the park in her reading, landing her first role. The part was small but it got her noticed and three months later she read for her second and got a supporting-actress role to Scarlett Johansson, no less.

In spite of her beauty, Dylan paid virtually no attention to Abby during the entire shoot. He was polite. He was friendly. He was even helpful. But he seemed to have eyes for Scarlett Johansson alone and no matter what Abby did, he barely even noticed her. In a selfish kind of way she considered it fortunate that Scarlett paid no attention to Dylan and at one point even asked him if he was some kind of stalker when she saw him staring at her for the umpteenth time. "You're a nice kid," she told him. "I'm not trying to mean, but I'm just not into you, okay?" letting him know to knock it off.

Abby overheard that when Scarlett had been just outside the studio smoking a cigarette and Dylan had casually followed her—again—and was standing somewhere he thought she couldn't see him as he watched her. Abby was disgusted by it. Not so much by Scarlett's endless need to smoke during every break, but the way Dylan followed her around like a little puppy dog. Even when he wasn't following her, he was watching her. Sure, she was pretty, but Abby was beautiful yet he was obsessed with Scarlett and unaware Abby was even alive. Howie had to be right. She was famous and Abby wasn't. End of story. What else could it possibly be?

"So what do you think?" she heard Howie ask again.

"Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about something," she told him. "I want the part, but I don't think I can do it the way it's written. Can you talk to the writers and maybe have them..."

"Listen kid. It doesn't work that way in the business." Abby found it incredibly annoying the way her agent constantly referred to working in Hollywood as 'the business' when he had one and only one client—Abby Denton. And the 'kiddo' thing was ridiculous as he was maybe five years older than her, if that. She'd never asked but she guessed Howie to be about 30, give or take a year or two. "The writers get the final say and no one—and I mean no one—can change a single word without their permission. So you either take the part as written or someone else will."

The movie was called The Long Road to Recovery, and the script required the lead actress to smoke—a lot. Her character, Karen Powell, was a recovering addict, loved and supported by her former boyfriend who still wanted her back. Over time, they'd drifted apart as she'd become hopelessly addicted to pain killers and alcohol. One night, several months after she left him, she OD'd. The moment he learned about it, he came to see her in the hospital and begged her to get into rehab. He was there for her throughout the entire ordeal, supporting her, loving her, and encouraging her. In the end, she overcame the addictions to pills and booze and married the only man who'd really ever loved her for herself. The only thing she couldn't quit was smoking, and he didn't care because his love for her was so strong.

Abby would be required to smoke in nearly every scene of the entire movie over many weeks of shooting and that meant during each of the dress rehearsals, as well. The problem was she'd never even tried it before. Nearly every one of her friends had experimented with smoking either in junior high or high school, and a couple of them had started smoking and still smoked, but it was something Abby had always managed to avoid.

Now she was being presented the opportunity of a lifetime—her own lead in a major motion picture—and she was torn about taking it. It not only meant fame and future roles, it would mean more money than she ever seen in her life by far. They were offering her $250,000 which was ten times what she'd made in her last gig. As much money as that was to her, she knew Scarlett Johansson could demand (and get) ten times that amount. So she was not only the fresh face the director wanted, but a basement bargain for those backing the film financially.

"How much time do I have to decide?" she asked him. "Oh, and when does filming start?"

"Filming starts in five weeks, and I'd say you've got about five hours to let me know. If you wait even one more day, this may not happen."

"I've never smoked in my life, Howie. Not once."

"Then we'll get you a coach. Hell, they've got coaches for every damn thing in this town! People who know nothing about the military play Special Forces guys all the time. Same with cops or doctors or CSI types. You name it and there's a coach for it."

"Can you get me another fifty grand?"

"Maybe. If you're willing to sign the contract right now, I might be able to pry another 50Gs out of them but it seems pretty unlikely. Just keep in mind that from at least one perspective, you're a potential liability for them. If you bomb, the movie bombs so that fresh face thing has a flip side to it. Don't forget that."

"Just try, okay?" she said with a sense of resignation and mild disgust. "I'll take it regardless, though. I can't say no to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity like this, but I'd like the extra money as a kind of down payment for destroying my health and paying for my own rehab to quit those disgusting things several months down the road when we're done shooting, but I'll do it for 250k if they won't budge."

"That's my girl!" Howie said excitedly having long ago calculated his cut of the deal. He was a relatively new, still-unknown agent and Abby was his ticket to bigger and better things. For both of them, this role was a stepping stone to a potentially very bright, very lucrative future...in the business.

Two days later, Abby was in the office of some very important Hollywood executives with Howie and her new lawyer in tow. They'd agreed to another $25,000, meeting her halfway, but wouldn't budge another inch. After reviewing the contract, her lawyer showed her where to sign and Abby had the leading role.

As she left their office, she nearly ran right into Dylan Michaels who was standing just outside the door with his own agent and attorney.

"Dylan?" Abby said trying to contain her excitement.

"Oh, hey there," he said in reply. He had no idea what her name was but he knew she was the girl he'd worked with on his last and only movie. "You're um..."

"Abby. Abby Denton. From the movie we did with Scarlett..."

"Right! Yeah, Abby. I hear you got the lead," he told her.

"Yeah, I did. I heard Scarlett was seriously considering it. I guess you're probably disappointed she didn't."

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't. She's just so..."

"Beautiful?" Abby guessed.

"Um...yeah, I guess. But I'd use the word 'sexy' to describe her more than beautiful. She is pretty, that's for sure. But dang she's hot! Yeah, I had it pretty bad for her."

"I kind of noticed," Abby said without being snide. "So I guess we'll be seeing a lot of each other for the next few months."

"Looks that way," he said smiling for the first time. The executives were calling for him so Abby stepped aside as he said, "See you on the set?"

"Um...sure. I look forward to it, Dylan." He didn't answer but he did smile at her and Abby got 'that feeling' again.

Dylan had the slightest Southern drawl which she normally found somewhat...hick-ish, but in his case, it was...charming. Each time she looked at him she felt silly for feeling what she was feeling, because for as long as she could remember, boys had thrown themselves at her. She'd never once had to chase anyone. This was not only the first time in her life she could remember having to pursue a guy, it was most definitely the first and only time she'd ever been rejected. And now that she'd have to smoke and oh, yeah, likely end up getting addicted to cigarettes—there was no way this incredibly handsome guy would even look at her.

"Oh, well," she thought to herself. "There are other fish in the sea and if I can't land the big one, this will at least open up a whole new world of possibilities for me." Taking this job had a huge downside to it, but the upsides were very important to her and in the final analysis, won the day.

Abby reminded herself she'd at least be able to work with Dylan and knowing the script wasn't likely to change, it meant he'd be kissing her a whole lot of times during the next several months, and Abby just couldn't see any downside to that. Well, not until she thought about how bad her breath would be in spite of the strongest breath mints available. "Okay, so there was a downside, but what part of life didn't have one, right?" she told herself before letting it go for the time being.

Later that evening, Howie called her again. "Hey, kiddo. I've got some good news for you."

"Great. I could use some," she told him. "What's going on?"

"I found you a coach." He didn't hear an answer so he kept talking. "To help you with your new role. You know, the smoking thing."

Abby sighed and said, "Oh, yeah. Gee, thanks, Howie. That's just really great news."

Howie ignored the sarcasm and said, "This guy's in the business, too. Well, kind of. He does photo shoots all the time for models so he's got a lot of experience with this kind of thing."

"Um, Howie? How does doing photo shoots have anything to do with smoking?" Abby was already very irritated by the whole thing and Howie wasn't helping.

"Not just photo shoots. Videos. He makes videos of models who smoke."

"What? What in God's name are you talking about? What does that even mean?"

"I had no idea until I talked with him, but evidently there's a niche market for this kind of thing. From what he told me, there are thousands of guys who watch and buy—okay I guess now they download—his videos. For money."

"Wait. All these girls do is smoke? They don't act or talk? They just...smoke?"

"Yeah, pretty much. He asks them questions like how old they were when they started, how much they smoke, how much they enjoy it. You know, that kind of stuff."

"And he makes money doing this? You gotta be kidding me!"

"He seems to do okay and so do his models. So no, I'm not kidding, kiddo. He says he makes a decent living at it. Anyway, he's willing to work with you for nothing as long as you agree to make a video with him somewhere down the road."

"Is he gonna pay me for it?" she asked in disgust.

"No, no money. It's a return favor for teaching you how to smoke on camera, look sexy, and all that. Tit for tat. Quid pro quo and that kind of thing. That's Latin or Greek or something, by the way," he said adding to his already low level of credibility.

Abby made a growling noise and said, "Sexy? I'm playing a drug addict, for Christ's sake, Howie! How is that supposed to be...sexy?"

"Hold on there, kiddo. You know, before you to into your downward spiral and then again after rehab, you're a normal...sexy...girl. So you gotta be convincing when you smoke just like anything else an actress has to learn to do for a new part."

Abby snorted and said, "Fine. Give me his name and number."

"I already gave him yours, kid. Once I tell him you're on board with this, he'll be calling you to set up an initial meeting."

"Oh, goody. I can hardly wait," she said snidely hanging up before Howie could something else to annoy the hell out her.

She was still steaming fifteen minutes later when her phone rang. She didn't recognize the number and assumed it must be 'the coach.'

"Hello?" she said trying not to sound angry.

"Ms. Denton? Good evening, my name is Andrew Pennington. I just got off the phone with your agent, Howie..."

"Great. My...smoking coach."

"I know you're not excited about this, Ms. Denton, but I hope you understand I have a job to do and well, I also hope you won't take your frustrations out on me."

"You're right. I'm sorry, Mr. Pennington. I am frustrated and no, I'm not looking forward to this—at all," she told him in a nicer tone of voice.

"I understand. So um...I have someone who works with me who'll be helping with the actual smoking part of this. My role is making sure you look good on camera so you'll be spending most of your time with her. Her name is Lauren Harding and she's a very pleasant young woman I think you'll get along quite well with."

"Okay, got it. So when and where do we meet?"

"I have a studio on the south side of Los Angeles. I'll text you the address and you'll be meeting Lauren there tomorrow morning at 10am if that's okay."

"I guess it'll have to be, huh?" she said. "I'm not wild about that part of town, though."

"It is a little seedy. I won't deny that. The studio isn't much, either, but I don't make a whole lot on my videos so I gotta keep the overhead low."

"What price fame," Abby said at a barely audible level.

"What's that, Ms. Denton?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing. Just mumbling." She sat there trying to stay calm then said, "Again, I apologize for being rude earlier. I'm really not like that. It's just that this whole smoking thing makes me very angry and I'm not exactly looking forward to it."

"I understand that, Ms. Denton. Hopefully, Lauren can make this as enjoyable as possible."

"Enjoyable? Please! Maybe she can make it less disgusting or less painful but...enjoyable? You've got to be kidding."

"Well, only you will be able to assess this once the movie's over, but who knows? You might look back and find something positive or dare I say...enjoyable...from all this."

"You sound Pollyanishly optimistic, Mr. Pennington."

"Time will tell, Ms. Denton," he said pleasantly. "Anyway, it was a pleasure speaking with you and good luck with the movie and...the process."

"Thanks and...ugh!" she said as she heard the phone go dead.

Just before going to bed she got a text in which this Lauren person introduced herself and told Abby how to get to the studio. She even offered to pick her up and Abby accepted. The last thing she wanted to do was be in the part of town at all and taking a cab or a bus would just add to her apprehension, so she agreed to getting a ride.

When Lauren knocked on her door the next morning, Abby was surprised by what she saw. She was expecting a woman in her 40s or 50s and yet Lauren looked to be pretty close to her own age of 25. She was also a very attractive young woman and for some reason, that also surprised her.

"Good morning! I'm Lauren. It's such a pleasure to meet you," she told Abby sincerely.

"Likewise," Abby told her. "Do you want to come in?"

"Oh, no thank you. We probably should be going. The studio is booked solid all day and we don't want to miss our time slot."

"Okay. Let me just grab my purse and I'm ready to go."

It was early November and temperatures tended to range from the low 50s to the low 70s so Abby wore a very nice-looking white twin set with a pair of jeans. It wasn't cold enough for a coat, but it was too chilly not to have a sweater. Lauren was similarly dressed and wore a white blouse under a black cardigan with a pair of black pants.

During the half-hour ride from her small apartment to the studio, Abby didn't say much at first but finally had to ask, "So, Lauren. Do you smoke?"

"Yes, I do," she told her. "I've made several videos with Andrew. He's a really nice guy, by the way, and I agreed to do this as a kind of a favor for him. Besides," she said looking over at Abby, "I have to say it's kind of exciting to think I might be working with a famous Hollywood star."

Abby laughed and said, "I don't know about famous, but it is pretty great to finally get an opportunity like this. I know thousands of girls come out here every year trying to make it and never get a chance, and here I am getting a shot at it. I really am grateful for that."

"Well, you seem like a really nice person and I hope Hollywood doesn't change you."

"Me, too," Abby said knowing it was about to do so in at least one very big way.

After a few moments of quiet Abby asked one more question. "So how long have you been smoking, Lauren, and how did you start?"

Lauren smiled and said, "Well, that's an interesting question and I suppose the answer is the reason Andrew asked me to um...help you...with this." Abby didn't say anything. She just sat there and waited for Lauren to explain what she meant.

"Most girls tend to start smoking as teenagers. You know, one girl tries it and talks a friend into trying it, and next thing they know, they're both smoking."

"I take it that didn't happen in your case."

Lauren laughed quietly and said, "No, not at all. In fact, I'd never even tried it until I was 23." She looked over at Abby and said, "That was two years ago in case you were wondering."

"Really? Wow. That surprises me. Not that we're the same age, but that you'd never smoked until you were 23. Okay, so...go on, please."

"Well, I was one of those thousands of girls you mentioned. I came out here from Nebraska when I was 21 and moved in with three other girls who needed a roommate to makes ends meet. It was the only place I could find and even then they had to spot me the first month's rent until I got a job waiting tables. They were all so nice to me and so sympathetic. All of them came out here just like me looking to fulfill their dreams."

komrad1156
komrad1156
3,777 Followers