The photos lay on the dining table in the order she'd received them.
"I really wish you'd tell someone about those. They give me the creeps." Her roommate was the one who'd found them, tacked to their front door while Summer signed the unmodified versions for her adoring fans.
"I know. But they just don't feel threatening to me. They feel more like, I don't know, a promise of something."
These versions altered her cold celebrity smile into an ethereal picture of ecstasy. She wondered if she'd ever actually feel that kind of pleasure.
"Whatever. You coming?"
"Not yet. I want to run through my lines one more time."
She flipped the deadbolt and slid into the chair in front of the last picture. This original had been her favorite, the gold sequin gown gaping open just enough to barely reveal her breasts, her bare leg thrown out to the side. In this version his hand pulled her head back by her hair, her breasts fully revealed. Her own hand rested on her left breast and the stranger's hand cupped the right as he stood behind her in the shadows. She stared at the shadow, struggling to put features with the vision. Her hands slipped under her open robe, mimicking the photo. She closed her eyes and raised her chin toward the ceiling, imagining his hands pulling her hair back, his breath warming her forehead as he leaned over her.
She looked down toward the first photo. The original was awful, an ugly promo of today's Nude Day live taping. This version stripped away all of the quotes about how cutting edge the show was, how edgy to have a series about a strip club that could be shown on cable TV, and filled in the leftover space with a brightly lit background. The center shot still showed her leaning back against the pole, arms over her head, peering seductively into the camera. Where the show's name and cast had originally littered the bottom, a single onlooker had been placed. She saw just his back, one foot lifted and hand poised on the stage to push himself up to her. She could almost smell the liquor and sweat of a real strip club, hear the noise and cheering as he raised up to join her.
Her right hand dropped to stroke herself as she imagined him moving behind her, the pole between them, his hands running up her arms to meet her outstretched fingers. He would turn her as he lowered their hands together, pulling one pair of their intertwined hands to his growing cock, and one pair twisted behind her back to pull her closer. She shuddered as her own hands finished before her imagination did. As her breath slowed, she began to cry again. It had been so frustrating, the darling of the press, the sexiest woman on TV, star of the sexiest show ever created. Everyone wanted her but no one had ever been able to satisfy her, to interest and excite her in a way that made her face look like it did in these photos.
She glanced at the clock and sighed. Three more hours until the big pay-per-view event. The season premiere would be live. An extended audience would join the normal cast, appearing naked in celebration of National Nude Day. One really long day, then back to just teasing the audience with the promise of seeing more than they'd ever see again.
======
She could hear Boris on the bullhorn before she reached the studio door.
"...and if we catch you crossing that black line, you are out, no second chances. This is live and I won't have anyone closer than they have clearance to be..."
"Where have you been? Boris is freaking out!" Her assistant was on her immediately, grabbing her bags with one hand and her arm with the other as she dragged her into a makeup chair. Summer had to smack the woman's hand away to keep her coffee.
"Yeah. He sounds like he's really worried about me."
Boris was always worried about everything. To be fair, it was actually his job as the director to make sure everything worked, and the show was a massive success, so it was hard to blame him for the constant screaming.
A tall redhead plopped into the chair next to her and started dragging a straightening iron through her long hair. Summer had always admired Shawna's natural coloring. Her own dishwater blonde hair took constant maintenance and long hours in the colorist's chair.
Summer greeted her with "Hey beautiful. How are the extras?"
"Better than ever. The older I get, the younger they taste." Shawna had a thing for the extras, actors that came and went so quickly that she didn't have to pretend to want them around too long. "Your favorite is here too. The one from last season's finale. You know. The kisser."
Summer's stomach fluttered. "Really? Are you sure it's him?"
"Oh yeah. You can't mistake those ice-clear blue eyes. It's definitely him."
It had been a really short scene, perfectly forgettable, a quick kiss in a bar as a dare from the other girls. A scene designed just to make her character's boyfriend jealous. He'd surprised her though. Some no-name actor who'd turned a bit part into such a hot kiss that they'd had to cut the scene to pry her away from him. A bit embarrassing, but luckily he'd disappeared and she hadn't had to face him.
"Is he cleared for the stage, or just in the back crowd?"
"Oh he's cleared. Front and center. Should we keep the hose handy?"
Summer blushed and the make-up woman giggled. Shawna smiled and patted her on the knee. "Don't worry honey. It was just as hot for the rest of us as it was for you. Maybe this time he won't run away so fast!"
Her make-up and hair finished, Summer stood and walked to the rack, paging through costumes to the sheer white top, blue vinyl mini-skirt, and blue boa she'd been fitted for. She could barely remember his face except for those clear blue eyes. He'd stared at her as he pulled her in slowly, his breath warming her lips for just a moment before he kissed her firmly, still staring into her eyes. She remembered gasping for air after they'd called "cut", having forgotten to breathe while he'd had her mesmerized. As she strapped on her stacked heels, she gasped again.
Perhaps this time, there'd be more than a kiss.
======
Boris ran to the stage as soon as the scene ended. "We have a problem Summer. The actor for this next scene didn't show. There's an extra that knows the scene though. Just go with it." He ran back to the camera for final adjustments.