The room was large with a high ceiling, beams, and a bare, worn, wood-planked floor. It had once been a storage loft. The windows were high in the walls. Spot-lights were suspended some height from the floor. Its only furniture was a large bed, three chairs, a table, and a screen for changing behind. A cage-fronted goods lift in the corner made a sound like steel being scraped around an empty oil drum. "That'll be them," said a large man in a singlet, lots of hair on his chest and shoulders, and arms, and a stomach that had seen beer in gallon lots. He looked about forty years old and needed a shave. He nodded towards some floodlights on tripods on the floor. "Enough bulbs?" he asked.
The second man in the room, whose name was Wally, was a younger version of the same. Wally nodded, "More than enough." Wally was fiddling with spotlights on a tripod, adjusting their aim at the bed. He also wore a singlet -- the lights, when on, were hot -- and shorts, and flip-flops on his feet that scuffed as he slouched from light to light. The cargo lift appeared, a couple of students inside. The loft was just off campus, the local college. The guy, late teens, called out, "Mr Farmer, you there?"
"Yeh, yeh," shouted the hairy man in the singlet without turning. "Come on in, Timmy. You're late."
"How do I open it?" called out the kid, staring at the closed door of the cage.
The hairy guy turned. "Pull on the fucking door," he shouted. Muttering after it, "dumb bloody kids!"
The kid discovered how to open the cage. Opened it and led the way out. He was late teens, gentle looks, thin, an unruly mop of thick blond hair.
"This the girlfriend?" said Farmer, eyes on the second of the kids, a very pretty girl, same sort of age, blond hair cut short like a boy.
"Yeh. This's Amy."
"Amy," said Farmer, nodding. "Amy, I'm Farmer, but you call me Buck." He held out his hand.
Amy stepped forward and took it, shook it. "Nice to meet you, Mr Farmer."
"Naw, Naw," said Farmer, shaking his head but keeping her slim hand in his. "It's Buck. Buck, got it."
The girl nodded. "Buck," she said, her hand still deep in his.
"You're pretty," said Buck, his other hand around hers as well, stroking it as if it were a mouse, held gently captive. The girl's eyes went to the fourth in the room. "That over there, is Wally," said Buck, his eyes following hers. "Best light man in the business." Buck give the girl her hand back.
She walked over to Wally, and held it out. "Hello Wally, it's nice to meet you. I'm Amy." Wally, as if caught unawares, wiped his palm on his baggy shorts, and held it out.
"She acted before?" said Buck, to Timmy, both of them watching his girlfriend.
Timmy shook his head.
"She know what's involved?"
Timmy nodded.
"You know what's involved?" shouted Buck, to the girl.
The pretty girl turned. "I think so. Timmy and I are to ..." she left it at that, "and you guys will make a movie of us doing it." The girl blushed.
"How old are you, Amy?" asked Buck.
"Nineteen," said the girl.
"Bullshit!"
"Nearly," she added, stretching herself to her full five foot six. She was very well built and could easily have passed for nineteen, or older than that, but for the face. The eyes were too big and too innocent, the expression too pure, the skin too soft, and her plump pouting lips were almost babyish.
"Done this sort of thing before?" Buck asked, walking towards her.
She held her ground. "No," she said, no waver in her voice.
Buck walked round her. She was well filled out. Nearer five foot seven than six, he guessed. She had the neatest little ears he'd ever seen. No wonder she cut her hair short. He was back to her front. "But you've fucked before," he said, letting it come out vulgar.
"Yes," she responded, dropping her eyes to her feet. They were neat and dainty too, white knee socks in open toed sandals.
Buck nodded. Let his eyes run lingeringly up her front. Then said, "Alright, honey. We shoot on the bed. We need to check the lighting," he ran the back of his hand down the girl's smooth cheek. "Make sure we've got your skin tone."
"I understand," said the girl, standing her ground, leaving her cheek where it was.
"What do you want us to wear," asked Timmy.
"What you're in is fine," said Buck, leaving the girl, moving towards the central tripod, camera fitted. A second hand-held video camera sat on the floor. Wally continued fiddling with his floodlights. Amy had moved towards the bed, so had Timmy. They stood by it, looking at each other uncertainly.
"Move about a bit," said Buck. "Kiss, or something." The teenagers looked at each other. The lights came on bathing the bed in a bright white light. "Make it warmer, Wally," Buck snapped. Wally did some fiddling with his floods, off they went, on again -- the white now a warm honey glow. "Lift your skirt, Amy, sweetheart," said Buck, one eye glued to the eyepiece. Amy stared back. "I need the flesh of your thigh," he explained to the unmoving girl. She reached down her right hand, caught the hem of her short pleated skirt and lifted it up. Her white knee socks ended just above her knee. Her skirt was scarlet, pleated, it's hem a good deal higher than her socks. With the skirt falling straight it left a band of skin high on each leg. Now she was showing the skin of surprisingly lithe-looking thighs. She had excellent legs.
"You swim?" Wally asked, absently. She nodded, eyes down. "That's good," encouraged Wally, pulling down a stop. "Okay ... let it drop"
Relieved, Amy let the hem drop back.
"Can you two do something," suggested Buck, eye at the eyepiece. Timmy tentatively put an arm around his girl-friend. Buck made more adjustments. Timmy pulled his girl-friend close, but nothing more. Buck let out a groan. "Timmy, baby, this is a fuck movie, not a Sunday school picnic. Kiss her. Excite her a little, will ya?" Timmy moved his lips onto hers. Amy tried to help, pursing hers in response. But it wasn't great. Buck took his eye from his camera. Shook his head. Glanced at Wally -- who was staring at the two of them, nervously embracing at the end of the bed, as if someone had just told a really bad joke.
"Timmy, Timmy, Timmy ..." said Buck, sounding pained. "You said you could do this. You said you had this gorgeous girl-friend who loved sex, was wild in bed. That she was soooo hot," he mimicked the kid. "That you'd make a great pair." He shook his head again. "But what do we have here? A couple o' plastic kids!"
"I'm getting her ready, for christ sake," said Timmy, sounding hurt, pulling her harder against him. Again, she tried to help.
Buck wondered who the money from the shoot would go to. Which of them needed it most? He shook his head at the kids' childish embrace. "Timmy," he said. But Timmy continued the kiss. "Timmy, stop!" said Buck. He didn't. "Stop!" Buck shouted. Timmy broke from the girl. "Timmy. Behind the screen you'll find some clothes and a false moustache. Just next to the sink." He frowned. "And maybe some blacking on your jawbone." Timmy stared at him, then at the screen. Then at Amy.
"What about Amy?" he asked.
"Just do it, Timmy. Leave Amy here."
Amy gave Timmy a quick smile. "Do as they say," she urged.
Timmy shrugged and made his way off, miffed. The two men watched him go, then turned back to the bed. Buck was chewing his lip. To the girl, he said, "You sure you're up for this?"
She nodded.