10 comments/ 19480 views/ 6 favorites A Starring Role By: Cromagnonman For a long time there has been an argument between those so-called experts that profess to know these things, that who we are is either as a result of breeding, or, just as convincingly, our environment. In support of those on the genetics side of the argument, it would seem that I have a genetic pre-disposition to becoming a whore. On the other hand, it could be that, as the daughter of a whore, there would have been environmental factors that influenced my life. As opposed to these so-called experts, I am not a whore, I do not sell my body for money for the simple reason that I have no need, financially or emotionally, to do so. There is a difference between my life and that of a whore, I'm in a relationship with a man who I love, that I get paid to maintain that relationship is a bonus. If there is one thing that I have learnt from my mother it is that, even in Tinseltown, a whore has a limited life expectancy. Sooner or later she would no longer be able to attract the attention of those who could pay well for her services, and end her life in a cheap rooming house, either dribbling drunk or off her face on drugs, and needing to turn tricks to buy her fix. My mother could have been a successful actress if she had so desired. That she wasn't, was a testament to her not wanting to take part in the casting ritual that would usually end up on the casting couch. Oh, she had a few bit parts early on, but it wasn't until she attended a film premiere on the arm of the film's male lead that she realised that she had a better role to play, that of , not a whore, but the professional girlfriend, or, when appropriate, wife. The star in question was contracted to one of the major studios at the time, and the publicity machine took great pains in finding suitably attractive ladies to accompany him to these affairs. The need for this was hidden from his adoring fans, not only was the manly image just that, an image, but he was a raging homosexual, the knowledge of which would, most certainly at that time, seen the end of his career. His Box office status created the imperative that this secret be kept from the public, and this was where my mother came in, she became his 'lover' in the eyes of the fans, a role for which she was paid extremely well by the studio. If they had been lovers she could possibly be classified as a whore hired by the studio, but they were never lovers. They did however marry, and it was to all intents and purposes a happy union. She insisted early on that any gay liaisons were kept away from their palatial mansion, and that she would reciprocate. I came into this world some time after this marriage of convenience ended amicably, with a suitably high settlement. This occurred around the same time that his ego got the better of him, and he began to make impossible demands of the Producers and the studio. The rumour mill ran hot with stories of temper tantrums on set, and his co-stars refusing to work with him. It was a financial decision to end the marriage, and my mother found herself out of work and with no salary. A visit to the studio heads resulted in a new star appearing on the scene, a star who was not gay, a star who was my father. They played happy families for some three years before he decided to stray with a co-star. This divorce was anything but amicable and the studio hired a good Lawyer for my mother who got her an even bigger settlement, one that allowed her to live a comfortable life as a single mother, at least until a new partner could be found. From her I learned that to be comfortable a girl doesn't have to endure endless cattle calls for bit parts in low budget films with stints of waitressing to make ends meet. From her I learnt that a comfortable living could be made by being a wife or girlfriend of a star. From her I also learnt to deal with egos, something that I had to put to use very early in my career. He was an up and coming star with Oscar potential written all over him, at least that was the image that he projected, even to his lovemaking, he had to be 'in the zone' before he could perform, something that I had to change. For someone with what I knew of the subject, spontaneity was the key, and by the time he had reached the 'zone' I had lost interest and it became a chore to convince him that he was the world's greatest lover. "Look Rob, (Rob Stone, not his real name by the way) by the time that you get into your zone I have completely lost the urge. What do you say that I help you achieve your 'zone' while at the same time maintaining mine?" "What do you mean?" "Just sit back and enjoy it." I kissed him, while, at the same time I opened his shirt, running my hand over his wax denuded chest (the studios didn't like hairy male leads). I pinched his nipples, causing him to squirm, before raising my hands to his face. Using the tip of one finger, I traced irregular patterns around his face, around his lips, pushing them apart and inserting a finger into his mouth. He sucked on it briefly, only because I pulled it out just as he got interested in it, before continuing around his neck and gently into his ears. By this time he was getting into his zone, his hand beginning to wander over my body. "No." I told him. "Not yet." Makeup were not going to be happy with me as I gave him a large love-bite. He, on the other hand, enjoyed every minute of it, his body began to writhe around on the bed and once more he tried to cup my breast. "No." I moved his hand away. "Not yet." "When?" "When I let you." My hand slid down his belly with its thin layer of fat over his six pack, until I reached his trousers. I loosened his belt and slid my hand under the waistband, meeting his cock half-way. It wasn't a big cock by any means, but big enough if he knew how to use it, which he didn't yet, that would come (no pun intended). My finger circled the tip of his cock, causing him to squirm even more, resulting in another grab for a breast. "No." I told him as I removed his hand. "Not yet." "Fuck." He said as he came on his belly. "Who's the eager beaver then?" I chuckled, as I resumed his treatment, kissing him and caressing him, paying special attention to his now limp cock, my barometer of his desires. It took some time before he began to respond (his cock that is) and rise to meet my finger. Tentatively his hand reached for a breast. This time I allowed it to cup me, this was accompanied by an audible sigh. I lifted my top to allow greater access and his hand slid under my bra and pushed it up over my breasts. He now had full access, his hands cupping my breasts while his fingers worked on my nipples. "Gently now, you don't want to put me off." He reduced his enthusiasm to a much more pleasant level. He kissed me and his tongue found mine, but for a while it reacted as if he'd learned tongue technique from a textbook, because there was no feeling involved. I withdrew my tongue and stopped kissing him. "What's wrong now?" "Have you ever made love to a woman before?" "Yes, plenty of times." "I mean made love as opposed to fucking?" "Is there a difference?" "The fact that you asked that question answers my question, allow me to demonstrate." I kissed him and gently inserted my tongue into his mouth, this was not a fight for supremacy between two tongues, this was a meeting, and he soon got the message. After several minutes of this, I felt his hand slide under the waistband of my pants and my underwear, and a finger slide into my now wet pussy. He hand was applying the message he'd learnt and his insertion was gentle, and I loved it. I raised my hips and he pushed my pants down, I figured that he was now in his 'zone' and had decided to let him take control. His cock was up to the task despite his lack of size, it was as if he sensed what would turn me on and did it. I already knew what got him off and we reached the conclusion at the same time, that this could be a very satisfactory relationship. "You are good, do you know that?" He whispered to me as we caught our breath after a prolonged session of love making. That it was long was as much a testament to his staying power as it was to the pleasure that I got from him. That it was good, if not great, was a testament to me leading him without appearing to take total control of the process, his ego would not have allowed that, and tonight was all about him, about him realising that he wanted me. That he wanted me became obvious the next day when I got a call from the studio where he was making his latest film. "Madeline Donovan?" "Yes." "Mr Lawrence of Amity Studio (the studio head) would like to speak with you." "What is it about?" I had a good idea, they were not going to allow any relationship that would impact negatively on his career and the studio. "Mr Lawrence will make it all clear when you get here, you will be expected in an hour from now." No negotiation as to time, I was under orders to be there. "I'm sorry but I can't make it at that time, I have another appointment to keep, a prior appointment." "Cancel it." "I can't, it is important for my career." "We were not aware that you had a career." "Not yet, but I'm working on it, and unless I get a better offer than the one that's on the table, I'm afraid I will have to take a raincheck." "I'm sure that Mr Lawrence will want to make you a better offer." "You're sure. Look whoever you are, do you speak for Mr Lawrence when you say that? If he can guarantee me a better deal then I might consider obeying his command and see him in an hour, but I will not break this appointment on the vague chance that he just might have a better offer. If you can give me his guarantee, then I will see him in an hour, if not I will call him and arrange an appointment at my convenience." My mother had taught me well, it was all about confidence, and the ability to convince others that you are confident. I was placed on hold for a couple of minutes. "Mr Lawrence will see you in an hour." An hour later I was seated in a comfortable chair sipping an excellent coffee, I had declined the offer of a stronger drink, but that didn't stop Mr Lawrence from having one. "Now Madeline, the most important question here is, what are your intentions with respect to Rob?" "My intentions are strictly between myself and Rob, I don't see that it is any business of yours." "It is very much my business, my studio has a great deal of money invested in our star, and anything that impinges in a negative manner on the plans that we have for him, will cause me to look upon the cause of that with a great deal of anger. Do I make myself clear?" "Yes, very. Now I have to ask you, was there a difference in Rob this morning from previous mornings?" "Yes, he did seem to be a little more co-operative with the director, and he did seem to be much happier." "And did he follow directions readily?" "Yes, I have to admit that the feedback from the production team did mention that they had never seen him to be more amenable to direction." "Then I have done my work well. You see, I taught him that he needed to be more confident in himself and that will lead to him being a better person, and to forget all about the bullshit that he thought was necessary for him to get 'into the zone' to be a good actor. Once he became a good actor stardom would follow, but if he kept going the way that he was he'd end up on the scrap heap very quickly. Now, did I do the right thing or not?" "It would seem that you have improved him, and for that I am thankful." "Thankful enough to pay me to look after him, to be his girlfriend, on a permanent basis." "What did you have in mind?" "You pay me to be his steady girlfriend, and if it works out as I think it will, you will continue my payments after we, with the studio's blessing of course, marry." "Getting a little ahead of yourself aren't you? How do you know that he will want to marry you?" "Oh he will, you see, he's well on the way to wanting that as we speak, and do you want to know why? I'll tell you, he's in love with me, he loves me more than he loves himself and that's saying something, and he has, in a very short period of time, come to realise that I will be very good for his career, something that you will find out for yourself." "We shall see what we shall see. Now I suppose that you have a number in mind for your salary?" "I think that I can survive on standard rates for a bit player, especially if it's a regular salary. At this point in my career, I'd be more than happy with that." "Very well, I'll send you to Legal to sort out a three month contract with the option to extend, subject to a performance review." "You will not regret this decision, I am good at what I do." "For someone so young you are incredibly self-assured." "I have been taught well." "You have been taught well, where did you learn your skills?" "That, I'm afraid, you will never know, and I'd advise you against attempting to find out, there are forces at play here that are beyond your control, and which will impact more negatively on you and your studio than anything that I do with Rob." Mother had taught me well, she had predicted his every move and advised me on how to counter them. "I take it that you can not only act on that threat but will not hesitate to act." "Was what I said a threat? I'm sorry that you took it that way, it was not meant to be." I mentally ticked the last box. Win over the star, tick. Improve the star's standing with the studio, tick. Negotiate satisfactory contract, tick. Imply threat to studio, tick. Deny threat, tick. Leave them intrigued, tick. Social media is a two edged sword, on the one hand there was those that were happy that Rob and I were now an item, and then there were those that flooded my Facebook page with vitriolic outbursts about my status as the biggest bitch in the world for stealing their hero from them. The one thing that I'd been taught was not to become involved in a slanging match on social media, that would be done for me, not by my personal friends, but those appalled by the hurt being directed at me. The furore caught the attention of the broader media and I was soon receiving requests to appear on chat shows, and the subject of tabloid journalists looking for sensationalism. Apart from the obligatory public appearances I kept very much in Rob's shadow, not seeking publicity for myself and only venturing from my house to shop for such mundane items as food and feminine essentials. The studio limo dropped Rob off at home, yes I'd moved in with him, but I didn't open the door and run into his arms as the assembled media hoped, but waited until he was inside the house with the door shut behind him before doing just that. I kissed him. "My love, how did it go?" "Michael (Director Michael Rogers) is pleased with my work, most of today's shooting was done in one take and we're actually running ahead of schedule." "That's wonderful." I kissed him again. "Would you like a wine before dinner, I've cooked your favourite for you, or would you rather freshen up first?" "I would rather make love to you first." He kissed me, gently as I'd taught him, his tongue barely touching mine. "There will be plenty of time for that." My hand had found his hard cock and stroked it through his pants. "We should never rush a good thing, and I fully intend to make love to you very passionately later, do you think that you can hold out until then?" I squeezed his cock. "Yes." His tongue returned to mine for an instant. "Just." He released me and strode off to change. This was the general pattern of our evenings and it pissed the pap's big time to the point where they had just about given up on us providing them with money-shots. Rob certainly wasn't complaining about staying in all night, and by staying in I mean staying in, his cock inside me until we dropped off to sleep. I made sure that he got plenty of sleep so that he was at his best for filming and it was paying off big time. As his reputation grew with the Producers and Director my standing as his girlfriend also grew. Three months after I'd signed the original contract a new one was being negotiated, along with the offer of a role in an upcoming film that the studio saw as the perfect vehicle for going public with Rob and my relationship. "I'm sorry, but that's not in my plans for the future. I am very much Rob's girlfriend and will do nothing that would distract from his position as star." "But, if you don't do this we'll have to get someone else to play the lead, and while I'm not saying that he'll fall in love with her, well, you know how the publicity machine works . . . ." He left it at that and to my imagination. "The answer is still 'no'. I have faith in Rob not succumbing to temptation and don't see any need to appear with him." I would just have to make sure that he comes home every night and doesn't get the opportunity to stray. Time for a visit to Mother. While Mother was carving out her career as a professional girlfriend she had a lot of time on her hands, time that didn't go to waste. She continued her studies with a view to having something to fall back on if the need should happen to arise. She no longer works in her previous profession, instead has a role as my legal representative. Having graduated from Law School and passed the Bar Exam, she now worked as a Corporate Lawyer specialising in Contractual Law, something that was about to come in very handy. She had changed her name from Andrea Lambert to Angela Donovan not long after she began her career as a professional Girlfriend but when she took the Bar Exam she had to use her real name, this meant that any dealings within the industry would not be connected with me, even though there was a family resemblance. The use of makeup and hair colouring reduced the similarities so that no-one had made the connection. When the studio Lawyers had presented me with their original new contract I took it with me, telling them that I would get my Legal Representative to read it through before I signed it. The document that I signed had several additional clauses in it that the studio Lawyers and Rob's Agent all signed. The clauses held the studio to a guarantee that it would pay the agreed salary while Rob was contracted to them, they thought that this was fair enough and signed. The other clauses had in them provisions that, if Rob, his Agent or his Agent's Representative or his Publicist, undertook any action that would harm in any way, the relationship between Rob and myself, they would be required to pay me a lump sum commensurate with my projected earnings for the next ten years. His Agent didn't fully understand the implications but signed anyway. "So, if the rumour mill picks up that he is having an affair with his co-star and he decides to call off your relationship, or it impacts on your relationship in a way that causes you stress, we can and will sue. Now you must be certain that you do nothing to exacerbate any deterioration in your relationship, that means that you are to continue as if there is nothing wrong with it, no tweets, no comments on Facebook, no talking to gossip mags, nothing other than you being the loving girlfriend." "I can't believe that he would do anything like that, he loves me." "It's happened before and will happen again, believe me, I speak from experience. Why do you think I qualified in Law?" "I don't know what I'd do without you." I hugged her. "I need to get home, his film wraps today and he promised that he'd forego the usual wrap party and come home, so I'd better be there to welcome him." Rob was late, all of five minutes late, but they were the longest five minutes I think that I've ever spent. They were forgotten under the shower of kisses that he rained on my willing mouth, and breasts, and, eventually pussy, now this was how welcome homes should be. A Starring Role "So what happens now?" I asked as I put a robe on to go and prepare our evening meal. "We start shooting on the new film in three weeks, so until then I'm free as a bird. What do you think we should do?" "Apart from the obvious, we could always have a vacation." "I think we should go one better than that." "What do you have in mind?" "How do you feel about a honeymoon?" I launched myself at him, shedding my robe as I went. We didn't eat food until breakfast. By the time that we returned from Barbados there were rumours around that we had secretly wed on the island. We had to have witnesses and you can't keep everyone quiet. This meant that the paparazzi were milling around trying to get shots of us as we walked from the arrivals hall at LAX. Rob made no secret of the fact that he had a gold band on the ring finger of his left hand. "Madeline, can we see your ring?" I held up my hand, the gold band gleaming, along with a large diamond engagement ring, on my finger. "When did you decide to get married?" "We've been thinking about it for some time." Rob said. "But my schedules didn't allow it until a couple of weeks ago. We've known since we first met that the day was going to happen, it was just a matter of when." "What does the studio think of this, you being distracted so close to the start of shooting of your next film?" "I'm no more distracted than I was before, after all Madeline has lived with me for months now and it was never a problem, in fact, if you ask Michael, the Producer of that film, it improved my performance, so I don't see that this will change anything." "Madeline, there have been rumours that you're going to star in Rob's next movie, is this true?" "No, I have no ambition to become an actress, my role at the present is to support Rob to the best of my abilities, and it's a role that I take very seriously." "Madeline is the best thing that ever happened to me, I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for her." Rob told them. "Where did you two meet?" "I knew her from school and I needed someone to accompany me to a premiere, and I thought of her. We hit it off and have been together ever since." "So, Madeline, how does it feel to be caught up in the spotlight?" "It's not something that I could ever get used to, and I don't want to get used to it, it is not my world. I'm a shy person, and I could never have the confidence necessary to become a star." We managed to work our way out of the terminal to where a limo was waiting for us. That was when I was confronted by the sordid side of the industry. Sol Levis, Rob's agent was waiting for us in the limo. "What the fuck do you mean by running off and getting married to this little bimbo?" "I didn't run off to marry this bimbo as you put it. We went on vacation and decided that we should get married. It was a 'we' decision, I wasn't forced into it, Madeline wasn't the one to suggest it, I was the first to bring up the subject of marriage because I wanted to marry her." "And you didn't think to mention it to me, and that would be why?" "Because I knew that you would try to talk me out of it." "Yes, and that would be why?" "Because you don't think that it will help my career, and that my fan base of young girls will desert me for someone else." "That's right, by marrying, you are telling them that they can no longer dream of being yours. You have shattered that dream." "And my dreams mean nothing to you, is that it?" "Don't get me wrong, I want to do what's best for you, and what's best isn't for you to go off and marry Madeline." "I'll be the judge of that." I said nothing but could see where this was heading. Sol would be applying pressure on Rob to cut his ties with me, and while Rob was standing up to him now, it would only be a matter of time before Sol wore him down. If that was the case then I could see it getting very messy, especially when Mother became involved. "I don't know what to do." I said to Mother. "I know that Rob loves me, and that he wouldn't knowingly do anything to hurt me, but I can see that this is going to get out of hand. I'm certain that Sol is feeding stories about his on set relationship with Rebecca to the media, and that she is being coached as to what to say, and not say, so that she fuels the rumours. What can I do?" "Just sit tight, don't do or say anything, just be yourself with Rob as if nothing has happened, or is happening, and leave the rest up to me." "What are you going to do?" "I think its best that you don't know about it at this stage, but when the time comes you will know all about it, and it will make you happy." Life at home with Rob was going just great. He was loving and attentive, and we discussed the latest rumours that appeared in the mags, in fact we laughed at how ridiculous they were. 'Is RobMad dead? Screamed the gossip mag headline. 'The marriage between Rob Stone and Madeline Donovan appears to be heading for the rocks as his relationship with co-star Rebecca Thornton gains momentum. Insiders have spilled the beans on some raunchy goings on on the set of their new film. 'It is obvious that they are very much in love.' One fellow cast member is quoted as telling People Magazine. 'They can't stop kissing each other when they think that no-one is looking.' Studio Exec's have tried to play down the rumours saying that it is just the professional chemistry between two talented artistes, something that is necessary for the credibility of any film of the RomCom genre. They refused to confirm or deny that the two of them shared accommodation while recently on location.' This story was accompanied by photos to back it up. What wasn't revealed that these were publicity stills for the movie. 'Lonely Madeline turns to food to get over wayward husband.' Screamed the headline in another Mag. 'Madeline Donovan was spotted stocking up on 'comfort food; at her local supermarket yesterday. Cashier Cindi Hart, a 'some time actor' herself, told this Reporter that 'it is sad how she is letting herself go. A couple of months ago she would never have been seen dead dressed the way she is now, I mean nothing matches and, as for her makeup, all I can say is that she can't have looked in a mirror when she applied it.' This was accompanied by an airbrush image that showed that I was letting myself go. 'Madeline stacks it on!' Was the next one. 'Madeline Donovan has obviously been chowing down on burgers and fries if her new body is anything to go on. Close friend, Nancy Branch has been quoted in social media as saying that she is worried for her friend's health, and that the strain of her deteriorating marriage is weighing her down to the point where she should seek medical help. There were few people that knew the real reason for my weight gain, and one of them wasn't my 'close friend' Nancy Branch, who I have never heard of. Rob had to know of course, how could I conceal my pregnancy from my husband, he is as happy with the news as I was. My mother, she had to be told and she was happy for us. "This will increase your payout when this hits the courts." "But I'm not interested in the money." "Listen to me girl, you had better get interested in it because your payout, no matter how big it is, will never keep you for the rest of your life." "But it will keep me long enough for me to get qualifications like you that I can use to support myself." "Good girl, but don't mention you aspirations to anyone, is that understood?" "Not even to Rob?" "Especially not to him." The only other person who knew was my Doctor, a friend of Mother's who was sworn to secrecy above and beyond professional ethics. Sol had obtained a new part for Rob and he was busy in pre-production rehearsing and preparing for shooting. He was also required by Amity to re-shoot some scenes and redub some dialogue for the previous film. Sol, being Sol, had also, now that she was a client, managed to get Rebecca the female lead role in this film. 'Star insists on lover getting starring role in new film.' Appeared on the front cover of one of the gossip Mags. 'Industry insiders have confirmed that Rod Stone has refused to take the role of troubled Detective Matt Ford in the upcoming flick 'Force One' unless the female lead went to Rebecca Thornton, his co-star in a previous film. The Producers have stated that Rob was necessary for the success of this project, and that they were happy to oblige him. "God, I thought that when I'd finished that film this bullshit would go away. The Premiere is in a couple of months and I want you, both of you, there with me when I walk the red carpet." I was reading the Mag and he was running his hands over my belly as he spoke. "Hey, he kicked me!" "How do you know it's a 'he'?" "Anyone that could kick like that has to be a boy." "You should speak to Mother and she'll tell you that I kicked the hell out of her for months before I was born." "I think that I'll have to do something about this crap." He pointed to the article that I was reading. "It just keeps getting worse, if I didn't know better I'd almost think that Sol is behind all of this. He has employed a new Publicist who doesn't seem to have a moral fibre in her entire body." "We need to talk to Mother." "What can she do?" "Plenty, are you working tomorrow?" "No, why?" "I'll call her and see if she can fit us in." She could, but it didn't start well and I thought that Rob was about to walk out, but then Mother managed to calm him down. "We couldn't tell you about the contracts that Madeline had with Amity or with Sol. Amity wanted to cast her as your co-star in your last film for them, but she didn't want to take the role because she didn't want the added pressure of the studio publicity mill taking over her life. We, at least I, drew up a contract that was to run for that film only, and it was to pay her for looking after you, for helping you to realise your full potential as an actor. The studio was more than satisfied with the arrangement and continued it on to your next film. That contract has expired as you no longer work for them, but I've spoken to them and if they cast you in future films the contract will be re-negotiated and a higher fee paid. They have realised that she is important to you and your future." "As for the publicity that went with your recent film, that was the work of Sol. He reasoned that any publicity, even negative, especially negative, would lift you profile and that you'd attract higher earnings, even a percentage of the gross. Now, if you earn more, he earns more, the same goes for Rebecca who is also in his stable of actors. An affair between the two of you sells magazines and increases your media exposure, and that leads to better roles and more money, at least that's his reasoning." "It seems to be working, I'm being paid more for this role that I got from Amity." "What Sol seems to have forgotten is that he has signed a contract with Madeline as well and, under the terms of that contract, if he does anything that can jeopardise your relationship with Madeline, he is liable for a very large amount of money. I think that it's time to throw some shit at the fan." "How can you prove that he is behind this?" "I have my ways. Before Madeline was born I was in a similar situation to where she is. I got screwed big time by one of the stars who I was 'seeing' at the time. I had even married him but that didn't stop him playing around, so I decided that it would never happen to me again. Part of my defence mechanism was to have contacts in the industry that I could call on for information should I need it. I have been gathering evidence in case we needed it and Sol is in for a rude awakening, believe me." "Darling." Rob said to me. "Yes?" "You should have told me about this, I would have paid you to look after me myself, and probably a lot more than the studio did." "I wouldn't have taken your money, call it a labour of love." I kissed him. "Stop it you two." "No!" Rob and I told her. She smiled and made some notes on her pad. She waited for us to cool down. If she'd had a sofa in her office we would have used it. "Now timing is everything, I'm going to take out an injunction preventing Sol or any of his employees from leaking any gossip concerning the two of you to the media. I am also going to file a suit for pain and suffering caused to the two of you by the already released gossip. I am going to need the both of you to be available to give evidence of your undying love to the court, and you Rob to deny any sexual involvement with Rebecca Thornton, will you be able to do that under oath?" "Yes, that will not be a problem." He was holding my hand so hard it almost hurt. "Okay, you two continue to do what you normally do and remember, no social media at all and if either of you are asked any questions you can refer them to me, of course I will be as evasive as possible and not give anything away. Now get out and leave me to do what I do best." Rob and I went home, driven in my mother's people mover with darkened windows so no-one could see us. It drove into our garage and let us out, we closed the doors before walking into the house. The driver, Matt, an out of work actor, came in with us and we sat drinking coffee and talking for about half an hour before he left us alone. He was good, we probed him about Mother but he disclosed nothing other than to say that she was the best boss he'd ever had. He knew nothing about her connection with the movie industry and she only used him for business outside the industry. We thought that he knew more than he was letting on, but could prove nothing. The rest of the afternoon was spent in bed exploring ways of making love around my expanding belly. We would soon have to release the news of our impending addition to the family. "I think that we should tell the world on the red carpet." Rob said to me as he cuddled me after a particularly strong orgasm. I had read somewhere that a woman's libido increased during pregnancy, and I'd have to agree with that. I was horny as hell. "I'll discuss it with Mother and see how it fits in with her time-line." I rang her and she agreed that it would be a good time. "Perfect in fact." Were her exact words. 'Force One' was to begin shooting the week after the Premiere, in a week's time. I was now eight months and had the most amazing maternity dress made for me by LaCroix, it had flowing skirts from a high waist with a revealing top that highlighted my expanding breasts, It was obviously a maternity dress and not one to cover my alleged obesity. The flashes were non-stop as were the questions. "Madeline how pregnant are you?" "As pregnant as it gets. If you want to know when the baby will be born, I can tell you that I am eight months pregnant and the baby will be born in a month. Now, to save you using your fingers, I was not pregnant when we got married, but it very likely happened when we were on our honeymoon." "What did you think when you read about Rob's affair with Rebecca?" "You mean his alleged affair? I didn't believe those rumours, there was no affair." "Can you be sure?" "Yes." I hugged Rob and kissed him. "I know my man and I know that he never had an affair." "But the pictures suggest otherwise." "When you see this movie you will recognise those photos, they were publicity stills leaked to the media in an effort to beat up rumours and gain publicity for the movie. You will hear more about this in the future." "What do you mean by that statement?" "You will see soon enough, I can't say any more at this time." Rebecca came along the carpet and obligatory photos were taken. It was obvious from his demeanour that Rob was uncomfortable about this, but not as uncomfortable as Rebecca when the vultures began to question her about the affair. "Rebecca, were you having an affair with Rob during the filming?" "Rob and I got on very well together, the on-screen chemistry was there." "We're not talking about what happened on set, what about off the set, were you having an affair." "I don't want to talk about it." "You were ready enough to talk about it when it was supposed to be happening, why aren't you prepared to talk about it now? Was it a beat up? "No comment." They weren't about to let her go on that, so Rob and I left her to it and walked into the cinema to the applause of the crowd. Rob held my hand for the entire duration of the movie. It was sweet, almost as if we were young kids again on our first date. 'RobMad alive and kicking!' News of the impending court action took precedence over news of the Premiere and my obvious pregnancy. The media frenzy had nothing on Sol's visit to his Lawyer. "You have been stitched up very tightly my friend, on my first, and I admit brief, look at this, whoever drew this up knew what he or she was doing. On that basis I would suggest that you forget about fighting this and pay up." "But that will cost me a fortune, I don't have that kind of money." "I would have suggested that you liquidate as much of your assets as you could and hide the money, I know of an obliging bank on the Cayman Islands that would take care of it for you. But you're too late for that, along with the suit claiming damages because of your libellous media releases telling the world he was having a non-existent affair, she has lodged an application to freeze all of your assets pending the outcome of proceedings. The only way that you can access your bank accounts is to win, and your chances of that are slim indeed. My advice to you is to face the fact that she's got you by the balls and make her an offer to pay." "So you think that if I offer to pay her ridiculous claim she'll free my assets?" "I didn't say that, and I doubt if she'd fall for that, but make her an offer, it doesn't have to be for the full amount, although under the terms of the contract that you, yourself, signed, she hasn't asked for a cent more apart from legal costs. Fighting it will cost a lot more than not fighting it." "So I'm screwed, is that what you're telling me?" "Yes, that sums up the situation nicely." "But she tricked me into signing that contract, can't we use that?" "How did she trick you, did she hold a gun to your head?" "No, she gave me the contract and told me where to sign." "And you chose not to read it before you signed?" "Yes. Wait a minute, it wasn't her that gave me the contract, it was the studio's legal rep, he gave me the contract after he'd signed his section, and it was him that indicated where I should sign. It was his fault, we can sue the studio, can't we?" "No, to do that you would have to prove that he had read your section of the contract document and ensured himself that it was the same as theirs, difficult to prove, and that he was in collusion with her to trick you into signing it, again difficult to prove." "So that's it then?" "I'm afraid so." "Now I'm going to have to tell my staff that they will not receive their salaries until this is over. I'm a dead man. I think that I should get a second opinion." "By all means spend more money confirming what I have already told you." His mood was little improved by his conference with another Lawyer. "This contract is unbreakable, it prohibits you, under pain of substantial penalty, from engaging in any actions that would prove detrimental to the relationship between the parties, between Robert Durant Stone and Madeline Louise Donovan. By releasing information to the media of an affair between said Robert Durant Stone and Rebecca Thornton, you have placed that relationship in jeopardy. That this said affair, as alleged by the information that you released, did not happen, is further damaging to your defence. The only redeeming feature of this whole sorry saga is that the marriage of Rob Stone and Madeline Donovan appears to have survived despite your best efforts. That fact would seem to act in your favour, however, having said that, if you get the wrong judge he will totally ignore that, and it would, in all probability act against you when judgement is handed down. My next question is, are you prepared to take that chance?" A Starring Role "That's why I'm here, I want your advice." "That the marriage has survived is a small consolation, by your actions they have been put through a great deal of pain and suffering, a factor that will not be overlooked by the judge. He will look at intent rather than result, it was your intention to use wrong information to generate publicity for two of your clients with the view to increasing their marketability and financial rewards and, by so doing, increase your commissions from said increases, a point that will not be lost by their legal counsel. My advice, should you choose to take it, is to pay the full amount of their demands before it comes to trial because, believe me she will stack the court with witnesses from cast members, who will deny that they had witnessed the affair, to the media who will state that they printed nothing more than information given to them by you, or your agents, and then only under your assurances to the veracity of the information. She will stretch the process out as long as she can in the knowledge that the judge will award costs to her. Take my advice and pay up." Any possibility of Sol getting any sympathy disappeared at an afternoon press conference called by my mother, the Attorney Andrea Lambert. The place was crowded with media trying to find out what this was all about. "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for all coming here on such short notice, We are here to set the record straight on recent happenings in the marriage of my clients Rob and Madeline. I will start at the beginning, when Rob and Madeline first met, a meeting arranged by Amity Studios, she was hired to escort him to a movie Premiere, nothing more and, I stress that it was not as an escort in the Heidi Fleiss scenario. There was an attraction there and they became an item. The studio realised that this relationship was having a positive effect on Rob's demeanour and acting, so they sought to continue this relationship, initially for the duration of the current shooting, but with the view to further extending this whenever they were to cast him in one of their movies." "Madeline came to me for legal advice and I agreed to act on her behalf to secure as watertight a contract as I could. Because of my experience in this industry, I took further steps to ensure that this relationship was not damaged in anyway. I knew intimately how the publicity machine operated and how the quantity of publicity was the most important, not the quality. Now the person who stood to gain most from this was Rob's agent, so with this in mind I drew up a further contract that would ensure that my client's best interests would be preserved." "The inevitable happened and allegations of an affair between Rob and the female lead in his next movie began to surface. I was quick to investigate the truth or otherwise of these rumours and found them to be totally baseless. It was at that time that both Rob and Madeline came to me seeking my advice and for Rob to engage me as his Legal Representative. In taking the actions that I have, I am merely acting in the best interests of my clients by instituting legal proceedings against his Agent Solomon Levis for breach of contract." "If you have any questions, please keep to the subject and keep it orderly. Yes?" "Madeline, did you ever have any doubts that Rob was not having an affair?" "No, none whatever. I know my man and knew that he would never betray me, he loves me too much for that." "Rob, any comments that you would like to make?" "Yes, I would like to say that Amity Studios have always acted in my best interests, they were in no way involved in the circulation of these rumours and are, themselves, seeking legal representation against those people involved in leaking of publicity stills to the media, and purporting them to be evidence of an affair. While she was involved in this I don't hold it against Rebecca, her only sin was to be un-prepared for the machinations of one of the less scrupulous people in the industry. She has apologised to Madeline for any hurt that she might have caused us, and we have accepted her apology." "Madeline, how much money is involved in this and what do you intend to do with it?" "A lot, I don't know exactly how much, that depends on the judge, but however much it is, I will put it to good use. Part of it I will put to furthering my education, and the rest of it I will donate to several charities. Having said that, any charity that contacts me with requests for donations will get nothing, I will donate to charities of my choosing, those that I support." Mother smiled at that, by telling the world that I was not in it for the money I would gain some extra kudos with the judge. The conference dragged on for some time with me getting the impression that some of the media were asking questions, not so much to gather information, but to be seen as gathering information. This was brought home later when a selected few were granted one on one interviews with us, not one of them touched on the most important matter of the moment, me and our unborn child, this just wasn't newsworthy enough for them. In the month leading up to the birth Rob was granted time off to be with me. We fitted out a room as a nursery, he wanted to decorate it with manly stuff like baseball bats and gloves, while I suggested that we waited until after the birth before deciding on decorations. He drove me up the wall by constantly telling me to take it easy and not overdo it. I tried to explain that my wanting to do things was a part of some primitive nesting instinct and that there was nothing I could do about it. Our lovemaking had become more gentle, in deference to my condition, and we both loved it, vowing to continue the gentle lovemaking after the birth. "You'd better believe it, you'll be on short rations for I don't know how long after the birth. If I have to have stitches you'll be waiting for weeks." "I don't know whether I can last that long." He smiled as he said it but I thought that I'd wind him up regardless. "So, I suppose that you'll head for Rebecca and fuck her the minute I go into hospital." I smiled too, something that he picked up on straight away. "I just might do that, she's not a bad fuck, not as good as you of course, but okay as a substitute." "If I come out of hospital and find out that you've been shoving your dick into that scrawny bitch I'll cut it off." He grabbed his cock. "No, don't even think about it. I promise to be a good boy while you're in hospital, I won't even look at another woman, not even the nurses. Promise." "Cross your heart and hope to die?" "Cross my hear et cetera." The dial of the clock radio beside our bed told me that it was two o'clock in the morning. "Rob." I nudged him. "Rob, darling, wake up." I nudged him even harder. "What. What time is it?" He rolled towards me. "Christ woman have you pissed yourself?" "No stupid, my waters have broken, I have to get to hospital." I'll give him this, once he was fully awake, he took complete control, throwing a gown over my shoulders he led me out the front door, grabbing my already packed back on the way (it had been just inside the front door for at least a week). He dialled the hospital as he placed me into my seat, telling them when they could expect us and that I was well on the way with my labour. He drove fast but smoothly and we arrived at the hospital unshaken. There was a reception committee of a nurse and Midwife waiting for us. I was bundled into a wheelchair and whisked off to the birthing room with Rob tagging along. He was prevented from entering the room until he was scrubbed and gowned. Once here he sat at my bedside holding my hand and trying not to look at the horrible sight of me laying there with my feet in stirrups and the Midwife between my legs. "Push now, that's it, the head is out, just hold it for a second and take a couple of deep breaths. That's fine, now when I tell you to push, give it your all. Breath in and, push." I pushed hard for what seemed like hours but was probably only a few seconds, and them there was relief as he slid easily from me. "That's it he's here." I heard the sound of his airways being cleared followed by a loud cry. "At least his lungs are working. Rob, do you want to do the honours?" "What do you want me to do?" She handed him the scissors. I'll clamp the umbilical cord, when I tell you I want you to cut it, can you do that?" "Just tell me when." He cut the cord and my baby was placed on my stomach and his mouth was presented to a breast, with a little fiddling he latched on and I began my new starring role, mother to Evan Robert Stone, our son.