Debutante by Madeline Moore Read Free Book Online

catching and holding Aileen’s almond-shaped dark eyes with her clear grey gaze ‘– what does an actor need to succeed?’
    Aileen frowned. ‘A good script, I guess. I don’t know. Talent? Luck?’
    Richard, the Tarantino freak, piped up, ‘The Weinsteins! Harvey … “I want to party with you!”’
    Trust Richard to waste a Weinstein sighting, even an imaginary one, by quoting a line from
Saving Silverman.
Em pushed on. ‘Exactly. Except you don’t need him, because you’ll have me. I don’t intend to produce porn for the rest of my life, either. My film company, our film company, will evolve into producing real movies and I pledge …’ Emily picked up the Navajo bracelet and jumped up onto the table. She held the bracelet high. ‘I pledge to the Gods of Film that I will take my actors and my crew with me, all the way to the top!’
    As the group erupted in table-thumping, back-slapping, howling ebullience, Emily felt an intoxicating rush of adrenalin. It confused her for a moment but as the cheering erupted into a crowd chanting, ‘Em-i-ly, Em-i-ly,’ she recognised it for what it was …
    Power.

Chapter Seven
    Emily pushed the fourth tedious tome aside and opened the fifth. Finding concrete examples of the ‘trickle down effect’ wasn’t difficult, thanks to the Business Department’s enormous library. It was just deadly boring. Still, she had to squeeze in some study time before exams or she’d be stuck with a pass in the major she wasn’t supposed to have and a fail in the one she was. The words on the pages blurred. She’d added the much-coveted Saturday-night shift to her schedule at the restaurant. She needed money … she had meetings scheduled … she needed time … but she wanted sleep … her head drooped …
    A bright red file folder dropped on top of the fuzzy black and white pages. Emily’s head jerked up with a start.
    Marion and Jillian dragged sturdy chairs up to the oak table, oblivious to the noise they were making. Sure, the film programme had a library but not one full of students destined to be corporate suits. Emily shrugged in response to a chorus of hissed shushing noises.
    â€˜What’s this?’ Emily asked.
    Marion flipped the file open. ‘Dossiers on all our talent: names, ages, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, measurements, who’s in a couple and who isn’t, sexual tastes, who’ll do who for the good of the cause and who won’t do who on camera.’
    â€˜Also proof of age, proof of negative STI status, real names and porno pseudonyms,’ Jillian added. ‘There are some things some of the girls don’t want to do, for love or money, but surprisingly few. We’re a horny bunch, it seems.’
    Emily’s eyebrows rose. ‘Wow! That’s great, you two. This’ll make casting and selling much easier.’
    â€˜We’ve made copies for everyone who might need them,’ Jillian said. ‘Now, Marion sketched out a rough draft of the first script but –’
    â€˜I suck at dialogue,’ said Marion. ‘Sorry, kiddo. My heart’s in sound.’ She glanced around. ‘Speaking of which, I’ve never been in a place with less ambient noise. It’s like
Night of the Living Dead
in here. The original black and white version.’ She shuddered.
    â€˜Kinda cool, though, the way the red folder stands out,’ said Jillian. ‘And, of course –’ she stroked Marion’s shining mop of curls ‘– your hair.’
    Emily rubbed her eyes. ‘I know,’ she said. ‘But I have to pass this course.’
    Jillian pushed her chair back with a squeak. She started massaging Emily’s shoulders. ‘Poor, producer gal. You work too hard.’
    Only Emily seemed to notice the shocked faces of the other business students in the library and she