Debutante by Madeline Moore Read Free Book Online Page A

didn’t care. She knew she should. They were just as much her peers as the two lively girls who’d interrupted the solitude so necessary for serious study. But she didn’t. Jillian’s hands felt heavenly.
    â€˜What’ve you got so far, Marion?’ she asked.
    â€˜In keeping with our theme of love,’ said Marion, shuffling the papers in the red folder, ‘you know Aileen, the mega-gorgeous Asian girl who looks underage?’
    Emily nodded.
    â€˜I would so kill for her hair,’ said Jillian.
    â€˜Harder,’ Emily instructed Jillian.
    Jillian kneaded Emily’s neck with increased vigour.
    Marion continued. ‘She’s keen to do Tony – the cute one with the porno uncle? Now Tony also looks younger than his years. Naturally, he’s thrilled to be paired with Aileen and he did say his uncle’s looking for fresh young faces so –
voilà
!’
    Marion shoved the business books out of the way so she could place the head shots of Tony and Aileen side by side on the table. One of the books tumbled to the floor with a thump.
    â€˜Whoopsie!’ Marion bent at the waist to pick it up. She threw in a wiggle before she heaved the tome to the table.
    Emily giggled. She felt giddy, almost drunk. For a moment, she couldn’t place the sensation but it dawned on her, as if from a dream or another lifetime, that this was called ‘fun’.
    â€˜Aileen lives in the dorm,’ said Jillian. She rubbed her thumbs in the spaces between Emily’s vertebrae.
    Emily moaned. That got the attention of anyone who wasn’t already glaring (the women) or staring (the men) at her table. She closed her eyes.
Take a flying fuck at the moon.
    â€˜So we can’t really shoot in her room. But I picked up a bolt of pink satin for pennies at the Hadassah Bazaar on the weekend, so I can make any bedroom, well, except the ones that are painted black or something, look like a girl’s room in her parents’ home.’
    â€˜We’ll use my place,’ said Emily. ‘It’ll be more private.’
    â€˜Perf!’ Marion exclaimed. She placed a disc on the table. ‘Like I said, the story’s there, such as it is, but the dialogue is shit.’
    Reluctantly, Emily opened her eyes. She blinked rapidly.
    â€˜You need sleep,’ scolded Jillian.
    â€˜Later,’ said Emily. She straightened her back. ‘Marion, tell Luke we shoot in three days. He’ll have the script by noon tomorrow. He needs to assemble his crew and at least run through the script with the cast. This is not an improvisational piece. That’s key to the project.’
    She reassembled the red folder as she spoke.
    â€˜I want you to be his first assistant director.’ She avoided Marion’s eyes and pretended she didn’t hear the curvaceous girl’s surprised gasp. At the moment, whatever past Marion and Luke did or did not have was of no interest. Emily was damn sure Marion was her best choice for the job.
    â€˜Jillian, get his key to my place. I’ll be out by six a.m. so you can start dressing the set any time after that. I’m writing an exam on Thursday and then working the dinner shift so I won’t be sticking my producer-face in on the shoot, much as I might like to. Got that?’
    Jillian nodded.
    Emily flipped her laptop open and inserted Marion’s disc. She looked up and feigned surprise that the two women were still there. ‘So? Any questions?’
    They shook their heads.
    â€˜Scram. I’ve got a script to write.’
    â€˜Yes, ma’am,’ squeaked Jillian.
    They fled the library.
    Emily flashed her fellow Business students a brilliant smile. As they bent their heads to their studies, she heard one woman grumble about ‘the nerve of some people’.
    Oh, baby, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.
    Emily opened Movie Magic and set her fingers to the keys.

Chapter Eight
    Six days later, Luke brought a