The SUV pulled into a nondescript business park outside of Vegas. The sun had begun to set, but the weather was still warm β mid-80s, warmer than we were used to for this time of year. The plans had changed slightly as we headed over on this Sunday evening, still a bit jet-lagged from the flight.
Maria had managed to keep herself looking fresh with a brief shower at the hotel before coming out. Our room was immaculate, a gorgeous suite at The Oaks. As I sat in the back of the luxury SUV, I thought to myself β 'I could get used to this'. Of course, I was little more than a bystander this week.
Maria held my hand and I kissed her as the driver turned into a parking lot in the hills, with only a small sign denoting an LLC I'd never heard of. Maria looked pretty β she had curled her hair and wore minimal makeup with a tight red skirt and white top. She looked more like a girlfriend than a stereotypical porn star, and I suppose that for now, she was.
The driver pulled up in front of the building. It appeared to be a three-story office building with a warehouse attached to the back β it almost looked like a production factory.
I stepped out first, leading Maria in her four-inch heels out into the lot. Still warm. She adjusted her skirt and asked how her makeup looked. She looked fantastic.
A woman exited the building, and I immediately recognized her as Alicia, the woman who had greeted our Skype call weeks before. We exchanged pleasantries. She was a pretty young thing herself, maybe 21 or 22, brunette, very pretty with blue eyes. She led us inside, into a clean-cut, modern lobby with surprisingly classy furnishings. But given that the office wasn't even open for business, we headed back directly through the office to what appeared to be a conference room.
In the room sat another woman in her early 20s. She had strawberry blonde hair and looked out-of-place in this office. Alicia sat down at the conference table and introduced all of us. The other woman, Kelsey, was here for her introductory tour as well. This seemed to ease both of the women's nerves, as they began to make small talk with the nervous energy of two girls about to embark on new lives. Kelsey was from South Carolina and had recently moved to Vegas.
A black man entered the room and sat alongside Kelsey, and she introduced him as her business manager, Paul. We greeted each other, and I tried to assess their situation. Were they together? He looked more like a pimp than a boyfriend. Alicia ran down the week's itineraries for both girls β each had 4 films scheduled. Kelsey had a number of "teen" and "casting couch" videos scheduled, whereas we already knew Maria's MILF-heavy schedule. Paul and I sat silently and watched as the girls signed paperwork and giggled their way through Alicia's discussion. They each posed for ID pictures, and then Alicia had the two of us pose as well before giving us our temporary badges. I had been given "talent management" access, whereas Maria had been listed as "talent". "Talent management" β it sounded ridiculous.
The tour was surprisingly normal. The offices gave way into what appeared to be a number of large movie sets inside the warehouse, including a corner of the set, which appeared to be a small house, complete with working bathrooms and a full kitchen. I recognized some of the sets from my porn viewing over the years. Alicia led the girls, showing them the sets where they would be acting while Paul and I discussed business in the back. Paul was not new to this game, apparently β in fact, he had managed a handful of other actresses. As Alicia showed Kelsey her fake office for her casting video, Paul and I stepped outside for Paul to have a smoke.
"So, you have no other actresses at the moment?" Paul asked, curious.
"Nah," I responded. "New to the business, I suppose."
Paul nodded and smirked. "We all have our first," he said, flicking the ash from his cigarette. "She's a bit older, but she's cute. She could do alright, make some decent cash for you." He said this all so non-chalant, but I could see that he sensed my hesitation. "She's your girlfriend, isn't she?"
I smirked a bit. "Yeah, she is," I replied. "And Kelsey? She's just business?"
"Just business," he replied. "Keep business and pleasure separate. I've been where you are, man. Be careful. A lot of girls start the same, naΓ―ve, naΓ―ve boyfriend. Then they get a taste of the game, a taste of the money, a taste of the life, and it all gets out of control. Kelsey has a drug problem."
I was taken aback. "What kind of problem?"
"Coke," he said sternly as he took a puff. "90% of the girls in this business have a drug problem. Not to mention fucked up emotional issues," he said. This was getting a little serious. "She wants to get out," he continued. "But she can't. She can't afford her drug problem without it. She's 21, high school education, no real work experience. She's a whore," he said sadly, finishing his cigarette. "She's got a few years left with these looks and then she's no different than any girl on the street. She's got a chance to make some real cash now, but she's snorting it all away. Keep an eye on Maria, man. Don't let the game get to her," he said, opening the door as we headed back inside.
There wasn't much left of the tour at this point. Alicia pointed out some of the sets that the girls would be using this week, and handed paper schedules to the girls. I couldn't keep my eyes off of Kelsey. She was tiny, maybe 5'2" and couldn't weigh more than 105 pounds. Her long red-blonde hair fell down her back casually. I couldn't tell if she was wearing minimal makeup or none at all. She was quite the natural beauty - the kind of girl whom, frankly, I'd watch on porn websites. The four of us all made some small talk as we waited for Alicia to print some files; Kelsey was extremely flirty with both Maria and me. Paul sat mostly stoic, businesslike. None of this was new to him.
There was a new car waiting for us outside the building, a rental car for me and Maria for the week. I punched our hotel into the GPS and we headed out into the night. She was excited yet clearly nervous about tomorrow. She'd still had yet to meet the man she was scheduled to fuck, and she nervously chattered my ear off as we drove. It was cute, though I couldn't help but wonder what was going to happen to our relationship after this week.
The next morning was quiet. Maria needed to be at the office by 9:30, and we quietly went about our morning routines. She dressed modestly, jeans and a t shirt, light makeup, and didn't say much as I drove her to the office. She kissed me on the lips as I dropped her off and headed out into the warm Vegas morning. I wandered the strip for most of the day before she texted me at 4 PM that she was just about ready to go.