In high school, I was the Queen Bee. Head cheerleader, Prom Queen, the girlfriend of the BMOC. I was the girl who determined who was in, who was out and who was tied to the flagpole and pantsed. If I thought you were cool, you were cool. If I thought you were a worthless dweeb, well, enough said.
I had the best solos in the choir and the lead in all the plays. I was the "It" girl, without a doubt, and my future was bright. Broadway and Hollywood awaited. They hadn't seen anything like me, Diana Newell.
So, when I turned 18-years-old, I set off looking for fame and fortune. I enjoyed a live audience, so I chose to head out to New York instead of Hollywood. My daddy had arranged an apartment for me and an interview with an agent. I took my savings (a whole $5000) and took the train to my destiny.
The agent cooled my expectations. He said, "Honey, you're a tasty bit of tail, but so are the other thousands of hopefuls that show up at my door. You're lucky that your father knows my aunt, or you wouldn't have seen the inside of this office." He looked at my resume once more, chuckled again at all the high school plays I had so proudly listed, and said "We'll send out your pictures and get you set up with any casting calls that come up. But don't get your hopes up. There's a lot of hopefuls out there and some of them can hold a high C longer than you can stand."
I was dejected when I left his office, but perked up over the next week as I went sightseeing in my new city. At night, I went nightclubbing and met some girls who were already cast in plays or were models. They told me that my agent was an old fuddy-duddy that no one uses. They gave me a couple of contacts that they said were sure to be able to use me.
At the end of the week, I hadn't heard from my agent but was shocked to see I'd already gone through more than $1000 dollars. My father had paid my first month's rent, but I was expected to cover it from then on. At this rate, I wouldn't last a month. I couldn't wait for my agent. I found the cards the girls had given me and made the call.
"I'm really busy," Todd, the recommended agent, said. "But Gina told me all about you, and I may have a small part that's tailor made for you. Come down this afternoon, and we'll see if I'm right."
I was down at his door at half past noon. That was just barely afternoon, but I couldn't wait any longer. But I did end up waiting. It was almost 2:30 PM before Todd returned from lunch. I jumped up when he came in and he eyed me like my father would eye a prize heifer he planned to buy. I was glad I had worn a dress that emphasized my figure. I gave a little twirl and looked back at him over my shoulder, seductively. It was my signature move.
"Yeaaah," Todd drawled. "You'll do, nicely." He sat me down and made a phone call. He spoke glowingly about me, about my beauty, my figure, and my leading lady experience. Now I was glad I had listed my high school plays.
When he hung up, he said that he was taking me to dinner tomorrow night with a producer of a TV show shot right there in New York, "NYPD Vice". "Oh", burst out of me before I could stop it. "All my friends back home watch that show." I thought to myself how wonderful it would be to appear on a show where all my friends would see me. Wouldn't they be jealous.
I was leaving the office when I ran into Gina. I thanked her and offered to treat her to a clubbing night. She happily accepted and we arranged to meet at 10:00 PM that night.
Gina insisted that we sit at a large booth in case any of the other girls showed up. She really wanted me to meet everyone. "It'll be good for your career, sweetie. Networking is better than having an agent. You'll learn about all the casting calls sooner from your friends, believe me."
We ordered drinks from the cocktail waitress, and I let her know I was buying. She took my card and said she'd run a tab.
We hadn't finished the first drinks when several of Gina's friends showed up and joined us. They were wonderful; a set of beautiful girls who were just like me, all Queen Bees. We partied until 4 AM, when the bar closed. By then, several men had joined us, and I was feeling no pain. We drank and danced for six hours. Gina leaned over and kissed me, on the lips. Her tongue darted into my mouth.
I was shocked to say the least. I didn't know what to do. "Thanks, sweetie," Gina whispered. "I've got to run and get some sleep. I've got an appointment I can't miss." With that, she swept out with her friends and the guys that had joined us.
When I recovered, I found the waitress waiting to close out my tab. I thought I'd been shocked when Gina kissed me, but now I realized that she'd fucked me, as well.
"This can't be right. The two of us couldn't have drunk this much!" The bill was over $5000!
"Honey, your tab was for the booth. You were buying everyone's drinks." The waitress smirked at me. "Your friend, the one you came in with? She pulls this shit all the time."
Numbly I signed the credit card receipt. I was fucked. I wouldn't have enough money for my rent or even food. I wouldn't even have enough money to pay the credit card bill when it came. And my father wouldn't be able to help me. He'd already stretched to pay my first month's rent.
I walked home with tears in my eyes. I had sunk into a depressed state. I could see no way out of my financial disaster when I felt a slap on my ass and heard a guy ask, "How much for a blowjob, cunt?"
I looked up at the face of a slimy creep and realized I had lost track of my surroundings. I had put myself in danger.
I ran. I ran all the way back to my apartment without stopping. I could still hear the creep's laughter following me.
I closed the door to my apartment, triple locked it and then turned and leaned against it. How could he think I was a whore? Couldn't he see that I was something special? "What a creep." I dismissed him from my thoughts and crashed on the bed.
When Todd showed up for our dinner appointment, he was in a limousine! I was going to ride in my first limo! I was sure it wouldn't be my last. And, if this was any indication, maybe the part in the TV show would pay enough to help cover my bills. And if I got one part, others would surely follow. A lot was riding on tonight's meeting.
Todd eyed me approvingly. "You look good. Mr. Grossman, the producer, will be impressed." As I settled into the plush seat, Todd told me that if Grossman liked me, he was sure to hook me up with a lot of roles. "Maybe even a recurring role on 'NYPD Vice'" I almost squealed with delight. That would really make them jealous at home.
I was still daydreaming about my success when I realized that Todd was telling me to be "friendly" with the producer. "What do you mean, Todd? Friendly? Are you suggesting...."
Todd interrupted me. "I'm not suggesting anything. I just telling you that your success will be tied to how 'friendly' you are with Mr. Grossman."
The rest of the ride was in silence. Was Todd really suggesting that I sleep with the producer for a role? Surely not. He must have wanted me to flirt with the man, show him I was friendly. Yeah, that's what he meant. Surely.
We stopped in front of a fancy restaurant. Inside, it was wonderful. There was even a dance band and a dance floor. It was like an old black and white movie. Even the girl in the band was singing "Someone to Watch Over Me." It was wonderful.
But not Mr. Grossman. If a name ever fit, it was his. His shirt strained to stay tucked into his belt over his protruding stomach. His tie had stains on it and his suit, which was obviously expensive, hung on his frame like the cheapest coat off the rack at JC Penney's. He was chomping on an unlit cigar, which would have been lit if the restaurant allowed smoking. When he shook my hand, his was very sweaty. I wanted so badly to immediately wipe my hand off but stopped myself. When we set, I put my napkin on my lap and surreptitiously wiped my hand as I smoothed the clothe down.
Grossman smacked his lips loudly and said, "Diane, you're just my type. You're perfect for the role I have in mind." He took a swig of his beer and belched. Charming, I thought. "I don't know where you find them, Todd, but you always find the sexy ones."
I struggled to keep a smile on my face through dinner. The producer made several comments about my figure, (he was especially taken with my "beautiful derrière", he said). At one point, he asked for my breast size.
I must have lost my smile because Todd jumped in, "For the costumes, Diane. You know that. If the dress is too tight over your large breasts, it'll look even worse on the screen." Grossman nodded in agreement.
"36C," I said reluctantly. I know they looked bigger on my small, thin frame, but they really weren't huge. But Mr. Grossman smacked his lips again and smiled.
After dinner, while waiting for coffee and desserts, the producer asked me to dance. Todd enthusiastically encouraged me. Mr. Grossman grabbed my hand and pulled me to the dance floor. It was a slow dance, for which I was initially thankful. I was able to dry my hand on his ill-fitting jacket.
But then I felt his hand slowing rubbing up and down my back. I was uncomfortable, but with my $5000 bar tab on my mind, I didn't want to alienate the man who could solve my problems. But then his hand slid down and he grabbed my ass, giving it a hard squeeze. I jumped back, out of his grasp, barely restraining the slap I desperately wanted to give him. Instead, I turned and almost ran back to the table.
Todd had jumped up and grabbed my arms. "Not a good move, Diane. I told you, be nice to the guy if you want to succeed." He looked at the unhappy Mr. Grossman as he headed towards the table. "Sit down and I'll see if I can make this right."