3. Chapter 3
3
Sophie
I feel more refreshed when I wake up on Wednesday, no alarm needed. The shoot today isn’t scheduled until noon. I don’t film with women often, but I do enjoy it. There’s something about the relaxing environment women create that makes me excited to get down to business.
It’s common in the industry for straight women like me to film with other women and for gay women to work with men. It’s one of the many double standards in porn and one reason I’m thankful to be an amateur, with control over who I work with and when.
The pressure just doesn’t exist for straight, cisgender men in the industry. This means they can be much more strict about the genders they work with, but that’s their mistake. Who knows what they’d discover if they just opened up a little? Literally and figuratively.
I take my rolling carry-on instead of my laptop bag today, knowing I’ll need to change clothes a couple of times, reapply makeup, and have a few toys on hand. Penny and Vera, roommates who both work in the industry, invited me to their place in Williamsburg.
I asked the concierge last night for the best way to get to my destination. She provided a few options, but my midwestern ass wants the easiest. Not wishing to chance the subway, in case I get lost or end up running late, I decide to take another Uber.
The wall by the front door to the building has a list of names next to buttons to buzz the apartment and I search for Penny and Vera’s real last names. Stinson, Young pops out at me and I press the buzzer .
“Yeah?” comes a female voice a few seconds later.
“It’s Honey,” I reply, realizing I haven’t given either of them my real name yet. It’s not unusual for co-performers to simply call each other by our porn names.
“Come on up!”
A loud buzz fills the air and I open the door before it stops, stepping out of the heat and into an only slightly cooler lobby. It’s nice, all white and sterile. There’s a line of mailboxes along the left wall and two office doors to the right. Ahead of me is a stairwell and next to that is an elevator.
Not wanting to sweat any more than necessary, I move to the elevator and press the button. I repeat the apartment number in my head while I wait for the doors to open.
The nerves are rearing their ugly head. Head? Sure, head. Whatever, the anxiety is back. The stress monster is making its presence known. A stress monster would have a head. See? Full circle.
My thoughts are all over the place as I step onto the elevator and press the button for the fourth floor. I close my eyes and take deep breaths. I’ve spoken with both women on the phone and the conversation flowed well. They made me feel like they truly wanted to work with me. It makes sense since they were the ones who reached out to me and not the other way around, but it still feels nice.
I still can’t find it in me to do the reaching out yet, especially when the creator–or creators, in this case–has a significantly larger following than I do. I’ll follow performers on social media in the hopes they’ll follow me back and even message me. Even after four years, I don’t feel that I’ve earned the right to ask someone to work with me. Natalie tells me, and I know full well, that these thoughts are ridiculous because new performers are constantly doing that to me. Specifically men.
Men and their audacity. My anxiety momentarily lifts and I roll my eyes.
The doors open and I take a tentative first step out, looking left and right. To my right is just one apartment door. To my left are a couple more before the hall turns sharply. Seeing that the visible doors aren’t the one I’m looking for, I head toward the corner. Just as I round it, I see a woman’s head pop out from an apartment a few doors down. She looks my way, her short, pale purple hair swaying with the movement. There’s a big, beautiful smile on her face as she waves her arm wildly.
“Down here!” She doesn’t have to shout too loud in the small space .
I smile, realizing as I approach why she didn’t fully step out. All Penny Pepper is wearing is a red lace bra and a matching thong. It takes me a moment to find my voice, but I stammer a greeting.
“It’s lovely to meet you.” I hold my hand out like it’s not awkward standing here fully clothed while she's barely covered in her lingerie.
Penny pulls me into a hug against her tiny frame.
“Come on in, girlie! I’m Penny.” Her voice is musical and light, filled with excitement.
“Wow, this is beautiful.”
I enter the apartment through the kitchen and stare around at the space with its crisp, white walls. The kitchen countertops are gray and look like they might be marble. The stainless steel appliances are sleek and simple. Further in is a living room with a slightly off-white sectional couch and wicker coffee table. By the window in the corner is a matching wicker chair with a huge, round back and a black cushion. A television is mounted on the wall opposite the couch and beneath that is a long bookshelf made of dark wood.
None of it matches except for the wicker furniture, but it feels homey. The endless number of plants that are, quite literally, everywhere really add to the aesthetic. There are five hanging in front of the window that looks out over the street below. The bookshelf below the television has more than I care to count–a few large creeping vine plants, but mostly smaller ones. There’s an enormous rubber plant by the wicker chair and another by the couch. Still more are sitting on a small table between the couch and a hallway that I assume leads to the bedrooms. Even the kitchen has a few low-light plants on the counter which stand out against the white backsplash.
Natalie and I have quite a few plants, but I aspire to this level of green thumbery.
“It's a work in progress,” says Penny. I gape at her.
“Oh my god, it’s perfect. Do you film out here on the couch? 'Cause the light from that window is-” I make a chef’s kiss motion and Penny giggles.
“Yeah, it’s one of our favorite filming locations. The bedrooms have some good lighting too, but you’re right about the light out here.”
A woman appears in the hallway wearing a long, dark green, satin robe, cinched tight around her waist. A smile spreads across her pink, glossy lips.
“Hey Honey, I’m Vera.” She holds out her hand as she closes the space between us and this time, my smile is a little easier. I’ve gotten over the shock of the basically naked greeting I received from Penny .
“It’s so nice to meet you both. I was just telling Penny how much I love your place.”
“That’s sweet.” Vera’s voice is a little deeper, sultry. The two women make a powerful team, on- and off-camera.
“Can I get you anything?” asks Penny, moving back into the kitchen. “Water or…?”
“Oh, water would be great, thank you.” I set my purse on top of my suitcase and Vera eyes the luggage.
“You came prepared,” she chuckles and quickly adds, “I like it. Penny and I were thinking we could sit for a few minutes and chat. Just to make sure we’re all comfortable. Is that ok?”
“Honestly, I’d prefer it,” I admit. I’m always game to jump right in, but when I’m outnumbered, it’s easier to sit and talk first.
“Wonderful.”
Penny hands me a glass of ice water and I follow the women over to the sectional. Vera isn’t quite as heavy as I am, but she’s definitely got some curves to her. She’s similar in size to Natalie, though her weight is distributed a little differently, held more in her breasts and thighs in a way that suits her. Her pale skin is perfect–neither of the women has tattoos, unlike the way my arms and thighs are covered in random designs–and her hazel eyes are absolutely glowing. I can tell just how much she loves this job.
“Can I ask how you two met?” I can’t stand it. I know from their social media that they’ve been friends for a while and people speculate that they’re in a relationship together, but I’m not sure.
“Penny was the videographer on a shoot I did a couple of years ago,” says Vera, easily using her friend’s stage name. “We connected and hit it off. We even went to dinner right after the shoot.” She grins at Penny who returns the smile.
Oh, they are so dating.
“We talked about how much we love the industry and I said I wanted to try being in front of the camera. Vera helped me with the confidence required to show off my body.” Penny shrugs. “I’ve never felt so at ease with someone so quickly.”
“That’s kind of how I met my roommate,” I reply with a warm smile on my lips. I fucking love friendship. Real friendship is so wholesome and sweet and pure and I just love to see it. I could give a TED Talk about my favorite TV show friendships. “But it was at a convention about a year ago instead of on a shoot and she was already involved in the industry.”
“So not at all like how we met,” Vera laughs .
“Ok, maybe not, but we clicked instantly. That’s what I meant.”
“Kind of wild how that can happen,” Penny muses.
“Yeah, I moved out to LA about six months ago and stayed with her and her boyfriend at the time. When she dumped him, we moved in together for real and the rest is history.”
“Your roommate is Sapphic Emerald, right?” asks Penny. I nod.
“She’s… a character.” A crooked grin spreads on my lips.
“Love the name,” says Vera.
“She used to think it was a mistake because she boxed herself into basically only making lesbian porn before she branched out into findom too. She loves it though and she’s good at it and she’s hella gay. Her words, not mine,” I add.
“Oh?” Penny’s confusion is evident.
“After dumping her ex, I think she finally realized that men ain’t shit.” I shrug.
“But you’re straight,” Penny clarifies.
“Unfortunately.”
The three of us converse for several more minutes or so before I let them know that I’m ready to get started. As I did with Tony, we sign our documents and take photos of IDs. Selfies can wait until I’m in costume. I wheel my suitcase into the corner and unzip it.
“Ooo that’s a pretty color,” says Penny.
She’s standing over my shoulder and pointing at a pale yellow pile of lace and straps. It’s a lingerie set that I bought specifically for this trip. In addition to it being a great color with my overly tan skin, I realized that I needed yellow clothing to add to my collection. I grab the lacy undergarments with a nod.
“I have some toys,” I offer. We haven’t discussed the scene we’ll be doing. “Not sure how we should play this.”
“Oh we have quite a few toys too,” Vera assures me. I know she’d prefer to be the one calling the shots in our scene, which will be second. “How do you feel about monster dildos?” She smirks. Mischief dances in her hazel eyes.
“Like size or style?” I laugh. “Because it’s a yes to the latter. I haven’t trained for crazy big toys though.” It’s a goal, to be sure. I know videos of women with ridiculously huge dildos sell well. I just haven’t tried it.
“Both, but we’ll stick with style. Pen, do you want to grab the strap and that new dragon toy?”
Penny’s eyes light up and she races off toward the hallway, her bare feet slapping loudly on the floor as she disappears .
“Penny really loves to use a strap,” Vera explains. “And god, she’s good.” I can see some kind of delicious memory flashing in her mind as her eyes glaze over for a moment. I grin.
“Bring it on.”
The scene begins with me watching television, fully clothed in what I wore over to the apartment. Penny rounds the corner from the hallway and when her eyes fall on my relaxed form, she grins. We’re roommates in the scene, and her plan for months has been to seduce me.
My character isn’t sure at first, biting my lip and scanning her all but naked body. I admit that I’ve thought about her too. In bed, when I’m alone, with a toy in my hand, I picture her body and the things I’d do to her, the things I’d have her do to me.
Our lips crash against each other, fervent and passionate and seeking so much more. My hands remain on her face, mostly because I, Sophie, feel weird groping women I don’t know. Men? Fine. Women? Intimidating.
Penny’s touch finds my neck, my breasts, my ass. She slides a hand over my pussy, on top of my clothes, and pulls her head back. She slowly peels my clothing off, my pretty lingerie totally wasted on the scene. I forget about that as Penny trails kisses down my body, which comes alive beneath her lips. I’m on fire now, my pussy aching to be touched. Really touched.
We continue, all hands and fingers and mouths on each other before she brings out the strap and orders me onto my knees. As I maneuver into position, my elbows resting on the back of the couch and my ass sticking out, I hear Penny tightening the harness around her hips. She grabs my hair and pulls back gently until her lips are next to my ear, her breath tickling my cheek.
“I’m going to fuck you so hard you’ll see stars.”
The words send a shiver down my spine and I moan, wiggling my ass, enticing her to move quickly. She grabs the bottle of lube on the table beside the couch and squirts some onto the toy. Once ready, she pulls my panties aside and slides the dildo over my slick center, teasing at first. I moan when she eases inside, stretching me with the bulbous head. Each groove forces another moan or whimper from my lips as Penny moves. When it seems that the toy is about halfway in, I moan with abandon and try to thrust backward. Penny’s hands on my hips force me to remain still while she sets the pace.
She picks up speed, thrusting in and out. One of her hands slides up my back to tangle in my hair and she pulls lightly. My eyes close as my head tips back. The noises coming from my open mouth rise higher in pitch as I feel an orgasm building. I likely won’t get there, but the pleasure is real.
“Such a greedy girl,” Penny murmurs. “Come for me. Come while I fuck your sweet, wet pussy just like you’ve always wanted.”
I come apart–or pretend to–stiffening my body and crying out louder than before, which is an accurate imitation of my real orgasms. Penny slows as I let my body relax and her hand lands hard on my ass.
“Good girl.”
A few seconds pass while I try to catch my breath.
“And cut,” says Vera, startling me. “Say cheese!” she shouts and I turn to face her.
She has her back to us, holding a phone up for a selfie. Immediately, I perk up and throw a peace sign up while winking and sticking out my tongue. I don’t know what Penny is doing, but the dildo is still half inside me when Vera snaps a few pictures.
“Oh, that’s a good one. I’ll send them to you.”
I lower my head to my forearms, my ass still sticking out while Vera comes around to take a few close-up photos of the toy inside me. Penny pulls the toy from me and removes the harness. A thud follows as she drops the whole thing onto the waiting towel.
“You ok?” She places a gentle hand on my back, but all I can manage is a thumbs up. She giggles. “Need a minute?” I nod.
Ten minutes later, having fixed just the slightest error in my makeup and cleaned up a little, it’s Vera’s turn. I’ve changed into a light blue bodysuit. This scene is far more sensual and romantic, but there’s no lead-up or preparation before we begin.
Vera and Penny lead the way into a bedroom down the hall, each carrying a tripod while I carry mine. Just like the living room, the bedroom is mostly white with off-white or wicker furniture and I wonder if this space, like the garage and extra room I have with Natalie, is strictly a studio.
We set up the tripods with the understanding that Penny will just duck in for a couple of close-ups now and then. The wide angle is going to benefit this scene more. The white comforter is soft beneath my hands and knees as Vera and I crawl onto the bed and wait for Penny to make sure the two phones in tripods are recording. She gives us a thumbs up and we dive into the scene in which Vera plans to sit on my face.
When the scene ends, Vera rises up and swings her leg over to allow me my freedom. I sit up and run a hand through my hair, not bothering to wipe her from my mouth and chin yet .
“That was amazing,” Vera breathes. “Who taught you how to do that?”
“My roommate and I have filmed together a few times,” I say with a shrug. I’m not sure why they’re surprised. “She’s a good teacher.” I giggle and Penny smirks.
“I wish we had time for another scene,” she says. “But maybe if I’m out in LA, I’ll look you up. I might need a piece of that action.”
I laugh, full and loud, feeling completely at ease with these two.
“Deal,” I agree. “If you come out to LA, just give me a call.”
Penny offers me a damp washcloth while Vera goes around to stop the cameras. I clean myself up and then carry my tripod and phone out to the living room to begin packing my things.
“We have plans tonight,” says Penny, pulling on a robe. “But we’ll get you the footage by the end of the week.”
“No rush.” I wave my hand and pull off the bodysuit to begin putting my regular clothing back on. “I’ll get mine to you by Sunday night, but I won’t be editing anything for a hot minute.”
“Sounds good.” Penny grins.
“You’re here until Saturday, right?” asks Vera as I pull on my shorts.
“Yeah, I fly out early that morning.”
“Do you have any plans tomorrow night? Maybe we could get drinks or something. I know how hard it is to take a moment for yourself when you’re traveling.” Her smile is warm and I find myself wanting to accept because she’s right–it can be damn near impossible sometimes.
“I’d love that. I’m filming early afternoon, but I should be able to meet you guys somewhere after five.”
Vera claps her hands together with glee.
“Awesome! Ok, we’ll text you an address and we can plan for six. Does that work?”
“That’ll work.” I grin, glad to expand my list of friends in the industry by two.