Playing a Little (3 page)

“Don’t be ridiculous. You know I can do the job if I have to. Is this girl even remotely aware of the true nature of the outline?” Erik snapped angrily.

“No. This is part of her taking this part. I don’t want her to plan how to respond, just to be natural. I informed her that you two would have time to train prior to the actual filming, and that the final script will depend on you. Damn, Erik, after all these years, don’t you trust my instincts?” Arthur made his voice sound wounded, knowing that Erik would cave in to him. “Of course, why would I bother to care about this little girl? I’m just an old friend who saw you to be more than you saw yourself, and I thought it would be a nice way to pay it forward. Never mind, it’s no big deal…”

“All right, enough. I’m not a kid anymore. I’m 31 years old and am not going to keep falling victim to your guilt trips. I really have free rein in this part?”

“Absolutely. I want you to do whatever it takes to help this girl discover her inner swan. This is your dream role, son. I already mentioned to her in passing that it will be an experiment in age-play. She’s a total innocent, though… and there will be surveillance cameras filming every minute. Filming will be discreet, I promise, and only the necessary scenes will be used. I’m planning on the bulk of the transformation to take about three or four months.”

“That’s outrageous! How bad off can this woman be to need three straight months of coaching? That is asinine.”

“Pretty bad, my boy. That’s why she is the perfect candidate. She’s comfortable in front of the lens, is well-spoken, and truly believes herself to be the proverbial ugly duckling. If you just allow your instinct to take control, I honestly believe that you can be the one to draw out her softness and confidence. She needs you. And so do I. For all we know, this could be my last production…”

“You do know that you are manipulating me, right?”

“Oh, I am counting on it!” Arthur laughed. “I will be giving you the lake house during the initial filming. It will provide enough privacy and isolation for you to experiment and discover what makes her tick. I’ve stocked it with various items and oddities for you to use to your heart’s content and, of course, if you need anything in particular, just ask. I only request that you remember that she’s an innocent…”

“I’m not a rapist, for God’s sake! You know damn well that the form of AP I practice does not incorporate a little as a sex object. I would never do anything without her permission, okay? Despite what the tabloids say, I can keep my dick in my pants.” Erik did his best to sound disgusted, already regretting his promise to see this film through. “Tell me about my poor victim.”

“She’s nineteen, a child star and has become quite the little looker. Camille LeCroix.”

Erik held his breath. He remembered working with little Camille on the Pippi set. She was quite the firecracker in her role, her sassiness making his task of spanking her very easy. She had annoyed him enough that his ‘pretend’ swats brought real yelping. The fact that she had avoided him for the rest of the day had pleased him to no end. She was a bit of a brat as a child, so Lord only knew what she had become as an adult. One thing for certain—she had grown out of her awkward, ugly stage and was blossoming into an exotic beauty with the most scrumptious little body that was ripe and rounded in all the right places. Erik smiled to himself. His crafty old friend was setting him up for more than being a leading man… he was playing matchmaker.

“I am meeting her agent at seven for dinner. I would like you to join us,” Arthur was saying.

“I am really not interested in your wining and dining…”

“Not even for escargots at Chateau L’Fleure?”

“You know damn well that you can’t throw that card at me and expect me to refuse. Fine. I’ll be there. If my rental is delivered on time.”

Erik grumbled to himself as he slid into the front seat of the sedan that arrived several minutes after he ended his conversation with Arthur. He was annoyed with the man’s assumptions that Camille LeCroix would just cooperate and submit herself to him in such an awkward environment. It had been years since he had seen her face to face, and she had seemed very eager for him to leave her set at that time. Not that he could blame her…

He handed the valet the keys after pulling into the restaurant, ignoring the looks being given him as he paraded up the steps and stood before the maître d'. He readied himself for a fight.

“Pardon, sir, but dress code requires…”

“I am not in the mood to play this game tonight, Henri. I am not wearing a fucking tie,” Erik snapped. “Crenshaw table. Erik Renault.”

The man’s eyes widened in recognition. “Please forgive me, Mr. Renault. Follow me, sir.”

Arthur waved as he saw Erik enter, chuckling at the disapproving stares of those around him.

“Hello, my boy. Guess a quick shave and a tie were not in your plans tonight.”

“Lay off, Arty. Erik Renault,” he introduced himself to Stan, shaking the burly man’s hand. “I just flew in from New York and was bribed by the escargots to come here. Two orders, please,” he said to the waiter. Before Stan had a chance to respond, Erik turned to Arthur. “I was thinking about your idea and I don’t like it. I don’t need a spoiled, whining girl on my hands. Either she is with the program or find someone else.”

“Now, see here…” Stan interrupted.

“No. This is non-negotiable. I will not subject the kid to this type of lifestyle unless she know what she is getting into and willingly agrees to follow through on it. Thank you,” he said as the waiter filled his wineglass. “Did Arthur bother to explain to you what this training program consists of?”

“Well, not exactly.”

“Well, then, let me enlighten you,” Erik said. He spelled out the course of the training, in detail, watching as Stan’s eyes widened in disbelief. The older man was shaking his head by time Erik had finished.

“No way am I going to allow her to pursue such a twisted train of thought. Not for a ridiculous movie. I am sorry, Arthur, but diapers? Spanking? Bedtimes? She is a grown adult and has no business in these silly games.”

Erik studied Stan for a moment before taking in a deep breath. “All of those involved in AP are grown, consenting adults, Stan. And many of us happily follow, and thrive, in this lifestyle. It is not a game to the hard-core APers and something most of us, myself included, hope to practice one day in a permanent relationship. It is neither twisted nor perverted, and before you say anything that might piss me off, you need to understand that it has absolutely nothing to do with pedophilia or pedo-tendencies. You have heard of role-playing, right? Well, many of those involved in AP have adopted their roles seriously, and what you call a silly game has become a way of life. My own personal desire is to one day find a partner who is as needful of this lifestyle as I am, and that we can nurture it together.”

“I don’t mean to be insulting, but this is way too much for me to be involved with. I have spent the last seventeen years protecting that girl as best as I can from people who would lead her down a dangerous path. And I do not want to ever see her being taken advantage of sexually. No.”

“Danger is the very thing we try to protect our littles from. Little, by the way, is the term many of us use to describe the role of submission in this relationship.
If
there is sexual interaction during the course of the relationship, the little assumes her place as an adult with adult responsibilities and input. None of the real APers I know ever involve their partner in a sexual relationship while in their little mode. Try to understand that this training will allow Camille to go back and renew herself as a little girl, without having the grownup needs of keeping a schedule, showing up for shoots, or dealing with an overprotective agent…” Erik offered a charming grin.

Stan was not convinced. “What do you get out of it? A pretty little puppet with the mentality of an infant?”

“Not if I have anything to do with it. Proper conditioning has nothing to do with eliminating intelligence, or turning the little into a pet. As I told you, it merely gives opportunity for them to explore their inner child in a safe, protected environment with rules, boundaries, rewards, and consequences. From the side of a big, it allows us to nurture, guide, protect, and build. It is very gratifying when I see a submissive begin to let go of her stress, destroy the old lies and beliefs that were causing her harm, and permit herself to play. It helps me because it gives me the chance to let go of everyday stress and play as well. It is truly a mutually rewarding relationship.”

“Normal people have a drink and then watch TV or work out to get rid of stress. Why can’t you just do that?”

“Because I chose a different way to alleviate my life’s pressures. It might not be considered a social norm, but it works well for me. Stan, let me ask you this question… Would you be as judgmental if I were gay? Or into hard-core BDSM? Or had a foot fetish? You might not be comfortable with different lifestyle choices, but you accept them, right?”

“This is different. You are forcing Camille to do something that she knows nothing about.”

“I am forcing nothing, and neither is Arthur. Every time Camille lands a new role, she is faced with the same conflict. She has to learn about who and what she is representing and rarely do these characters complement the real person inside of her. This role, however, is all about who she is inside. But, nonetheless, you are right. She is an adult and this is her decision. But know that I am serious when I say I will not have her come into this unless she is certain. This lifestyle is important to me and the benefits are tremendous. I honestly think it will help her become who she is supposed to be.”

“I will think about it. I still need to see the script.” Stan held his hand out.

“About that, Stan…” Arthur began, handing over the sealed folder.

Stan opened the seal and began to leaf through the pages. His only response was a raised brow.

Camille glared angrily at Stan, holding the ‘script’ in her hand. “Are you kidding me? It’s
blank
! You knew this all along, you jerk. Did you and Arthur have a good laugh over your dinner with this? He told me that the script would be altered after the coaching period, not actually be
written
!”

“Now, now, hot shot, watch that little temper,” Stan chuckled, taking a gulp of coffee. “Haven’t I always taken care of you? Got you great roles… made sure your greedy mother didn’t touch your money? I’ve never led you in the wrong direction, nor do I intend to. This has the potential to make you big, baby, and I intend to go all the way with you until one of us retires.”

“Don’t you get it? I’m not an improv artist! Improv of any form is the most uncomfortable and awkward thing for me to do in general, and you want to add to my discomfort by putting me alone, and in the middle of nowhere, with Erik Renault? He’s almost twice my age, and…”

“And the best in improvisation you can find. I think this opportunity will provide the type of acting lessons like you’ve never had before. Crenshaw is willing to dish out a fortune to make this piece and he wants you. Don’t blow this chance, Cam. You may not get another like it. Not the way…”

“… I look. Yeah, I get it. I’m fucking ugly,” Camille said bitterly.

“I wasn’t going to say that. I was going to say you might not get another chance like this because Crenshaw says this is his last formal film. Listen, I talked with Erik and he thinks…”

“So that arrogant prick was there too? I will not have anyone deciding my future for me anymore, Stan! Not you, not Crenshaw, and certainly not Erik Renault!”

“Why are you so angry?”

“Because this is my life that the three of you are discussing.” Tears threatened to spill. “I am an adult now and should be allowed to have some input.”

“You do. Ultimately, this is up to you. If I feel I need to veto it…”

“That’s my point, Stan. While I respect your input and opinion regarding my career choices, I am nineteen and an adult. I need to be allowed to decide things for myself.”

“Have I ever done anything for you not to trust me?”

“No, but we also both know that this is about money as well. You have the chance to make a shit load of dough off this production.”

“I am not denying that. To be honest, I am still a bit weary of the concept of a docu-film. The only thing that comforts me is knowing that Crenshaw has never produced crap and even his more controversial pieces have resulted in positive outcomes. He is also the only producer I know who will completely back his staff, financially and legally. You can’t ask for better protection.”

“You are forgetting that Renault is his foster son. He would protect him before me, and this… subject matter has the possibility of becoming sexual. I don’t do sex.”

“I let them know that very firmly. Everything would be consensual. Cam, I really think it’s worth considering. From what Erik said, this training might help you grow.”

“I don’t need to be trained, Stan! I am a human being, not a dog.”

“I know listening to his nasty comments for the past eleven years was hard for you. Erik thinks that he can help undo some of the damage that little bastard and others like him caused.”

“I don’t get why you are so supportive of him. They must have offered you a hell of a lot of money to get me to agree.”

“Why don’t you go to bed and think on it? We’re supposed to be meeting both of them in the morning.”

“I’m not tired. I’m going for a walk,” Camille growled, grabbing her coat and storming from the room.

“Hey! It’s five below! Damn it, girl, get back inside! You are going to catch your death of cold out there.”

Camille ignored him as she stomped angrily away. A snarl crossed her face as she kicked a layer of snow off her sneakers.
Stupid move, taking off like this,
she thought,
but Stan’s attitude pisses me off like nothing else. I am nothing more than a paycheck to him and we both know it! I can’t believe that he actually expects me to train for a role, alone with the lecherous Erik Renault, for three months and really not even know what the damn film would entail! What kind of madness is this anyway? Spontaneous? Oh, I will give them spontaneous!