"Sit down on the bed," Mike ordered. "And keep your mouth full from now on unless you're told differently."

Then he spoke to Jerry.

"Come over here and grab hold of her hair as well. I think it's going to take both of us to keep her under control."

I didn't have to be told what I was supposed to fill my mouth with, and I was glad to do it. Maybe it would stop me from saying another totally stupid thing at a time when I desperately needed to talk my way onto Mike and Jerry's team.

And Hannah's team as well, maybe: it was hard to get an angle on where she fitted in. Was she really a lawyer, one of the creative people, or some other kind of adviser? Or just another girlfriend, either Mike or Jerry's -- or both? I didn't know and I wished I did.

What I did know was that I'd better show straightaway how eager I could be at doing what I was told, especially with both of my new bosses holding onto my ponytail. So I shared my efforts as fairly as I could between both of them, sucking on Mike as if I was trying to siphon gas out of a car and risking a bad bout of RSI of the wrist from working on Jerry's shaft. When I caught up with Stacey again it'd be real interesting to hear how her auditioning had gone.

Wouldn't it be cool if I could sell my plot line to the guys and they shot the most important part of the movie right here in the town! Then maybe both of us local girls could get some major time on the screen . . . maybe. It was a long shot but that was a lot better than no shot at all and anybody who made it big got there because they were ready for their lucky break when it came along. So hope and hope, and try and try. And I was going to try!

END OF PART ONE

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