Red Carpet Surprise

The limo driver returned to stand beside her, politely keeping his distance. "Oh come on now Greg, we're practically old friends. You can put your arm around me," she said directing his hand toward her shoulder as she gently pushed her hip against him. "Let's all say cheese."

The guy holding the driver's cell phone began snapping, and she noticed a couple of others in the group surreptitiously aiming their phones at her. "Looks like you've got a lot of friends who want a picture of you, Greg," she whispered to him.

"Sorry about that, Miss West," he said apologetically. "Some guys just don't have any class."

"Don't worry, you get used to it," she replied. "Now will you escort me to Bungalow F." They turned to walk the block and a half to their destination, with the distinct sound of phones clicking as the group of guys snapped some pictures of her as she walked away.

With great gallantry, the driver saw her to door, then handed her his card. "Just text when you're ready to be picked up. I'll hang out at a coffee shop a couple of blocks from here so you won't have to wait long when you're ready."

"Don't want me standing outside too long, do you, Greg," she teased. "You're really very kind. Thank you," she added, planting a light kiss on his cheek and heading inside.

She was greeted by Chris Mann, who explained that he had asked the other producers, Gloria Reynolds and Anna Hong, to join them today. "We really are excited to have you return for the second reading," Chris explained. "Marcus has told us you're on board with all the dimensions of this role, and we think it could be a fabulous fit."

By now, Chris has managed to fully absorb the impact of Erin's outfit. At first glance, he had thought the pants were simple yet elegant black slacks. He was encouraged by the bit of tummy on display, as well as the cleavage afforded by the top. The hint of the black lace of Erin's bra signaled an openness and sensuality that hadn't come across in the first audition. But as his eyes returned to her legs and they stepped into the more brightly lit room where the other producers were gathered, he almost gasped out loud when he realized that the elegant pants were in fact almost completely transparent, and that the only thing under them was a g-string.

Chris re-introduced Erin to Anna and Gloria, making sure that in the process he was able to move around behind her. The site of her gloriously shaped, firm ass cheeks pressing against the sheer fabric gave rise to a growing conviction that they had in fact found the right actress for this part.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Erin demurely seated herself at the long conference table and picked up one of the copies of the script. "Well," she began, "I'm so grateful to you all for inviting me to the callback and I'm thrilled you've all taken the time from your busy schedules. Shall we get started?" she suggested.

A young male assistant discreetly put a bottle of water next to her as Chris began. "We thought we'd have you read the scene today that's essentially a major turning point for the character. She has to decide if she's willing to strip on live TV. It's a point of no return, but the dialog is about something entirely unrelated. We want you to show that duality - you know, saying one thing as you're doing another. We think that's going to be a big part of this character since eventually she'll have to bring the two parts of her life together. But for now, we want to see that hidden sexuality emerging. Can you show us that, Erin?"

The actress grinned broadly. "I think I'm prepared to show you some of my talents that perhaps I've been hiding for too long," she said, drawing a knowing laugh from the group. Script in hand, she stood up and walked to the front of the room. Antonio has been very wise to advise wearing high heels with the pants. She knew the shoes accentuated the curve of her ass as she walked with her back to the group, and the added inches to her height helped give her a sense of a dominating the room.

Chris was right; the words didn't matter. She read them almost absent-mindedly, staring straight ahead into an imaginary TV camera. But every gesture, the look in her eyes, the pauses in her delivery and the deep breathes were all calculated to convey a smoldering inner quality.

At some point, she put the script down and continued to recite from memory. Her fingers strayed to the buttons on her shirt, and she slowly undid them. Then she untied the shirt tails and the fabric parted to reveal her impressive 38 D breasts barely contained within the lacy black bra. Interestingly, she thought it was Anna, not Chris, who could be heard sharply inhaling as the shirt opened, but Erin's eyes remained fixed on the distance, seemingly unaware of the others in the room. Her hand reached up first to one shoulder, then the other, slowly pushing the material down her arms. The top appeared to effortlessly slide off of her and onto the floor as she concluded the lines from the script.

There was a hushed silence in the room but no one signaled her to stop. While retaining a calm distracted look, her mind raced through the possible options and she decided to continue. Improvising dialog. She proceeded to address the imaginary camera, allowing her fingers to now play with the waist of her pants. She started to gently push them downward, revealing the smooth white expanse of skin below her belly button. She could feel the elastic bands of her g-string and she took care to keep that in place. Finally, the pants slid below her hips and gravity took over. The sheer fabric encircled her ankles, and she managed to somehow step out of the pants while still staring straight ahead into the distance.

There she stood almost completely exposed - a low cut bra that barely concealed her nipples and served to flaunt her fabulous breasts, a small black g-string with slender threads running across her hips and joining together into a single strand that disappeared between her ass cheeks. "If this doesn't convince them I'm ready to tackle this part," she thought to herself, "nothing will."

The producers seemed to be reaching the same conclusion as well, when suddenly there was a noise from the back of the room. The young assistant, who had been desperately trying to find things to do justify him remaining in the room, had accidentally tipped over a bucket of ice that sat on the food table at the back of the room. Water, ice, and glassware tumbled to the floor.

Everyone looked up, and Gloria impatiently scolded him, "That's quite enough for now, David. You may leave."

Erin smiled, turning to address both Gloria and the boy. "No worries," she said, "it's always good to have an audience."

She pushed the script aside from in front of her and reached for her cell phone. Her fingers flew as she quickly texted the limo driver: "Come get me NOW." Within a few seconds, she saw the reply appear: "On my way."

Calculating that he had said he would be five minutes away, she mentally crossed her fingers that the estimate was accurate. Erin slowly bent her knees and reached down to the floor to pick up her pants and shirt and stuffed them in her dressing bag.

She noticed that Chris, Anna, and Gloria had exchanged notes during her reading and now were sharing a few whispered comments. She saw Chris stand up and move toward her, so she decided to seize the initiative. "Thank you so much for this opportunity to come back and read for you again." She lowered her eyes as if somewhat embarrassed. "I hope I demonstrated some of what you're looking for in this character."

"It would be an understatement to say we were pleasantly surprised by what you showed us today," he replied with just the trace of a smirk. "But we will be seeing several other actresses so we'll..."

Erin politely cut him off. "I absolutely understand. All I ask is that you keep in mind everything I can bring to this role and decide what is best for the film." She smiled, put her cell phone in her bag and started to walk toward the door.

"Oh Erin," Anna chimed in as she approached the actress, "you can use the dressing room at the other end of the corridor to freshen up."

"Oh, that won't be necessary," she smiled. "I'll just stroll outside and wait for my driver. I believe he's on his way."

She paused by the door and looked over at the assistant, trying to soak up the spilled ice water with a handful of paper towels. "That's quite the mess you've made there," she teasingly said, wagging a finger as he continued to stare at her g-string. "And you're allowed to look at my face when I talk to you," she added as Chris emitted a stifled laugh.

The intern turned completely red as Erin concluded by leaning over to him and giving him a quick peck on the cheek, her breasts just brushing against his shoulder. She turned and walked out the door and imagined she heard a low whistle as she headed down the corridor to the door.

She emerged into bright daylight, carrying her bag but clad only in the black lace bra, g-string, and heels. Even by the standards of Hollywood studio lots, this was an unusual outfit to be wearing in public, and she noticed several people standing outside the neighboring bungalow turn to look at her.

Heading in the direction of the entrance gate and wondering just how long it would take for the driver to show up, she gulped hard as she saw a group of about a dozen sightseers coming down the street on the tram used for studio tours. "Oh great," she thought to herself, "and the next stop on our tour, Erin West out for her afternoon walk." She chuckled to herself, realizing that just a few days ago she would have practically frozen in fear. But today she was feeling a very different sensation, simultaneously exciting and relaxing. She felt a growing level of comfort in the fact that what she had perceived as boundaries between public and private were melting. And as those borders vanished she could feel her inhibitions dropping away as well.

The tram approached and several of the tourists had directed their cameras and phones toward her and were snapping pictures. She turned quickly, allowing the tresses of her red hair to fall across her forehead, then shook her head back so hair fell back over her shoulders as she smiled.

She continued walking as the tram passed by, and overheard one of the men on the tour exclaiming, "Jesus Christ, they're not even panties."

"Welcome to Hollywood," she heard the tour guide chime in as she turned to look over her shoulder and smile at the tram as it continued down the road. Most of the group was still craning their necks to look at her, with one guy hanging halfway out of the vehicle as he continued to snap pictures of her ass.

She heard the sound of an engine drawing close, and turned back ahead to see the driver easing the limo up to the curb across from her. He hopped out, flung open the door, and said in amazement, "I guess the audition went well."

Erin chuckled loudly as she slid into the back seat. "Well, we'll see in a few days. But let's just say it went according to plan."

*****

Showing her ass cheeks on the back lot of a studio was one thing, but the final step in her campaign to win the part in the movie was going to take things to a whole other level. Antonio's "Salome" outfit took its inspiration from the famous dance of the seven veils - seven pieces of silky fabric assembled to create the appearance of a fashionable evening dress but in fact designed to have as many of the veils removed as the wearer dared to lose. And Erin's plan was to attend a Hollywood premiere that Friday night and gradually remove the veils one by one as she made her way down the red carpet.

Jim had wholeheartedly approved of the plan, continuing to encourage this newly discovered exhibitionist instinct in his wife. His only regret that he had to fly to the East Coast the day before and wouldn't be returning until later that night. But they had agreed that her agent, Marcus, would be the ideal escort for the evening. The only condition was that Jim insisted that she text him some pictures after she had made her grand entrance.

With Jim out of town, Erin spent most of the day alone in the house. A couple of glasses of wine at lunch helped calm the butterflies that were building in her tummy before Heidi, her part time personal assistant and hairdresser arrived, to help get her ready for the premiere. Together they shared another glass of wine while Heidi carefully arranged Erin's red hair.

"So, I assume you've picked out something special for the premiere tonight," Heidi casually asked. "Who did you work with this time?"

"Antonio, of course," she replied. "Who else?" Heidi was well aware of Erin's excellent sense of style and the fact that many designers in town were eager to have her wear their clothes and she always enjoyed seeing what outfit she had chosen.

"Mind if I stay around while you get dressed? I always love to see one of Antonio's creations."

"Actually, that would be great," Erin eagerly replied. "I may need a little help with this one."

"What," Heidi teased, "just because Jim's not here to zip you in?"

"Well, not that exactly. There really aren't any zippers on this, just some ties and clasps. I need to make sure everything's properly secured," she giggled, "if you know what I mean."

"Sounds a little naughty," Heidi teased back. "I wasn't going to mention this but I did see those paparazzi shots of you a few days ago. I guess you weren't particularly worried about the pictures appearing online if you're going to give them more to shoot tonight."

"Oh, a lot more," Erin said with a blush. She stood up and removed her robe, standing stark naked in front of her friend. "I intend to end up just like this," she said with an almost triumphant tone as she saw Heidi's jaw practically hit the ground. "I've got to convince some producers that I'm right for a part, and I've decided this is the best way to change my image. No more former child actress stuff."

"Well," Heidi stammered, trying not to appear too shocked, "if you're willing to strip in public, there's no doubt that will convince them you're an adult now," and they both laughed in unison. "So let me see this outfit and get some clothes on you before you catch a cold," she continued amidst their giggles.

Together they helped assemble the Salome outfit. The first two pieces were in effect the front and back of the dress that tied together at the shoulders and reached down to the mid-thighs. A third piece functioned as a sash clasped around the waist and held the front and back panels close together. The fourth item was in essence a wrap-around skirt that extended to the ankles, covering the short length of the pieces underneath and creating the look of a full-length evening ensemble.

The next two components were removable dress sleeves, with fasteners cleverly concealed within the folds at the top of each sleeve. These were the most time consuming to get on and would be, Erin realized, the most difficult to detach. But they'd also be the first things to go, which meant she could probably gradually unhook the fasteners before she reached the portion of the red carpet where the photographers would be waiting.

Erin was glad to have Heidi helping her make sure that all of the pieces were properly assembled, and they were both amazed at Antonio's clever workmanship - it really did look like an elegant dress, without much evidence of the multiple pieces. The panels didn't quite pull together on the side, providing just a glimpse of bare skin when she swung her arms. And the silken sash pulled tight around her waist emphasized Erin's natural hourglass figure while covering the overlap of the skirt and panels. Heidi took a step back and, pointing with her finger, counted from one to six.

"Okay, I give up. You said Antonio referred to this as his Salome creation, like in the dance of the seven veils. But there are only six pieces to this outfit."

"Well," Erin confessed with a blush, "I'm supposed to wear a flesh-colored leotard under all this, but that doesn't really fit with my plans for tonight. "So Antonio agreed we could substitute a cape for the leotard."

"It's kind of cheating," Heidi said with a smile, "but I don't think anyone will object."

Erin laughed softly and added, "I guess you're right." Just then, the doorbell rang, announcing the arrival of Marcus. With that, she threw the cape over her shoulders, grabbed her purse, and headed arm-in-arm with him to the limo waiting outside to whisk them to the downtown theater where the premiere was being held.

On the ride there, manager and client went over the details of how Erin would time the removal of her "veils." She repeatedly reminded Marcus that he was to collect each item as she removed them, stressing that not only did she need to return the outfit intact to Antonio but that she didn't intend to sit bareassed naked through the entire premiere party so he damned well better make sure he had her clothes ready so she could put them back on.

"Don't worry, Erin dear," he said reassuringly patting her hand. "I'm not going to let my favorite client walk around like Eve all evening. Then I might be forced to play the part of Adam, and I don't think the film community is quite prepared for that." They both laughed, and Erin finally felt able to sit back in the car seat, breathe deeply, and prepare herself for the next fifteen minutes.

After waiting in a line of five cars and fidgeting with the fasteners holding her sleeves to the dress, they were finally able to pull curbside in front of the theater. Erin stepped out, waving to a small cluster of fans and taking a few steps across the sidewalk and onto the canopy-covered red-carpet. The celebrities entering the theater walked first down a length of carpeting about thirty feet in length; the path then did a ninety degree turn to the right and went another fifty feet before entering the theater lobby. The bulk of the photographers were positioned along that second stretch of red carpet; only a few photographers prowled up and down the initial portion of carpet, allowing most of that space for curious fans to be positioned in a roped off area down the left side.

She and Marcus conferred and quickly agreed; only the sleeves would come off during the first thirty feet. Only after making the right turn would the rest of the veils start to go. Erin gulped as she took her first step onto the carpet, realizing that she was feeling not just nervous but sexually excited by what she was prepared to do. A pleasant warmth flowed from her abdomen as she squeezed Marcus's hand and whispered, "Time to begin. Will you help me with my first veil?" He obligingly reached up to her shoulders as she undid the tie on the front of the cape. It slid effortlessly off of her and the agent draped it over his arm. Erin then pulled away, walking several steps in front of him.

It was as if a director had called "action." All her instincts of playing to the camera took over, and she smiled warmly at the crowd while turning quickly to face the occasional photographer. Her hair swayed over her shoulders as she turned to look into the lens with a sultry pout. She reached up to her shoulder and, holding the pose, nimbly unhooked all but one of the fasteners. The sleeve started to pull away from her shoulder, allowing a view of her upper arm through the gap in the fabrics.

Erin turned away from a photographer and moved across the width of the red carpet to where a few autograph seekers were standing. She reached out to one of them, and in doing so the gap in the material widened.

"Hey, Erin," one of the bystanders called out. "Looks like you've got a bit of a problem there." The remark was offered good-naturedly, thinking she was genuinely unaware of what was happening and alerting her before she got to the large group of photographers waiting beyond the bend in the carpet.