Shelly laughed once more, shook her head. Looked straight into the camera. “That's the myth of pornography. No, we're not poor farm girls who get enslaved. Men have the power in legitimate films but in porn it's the other way around. Just like with sex in real life: It's the women who're in control. We have what men want and they're willing to pay for it. We make more money than men do, we dictate what we do and what we don't do. We're on top. Forgive the joke.”

Surprise in Rune's voice: “So you like the business?”

A pause and the sincere eyes glazed back easily into the Betacam's expensive, glossy lens. "Not exactly. There's one problem. There's no sense of... beauty. They call them erotic films but there's nothing erotic about them.

Erotic connotes emotional stimulation as well as physical. Close-ups of people humping isn't erotic. I think I said this to you before: The business has a real low common denominator."

“So why have you stayed with it?” Rune asked.

“I do some legitimate theater now. Not much but every once in a while. And most I've ever made has been four thousand dollars a year. Making porn, I made a hundred twelve last year. Life's expensive. I took the path of least resistance.”

Shelley slumped an inch and Rune noticed something. The tough, flirty woman who'd begun talking, the Shelly with the facts and figures, the Shelly with the newscaster's grit in her voice, wasn't the same person who was talking now. This was someone different: softer, sensitive, thoughtful.

Shelly sat up, crossed her legs. She looked at her watch. “Hey, I'm beat. Let's call it a wrap for tonight.”

“Sure.”

The hot lights went dark and made tapping noises as they cooled. Immediately Rune felt the chill of the evening envelop them.

“How did it go, you think?” Rune asked. "I thought it was super.

Shelly said, “You're a very easy person to talk to.”

“I'm not even using any of my questions.” Rune sat in the lotus position and flapped her knees up and down like butterfly wings. “There's so much material... and we've hardly started talking about you yet. You're so good.”

“You're still interested, we can go to that party.”

“You bet.”

Shelly asked, “Use your phone?”

“Sorry, remember? I'm Miss Incommunicado.”

“A ship-to-shore radio. That's what you need. Then let's stop by the studio for a minute? I've got to see if there's a shoot scheduled for tomorrow.” She noticed Rune's small JVC camcorder. “Why don't you bring that. You can do some taping at the party.”

“Great.” Rune packed the small camera. “You think they'll mind?”

Shelly smiled in a way that was also a shake of her head. “You'll be with the star, remember?”

Lame Duck Productions' soundstage was only three blocks from Rune's company.