A Bigger Stage

[Blase]

OOC: A new adventure of Dane, the rock star who can't get enough of nymphets

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"I'm telling you, Dane, this girl has something special."

The speaker was Dane's friend Ray, better known to his many listeners as Doctor Yes, the host of the kind of TV magazine show that delighted in pushing the envelope until it lay shredded on the studio floor, along with the sensibilities of anyone in his late-night cable audience who lacked the sense to listen to repeated warnings to the faint of heart. Or who kept coming back because they made a virtue of being offended.

Currently Ray was a guest judge on The Choice, a long-running reality show where contestants competed for exposure to a worldwide audience as well as the chance at what they hoped would be a career-making contract. He'd done surprisingly well, given his rather peripheral connection to the world of music, but was now down to only one person on his team, and likely to see his chances of winning the show end within another episode or two.

Still, eighteen-year-old Rosi Diamond did have a distinctive voice, not just in terms of power or timbre but in terms of expression. There was a warmth and innocence to her that drew the audience in - and had also made not a few of them gasp in astonishment when she'd chosen the edgy Doctor Yes as her coach!

Even Ray sometimes wondered at her choice, but the teen had been game to take chances and push herself stylistically and vocally, taking instruction like a champ.

And, he reflected, she was bound to have the chance to do so again, because Dane was further from her roots, in terms of both music and upbringing, than anyone who'd coached her to date. Indeed, had he known his likely final coach and contestant pairing would come down to these two, he might well have asked someone besides Dane to come and work with the girl. But such were schedules in that world: Arrangements had been made well in advance, with no real chance to change them.

So it was that when Rosi entered the room in a few moments, the wholesome teen who sang at small, quite family-friendly venues would find herself face to face with a man who, for most of her lifetime, had been filling arenas while singing songs that might have gotten Rosi in trouble with her mom had she played them on the radio at home, let alone sung them. Too, Ray knew full well, a lot of the people filling those arenas had been girls Rosi's age or slightly older; surprisingly many of whom displayed quite a charming propensity to lift their shirts and invite Dane's inspection, often for periods long enough to seriously upset their boyfriends.

And here she came now.

 

[AndreaSubbie]

Rosi Diamond

Everyone she knew thought she was mad. Insane. Loco. Out of her head. Did she have any idea what kind of man Doctor Yes was? Seriously?

Laughing at herself she had to agree. It had been a most unlikely match. She wasn't the sophistcated kind of girl who'd get along with such a Worldly Wise character. On the other hand, he was a clever spotter of talent, and he absolutely knew what audiences liked, even if the censors didn't.

But she wasn't doing anything dangerous. She was singing. And if Doctor Yes agreed to take her on, it gave her confidence a huge boost.

She was honestly surprised to have got to the final selection, and even more surprised at who the final vocal coach was going to be. Everybody had heard of Dane, a legend in the business, and the stories people told were outrageous, even by Doctor Yes's standards.

But this was about singing and performing on stage. Of course, the pairing of her, a petite neat tidy respectable brunette without the usual huge chest she imagined Dane preferred, with him, the outrageous outspoken sex maniac and brilliant singer songwriter, was something everyone on the show was talking about. Which surely had to be good. After all, there was only one thing worse than being talked about, Oscar Wilde had famously pointed out; NOT being talked about. Maybe chat shows would pick up on it?

Surely any publicity was better than none, for her possible future career? It was just about singing and performing on stage, on TV maybe.

She stepped into the room to meet Dane for the first time, cameras following to catch her reaction and his, the whole thing recorded to be edited down to a few attention grabbing seconds for the audience.

"Hey, I'm Rosi," and she smiled her most dazzling smile at Dane, a little overawed even in Doctor Yes's presence, holding out her small right hand, hoping her clean jeans and clingy pale blue sweater looked as good on tape as they had seemed in the dressing room mirror. That her bra strap wouldn't be a distraction. She watched his eyes carefully, hoping he liked what he saw.

 

[Blase]

"Very good to meet you, Rosi," Dane replied, taking the girl's hand briefly in his own. Although there were cameras rolling, he wasn't in performance mode just then, and felt no need to do or say anything outrageous. For all his well-earned reputation as a ladies' man, he was also a professional - and truth to tell, he had no desire to scare anyone.

From what he'd seen and heard so far, Rosi was almost certain to find working with him scary enough!

Granted, he did spare a glance at Rosi's trim figure, and note the bra strap visible on her left shoulder... but that wasn't for show. It was just the natural interest that made him who he was and had in large measure shaped his life and career.

The three of them chatted for a few moments, getting comfortable. Just a bit of footage that would doubtless not survive the editing process.

Once Rosi seemed to have gotten over the worst of whatever shock and awe she felt, Dane asked her to tell him a bit about herself and her career up to that point. He had of course seen footage of her initial interview and a couple of her performances on The Choice, but he valued the chance to hear more from her in person.

 

[AndreaSubbie]

"Oh, crumbs!" she thought a bit and quickly reviewed her very brief history to date, wondering if the editors would bother with this since they already had her Interview on tape and had showed bits of it every show so far.

"So I've only sung for small gatherings really, and a bit at school in Year Reviews, things like that. But I've always loved singing, and probably started as a child at bath time." She smiled as she remembered those early experiences, something she hadn't actually mentioned at the Show Interview.

"Don't you just love the acoustics of the bathroom? I'm sure everyone does; we all sound so good singing in the bathtub or the shower," and she grinned into Dane's eyes, until suddenly feeling a moment of self-doubt at deliberately putting into his mind an image of her singing while completely naked.

She recovered herself hoping it wasn't obvious, but couldn't shake the idea of Dane as a Hunter, reviewing how he'd looked her over but fortunately not finding anything to be unduly worried about. She rambled on a little while regaining her composure, but there remained a dangerous hint of excitement in her that seemed to quicken in Dane's presence, and sparing a glance across to Doctor Yes, wondered if the shrewd and observant showman had picked up on it.

Rosi finished what she was saying and forced her hand down away from twirling a lock of her hair, relaxing her tummy that she'd been holding in, uncrossing her legs so they were no longer pointing towards Dane as she sat between her two coaches, the three of them facing the cameras.

It was routine to record the whole of every practice session so that the editors could select anything useful to offer the Director. She had to be careful not to let her body language get misinterpreted while with these two powerful influential morally-loose men.

She had momentarily zoned out. "Sorry, what was that?" Damn, she was getting flustered. This wasn't good.

 

[Blase]

Dane was used to girls showing signs of nervousness in his presence. He smiled quickly for Rosi's sake, then took up the thread of the conversation.

"I was saying that this situation may present certain challenges, but also, I hope, some real opportunities for you."

"Competing on The Choice is never easy, of course: It's about pushing yourself and growing as an artist - while at the same time you're competing with a bunch of other hungry artists who are trying to do the exact same thing! And pretty much everyone here is already fairly accomplished. You were all chosen from videos you submitted; picked by the producers precisely because you had already started developing, and they thought they saw something that had the potential to be developed further. That's why the show is The Choice and not The Next Rank Amateur."

"So," Dane continued, his tone becoming a bit brisk, "that's all a given. But..." He paused for a moment. "It's still important that you be comfortable with the person coaching you. And even, frankly, that you approve of them. If there was a problem in either of those two areas, I would do everything in my power to find you an alternate coach. And you might be surprised who I could come up with on short notice."

"Still," he smiled more broadly, "I'm all about taking chances! I think that, if you're okay about working with me, we can show the whole world a few more facets of Rosi Diamond."

"What do you think?"

 

[AndreaSubbie]

"Well, first I think it would be a bit odd, above myself as a rookie to presume to know better than two such experienced and successful professionals as yourselves. And yes, I know that in shows like this people always talk about The Journey and how it's become a bit of a cliche. But you put it better, I think. Challenges and Opportunities. And growth as an Artist.

"If the great Doctor Yes here thinks I'm worth his time, and if he thinks I'm capable of learning from Dane the Great, then I'd be honoured to learn whatever I can from you. "

Rosi thought for a moment, hoping she'd expressed herself appropriately. So far her whole life had been appropriate, and she didn't want to slip up, not when so many possibilities and opportunities were opening up for her.

"So yes, if you can see other facets of me that can be developed, that can give us, me, our team an edge, then let's explore that. If you'll take a chance on me, I'll do all I can to make it work, to turn your belief in me into something real? I know I can learn a lot from both of you. You pointed out all of us contestants are trying to achieve the same goal. What we need is to stand out, for me to stand out. I know you both aren't afraid to go against convention, so maybe we can make something of that?"

Rosi hadn't thought through the implications of what she was saying, but in a way she meant it. And there were sensible limits to what was allowed in the show so they couldn't be too outrageous. No, she should be safe enough. The two Entertainment Gurus here would think up daring clever strategies, and the Show's producers would keep it all appropriate.

Rosi nodded decisively, happy with her decision.

 

[Blase]

"Alright, then." Dane's smile became broader, and possibly just a bit wry.

"I guess we'd better start by going over the song I had prepared. I will say..." Dane hesitated again.

"You'll probably find this to be a stretch, not so much in terms of vocal gymnastics but in terms of timing. The meter is mostly two, two, two, three, with a change to a lower pitch at the end of each verse. It can be a little tricky to get the beats right, and if you don't, the lines really don't work."

"Also the subject is a bit... Well, it's a fun song, not a serious song. But as with most bits of froth, the person performing it can't be mugging, at least not vocally. That's like telling a joke by starting off with 'Here's a joke'. It doesn't work."

"Anyway, why don't you have a look?"

Dane handed Rosi a lyric sheet, then stepped back to let her read:


(I Wanna) Be Dane's Girl

I have a dream that
I've never told
not to my sister
It's just too bold

Not even my best friend
can know the state I'm in
playin' at solitaire
Knowin' I can never win

I dream that I go to him
I tell him all my pain
Ask if he thinks I'm pretty
Ask if he thinks I'm lame

Dane sits and looks right through me
His glance says all he knows
I go and stand before him
Then I take off all my clothes

(chorus)
I wanna be Dane's girl!
I wanna be Dane's girl!
Just let my flag unfurl
And run naked through his world!

He looks me up and down
while I avert my eyes
I start to say I'm sorry
I know that I ain't no prize

I start to cry a bit
I stoop to grab my clothes
A soft voice in my ear
says, 'No, you won't be needing those'

(chorus)
I wanna be Dane's girl!
I wanna be Dane's girl!
Just do a naughty twirl
and dance naked in his world!

Sometimes I can imagine
the things he does to me
Sometimes I know I'm just
a frumpy, dumpy wanna-be

And yet I still believe in
the passion there would be
I know he'd take my pain
and set my inner woman free


(spoken)
He'd be the lion to my gazelle
He'd show me Heaven, then show me Hell
He'd say I shouldn't feel to blame
He'd teach me not to have any shame

(chorus)
I wanna be Dane's girl!
I wanna be Dane's girl!
to offer him my pearl
(spoken)
and live naked in his world

(improvise and fade)

 

[AndreaSubbie]

Rosi took the sheet and read.

She didn't look up, just read, her lips trying out the words, her head attempting to fit the two two two three rythm. A glimmer of a smile on her face.

Finally she looked Dane in the eye. "I'm glad you told me it's not serious. But it is fun. A lot of fun. So you think I should sing it straight, kind of dead pan? Like I mean it?"

She handed the sheet to Doctor Yes, "have you seen this?" She asked with a grin. Then to Dane, "did you write it specially for this show? It's rather good, and I'd love to hear you sing it, hear how you feel it?"

Rosi took the sheet back again and read it through another time, starting to add gestures as she mouthed the lyrics, again nodding in time to the unusual but attractive beat.

"It's very naughty, but also quite charming and fun. I really like it. Has anyone, have you recorded it already or will this be a first? Can we try it with the accompaniment? I can't wait to get into this! You know my mum will hate it, and my Headmistress!"

Rosi put her head down again, reading it through a third time and swaying in her chair, the gestures becoming more theatrical as she totally got into it.

"So I'm thinking the choreography needs to build from fairly quiet to more dramatic as the song unfolds, and mousey at the 'I ain't no prize' but really liberated at the end, almost triumphant?"

She looked at her mentors for feedback, hoping she was on the right track.

 

[Blase]

"I think that's going in the right general direction," Dane replied when the flurry of questions had subsided.

"Yes, I did actually write it for the show, and no, I haven't recorded it yet. My thought was to let the artist - you, as we now know - premiere it on the next competition night, then do it together with her as a duet the following night when we learn the results of the previous night's competition."

"There are some lines that you can give special attention to, as well as a couple of fairly obvious choices in terms of choreography - although you probably shouldn't try to act everything out," Dane winked. "You can talk to the choreographer about that, and maybe let some naughtier things happen around you with the dancers while you concentrate on singing."

"But the song is definitely about a woman dreaming of coming out of her shell, and at the end, she's really owning it all: Her dreams, her sexuality."

"When you start speaking, the audience will be hanging on every word:

He'd be the lion
to my gazelle.
He'd show me Heaven
then show me Hell.
He'd say I shouldn't
feel to blame.
He'd teach me not to
have any shame.

"Then you start to sing again, going into the last chorus, then Bam! You drop back into speech once more."

And live. Naked. In. His. World."

"And yeah, I don't think you say that at all unless you can say it with complete conviction."

"Make sense?"

 

[AndreaSubbie]

"Yes, exactly, that's what I mean, it's like at the start of the song it's a dream, a day dream, a pipe dream even, and an embarrassing one that she's too ashamed to admit to, but by the end, the very end, she OWNS it, she lives it, she's set free, she's in his world running naked, running free. The whole choreography, the performance is with conviction,"

Rosi paused for a moment and glanced at each man's face, an amused cheeky grin on her face, "but no, we don't need to act that out on competition night; I'm not running round the set with no clothes on!"

It wasn't like she was putting ideas in their heads that weren't already there, so she felt safe joking, "but it would certainly make the performance memorable and set me apart from the other contestants, ha ha."

Then getting serious again, "but if I don't get kicked off, I really get to sing it again the next night with you, Dane? A duet with you? You'd actually perform on TV with me?"

Rosi was fully aware of the honour. Stars as big as Dane didn't sing with just anyone. He must really believe in her. Of course it could be the opposite and he felt it was ok to offer the duet because there was no chance of her getting through.

But she knew that wasn't true. And of course she knew what the Production Values allowed and what they didn't so it was safe to joke like this, and might even make good scintillating TV if the editors and Director chose to air such tantalising and provocative snippets of conversation from rehearsals in the pre performance build up, in the final cut on Show Night before she sang it live on TV in its premiere.

"But yeah, I get it, total conviction. But it's with humour, right?"

 

[Blase]

"Well, humor, yes, but in a subtle way," Dane said. "Not that you should imitate anyone, but if you want an example of something with a comparable tone, think about the way Meghan Traynor does All About That Bass. The song begins with not one but two puns. No one hears it and thinks Ooh, that's deep, but no one laughs, either. And because it's a song, she can say things that would be either outrageous or just silly if she were really talking to someone."

"Hmm, it's funny." Ray looked up from reading the lyrics where Rosi had placed them on a stand. "This actually sounds more like an episode of The Examining Room than a song for The Choice. Heh."


Suddenly his manner became decisive. "Okay, I need to claim five minutes of coach-contestant privilege! Everybody out!"

"I don't care what the rules say! You, and you," he pointed. "Out! Out!"

"You too," he added less emphatically at a raised eyebrow from Dane, who shrugged and joined the general exodus.

In a few moments, only he and Rosi remained.

"Sorry to be so dramatic," he told her, "but I thought this might be a little easier all around without an audience."

"No, don't worry," he added quickly as Rosi started to blanch. "What I mean to say is, Dane's instincts are always spot-on, and he showed that when he started out by saying that this could be a great chance to showcase new aspects of yourself. But..."

"Then he sort of veered off. You see, this song can work on more than one level. It does work fine as the dream of a woman who's been alone a little too long, and maybe had some hard luck in the romantic department. The only thing is, that isn't so believable coming from a fresh-faced eighteen-year-old. And there's another way to hear it; a way that makes it seem like the song was really written specifically for you."

Ray paused a moment, gathering his thoughts. He knew that there was nothing wrong with Rosi's native intelligence: She was plenty smart. What did concern him was the possibility that her particular background - and somewhat limited experience - might mean that she wouldn't find certain aspects of the song particularly accessible without some help.

"Another way to read it," he continued, "is as the journey that hopefully every young girl makes at some point; the process of becoming a woman and finding a lover."

"There are things we all go through as we start to become aware of ourselves as something more than children. Part of it is feeling a certain loneliness, and a new vulnerability. We wonder if there'll be someplace to put the new feelings we're starting to have. We wonder if someone will want us."

"Read the lyrics carefully and you can see that exact progression. She starts out lonely and unable to tell anyone about it. Finally she goes to the one place where she can both get her questions answered and face her fears."

"And what is she afraid of? It's right there on the page. Does he think I'm pretty? Does he think I'm lame?"

"Does he want me?"

"How does she test it? The way that young girls always have: By taking her courage in hand and finding that the place of her greatest vulnerability is also the place of her power: She faces him, takes all her courage in hand and drops her clothes."

"Do you see what the song really is? It's the story of every young girl's dream of finding an older alpha male who can be a sexual mentor."

"I think what's made Dane hesitate a little is that he didn't expect to come here and find himself facing the veritable subject of the song." Ray cast a sidelong glance at Rosi.

"You have to understand, his reputation notwithstanding, Dane has never been about taking advantage of people. Yes, he's spent years with girls literally falling at his feet, but they were girls who knew what they wanted from him, and what the deal was."

"In this case, I think he's well aware that there's a certain power imbalance: He can walk away from this and be no worse off than he was, regardless of what anyone thinks of his performance. You, on the other hand, have a lot more riding on it. Which is precisely why, in my opinion... we can't afford to soft pedal the sexuality inherent in the song you've been given."

"And with that said, I'm going to call everyone back in, and ask you to go through the song for us so that we can get an idea of where you are with it."

"You know the drill: No one expects the first run-through to be anywhere near perfect. Now is the time to look both into your singer's and your actor's toolbox and see if there's anything in either or both that will help you to get a handle on this song."

Then Doctor Yes was opening the studio door and summoning the others back.

 

[AndreaSubbie]

By the time everyone filtered back in, Rosi was sitting in a chair studying the lyrics again. Nothing odd about that. Except she'd gone deathly pale and her expression was serious. She was concentrating and clearly thinking hard.

She glanced up at the interruption and noticed that the original crew had been augmented by one of the Assistant Directors. It seemed the Intervention by Doctor Yes had set alarms ringing suggesting that Something was Up. The Production Team smelt Drama. Which meant good TV, especially if there was going to be upset. Rosi couldn't read Dane's expression but she caught a glance between him and Doctor Yes, some communication known only to them.

Her tummy was doing weird things, and Rosi realised that she was scared. Suddenly the game had changed. In fact the change was so profound that it had stopped being a game and had become real. Personal. It was now more than just a singing competition, albeit a very exciting public one on TV with enormous potential for her fufure. No, it had become more deeply life changing. It had become about growing up. Yes, it was scary.

As everyone settled down Doctor Yes did as promised and asked her to run through the song so they could get a feel for where she was with it, and Rosi nodded to Doctor Yes and to Dane, and then got up, the camera in her face and following her to the piano.

"Coukd you start with a few gentle chords," she asked the accompanist, "setting the rythm Dane wants but in a kind of almost hypnotic gentle dreamy cadence?"

Then turning to her mentors, "and I need you two the other side of the piano, sitting down but where I can see your faces? I'm giing to try this first singing it directly to you both, ok? And can I try a complete run through first, then Dane you can tell me after how it really should go, ok?" Rosi shrugged apologetically at Dane, "I know it's your song and you wrote it, but if I'm really going to Own It like you said, I need to get in at ground level? But remember this is just my first go, so don't be too hard on me? Be gentle on a girl's First Time?"

Rosi felt very vulnerable at that point, and was sure the significance of her choice of words wouldn't be lost on Doctor Yes.

She noticed the Assistant Director holding up his hand for them to wait a moment, and soon a second cameraman and sound guy came in and set up out of shot of the first camera but giving undivided attention to Dane and Doctor Yes.

Yikes, this was becoming bigger than just a first read of her song. The Programme were recording both her singing and the Mentors' reaction simultaneously. They really must smell Drama, Rosi thought.

She took a dark but lightweight scarf from her bag, holding it scrunched in her left hand and sat back in her chair facing the piano, very conscious of the camera. This was more significant than just a first run-through.

"Ok, are we ready?" She asked the pianist, but was looking directly at Doctor Yes.

 

[Blase]

"Just a minute," came unexpectedly from the director present.

At a few quick words from him, lights started to dim, then others came on, leaving much of the room in shadow. Rosi herself stood in a pool of soft light, while her mentors sat, picked out by a muted spotlight that illuminated them while still managing to leave Rosi very much the center of attention.

At a nod from the director, Doctor Yes looked back to Rosi.

"Okay, babydoll," he smiled. "Sing to us."

 

[AndreaSubbie]

With a nod from Rosi the pianist began as she'd asked, soft mellow minor chords creating a gentle pulsing intro, like a heartbeat or night-time breathing, the accents bringing a suggestion of the 'two two two three' unusual rhythm Dane had specified.

While a few bars of the intro played, establishing a mood, Rosi covered her head with the scarf, gathering the loose ends behind her neck under her ponytail, tucked in but not secured.

Then with head lowered but eyes looking into the camera from under her eyelashes she bagan, soft but secure, perfect intonation, good breath control, the predictable dreamy quality in her voice.

The first two verses were like a confession to the camera, as if she was talking to her reflection in the mirror, the Director's lighting actually giving a sense of privacy:

I have a dream that
I've never told
not to my sister
It's just too bold

Not even my best friend
can know the state I'm in
playin' at solitaire
Knowin' I can never win

Rosi gestured to the pianist to change the mood, hoping that since he'd heard everything Dane had said to her he'd understand what was needed. He came up trumps, giving an edgy quality as she broke into the important, central third verse, her head swivelling to her Mentors while keeping her body still, physically enacting the change of focus:

I dream that I go to him
I tell him all my pain

And here she allowed her genuine uncertainty to show through her eyes, her face, her lips, her voice,

Ask if he thinks I'm pretty
Ask if he thinks I'm lame

Rosi felt genuinely vulnerable again, knowing she was truly asking the question of Dane, and of Doctor Yes. What did they really think of her? Was she just a young inexperienced singer they could help start a career? A tool to further their own careers? A passing curiosity on the road of life? Or was she a young woman, desirable in her own right? A young woman worthy of the attentions of mature, experienced, wordly men?

Rosi looked Dane in the eye, an intensity in her stare and singing,

Dane sits and looks right through me
His glance says all he knows
I go and stand before him

without disturbing the beat, Rosi pulled off the head scarf, then set her hair free from the ponytail, and half turned her body so that she was now square on to the two men she needed to impress,

Then I take off all my clothes

While she sang the chorus, with the piano changing mood to emphasise the break, Rosi kept the uncertainty, the anticipation,

I wanna be Dane's girl!
I wanna be Dane's girl!
Just let my flag unfurl

And running her hands from her throat, over her breasts and to her waist,

And run naked through his world!

Back to the verse,

He looks me up and down
while I avert my eyes

Rosi lowered her gaze to her knees, changing her tone to apologetic,

I start to say I'm sorry
I know that I ain't no prize

I start to cry a bit
I stoop to grab my clothes
A soft voice in my ear
says, 'No, you won't be needing those'

Through the secod chorus she kept her head lowered but raised her eyes, hope and fear shining out,

I wanna be Dane's girl!
I wanna be Dane's girl!
Just do a naughty twirl
and dance naked in his world!

Rosi looked back into the camera, into her mirror like it was truly all a dream,

Sometimes I can imagine
the things he does to me

Rosi shuddered a little,

Sometimes I know I'm just
a frumpy, dumpy wanna-be

Yet sometimes still I dream
the passion there would be
I know he'd take my pain
and set my inner woman free

Then in a husky, lust filled speaking voice,

He'd be the lion
to my gazelle
He'd show me Heaven
then show me Hell
He'd say I shouldn't
feel to blame
He'd teach me not to
have any shame

And with bold eyes, sitting up straight, challenging her reflection, the chorus,

I wanna be Dane's girl!
I wanna be Dane's girl!
to offer him my pearl

lifting her chin as she uttered the last line,

and live
naked
in
his
world

The piano faded.

She stayed in position then slumped, exhausted by the intensity of her performance. She knew it was true and honest, hopefully sincere, but was worried that it had been dreadfully hammed and over the top, that she'd tried too hard.

Silence.

She fiddled with the scarf in her lap, dreading the feedback, feeling the camera zooming in to the uncertainty and fragility in her face. She'd just exposed her inner self in front of a room full of people, to her two Mentors, and worse it was on tape, forever.

This was where everyone would laugh at her and see how shallow her talent really was. Talent? Who was she kidding. The song was too difficult for her. She'd blown it. Rosi lowered her face and let the tears of bitter disappointment and failure trickle silently down her cheeks.

 

[Blase]

The lights went down, and darkness and silence filled the studio.

Until two heartbeats later, when the applause began; first from the crew, then with both coaches joining in.

Dane and Ray came around the piano to join Rosi at the microphone, both of them speaking congratulatory words.

Dane was starting to say something about the unexpected direction she'd taken the song in when he noticed the tears running down the teenager's cheeks.

"You're getting emotional right now," he said gently. "Can you tell us why?"

 

[AndreaSubbie]

"Oh!"

Rosi was surprised and delighted with the reaction, and sniffed away her tears while drinking in all the nice comments. Even the TV crew seemed to like what she'd done.

But what mattered most was the reaction of both of her Mentors. If was really important to her; she felt a driving need to impress them. And it wasn't just because of the Show's format or a need to win the competition. It ran very much deeper, and stemmed from that uncomfortable talk Doctor Yes had given her, it had been a changer. Including changing her relationship with him. And it brought Dane into the same kind of deal, since it was his song that was the catalyst, and he was her focus.

Looking up at Dane, she replied,"I thought you'd hate what I was doing to your beautiful powerful song. It's just," and here she glanced at Doctor Yes, "it's just as if you wrote it for me, personally? So I went with it. But do you think my version is too shallow? Too immature? And I didn't exactly get any humour or deprecation across, did I? And the play acting? Was that too lame?"

Rosi looked from one Mentor to the other and back, needing their input, their advice, their guidance. Possibly their Older Alpha Male Mentoring? She almost shuddered, but not in horror.

She had expected the Director to leave them alone and cut his losses. After all there was nothing to see here, but maybe he sensed the possibility of more, because he muttered something about how he'd just love to direct the Video to go along with this song.

That was nothing to do with her, of course, but would be a decision for Dane to make. She did wonder though who the lucky girl would be to sing for Dane in the video if he decided to make one. Who he would choose to be Dane's Girl?

 

[Blase]

"Well, at first I was thinking This song won't work as a ballad, Dane said. "But then you picked it up, which was good. Because along with the sense of anxiety the singer feels, you need to get across the energy and purpose that we all have when we begin exploring. People... Well, people your age have a certain restlessness and energy about them, oftentimes even when they're just standing around. And let's be honest: When we're young, and we start to explore, it seldom is, and shouldn't be half-hearted."

"We mean it."

"There are some technical things that we can work on, of course, but we can go over those in awhile. As for the choreography, have you met Sarah, the choreographer, yet? Because I'm sure she'll be eager to talk to you as soon as we take a break."


"Can I tag in?" Doctor Yes asked cheerfully.

"Remember what we talked about before; your actor's toolbox. You need to find ways to put yourself inside the character, and the situation. For example, when you take a shower -"

"Ow!" he exclaimed as Dane trod rather heavily on his foot.

"How clumsy of me," Dane said drolly.

"Yeah, you've always had two left feet in front of the ladies," Doctor Yes replied.

"Er, anyway..." He paused to adjust his right stocking. "Listen, really take time to think about the character and the situation. For example, there's a sort of dominance and submission thing going on in the fourth verse. Notice that Dane sits while she remains standing. He doesn't feel the need to say anything; just looks at her."

He glanced at Dane and took half a step back from the dark-clad rock star. "He doesn't go to her: He just assumes she'll come to him. And she does."

"Anyway," he said again, a little too quickly, "you'll have time to go over the song this afternoon and this evening. And you can text either of us, should you have any questions."

"Right now, we can probably all use a little break."

 

[AndreaSubbie]

Her first thought was a mild sense of panic that she was letting her audience slip away before she had finished, but the TV crew left their gear behind as they made their way out to whatever refreshments they usually enjoyed.

Rosi sat back down, feeling her energy return, helped by the supportive feedback and comments of her two Alpha Mentors. Since That Chat she could only see them as the Mature Experienced Older Men who would guide her into becoming a woman. She wasn't sure if they saw it the same way. Dane seemed surprisingly gentlemanly given his reputation for having sex with any number of girls after every gig, but Doctor Yes was very direct and seemed to enjoy dwelling on the sexual potential of the song and her personal growth. He had even pointed out the Dominant submissive nature of the song.

Talking with him felt both dangerous and exciting. Fear and thrill. And under his guidance it seemed she was to throw herself at Dane's feet, naked. But they didn't mean that literally did they? Though for all his gentle concern, Dane had kept emphasising she had to be sincere about the spirit of the song, about wanting to be his girl, about wanting him to make her a woman and take away all her self doubt. And Doctor Yes had emphasised that with Dane, the girl goes to him, not him to the girl. Was Doctor Yes the puppy trainer sending her to obediently come to Dane and throw herself at him?

Watching them talk together Rosi couldn't help wondering which was going to have her first. She shook her head to scatter such thoughts. This was a TV entertainment show. A Talent Show. A vehicle for new aspiring singers, with the potential of a new career for one of them. Why would such an environment have anything to do with sex? Who was she kidding.

Thinking back, Dane had basically said she had to convey the youthful energy of sexual exploration with nothing half hearted. Nothing half-hearted; in other words hold Nothing back. A tremor went through her. Thrill or fear? As for the song, maybe Sarah the choreographer would help with the performance side of that? She was due here any minute apparently. Rosi got the phone from her bag thinking of what Doctor Yes had been about to say when Dane stood on his foot to shut him up. Something about 'in the shower', presumably referring to when she'd be undressed? She'd have to ask him about that. He did say she could message him. Both of them.

Rosi sent a quick Group Message to the two of them, so all three would see a simultaneous three way conversation. She didn't want any confusion of mixed or contradicting advice.

"Just checking this message thing works and we can all see whats being said in case I have questions later, Rosi x"

There, that should help. She looked up as the door opened.

 

[Blase]

Sarah hadn't said much more than hello to Rosi up to that point, but even if they hadn't met, Rosi might well have guessed that the lithe, thirty-something woman walking towards her was a dancer.

"Hey, Rosi!" Sarah said with her usual energy. "I watched you on the monitor in the other room. Wow, this should be fun! Maybe a little hot for The Choice, but that's what the ten-second delay is for, ha!" Sarah chortled.

"How old did you say you were again? Are you ready to get naked?" She dropped Rosie a wink.

Unregarded in Rosi's pocket for the moment, her phone vibrated with twin confirmation messages from her two mentors.

 

[AndreaSubbie]

"Eighteen, legal age, and ye ... er ... how are you?"

Rosi knew she was deep crimson as she held out her hand, trying to cover up her automatic agreement to anything this beautiful assertive confident woman said.

The cameraman and sound guy following Sarah's entrance had caught all of the choreographer's introductory words and the double question, and the lense had then swivelled to catch Rosi's blurted embarassed response.

It was getting to be a bit overwhelming, and Rosi had to summon all her concentration to keep her composure as Sarah's camera crew captured the two of them while the other two returned crews took up position out of shot to hone in on the two Mentors in one case, and a wide overall picture in the other.

So now there were three cameramen each with a sound guy, the Assistant Director from before, and Sarah, as well as Doctor Yes and Dane. The room was filling up, and not much was going to miss the scrutiny of those monitors in the Director's suite. With so many resources concentrated on one rehearsal room, the Director himself must have sensed something big worthy of capture. Did they think she was going to win? Her heart leaped for a moment. Or did they expect the two singing coaches and choreographer to stretch the limits of what The Choice allowed, to push deep into the ten-second rule. Push Deep in .. STOP IT ROSI! she admonished herself.

Yes, in order to cope with the sudden assault on her mental and emotional state Rosi had, as Doctor Yes might have said, to dig deep in her toolbox. Her toolbox. That was part of the problem. Her 'Toolbox' was tingling and heating and her insides were in turmoil with the sexually charged atmosphere. Or was it just her?

And what was wrong with her? First, she couldn't listen to sensible performance advice from her two singing coaches without imagining them both Dominating her as her Alpha Older Male Sexual Mentors, and then she couldn't say 'no' to the choreographer's jokey non-serious suggestion about getting naked for her.

Despite Sarah's quip about the ten-second rule, Rosi knew they didn't have nudity or even near nudity on The Choice, so why was she getting so flustered?

In an attempt to distract herself Rosi dragged her phone from her pocket, remembering the vibrator, STOP IT ROSI, and saw the two Mentors had replied. Why did she want Sarah to be in on the Group Messages too?

She opened the message screen.

 

[Blase]

"Hey, you two!" Both women looked up at the sound of a third female voice and saw Cindy, the woman in charge of Wardrobe, approaching them. In her twenties, Cindy was black-haired, and somewhat darker in complexion than the brown-haired Sarah, but just as attractive, in her way.

Anyone watching the three pretty girls standing together could perhaps have been forgiven for thinking something about fish schooling by size.

"Cindy!", Sarah greeted her colleague. The two worked closely together and had become good friends over the year or so that they'd both worked on The Choice.

"You saw?" Sarah was still speaking.

"I sure did!" Cindy replied. "I've already started sketching a costume idea or two!"

"Costume?" Sarah asked innocently.

"Please don't scare the kitten," Cindy replied with mock severity while moving to stand beside Sarah and hold up a sketch pad. "Here, have a look."

Sarah glanced at the drawing, then quickly looked sidelong at Rosi, who couldn't quite see yet. "Uh, is there any actual fabric involved in the making of this 'costume'?" she asked Cindy. "Because I do have some dental floss in my car that could possibly save you a trip out for supplies."

The two girls looked at each other for precisely one beat, then burst into laughter.

"No, we're sorry, Rosi, we're just putting you on," Cindy said when they'd stopped giggling. "Here, have a look."

The sketch she offered for Rosi's inspection showed an admittedly brief outfit done in denim, with a seriously short skirt and a midriff-baring sort of cross between a halter top and a vest, with two buttons in front.

"What do you think?"

 

[AndreaSubbie]

Standing between the two slightly older women, Rosi looked over their shoulders at the sketch.

"Well, there's more to it than I feared!" and she laughed, but actually there was a serious edge to her voice. One that didn't exactly say she feared but maybe was disappointed? Very silly of her, and she hoped no one would have noticed.

Rosi had become very conscious of exactly where every camera was and where they were pointing, and she'd deliberately positioned herself so that at least one of them was catching her face clearly, probably all three women's faces. Although she wanted as much camera time as she could get, for purely career reasons, obviously, she wished they wouldn't keep capturing her inner thoughts flitting across her features.

The dental floss comment hadn't passed unnoticed by her and had quickened her pulse, but she was now trying to be sensible.

She glanced across at the two Mentors, "Would you like to see? It affects every aspect of the performance, after all?"

Then to the two women, "ok, so probably no bra under the top? Is it backless? My tummy is flat so I reckon the length is ok. Hopefully my legs will look ok too in that skirt. What do you think about how tight it is? But what about undies? What style are you thinking, Cindy? And what shoes? heels? Boots?"

 

[Blase]

"No bra, for sure," Cindy said in a matter-of-fact tone. "And probably boots with low heels. As for undies, uh... Are you comfortable wearing a thong?"

"I should say that this is preliminary, and incomplete," she continued before Rosi quite had a chance to answer. "Of course it won't be for long because we don't have long. But I'll either send you sketches of the other ideas - including, don't forget, a different outfit for Results Night - or talk with you again in person. Actually, I can guarantee that last part.

"Hmm, two buttons," Doctor Yes mused, coming up to look over Rosi's shoulder. "That would be like putting a padlock in front of Houdini - Ow!"

"I'm afraid the good Doctor is running a temperature," Dane said smoothly, taking his friend by the arm and leading him towards the studio door.

"We'll be back in a bit once we've found something to break the fever."

The three girls had just enough time to note the view of Dane's pants from the rear before the door closed behind him

"Tightness level: Rock Star," Sarah sighed.

"Yeah," Cindy agreed.

 

[AndreaSubbie]

Rosi didn't understand the Houdini comment, since Dane wasn't the type to undress a girl. He expected her to do that herself; it was right there in the lyrics. However she was aware of the tease effect, and obviously Cindy had put the buttons there for precisely that reason.

It was going to be about suggestion, giving the right impression, teasing the audience and making the whole performance sexual without crossing the line on Production Values.

So Rosi had no worries, not even when Cindy suggested the thong. It would be suggestion not display. And Rosi had worn a thong bikini the last few summers so frankly, it wasn't a big deal. Was it? It still made her heart race, though, or maybe that was just performance nerves.

When the two men disappeared and the girls had lost sight of Dane's butt encased and shown off in the tight black pants, Rosi suggested, "Since it's denim, how about cowgirl boots? I was wondering about the white leather look? If we have a cowgirl hat I can strip it off at the 'taking off my clothes' moment, what do you think Sarah?"

Turning back to Cindy, Rosi mused, "the thong will have to be denim coloured, or maybe white for contrast? And probably fake tan? So it shows against my legs? I'd love to see your other ideas, because I can't picture a follow up costume, for results night? You know I'm doing a duet with Dane so I'll have to visually coordinate with his costume? Which reminds me .." and Rosi excused herself a moment, dragging out her phone.

She opened he Group Message, smiling at the "Thumbs up," from Ray and the "Got it. Please feel free to reach out if you need to," from Dane.

Rosi sent them, "can we add Sarah and Cindy to this so we can all discuss costume and choreography and performance ideas? Or maybe have another 5 way including them and keep this for the three of us?"

Rejoining Sarah and Cindy, Rosi put a hand on the arm of each. "I'd really like to meet up, us three, to decide costume and choreography if there's time?"

 

[Blase]

"Well, the thong won't actually be visible," Cindy laughed. "The Choice generally draws the line at showing butt-cheeks. Just try not to take a header on the stage unless you want to share space in the Entertainment section with Miley Cyrus."

"As for the rest," Sarah continued for her, "those are the things Cindy and I will be working on until late tonight. I promise, over the next few days, there will be times when you'll wish you could get rid of us."

"But let us brainstorm for awhile first. Don't worry, we haven't actually made anyone look bad in months," she smiled.

"Are you hungry yet?" Cindy inquired. "There's a pretty good spread out in the lobby."

"Yeah," Sarah seconded. "If I'd spent half the morning singing to Dane about taking my clothes off, I'd want to put something in my mouth."

"I thought you were - " Cindy began.

"I'm flexible."

"Well, we knew that..."

The two girls moved off, still giggling.

A moment later, Rosi's phone buzzed. Dane had sent Oh, don't worry about those two. They'll find us when they're ready for us.

Doctor Yes had sent You can do 5-ways with these things? Why didn't you tell me that, Dane? I know you knew, dammit!

Rosi sighed and decided that a visit to the Ladies Room might be in order before she hit the buffet.

Heading down the hall towards the nearest facilities, she passed by the door to a room - a conference room, according to the sign - that stood open, but just a bit.

Voices filtered out from inside.