GREEN

When the room went dark, she heard her name.

“No, please not again.” She begged, barely at a whisper.

Her shoulders were in agony from being crushed together at her ears. Her fingers had stopped tingling hours ago and were completely numb from their elevated prison. The cable ties cut into her wrists, and she could feel the broken skin throbbing.

“Millie.” The voice sang again, cutting through the darkness and landing on her like icy water, causing goosebumps.

She couldn’t move. The damp floor had seeped into her dress, and she could feel the cold consuming her from her buttocks upwards.

Something touched her bare feet. She gasped and tried to withdraw from the soft tickle. Tears started to stream down her face.

“Please no.” She sobbed again. Her voice was raspy from the previous screams and her dry mouth.

“Millie, you’ve been leading me on.” The voice sneered from directly in front of her.

She tried to shake her head, but her arms held her still, and even the smallest movement shot waves of excruciating pain through her. She couldn’t see the man, but she could hear his excited breathing.

“Look at this pretty little dress you are wearing for me, Millie.” His voice was coming closer; she could feel his presence looming over her. “It really doesn’t leave much to the imagination, does it?” He placed his hand above her knee. She tried to wiggle free, but his hand gripped her and moved up her bare thigh to the hem of her risen dress. She started to scream again, despite her sore throat. It was guttural; a noise she had never created before in her life.

“It won’t help you.” He whispered right next to her ear. “In fact, I like it.”

Her screams were replaced by a whimper. She could now smell him. He smelled like sweat and coffee. He was so close, she knew what was coming next. She was terrified. Then it came. His head shot down and landed below her chin. She felt his slimy tongue over her chest from her collarbone to the top of her breast. She gagged, disgusted, violated. As her mouth opened involuntarily, his hair filled the space, invading her, which in turn made her gag more. Her eyes were streaming. His slobber rested on her skin, claiming her. She held on to her bladder, working against the need to piss herself right there and then.

“Brilliant!” Called a different voice, and bright strip lights flashed on overhead. The man quickly moved away from her, and they both blinked furiously to adjust to the sudden brightness.

“Let’s grab a quick break.” The new voice ordered.

The soundstage was a smaller one than she was used to, but there were still around twenty people who had started to move around. The guy, who had marked her with his spit, stood gracefully and brushed his hair back off his forehead. He turned to Millie and gave her a big smile.

“Good job I’m wearing these earplugs, girl, you could have burst my eardrum.” He joked and strolled off to the refreshments table towards the exit.

Millie still couldn’t move. The director, a large guy who had broken the tension, plopped down from his chair and jostled off to join the leading man, who was now grabbing a tuna sandwich. She hoped he would have the decency to have a mint before the next take; however, she was getting accustomed to these big names, not giving a damn about the new actors. She hadn’t noticed the mousy-haired girl scurrying over as she sat there, still bound.

“Can I get you something, Millie?” The girl asked as she unhooked the chain, keeping her cable-tied wrists in the air.

Millie let out a gasp of relief as her arms came down and she could wriggle her shoulders.

“Wow,” the girl exclaimed, noticing the broken skin around the ties. “They really do a good job in make-up.” She gushed.

Millie didn’t have the heart to tell her she had caused the injuries herself by pulling so hard in pure terror. So, she just smiled. The price of art, she told herself.

“I’d love some water, please.” She told the girl, and she smiled widely and ran off to the refreshment table. Mille was manipulating her shoulders as best she could with her hands still bound, to alleviate some of the pain, when she noticed the director whispering in the ear of the girl. The girl’s face dropped, but she nodded and then returned with a plastic cup of water and a straw.

“Here you go.” She plastered on a cheerful smile as she held the cup close enough for Millie to take the straw between her lips and suck up some well-needed liquid. When the cup was empty, she put it down and looked slightly awkward.

“Sorry, Millie, I’m going to have to tie you back up now. The director wants to continue.” She confessed.

“Can I use the bathroom first?” Millie asked, aware that the next time her need would probably outweigh her control.

The girl looked back towards the director who was returning to his seat.

“What’s the problem?” He called over with a frown.

The girl stumbled over her words.

“I need to use the bathroom before we continue.” Millie called back before the girl could voice the issue.

“No time,” the director replied. “Skeleton crew for the next shot, folks.” He cried to everyone there, cutting off any protest.

Millie knew what this entailed. Everyone started to gather their things and leave the soundstage. The girl was raising Millie’s arms up, hooking the chain back into position. Millie’s shoulders groaned.

“Good luck.” The girl whispered as she bent down to pick up the cup, then left Millie alone, bound in her skimpy summer dress, with drool drying on top of her breast.

When everyone apart from the director, the first cameraman, the sound tech, and the two actors had left, the director cleared his throat and licked his lips.

“Right, let’s try and do this in one take. I am happy now to go off script. Let’s really feel this. Brian, I want you to really embody Derek. His whole life has led up to this moment. Really pull on his loneliness, his need, his desires. How he feels about being scorned by all the women he has encountered in life. Every single rejection that has hit him like a dagger in the heart has led to the right now. He’s going to take Millie, for him, for you. This is every woman who has turned him down or laughed at him. Or made him feel small and insignificant.”

Millie could feel her heart rate increase through his monologue. Her body trembled, and she could feel her full bladder weighing down in her stomach.

“We will be dimming the lights for this take so we can see but remember it is meant to be completely in the dark. Any questions?” The director was looking directly at Brian; however, Millie was the one with the questions.

“Can I not run to the bathroom before this?”

“No, Millie.” He smiled a strange smile at her. “Feel that urge, let it power you through this. You wouldn’t be allowed a bathroom break in a real situation, would you? In fact, if you do let loose, as it were, it would only add to the truth of this scene. In fact, what a stroke of brilliance you have led me to have. I think you releasing your bladder will add to the integrity of the scene.”

Millie was about to interject with her protest, but the director turned to the cameraman.

“Eric, fetch Mark. We are going to need two cameras.”

Eric left the room, and Millie was too stunned to argue her case. Brian smirked. She had noticed he hadn’t freshened up his breath with a mint.

“Is there a safe word?” She voiced during the silence of waiting for the cameramen.

“Whatever do you need one for Millie? You are safe. It’s only Brian. You are here with us, and this is your job.” He shut her down, just as the two men entered. He scuttled over to speak to them in low voices.

“Millie, Millie, Millie.” She heard from Brian, or was he already Derek? “You are green. It will be fine. You will be amazing. I know you will. This is the price we all pay for our moment of glory.” Brian smiled. He knelt down beside her and brushed a loose strand of her hair with his fingers.

“I’m so pleased the writers allowed the name change to your actual name. It makes it so much easier for you to be in the moment.”

Millie swallowed hard. Behind the false teeth and the fake nose, she could feel the beauty of this movie star. He dazzled everyone around him. Yet her hair was standing on end, and she sensed the bile rising. He stared deeply into her eyes, and she couldn’t help but squirm under his gaze. A smile twitched on his lips.

“I know this is all new to you, but it’s ok. I’ll be gentle.” He laughed quietly. “And for the record, I don’t mind a golden shower or two.”

Millie stifled a cry, and Brian licked his lips.

The lights dimmed as the director took to his chair.

“Action.”