chapter   ✷   one
ˋ  one sin leads to another  ˋ

Maxine was leaning over the mirror-topped counter, credit card in hand, dividing lines of cocaine as her girlfriend, Dallas sat beside her, packing up the last of their possessions, her thoughts were interrupted as she heard Maxine sniffing, watching as the line of white powder disappeared up the dollar bill she had rolled up previously.

Dallas smiled, shaking her head as she zipped up their last travel case, Maxine offered her the bill, not uttering a word as she rubbed her nose with the back of her hand, clearing the last of the powdery substance that clung to it.
"no, thank you though." she leaned over, pressing a gentle kiss to Maxine's cheek, then there was a knock on the door.

The door creaked open as Dallas called out, her voice echoing through the dimly lit room. It was Wayne. The girls exchanged knowing smiles, and Maxine leaned back down, her movements deliberate as she prepared another line. Wayne sauntered over, his presence commanding yet comforting, and draped his arms over their shoulders.
"Go easy on that stuff, will ya?" he said, his tone a mix of concern and amusement. Maxine paused, her eyes flicking up to meet his through the mirror's reflection, a mischievous glint in her gaze.
"You know what they say about too much of a good thing," Wayne added, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. His words hung in the air, a gentle reminder wrapped in affection.
With a chuckle, he pulled his girls closer, his embrace warm and reassuring. "Give me some sugar," he murmured, his voice low and playful. He alternated kisses between them, ensuring neither felt left out, each kiss a tender promise of his love and devotion.

Maxine and Dallas's moans and giggles were like music to his ears, Maxine's nervous system being stimulated by drugs made every feeling amplified as her arms wrapped around both of her lovers. Wayne chuckled, holding the girls close to him, "Y'all are special... there ain't nobody else out there like you." he spoke, hands moving up to brush the fallen hairs from their faces.
"Now giddy up, Time is money. Everybody's waiting!" Wayne whooped as he left the room, excited for their next project.

As Wayne exited the room, Dallas took advantage of the moment, pulling Maxine into a kiss. Her fingers wove through Maxine's hair, each strand slipping through her grasp like silk. The kiss deepened, their breaths mingling, creating a heady mix of warmth and urgency. Time seemed to stretch, the world outside their embrace fading into oblivion.
When they finally broke apart, gasping for air, their foreheads rested against each other, eyes locked in a silent promise.
"Let's go!" Dallas exclaimed, her voice breathless yet filled with excitement. She grabbed Maxine's hand, their fingers intertwining tightly, a lifeline in the chaos. With a swift motion, she snatched up their last few bags, ready to run to meet the others when Maxine pushed in front of the mirror, "you're a fuckin' sex symbol." Dallas cheered in agreement, her hand grabbing onto Maxine's, making a mad dash for the van parked outside.

as the girls piled into the van with the rest of the crew;
Wayne in the driver's seat, Maxine in the passenger, Dallas in the seat closest to them in the back, Jake beside her, Bobby-Lynne between Jackson and Jake, then Rj and Lorraine across from them.

thus began the long drive to the new filming location for the project they were working in.

Lorraine dug through a bag, grabbing a large stack of papers from within it, handing a small portion of the stack between the 5 stars, reserving one for herself and Rj.

"the farmer's daughters." Maxine read aloud, "oh, hot damn! Look-it, there I am!" Bobby-Lynne showed her name printed to Jackson, her boyfriend. "hollywood here we come!" she cheered, "no ma'am, we don't need Hollywood. These type of pictures turn regular folks into stars. We're gonna do it all ourselves." Wayne interjected,

"Ain't that right, RJ?" Wayne questioned, taking his eyes off of the road for a second to look at RJ, their script writer, through the rear view mirror. "yes sir." he agreed with a proud smile on his face.
"Finally, a level playing field for people like us." Wayne praised, a hint of laughter in his voice. "I don't know, Wayne, Sounds an awful lot like what you said about The Topless Carwash. You remember that?" Bobby-Lynne taunted, earning a stifled laugh from Dallas, "Yeah. And had the IRS not had a g*ddamn personal vendetta against me, that would've panned out beautifully." Wayne admitted, the tone in his voice growing sour as he recounted the failed project.

"Uh-huh. Well, you know I'm always game.
My American Dream is not unreasonable. I just want a paid-for house with a big ole pool, so I can float around
with my knees in the breeze and tan these titties." Bobby-Lynne had her head in the clouds, dreaming about the life she wanted for herself, Rj laughed in response,
"what? What? I was dealt a good hand. People spend a lot of money to look at what God gave me. Be a sin not to take care of 'em." she shamelessly admitted, Jackson agreed, lighting a joint "it sure would."
"What about you, Maxine? what's your american dream?" Bobby-Lynne questioned, Maxine was silent, a smile quirking up on her lips as she looked out the window, hands clutching the script.

Wayne steered the van into the small gas station parking area, the tires crunching on the gravel. "Hurry up, we ain't gonna be long in there," he reminded them, his voice carrying a sense of urgency. Wayne, Maxine, and Dallas hopped out of the van, the heat of the day hitting them before they made their way into the cool, air-conditioned building.

"If this kid I picked up from the university can put it together like he says, our days of struggling may soon be over," Wayne said, grabbing a shopping basket. Maxine and Dallas wandered through the aisles, their fingers trailing over the items on the shelves, their minds elsewhere.
"We do even half the numbers of Debbie Does Dallas, I'm outta the red for good," Wayne continued, his voice echoing slightly in the quiet store as he walked to the back, opening the freezer door with a creak. The cold air rushed out, a stark contrast to the warmth outside.

"Hell, let's make a picture a week, then," Maxine suggested, her eyes lighting up with excitement. Dallas giggled, the sound light and carefree, as she moved to the next aisle over, her footsteps soft on the linoleum floor.
"Patience, darlin'," Wayne reminded her, his voice a soothing drawl. Maxine sauntered over to the magazine rack, her shoes clicking against the linoleum floor. "I've been patient my whole life," she pouted, her lips forming a perfect, sulky curve.
"Well, that's the thing about being patient," he chuckled, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he glanced at her.
"I need to be famous, Wayne," she insisted, her voice tinged with desperation. Wayne's mind drifted back to the countless nights they'd spent together, Maxine nestled between him and Dallas, her eyes sparkling with dreams of Hollywood stardom. She'd talk about becoming the next Bette Davis or Marilyn Monroe, her voice filled with hope and determination. Wayne and Dallas wanted that for her, too. They'd often hustle to get her new projects, hoping each one would be her big break.
"Mm-hmm," Wayne agreed absentmindedly, his focus shifting to the labels of jars and canned goods on the shelves. He tossed a few items into the basket, the metal clinking softly.

"I'm ready for the high life. I'm sick and tired of never gettin' what I want," Maxine whined, flipping through a magazine. She rounded the corner, her eyes flicking up to meet Wayne's, then Dallas's, who stood nearby.
"Well, you help me keep those jokers in line out there, and I'll make sure you get everything your heart desires," Wayne promised, his tone firm yet affectionate. He grabbed a few more items off the shelf, placing them into the basket, Maxine and Dallas now following behind him.

"I deserve nice things. I have Cosmopolitan taste," Maxine continued, her voice dripping with a mix of entitlement and longing. Wayne sighed deeply, the sound heavy with exasperation. "Don't I know it," he muttered, his patience wearing thin. His eyes flickered with frustration, a tension that Dallas quickly noticed.
"I want the whole world to know my name," Maxine declared, her eyes shining with ambition. "Like Lynda Carter or some shit." Dallas nodded in agreement, her hand gently resting on Maxine's shoulder in a gesture of support. The touch was light, but it conveyed a world of understanding and solidarity.

"Hey, everyone with a pulse is gonna lust
after a piece of Maxine Minx once they see what you can do. You know why?" a smile grew on his face with a mischievous glint in his eyes, Maxine looked from Wayne's face down to his feet, a warm smile growing on her face, "Why?" she repeated, body swaying back and forth "'cause you've got that X Factor" Dallas chimed in, repeating a line she'd heard Wayne say before, Maxine giggled happily, placing a kiss to Wayne's lips, "now mosey on over there and grab us some wonderbread!" Wayne cheered, his hand coming down and making sharp contact with Maxine's behind, a loud smack noise following that echoed off the walls.

Maxine walked over to the shelf where loaves of bread were neatly stacked, grabbing one by the tie. From her vantage point, she had a clear view of the other members of their group through the propped-open doors. Lorraine stood there, holding a boom mic, while Bobby-Lynne was in front of her, likely running lines or testing equipment.
"I don't like his girlfriend," Maxine confessed to Dallas as she passed Wayne the loaf of Wonder Bread.
"You don't like anybody's girlfriend," Dallas remarked, walking beside Maxine.
"She hardly says a word. She just stares at everyone," Maxine scoffed, her true feelings about Lorraine surfacing now that they were alone.
"Well, she's shy. Probably ain't never seen nobody like us before," Wayne defended Lorraine, his tone calm and understanding.
Maxine rolled her eyes, a soft sigh escaping her lips. "People who stare give me the heebie-jeebies." Wayne chuckled, "Better get used to that if you're gonna be in the movies."

"Your little boyfriend is cute," Bobby-Lynne said to Lorraine, a warm smile on her face. It was an obvious attempt to get Lorraine to open up and be more social.
"You help him with all of his films?" Bobby-Lynne asked, her tone light and friendly. Lorraine looked up, her eyes meeting Bobby-Lynne's for a moment before she shrugged her shoulders.
"Sometimes, yeah," she admitted, her voice soft and somewhat hesitant.
"Is that your boyfriend?" Lorraine asked, nodding towards Jackson, who was standing by the back of the van, adjusting his suit. The sun glinted off the metal of the van, casting a warm glow over him.
"Sometimes, yeah," Bobby-Lynne repeated Lorraine's words, a playful smile tugging at her lips.
"Hey, how come you don't film all of this in order?" Jake asked, walking over to RJ, the script open in his hand. His curiosity was evident, his eyes scanning the pages as he approached.

"Well, once I have it all in the can, I can rearrange it however I want." RJ explained, squinting as he looked up at Jake from his crouched position on the gravel ground to get a good shot of Jackson for the movie.
"no shit." Jake was surprised, "actually, I intend to experiment I actually intend on experimenting a lot with the film's editing. Giving it a certain sense of the avant-garde, like they're doing in France. It's classier that way. And it's a good trick to disguise the low budget." RJ continued, pointing the camera up at Jackson, "All right, let's slate it." RJ signaled the beginning of Jackson's first scene, turning on the camera, "and hit it!"
Jackson began his scene, grabbing the gas pump and inserting it into the gas tank.

"You know, if you tilt the camera up from the nozzle..." Bobby-Lynne began, her talking interrupting the filming, so RJ switched the camera off to look at her.
"...it'll look like he's using his cock." she lustfully envisioned the scene, RJ took her advice and aimed the shot the way she'd explained it.
after a minute passed, RJ looked back, an impressed smile on his face, "See? I got good sense, too."

back inside the gas station convenience store, Maxine, Dallas and Wayne were checking their items out to pay and leave. "How come we couldn't do any of this filming in Houston? Ain't they got plenty of farms?" Dallas asked, leaning on the counter, Wayne opened his wallet and pulled out a wad of cash, flipping through it, counting up to their total, "Well, this county raised property taxes, a little bit of cash goes a long way out here. Most older folks can't compete with the bigger outfits no more. Now, we're not the only ones trying to make a buck." He explained, pointing toward the poster board wall filled with a bunch of "for sale" signs for various items, elder townspeople trying to make a buck the quickest way possible.

Maxine drowned out their conversation by overhearing a evangelist broadcasting on a tv that sat on the counter. "Kidnappers, murderers, sex fiends... All the result of our increasingly secular society..." the man on the tv rambled, walking between the congregation members with a microphone in his hand.

"Besides, it ain't exactly something I wanna advertise around town. You know how
some people can get when it comes to sex." Wayne admitted, accidentally speaking too loud as he mentioned the word Sex, making the cashier look at him funnily.
they finished checking out and made their way back to the van, Maxine and Dallas walking hand in hand as Wayne carried the groceries.

"Get what we needed?" Wayne asked RJ as they exited the store, "oh, i got it." RJ remarked, "Thanks to help from yours truly." Bobby-Lynne boasted, moving from her tanning position on the hood of the van.
"Got my smokes?" Bobby-Lynne asked, walking up to Wayne, "Yes, damn." Wayne sighed, rifling through the paper bag to find the pack of cigarettes. "I'm just askin'. Hey, if I'm gonna be having sex for you, I'm gonna need cigarettes." she scoffed, placing her hands on her hips as Wayne leaned in to ask a question; "how's the script?" Bobby-Lynne sucked air in between her teeth, looking off in the distance, "I don't know. It's all right. Does it matter?" she questioned, raising her hands up.
"Hey, I don't wanna have to wear a hard hat to make a livin', do you?" Wayne asked through gritted teeth, concerned for the future of their film. "no." Bobby-Lynne admitted, her hands falling back to her hips, "then don't you be bringin' down the vibe of my investments. Negativity attracts negative results." he reminded her, tossing the pack of cigarettes to her as he walked to the van.
"Winstons? You know I only smoke Old Golds." she scoffed, "that's all they had, Bobby-Lynne." Wayne groaned as he climbed into the drivers seat, "that's it! i'm calling my agent!" Bobby-Lynne yelled, standing firm in front of the van. "just get back in the dang van!" Maxine yelled back, shutting her door, Bobby-Lynne sauntered back over to the van, pack of cigarettes in hand.

as they were driving, they came across some traffic, Wayne squinted his eyes to see the road better as the van came to a complete stop. "must be a bad wreck." he mumbled, Maxine looked around the road, cows grazing through the grass on one side, and a busy road on the other.

as traffic inched forward car by car, Maxine looked over out of curiousity, — a semi truck was pulled over with skid marks on the pavement behind it. as they got to the front of the accident, they could see the pure gore left behind. the entire front end of the semi was covered in blood; guts and skin were between every crevice, dangling off of it like some fucked up halloween decoration, the cause of the crash; a cow.

"oh my god" Dallas gagged, her curiousity had gotten the best of her, so she had leaned over the front seats, wishing she hadn't, she coward back into the seat, feeling nausea rise in her stomach. "what? what was it?" Bobby-Lynne asked worriedly, "it's a cow!" Jake yelled out, he had crawled across Dallas's seat and peeked out for himself. Maxine gagged mimicking the reaction of Dallas, wrenching her head around to escape the sight. "i hate blood and guts."

"this is it. our own studio backlot." Wayne announced with pride as they pulled into a long windy driveway on a plot of farmland, "thank goodness. i'm horny." Bobby-Lynne giggled, "you're always horny." Jackson remarked, RJ excused himself between Dallas, Wayne and Maxine as he looked out the front window, taking in the view of the lush green grass that stretched on for what seemed like miles head of them. "it's perfect" he said in awe, "surely gonna have a lot of production value"

Wayne put the van into park as they pulled up to the front of an old white farmhouse, "alright, y'all stay put while i go in here and handle business real quick." he informed the group, shutting the van door behind him.
Maxine and Dallas watched as he approached the house, making his way up onto the front porch, knocking the 'shave and haircut' theme on the front door.

Dallas took over Wayne's seat for a moment, opening her script to read over her lines, her feet hanging out of the window enjoying the summer sun on her bare skin, her thoughts interrupted by Bobby-Lynne and Jackson making out in the back seat.
"y'all can't wait until we get to the house?" she jokingly questioned, Bobby-Lynne waved her off, giggling between kisses.

"this is not what i had in mind when i agreed to help out on your film." Lorraine spoke above a whisper to RJ, teeth gritted. "gotta start somewhere, Lorraine." RJ reminded her, his eyes looking anywhere but Lorraine or the making out in front of him.
"Rj, it's smut!" she complained, Rj raised his eyebrows, "when did you become such a prude?" Lorraine was taken aback by his words, her eyes widening, "I-I'm not... I don't understand why you're doing all this."
RJ scoffed, shaking his head, "because it's possible to make a good dirty movie!"

Dallas looked up from her script out the front window of the van, she could see through the glare of the sun, Wayne walking backwards off of the porch, the barrel of a shotgun pointed towards his face. "somethin's wrong..." Dallas grabbed everyone's attention, "what're you talking about?" Jackson asked, interrupting his and Bobby-Lynne's make out session, everyone began to make their way to the front of the van to see the spectacle going on outside. Maxine reached in front of her, popping open the glove compartment, revealing a shiny silver revolver.

the group all watched as the homeowner put the shotgun away, "that's one ugly sumbitch" Jackson muttered, Bobby-Lynne giggled as she slapped Jackson's chest, "what? he is!"

Wayne approached the back of the van, opening the doors, letting everyone out one by one, RJ, Lorraine, Jake, Jackson, Dallas, & Bobby-Lynne followed, Maxine got out of the passenger seat and began to help unload the van, grabbing her suitcase and a brown paper bag of groceries.

Dallas noticed Maxine's pause as she grabbed the magazine from the front window, "are you alright?" she asked, her free hand resting on Maxine's shoulder, "yeah, I'm okay."

"hell of a spread you've got here!" Wayne called out to Howard, (the homeowner), as he lead them to the boarding house, "we like it"Howard's speaking became interrupted by his coughing spells, each one worse than the last.
"are you alright there, old-timer?" Wayne asked as Howard's hands dropped to his knees and he bent over, Wayne's hand touched his back, Howard jumped up, "i'm alright." leaving Wayne standing there in shock, hand still palm out.

"she ain't much..." Howard admitted as he lead the group into the house, Rj looked around, jaw dropping "she's gorgeous" Everyone loaded in and began to put their belongings down on the counter space and couches, "building was for soldiers during the civil war... they never saw any action though. what about you?" Howard questioned, Wayne turned around as he removed his hat, looking at Howard, "You serve?" Howard repeated, "flat feet." Wayne pointed down towards his boot covered feet. "I did. two tours in south Vietnam." Jackson confessed, "had enough farmers trying to shoot me for a lifetime." he added, head turning to meet Howard. "you know what i mean, pops? Oorah"

Wayne took notice of Howard staring a hole through Maxine, who had grown increasingly uncomfortable with the long gaze, "hey, careful there, Howie. that's my future fiancé there you're eyeballin' there! Been a while since you've seen anything that nice, huh?" Wayne boasted, "I don't recall you mentioning you'd be bringing all these others..." Howard brought up, "see, now about that, your ad said thirty dollars but... I threw in a little extra to sweeten the deal. Hope that's okay." Wayne handed Howard the remaining cash from his wallet, well over the original promised amount.

Howard remained silent for a moment, looking down at the thick wad of wash before tucking it away in his front pocket. "i don't think i like you, Wayne." Howard shook his head, Wayne looked surprised, mouth slightly agape, "in fact... I don't much like the looks of none of y'all. now my Wife is next door, so I would appreciate a little discretion." He snapped as he walked out of the house, Wayne began to close the door behind him.
"i give you my word! you won't even know we're here." Wayne yelled out, fully closing the door as Howard grew further away.

"That was some stellar negotiation, you really do have a knack for business" Jake commented, Wayne looked at him with irritation evident on his face, "now you keep that up and i'll pull you from the main stage for a month." Jake scoffed, "oh but then honey, you won't make any money either."
"how could you just stand there and let him talk about us like that?" Maxine asked, hurt audible in her voice as she approached Wayne who had just sat on the couch, watching out the window to ensure Howard wasn't lurking around.
"oh calm down, ain't no need to harsh the mellow. it's harmless, he's just old. Hell, his pecker probably ain't even been hard since before you were born. id hate people like us too." he snorted, Dallas shivered in disgust at the thought as she pulled Maxine in for a gentle hug.
"he doesn't know what we're doing, does he?" Lorraine asked concerned, realizing that Wayne hadn't told Howard the entire truth as to why they were there to begin with.
"so, church mouse, you do speak." Wayne said as he approached Lorraine almost menacingly,
"but no, he sure doesn't, and I intend to keep it that way. now, I dont wanna give the old coger a heart attack, would you?" Lorraine remained silent, shaking her head no, "now it's better to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission. you know what i mean?" Lorraine nodded her head, looking down at the floor as Wayne walked away from her.

they could hear a vehicle starting up in the distance, drawing Wayne's attention, he moved back to the window, watching as Howard left the property. "now enough Jabberin', I reckon it's about high time we cut to the chase and give the people what they wanna see. whatd'ya say?"