The Big Enchilada

to trip over any of the cables that were lying around.
    When I got close, I saw that it was a set for a bedroom. The props seemed to consist of a giant round waterbed and not much more. There was a cameraman and a few technicians. Close to the camera Starr Monroe was calling instructions to the performers on the bed.
    The center of attention was a big guy on his back in the middle of the bed. He had the overly developed muscles of a weight lifter and the blank expression of a plastic doll. Two very small girls who looked about thirteen were climbing around on top of him, exploring his body. Like the guy, they were naked, and their breasts had only begun to develop. One of the girls worked her way down his belly and looked surprised to discover his stiff cock.
    “Now look at it like you don’t know what it is,” Monroe shouted.
    The girl tried to do that, but looked more like a hungry dog eying a bone.
    “Now start to lick it,” Monroe said. “No! More slowly. Start at the bottom. Get your tongue farther out. Good. Get the camera in there close. Got it? Okay. Now, Cathy, you come in and start to suck on it. Jennie, you keep licking the length of it. That’s right. Just like you’re sharing a popsicle. Harry, are you getting all that? Good. Keep it up. That’s right.”
    The girls worked enthusiastically, occasionally kissing one another when they met at the top of his cock. The recipient of all the attentions stared at the ceiling, looking like he was trying to do long division in his head.
    I moved forward another few steps and shouted as loudly and roughly as I could. “All right. This is a raid.”
    The girls jumped up, startled. All the crew whirled around to face me. Only Muscles didn’t react.
    “What the fuck is this?” Monroe said. “Who’s there?” He stepped in my direction. “Who’re you? Oh, it’s you. What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
    “I want to talk to you.” My voice was hard and my eyes held his.
    He was about to protest but then saw something in my expression that made him think better of it. He turned back to the set.
    “Okay people, take ten.”
    The crew shuffled off to the side. The girls looked at one another and giggled. They put on robes and started to flip through movie mags. Only Muscles did not move. I began to wonder if he might be stuffed.
    Monroe led me to his office, which was in one corner of the warehouse. He was wearing a sky-blue velour jumpsuit that was open to the navel. His chest was thin and hairless and he was starting to get a belly. He had about half a dozen gold—or gold-colored—chains around his neck with heavy medallions on the ends. He jingled slightly when he walked.
    “I don’t know why you interrupted like that. You ruined a good take.” His voice was nasal and whiny.
    “What’re you calling the epic?”
    “What the Gardener Taught the Girls.” He said it with a straight face.
    “I’ll look for it when it comes out.”
    “You won’t see it. Private clubs only and mail order.”
    “Clubs like the Black Knight?”
    “Never heard of it.” He spoke without turning around, but I thought I saw his shoulders twitch briefly.
    We reached his office and he flicked on the light. The walls were covered with posters: Teenage Lust, Incest Bride, and Hostage of Love were a few of them. These were the movies that played in theatres. There were also stills from other productions—the ones that were even raunchier and were sold and shown privately. Mound of Venus Films didn’t look like much, but somebody was making a lot of money from it, and I had the feeling that it wasn’t Monroe, Mother and Son.
    Monroe rattled his chains nervously as I glanced at the stills on the wall. I recognized my good friend Nicky Faro in one of them. The lighting wasn’t very good, but his equipment was unmistakable. Interesting. I also recognized someone else in one of the pictures.
    I stared at Monroe. He held my gaze for a minute and then looked away. He continued to play with his chains.
    “So what do you want?” he said. “You were looking for some runaway girl, weren’t you? I already told you, I never saw her.”
    “I know you said that, but I found out different. She worked here.”
    “You’re mistaken.”
    I walked over to the wall and pulled a still down. It was Linda and another girl, naked, playing with each other. The fucking, stupid jerk, Monroe, leaving the picture on the wall. Incredible! But if people weren’t so dumb, my job