Chloe After Dark

Chapter 4

The radio station, Fantasy FM, was in a building about a block away from a busy street in downtown Toronto. It shared the building with several other businesses, and some of the best nightlife was only a half mile away. The area was quiet when Chloe arrived at about nine. Grateful she didn't have to pay for the ride, she thanked the driver and headed into the lobby, checking the list on the wall to find out which floor she needed. Before she'd gotten halfway down, Blaire called to her from across the reception area. Her voice echoed off the ceiling as she approached, dressed in loose-fitting black slacks and a red blouse. She looked fabulous, as usual, and wore a confident, knowing smile. Chloe felt annoyed by it, only because she knew exactly what her friend was thinking.
​"How's it going, girl? You ready to change your life?"
​"I'm here, aren't I?" Chloe looked around, noting the muted tones of the lobby and shabby floor. The place hadn't been renovated since the seventies, and the grubby tiles and dim lights didn't inspire much confidence. "Um..."
​"Oh, don't worry." Blaire gestured for her to follow. "They haven't done anything down here, but our floor's nice. Believe me, the studio spent some serious money on the office space and the sound booths. You'll see. We're not in a third-world country."
​ Chloe felt better when they got in the crowded elevator and it started going downward. She was terrified of heights, always had been since she was a child, and the thought of having to work at the top of the building filled her with dread. It had caused many quarrels with Daniel, like when they had gone to Paris and she'd refused to go up the Eiffel Tower with him, but it was a phobia over which she had no control-just something she had to live with. But worrying about her limitations was the last thing she needed to do at this moment. She turned to Blaire. "Weren't you guys in another place before?"
​"Yeah, but we moved a few months back." Someone else got out, and Blaire hit the button for the next floor down. "The other place was too expensive, and they were starting to do some twenty-four-seven stuff. It cut into our time slots, especially when we started going on air every night. We needed our own space."
​They stepped out of the elevator into an entirely different world from the lobby. Grey carpet covered the floors, and there was plush leather furniture pressed against the walls. Hip magazine covers were enlarged and hung above. A receptionist desk sat directly across from the elevator, and a hallway to the left led deeper into the department floor.
​"Welcome to Casa de Sexy," Blaire said. "We don't entertain many guests, but when we do, this is where they start. We have a conference room to chat with sponsors and that sort of thing, but you probably won't see any of them. They're here during the day."
​"Yeah, speaking of that...what're the hours, anyway?"
​"Red Light Confessions comes on at midnight," Blaire replied. "Otherwise, we start our programming at seven and go until three. You've got a ninety-minute segment."
​"Wow...midnight?" Chloe murmured. "I guess that's not too bad. If I schedule my other jobs later in the day, I should be fine."
​"Exactly what I was thinking." Blaire walked around the reception area and pulled out a folder. "Here are all the forms you need to fill in so I can get you on the books. Do you have any other questions?"
​"I'm pretty nervous, I have to say."
​Blaire wasn't surprised. "Welcome to show business, hon. If you weren't a little anxious, I'd say you weren't going to take it seriously. Read interviews with famous celebs. A lot of them have a hard time with public speaking. Comedians tend to be introverts, and look how they overcome their shyness."
Chloe nodded, but she didn't feel like those people. She felt under-qualified and stupid. Fantasy FM aired shows after the watershed, so she'd never really heard what they had to offer. Maybe with a little more knowledge, she wouldn't be so worried. On the other hand, it might have made her even more anxious.
​"Look." Blaire took her hand and gazed into her eyes. "I wouldn't have asked you to do this if I didn't genuinely think you had it in you. Trust me, huh? I've been your friend for a long time, and I think I understand you. You've got a fantastic personality, and once you unleash it on our listeners, you're going to be great."
​"I trust you," Chloe replied. "It's me that I have doubts about, but I'm going to try." She smiled, forcing some confidence into her expression. "I'm up for this!"
​"That's the spirit!" Blaire motioned to a chair. "Have a seat and fill out those forms. When you've finished, I'll show you around the rest of the studio before you leave. And hey, I know you took the cab here, so I took out a little petty cash to get you home. Consider it a welcome-to-the studio gift."
​Chloe thanked Blaire but kept it to herself just how appreciative she was. The little money she still had left needed to go toward buying food. It was as tight as that. Tomorrow, most of her time would be spent with her creditors, placating them with the fact she'd got a new job. Until then, she decided to not worry about her money troubles and focus on the future. This new job offered something to look forward to, a chance to be happy again. Chloe couldn't remember the last time she truly felt good about things in her life. When she and Daniel hadn't been worrying about money, things were just okay. The stress of studying had made him mercurial, and her own inconsistent work never helped her mood either. Maybe we just weren't at a good point in our lives to be together. Or with anyone, for that matter. A little stability would've gone a long way.
​Chloe finished filling out the forms and tentatively headed down the hall. She thought about calling for Blaire but kept her mouth shut in case someone was on the air. My radio debut does not need to be my yelling for a friend. She passed by a couple of conference rooms with big tables and TV screens, before approaching a closed door. It turned out to be locked when she tried the knob, so she tapped twice. Blaire opened up and gestured for her to enter. "Welcome to the inner sanctum." They were in a kitchenette with a refrigerator, sink, and microwave. A water cooler sat across from them, and a round table was surrounded by four folding chairs. A box of fancy doughnuts sat out on the counter, beside another hallway.
​"Where's the sound booth place?" Chloe asked.
​"The main area's to the right. Producers go to the left. We've got our IT stuff over on the east wing, and then there's a wardrobe area as well, where we keep some costumes and props."
​Chloe raised her eyebrows. "Why do you need costumes and props for a radio show?"
​"Lots of reasons," Blaire said. "We'll get to that later. One of our shows is on air right now. You don't have to worry about being quiet until you go into the broadcast room. The producer's microphone is always muted, so we can go in there and watch for a bit. Right now, we've got Dana Nightshade being interviewed by Billy Boy."
​Chloe shrugged. "Should I know who they are?"
​"Dana's a porn star," Blaire said. "She's really hot on the scene right now, and she was raised in Toronto. Billy's our host, a retired adult film star and director. He interviews these kinds of people, and they usually get pretty racy the later the show goes on. He also plays music and stuff. We keep this earlier part of the evening a little less experimental, if you know what I mean."
Chloe had no clue what she meant, but she nodded as if she did. The world of professional radio began to fascinate her, even as she tried to get her mind around the concept of Red Light Confessions. She'd grown up with crappy talk radio and music stations that played the same seven songs every hour. Sex-talk on the air seemed scandalous...but also exciting!
​They walked into the producer's room, where expensive-looking equipment filled all the surfaces and sound-proof glass separated them from the area where the shows took place. Acoustic foam covered the walls, and two comfy-looking office chairs sat by microphones suspended by what Chloe would've described as lamp arms. A man sat with a pair of headphones on, and he seemed to be screening calls. The star of the show and his guest sat in the other room, each with their own microphone and headset. They were chatting and laughing about something, and Chloe turned to Blaire, hoping she might have some clue about what was going on. Blaire shrugged. "Who knows what these guys have done in their time? They could end up talking about anything. That's what I like about this type of radio. It's not scripted, and we can kind of do our own thing. If someone takes a conversation to a crazy place, we go with it."
​"Sounds exciting..."
​"And stressful, sometimes." The guy screening the calls turned and smiled at Chloe, his blue eyes lighting up. "I'm Kyle, one of the station producers."
​Chloe shook his hand and introduced herself. "Hi! I'm Chloe Milano; I'm going to be working on the midnight show."
​"Ooh, the grand experiment." Kyle waggled his brows. "I'll definitely be tuning in tomorrow night. My buddy Thomas will be your co-host. He's great. I used to produce a show of his at a different network. He can be damn funny, and he knows his way around a microphone. You couldn't ask for a better partner to start with."
​"That's a great relief," Chloe replied. She smiled. "I've never done this before."
​"Yeah. From what I understand"-Kyle turned to Blaire-"and correct me if I'm wrong, but the whole point of Red Light Confessions is that you wanted some raw talent, right?"
​"You got it," Blaire said. "I'm excited to see what she brings to the table. I think she'll be a natural. Once she gets over the jitters, at least."
​"So, Kyle, what do you do exactly?" Chloe asked.
​"Oh, I get everything ready for this early post-watershed show," Kyle explained. "Basically, it means I prepare any pre-recorded content and help to plan the show before we go live. Like...I collaborate with Billy-he's our presenter for this nine-to-twelve slot-and we book guests and mull over ideas for the days ahead. We often hold phone-ins too, and as we're a small shop, I'm also the technical operator of the gear. That means screening calls like this, mostly."
​Chloe nodded. "And there's someone who does that for Red Light Confessions?"
Kyle nodded, and Blaire chipped in with more detail. "We have a new young man lined up for that job. He's really keen and excellent at everything he does."
​"Cool." Chloe smiled at Kyle. "It was nice to meet you."
​"You too," Kyle waved. "I've got to get this caller over to Billy really quick. You're welcome to throw on some headphones and listen for a minute."
​Chloe looked at Blaire, who nodded and motioned to the free chair. She sat down, putting the headphones on and watching the people in the other room. They looked so relaxed and at ease, like they'd been talking on the radio for many years. Billy especially made it seem second nature to him. He looked at a screen and grinned.
​"Hey there, caller." His voice was pleasant, a little on the low side and oozing with charisma. Chloe found herself wondering what his porn movies were like, and her cheeks started burning. "You're on the air with Dana. What's your name?"
​"I'm Paul," a high, nervous-sounding man's voice replied. "Thanks for taking my call tonight, Billy. It means a lot!"
​"We're just glad you called in, Paul."
​"We sure are," Dana said. Her voice was not nearly as nice as Billy's. It was the victim of too much smoking and was a bit on the shrill, nasal side. Still, she looked fabulous with fake blond hair, huge boobs, and enough makeup to make a circus clown look subtle.
​"Thanks!" Paul seemed pretty excited by their comments. "I'm really curious about how porn is made. Is any of it real? Like...have you ever had an orgasm before? Has any guy been so big it actually felt good or are you always acting during the passionate parts?"
​"Wow," Billy said, "you're really cutting to the chase here, aren't you?"
Dana laughed at the comment. "He really is. You're breaking down the illusions, Paul!"
​"Ah, Dana..." Paul practically whined. "C'mon."
​"All right, all right," Dana said. "Yeah, it's a challenge when we're making a film. There's a lot of lube involved, and hydration."
​"Christ, yeah," Billy added, "you need to drink a lot of water."
​"It's pretty inconvenient when you have to pee, too." Dana put her fingers to her lips. "Oops, is it okay to talk about that on the radio?"
​"What?" Billy asked. "Peeing?"
​"Yeah..." Dana's eyes widened. "Is that okay?"
​"Of course, it is, baby." Billy winked. "After the watershed on Fantasy FM, there's no holds barred, really."
​"Awesome!" Dana patted her knees. "But yeah, the realities of porn can be a little less glamorous, but let me tell you, there are some perks. I've come many, many times. And yeah, there are some big boys out there who bring dicks you wouldn't believe. I remember I was doing a video with three guys..."
​Chloe took the headphones off and stared at Blaire, her face contorted in shock.
​"What's wrong?" Blaire asked. "You okay?"
​"That was...raw..." Chloe shrugged. "Really raw!"
​"And yours will be better." Blaire patted her shoulder. "Come on. I have to take care of some things. We'll call you another cab. I'll send our own car for you tomorrow night around eleven, so we can go over a few things before your first show!"
​"Yay!" Chloe spoke with feigned enthusiasm. Part of her looked forward to it, but after listening to Billy's call, nerves started to attack her again. The conversation had been pretty racy, and they weren't even talking about fantasies. The people calling Red Light Confessions would be looking to engage in...well, she didn't know exactly, but it wouldn't be so cut-and-dried as Paul's questions. Lord, can I do this? I'm doing this! I can't believe I'm doing this. Wow!
Blaire hung out with her while she waited for the cab, and they hugged before she left. She wondered if she'd be able to sleep that night. Her mind reeled at the thought of being on the air, of talking about saucy topics with the public. The taboo of it seemed too much to bear, but at the same time, she found it incredibly exciting. Chloe's intimate life had suffered badly over the past couple of years. Stress from Daniel's culinary studies, the debts, and the uncertainty of her own job had all contributed to them rarely engaging in sex. She couldn't remember the last time they'd slept together, or even got frisky. Not like that at the beginning. Must be why I look back so fondly...and maybe it's frustration as well as money troubles that explain why I'm willing to take this job on. Still, no time for regrets or second thoughts now. Chloe stared out the window of the cab on her way home and steeled herself. I've chosen this path and I'm going to give it my all. Watch out, Fantasy FM, here I come!