Helena had a thing for award ceremonies. The crowd, the background music, the nervous excitement in the air, asparagus canapés, velvet dresses, the open bar, men in tailored suits, José in his maroon tailored suit, José in the maroon tailored suit, and the keys to his room, José's maroon tailored pants loose and wrinkled over his black shoes as he takes her on the carpeted floor of the Majestic in Barcelona. She really liked them, you know.
She knew the competition was tough that year, and she figured she wouldn't be taking any statuette home, but the party was worth it. José was accompanied by his director. Both, producer and director, made a formidable pair. They finished each other's sentences, shared combos during shoots, and graciously took turns entering Helena's bed. It's not something you see every day. That's why they were going to win the award that night, for their excellent teamwork. Our girl loved working for them, and they loved having her as an actress. In fact, they had reserved the lead role for her in their next project.
There was only half an hour left until the awards ceremony. All the actors, directors, and producers were in the grand hall, nervously and distantly chatting with each other. Helena never liked the pre-gala atmosphere. She felt too fidgety when she got nervous: didn't know where to put her hands, what face to make in photos... only when she heard the exact name that would take home the statuette for "Best Supporting Actress," she would calm down. Whatever the awarded name was. At one point, she saw the director circling the catering table, looking for the perfect appetizer to calm his nerves. When he seemed to decide, finally, on a tiny salmon canapé, he turned around and ordered a gin and tonic at the bar. Helena approached him, took the key to room 102 from the suit pocket, shook it slightly in front of his eyes, and headed to the elevator. The director looked around, feigned a few steps in the opposite direction, and finally followed the path of the beautiful actress.
At a good pace, she would reach her room in four minutes, but two was enough. She found the door open, Helena on the bed, and her dress on the floor.
"I don't know how José stays so calm before the awards. My makeup even smears from sweating so much..."
"You know how producers are, they only care about talking and being likable."
"Well, there are fifteen minutes left before it all starts, and the Best Film award is one of the last ones, we've got time!"
"But you're competing for Best Supporting Actress! And they always announce that one early."
"Well, let's turn on the TV and see what happens."
Helena turned on the channel broadcasting the gala. The presenters came out talking animatedly, the audience seated, smiling, all seats occupied except for the Director's and Helena's. Our beautiful Helena was also occupying a seat reserved for her, on top of the good Director, who was already close to climaxing.
"And the nominees for the Best Supporting Actress are...."
"Look, Helena!"
"Laura Pascal, for the film Steel Clouds; Helena Jennet for the film Between God and Man..."
Upon hearing her name, our actress couldn't help but tense her muscles and quicken the pace on top of the Director. And likewise, the Director couldn't help but release a long groan that surely resonated all the way to the stage.
"And the winner is Helena Jennet!"
"Damn, I have to go!"
As she said this, she separated from the poor, sweaty filmmaker and headed for the stage.
"Don't worry, you won't stay like that. Just watch TV; I'll take care of the speech," she said, squeezing into the dress with little jumps.
She ran as fast as her pale pink lace-trimmed gown and light high-heeled sandals with rhinestones allowed. She wore a huge necklace matching the rhinestones on her shoes, bouncing against her chest with every step. She had to hold her dress during the brief minute it took to traverse the corridors to the gala venue so that the deep neckline wouldn't open up to her navel. When she arrived in the grand hall, she saw José on stage, who had probably already figured out what was happening, waving the award with his large hand and speaking without saying anything, as he knows how to do. Helena walked down the aisle and climbed the stairs with large but dignified steps, composing herself with light touches to her hair and dress neckline.
"Thanks to my dearest director, after this project, I'm more eager than ever. He's always behind me, supporting me, giving his all for me. Thank you."
She blew a flirtatious kiss to the camera and with a small bow that revealed her entire breasts, she descended from the stage hand in hand with her dear producer, heading towards their room, where the shy filmmaker awaited them. As soon as sweet Helena arrived, an absurd laughter erupted, immediately accompanied by José's, but no one bothered to clean the droplet stain in the center of the TV. The actress nestled into José's arms and let herself be undressed. The producer slid his hand between Helena the Sweet's thighs and parted them with his large hands. A sweet drop slid down to José's fingers, whose eyes suddenly lit up. He separated from Helena, took his award, and penetrated her with it. The Director sat in one of the seats and watched the scene satisfied, imagining how it would look on the big screen.
"And finally, the award for Best Film 2015 goes to... Gerardo González for the film Fangs. Congratulations!"
A religious silence fell over room 102. The award seemed like a sure thing; none expected that verdict. José and Helena rushed to console him, even thinking of claiming the deserved award for their companion. Nothing cheered him up; for him, the award was the opportunity to make a leap in his profession. Without the award, there would be no big budgets, no fame, no familiar faces to give him a boost. The dream of cinema was over for our Director. He got up from the bed and locked himself in the bathroom of the room, not sharing a single word.
"But he can surely move forward, lower the budget, and go all out..."
"No, Helena, when you've reached this point, there's nothing left. Only the damn Honorary Awards for Cinematic Achievement, but they only give those to those who have died that year."
Suddenly, the sobs in the bathroom stopped; perhaps he thought it was worth it. Dying for the award. Surely, the Director's mind was filled with a long list of credits. Surely, our beautiful Helena appeared in the acknowledgments. But even that movie wouldn't deserve an award.