Money Shot Read Free Page A

get?"
    She put up her hand and
backed up, reaching for the door that was not yet familiar. The
television lights grew even closer and blinded her
again.
    "Roxanne Rizzo?" said a
male voice.
    "Yeah," she
said.
    She felt a strong hand
grab her own and slap a stiff envelope into her hand. "You've been
served. Have a nice day."
    She finally found the door
and backed into her house, quickly sliding the door as the 'razzi
and media pounded on it with fists and questions. Her eyes adjusted
to the light again and she opened the envelope.
    Desmona Jackson was
suing her.
    Her adrenaline spiked as
she unfolded the document and quickly looked through the legal
jargon for something understandable. One word told her all she
needed to know.
    Fake.
    The actress was claiming
that Roxanne Rizzo, a/k/a The Vulture, had used highly
sophisticated technology to create the photos that appeared in the
Hollywood Grapevine. That she had single handedly destroyed Desmona
Jackson's career and reputation.
    Roxanne heard a commotion
at the front of the house. She peeked out a window and saw a row of
television satellite trucks, liked up with their dishes pointed to
the sky like a row of electronic petunias. Firing up their
generators like they were getting ready for a NASCAR
race.
    She dropped the legal
document on the kitchen table and ran to the television, fired the
remote, and got a high-definition close up of her new house on a
52-inch plasma set.
    "We just got a brief look
at Roxanne Rizzo," said the blonde anchor fembot. "The paparazzi
accused of faking the now famous lesbian photos of Desmona Jackson
and her longtime agent, Nicole Wine. Now let's go live to the
estate of Miss Jackson."
    ***
    "Good morning," said
Desmona. She paused for a moment, looking out at the hordes of
television cameras and photographers.
    And gave them the famous
smile that had charmed millions of children.
    "For years you have all
known me primarily by the parts I play. The roles I have chosen
over the years are those I believe have conveyed solid family
values and inspirational themes. I realize that I have become
somewhat of a role model to millions of children, and I take that
honor seriously.
    "Recently, as you all
know, I was involved in an incident which was the result of a
reaction to medication. I apologize for those actions and promise
something like that will never happen again, but that is not the
reason I am here today.
    "Today, I have filed a
lawsuit against Roxanne Rizzo, a member of the paparazzi who
electronically created the photos that you have all seen on the
cover of the Hollywood Grapevine. I was devastated when I saw these
photos, as was my longtime agent and close friend, Nicole Wine. As
you can imagine, these last few days have been very difficult for
me, Nicole, and all my loyal fans.
    "I am not suing the
Grapevine, as they were also unwitting victims in this fraud, and I
am sure they will want to take legal action to recover their
investment in these… photographic creations. While I do not condone
their style of reporting, they are not at fault in this matter.
They are, as I am, a victim of a hoax.
    "Actors have sued tabloids
in the past, but this is different. This goes straight to the
source, to those who invade our privacy and seek to ruin what we
have worked so hard for.
    "And now I'm going to turn
this over to Reverend Jeremiah Dixon, the leader of the Religious
Right and one of my closest friends."
    ***
    What the hell is
this?
    Roxanne leaned forward on
the edge of her sofa as conservative blowhard Jeremiah Dixon
started firing volleys in her direction. She was not just a
money-grubbing vulture.
    She was a wanton harlot
who had shattered the beliefs of little girls.
    She was a
dream-killer.
    A flaming liberal who
wanted to destroy one of the last pure things in
America.
    And she had to pay for her
sins.
    Then, as if on cue,
Roxanne heard the chants outside her door.
    Tell the truth,
Roxanne!
    The television coverage
went back to a split