INT. SUGAR SHACK - AFTERNOON
SHAN and PAUL are about to leave. Dana wants them to stay
and has to think quickly before they go.
DANA
Tell you what guys, why don’t you
come by the house tomorrow, we’ll
sit out by the pool and talk this
whole thing over.
PAUL
(Shan pulling on him
impatiently to comply)
Sounds great, we’ll be there around
noon.
While sitting around the POOL and TALKING, scenes show what
Dana is concerned about, the problem a male dancer has if
he's in a serious relationship.
DANA (V.O.)
They showed up on time and the
first thing Shan did was to take
off her top. When I glared at her
she said she would put it back on
if the kids came out. We all sat
around dangling our toes in the
pool. Paul’s sister was a Bunny at
the Playboy Resort, as was Shan at
the time. Paul’s sister introduced
them. They had been dating for
several weeks. From my experience,
that was usually a problem for guys
in the flash-for-cash trade. It was
not easy to train a new dancer, but
nearly impossible if he was
involved in a serious relationship.
Learning the art of male stripping
took endless hours and required
complete dedication. That usually
aggravated significant others. It
wasn’t so much about jealously—they
simply ended up spending too much
time away from each other. Some of
them, however, did have a problem
with the fact that their man would
be showing off his hot bod to other
babes. It had been such a problem
that I wouldn’t usually invest time
in developing someone who was
involved. When she went into the
house for a minute, I spoke to
Paul.
DANA
Please don’t be offended by this,
but I need to know just how tied
you are to Shan?
PAUL
Well, we’re good friends and we’ve
been dating for a while. I don’t
really understand the reason for
your question.
DANA
You know Paul, the training period
will be intense and demanding. I
can’t have Shan at the club all the
time. I hope you understand.
PAUL
That's good...
DANA
Good?
PAUL
That’s right. I want to learn as
much as I can from you. I’m not
going to marry Shan. She’s just a
friend. What you’re offering
fascinates me and I agree that a
demanding relationship right now
could damage my career.
DANA
Paul, you’ve really got the right
attitude and I’ll add you surprise
me with your maturity.
PAUL
Well, you surprise me a little too,
Dana. I was afraid you’d be upset
when I told you the truth about
Shan and me. I mean, she told me
you were like a mother to her and I
didn’t want you to get angry with
me for possibly leading her on.
Dana sees Paul's magnificent body glistening in the pool,
imagines the character she will turn him into, and there is
a scene looking into the future with Paul on the Sugar Shack
stage as the Russian...PAUL CZAR.
DANA (V.O.)
With just those few words Paul and
I reached an important
understanding that began the race
leading to the checkered flag of
Paul dazzling audiences on my Sugar
Shack stage. Looking at Paul in the
water I saw a vision of what he
would become and it gave me
Goosebumps. Little did I know that
Paul was destined to become more
than just one of my new Sugar Shack
headliners. Paul Smorank was one of
my most promising new prospects.
Shortly after our discussion at the
pool regarding his intentions and
commitment level, we began working
together. One of our first tasks
was to come up with a good dancing
stallion stage name for him
DANA
Where do your people come from?
PAUL
My ethnic background is Polish and
Russian.
DANA
Russian, we can work with that,
your new name should be full of
mystery and intrigue. It’s got to
create an illusion, a fantasy in
the minds of the ladies in your
audience.
PAUL
Okay...okay...I’m following you....
DANA
Czar, like the Russian rulers—Czar,
Paul Czar!
PAUL
I like it Dana, I really do!
DANA (V.O.)
He wasn’t going to make much at
first. I always started my guys out
by breaking them in on the
weeknights. Business was good seven
days a week, but on the weekends
the crowds were always better and
the ladies tipped more. I knew it
would be difficult for him to make
ends meet in the beginning. I
wanted to be up front with him. I
owed him that much. He was
certainly honest with me early on
in our professional relationship.
PAUL
Dana, from what you’re saying it
sounds like some nights I won’t
clear $25. That will hardly be gas
money since I live in Chicago. But
hey, let’s try it. If I have to
I’ll go back to construction work
to cover my living expenses.
DANA
Paul, if it’ll help you out
financially you can stay at the
ranch on the nights you’re working
and avoid the time and money
involved in commuting back and
forth from Chicago.
PAUL
That could work for me, but won’t
your husband get uptight about it?
DANA
You’re not the first dancer to stay
with me. Darryl’s used to it. In
fact, I can’t remember a time when
one of my guys wasn’t staying with
us. I’m willing to help you in any
way I can. Just be up front with me
on the other side, okay? We’ve got
a guest room and you can use the
pool. Also, my dancers have access
to the YMCA where they can work
out. It’ll take a few months before
the real money starts coming your
way and then only if you’re good,
and I mean really good!
PAUL
I’ll be good, Dana, don’t worry.
As Dana describes her emerging relationship with Paul Czar
there are scenes of his training him to go through his
routine, other scenes are of him by the pool, then the scene
shifts to Darryl and their failed marriage. And finally,
Dana laments letting herself go, gaining weight, so that
most men would not be attracted to her.
DANA (V.O.)
Paul turned out to be both diligent
and coachable. The choreographed
routines were difficult for him to
pick up, though. Not a natural
dancer, he just worked that much
harder. Within a week he moved into
the guest room and we began serious
rehearsals. Often he would lay next
to the pool soaking up the hot
summer sun, his oiled ripped torso
glistening and begging to be
touched. I found myself flushed
more than once taking in the sight
of my emerging Greek god, coming to
the world of fantasy entertainment
by way of Czarist Russia. My
husband barely noticed Paul but
then Darryl didn’t notice much of
anything during those months. He
had his own daily routine, up at
8:00 in the morning, drive to the
local bar, drink until 3:00 in the
afternoon, home again to sleep till
7:00, get up, watch television, and
fall asleep, before starting all
over again the next day. I simply
carried on without thinking much
about Darryl. I long ago gave up
hope of ever loving him again. He
had become sort of an old friend
who was down on his luck. The Sugar
Shack was hemorrhaging greenbacks
so I didn’t mind supporting him. I
gave him whatever he wanted just to
keep him out of my hair. He rarely,
if ever, came to the club anymore.
He never offered to help out at the
club or at home with anything. I
was the one who slept on the couch,
because I didn’t want to be close
to him. Our relationship had
deteriorated to the point where I
completely avoided him sexually. I
suppose I still felt our
arrangement was an improvement on
the circumstances of my own
childhood. At least my husband, the
father of my children was living in
the same house with our family. I
had almost forgotten what it felt
like to be in love or to actually
desire a man passionately. Now that
I think about it, I’m not sure I
ever did. As a defense against
being hurt, I’d let myself go and
so became unattractive to most men.
Over the months I’d slowly been
gaining weight and subconsciously
felt more secure isolated in an
emotional cocoon, but my safe zone
of sensual seclusion was slowly
shifting and I was poised to emerge
as a sexually potent butterfly
about to take flight on a new
relationship adventure.
PAUL
(Paul is laying out in the
pool on a raft.)
Where you going Dana?
DANA
Got to run some errands in Lake
Geneva.
Paul gets dressed and into the car with Dana.
DANA (V.O.)
He stood up quickly, slipped his
jeans over a wet swimming suit, and
got in the car with me. This began
to happen with regularity. Paul
became my constant companion. He
often drove, always opened my door,
and carried any packages for me. I
never dreamed his attentions were
anything more than a student’s
desire to please his teacher. One
afternoon he shared something that
changed all that.
PAUL
When I was twenty I dated a 40 year
old. I’ve always been attracted to
older women.
DANA
Oh yeah, what about Carolyn?
PAUL
We’ve been friends forever and I
can’t get excited about her
anymore, even though she keeps
talking about marriage and kids.
DANA
So, why do you stay with her?
DANA (V.O.)
He just shook his head. Anyway,
what a question for someone like me
to ask anyone. I stayed with Darryl
for 15 painful, ugly years and I
didn’t know why. It was hard to
believe but Paul seemed to be
interested in me. Whatever might
have been or not been happening
between us on a personal level,
there were more pressing
professional problems brewing back
at the club. My dancers found Paul
threatening. Because of the Sugar
Shack's success and notoriety, they
had become like Hollywood stars
with bulging, but sensitive egos
that had to be catered to. Guy
Garrett was always intimidated by
the presence of any new dancer and
Paul rattled him. The more time
Paul spent at the club, the more
the other dancers resented him. He
couldn’t even walk into the
dressing room without having to
endure cold cutting comments like,
“What makes you think you can
dance,” or, “You stole part of your
dance routine from me,” were
typical remarks. When I called them
together to discuss the problem,
all I got was innocent
what-do-you-mean looks. By bringing
up the subject I only caused them
to renew their determination to
discourage Paul from permanently
becoming one of them. They took
every opportunity to undermine the
confidence and charisma I was
working so hard to instill in him.
Finally, all their harassment got
to him and Paul decided to leave
without even coming to complain to
me—that’s the kind of person he
was. I found him in his room
stuffing clothes into his suitcase.
He turned around as I walked in.
PAUL
I’m leaving Dana. The other guys
hate me and I’ll be goddamned if I
know why! Anyway, my parents are
going crazy and I can’t take any
more!
DANA
Hey Paul...come on, talk to me. I
thought you and I had something
special. Don’t throw away
everything we’ve worked so hard
for. You’ve made such great
progress. Look, the guys don’t
really hate you, they’re threatened
by you. You intimidate them which
is why they want to undermine your
confidence. And listen, I know how
it is when your family doesn’t
support you in a thing like this. I
had the same experience when I
first became a Playboy Bunny. C’mon
in the kitchen, I’ll fix you
something to eat and we’ll talk all
this over.
Dana serves Paul a plate of pasta.
DANA (V.O.)
Paul seemed to settle down after I
served him some of my homemade
spaghetti. As he was rolling up
another forkful of angel hair pasta
onto his fork and dipping it into
my grandmother’s authentic Italian
four-cheese, three-kinds-of-meat
recipe for marinara, I kept up my
banter in favor of him staying.
DANA
Forget about your parents for a
moment. You’ve got to cut the
umbilical cord eventually and make
some decisions for yourself. You
and I both know that you really
want to do this. I think you’ve got
what it takes to be a star. I’m
going to work even harder to make
sure you believe in yourself. I can
give you the security you need for
the stage if you listen to me.
You’re a gorgeous blue-eyed
magnificent specimen of a man.
You’re special, Paul. Believe it!
PAUL
I guess I’ll go to bed now, Dana.
DANA
Goodnight then, I’ll see you in the
morning.
PAUL
(as he was walking down the
hall)
I guess I’ll be here...as long as
you can stand me.
Dana is sitting alone in the living room, raindrops dropping
on the metal roof of her ranch home, thinking about Paul and
worried about where those thoughts might lead.
DANA (V.O.)
He still was not sure things were
going to work out, but he was
willing to give them another try. I
sat alone in the living room
listening to the soothing, sporadic
sounds of raindrops pelting my thin
ranch roof during a summer
thunderstorm, wondering just what
would become of Paul, of us. There
was something about his little-boy
sensitivities and vulnerability. He
was so young, young enough to be my
son. Knock it off, I told myself.
Nothing good could come of the
thoughts that were running through
my mind at that moment. I locked
the door and went to bed, but
lingered on the edge of sleep for
hours. The next day I decided to go
horseback riding.
EXT. DANA'S RANCH - HORSE STABLES - NEXT DAY
Dana finishes saddling up her prize Arabian stallion, CASS,
leaves the stables, and slowly trots past Paul who is
standing nearby and jumps back, startled.
PAUL
Dana, I’m sorry but I guess I’m
afraid of horses.
DANA
C’mon I’ll teach you to ride, Paul.
You’ll love it. There’s nothing
like it.
PAUL
You’re the boss, Montana.
Dana and Paul go RIDING, just having adolescent fun,
FLIRTING like a couple of high-school kids, with more
serious thoughts about allowing the mounting passions
surrounding Paul to finally end her loveless MARRIAGE to
Darryl. Dana begins transforming, taking care of herself,
makeup, clothes, feeling much better about herself.
DANA (V.O.)
I boarded two horses at a nearby
farm. We went there often and he
eventually learned to ride well. No
one in my family ever shared my
passion for horses. On that level
it was deeply satisfying having
Paul to ride with. It was also just
plain great Saturday-Night-Live
nonstop fun to be with him. Soon we
were doing almost everything
together, like a pair of Siamese
twins, while even filling a cart at
the local supermarket, I stored
away as a cherished memory. We
flirted like a couple of school
kids sharing a first crush;
laughing constantly, touching
playfully, eyes locking—all of
which was new and romantically
refreshing for me. Paul had a
wonderfully youthful fun-loving
nature and always went out of his
way to make me smile. Sometimes
it’s the little things that count,
like opening a door or simply
saying please and thank you.
Feeling respected and appreciated,
I was happy for the first time in
nearly fifteen years. For so long
I’d sacrificed my needs for the
sake of the Sugar Shack and my
children. I wasn’t able to share
any of the love in my heart with my
husband. Paul was reviving feelings
I thought were long dead and
buried. I was beginning to take a
hard look at the emotionally
disastrous stalemate that my life
with Darryl had become. My once
promising youth had vanished into
the cold Sugar Shack account books.
You can’t make love to a piece of
spreadsheet paper, no matter how
large the numbers on it are. Paul
was a veritable fountain of
youth—let’s ride horses, let’s make
shopping an adventure, let’s run up
that hill, let’s stop and smell
those roses. He made me realize the
extent to which I’d given up the
simple pleasures of living everyone
is entitled to. I was suddenly
aware that through Paul I had a
chance to restore some of the
missing joy in my life. Being with
him was a rare opportunity for
someone my age. I didn’t tell Paul
how I was feeling, afraid of being
rejected as anything more than a
friend. I knew we were buds and
that would have to be enough for
me. I was so happy I didn’t stop to
think of the possible consequences
of the feelings growing inside of
me. Even more remarkable changes
were taking place. As if by magic,
my figure was returning. At each
step in the process of becoming
more fit, Paul was right there with
encouraging compliments. The sense
of accomplishment, coupled with his
loving attention, made me
lightheaded. Although I didn’t want
to admit it to myself, I felt that
at some point Paul might look at me
and be genuinely aroused by the
shapely female form he saw. The
thought of having Paul as my lover
became a spellbinding prospect.
Whenever he was gone, I missed him
terribly. Fantasies of being with
him became the theme of my dreams,
both night and day. I found myself
out shopping for alluring outfits
for the first time in years. As my
figure returned, so did my
self-respect. Paul always noticed
and passed on a compliment for
anything new I was wearing. That
simple courtesy made me even more
painfully aware of what I had
sacrificed by staying with Darryl
all those lonely years. I started
wearing makeup again and was having
my hair styled regularly. I was
transforming, like a moth emerging
from a chrysalis—a beautiful
reincarnation of its former self.
The people around me began to
realize something was up. Paul was
the force behind the changes. I
wanted to be near him all the time.
I was a flower craving his
nourishing life-sustaining light
and love. I was finding such
powerful feelings were hard to
control. I had an unblemished
record regarding my rule against
fraternizing with employees—which
especially included the dancers.
Until I met Paul, maintaining that
standard was easy for me. I was
still married. The trouble was
everyone knew Paul and I were an
item. He stayed with me whenever he
came to Lake Geneva and we were
seen everywhere together. I would
have to describe Paul as a man who
offered me loving attention, rather
than a man who was desperately in
love with me. Was I breaking my
most important Sugar Shack rule?
I’m sure his only intention, early
on, was to nurture a professionally
useful platonic relationship with
me. I felt the same way, at first,
but it didn’t take long for an
infatuation to grow into stronger
feelings. The other dancers
resented Paul even more then,
fearing I would naturally show him
favoritism. Even my son, who palled
around with Paul initially, began
to distance himself when he
realized how close we were getting.
None of this seemed to worry my
husband at all.
INT. DANA'S RANCH - DARRYL'S BEDROOM
Dana walks toward her husband's room to confront him.
DANA (V.O.)
One night, early in the evening, I
walked into my husband’s room. The
television was on, but he was
barely conscious after another
day’s drinking. Although I no
longer loved him, I couldn’t help
but feel sad wondering why he was
wasting his life away. For some
reason, old memories revived—seeing
him for the first time at Richard’s
Drive-In behind the wheel of his
hot Thunderbird convertible. A
surge of anguish shivered through
my body. What had gone so wrong?
Hearing me come in, he rolled over.
He looked so old. His hair was
thinning—his complexion, pale and
white. Just a trace of his former
James-Dean look-alike face
remained. I fought back the tears.
Then, memories of all the
infidelities, arguments, and
repeated abandonment surfaced. How
could two human beings who were
once in love have lost so much?
DANA
Boo Boo...Boo Boo, wake up, I have
to talk to you.
DARRYL
Dana...
DANA
I guess you know I’m flying to the
West Coast tomorrow. I’m going to
be in Los Angeles for a couple of
days, then on to San Francisco for
a few more.
DARRYL
Yeah, I heard that. Why are you
telling me?
DANA
I want you to know I’m going with
Paul.
DARRYL
What are you trying to say...
DANA
I’m terribly attracted to him
Darryl, and I want to be with him.
I’ve never felt like...what I’m
trying to say is I have to be with
him and I can’t do this the way we
are, even now I can’t be unfaithful
to you, because we're still
married.
DANA
(continuing, after a long
pause)
I think we should get a divorce...
DARRYL
Are you sure this is what you want
Dana?”
DANA
We’ve just grown apart, but deep
deep inside I’ll always love you
Boo Boo, and I really can’t explain
that given how much we’ve hurt each
other so over the years. We have to
face the truth, there’s nothing
left to salvage. We’re living a
charade and I won’t settle for that
anymore. So, yes, I want a divorce.
DARRYL
I’m scared, Dana. I’m going to be
lost without you. You’ve always
been my anchor. You’re all I’ve
got.
DANA
Is that right, what about all the
others?
DARRYL
They didn’t mean anything and I
know I treated you badly, but you
have to believe me, I never meant
to hurt you. I’m drinking all the
time now and life’s just got the
best of me.
DANA
Life’s got the best of both of us,
Boo Boo . . .
DARRYL
Dana, don’t do this...please,
don’t...
DANA
I have to Darryl...I have to for
both of us.
EXT. LAX AIRPORT - MORNING
Dana's plane cruises over LA, lands, Paul and Dana exit the
PLANE, get in a taxi where Paul puts his hand affectionately
on her THIGH, and head to CHIPPENDALES.
DANA (V.O.)
I was thrilled when Paul agreed to
go. It meant we’d have the
opportunity to take our
relationship to a deeper level of
intimacy. First, there was business
to attend to. I heard that some
male disco dancers were going to be
participating in a contest. Also,
after seeing my dancers on Phil
Donahue, someone opened a small
male dance club in West LA called
Chippendales. After checking out
the budding male exotic scene in
Los Angeles, Paul and I went on to
San Francisco, this time without
any business agenda.
EXT. SAN FRANCISCO - OUTSIDE HOTEL
Dana and Paul exit a TAXI, enter a HOTEL, register, and walk
into their single ROOM and settle in opening their luggage.
As Dana explains how her dancers help the women in her
audience feel LOVED, there are moving scenes of interactions
on the Sugar Shack STAGE.
DANA (V.O.)
I’d led an austere life over the
years, scraping pennies together
just to make ends meet. Now that
real money was rolling in at the
Sugar Shack, I finally felt able to
indulge in a few simple pleasures.
Being alone with Paul in San
Francisco proved to be the perfect
romantic setting to test the
potential of our relationship.
Arriving at the hotel, neither one
of us seemed uncomfortable with
getting a single room. The
Fifty-Shades-of-Grey fantasy of
sleeping with a young, powerful,
imposing hulk of a man like Paul
was certainly on my mind, but it
wasn’t the primary motivation for
taking this trip with him. The
temptation to fornicate was easy to
fight off for a Catholic girl
indoctrinated from birth to deny
herself any sexual gratification,
in or outside of marriage. Why did
I want to travel with him, then?
Paul and I always had a great time
together, no matter what we were
doing. The prospect of making love
to him was just a delightful wet
dream, one I never really expected
to come true during the crude and
risky act of actually having the
experience. I was living out the
powerful fantasy that I taught my
dancers to create on stage. A
gorgeous man makes a woman in the
audience feel he cares about her on
a personal level. They bond in her
imagination and she feeds on the
endless possibilities of such a
storybook romance actually
unfolding. With Paul, I was living
the script that was usually only
played out in the mind and always
ended when the club closed its
doors for the night. The morning
brought unexpectedly chilly
temperatures, but a warm sunrise
ushered in a lovely new day.
EXT. OCEAN FRONT - SAN FRANCISCO
Dana and Paul walking along the beach, hand in hand, then,
get on a ferry.
DANA (V.O.)
Our hotel was near the ocean. Paul
and I walked along the wharf where
ships docked and vendors sold
souvenirs and fresh-caught fish.
Strolling hand-in-hand along the
waterfront, magnificent ocean waves
crashed in on the retaining wall
below spraying whitecap surf high
into the air. Next, we took in a
ferryboat ride and cruised along
San Francisco Bay. I settled back
comfortably in Paul’s strong arms
as we both took in the
pastel-colored rolling contours of
the famous San Francisco hills with
the iconic Golden Gate Bridge in
the foreground. With the setting
sun over the bay we found ourselves
finishing the last course of a
leisurely romantic dinner.
INT. RESTAURANT - ON THE BAY
Dana and Paul are at a restaurant when Paul suggest that
Dana have an alcoholic beverage, something she doesn't
usually do. The prospect of making love to Paul has Dana
more than excited.
PAUL
Live a little...have another drink,
Dana.
DANA (V.O.)
I wasn’t a drinker, but I went
along sensing it might be his way
of lubricating the unmentioned, but
very real sexual tension building
throughout the day. We were worlds
away from Wisconsin. The feeling of
freedom that comes with being such
a liberating distance from all our
problems, concerns, and the people
who might disapprove, made anything
seem possible. As the prospect of
making love to Paul came closer to
becoming a reality, I wanted to
move things in the right direction.
I was so inexperienced in this area
that I had no idea what to do. The
sexual revolution in the ‘70s
passed me by completely. Also,
because of our age difference I
felt more comfortable letting Paul
take the initiative. What he came
up with was not exactly what I was
expecting.
PAUL
Let's do something wild tonight!
DANA
Now, just what did you have in
mind?
PAUL
Well, this area of San Francisco is
famous for its gay bars. Let's hit
a few of them tonight.
DANA
Yeah, I guess, okay.
EXT. GAY CLUB
Dana and Paul pull up to the club in a taxi.
INT. GAY CLUB - EVENING
Dana walks in to the wild gay bar scene, sweaty bodies,
dancing, music blaring. Before long the hot couple started
attracting attention.
DANA (V.O.)
Outside, bright neon lights—inside,
a madhouse. I had never seen such
human pandemonium. Strobe lights
flashed everywhere as the dance
floor pulsed with sweaty bodies in
all stages of dress and undress. It
was wild for sure. Paul and I sat
at the bar with our mouths open and
our Midwestern eyes not quite able
to believe what we were seeing.
Before long, we began to attract
some attention, mainly Paul being
leered at.
DANA
You be careful. I’m going to find
the ladies’ room, if they have one.
Paul starts teasing one of the gay customers by pulling off
his SHIRT.
DANA (V.O.)
Well, they had a ladies’ room, but
when I opened the door I found it
filled with men! I decided to hold
it under the circumstances. When I
returned to the bar, Paul wasn’t
there. Scanning the dance floor I
found him with a man who I
remembered was looking him over
earlier. Paul seemed to enjoy
teasing him. He pulled off his
shirt and flaunted his pulsating
pectorals. Many of the other men
just stopped dancing and stared at
this rare specimen. Paul caught my
eye and winked. I shook my fist at
him.
GAY NUMBER 1
Oh my lord, he’s a real live Greek
god.
DANA
(Dana thinks but does not
speak)
Yeah buster, he’s my Greek god so
don’t get too excited. He’s going
home with me tonight pal!
GAY NUMBER 1
Oh darlin’ you are just the
luckiest woman on earth. I’d love
to be you for just one night.
DANA (V.O.)
Paul finally slipped back on his
shirt to waves of appreciative
applause. He was laughing when he
got back to me.
DANA
What the hell was that all about?
PAUL
Well, I just though you’d find it
amusing.
INT. DANA'S HOTEL ROOM - EVENING
Both feeling the growing erotic intensity of their being
alone together. To help Dana relax Paul offers some
marijuana. Their lips meet, passions escalate, then, Paul
pulls away.
DANA (V.O.)
We laughed about what he did on the
way back to the hotel. It was good
to have something to break the
mounting tension undermining
everything we said or did. An
uncomfortable silence hovered over
the room. Paul turned on the
television and handed me a joint. I
allowed him to direct the erotic
scene in an X-rated drama I hoped
would soon unfold. Paul knew I
became calm and relaxed under the
influence of marijuana. He’d seen
me smoke pot now and then, while
also knowing that alcohol and drugs
were not a normal part of my life.
Was he trying to sedate me hoping
to release my inner porn star? We
were laying back on the bed as the
cannabis began to work its euphoric
magic. Transported into a timeless
dimension without care or worry,
Paul reached out for me. I
positioned myself compliantly into
his waiting, willing, strong,
secure, sexy, take-charge arms.
During the long embrace his lips
found mine. My pounding heart
rhythmically kept pace with our
escalating passions. My breathing
was labored as Paul prolonged what
my body was now ready and
desperately anticipating. Suddenly,
he pulled away and got out of bed.
PAUL
I just can’t do this, it just
doesn’t seem right.
DANA
Fine...fine...
Dana wasn't at all sure about anything that was about to
happen and so didn't get too upset, instead went for a walk
into the quiet night fog of San Francisco Bay. Getting back
to their room, Dana strokes Paul's face while he's sleeping.
in the morning they board a plane back to the Midwest.
DANA (V.O.)
I left the room without saying
another word. My first thought was
to drown out the pain by getting
drunk at the hotel bar. Instead, I
took a long walk. A cool quiet fog
enveloped the San Francisco night
helping me process through a
mixture of confusion, rejection,
and unrequited love. In the end,
rather than feeling sorry for
myself I tried to understand what
Paul was feeling. I was so ready to
give myself completely to him—more
so than ever before with anyone.
Hours later, I returned to our
hotel room, letting myself in
quietly. Paul was asleep. I touched
his hand, stroked his hair, and
went to sleep in the other bed. The
next day we boarded a flight back
to Wisconsin without bringing up
the unsettling events of the
previous evening. Back in the
familiar surroundings of Lake
Geneva, we returned to our normal
roles and routines. Unexpectedly,
our trip to California caused some
shock waves back home.
INT. DOCTOR'S OFFICE - DAY
Dana hasn't given up on Paul and visits a doctor for help
with her anxiety over the prospect of making love to him and
is given a prescription.
DANA (V.O.)
We were out as a couple and in a
small town, it became everybody's
business. I hadn't given up on Paul
romantically and wanted to get away
again with him—anywhere as far as
we could get from Lake Geneva. I
started making plans. Before
leaving, I openly discussed the
anxieties I was feeling over making
love to Paul with my doctor who
agreed I could use something and
offered a prescription for
Quaaludes.
DOCTOR
It should help, Dana. From a purely
medical point of view it’s a muscle
relaxant, but it also puts you at
ease emotionally. The drug should
get the two of you over the tension
barrier that’s been an issue. Wait
until you think the moment’s right,
then both of you take a couple.
Don’t call to thank me if things
work out because it’ll probably be
in the middle of the night!
INT. PUERTO RICO - HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT
Dana and Paul try again during a vacation to Puerto Rico,
another magic moment presents itself.
DANA (V.O.)
Only a few weeks after our
disappointing West Coast trip we
were standing on the balcony of a
room in a small hotel in San Juan,
Puerto Rico. Looking out over the
ocean, the balmy tropical
late-night sky was highlighted with
faint flickering stars. Once again
Paul and I found ourselves in a
mystically romantic wonderland far
from the realities that seemed to
constantly keep us apart. The
moment seemed right.
DANA
Paul, my doctor gave me some
Quaaludes. Let’s take a couple.
When the QUAALUDES take effect both are ready and begin
making LOVE.
DANA (V.O.)
I struggled to swallow the
capsules, a daunting task for
someone with an almost phobic
aversion to popping pills. Washing
them down with a glass of slightly
warm beer (yuk), I couldn’t help
but laugh as the hotel room radio
played, “Love Potion Number Nine.”
What timing? We went back out onto
the balcony basking in the beauty
of the midnight sky while the
chemical mix worked its erotic
aphrodisiac magic. There was
silence for the longest time, then
Paul looked at me and I knew. My
memory of what happened and the
feelings that followed is partly
focused but mostly a blur of
streaming scenes flying by like
frames from a saucy Russ Meyer
film. It began with the cycle of
surging Atlantic surf pounding on
the beach below our balcony. I
remember feeling my heart rhythm
matching the pace of the waves that
seemed to have been expressly
composed to accompany our
performance of a love sonata. Under
the influence of the drug my
inhibitions disappeared. Something
wild let loose. Unchained and
pulsing with passion, I was
prepared to possess this man
completely. Released from past
guilt, I was ready to ravish him.
From that moment on my assault on
Paul took me to an uncharted
wilderness of sexual exploration.
Every primitive action was a result
of the base instinct to copulate.
Like a scene torn from the pages of
a romance novel, I ripped off my
clothes right on the balcony,
shredding his as we stumbled back
into the bedroom. We left the
balcony doors open to share our
love feast with the virgin soil and
salty sand of our tropical island
paradise. His warm, hard, pulsating
perspiring flesh was so delicious.
I drank in his body as one who,
dying of thirst, finds an oasis in
the middle of the passionless
desert of a loveless life. For the
first time I felt no shame during
an act of intercourse. He was in
me, he was part of me, and that was
exactly where I wanted him with
every fiber of my being. His moans
and sighs were signs Paul was also
finding pleasure. Our passion play
continued through the night.
Eventually sleep closed the curtain
marking the conclusion of an erotic
festival I never would have
willfully wanted to end.
EXT. SAN JUAN - CRUISE SHIP
Our romantic escapade presses on into the next morning when
Dana and Paul board a ship sailing out of San Juan for a
cruise. Relaxing on deck, Paul softly speaks some unsettling
words.
PAUL
I didn’t do anything for you last
night, did I? I feel badly about
it.
DANA
Oh but you did. I’ve never made
love to a man that way before. I
felt so free, so full of desire,
and so willing to express how I
felt.
PAUL
That’s what I mean. It was all you,
not me.
DANA
Please listen, Paul, it’s what you
do to my heart that really matters.
All that sexual stuff about who
does what to whom, or who comes how
many times is not important to me.
PAUL
I feel I have to be careful showing
you how much I care—like part of
holding on to you is never letting
you know, by always making you want
to conquer me. When you know you
have me, you’ll lose interest. Once
I’m totally yours, the chase will
be over. Bottom line, I’m afraid if
you think I’m yours I’ll lose you.
Dana and Paul spend a week enjoying the cruise, relaxing,
dancing, making love, talking and talking.
DANA (V.O.)
I didn't, couldn't answer him and
just let it go. Seven days on the
open seas, so far away from the
rest of civilization, was just what
I needed. Paul and I played the
week away—dancing, dining, lounging
on deck chairs, watching the
night-sky stars drift by. We held
hands, sometimes gently kissed, and
talked and talked and talked. Each
night we returned to our stateroom.
Paul would undress and collapse.
For all seven nights we slept
separately. Was he plotting to make
me want him again? When our
storybook cruise finally ended, it
was difficult to face the prospect
of returning to the reality of the
life and problems I left back in
Lake Geneva.
INT. DANA'S RANCH - DAY
Dana is back and confronts her HUSBAND about going through
with the divorce. As Dana shares information about their
loveless marriage scenes show Dana working hard while Darryl
was out carousing and spending her money.
DANA (V.O.)
The first loose end I had to tie up
was divorcing Darryl. I left him in
such a state of helpless confusion,
I didn’t know what to expect when I
returned. In our dysfunctional
marriage we had completely switched
the traditional roles for husband
and wife. I became the breadwinner,
I held the power in our marriage.
When success finally came to the
Sugar Shack, it was difficult for
Darryl to find his place. He was
not comfortable working in a club
featuring male strippers. He would
disappear for weeks on end and
leave me to run things. During the
good times he’d show up, tend bar a
few times, then help himself to
some cash whenever he felt like it.
That bothered me. I was the one
responsible for the club’s success
and he was reaping the rewards of
my labor without earning his keep.
To make matters worse, while I was
pouring my blood, sweat, and tears
to building up the Sugar Shack, he
was out carousing and drinking
himself into an alcoholic stupor
every night. Still, I couldn’t
shake the traditional view that he
was the head of our household which
I’m sure came from my conservative
Catholic background and Italian
heritage. Determined to follow
through, as the divorce drew near
Darryl began to panic realizing he
would be all alone without me. He
couldn’t function on his own. For
seventeen years I was his anchor.
Now, I was about to set him adrift
to flounder in the rip current of
his own self-destructive undertow.
I understood what he was feeling. I
lived with abandonment as a child
and a young mother.
DARRYL
What am I going to do?
DANA
I don’t know, Darryl. What do you
want to do?
DARRYL
All I know anything about is the
bar business, but I can’t start
from scratch as a beginning
bartender somewhere.
DANA
Darryl, you won’t have to do that.
We’ve been together a long time.
We’ve hurt each other that’s true,
but I want to help you get back on
your feet. Look, I’ll buy something
like a little restaurant or bar
that you can manage yourself.
DARRYL
I don’t know if I could run it
alone.
DANA
This time, you'll to have to!
INT. SUGAR SHACK - AUDITORIUM
Dana has organized her annual club Christmas party during
which she gives out gifts to the staff. She gives Paul
DANA (V.O.)
After the divorce, with Darryl in
my rear view mirror, I turned my
attention back to winning Paul's
commitment as my lover and
companion. Over the Christmas
season of 1981 I organized the
club’s annual holiday party. There
were many lean years when I had to
borrow money to pay the party’s
expenses, but I did just that
because the annual gathering was
important to me. It was the one
time of the year I made sure to
thank all the people who stood by
me making my success possible. I
always made the gesture of giving a
present to each person who
attended. As success swelled the
Sugar Shack coffers, the presents
became more and more lavish. During
the party I stood on stage and
began handing them out. With each
gift I gave a short speech thanking
the person for their unique
contribution. I went through every
staff member, making a point to
roast the dancers one by one.
Before coming to the last dancer,
Paul, my mood turned serious.
DANA
Listen, everybody...quiet down
please. This is important to me. I
don’t know how to begin because
certain things about this are hard
for me to talk about. All of you in
this room are important to me, and
believe me I know the Sugar Shack
would not be where it is today
without you. But there is one
person among you who has helped me
in ways that no one else has been
able to. Paul has only been a part
of my life for about six months,
but in that short period he has
made me happier than I ever thought
possible. That has been his
priceless gift to me. I knew I
couldn’t get him anything of the
same value, but I did want to make
the gesture of a gift given from
the very bottom of my thankful
heart.
Dana picks up a LARGE BOX, a gift for Paul, and a hush falls
over those assembled as Paul walks up to Dana.
DANA
C’mon everybody it’s Christmas Eve,
let’s have some fun! This isn’t a
wake!
The group starts to mingle and loosen up. Dana is overjoyed
watching Paul open his PRESENT. It was the most stunning
coat any man could ever own. It was a designer combination
of coyote fur and touches of leather for a strong masculine
accent. It was something Buffalo Bill would have worn if he
had known Oleg Cassini. Paul is overwhelmed. He finally
tries it on and it fits perfectly. People come by and
congratulate him on how he looked wearing it, but not
everyone is thrilled.
DARRYL JUNIOR
Nice Jacket.
PAUL
Thanks, it is sharp isn’t it.
DARRYL JUNIOR
Yeah, but sharp doesn't cover it,
asshole.
PAUL
Hey Darryl, be cool man, what’s the
problem?
DARRYL JUNIOR
You’re the fuckin’ problem, where
do you get off with my mother,
what’s your game?
Dana quickly moves toward them to stop what could escalate
into a terrible fight.
PAUL
Hey, I like your mother, you know
that.
Dana grabs Darryl’s ARMS because he was beginning to tremble
with rage.
DARRYL JUNIOR
I think you’re a fuckin’ gigolo and
I ought to knock you on your ass
right now, but if you ever hurt my
mother I WILL KILL YOU and that is
a promise!
Darryl twists out of Dana's GRASP and knocks over some
CHAIRS as he runs out of the club. Dana puts her arms around
Paul and holds him for a moment, but Paul is clearly upset.
DANA
Darryl probably had too much to
drink. He’ll cool off.
PAUL
No he won’t. He meant what he said.
Did you see his eyes? He wasn’t
fooling around. How did we get to
this point? He and I used to be
close.
DANA
Let it go, Paul. He’ll get over
whatever is bothering him, believe
me. C’mon, let’s have a drink,
forget this ever happened, and go
home.
PAUL
I’m not going home with you
tonight, Dana. In fact, I’m leaving
right now for Chicago. You be with
your family and I’ll be with mine.
DANA
Please Paul, don’t leave, please
don’t...
Paul turns and walks out the door. Dana tries to call out
again, but her voice is too choked up with tears.
DANA
Look Darryl, I’m not going to
defend myself, I’m your mother. You
know how much your father fooled
around. Did you ever say anything
to him when it was destroying our
marriage? Did you? Did you ever say
anything to him about not working
and lying around drunk all the time
while I took care of the family?
What, big shot, NO! But you’re sure
quick to criticize me and interfere
with the best thing that’s ever
happened in my life.
DARRYL JUNIOR
Look, he's not for you, Ma, he’s
nothing but a fucking gigolo and
all he’s after is your money.
DANA (V.O.)
I was never so angry. We started
slashing at each other using
cutting words as swords. Old sores
were ripped open into gushing war
wounds, reminding me that I was
never there for him when he was
growing up. That hurt deeply
because I knew he was right.
DANA
I tried, I tried to be a good
mother, but it hasn’t been easy.
Just because you’re my son doesn’t
give you the right to run my life.
I feel great with Paul. Look at me,
I’ve lost 30 pounds. I feel and
look wonderful and it’s all because
of Paul.
DARRYL JUNIOR
Yeah, that part’s just great, but
stop and think about what it might
cost you.
INT. DANA'S RANCH - CHRISTMAS MORNING
Dana, home on Christmas morning, the loneliness is crushing
her.
DANA (V.O.)
The party broke up early and I went
home. Sitting on the couch early
Christmas morning I was crushed by
loneliness. It’s a terrible thing
to have love in your life one
minute and be totally deprived of
it the next. My daughters were with
me, asleep in their beds, but I
still felt lost and completely
alone.
INT. HILTON HOTEL - LAKE GENEVA
Dana and Paul are alone in a hotel suite in Lake Geneva in
January.
DANA (V.O.)
With the drama of the holidays
past, things began to return to
normal. January was a bitter,
frigid month, but Paul and I were
back together and it was still
difficult finding private places
where we could be alone and feel
free from judgmental prying eyes.
Some friends of ours kept a suite
year round at the Hilton Hotel in
downtown Lake Geneva. Whenever away
they gave Paul the keys. The
upper-floor rooms romantically
overlooked the serene expanse of
Geneva Lake. Winter featured
snow-covered buildings, leafless
trees, and a still, frozen lake
dotted with the faint outlines of
ice-fishing shanties of every size
and type. The impressive
Mississippi riverboat-like ferry,
Lady of the Lake, was tethered to
the pier, dormant. The evening
began with a surprise birthday
dinner. Paul later presented me
with an elegant solid gold watch.
Happily, the various tensions that
often crept into our relationship
were not there that night. I felt
somehow removed from my body, as if
watching our magical romantic tango
unfold through a keyhole. Maybe it
was the double martinis at dinner,
but something lowered the barriers
to intimacy that always seemed to
be there. Paul spoke up first.
PAUL
Why don’t you change into something
more comfortable.
DANA
Didn’t bring anything.
PAUL
. . . now that's the idea.
DANA (V.O.)
I went into the bathroom. My heart
started pounding with the
anticipation of what might happen
next. I looked in the mirror
pensively. Could the chase finally
be over? Also featured in the
mirror was the back reflection into
the bedroom of Paul’s delicious
body spread across the bed, just
waiting for me—a living breathing
gift to mark the celebration. I
entered the bedroom sadly still
teeming with insecurities about my
appearance. How I longed for the
firm tight torso of another time.
How the men used to leer at the hot
Elizabeth-Taylor body that fit so
snugly into my Playboy Bunny
costume. The years had not been
kind. As a diversion I had on my
beautiful fur. Like having a
luscious second skin, I sat on the
edge of the bed and stroked Paul’s
hair. I reached for the pipe full
of grass sitting in the ashtray.
After a couple of hits I was
feeling relaxed and ready for
whatever pleasures might unfold.
Two flickering candles accented the
room with a warm romantic aura.
Paul moved to where moonlight
caressed his chiseled Herculean
physique would more than service my
fantasies. Staring longingly into
my eyes he gently removed the fur,
laying it carefully on the bed
before inching closer. His kisses
left a moist path of pure pleasure
all over my receptive body. I
reached around his massive
shoulders and hung on tightly. My
inhibitions melted away as the
building impulses of desire rushed
toward climax. Suddenly I felt him
all but crush me in his grasp,
flexing then relaxing as he first
pushed himself forward, then
withdrew in a rhythm of ecstasy I
never wanted to end. When the
crescendo peaked, Paul gently
withdrew and reached down to brush
the hair out of my eyes. Moonbeams
streamed in showcasing our
love-entangled bodies—painting a
magical portrait frozen in time.
Looking right through me, deep into
my soul, his rich resonant voice
finally spoke . . . quietly.
PAUL
Who’s the boss now, Montana?
DANA
Oh, let me see, you are, yep,
you’re the boss.
DANA (V.O.)
Soon sleep transformed another
mystical, series of sensual moments
into a marvelous petrified erotic
memory. The next day I had a
surprise for Paul.
EXT. HILTON HOTEL - PARKING LOT
Dana and Paul get into her CAR in the Hilton parking lot and
head for the highway.
PAUL
Okay, so where are we going?
DANA
Never you mind.
DANA (V.O.)
We left Lake Geneva and drove down
Highway 50, then onto the
expressway to Chicago. About an
hour into our journey I pulled off
the main highway and into an
automobile dealership. Thinking I
was going to buy myself a new car,
Paul looked at me. He was puzzled
though because I hadn’t mentioned
anything to him about it. The
salesman greeted me warmly. We were
expected and he led us through the
main showroom into a smaller
backroom area. Two brand new
Corvettes were parked there.
DANA
Which one do you like?
PAUL
I don't know, it's your car, you
should pick the one you like.
DANA
Don’t you ever listen, I said which
one do you like.
Paul looks at Dana in disbelief and begins to touch the
shining exterior of the beautifully contoured examples of
sleek high-powered machine sculpture. Dana leaves him alone
for a while with the SALESMAN. Before their conversation got
any more complicated, Dana returns.
DANA
So, which one will it be?
PAUL
Seriously, I can't decide, you
pick, please.
DANA (V.O.)
A brand new sparkling red CORVETTE
was Paul’s new toy—a gift I was
delighted to give him. It
symbolized the value I placed on
the JOY he brought into my life. I
handed the salesman the entire
purchase price in cash to his
complete surprise.
PAUL
I love it, but why, Dana?
DANA
Why, because I wanted to do this
for you, that’s why. I’m sick and
tired of everyone else benefiting
from my hard work, and sick of
everyone telling me what I can and
can’t do. Yesterday I had to give
my ex-husband $20,000 just to get
rid of him and it felt awful. Today
I felt good about spending that
kind of money.
PAUL
You realize certain people aren’t
going to be very happy about this.
DANA
To hell with everyone! Sometimes I
feel like I can’t breathe. I’m not
going to explain everything I do
anymore!
PAUL
I can’t tell you how much I
appreciate the car, it’s just that,
well, I don’t know, I don’t want to
feel like a...
DANA
Like a gigolo...
Sure enough not long after the Corvette gift Paul began
showing his lack of maturity by flirting with other ladies,
even in Dana's presence. Dana can see the writing on the
wall and when her beloved grandmother died Paul refused to
go to the funeral with her. Not only that, soon Paul's
father was in Dana's office arguing with her, threatening to
have Paul quit unless he is paid more, so Dana sadly fired
him. Then, soon after that incident Dana's house was broken
into and Dana was robbed at gunpoint. She thought she
recognized the voice of one of the burglars...PAUL. And, as
if all that wasn't enough, someone called the IRS telling
them that Dana was not paying enough taxes on her current
income, and that had to be resolved. The only good to come
from all that, Dana is finally divorced and now feels free
to see other men.
DANA (V.O.)
After I bought the Corvette for
Paul our relationship took a
misguided high-speed swerve into
one-way traffic heading for an
inevitable wreck. One day we’d be
on top of the world enjoying each
others company, the next I’d catch
him flirting with someone at the
Sugar Shack. I was hoping our love
would grow into something
comforting I could wrap around
myself and hold on to. Instead, I
felt him pulling away from the
commitment that should be part of
the envelope of intimacies lovers
count on. Then, when my grandmother
passed I was devastated. For all
practical purposes she was my
mother while growing up, and unlike
my absent birth mother I loved her
dearly. When Paul refused to go to
the funeral with my that was the
last straw and I knew our promising
thing was fading fast. Not long
after Paul's father was in my
office demanding more pay for Paul,
we argued, and though it broke my
heart, I let Paul go as an employee
of the Sugar Shack. I'd had a
number of disgruntled former
employees who might have done this,
but one night my home was invaded
and at knife point I was forced to
open my safe during a robbery. The
voice was familiar. It was someone
who had been in my home and knew
where my safe was and that it would
be stuffed with cash. As if nearly
being killed during the home
invasion, and, struggling with a
cocaine addiction weren't troubles
enough, a few months later someone
called the IRS with a tip that I
probably wasn't paying enough taxes
on my Sugar Shack income--likely
someone with a grudge to pick with
me. After a drawn-out court battle
the matter was settled. Divorced
and on my own I started seeing
other men, and much more important,
began to return to the true love of
my life--my horses.
THE END OF DANCING STALLIONS LIMITED TV SERIES EPISODE 09
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