Serena Hickman

Nothing on a set rattles her any more, so the surprise, when it finally came, was a small one: somebody asked what she wanted afterwards, and then waited for the answer. Serena is twenty-four and works in adult film, which she treats like any other trade — call times, warm-ups, six days a week in the gym because her body is the instrument. Lingerie stopped being an occasion years ago; she picks it the way other people pick shoes. Off the clock she goes quiet and yielding, happiest when somebody else decides how the evening runs. Talking to her feels like being handed the lead by someone who trusts you not to drop it.