AN: Non-graphic sexual content up ahead. Also, I can't flirt to save my life, so...I apologize for the awkward dialogue. Comments and feedback would be sincerely appreciated. :)

Disclaimer: The Lorax belongs to Dr. Seuss and Illumination Entertainment.

Smile for the Cameras

The lights were blinding, the Once-ler thought as he strode confidently onto the stage, long legs making it to the podium before the butterflies could even find time to set in. A rush of emotion swept through him as he surveyed his applauding audience, taking in the sight of so many people, cameras flashing, young girls screaming and shoving their way closer to the stage, reporters ready with notebooks, ready to jot down anything he said, because somehow his words were just that much more valuable now that he had the money to back them up.

His PR team didn't have a prayer of training him to keep a poker face here. His awe-struck grin spread widely across his face, and he didn't particularly care how unprofessional or childish he looked at the moment. He was happy, these people were happy, and that was all that seemed to matter.

The nerves didn't really set in until the crowd had quieted down. The Once-ler paused for a moment, letting a slightly uncomfortable silence pass over the anticipating crowd as a thousand pair of eyes stared up at him, waiting for him to start. He drew a sharp breath and slowly leaned forward into the microphone. His first few words came out surprisingly steady, maybe not as confidently as he had practiced, but he was still surprised he had managed to make it on stage in the first place. The rest came easily, though. He found himself loosening up, falling into the routine of his speech that he knew so well, had practiced so diligently with his public speaking coach that he had memorized it right down to the last period.

This wasn't that hard after all, he thought as the audience laughed at something funny he had said, faces warm and attentive. He had nothing to be afraid of. They were here because they wanted to be.

Maybe even Norma was in the crowd somewhere, he thought as he gestured to the screen behind him, conducting the audience's attention where he wanted like the maestro he was. The overhead lights hurt his eyes, but he could only imagine that if he could see the audience's faces more clearly, he would see Norma there, smiling proudly up at him in the front row.

He and Norma weren't exactly a couple, but they weren't exactly just aquaintences, either. But she was the only woman the Once-ler had ever gone on more than two consecutive dates with without doing something to screw up, so he figured that counted for something. And she was the only woman who hadn't rejected him before the third. No, he made it to the fourth this time - a new record for him.

Not that he'd ever tell his mother that.

The cameras clicked and flashed furiously as the Once-ler finished his speech, smiling brightly for his audience before nodding cordially to the MC and stepping off the stage where Brett and his mother were waiting on the other side of the curtain.

"That was great, hun!"his mother exclaimed, yanking his neck down to kiss his cheek. Her son blushed under the sudden display of affection.

"T-thanks, Mom,"he said with a pleased smile as the MC came up behind him, asking to shake his hand and exchange a few polite words.

"Oncie, dear,"his mother said as soon as the opportunity was presented to her, "I'm gonna head on home now. Why don't you stay and sign autographs or something? Make some friends. I'll order another limo for you to take back later."

"What? But Mom"-

"No 'buts', dear. You have to keep up good connections,"she said, patting his cheek before he could say anything more. He quickly shut his mouth, watching as his mother took Brett by the wrist and yanked him forward. His brother offered an exasperated wave as she found the other twin hanging back by the curtains, tugging them both in the direction of the limo. Home.

The Once-ler watched them go, a cold kind of discomfort washing over him as he stepped further into the shadows, the backstage crew and MC already gone. He was half tempted to call out for them, to beg them to let him go home with them. He had wanted a night with his family - looked forward to it even. So many nights, he had taken a limo back to the factory alone, and he thought maybe...maybe tonight would be different. But he should know better. His mother was right. She was usually right, after all. He should focus on what was best for the company...even if that meant going home alone yet again.

Besides, he thought hopefully, maybe Norma was out there.

The Once-ler found the exit and was met by a burst of high-pitched screams, mostly obviously female. He blinked in confusion, not knowing how to react to such a positive reaction to his presence other than with a nervous smile and a polite wave. He must have done something right, because the girls all seemed to scream even louder, bodies pressing against the yellow caution tape so that the entire bulk bent forward under their weight. Cameras clicked furiously, and suddenly the reporters were there. The Once-ler squared his shoulders and put on his best smile.

He answered the reporter's questions with a practiced smile, standing tall and proud, as if to let the world know that this was exactly where he felt most at ease - standing at the top with his head held high and the rest of the world miles beneath him. And he supposed he liked it that way. This was, after all, everything he had dreamed of. And yet he couldn't help but feel even though he was surrounded by admirers, he was still on the wrong side of the tape.

It wasn't long before a particularly eccentric fan called his attention away from the reporters, all but begging him to sign her thneed purse. The Once-ler smiled, pulling out a pen from his inside pocket and signed the only available place to sign his name - the wash label on the inside of the bag. More people followed suite, begging for a chance to get their thneed product signed by the famous Once-ler himself.

It wasn't long before a tall young women pushed her way through the crowd, making direct eye contact and leaning forward in a way that suggested she wanted something. She was tall, nearly his age, with long auburn hair that fell around her shoulders in soft waves. She didn't have a thneed product with her, but the Once-ler complied anyway, curious.

"What about you, Miss?"he asked with his camera grin, "Do you have anything for me to sign?" The woman smiled, leaning in so speak closer to his ear.

"Unfortunately I didn't think to bring anything with me,"she said with a strange, disconcerting smile on her face, "But I would love a reminder of you, regardless, dear Mr. Once-ler." Oh no. Could the cameras catch the blush that had suddenly painted his cheeks? He forced a nervous smile, trying to look suave, relaxed.

"And you shall have one, my dear,"he said smoothly, holding out his hand, "May I?" It made him uneasy, with her eyes following him so closely, the force of her gaze hard and disconcerting. But he didn't let it show as she placed a small, delicate hand in his, and he lowered his head down slowly to gently kiss those soft pale knuckles.

"Thank you, sir. But I must say, I think I'd much have a rather more...lasting reminder,"she said with a teasing smile. The Once-ler honestly didn't know how to respond to this. He couldn't help the blank stare - he honestly had no clue what she could possibly mean. He could only force out an unsure but hopefully reassuring smile before someone else reclaimed his attention.

"Why don't you...wait for me afterwards and we can negotiate something for you?"he said, knowing he was losing his steam. But just as he began to think he couldn't possibly be doing this right, the woman smiled and turned back into the crowd, winking slyly before tossing her full head of glossy auburn hair behind her.

The Once-ler didn't feel his blush subside until half the crowd was gone, most pushed away by irritated security officers who just wanted to go home. Norma never showed up, much to the Once-ler's disppointment. Her decision to completely ignore this day seemed to make a final statement about their relationship, and the Once-ler could feel his heart heave with familiar disappointment. He had known. Really, he had. But it hurt to finally have to accept it. He had tried and tried as hard as he could, and in the end, they always told him he tried too hard. Tried too hard to be what they wanted, tried too hard to be perfect, tried to hard to make other people happy. And at the end of every failed relationship, the only thing he could see was that it was simply against his nature to not try.

Maybe the real reason he had been counting on her coming was because he wanted to believe, even though all the signs pointed otherwise, that things were still okay. Maybe he had just secretly hoped, amid an entire crowd of people wanting him, that there would be at least one person who actually wanted him. Wanted to share this day with him, wanted to share a ride home with him, wanted to simply be with him because he was a person worth wanting to be with.

But maybe he was just fooling himself, he thought bitterly as he absently signed a young girl's scarf, not even noticing the figure coming up behind him until he felt a faint tap on his shoulder.

"Hello, again, Mr. Once-ler." Train of thought broken, he turned to see the same young woman from earlier standing behind him, an alluring smile already firm on her lips. The crowd was nearly dissapated by this point, only a few stragglers left behind who seemed content to talk to their neighbors than get the Once-ler's autograph. He inwardly wondered how she had gotten past the yellow tape unnoticed.

"Hello,"he said with a shy smile, "You waited for me to finish?"

"I would think that you, of all people, would be worth the wait,"she said, returning the smile.

"Oh...well, thank you,"he said, rubbing at the back of his head, "That's very kind of you to say."

"I'm Marissa,"she said without being asked, "I live here in Greenville." She was staring at him in the way that he had seen many girls stare at him nowadays. But those girls had always remained safely behind yellow tape, never able to get close enough to tempt him. And she was certainly a temptress - that was for sure, he thought as his heart hammered violently in his chest. Keep calm. Keep cool. She's just a girl. A very attractive, beautiful girl.

"Nice to meet you,"he said as he tentatively shook her hand, "I'm partial to those living in Greenville. They were my first customers, after all."

"Oh yes. I actually remember seeing you then, standing in the park and trying to sell your first thneed,"she said, covering a light chuckle with her finely manicured hand, all fake acrylic, "You were very endearing."

"Oh my, you saw that?"he asked, laughing nervously.

"Oh don't worry - the innocent farm boy look suits you well. Very charming. However, I do think you look incredibly dashing in a suit as well. Much more...experienced." She said this with a gentle caress to his gloved arm, making him jerk in surprise. Even with his limited experience courting women, her intentions were all too obvious. And he didn't know how to respond other than to continue flashing his flaky mask of confidence and power, pretending like he knew what he was doing even though he felt absolutely ridiculous.

"Well thank you,"he said, smile widening even as his heart thumped even harder than it already was, "You're quite the beautiful young lady yourself."

"Oh, you think so, do you?"she asked with a laugh that made the Once-ler wonder if she actually thought he had said something funny, "In that case, we should spend some time together, don't you think?" He stared blankly, unsure what to say. This was what rich people did, wasn't it? Spend their time with pretty girls? And she really was beautiful. What they did with those pretty girls, he had no idea, but he did know that he was expected to say yes. And maybe he wanted to say yes. Maybe. He swallowed hard before speaking, suddenly unsure of himself.

"My, aren't you forward?"he said, laughing nervously, "I-I would love to spend some time to get to know you. I'm just, uh...not quite sure how that fits in exactly with my work schedule..." He faltered, looking helpless and confused as he felt for a quick moment before the mask went back on. There was simply something about the forwardness of this girl that made him uneasy, made him desperately want to retreat back into his comfort zone where he was always alone and always the one pulling most, if not all the weight. She was making this too easy - so easy that he couldn't possibly convince himself that this was real - that she actually wanted him the way he wanted to be wanted.

She smiled that sly smile that was beginning to scare him, beginning to make him wonder if she could see right through his facade of chivalric cordiality.

"How about tonight?"she asked, tilting her head to the side and ever so inconspicuously leaning forward.

"T-tonight?"he asked, frowning slightly. He had never taken a girl home before, much less a complete stranger. Even Norma couldn't count - she worked in the factory. He was at a blank. His insecurities were bubbling up so quickly he wasn't sure how to handle them, and yet he knew, without a rational thought, that this was something that needed to happen.

Why though, he wasn't really sure. All he knew was that the lights from the stage were still burning, and the camera crew was still there, packing up their equipment for the night. And even though all he wanted to do was go home and be with his family, sit in his quiet office and shake off the feeling of watching cameras so he could feel like he fit into his own skin again, he nodded anyways, a fake smile appearing on his face that came far too involuntarily.

"Why, tonight would be perfect,"he said, "Would you care to join me at my factory, m'lady?"

"I would be honored, Mr. Once-ler, sir."

They exchanged polite small talk in the limo ride back. The Once-ler watched her warily the entire time, managing to keep up the facade of confidence even as she continued to gain on him, making him feel rather silly and insecure for letting himself be so overpowered. She leaned up too close to him in her seat, her hand latching on too quickly when he offered to give her a tour of the factory. He had barely opened the door to his office when her lips were suddenly on him, rendering him completely breathless as she kicked the door shut with one foot, slinking her arms around his neck and pulling him closer to her. He resisted for a moment, utterly confused and dizzy with the haze this situation was bringing. However, he didn't stop her, even when she pulled his body hard against her, even when she began guiding them backwards, and even when she had found her way to the couch. The Once-ler's eyes opened wide, and that's when the reality of this situation suddenly came crashing down on him.

"Stop,"he gasped, finally breaking the kiss.

"Something wrong?"she asked, a questioning look in her eyes as her lips hovered only centimeters from his; a silent promise that she wasn't finished with him yet.

"Um...kind of? Uh, it's just..." She glanced up at him through her long eyelashes, a small smirk set on her face.

"You don't do this very often, do you?" The Once-ler felt himself turn red as he stared blankly at her, aghast.

"N-no! It's just...been a while,"he lied.

"You're shaking and blushing like a cute little virgin,"she teased. The Once-ler felt the blood rushing to his face creep all the way to his ears, his hands tightening into fists. That did it for him. He opened his mouth to speak and then changed his mind, instead deciding to roughly press his mouth against hers before he could watch that slightly annoying smirk appear on her face again. He'd show her, he thought with a low grunt, all but shoving her back on the couch.

He did his best this time to copy her movements, experimentally opening his mouth a bit and gasping as her tongue suddenly thrust itself inside. In a desperate attempt to regain control, he pushed her until she was lying on her back, startling her long enough for him to regain dominance. Reminding himself to breathe, he soon found himself actually enjoying the kiss, forceful and tangently invasive as it was.

It wasn't until she was trying to undo his tie that he finally realized where she was trying to take them. Without breaking the kiss, he took the hand that was trying to undress him and pulled it away. The other hand retaliated, creeping up underneath his coat so that he was forced to open his eyes and grab both hands from her.

"What do you think you're doing?"he asked, looking seriously down at her.

"Exactly what I know you want me to do,"she replied with a smoldering smile, looping a hand around his neck to pull his face closer. He stopped her by taking both her hands and pinning them over her head, forcing her to stay still. However, her smile only broadened at the prospect of this new position, her smoldering gaze invasive and uncomfortable.

"I...,"he started, then stopped himself. He was the CEO of a major national company, he reminded himself. There was no place here, even in his own factory, to allow for his awkward naivety and inexperience to rear its ugly head. He was the Once-ler. This was perfectly normal for him.

"You certainly seem to think you know a lot about me,"he ammended, trying to look at her with a gaze equally as husky and smoldering to make up for the fact that he was blushing like a girl. She laughed, calling his bluff.

"I don't need to know anything about you to know what all men want,"she answered. The Once-ler frowned slightly, considering this. Was this what he wanted? It certainly felt like something he should want.

The Once-ler stared at her thoughtfully, wondering what he should do. Something deep within him screamed that this was wrong, that he needed to get off the couch and show this girl out the door. And yet another part of him yearned to listen to her, to know what it was that he was missing out on, to know what other men less powerful, less rich, and less famous knew that he didn't. He had walked into a trap, yes, but wasn't this what he wanted anyway? Wasn't this a trap he was supposed to want to walk into?

"What's the catch?"he asked the girl beneath him, loosening his grip on her wrists but not letting go just yet. She smiled with a knowing look on her face, seeing him caught in her snare and just begging to be reeled in.

"All good things come with a price,"she answered with a warm, inviting smile, "One that wouldn't cost you very much, though." He nodded stiffly in understanding. He thought of those who expected this from him - his mother, who was growing impatient for him to finally find a girl; his public, who had no idea that he had only kissed one, maybe two girls in his entire life if you counted the time he accidentally bumped faces with the girl next door when he was six. Thneed Inc expected a seasoned, experienced adult, not an insecure child. And then he thought of Norma - Norma, who would surely be disgusted with him if she ever found out what he was thinking of doing, did not belong in this picture. This is what would have happened eventually anyway - he was just speeding up the process. He felt lonely and doing this would make him feel whole. Besides, this was what everyone wanted of him: follow advice, think of the company, be the person others wanted him to be even if he still hadn't decided it was what he wanted. He would come to realize how badly he wanted it once he had it. It always worked that way. He was still the one making the decisions, after all. He was still the one in control.

At least, that's what the Once-ler told himself as he finally released the girl from his grasp and leaned back into her.

"Alright,"he said simply, his heart hammering wildly in anticipation. She smiled huskily, replacing her hand on his neck. His breath caught in his throat as she suddenly kicked her leg out, rolling them both so that she was on top of him.

"That's what I thought you'd say."