Capricorn

by WL Knightly

  “Tad, did you have my—”

  He looked up to see his sister’s eyes as big as saucers. “What happened to you?”

  “I hit my head on the fucking cabinet door earlier. It’s not serious. It just won’t stop bleeding, and I have my shoot later.”

  Hannah crossed the room. “The cabinet, huh? And you didn’t bother asking your sister to help? I’m not buying it, but I’m also too busy to grill you. So, let’s take a look.” She slapped his hand away and examined his head. “It’s got a nasty bruise around it. You really licked it good. Let me get some thread, and I’ll fix you right up.” She gave him a nudge.

  “Shit, do I need stitches?”

  “No, silly. Just keep your damned fingers out of it and let it scab. It’s already trying to stop bleeding. I could put a sterile strip on it if you want. It would hold it together, but you’ll have to be careful not to comb it out.”

  “Could you? I don’t have long, and I don’t want to show up with an open wound leaking everywhere.”

  “You got it. I’ll be right back.”

  She hurried out and then came back with her first-aid kit. “I keep the good stuff in here. So, if you ever meet up with any cabinet doors you don’t want to tell me about, this is your best friend.” She opened the case, and he turned his head and let her work her magic.

  “What are you doing later?”

  “I’m pulling a double again,” she said. “The honeymoon saga continues, and now, both halves of the happy couple are sick with whatever crud they picked up on the flight home.”

  “That sucks.” Tad hated that his sister had to work so many hours, and she barely had time for herself most days, but he was glad that she’d be busy for the rest of the day and into the night. Then he wouldn’t have to worry about her.

  “Yeah, but I could use the extra hours.” She finished up with his head and then handed him some pills. “Take these for the pain. I know it has to hurt.”

  “Thanks, Hannah.” He took the pills, even though he’d been so numb he barely felt a thing. Any pain that was getting through was part of his penance.

  “No problem, little brother.” She looked into his eyes and smiled. “Don’t worry about anything, okay? You’re going to knock them dead today.”

  He pulled her into his arms and knew at that moment, he forgave her for not being there to save him from his uncle. Though he hadn’t really held it against her, he often wondered why. He eventually realized the why didn’t matter. She was a child then too, and they’d both done the best they could with what they had.

  “I love you, sis.”

  “I love you.” She giggled. “You really must have hit your head hard.” She got up and went to the door.

  “I mean it. You’ve been good to me.”

  She stopped and turned to give him another smile. This time, her cheeks were rosy and her eyes misty. “I’ll always be here for you. And I’m glad things are finally happening for you again. As I said, it’s going to be okay. This is your big shot, Tad. Enjoy it.” She turned and walked away, wiping tears from her cheek.

  Tad finished getting ready and then drove out to the site. He was surprised to see a totally different scene, with more people than the last shoot, and not as many familiar faces. Spencer gave him a nod and an exhausted smile as he walked up to see the backdrops, but the guy was too busy to talk.

  “You’re back,” said a familiar voice. Tad turned to see Marvin just behind him. “You’ll find it’s a different kind of party today. Spencer is in a mood. His camera bit the dust, and he’s working with the backup. Not only that, but one of his models got in a fender bender, and Cora had to go get her out of lockup. She’d been drinking. Rumor has it, she was sucking dick when he hit the car in front of him. Talk about your protein shakes.” Marvin gave a little smile. “Come with me; I’ll introduce you to the makeup crew.”

  “They aren’t the same as before?”

  “No, those girls don’t get called for bigger campaigns. You’ll like Tula, though; she’s a hoot.”

  Tad’s eyes widened. “Tula? Fuck. I know her.” And when he said he knew her, he meant in every sense of the word.

  “Do you? She’s a nice girl.”

  “Maybe it’s not the same Tula then.” The Tula he knew wasn’t ever a nice girl. The last time he saw Tula, she’d gotten him into some shit with a friend of hers, and he had to whore himself out to pay back the debt. Somehow Bay stepped in just before things had gotten bad, and it was the first time he’d been glad to see the son of a bitch.

  He followed Marvin to a tent where Tula sat with two other girls.

  “Tula, this man says he knows you.” Marvin stepped out of the way, and Tula turned to see Tad.

  “I’ll be damned. The last thing I expected was a blast from the past. Where’d you dig up this old relic? I haven’t seen him in about two years.”

  “He’s Spencer’s newest baby, so you better treat him right.”

  The other girls giggled, and then as Tad approached, one of them snorted the bump she had on her hand.

  “Still up to the same old tricks, I see,” Tad said.

  She gave a snort and stood to her feet. “Are you?” She eyed him up and down like she could devour him.

  “I’ll just leave you kids to catch up.” Marvin gave a little wave as Tula took Tad’s hand.

  “You look like you could use a little pick me up.” She abandoned her friends as she pulled him to one of the private areas. “I could give you something if you want it.”

  “I don’t use anymore,” he said.

  “That’s a shame.” She giggled. “But I wasn’t talking about sharing my coke with you.”

  15

  Tad

  He couldn’t believe it. What he thought was going to be the best opportunity of his life, had turned into the same old shit with the very same cast.

  Tula looked up at him with her fuck-me eyes. “Spencer would kill me if you walked out there using.”

  Tad thought of how stressful his life had been the past few days, and as bad as it was, he couldn’t see a good reason to turn Tula down. Especially when all she was offering was a nut. “Then maybe you should show me what you’re going to give me.”

  “That’s the Tad I remember. Always willing to play.” She reached down into his waistband and undid his pants. She stuck her hand in and found his hard cock. She gave it a squeeze. “I remember this, too. Still one of my favorite toys.”

  “Yeah? Why don’t you show me how much you love it?” He grinned, and she gave him a soft kiss on the lips before dropping to her knees.

  She pumped his cock a few times as she licked his balls, and then he threw his head back as she swirled her tongue around his head and then took him deep into her throat.

  As much as he loved Estelle’s technique, she was amateur hour compared to Tula. He let her work him a good ten minutes, and knowing that he didn’t have all the time in the world to savor the moment, he unloaded into her throat.

  Not having changed much, she swallowed it down and then wiped her mouth and chin, making sure nothing was wasted.

  “Party with me after?” she asked. “I’ll give you round two in the trailer.”

  “I have a busy evening planned, but maybe I’ll take a minute to say goodbye.” He hoped his nerves were going to hold out. Every time he thought about what he had to do, he got nervous, and his stomach tightened.

  “Are you sure you don’t want a bump of courage? Maybe Spencer wouldn’t notice.” She took out her vial and took a bump.

  “I’m sure.” He didn’t want to screw things up, especially with Spencer in such a shitty mood.

  “Suit yourself, hotness.” She took his hand and led him out to the makeup chair. “Let me get you ready for your closeup.”

  “Thank you. And that was amazing, by the way. I don’t want to seem ungrateful.” He felt his cock hardening and knew he wanted to reciprocate the pleasure with it. Maybe another time.

  “How did you meet up with
Spencer?”

  “My sister knows him. Actually, she knows his girlfriend, Lexa.” He wasn’t going to be able to tell his sister too much about the day’s activities. She would shit if she knew he was back in this kind of toxic environment.

  Tula giggled. “Lexa? What a bitch. I’m not sure who he’s fucking this week, but she might still be around.”

  He sat as still as possible as she accentuated his features even more with a light dusting of contour. “Oh, well. As long as I got the job, I don’t care who he’s with.” It made no never mind to him, and he knew not to tell his sister about that, either.

  She leaned in closer. “You really should stick around after. We always have fun when me and Spencer hook up.”

  “I didn’t think it was that kind of atmosphere.” He’d been excited that things hadn’t been as crazy as the old days, but now he wondered if that wasn’t always the case.

  “Spencer knows when it’s time to party and when it’s time to work. You’ll see. You’ll love it.” She gave a wicked laugh, and he couldn’t help but wonder what she meant. “I’m all done, sexy. Now you let me know if you need any help with that next zipper.” She gave him a wink.

  “Will do.”

  He had a hard time convincing the hairstylists that it would be okay to fix his hair with the wound, but they finally agreed to do the work and got him looking good. In the end, you couldn’t see the sterile strips, which were clear, after all.

  “Did you have a good time with Tula?” Marvin asked as he entered the wardrobe trailer.

  “I did, thanks.”

  “You don’t look like you’re too relaxed. I thought for sure she’d suck your dick or something, the way she looked at you.” Tad gave the man a look, and he covered his mouth and giggled. “Sorry, I shouldn’t be such a nosy bitch.”

  “It’s cool. I know her from way back. We used to both work for Jades.” He thought of how much his life had changed since then. But for what? So, he could be harassed and forced to commit murder? He trembled as he stripped off his shirt.

  “Are you okay?” Marvin’s hand was warm on his shoulder.

  “Just a little cold in here.”

  “Now, don’t tempt me to warm you up.” Marvin winked and let out a laugh that would raise the dead. “I know you don’t go that way. But if you ever happen to need it, I suck a mean cock, myself.” He gave a wink, and Tad couldn’t believe how different today’s experience was from the last. It was like everyone was a totally different person.

  He didn’t know what to say to Marvin, and all of his first instinctual comments would have hurt his feelings. He didn’t see any sense in that and knew he’d work with him again. “I’ll keep it in mind, thanks.” Marvin gave him a wink and handed him the clothes for the shoot.

  As he finished up with Marvin, he couldn’t help his nerves and wished he could focus. He kept thinking about Tula’s offer and knew that it was a bad idea. He hadn’t done coke in nearly two years, and even though it might be the fix he needed to get him through the day and the task ahead, he simply couldn’t put himself back through that.

  As he waited for his call and tried to keep his mind clear, visions from his past played out in his mind. They weren’t the horrible, coaxing moments from his uncle that he remembered. It was the good times. The man had taught him so many other things, had invested his time, and for the most part, he did care about him in some twisted way. Even during the visit, he could see the man he used to be. Was that person still in there somewhere just waiting to be killed?

  Tad didn’t know if he could do it. But then he thought of the alternatives. Hannah lying dead in a pool of blood, her back sliced up like Emily’s had been, and all of those brands they’d heated and burned into their flesh would be permanently seared into her dead flesh.

  By the time he was called, he was so shaken that the trembling didn’t stop. He did his best to keep it together, but Spencer could tell something was wrong.

  “Dammit, Tad. Give me some pep. You look like someone died, for fuck’s sake.” Spencer stood behind the camera and let out a deep sigh. “Take a second and collect yourself, please.”

  Tad shook his hands out and then stretched a minute. He paced the small area and then turned back to the camera to find Spencer was turned around talking to Cora, who had made it back from the police station empty-handed.

  Once Spencer was done with her, he walked up to Tad and leaned into his ear. “Are you having an off day? Do you need some help getting centered?”

  “I’m sorry, but yeah, I guess.” He hoped the guy had some kind of exercise or stretch, perhaps a meditation he could do.

  “Your sister told my Lexa that you had a little problem before. Is that true? Is that what you’re craving?”

  “It’s not a problem.” Tad didn’t want his past to stop him from having a good career with Dos.

  Spencer laughed. “Oh, I’m aware. I think you need a little bump to relax you, though. Is that going to be a problem? I mean, if you could give me what I need from you, I could give you plenty, Tad. There’s lots of work for pretty faces like yours, but you need to be prepared. Do you trust me to take you there?”

  Tad hadn’t expected the words from the man’s lips, but he sure as hell knew he better not deny him what he wanted; not when he was the key to Tad’s future, assuming he didn’t end up in a cell or six feet under. “Yeah, sure.”

  “Good, because I know what’s best for you when you’re with me. So, let’s get this taken care of and get back to work, okay.” He pinched the back of Tad’s neck where he held it. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out his own stash of coke. “Here, let’s get you focused.”

  Tad looked around, and none of the others around seemed to care about what they were doing. Tad knew it wasn’t that big a deal in certain environments; he just hadn’t been prepared for it. “Thanks.” Tad didn’t know what else to say, and as he took the hit, he looked over at Tula who was watching from afar, smiling and giving him a nod.

  He got through the shoot without a care in the world and knew he needed the same courage for what he had to do later. He just needed a little bump from Tula for later. He’d coke up and get the deed done.

  He went to the trailer to change and found Spencer and Tula waiting for him. Tula was in Spencer’s lap nuzzling his neck. He realized what she meant about the two partying afterward.

  Spencer groped her breasts and then rubbed his palm flat between her legs. Tula moaned and worked her hips against him. His attention turned to Tad. “Great job. How about a line to celebrate?”

  “Sure, why the hell not, right?” It wasn’t like he wanted to be a user again, but he had done so good quitting and getting cleaned up that this was not a relapse. It was a necessary evil to do what he needed. He tried to keep telling himself that. He knew what he needed, but he could control things this time. He could control it and not let it control him.

  “That’s my boy.” Tula leaned back in Spencer’s arms and laid a line of the finest white powder Tad had ever seen on her breast. “Come and get some.”

  He bent over and took the line right off her tit as her hand snaked around his neck. She pulled him into a deep kiss. Her hand snaked down and rubbed his cock, stroking it through his pants which belonged to the company.

  “I should change,” he said without thinking.

  “Here, let me help you out of those clothes.” Tula stood up, and Spencer went to lock the trailer door.

  Tad stripped off his shirt as she worked the pants down, and after kicking off his shoes, he stepped out of them.

  It wasn’t the first time he’d stood naked with others, and it wouldn’t be the last. Tula turned around and reached back to undo the zipper on her dress. Once the slinky strap of cloth was pooled at her feet, she laid back and spread her legs.

  “Seems like a nice reward for a hard day’s work to me.” Spencer laughed.

  Tad wasn’t about to bend over and give Spencer the wrong idea, so he sat next to Tula and pull
ed her over into his lap. “Ride it.”

  Tula smiled and climbed on. Once she was riding him steadily, purring and moaning, Tad looked up to see Spencer had his own cock out, and he was working it over. Knowing they were being admired was a huge turn on, and he worked his hips harder against her as Spencer stepped forward.

  Before he knew what was happening, they had Tula sandwiched between them, and she was moaning loudly like a whore.

  Tad needed the release, and he couldn’t get enough of the coke, taking another line off Tula’s shoulder.

  He did the next line off the back of Spencer’s hand after coming hard inside of Tula. And once Spencer had gotten his nut, he rolled over and the two bumped fists.

  “We work well together.”

  His heart was pumping fast, and he felt like he was the king of the world for a moment. Not only had he snorted more coke than he had in forever, but it was good stuff. Quality. Better than he’d ever gotten from Tula.

  As Spencer went to the bathroom to clean up, Tula curled up against him. “I have missed you. I’m glad you’re back.”

  “I’m not back, Tula. This is just for today. A celebration.” He kissed her pouty lips.

  “It doesn’t have to be like before, silly. Spencer will take care of us, and his shit is pure.”

  “You’re not fucking kidding. It’s amazing. I just don’t want to be a junkie again. I have dreams.”

  “Of course, you do, baby.” She smiled and took another bump.

  His head was spinning as she pulled his hand and led him to the little table across the trailer. She poured out a little coke and cut it into two lines. “One for you and one for Spencer.” She gave him a wink. “That was the best sandwich you’ve made me in a long time. Remember the days with Krissy? Those were so much fun. I haven’t been the only girl for a while.”

  “Yeah, I remember.” His brain was practically cutting in and out, and all he kept thinking was how he didn’t have a care in the world. Even though he knew what he had to do, he wasn’t going to let it get him down. Carpe Fortuna. He’d kill his uncle as a ritual and then seize his own fucking fortune.