Nick glanced over at Eden, who nodded. “He’s right.”
“Well, that may be, but it’s not always that easy. I mean, you live four hours away from her, have gotten out from under her as your agent and manager, and you have your own family. Plus, Bridger and I being a public couple had a lot to do with the ‘Barnes Family 4th.’ We met during the preparations and the filming of the backstory stuff, then we trotted him on stage like he was some sort of prop, and that’s what left us open for this story about his other business in the first place.”
“When you say ‘other business,’ you’re not talking about how he’s also a mechanic, are you?” Nick asked. “Tell me about that job, Bridger.”
“Well, I don’t spend a lot of time working on the adult film business.” I tried out the words “adult film,” hoping that would make it sound better, but it sounded just as bad, maybe worse—like a comb-over.
I trudged on. “I’ve worked at Sal’s shop as a mechanic, usually around forty hours a week, for the past couple of years.”
“Man, why do you do that?” Leo asked. “You’ve got to be making bank.” He slid all the way into the water.
“Yeah, but I wanted to keep busy. My partner handles the majority of the creative side.”
“Which is why it won’t be too difficult for him to change gears. We just need to buy some time for Bridger to get this sorted out, and I need Lucinda to not be all up my butt about it while he does it.”
“Hey, who cares if Bridger does porn, or makes porn, or watches porn? He’s a single dude. What the fuck do we care?” Leo asked.
“I think you’re missing the point,” Ivy griped.
“Maybe. Who wants to have a cannonball contest?”
At that point, the conversation split off into a few different ones, and Dynassy went inside to change Annabelle’s diaper.
After she left, Nick said to me in a low voice, “Hey, Bridger, Dynassy told me a little about how you got into that business, and I’m really sorry you had to go through that man. Shitty luck, is what that is.”
For a second, I bristled. That wasn’t really Dynassy’s story to tell. But then I remembered that the Barnes family came as a package, and Dynassy had probably been trying to make Nick see the true story. In a way, I was grateful for that.
“Thanks, man.”
I wasn’t sure what else to say, and fortunately Dynassy came back outside, handed Annabelle to Eden, and joined me and Nick.
“Hey, you two, as for dealing with Lucinda, I think I know a way we can get her off your back…”
30
Dynassy
* * *
“Mom, I need to ask you a favor.” Bridger and I had been back from Fresno for a few days, and it was time to put Operation Shut Down Lucinda in action.
Lucinda floated across the living room wearing one of her ridiculous caftans. It made me crazy the way she had her hair and makeup perfectly done and then put on one of her mu mus to make it look like she was just lounging around for her TV show.
To understand my mother, you only had to know one thing—the most important thing in the world to Lucinda Barnes was her TV show. If you wanted to know how my mother would react to something, all you had to do was figure out how it would affect her TV show. If it would bring higher ratings or have more people talking about “The Barnes Bunch,” she was going to be in favor of it, even if it caused her some trouble along the way.
I was counting on this today when I brought up Bridger’s business while the cameras were rolling.
“Of course, darling. What can I do for you?”
This wasn’t going to be easy, but I thought Nick’s plan had a good chance of working so I took a deep breath and went for it. “You know how Bridger runs a porn business?”
Lucinda rolled her eyes to the ceiling. “Yes, of course I do. And I do not approve.”
I knew she didn’t approve, but the ratings of her show had gone up since the news of his business had gone public. As much as she might have disapproved, she definitely loved the soaring ratings.
“Well, I’m sorry you don’t approve, but I want to be on Bridger’s site. However, I want to be sure I get paid more than any of their other models, so I need you to negotiate my contract.”
Lucinda’s face was aghast. “I will do no such thing!”
“Then I’ll have to get another agent.”
“Dynassy, you cannot do this! You cannot do this to your mother!”
“Oh, I can do whatever I want, Mother. I’m twenty-four years old. The problem is that you don’t see it. We’re all old enough to do what we want without you. The twins are even old enough that you can’t control them anymore. I know it’s a difficult adjustment for you, but that’s the way it is. Kids grow up, and they don’t need their mommies to hold their hands anymore.”
“I cannot believe you would be so ungrateful.” She dabbed at her eyes with the hem of her caftan, milking the whole scene for all it was worth, just like I knew she would.
“Mom, this has nothing to do with me being grateful. Kids are supposed to separate from their families, from their parents. That’s a natural part of development.”
“But why you would embarrass our family like that? Your sexuality should be private, not plastered all over the internet.”
“Mother, it’s not about us embarrassing anyone. It’s about me being an adult and being old enough to make my own decisions. You know, I was so happy for Nick that he has finally been able to break free of you and make his own decisions, live his own life, but it took him having a baby and getting engaged to be able to do his own thing. Now Ivy wants to go out on her own—and of course Leo too.”
Lucinda’s face paled. “What do you mean, Ivy and Leo want to do something on their own?” I was expecting her to argue with me about how me doing an adult film would ruin their careers, but she bypassed that. Her control of them trumped the rest of it.
“I’m not sure exactly. I just know they’re not happy working for you, as hard as you’ve been pushing them. I think Leo wants to do more creative stuff, have some independence to do his own thing, and with Ivy, I don’t even think she knows what she wants. She’s been so busy being your robot for the past few years that she’s lost herself. And if you don’t want her to blame you for it, you should allow her more room so she can do some things on her own.”
“Well, if your brother and sister feel this way, why are they not talking to me about this themselves?” she asked defiantly.
“Because, Mom, you are intimidating. And difficult. And controlling. No one can talk to you.”
“Dynassy, that’s ridiculous. I love all four of my children, and I would never do anything that was not in all of their best interests. That includes you, which is why I’m trying to stop you from making a huge mistake.”
“And what mistake is that?”
“Where do I begin?”
I just stood there with my arms crossed over my chest, waiting.
She continued, “For starters being mixed up with that Bridger guy.”
I shouldn’t have taken the bait, but I couldn’t help myself. When she started talking about Bridger, I lost it. “If you even knew him at all, you would know that he is a wonderful guy. He’s not a bad person.”
“Anyone who is trying to get my daughter to take off her clothes and perform sex acts on video for the world to see is a bad guy in my book.”
“That’s not how it is, Mom. I’m the one that wants to do it. Bridger has tried to stop me, but I told him that if he wouldn’t let me be on his site, I would just go be on someone else’s.”
“Well, if this guy isn’t the one trying to convince you, then what in heaven’s name has come over you that you’ve decided pornography is a great career path?”
“Mom, that’s the way so many stars have launched their careers—doing sex tapes, having them go viral. I have a good career, but I’m thinking I could make a big splash if I did this. I’d get some more attention, make some money, the show
would get a ton more viewers… I would do it with Bridger, because I trust him. I know he has my best interests at heart, while any other pornographer, well, they would just be about exploiting me.”
Lucinda’s mouth screwed into a tiny little knot. “You know, you have a point there.”
I hadn’t expected her to get on board with the idea, but now I was afraid she’d taken it and decided to run with it. It was time to back it up.
“I really just need you to help me negotiate a contract.”
“Dynassy, you’ve given me a lot to think about. I really don’t like the idea, but if you are insistent, you ought to be smart about it. Can you please just chill on this, think about it some more, let me think about it, and we can revisit this in a few days?”
“Okay, that sounds good.”
Lucinda open her arms and enveloped me in a hug.
I wasn’t sure what to make of her reaction. First, she was appalled, as I knew she would be, until she started realizing it might drive up the rankings on “The Barnes Bunch.” On one hand, I was disgusted that she would, in some way, actually help me perform sex acts on camera and work out the legal details for that. But on the other hand, I’d asked her to see my point of view, and it took a special person to see their child as an individual and let them be their own person. It had to be difficult to love your children even when their values and decisions clashed with your own.
I wished I knew whether she was now considering helping me get into the porn business because it would boost her ratings, or because I’d asked her to. I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt.
When I’d visited my mother that day, I’d gone there to shock her, so that when Bridger and I unveiled our real plan, she would be so relieved I wasn’t going to actually do porn that she’d embrace our new endeavor. But when she said she wanted to think about it, I wondered if she could be giving me the respect that so often we Barnes kids didn’t feel we received from her?
I wasn’t sure where this was headed, but things had gone better than I could have imagined. My intention had been to alienate Lucinda more, but instead, I came away feeling closer to her that I had in a long time.
31
Bridger
* * *
“So you’ve taken care of your mother, at least for now.”
We were at my apartment, and Dynassy had just finished telling me about how her conversation with her mother had gone. She’d been spending so much time at my place since we’d gotten back from Milan that she’d practically moved in, and I couldn’t have been more thrilled. The media frenzy had died down somewhat, and I’d grown more accustomed to life in the spotlight. After all, when you got involved with a member of the Barnes family, you had to accept that a big part of your life was now fair game for the paparazzi and the tabloids, whether you liked it or not.
We had big plans for how to integrate our lives, and the planning was going well. But there was one thing that kept bothering me. Our patent had gone through, so whoever was stealing our machine was infringing on our legal rights, and I wasn’t going to sit still for that.
“Are you sure you’re up to doing this?” I asked her.
“Yes, but I still can’t see Sal being a thief.”
“I didn’t believe it either, but I’m almost sure it’s him.”
“Well, if it is, our plan ought to flush him out.” She laughed. “The whole thing makes me feel kinda like a spy. Are you sure Saturday is the best day to try it?”
“Yeah. Sal likes to do his paperwork when it’s quieter. You’re less likely to draw attention. During the week, the place is just too busy, and on Sundays the place is closed.”
The next day, I threaded a wire between Dynassy’s breasts, under her clothes, trying not to allow her magnificent body to distract me.
“How is it you know how to do this stuff?” she asked.
“I’m a SEAL, remember?”
“You guys do this kind of stuff?”
“Baby, we do all kinds of stuff. And yes, surveillance is one of them.”
Her eyes lit up. “Cool. You know, you’re really hot when you’re being all SEAL-like.”
I bit back a smile, but she kept going.
“I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to strip-search me. Just to make sure I’m fully prepared for this mission.”
I recognized that lusty look on her face, and as badly as I wanted to give in, I needed to focus on the job at hand.
“We can do that later,” I said with my sternest look.
With a sigh, she gave up. “Fine. I’ll behave.”
“I’ll take you up on that later,” I promised. “Try to get him to admit he stole the designs, okay?”
“Got it,” she said with a salute.
I rushed her into the car before I changed my mind and let her distract me. I didn’t want us to miss our chance and have to wait another week to have this settled.
I switched cars with Barvo for the weekend so I could drive something that wouldn’t be recognized. Barvo normally drove a Porsche, but he’d held on to the pickup truck he used to drive, and that was the one I was borrowing. It blended in better than a high-end sports car would.
There is was—Sal’s Toyota, parked in his spot.
“He’s here. Are you ready for this?” I asked. Part of me felt bad, asking Dynassy to do this, but the man was stealing from our business, and Dynassy was about to become a part of that business in a way. She offered to do it, and I’d be able to hear everything that was going on, thanks to the wire she was wearing.
Not only would I be listening, but I’d be recording every word that was uttered.
I’d given her the key so she could let herself in, in case it was locked, and I heard the bell jingle as the front door opened. I’d given her instructions not to stop, to go to Sal’s office at the back, taking advantage of the element of surprise.
Over the wire, a door creaked.
“Hi,” Dynassy said.
The flustered voice of my boss Sal came next. “Hi there, Dynassy. I wasn’t expecting to see you here today. The shop is mostly closed on Saturday. Everything all right with your car?”
“Yeah. The car is great. You guys did a super job fixing it. You’d never know it had been in an accident.”
“Good to hear. Good to hear.” He was repeating himself because he was nervous. Good. She had him right where I wanted him. “What can I do for you then?”
“Well, Sal, a little birdie told me that somebody who works here has invented a machine that has been featured all over the internet, and I had some questions about it.”
“What kind of machine?”
She laughed. “A naughty one.”
“A naughty one, huh?” he laughed nervously.
She nodded. “My friends and I…we were thinking about branching out, doing some movies, and we thought you might be able to help.”
“Your friends?”
“Yeah, some other girls who are models.”
“Honey, I don’t know if this is some kind of come on or what, but I gotta tell ya, I’m too old for all that.”
“Oh.” Her voice was flat. “You don’t know anyone who makes machines for girls?”
“Sorry, but I don’t. I just fix cars, and lately, with my prostate, I can’t do near as much of that as I used to.”
“Oh, all right. I just thought…” Her voice trailed off.
“Wish I could help you,” Sal said, and the sincerity in his voice made me realize I’d been wrong. He wasn’t the guy.
“Do you mind if I use your restroom on the way out?” Dynassy asked.
“Not a problem. It’s up front. Help yourself.”
“Thanks,” Dynassy said.
Then I heard a few doors opening and closing.
Then, “I can’t believe I did that. How embarrassing!”
Oh yeah. She was going to kill me. That was obvious.
Then I heard another deep voice. “Hey, did I hear you say you were looking for someone who makes machines
for girls?”
Water running. “Uh, yeah. I was. You know anything about that?” Dynassy asked, but she sounded nervous.
Who was she talking to?
“Because I might know someone,” the male voice said. “Depends who’s askin’ and why.”
“I was looking to make some movies with one. Me and some of my friends.”
“No you weren’t. I think your little boyfriend Bridger set you up to do this.” The voice grew menacing, and I bolted out of the car and started running for the building.
I got there in seconds, and just as I started to fling open the front door, I realized it was locked. The asshole must have locked it behind himself when he came in. Dynassy had my key, and she was inside.
Banging on the door and yelling for Sal, I knew I couldn’t wait. Putting my shoulder into it, I broke the door down and ran into the women’s restroom.
One of my fellow mechanics, Peter, had Dynassy up against the wall. The look in her eyes was one of sheer terror.
Peter turned around, but before he could mount a defense, I threw him off her. Then I hurled him head-first against the sink. A sick, cracking noise filled the air as cranium and porcelain connected, and he fell to the floor unconscious.
“Wow Bridger, you made that look so easy!” Dynassy stared at the man on the floor. “Oh my God! I’m so glad you were here. I think he was going to—”
I took her in my arms. “I know, but I would never have let anything happen to you.”
Sal appeared in the door. “What’s going on?” he asked.
“I’ll explain everything, but do me a favor and call the police? They’re going to need an ambulance for him too.”
Sal nodded, and shuffled off to call the cops.
“That was one of the scariest moments of my life.”
“I’m sorry, babe. I should have never put you up to this.”
“No, it was also one of the most exciting!”
Machine: A Bad Boy Romance: Barnes Family Book 2 Page 14