Plus, as much as Evan had tried to act casual about it, it was clear he hadn’t revealed his name lightly. Pete still didn’t know quite what to make of that. It was a bombshell, for sure. And it had come at the worst possible time.
It was like Evan somehow knew that Pete had decided to back off, and had found a way to ensnare him yet again. Between having sex with strangers and doing it in front of more strangers, there weren’t a lot of ways to create intimacy on porn sets. Evan had found a major one. Pete was now plagued by a simple question: why? Why had Evan told him? It hadn’t escaped Pete’s notice that Evan had dodged the question before. Whatever his reason, it seemed he was keeping it to himself for now.
Pete could speculate all day and never figure out what was going on in Evan’s head. For now, his goal was to make it through this photo shoot alive. He needed to play it cool, which was unfortunate, considering he was . . . well, himself.
It’s going to be okay, he reassured himself as he turned into Murmur Inc.’s parking lot. He’d done dozens of photo shoots before. This one wasn’t going to be any different, even with Evan there, watching his every move. It was no big deal.
His blood pressure didn’t believe him.
He parked his car and entered the building from the side door. He tried to psych himself up as he took the stairs two at a time, but he felt less like the sex god he was supposed to be and more like his character: a socially awkward, inexperienced college kid. Colette really did have a knack for casting. He was, however, less nervous than he’d been for the previous two shoots. That was a trend he fervently hoped would continue.
When he reached the third floor, he ducked past rows of cubicles where the phone sex operators were already busy at work. He scurried over to Booth Four. Colette had told him to expect a big production, but nothing could have prepared him for what he saw when he pushed open the door. His jaw nearly dropped as he surveyed the transformed interior of the recording booth.
Three things stood out to him in vivid detail. First, Colette was sitting in an old-school director’s chair, a red scarf wrapped around her head and a pair of dark sunglasses balanced on her nose. She looked like she belonged on the set of one of the seventies’ Golden Age masterpieces, like Deep Throat or The Devil in Miss Jones. Second, the room was crammed with people, from light techs to set directors to interns bringing coffee to the aforementioned. And third, the set itself was gorgeous.
It was like someone had taken a slice of California beach and transplanted it into Murmur Inc. The bright lights overhead perfectly simulated sunshine on a clear day, right down to the heat radiating from them. White sand had been smoothed across the breadth of the floor, which was dotted with palm trees in planters. The backdrop had been painted in cerulean and azure, imitating the ocean and sky.
Pete almost thought he could taste salt on the air. He was positive that with the right filters, the scene would look exceptional on film. He spent a moment simply standing there, drinking in the energy from the crowd. There was nothing quite like walking onto a buzzing set.
Colette spotted him and waved. He jogged her way, grateful for once that he was so skinny. He weaved through the throng with ease.
She was sitting in front of a dozen monitors, all connected to a frankly stunning array of wires. The majority of them showed the set from different angles, but the last three showed editing software.
“Jaden, darling,” Colette greeted him in an affected old-Hollywood accent. “Marvelous of you to join us.”
“Looks like you’ve found your own role,” Pete joked. “Mademoiselle Director, your set is enchanting. You’re taking summer to a new level.”
“Just a little something to get you in the mood. And believe me, you will be soon enough.”
Before he could ask what she meant, Colette pointed a turquoise nail at a monitor on the far right. “Check it out. It’s raw, but you can have a sneak peek.”
Pete walked around and peered over her shoulder. On the screen was a paused frame of video featuring Evan and him in Joyce’s living room. “Is this the teaser? You’re already working on it?”
“Yup. We’re still cleaning it at the moment. There’s a lot of editing to be done, but I expect it to be a hit. The camera loves you both.” She tapped a button on a keyboard. The clip played, and though there was no sound, Pete recognized the exact point at which it began. Evan had just grabbed his arm and said he wanted to pin him down. Watching it from an outside perspective was almost as hot as being there. The intensity in Evan’s body language was enough to give him chills.
He watched in silence as their figures interacted on screen. He had to admit, they looked good together. Their appearances were so different, they balanced each other. If he were one to wax poetic, he’d call it night and day. And there was definitely something powerful between them, something incendiary.
Instead of being eclipsed by Evan, Pete’s performance had been improved by him. He could tell that for once, he wasn’t overthinking things. He was just reacting, and the reactions Evan coaxed out of him were both genuine and visceral. He willed himself not to get hard while watching his own film. That would take masturbation to a whole new level.
“What do you think?” Colette asked.
“It’s very, um, stimulating,” he said. “Kyle and I make a good team.”
“That’s putting it mildly. There was a point where I thought I could toast a marshmallow just by sticking it between you guys. I almost had to hose Joyce off afterwards. Speaking of which, let’s talk wardrobe.”
“Was there a segue in there somewhere? Because if so, I missed it.”
“You’ll understand soon enough.” She pointed to a table where several sets of beach gear had been laid out. “Go over there and change into the suit we picked for you. When you’re finished, we’ll turn you over to the set designers.”
“So they can do what, exactly?”
“They’re going to add verisimilitude.”
Pete blinked at her.
“They’re going to douse you with water and sand.”
He wrinkled his nose. “Seriously? Hasn’t anyone ever told you that sand gets everywhere?”
“Yup, it’s nature’s glitter. Can’t be helped, though. You and Darko need to look like you’re actually at the beach. And that means you’ll need to be wet.” Her face was a picture of innocence. “It’s for the sake of authenticity, I assure you.”
Pete glowered. “More like for your perverse enjoyment.”
“Oh, not just my enjoyment, young grasshopper. I invite you to examine exhibit A.” She indicated something over Pete’s shoulder.
He turned to look and almost drooled. Evan was standing on the other side of the set, wearing form-fitting black swim trunks. They looked like they’d been designed with him in mind. A handful of people were emptying water bottles over his head. The liquid sluiced down his bare chest, and when he shook his head, droplets flew like diamonds from his hair. He looked like he was in a shampoo commercial. A lewd one.
“So,” Colette asked casually, “what do you think of my idea?”
“Murf.” Pete cleared his throat. “Um, I mean, yeah. Nice one. Though I have to say, Kyle being hot is starting to get redundant.”
Colette laughed and hooked her thumb over her shoulder. “Don your costume, and be quick about it. We haven’t got all morning.”
He did as instructed, praying he wasn’t going to have to wear something embarrassing. It would be just like Colette to put him in a speedo, or a tiny thong like the one Evan had worn before the teaser. Although, the memory of that was almost enough to waylay his anxiety.
To his immense relief, when he approached the wardrobe people, he was handed a standard pair of light-blue swim trunks. They weren’t even form-fitting like Evan’s. They must have realized he couldn’t pull something like that off. Small miracles.
He started to yank his shirt over his head, but something stayed his hand. Had Evan noticed he was here yet? He peeked toward the set.
Evan was not-so-subtly watching him, of course, while the designers brushed sand onto his chest and abs. Pete had never envied them more.
He fingered the hem of his shirt. Evan had already seen him in various states of undress. There was no reason to feel self-conscious. Hell, anytime Evan wanted to see him naked, all he had to do was google him. So, why was Pete so nervous?
He turned his back to hide his face, and removed his shirt. Next, he shimmied out of his jeans but kept his underwear on before pulling the swimsuit up his slim hips. He forced himself to move at a normal pace, neither hurrying nor drawing it out.
When he finished, he steeled himself and whirled around. Evan had abandoned any pretense that he wasn’t staring. His eyes were lowered, and Pete could guess what part of his anatomy they’d been focused on moments before. They slid slowly up, and when they reached Pete’s eyes, they were black with desire. Pete had to look away before his cock took notice.
“Jaden,” Colette called, “are you ready?”
“Yeah.” His voice was embarrassingly uneven. “I am.”
“Go stand by those trees so we can take some test shots.” She pointed to an area that was thankfully several yards from Evan.
Pete took his place. Photographers swarmed him. He closed his eyes and fell into the familiarity of his role, letting quiet Pete melt away to be replaced with Jaden, who luxuriated in this sort of attention. He posed, and the photographers snapped dozens of shots of him from every angle before Colette called them off. She indicated for Pete to join her by the monitors once more.
“Look.” She pointed to a screen on the left.
Pete made a soft, surprised noise. Whoever had chosen his costume had done a fantastic job. The particular shade of blue made his eyes stand out and injected some color into his skin. He looked like he actually set foot on a beach every once in a while, and that was an accomplishment in and of itself.
“Good?” Colette asked.
“Yeah,” Pete said. “Ready when you are.”
“Then by all means, go join your leading man.”
Pete jogged toward where Evan was already in position, sand sliding pleasantly between his toes. The heat from the overhead lights warmed his exposed skin, and the din from the crowd faded away with every step he took toward Evan. He could almost pretend he was really relaxing at the beach. Though his haywire hormones weren’t about to let him forget where he was and what he was about to do.
“Hey,” he said when he reached Evan’s side.
“Hey,” Evan said back, smiling.
Pete stared at the ground to avoid staring at Evan. The set designers had done their work well. Water beaded on his bare chest like jewels, and every now and then a single drop would slide down his abdomen, making Pete yearn to follow its path with a finger, or better yet, his tongue.
Luckily or unluckily, a set designer chose that moment to dump a bottle of water over Pete’s head. He stifled a yelp; the water was freezing compared to the warm, body-packed studio. He heard giggling from his right and turned just in time to get splashed in the face. While he sputtered and wiped water from his eyes, the giggles turned into full-blown laughter.
“This isn’t funny,” he groused.
“It really is,” Evan said.
The crew retreated a moment later, leaving them in relative privacy.
“Be honest,” Pete said under his breath. “How do I look?”
Evan raised a hand and brushed a thumb over his cheekbone, wiping away a droplet. Then he threaded his fingers through his hair, sweeping it gently back. “Sexy.”
Colette approached them, sliding her dark sunglasses on top of her head. “Thanks for fixing Jaden’s hair, Darko. He looked like a drowned rat.”
Pete glared at him and muttered, “Liar.”
Evan grinned impishly. “I meant it, though.”
“All right, gentlemen,” Colette announced. “Let’s begin. There’s no script today, but try to keep your characters in mind when selecting your poses. You’re two friends who have recently become more. The idea is for you to act like you’re falling in love before our very eyes.”
Her words made something strange happen inside of Pete. It was like his guts quivered, not necessarily in a bad way. Out of his periphery, he saw Evan watching him. Pete didn’t dare meet his gaze.
Colette continued obliviously. “Keep the atmosphere light and playful, like a real day at the beach, but I want to see some serious passion. Got it?” She looked at Pete.
“Yes.” He was surprised by how confident he sounded.
Evan slung an arm around Pete’s shoulders. “We got this.”
“Good. On that note, hold that pose.” She snapped at a nearby photographer, who started clicking away. “Jaden, relax. You look like Darko’s arm is burning you.”
It was. Just that little bit of skin-on-skin contact seared him. Pete had wondered if some of the tension between them might have abated after their kiss, but it seemed Evan still affected him as strongly as ever. What would happen when they finally had sex? Would it scratch Pete’s ferocious itch? Or would it make him an addict? He really didn’t want to speculate about which seemed more likely.
He couldn’t think about it right now anyway. Everyone was watching him expectantly, waiting for him to put on a show. He breathed until his muscles relaxed. Then he slid an arm around Evan’s waist, and they grinned at each other like best buddies. The photographer instructed them to make minor adjustments—move a hand up, angle a leg differently, stand closer or farther apart—and then she snapped away.
Pete tried to keep his character in mind, but his brain was inundated with a hundred niggling thoughts. Colette had instructed them to fall in love on film, and Pete had no idea how to portray that. He’d never been in love; lust was his territory, at least professionally. Any deeper emotion than that was uncharted and potentially full of monsters. Best to steer clear. But if Colette said that’s what they had to do . . .
Evan nudged him. “Hey.”
Pete startled, almost breaking the pose the photographer had just maneuvered him into. “What?”
“What just happened?”
Pete blinked. “What do you mean?”
“Your energy vanished. What was going through your head?”
The photographer cut in. “Quit the chatter. Your mouths are blurry in half my shots.”
They both fell silent, but Pete could still feel Evan’s attention on him.
“Well?” Evan asked under his breath a moment later. “What was it?”
“The photographer said not to talk.”
“So? Scared she’s gonna tell the teacher on us?”
Pete snorted. “You must be new if you haven’t learned a healthy fear of Colette yet.”
“Just keep your voice down and she won’t even notice.”
Pete huffed. There was no getting out of this conversation. Out of the corner of his mouth, he whispered, “What gave you the impression I was thinking about something?”
“Don’t bullshit me,” Evan murmured back. “I can tell when you’re overthinking it. Mostly because you start to suck.”
“No need to sugarcoat it,” Pete muttered.
“I didn’t hear a denial, though.” Evan swung around to Pete’s other side. He looped an arm around him and then pointed at something down the “beach.” Pete shielded his eyes from the light and pretended to look, and the photographer snapped a few photos of them like that before instructing them to switch it up again.
“Admit it, you were thinking about something,” Evan continued, voice no louder than a rustle.
“You’re . . . annoyingly perceptive,” Pete responded.
“Which is a fancy way of saying I’m right.”
“What do you care?” Pete asked, more than a little defensive.
“I care because if you’re still thinking, then I’m not doing my job.”
It was becoming a struggle to keep talking quietly when he wanted to demand that Evan explain himself. “And your job is?�
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“To get you out of your head.” Evan grabbed his shoulder and spun Pete around to face him. Evan’s expression was devilish. “To knock you off-balance so you stop thinking and start feeling. It’s beautiful when you do.”
“That’s good,” Colette called from the sidelines. “I like how you amped up the intensity, Darko. Even the talking—which is so not subtle, by the way—kinda looks like a confession. I actually don’t hate it. Keep going. It’s time to spice things up.” She signaled to two men, and suddenly there were three photographers instead of one.
Pete started to get back into position, but Evan pushed him again, literally keeping him on his toes. It must have looked like they were just horsing around, because no one said anything.
“Do you know what I told Colette when I first met you?” Evan’s voice was no more than a low vibration.
Pete swallowed. “No.”
“I told her I wanted to fuck the thinking out of you. I meant it. I love the moment when you get so turned on, your whole brain shuts down.”
The air was suddenly charged, like little bolts of lightning were striking between their bodies.
Pete protested weakly, “My brain does not shut down.”
“Don’t even try to deny it.” Evan smirked, stepping closer. “I’ve memorized your tells.”
“Very nice!” Colette called again. She’d moved to stand with the photographers and was watching them with laser-like focus.
Pete blinked at them like a deer, overcome by a sudden bout of jitters. Evan grabbed his face and turned it toward him. His fingers were warm and insistent on his jaw.
“Don’t look at them. Look at me. What story are we telling here?”
“Colette said—”
“Forget what she said. We’re the ones who have to convey the message with our bodies.” One of his hands slid down Pete’s side, and the sound of shutter clicks filled the air. “We’re supposed to be friends who are slowly falling in love right now. How do we want to show that?” His hand moved back up to Pete’s waist, stroking the bare skin reverently.
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