Rush

by Gina Gordon

  Maybe I was wrong. Maybe there wasn’t something more to Max after all. Maybe he was just as shallow, just as selfish, as I had originally thought.

  Chapter 13

  Max

  I had been holed up in my office all day, finalizing story ideas for our next set of productions on the Babysitter serial. One of them included Abby, the girl Ben and I had screened a few days ago.

  Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to concentrate on much, considering I couldn’t get the image of Everly out of my mind, naked, as I looked up her body with my mouth pressed against her clit.

  Last night had rocked me, and not just my dick. I’d had lots of sex. With many different women in many different positions and locations. Variety had always been the spice of my sex life. And the kinkier, the better. It made the deed bearable, considering I’d never been in it to connect with someone. I was used to fucking, but with Everly, we were going slow. Like we were teenagers just coming into our sexuality. I’d successfully gotten to third base. We’d already been on three dates. It hadn’t even taken me three dates in high school to get in a girl’s pants. Yet, surprisingly, I had never been more satisfied.

  When I had gotten home, I’d lain in bed hoping to catch some much-needed sleep before I set off to work, but I couldn’t sleep. My dick was still hard and I couldn’t stop thinking about the many ways I could corrupt this innocent girl. Although, given that tiny edge I saw last night—the one where she’d played voyeur to my masturbating hands—she might not be so innocent after all.

  But she deserved better than my twisted fantasies—the only fantasies I knew how to conjure given my profession. How was I ever supposed to have a normal relationship with a girl when all I could think of was coming on her face or fucking her up the ass? Those were my default fantasies. Those were the situations I found myself in, because all of the women that I went out with wanted them. I filmed porn, so in turn, I wanted to fuck like porn. That stereotype couldn’t be further from the truth.

  “You up for poker tonight?” Ben loped into my office. He had his hair pulled back into a small ponytail, which told me he’d been editing film.

  “I can’t. I…have an appointment.”

  He plopped into one of the leather chairs on the opposite side of my desk. “You mean you’re going to see Everly?”

  “I told you, I’m helping her train.”

  There was a hell of a lot more going on, which was why Ben answered my statement with a “hmmm.” I saved the file I had been working on and turned my attention to my friend.

  Instead of pushing the subject, he crossed one leg over his knee. “I think I’m going to have a get-together at my place. Break in the new amenities.”

  Ben had purchased a brand-new house right on the water. His first real home. It was gorgeous. I knew every nook and cranny, considering Fridge and I had helped him move in.

  “You won’t be bailing.” He pointed at me. “Maybe you could bring Everly.”

  “And subject her to you assholes?” I shook my head. There was no way I was bringing her to meet my friends. Once her list was done she wouldn’t be around, and the gesture would have been for nothing. “I’d rather take my chances introducing her to my—”

  “Max!” Speak of the devil.

  My father’s booming voice caused me to jump in my seat. Lately, my nerves escalated whenever he was in the room.

  He walked up to my desk and nodded toward Ben. “Benson. Good to see you.”

  “Good to see you, too, sir.”

  My father was an intimidating guy to most people, but Ben wasn’t afraid of him, considering he’d practically grown up in my house. His presence hadn’t been because we had any number of porn stars on the premises at a given time, but because my mother had practically adopted him when she’d realized his own mother preferred the company of men over that of her son.

  Ben got out of his seat as if to leave, but my father placed a hand on his shoulder and pushed him down. “No need to leave, son. I won’t be long.”

  “What’s up, Dad?”

  I didn’t have time to talk. Especially if our talk was going to be about me taking over. The last few times it had come up in conversation, my feelings were different. I wasn’t sure anymore if this was the path I wanted to go down.

  “I just got off the phone with Randall Hunter.”

  Randall Hunter was Silicon Valley’s finest producer of pornography. And my father’s friend, although Randall considered him a rival. That small distinction told a person all they needed to know about my father. He wasn’t in this to make enemies. He was in this to make money, plain and simple.

  “And what did Randall want this time?”

  He was forever calling, trying to broker some kind of deal where he could rent one of our contract girls for a single feature. Our girls made the most money in the business because I worked hard to make it happen. Well, worked. I wouldn’t say I worked very hard. Which was ironic, considering hard was the name of the game.

  “He made me an offer to buy White Lace.”

  My head snapped up from where I had lowered my eyes to focus on anything but my father. I looked over at Ben, who was equally surprised.

  “You both seemed as shocked as I am.”

  “How good an offer?” I asked. I hoped it was an offer he couldn’t refuse.

  “Good enough that for a second, I actually considered it.”

  Ben whistled from his seat. He was practically family, which was why I knew my father didn’t have an issue with discussing this in front of him. He’d learned a long time ago, anything he told me, I ended up telling Ben anyway.

  “How do you feel about that?” I asked.

  Say you’re considering it. Say we can start over. Say I don’t have to decide between a happy future and assuaging my guilt.

  “I didn’t spend all these years building this company to give it away to strangers. White Lace is our family. It’s in our blood. I certainly know I’ve bled for it.”

  “Exactly, sir. Maxy will grow your empire, expand your legacy.” Ben smiled. “With my help of course.”

  “You boys have your ears to the ground. You know exactly what’s going on out there. Who people are liking and friending and twitting.”

  Ben and I both did our best to suppress our laughter. My father tried when it came to social media, but he had no clue.

  “Max, between your business sense and exquisite eye for talent and Ben’s creativity, this company will double in size and profit. I know it.”

  “Max doesn’t want to sell.” Ben shot a glare in my direction. “Do you, Max?”

  I knew selling the business meant that Ben was shit out of luck, but maybe that’s exactly what he needed. Instead of putting his creativity on the line with his own work—he was hiding behind filming people having sex.

  “It’s not all about us, Max. Our crew, our actors, they need us. There aren’t very many safe havens for men and women who choose the sex trade. Someone has to make sure they have a safe place to work and an opportunity to achieve their goals. That’s what White Lace is all about.” He eyed me from across the desk. “Randall Hunter isn’t going to make sure that happens.”

  Cue the obligatory guilt. My father did it, so I would be expected to do the same when it came to our employees. But I just wasn’t on board with being a savior.

  “Besides, what are you going to do with your life if you don’t have White Lace?”

  And there it was. The question that I had been asking myself ever since…ever since I had met Everly. Since the day someone finally saw through my bullshit. It made me wonder if there was someone out there who would actually take me seriously if I decided to get into a more traditional business venture.

  I had money, and in a few weeks I’d have more than I’d ever need. Enough to go out on my own if I had the balls to do it. There were few things in this world I was good at, and stepping out of my comfort zone wasn’t one of them.

  I was in this for the long haul, so I was goin
g to have to figure out a way to be happy.

  “Then I guess there isn’t anything for you to think about, Dad.”

  “You’re great at what you do, Max. Don’t forget that.”

  I had been hearing that all my life. How great I was. At everything. Until I’d met Everly, I had believed it. Something about the way she looked at me, as if she saw through that greatness, into the depths of my true self, and what she found was disturbing.

  My father turned to leave, but stopped short. “Would you boys mind sending out the email about the wrap party?”

  After every feature wrapped, my father hosted a party to celebrate. It was really just an excuse to let loose and have fun, without sex being the main focus.

  Both Ben and I nodded.

  I might take Everly to a charity event. I might even let her see my home. I definitely wasn’t taking her to a wrap party.

  I knew she wouldn’t be judgmental, that wasn’t the problem. And I would be proud to walk in with her on my arm. But I didn’t want to subject her to some of the female actors. She just wasn’t like them and I had no doubt she’d draw stares and snarky comments.

  I mentally slapped myself. That wasn’t it. There were very few mean girls who worked for us. Maybe I just didn’t want her to see me in my element. Maybe I wanted to keep the porn guy as far away from her as possible, because if she came with me, there would be no separating the two.

  “Once he’s gone, it’s going to be you and me ruling this place,” I said.

  “You sure about that?” Ben eyed me curiously, his foot shaking over his knee.

  “Of course I’m sure.” No, I wasn’t sure at all. Not one bit. But I didn’t know how to tell my best friend that I was scared to death to take over the family business. That I was terrified of becoming, permanently, the persona I had crafted.

  “Well, for the record, you, brother, will be ruling this place.” He gave me a wide-toothed grin, his teeth practically sparkling from the opposite side of my desk. “I’m just coming along for the ride.”

  In no way did Ben ride my coattails. He was equally as important to this business.

  With a sharp change in conversation, Ben asked, “Did you know Bryce is selling the Concord?”

  I nodded.

  “I hope whoever buys it fixes up the place. It has a lot of potential that’s being wasted. That line could be twice as long every night if the right owner came along.”

  “It does have potential luxury written all over it.”

  I had so many ideas for the Concord, and the more days that passed only made that number increase.

  “If anybody knows how to sell luxury, it’s you, Maxy.”

  I didn’t know how to do anything but make porn and spend money. I’d never done anything else. Never really wanted to because I had a built-in future. Buying a hotel would definitely be stepping out of my comfort zone.

  You’re not buying a hotel. Get your head out of your ass.

  My future had been solidified twenty-three years ago. There was no way someone like me was going to be taken seriously in the legitimate business world. My interactions with the charity made that quite clear.

  Ben held out his fist and I bumped it. “Get out of here. I have more to do, and I have to leave in an hour.”

  “A hot date with Everly?” He wiggled his eyebrows like we were thirteen again. As if I didn’t get his innuendo.

  “A running date, if you must know.” She was getting better with every session. She’d be on her way to two kilometers in no time.

  “Has she gotten tired of your subpar skills in bed, already?”

  “Subpar?” I’d never had any complaints. Besides, I wasn’t utilizing all of my skills with Everly. At least, not yet.

  “We can’t all be me.”

  I threw my pen at him, but he caught it against his chest. “Later, Maxy. Have fun.”

  There would be fun all right. After our training session, I had plans to make her laugh. I was going to take her to the most coveted of all rooms at my father’s house—my childhood home.

  I only hoped she found hilarity in my dysfunction.

  Chapter 14

  Everly

  I was still sweaty from our training session, but my body was relaxed. Mostly because I had let Max stretch me out in all the right places. He didn’t allow me time to go home and change, so I felt out of my element when we pulled up to his childhood home.

  Mansions weren’t all that new to me, but this house took my breath away.

  When we pulled up, I was immediately drawn in by the gated property. Lush green grass spread across the lawn of the Tudor-style home. I imagined Max and Ben playing in the yard as kids.

  “Are you coming in?” He held open one side of the dark wood double doors and extended his arm.

  I hesitated. I was a little freaked out to be going to his home. Was this taking our deal to a new level?

  “Don’t worry. We don’t have a dungeon downstairs.” He grinned. “Well, not anymore.”

  He winked as I brushed past him on my way inside, his body so huge he took up most of the door space. Bolts of electricity zinged as our bare skin touched. Was I ever going to get used to his touch, his presence?

  I entered a circular foyer with cream-colored marble flooring flecked with gold. The foyer sectioned off into three rooms, a dining room to the right, a living room to the left, and straight ahead a small hallway led to the kitchen. Each opening was flanked with pillars that matched the floors. A spiral staircase sat off to the side and disappeared to the second floor.

  The decor was a little dated, dare I say gaudy. This place looked like it had been built with rejects from Liberace’s house.

  “This is where you grew up?” I asked.

  “Yep. My mother liked extravagance. They bought this house as is and she didn’t change a thing. She used to say it made her feel like a Vegas showgirl.”

  One credenza was positioned on either side of the foyer, various framed pictures sat on the shelves. I walked closer, admiring the family photos. One stood out in particular, a striking blond woman sat in the sun with a floppy hat and big brown sunglasses, holding up a glass of wine. The sun shone behind her and she smiled so sweetly. It was nothing like I had expected a former porn star to look like. I’d expected cleavage, collagen, and Lucite. This woman was a natural beauty.

  “It’s been five years since my mother passed away, and to this day, the first thing my father does whenever he walks into the house is press a kiss to that picture.”

  Another unexpected tidbit of information. I had so many stereotypes and preconceived notions about Max and his family. The more time I spent with him, the more I realized how wrong I’d been. Even with women who got paid to have sex on camera at his fingertips, Max’s father still came home to his wife every night.

  It was sweet.

  “She’s beautiful.”

  He nodded. “This is how I remember her. Most people, once they found out what she did for a living, couldn’t see past her films. After that, no matter how much she downplayed her face and body, she was always a porn star.”

  It made me sad that such a beautiful woman was thought of so poorly by so many people simply because she’d liked to have sex. It made me even more sad that Max had to witness that ignorance.

  “Are you going to tell me what we’re doing here?”

  He jerked his head toward me. He had traveled somewhere else in his mind while looking at his mother’s picture. I hated to interrupt, but I was dying to know why he’d brought me here.

  “We’re here to check another item off your list.”

  He ushered me through a small hallway off the kitchen and down into the basement. Flicking on the light at the top of the stairs, I followed him down. Max had to duck his head when we got to the bottom.

  He pulled me to a stop in front of a door and smiled. “We’re standing outside the Levin Accomplishment Room.”

  “Your family has an accomplishment room?” And I thought my f
amily was bunch of overachievers.

  “Before we go in I should warn you that what you’re about to see may scar you for life. I know it has me, so…just a warning.”

  Excitement danced in my stomach. I had no idea what to expect. Well, maybe a lot of high school athletic trophies. A PTA certificate or World’s Greatest Dad mug.

  “Ready?”

  I nodded as a sudden rush of excitement coursed through me. It was something I was feeling much more often, made doubly exciting because it was something I didn’t feel often. Max was opening my eyes to new opportunities. With him, there was a surprise around every corner. I hated surprises. I liked to be prepared, equipped, and knowledgeable. The more time I spent with him though, the easier it was to throw that out the window.

  The door swung open and a bright light illuminated the space. I took one step inside and my jaw practically fell to the ground.

  “Welcome to the Levin Accomplishment Room.”

  It was filled with accomplishments all right. Shelving lined three of the four walls and they were covered with porn DVDs, adult film awards, magazine covers, and sex toys. They were separated by year, dating back to 1995. But interspersed between the adult film industry items were child drawings, high school merit ribbons, and science fair certificates.

  “This is almost fifteen years of ego-stroking all in one room.”

  I stepped to the middle and glanced from one end of the shelving to the other.

  The year 1995 had a Playboy magazine in a plastic cover with a beautiful blond on it, two glass penis statues—best female star and best orgy—and fifth place science fair honorable mention certificate.

  The year 2000 had several glass penis statues, more sex toys, including a vagina that was molded after his mother. And in between it all were two first place high school track and field trophies.

  I finally tore my gaze away from the shelves and looked at Max. He eyed me with a blank stare. He was waiting for my reaction. Was it weird that, as a child, Max’s successes carried equal weight with his parents’? Was it sad that his entire life had been one embarrassing orgy and sex toy after another?