by Jodie Becker
“I’m tired. I think I might go home.”
Cathy grabbed her hand, her brows drawn low with concern. “Hey, I’m sorry for snapping at you.”
Bridget smiled. “It’s okay. I think we could all do with some sleep and maybe pampering.”
Cathy eased back with a sigh. “Yeah.”
After making her goodbyes, Bridget returned to her car and drove home, all the while her thoughts wandering back to the mistakes she made during practice. Each missed note, each unsteady key change made her cringe.
As she pulled into her driveway she noticed several crates on her front porch. She retrieved her cello from the back of her car and placed it by the stairs. Carefully she studied the wooden boxes. They weren’t big and reminded her of specially delivered boxes of wine she’d ordered several years ago for her housewarming. Frowning, she tried to remember if she’d purchased wine of late, but her sluggish mind refused to cooperate.
She stood over a crate and checked the address. No, it was right and even had her name on it. Curious, she opened the door and placed her cello inside and went in search of a pry bar. Lugging one of the boxes inside, she marveled at the weight. It wasn’t too heavy, which made her think it was perhaps wine. Kneeling in the entryway, she loosened the lid. It came apart with a subtle squeak and her mouth dropped open as she recognized the pointed little hats that belonged to garden gnomes. Hand pressed to her chest, she released a sound of joy. She didn’t remember ordering gnomes, but to have more…she certainly wasn’t about to wonder about the sender. Paper rustled as she grasped on to one and pulled it out.
Then immediately dropped it.
The thing fell with a dull thunk by her foot and rocked to and fro as though to shake its head at her and leer. A naked gnome. Stomach churning, she tore at the packaging and pulled out one naked gnome after another. No, it wasn’t a mistake. Each box had various types of statuettes, each naked in some form or fashion. Some cheekily flashed their backsides, while others stood fully exposed with nothing but a daisy to conceal their genitals. Some had no coverage at all.
An angry sob burst from her mouth and she flipped the lids over, trying to find who sent her such a crude “gift”. An envelope was sticky-taped to the back of one and she pulled out the note.
To replace the one you threw through my window. Enjoy.
Snatching up a gnome, she marched across the lawn and pounded on the door. He’d better be home or she was going to break all his windows with every single gnome he sent her. The house remained dark and she pounded on the door until her hand hurt.
Light in the entranceway flicked on and she stepped back, breathing hard, her anger climbing by the second. The door opened and for a moment she lost all thought process. Shaggy black locks framed his face, black fuzz on his cheeks made him look deliciously rumpled. He wore nothing but boxers, the heel of his hand rubbing at his eye. He dropped his arm and sighed. “You come here just to stare or what?”
Fury snapped back into place and she hurled the gnome at him. He juggled with it before it settled in his hands. He grinned. “I see you got my package.”
“Are you some type of pervert? Oh forget that. Of course you are. How dare you send this to me.”
He blinked in mock surprise. “What? I thought you liked gnomes.”
“They’re naked. Don’t act innocent. I know what you’re trying to do.”
“And what would that be?”
“You’re trying to intimidate me.”
Max chuckled. “To what purpose? If I know anything about you already, you don’t get intimidated easily. You threw one of these damn things through my window.”
“Is this what this is about? Because I broke a window? Just give me the bill and take these back. “
“Nah. I don’t think I will. This is more fun.”
“I’ll throw them all out.”
“Then don’t be surprised when you find them on your front lawn for all to see.”
Shock sucked the oxygen from her lungs. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“I would.”
She glared at him, imagining how hard she’d have to throw a gnome to knock him on his backside. “You think this is some type of joke?”
“Well, I think it’s pretty funny.”
“You’re an ass.”
He shrugged. “Right. Well, if we’re done here.”
The door shut in her face. Bridget stared in shock. He didn’t just…? She banged on the unforgiving wood, rage giving strength to each knock. After a few moments, Max opened the door. “What?”
“I want my gnome back.”
He thrust out the naked thing and she took an involuntary step back.
“No. I want P. Diddy Gnomes.”
“P. Diddy…? You name these things?”
Bridget tipped her chin up, refusing to feel embarrassed. “I want him back.”
He clicked his tongue. “I don’t think I will. He’s making a pretty good doorstop.”
“He doesn’t belong to you!”
Max shook his head, a laugh rumbling from his chest. “Well, babe, you should’ve thought of that before you tried to clock me with it.”
He slammed the door on her and this time it was accompanied by the turning of a lock. “This isn’t over.”
Behind the door she heard his laughter and she promised revenge.
Max tossed the naked gnome in his hand, laughing at the reaction he received. Just as he’d predicted. Bridget was so uptight she needed a good laugh. Sure he’d been mad about the window for all of a day, but in hindsight he couldn’t help but chuckle. Nothing like getting cock-blocked by a garden gnome.
In his room, he put the naked gnome next to P. Diddy Gnomes and patted their cheeks. They looked good as a pair. P. Diddy should be thanking him. What guy didn’t like a naked gal with pert tits like this one? Chuckling, he rubbed his head. He needed more sleep. In fact, he’d been having a really hot dream before he woke to Bridget pounding on his door. Who’d thought she’d look sexy when flustered? The way her eyes shone and that flushed look.
Sighing, Max flung himself on the bed, arms stretched across the king-sized mattress, and shut his eyes. A grin pulled on his lips. He knew she’d make good on her promise and he looked forward to what she’d do to top his naked gnome escapade.
* * * * *
Sweat slithered down his back as he thrust hard into the girl beneath him. She gasped out a breath—one caught between a sob and a whimper. He knew that sound and it wasn’t the one women made when they neared an orgasm. Pushing up on his hands, he looked down at her tear-streaked face and trembling chin.
“Shit,” he mumbled.
“Cut!”
The moment he pulled out of Venus, she sat up and curled her knees into her body, long black hair touching her toes. Max grimaced at the pain shooting through his cock. Nothing like pulling out just before you’re about to blow your wad.
Dan, a potbellied man with a moustache who looked more like a sleaze than a former porn actor-turned-director, turned to the cameramen. “Take five, everyone.”
As the men exited the barn, Dan moved to approach, but Max threw up a hand. “I got this.”
Dan’s weaselly eyes narrowed on the girl. “You sure?”
Dan might be a good director and a hell of a guy, but he didn’t like it when chicks messed with his reel. He wouldn’t be as forgiving as Max. Probably make the situation worse, and that couldn’t happen.
“Yeah.”
After a brief hesitation, Dan stomped off, the barn door banging shut behind him. Max sucked in a calming breath. The scent of livestock and fresh hay filled his senses, reminding him they were on borrowed time. On location, every hour cost Dungeon money. One glance at Venus’ shuddering shoulders told him there was no rushing this.
A piece of hay dug into Max’s ass and he shifted. The chaps he wore felt slick on his skin and he wanted to swap them for a pair of jeans. But the shot required chaps, hat and nothing else. He snatched the cowboy hat off his hea
d and settled it over his lap. Didn’t want to scare the girl more, after all.
“I’m sorry,” she said on a hiccup.
“Hey, it’s all right. The first time is always the hardest.”
She looked at him then with her big doe eyes. “Was it that way for you?”
Max thought about it for a second. “Yeah. I was shit scared.”
Venus sniffled and wiped the tears from her eyes. “Did you feel…?”
“Dirty?”
She nodded.
Max rubbed his chin. He was a guy. He didn’t feel dirty for having sex. Sex hang-ups mainly were a female thing. Granted he’d seen a lot of self-hatred from men too. “What you’re feeling is normal. I’ve seen it happen before. Cry it all out and see if you want to go again.”
She shook her head. “I don’t want to. I think I made a mistake.”
Shit. Dan was going to hit the roof. “Did you sign a contract?”
She nibbled her lower lip and nodded. That made it worse. Contracts generally made sure a person couldn’t up and leave mid-production. If she didn’t like it, they’d simply do shots without her face or from behind her and edit out her crying. Damn it, he hated this part of his job. Vane was an asshole sometimes.
“Look, we have to finish this. If you can get it together for just this scene I’ll see what I can swing to get you out.”
Tears filled her eyes and she cried as if something had died. And maybe that was true. Something had died. It was her innocence. Max waited patiently, his cock still hard from the Viagra he’d popped. He cast a bored stare over the barn and noticed the horse in the next stall over. Considering the horse was an extra to give the shoot an “authentic” feel, he wondered what that animal was thinking. Animals fucked for no other reason but to procreate. Thanks to Animal Planet, Max knew it wasn’t all roses for them either.
The sobbing became little sniffles, and he looked at Venus. In the years since he’d started he’d seen this time and time again. The first time he’d fucked a girl who cried beneath him, he’d pulled out and looked to the crew for help. No one said anything and the director had insisted they finish the scene. He’d lost his erection and couldn’t fuck a piece of dough, let alone the girl. Foolishly he’d thought it was their out. How the hell could he screw a girl who clearly didn’t want to go on? Apparently he could. After his contract was shoved in his face both he and Rochelle had to finish the scene. With the help of Viagra, he managed to pull through for the shot and then promptly vomited on the floor. Years had passed since then and he still remembered how she looked and the sounds she made. That gut-wrenching misery of hurting someone he had no intention of hurting.
Months of binge drinking and self-hatred followed, but he eventually learned to separate himself from who he was and what he did as an occupation. Max was starkly aware that the industry had changed him. He’d never be that naïve young man again. He’d seen and done too much. Scenes like the one he was involved in now didn’t distress him as much as they used to. Now it was a fact of life. Some women were just going to cry the minute you stuck your dick in them.
Venus dropped her hands and sucked in a ragged breath. Her eyes were puffy and she would probably need some time to work on her appearance before resuming.
“Feeling better?” he asked gently.
She swallowed, lips trembling at the sides.
“You think you can muscle through the rest of this?”
Her nod was reluctant at best. She didn’t want to, but she would. Hiding his grimace behind a friendly smile, he patted her knee and withdrew when she winced. “Hey, it’s just me. Nothing bad is going to happen. If you need a break, just tap my shoulder and we’ll stop. I’ll try and make this as easy on you as I can.”
She wouldn’t meet his eyes and instead found something over his shoulder really interesting.
Max stood, clutching the hat to his aching dick. “I’m just going to get the boys and we can do this. The quicker done, the quicker you can get out of here.”
“Okay.”
“Right.” Max hurried to the door and waved to the crew outside. “She’s ready.”
Granted, he knew she was far from it. But this was a business and time was money. Max returned to Venus’ side. They might be able to start from where they left off, to save all the messing about. As the men entered the room and set up, Max settled on his knees and pushed all his reluctance aside. He didn’t want to upset her further.
He cupped her chin so she looked him in the face. “Close your eyes if you need, all right? Imagine something else. You think you can do that?”
She nodded and settled back into the hay.
Max positioned himself above her and a strange darkness expanded in his chest. Sweat rolled down his back and muscles in his arms trembled and he shook off the trepidation. Max stared at single stalk of hay then tried to count as many as he could. This wasn’t going to be easy on anyone, least of all Venus.
“Action!”
Venus whimpered and Max froze. Prickles chased up his spine and the thought of continuing turned his stomach. He was of two minds, caught between the professional in him reasoning out the importance of finishing the scene and his worn conscience rearing its head after years of silence. Then he made a fatal mistake. He looked at Venus. Her chin trembled as her eyes filled with tears once again. The misery there struck his gut like a bullet and he jerked away from her. Thorns of unease pressed over his skin at the way she stared at him with a mixture of relief and hatred. He couldn’t go on. Not like this and not with her. He wanted to reach for her and tell her he wasn’t going to touch her like that anymore, but before he could, Venus scrambled to her feet and took off, the barn door rattling shut behind her.
“What the hell?” Dan’s arms spread with dismay, his brows lowered in anger.
Rubbing sweat off his forehead, Max exhaled harshly. The self-hatred coiled in the shadows, implanting itself deep within. It wasn’t something he deserved to carry, but it was there. Alive and waiting. Everyone knew to an extent what they were getting into when they started. If not, they discovered it soon enough. Work was work no matter the occupation. Standing, Max wiped stray pieces of straw off his ass and grimaced.
Dan sauntered up to him. “She’s not coming back, is she?”
Max removed his chaps and yanked on his jeans. “Nope.”
Dan glowered. “Why didn’t you finish the scene, damn it?”
“Because I didn’t fucking want to, okay?”
“You’re off your game, man,” Dan said, his voice thick with disapproval. “Vane’s not going to like that.”
“Vane can shove it.”
“Hey, this was vanilla. We didn’t throw her into the deep end.”
Max rubbed the back of his head. Yeah, he knew that. It was a simple single-partner, kink-free shoot. But it wasn’t for Venus. Dan picked up an article of clothing Venus left behind. The headdress. It’d be used again. Probably when he went on to do the “captive” scene. “Shit. There’s no hope for it now. Take a break and we’ll set up over at the paddock and see you there in thirty.”
Max nodded. Didn’t need much by way of props. After all, they all spent most of their time with their clothes off.
The rest of the day finished without a hitch. The more experienced women were used for the heavier scenes and Max was glad for the lack of tears and welcomed the false enthusiasm. Once finished, he settled against the bonnet of his Lexus IS 250, the silver body gleaming in the dusk. One foot crossed in front of the other, he watched the crew pack the truck. For all intents and purposes, they functioned like any production crew. They operated with professional integrity, passively observing people getting it on. All except for one. The guy was probably no older than twenty. If Max had to guess, he’d peg him for a newbie. He didn’t do much but hold the boom mike and get wood. As the kid approached, Max pushed off his car. The boom-boy’s head tipped to the ground and he began to veer away from him.
The kid probably expected some joke t
o come his way. The crew was quick to give him some shit for it. Male bonding and all. “Hey, boom-boy.”
The guy eyed him warily as he approached. “Yes?”
Max smiled and clapped him on the shoulder. Man, was he all bone? “You did good today.”
He blinked at him as though he’d socked him one. “Huh?”
“We’re both men here. So you saw some tits and got a boner. It happens.”
Pink bloomed over his cheeks and he kicked at the grass.
Max shook the guy’s shoulder. “I’ll tell you something. See all those guys over there?” He pointed to the rest of the crew. “They all got hard-ons for the girls the first couple of weeks. And I’m willing to bet they rubbed some out the first chance they got.”
Thin lips quirked upward. “Think so?”
“I know so. And you know what? Each one of them got flack when they started out.”
The guy chuckled, a small nervous sound. “Really?”
“Yeah. Think nothing of it. See you at work next time?”
“Sure.” He smiled.
“Good.”
Max returned to his car and gunned the engine, a smile on his lips. That weight in his chest eased a bit more. At least he helped someone through their first day. Pity it wasn’t Venus. He drove home, the exertions of the day starting to pull on him. The sun had long since set by the time he parked in the driveway. He glanced over his shoulder at Bridget’s house. Lights were out and the gnomes gleamed as the streetlight hit them. He briefly thought of placing some naked gnomes in her yard, but rejected the idea. He’d wait for her next move and see if it was worth playing along.
Inside, he grabbed a drink before catching a shower and settling in bed. It felt as if he’d only shut his eyes when the classical music vibrated through his walls. He blinked at the ceiling. His head was pounding. Hang on…were those drums? A clash followed the boom boom boom beats. There was no mistaking that. Max rolled over and thrust a pillow over his head but the music penetrated the flimsy down. Damn that partition wall. It didn’t muffle a thing. He swore he could even hear a triangle in there somewhere.
With a grumble, he kicked off the sheets and trudged down the stairs to escape the music. But it followed him into the living room, the walls vibrating with it. Disgruntlement gave way to amusement. This was Bridget’s response? Sound warfare? It was pretty lame, but he’d have to give her credit for having the gonads to even do something. Chuckling, he exited his house and waited for a break in the music before he knocked on her door.