Page 13 of Felix

“Okay?” I ask slowly, wondering why Alex is telling me about the new guy at the garage. We take seats beside one another, ending up in a row behind Teddy, Niko, and Dixon. Dixon, for his part, is grumbling about his latte and some guy named Rip.

“Want me to set the two of you up?” Alex asks.

It takes me a moment to process his question. “Wait, what? No, I… What?”

Alex snorts. “You haven’t dated much since you started working here, boo, and I thought, well, maybe you’d want to? Or not.”

“I, uh…”

I’m not sure how to explain to Alex that dating, for me, feels like navigating a minefield. Granted, I’m sure everyone has their own unique challenges when it comes to finding a potential life partner.

But for me… There’s a level of trust I need that I haven’t been able to find on the handful of dates I’ve gone on in the past couple years. In fact, since starting at Elite 8 Studios, I haven’t slept with anyone outside of the job. Not once. It’s been easier that way.

Safer.

A first date isn’t particularly scary, but I don’t know that I want to bother with it right now. There’s a lot on my plate between work, classes, and the research study. And love, well… It can wait.

I don’t have time to give Alex an answer before the studio door swings open and Jerome walks in. Our boss is the production manager here at Elite 8 Studios. He doesn’t own the company, but everyone knows he’s the one in charge. And as his leather jacket and no-nonsense expression might suggest, he’s a bit of a hardass.

Once you get to know him, though, you realize exactly how much he cares about the people inside these walls. His ferocity extends to protecting his employees, even if, at times, his yelling is a little rough on the ears.

“All right, everyone,” Jerome booms, coming to a stop inside the door and motioning for the man next to him to step forward. “Time to meet your new costar. This is Christian Ducat, herein known as Vixen.”

I choke on absolutely nothing.

Because holy shit. It’s the guy I ran into by my place. The tall, dark-haired maybe-model with the smokey eyes. And today, he’s wearing a skirt. A short, black, pleated skirt over high-top shoes. His shirt is white and cropped, showing off his slim stomach. And there’s a dainty silver chain around his waist, held in place by the piercing at his navel.

“Oh my God,” Alex whispers beside me, sounding frantic. “A femboy. Emil, it’s a femboy!”

“You know we had open auditions last week,” Jerome goes on. “Vixen here is one of two performers we’ve hired. The other won’t be joining us for another few weeks. But, in the meantime, make sure to welcome your new cast member. Be polite. Show him around. Don’t be asses.”

There’s a general chuckle that goes around at that, and Vixen’s lips lift into a smile. His eyes sweep the room, taking everything in, but when they land on me, he freezes. Those eyes go round, and my pulse kicks up in response. I chance a glance behind me, wondering what has him looking so astonished, but I don’t see anything. When I face forward again, that smile returns to Vixen’s face, full-blown this time. And then, he winks.

What.

“Two quick notes,” Jerome says, his voice cutting through the din.

“Top, top, top,” Alex chants under his breath, his fingers crossed in front of him. “For the love of all that is dirty, say he’s—”

“Vixen is an exclusive top,” Jerome confirms.

Alex grabs my arm, squeezing tight. “I knew it!” he hisses. “A blouse.” At my confused expression, he explains, “A feminine top, boo.”

“Second thing,” Jerome calls. “We’re trying out something new. Starting in a couple weeks, we’ll test pilot a series of live stream videos for a new elite tier of subscribers.”

A murmur goes around at that, and Alex releases his death-grip on my arm.

“Vixen has agreed to be one of the participants,” our boss says. “We’ll do some promos in the coming weeks to prepare for the launch, so expect to see added scenes on your schedules for filming. That’s it for now. Enjoy brunch. Introduce yourselves. Be good boys.”

Teddy snorts, and Jerome turns to Vixen, saying something quietly. Alex launches out of his seat as conversation starts up again, the cast and crew talking about the changes coming our way.

But I’m stuck on that wink.

He wasn’t looking at me, right? Surely not.

Alex is one of the first to reach our new costar, a good head shorter as he stops in front of him. He’s all smiles, and Vixen grins in return, laughing lightly at whatever Alex is saying.

I meander over to the buffet table, not wanting to crowd the new guy right off the bat. And, if I’m being entirely honest with myself, a little intimidated. But there are plenty of introductions to go around. Mine can wait.

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