Page 74 of The Casting Couch

“Shower,” he snapped.“Two minutes.I’ll get your clothes.”

“Nico, I’m covered in spunk and shame…”

“You want to explain that to a parole officer or rinse it off now?”

Fair point.

I ran.

* * *

I don’t even remember changing clothes.One second I was standing in a puddle of shame and leftover lube, the next I was in jeans, a t-shirt, and sprinting with Nico down 8th Avenue like we were late for a plane.Or, in my case, about to violate parole and go back to jail.

“Shitshitshit,” I panted.“What if she’s already marked me down as a no-show?What if she reports me?I can’t go back, Nico.I can’t.”

“Breathe,” he said, not even winded.“You were at work.You’re not late by that much.”

“She’s Brooke Keeland.There is no ‘not that much’ in Brooke Keeland’s world!She probably has a stopwatch.I’m gonna walk in and she’ll just point at the cuffs.”

We reached the building, shoved through the glass doors, and hit the elevator button like we were trying to break it.I was sweating bullets, heart jack hammering, and not in the fun “camera’s rolling” way.

Inside the elevator, I slumped against the wall and groaned.“Oh, my God.My job.What the hell do I say I do?I was literally just the centerpiece of a bukkake scene.That’s not exactly résumé material!”

Nico gave me a soft look.“You tell the truth.”

I gave him a look.“I’d rather tell her I’m a professional jewel thief.”

“She’s seen worse.Probably.”

“You say that like you didn’t just watch me get… splattered.”

Nico reached for my hand and squeezed it.“You were at work.I’ll back you up.Laura will too, and so will Jack and Liam.”

The elevator dinged before I could spiral further.

Sixth floor.Reentry Services.AKA, the hallway of my nightmares.

We stepped into the lobby, and the receptionist looked up from her desk with the exact facial expression if someone tracked mud on her white carpet.

“Name?”

“Bradley Mitchell,” I said, breathless.“I have a two-thirty with Officer Keeland and…”

“It’s two fifty-one,” she replied, without looking at the clock.“Sit.She’ll call you when she’s ready.”

Nico sat beside me.I stared down at my hands.Tried not to think about the fact that, like, twenty dudes had stared at me today while jerking off.Tried not to think about the warm towel situation.Or the way I could still kind of smell cheap lube on my skin.

The door opened.

“Mr.Mitchell,” said Brooke Keeland, cool and unbothered.“Come in.”

I stood up.Nico stood, too.“I was with him.He was working.I can vouch…”

Brooke turned to look at him.It wasn’t angry.Just… sharp.

Like a scalpel made of eye contact.

Nico sat.

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