Page 87 of Filtration Play
They’d been up all night finalizing the details, since the dungeon had been in active use during the day, and they’d done a quick changeover once Meg finished with her last client. Of course she’d delegated tasks to everyone on staff so Fin was able to focus on getting their photography hung.
“Stay still, you stubborn fucker.” Eva gritted her teeth as she tried to apply something with a sponge on Fin’s cheeks. What the fuck weird substances were they using? Fin tried to peek past her in the bathroommirror. “It’s nothing extensive, just some base coat. Think of it like the cars your boyfriend works on.”
“What kind of car would I be, though?” Fin asked, their energy amping and their bratting leaking out of them naturally. “Because if I’m some shitty Mazda, no amount of base coat is going to help.”
“What’d a Mazda ever do to you?” Pixie peeked in from behind.
Eva painted another puff and let out a groan. “Okay, I’m done wrangling. Put your damn jacket on.”
“Oh, thank fuck.” Fin darted over to the coat hook, where they’d left their nice leather jacket. They had paired it with a black button-down, tailored black pants, and classic Doc Martens, and they were feeling the best mix of classy and themselves, which was all they were clinging to tonight. Because fuck.
Strip down naked and fuck on a stage? Whatever.
Show the world their photography? They were ready to vomit.
“Hera’s been blocked on every page and group related to the show too.” Nolan stood by the door. “So no worries about her stirring up any more shit.”
“She wouldn’t have the stones to crash this event and try Meg after that stunt too.” Fin smoothed down their shirt as they exited the bathroom. "Ready to do this?” Nolan arched a brow. “Don’t think I’ve ever seen you this nervous before.”
A glib response rose to their lips, but they met Nolan’s gaze, and for once, they let it drop. “I don’t do this. The whole showing parts of myself. So we’ll have this photography show, and after, I’ll burn all the photos, and we’ll never speak of this again.”
“Right,” Nolan teased. “You think Meg’s going to let you burn them?”
Fin rolled their eyes. “Come on, let’s go, asshole.”
They stepped past the employee area and into the main stretch of the café. The lights were dimmed, but Pixie and Micah had done amazing work in decorating with string lights around the café, and Parker and Sloan had picked up catering, which was laid out on the tables. Ezra and Kai had swept in and helped to clear the room downstairs while Fin worked on the last-minute details with the photography setup. Nolan had been handling the socials while Meg and Tristan directed and tied up every loose end to make this show run seamlessly.
Hera had a nice space, but this show would’ve never meant as much there.
Having it here—well, Whipped was their home, the first one they’d known.
Meg clapped a hand on Fin’s shoulder. “You going to wait downstairs or upstairs for the masses?”
“You mean like the two people coming?”
Tristan strolled by, stealing one of the olives from the charcuterie plate. “Babe, there’s more than that. Meg’s been giddy over the amount of folks who’ll be showing up at Whipped for this.”
“I see, I see, just part of the grandiose marketing scheme.” Fin winked.
Meg tugged their ear. “No, you little shit. I love you, and I’m going to support you any damn way I can, even if I have to constantly hammer that through your thick skull.”
Fin’s throat grew thick. If Meg hadn’t given them the job here…fuck, they didn’t know where they might’ve ended up. Not this rich with friends who’d become the family they’d always hoped for. “Thanks. Love you too.”
“Oh my god, are you broken?” Micah said as he and Pixie carried out a few flowers in vases to drop by tables. “Real emotions?”
“I’m about to ask your Daddy for a turn spanking that ass,” Fin said.
“Don’t you have your boy to occupy you now?” Parker called from across the room, where he and Ezra were moving around some chairs.
“Speak of the devil.” Meg tilted her head toward the door where Ollie stood. “Any reason you didn’t want him to show up early?”
Fin’s cheeks heated, and their heart beat harder. Not one they’d share with the class. “Because his ass is distracting, and I’d probably end up getting cum all over my pretty pictures.”
“Right,” Nolan said dryly. “So believable.”
Fin strode toward the door, their pulse picking up pace with each step. They flipped the latch on the door and eyed him up.
Fuck, their boyfriend was so damn pretty.
